Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

People are not born equal. In this society you are either born with power, or you don’t have any. Those with the right quirks are praised, people believe in them. Those with none are considered worthless, near sub-humans; it’s a fate feared by every 4-year-old until their quirk appears.

Kids are fools.

In this society there is something that can be even worse than being born quirkless, both fates cannot be changed. At least that is what most think.

The classroom was filled with happy chatting, as happy as you could be in the beginning of a new school day. That changed as soon as the first person turned to look at who had just arrived.

“Watch out,” the student said. All chatter ended right away. Everyone’s eyes followed young Izuku Midoriya as he walked across the classroom. None of the looks were friendly, but one specific pair of eyes had fire in them, explosions really. Izuku turned toward the front of the class before approaching Katsuki Bakugo, whose blonde hair looked like it had been blown up by his personality. Izuku quickly got to his desk at the front corner of the class, right next to the windows, and took his seat. The desks around his had all been pulled away from him to create open space around him on all sides, just enough to be out of arm’s reach. Even the teachers rarely got any closer than that even if Izuku needed their help.

At least people weren’t constantly mocking and actively beating him like before. Ever since his hair had lost its green it had become like a lighthouse warning other students to stay away. He was alone, but at least he didn’t need to look over his shoulder every few seconds. Sometimes he didn’t know which was better.

Another lesson passed uneventfully as Izuku focused on studying. Most of his classmates had already left as he got his stuff back into his backpack and he let the rest file out rather than pushing through the crowd.

He was… mostly successful. Thinking the path was clear he walked out of the classroom briskly to make it to his next class. Of course, he bumped against the last person he wanted to. Bakugo only needed a glimpse of Izuku to jump away and bring his hand up, small explosions sparking on his palm.

“What are you trying to do thief!?” Bakugo screamed at Izuku.

“I didn’t try anything. I’m just going to the next class,” Izuku answered with a tired voice and a blank expression.

“Yeah sure. Need to study hard to get to the best villain school? Oh wait, those don’t exist. You’d be better off just dropping out. It’s not like you’d end up on the streets with that rich dad of yours.” Bakugo pointed at Izuku’s expensive wristwatch. Izuku brought his other hand protectively over the watch. “At least the rest of us wouldn’t need to deal with your shit.”

Bakugo turned and left. Some nearby students stared at Izuku. Someone snickered. No one came within an arm’s reach of Izuku, who was staring at the floor and glanced at his hands and his watch. With a sigh he continued walking to the next class, trying to leave everyone else as much space as he could. Of course, that took time and he’d probably be the last one to class again.

“Is something wrong young Midoriya?”

Hearing the first friendly words of the day since leaving home, Izuku looked up at his geography teacher.

“Just the usual Kuro-sensei,” Izuku answered. “I ran into Bakugo after the last lesson.”

“I see,” the teacher said. The young man was the only one in the school that actually treated Izuku well, including the staff. He could even get angry at how Izuku was treated. Even now trails of dark mist leaked from behind his ears and across his face like it often did when they talked.

“Uh, sensei, your quirk,” Izuku pointed out.

“Thank you for noting that.”

The teacher controlled his quirk, making the mist disappear and gestured Izuku to enter ahead of him. Inside the students nearest to his desk had already moved theirs further away, but Kuro-sensei would have none of that.

“Put your desks back where they are supposed to be. This mess is disrespectful and makes my classroom look disorganized.”

The students knew there was no point complaining so they did as told, but they were not happy about it. Izuku wasn’t sure if Kuro-sensei’s support in this did more harm than good to him, but he appreciated the teacher’s gesture nevertheless. It was the only class where people would not make nasty remarks at Izuku and get away with it. After the lesson he stayed put even after every other student left the room.

“Young Midoriya, you shouldn’t allow their prejudice and fear to affect your self-worth. They’re only acting like this because society has taught them to, as unfortunate as it is.”

“That doesn’t help much since I still need to live in this society,” Izuku responded and got up. “I didn’t fit what it expects people to be when I was quirkless and my quirk just made things worse… Sorry, I shouldn’t burden you with my problems.”

“You shouldn’t worry about that Midoriya. Helping with your problems is my job here. That includes you making it to the next class in time, so I must ask you to go now.”

“Thank you,” Izuku said as he left the room.

It was his last conversation for the school day and eventually that too was over. Izuku walked out of the school gate and headed home. He never took the direct route home, a habit from when Bakugo and others might ambush him to get some entertainment out of the quirkless kid. Now it gave him some peace to think either alone or surrounded by people that didn’t know or avoid him.

He pulled out his quirk analysis notebook. Even if he wouldn’t be accepted as a hero, even if society hated him for his quirk, quirks were still too interesting for him to not analyse them and the people that used them, heroes especially. He began mumbling and writing as he walked.

Izuku put his notebook away after writing down his most recent thoughts and looked around. He had come further away than he thought, and the area didn’t look very good. He got his bearings and headed straight home. His route went through a bit of a shady underpass. Izuku stopped to check it out before going through.

He was almost at the end of the tunnel when he heard steps behind him. Glancing back a young man, perhaps in his early twenties, had entered the tunnel. He was alone and it was a public street but Izuku got a bad feeling about the man. His eyes were too focused on Izuku so he started walking faster. He was almost out of the tunnel, he figured he could make it.

A van drove into his line of sight and stopped suddenly, just a few meters in front of Izuku, blocking the tunnel exit. He turned away just as the side door of the van opened, but before he could run the man that had followed him rushed at him. The man collided with Izuku and pushed him back as two pairs of hands grabbed him from behind.

He was still processing what had happened when the group pulled him into the van. As the door started closing something clicked inside Izuku and he started fighting back with a new fervour. The two men behind him were still holding onto his arms so he started kicking towards the face of the man that had pushed him while screaming his lungs out.

“Shut up little fucker!” The man in front of him said as the door snapped shut and the van began moving. He grabbed Izuku’s legs but Izuku kept wiggling and fighting and hit the man in the face. The next moment a torching heat glowed against his face. The man had let go of one of his legs and flames burst from the back of the man’s hand like a flaming sword that moved towards Izuku’s neck. The flames filled his vision. He could still move his hand below his elbow and in desperation he reached up to grab the arm wielding the flaming blade. There was no way he could stop the man if he wanted to kill him. There was only one way he could at least try to fight back. It was just hard to remember how to do it while being kidnapped.

As his hand grabbed the attacking man’s arm Izuku drew a deep breath. Everyone stopped. Izuku didn’t struggle physically, too focused on using his quirk and the trio attacking him just held him.

“What the…” the man Izuku grabbed shouted and pulled his arm free. “Aaah! What’s happening to my quirk?!”

With one man off him Izuku started struggling again, trying to twist his hand to grab another.

“Don’t let him touch you!”

A hold on one of Izuku’s arms loosened and a hand was placed on the back of his head. His entire world shook and an immense pain struck his head. His vision blurred and a fraction of a second later everything went black.

The first sensation telling Izuku that he was still alive was a squeezing pain around his wrists from having his hands tied up in front of him, and a similar pressure around his legs. He was laying on the floor in a corner of some room. His vision was still blurry, but he could make out moving outlines in the well-lit room and his ears worked just fine.

“At least we got someone worth ransoming this time. Look at this watch.”

“Better than the last time. So much time for nothing.”

“Maybe it would not have been for nothing if you didn’t get impatient and turn her insides to jelly. You better hope that this one actually wakes up so we can get his parents’ number.”

“He’s fine. I can control my quirk when I want to.”

“Dammit!” A third person shouted. Izuku recognised it as the man with the fire quirk.

“Still nothing?” Another man asked.

“No, I can’t use it at all. Whatever that brat did, it’s like my quirk is gone. I can’t feel anything. We aren’t ransoming him anywhere until he fixes this and if he doesn’t the fucker will wish you had turned his brain to jelly.” 

Izuku’s vision was getting a little better so he saw the group of men turn and notice his wakefulness. All of them had covered their heads with ski masks.

“See, I told you I didn’t shake him too hard.”

The man had not even finished speaking when the freshly quirkless kidnapper ran to Izuku and dragged him up from the collar of his shirt. He punched Izuku on the face, making his vision go fuzzier again for a moment. Izuku stared at the man, dazed.

“What did you do to my quirk!?”

Izuku didn’t immediately answer so the man punched him again. Izuku gasped and let out a cry of pain.

“So you can still make some noise, good. Now what did you do to my quirk.”

“I…” Izuku paused to cough and gag. It was a miracle he hadn’t already emptied his stomach on the floor which seemed to be spinning now. He stayed up only because he was held so by his attacker.

“I t… destroyed it. That, it’s my quirk. Quirk… deletion,” Izuku fumbled out the half-truth. He received another punch, this time to the stomach, his stomach finally giving up as vomit burst up his throat. The newly quirkless man let go and jumped away from him. Izuku fell down hard and kept vomiting on the floor.

His still seething attacker stomped away to the other end of the room, leaving Izuku next to the puddle of what had a few hours ago been his lunch. A door somewhere nearby creaked open and there was a repetitive knock against the door. Izuku turned his head to see the new arrival, some old man.

“So, what is going on here? You having trouble with a kid?”

“That isn’t just any kid. The brat destroyed my quirk.”

“What do you mean destroyed? That isn’t possible.”

“Well, he did it grandfather. That brat grabbed by arm when we captured him and then I couldn’t use my quirk at all, like it was just gone!”

Izuku, now no longer vomiting, pushed himself away from the stinky puddle and rolled a bit so his face wasn’t pressed against the floor. The old man seemed to look at him.

“You said your quirk is gone or was destroyed. How do you know that? There could be many reasons why you can’t use it.”

“The brat said so, and I know about erasure quirks. Those shouldn’t have worked when he was unconscious.”

“There…” The old man paused, staring at Izuku. Was he scared? “There is another type of quirk that could cause that. Your generation might not be familiar with it but I… any villain of my age has at least heard the stories of a man with the quirk to take quirks.”

The old man walked closer to Izuku with the group of younger villains in tow. Izuku could only lay there and watch them approaching. The old man met his gaze.

“Tell me the truth. Is your quirk to destroy quirks,” he paused, “or to steal them?”                       

Izuku blinked. How did he know? The old man held his chin.

“This could be bad.”

Behind the group a spiral of darkness suddenly appeared and extended to cover most of the wall. Izuku could only stare and wonder why the dark mist seemed so familiar. A few seconds later, the old villain and his thugs turned around to face the mist just as two people stepped through it. One of them was completely covered in the same black mist, only his clothes visible outside of it. The other was dressed in a regular black suit but his entire head was covered by a black helmet with a lower part that covered his entire neck with a thick metal collar.

Chapter Text

The two strange men wordlessly stepped in front of the group of criminals as, the misty portal disappeared behind them.

“Get them!” One of the younger criminals shouted. A bunch of them charged at the new arrivals, but never got close. A dark cloud burst out of the man covered in it, almost as if his very body consisted of mist. In seconds half of the room was completely filled with darkness that covered the attacking men. A few yelps of surprise and fear were the last signs of the men that had attacked the new duo. As the mist retracted there was nothing left of them, not even bloodstains.

Considering how the duo arrived it had to be some kind of transportation quirk.

The two remaining villains backed closer to Izuku as the misty man approached.

“Kurogiri,” the masked man said. “They are mine.” 

“Yes master.”

The misty man stepped aside but even then his yellow glowing eyes seemed to focus on Izuku from behind the mist. The man he called master walked closer. The old man standing above Izuku started shaking.

“Could it be,” he said. “All For One?”

“So you know me,” the masked man said and chuckled. The sound made Izuku shiver. It wasn’t a happy chuckle. The sound promised pain.

“Yes… master,” the old man said. “I used to lead one of your enforcer teams in Tokyo until All Might destroyed our operation. Then you disappeared. I… I thought you were dead.”

“Many do,” the masked man, All For One, answered.

The old man lowered himself to his knee.

“I may not have known of your survival, but I have never forgotten your great gift you gave me. I am at your command if you accept my service again.”

“I might have considered that. Your age provides you experience many of my allies lack. However,” the masked man looked downwards, at Izuku, “you know too much, and your men attacked my son.”

Izuku stared at the man too dizzy and confused to think straight. It took a while before he even understood what word the man had said. The smell of his own vomit was mixed with a new stench as the old man soiled his pants.

“Hey you really know this guy?” The younger man said. He sounded like the one that had talked about shaking Izuku.

The man called All For One raised his hand, his palm toward the old man and a second later a spray of blood rained over Izuku. He felt like vomiting again as the iron scent entered his nose, but he was pulled up as two arms snaked under his armpits and pressed their palms against his chest.

“Don’t get any closer or the kid gets it. My vibration quirk can turn his insides into mush before you can stop me.” Izuku, realizing the danger, started struggling against the man’s hold.

“Let me go,” he cried out and raised his tied-up arms, trying to hit his attacker’s head behind him. He didn’t manage it as the man blocked his hands with one of his own. Even in the haze from all his injuries Izuku was still thinking analytically enough to see the man’s mistake. He managed to grab the arm blocking his strike.

The man remembered who he was dealing with. When he realized his mistake, it was already too late. Izuku felt a small shock against his chest, but as the man’s quirk left him there was no longer enough power to cause any serious damage.

“No, NO!” The man shouted. Something yanked him back. His arms let go of Izuku but not before they pulled Izuku to fall on his back. He hit his head and before blacking out again barely saw tendrils of black mist flowing around the freshly quirkless man, like dark fingers of death pulling him into a cloud of black as the man’s face twisted in horror.

“The blunt force trauma he suffered is not an issue even without quirk-based treatment,” someone said in the darkness. He sounded familiar. “The real damage was caused by a quirk, most likely the same one that he took. Creating strong vibrations inside the skull could be the cause of this damage.”

“Is it permanent?” Asked a voice that sounded like the man called All For One.

“It could have been, but if you are willing to use your quirks it is not beyond our capabilities to ensure a rapid and complete recovery. He will still need several treatments over a few weeks. I don’t have anything against that though. He is the second person ever to manifest the All For One after all.”

“You can do what you want to the men Kurogiri sent as long as they never get to talk to anyone again, but Izuku is not for you to experiment on. It would be a nuisance if I had to find people to replace you after all this time.”

Someone stepped next to Izuku and touched his forehead. A green glow filled his vision even through his closed eyelids. As soon as it began Izuku’s pulsing headache eased up a bit and he sighed in relieve.

“You’re awake,” the man said. The hand left Izuku’s forehead as he opened his eyes.

It was the man with a black helmet, except the top of the helmet was gone revealing… Izuku didn’t know if he could even call it a face. The man’s bald head was completely scarred and where his eyes should have been, was covered with skin. There wasn’t much else to see since his nose and mouth were covered by some kind of breathing mask attached to the lower part of the helmet around his neck.

Izuku didn’t dare to move and just stared at the faceless man that had killed a man in front of his eyes. The fact the old man had been the criminal behind his kidnapping didn’t erase the blood that had hung around Izuku like fine iron mist.

Still, something in the man, his voice felt… familiar. Izuku’s eyes sprung wide open as he remembered what the man had called him earlier. That voice. Now that it wasn’t as distorted by the helmet, a little kid inside Izuku recognized that voice even after all the years. It couldn’t be. Without even thinking the word escaped his lips.

“D… dad?”

“Yes Izuku.”

“It can’t be,” Izuku said. This had to be some scheme. The man claiming to be his father put his hand in his jacket and pulled out a single photograph. He held it for a moment and handed it to Izuku who recognised his mother in the picture instantly, and also himself as a little kid, and then there was a white-haired man. This was his family. Izuku looked at the faceless man. This was his family too.

“If that is not enough evidence, we also seem to have the same quirk. Your hair even went white like mine when your All For One manifested.”

As he spoke the man raised his hand to Izuku, showing a small hole in the middle of his palm. Izuku looked at his own hand which too had had a similar hole since his quirk appeared. The man put his hand back on Izuku’s head and the green glow returned.

“All for one?”

“It is the true name of our quirk and the name people know me with.”

“I just called it quirk transfer,” Izuku muttered. “So, you really are my dad... and you are... are you a villain?”

“Depends on what do you consider a villain.”

“You’re trying to avoid my question. A villain is a villain,” Izuku said.

“I could say the same to you. Villain is a villain? That sounds like something your classmates might say to you. That someone is a villain because they say he is a villain. It is the same with society. If those in charge, if the majority of people would judge you for your quirk or quirklesness, and say you are a villain,” he paused, “are you? I know you’ve been called one.”

Izuku stared at him as the words sunk in, bringing up memories of all the times people had called him a villain.

“How do you know?” Was all he could say.

“I’ve stayed away from you and Inko for obvious reasons,” he gestured at his missing face, “to keep you two separate from my… business, but I still kept an eye on you in case something happened. How do you think I knew that you had been kidnapped? Kurogiri, come here.”

The black-mist-covered man walked into Izuku’s vision. The mist around his head twisted and split, briefly revealing a bit of a human face.

“Kuro-sensei?” Izuku said.

“Yes,” his father answered. “He is one of the people that have been keeping an eye on you and Inko for me. Luckily you wore the watch I sent you. It has a tracker in it.”

Kurogiri handed Izuku his fancy wristwatch and phone that his kidnappers had taken. Izuku quickly grabbed the watch and held it tightly in front of his teary eyes.

“I didn’t have many things from you,” Izuku said. “I wanted to hang onto at least that one thing. It felt like someone was there even all the times I was alone. This wasn’t what I expected.”  

“I did not think it would be,” All For One said. “To answer your previous question, I am considered a villain of the highest degree. I have sought to change society in many ways over a very long time. With the power of my… our quirk, it was easy to gain support, but that comes with increased opposition. People can worship or fear power depending on how they perceive it. I don’t need to tell you how people view our power. In the end those who would oppose me were able to dictate how the society would work with the help of people with powerful and flashy quirks that people saw as heroic. Anyone who opposed them, anyone who even used the quirks they were born with without their permission, was declared a villain. Even anyone associated with a person considered a villain would be ostracised, often just having been born with the wrong quirk is enough for that. That is a large part of why I left you even before my…injuries.”

“You… killed that old man,” Izuku accused.

“The one whose gang kidnapped and very nearly gave you permanent brain damage? Yes, I did, and he was the lucky one among them. Kurogiri did not give the rest of them the mercy of a quick death.”

“They did not deserve one,” Kurogiri said. Only now Izuku noticed that his teacher’s mist was flowing around him on the bed. Izuku didn’t want to ask what they meant, but the misty gesture felt strangely comforting and whatever healing quirk his father was using on him really eased the pain in his head.

“You do not need to accept everything I have done,” All For One said. “You may know about me now, but you are also old enough to decide if you still want to have nothing to do with me… after you have properly recovered. We will need to see a few times for your treatments. I can also help you understand your quirk better. No one else in this world can, so you should consider it carefully.”

Izuku looked at his hand again. He shouldn’t have kept talking with this man. Father or not he admitted to being a villain and had just killed someone, but… Izuku couldn’t really deny what the man had said. He felt similarly in many things whether he said it aloud or not. There was also Kuro-sensei, or Kurogiri.

“I don’t know much about it. I accidentally took Kach… Bakugo’s quirk. I haven’t used my quirk since I figured how to give Bakugo his back. I didn’t want to steal anyone’s quirk.”

“Until today,” All For One said. “You took a quirk from the man that threatened your life. How do you feel about that?”                 

“I don’t know and… I actually took the quirks from two of them.”

“Two in one day,” All For One muttered. “I would ask how you feel, but with your other injuries there‘s no point.”

“What do you mean?”

“This is one of the things you need me to teach you. Usually, humans only have a single quirk and for most that is all their body can take. They might survive having a second quirk but there could be side effects depending on the quirks. A few people can have dual quirks or just bodies that are naturally more adaptable. Our quirk itself allows us to amass a large number and our bodies adapt to them, but that will take time. You have gained two new quirks in a single day with no previous training or experience. You may feel some side effects until your body adjusts.”

Izuku brushed his chin. If everything going on wasn’t so overwhelming, he would have already descended into unending analysis and muttering.

“That makes sense, I guess. I’ve never actually thought about that. I didn’t think I would ever take anyone’s quirk again.”

“It is what your classmates and society would expect from you. To deny and supress your abilities for no other reason than that they don’t like it.”

“I often feel like that, but they aren’t totally wrong. Stealing people’s quirks isn’t exactly the right thing to do.”

“I sure hope you aren’t stupid enough to believe that after today. If you had some flashy super strength quirk you could have punched them to defend yourself. How would that be any better than using your All For One to take their quirks? If you wanted to not injure or kill them that would be even better than many quirks that are considered heroic.”

All For One took his hand off Izuku and the green glow disappeared.

“That is all I can do today. You should try to sit up.”

All For One stepped further from the bed to give Izuku more space as he sat up. Cables hanging from his head hit his arms and back. The pulsing headache had returned as soon as his father had stopped using his quirk, but the rest of his pains were gone and for the first time Izuku looked around the room. It was dimly lit mostly by a single light by Izuku’s bed and a computer screen on the other side of the room. Both were surrounded by medical equipment of all kinds. The room was better equipped than most intensive care units. Besides him, his father and Kurogiri there was one person in the room mostly hidden behind some medical machinery.

“Don’t mind the doctor,” All For One said. “He doesn’t yet wish to show his face to you. Just know you can thank him for treating both of us.”

“Umh,” Izuku looked towards the hidden man. “Thank you. I feel a lot better.”

“Nervous and polite as ever I see,” the man responded. Did he too know Izuku? He sounded familiar. “If you can walk straight, you’re free to go for today, as far as I am concerned.”

Izuku breathed in deep once and got on his feet. Luckily there was no dizziness, just the headache. He looked up at his father’s missing face.

“Soo… what now?”

“You will need to come back a couple of times to complete your treatment. After that… As I said, you’re old enough to decide. You can continue your life as it is, and I will be ‘working abroad’ as before,” All For One paused, “or if you want to stay in touch and keep training your quirk…s, we can do that, but there are risks and coming back home is no longer an option for me either way.”

“I… I’m not sure.”

“You don’t need to decide today, except on one thing.”

“One thing?”

“Your mother.”

Izuku’s eyes went wide. How late was it? His mother had to be worried sick. 

“She figured out I was a villain but does not know even the amount you now know.”

“She has always said you work abroad,” Izuku said.

“That is the excuse I gave. I don’t think she ever truly believed it. She won’t be happy about us meeting like this, even less for your kidnapping and injury.”

“I am not going to lie to her,” Izuku said without hesitation. He looked down at his bloodstained clothes and was grateful he had already emptied his stomach. “Not that I could.”

“Very well. I trust you try to keep her quiet about this. Your life will only become harder if people hear you are the son of someone society considers a villain. Holding back Kurogiri might be difficult if that happens.”

Izuku glanced at the misty figure.

“Is he going to stay at my school?”

“Yes, and he will bring you here any time you want. You already saw his quirk.”

“Some kind of teleportation.”

“Warp gate,” Kurogiri corrected.

“Are you going to send me home with it?”

“Yes, when you are ready.”

Izuku looked at his father.

“I will talk with mom. I have to think about this and I can’t decide based on just one side of the story.”

All For One’s cheeks tensed around his breathing mask as if he was smiling.

“At least she managed to raise an intelligent child. Talk with Kurogiri tomorrow. He will bring you to continue the treatment after school.”

Izuku nodded and now a familiar misty warp gate formed next to Kurogiri. Izuku looked at it for a moment, resisting the urge to ask more questions and analyse the quirk. Instead he stepped through without another word. A swirling darkness surrounded him for a moment until the world got less dark and buildings materialized around him. He was standing right next to his house. Looking at the nice two-story building he couldn’t help thinking that it was his father, this villain called All For One, that had made sure they could live so comfortably, sending money that he supposedly earned working abroad. Years earlier, finding out that Izuku had a bigger house had irritated Bakugo to no end.

Izuku walked straight through the yard, his mother’s pride, and opened the door.

“Yes,” he heard his mom talking, “my friend whose son goes to the same school confirmed that he left school normally, but that was hours ago! No, he usually takes a walk after school, but he never goes anywhere for long without letting me…”

Izuku stepped into the living-room where his teary-eyed mother was talking on the phone. She raised her head.

“IZUKU!”

Chapter Text

”IZUKU!”

The phone fell on the large sofa as Inko Midoriya jumped up and ran to her son with the speed of an Olympic sprinter. She stopped in front of Izuku like she had been hit by a paralyzing quirk. Her eyes widened at the sight of blood droplets all around his clothes and the lingering stink of vomit. Tears started to flow from her eyes, probably enough that it could have washed away the blood.

“Wha… blood… Izuku are you okay, what happened, does it hurt anywhere?! I’m going to call help!” She spoke so fast her sentences started blurring together, but the last part was completely clear. Izuku’s eyes widened and turned towards the sofa where the phone still waited, probably in the middle of a call to the police.

He grabbed his mother’s arm just in time before she got out of reach and back to the phone. He pulled her close. He whispered, afraid the phone might pick up sounds from afar.

“You can’t talk to the police or anyone.”

“Izuku, what is going on?” she asked, thankfully more quietly than before.

“I saw dad.”

His mother’s eyes widened and glazed over for a moment. After recovering she looked at his bloodstained clothes again.

“Not either of ours. He saved me. I will explain everything, but…” Izuku glanced at the sofa, “we don’t want to talk to police right now… I think. Please mom.”

She stared at his eyes and slowly nodded. Her steps were shaky as she walked to the sofa.

“Hello, yes I’m still here. Sorry. He just came back home. I may have overreacted. He’s my everything. No, he doesn’t he… apparently his father showed up suddenly and wanted to talk to him. No, I… can take care of my own family matters. Yes, I will call if something bad happens. I’m sorry for taking your time.”

She put down the phone and collapsed on the sofa.

“Mom!” Izuku rushed to her side. He took her hand in his and put the other on her shoulder. He breathed a little easier seeing she was still conscious, just shocked by everything that had happened. “Mom, breathe.”

It took her a few seconds to calm down and sit upright on the sofa. She tapped the spot next to her.

“You should sit. If we are going to talk about your father, it will take time.”

Izuku moved to do as she asked but remembered his tainted clothes. He took off his school uniform’s shirt and pants and put them on the table before sitting down on the clean expensive sofa. His mother drew deep breath.

“Okay, tell me everything that happened.”

“Promise you won’t freak out?” Izuku asked.

“If you have to ask that I can’t promise I won’t,” she answered.

“I got kidnapped by some gang when I was walking home from school.”

She started immediately breathing faster. He grabbed her hand and leaned closer to pull her against him. He spoke quietly once their heads were touching.

“I’m here mom. I’m safe. Dad saved me.”

“He… did? Wait, did he work with the kidnappers?” She pulled away from the hug to meet Izuku’s eyes.

“No. I think their leader used to work for dad at some point but,” Izuku paused, “that blood is his. I know dad is… considered a villain, but he has still been keeping an eye on us.”

Izuku explained to her what had happened during his kidnapping. His mother’s expression briefly changed from tense fear to surprise when Izuku talked about using his quirk. She settled on somewhere between fear and anger after he started telling her what had happened after his father arrived.

“So, he was lying about his quirk. I suspected that when your hair changed to look like his when he wasn’t colouring it. Please tell me he at least took care of you afterwards. Using a quirk on someone’s head like that...”

“He did mom,” Izuku assured and continued the story about how dad had taken him to... Well, he didn’t know where, and helped him there with some doctor. He briefly referenced their talk about what is a villain but focused more on why his father had left them, how they would be in danger if they were connected to him and about his… their quirk. Inko managed to keep seemingly calm but Izuku could feel her squeezing his hand. He rubbed his forehead with his free hand.

His mother snapped out of her thoughts and stared at him.

“Are you okay?”

“Mostly,” Izuku answered. “Dad’s doctor said I could have had permanent brain damage from that quirk that knocked me out, but dad had some healing quirk. They said they need to treat me a few other times before it completely heals.”

“So, you are going to see him again?”

“…Yes, at least until I recover and,” Izuku paused and looked down, face tense and fresh tears falling on the sofa, “I need to know more about him… even, even if he is a villain. I’ve spent too many years missing him even when I couldn’t remember his face anymore.  I… I don’t think I can….”

“Izuku,” his mother cried and pulled him into a hug. Izuku had inherited her tear ducts so both their shirts got soaked before they started talking again.

“I’m so sorry. He has been gone so long I didn’t consider you might still be missing him, while I just ignored your questions and lied about where he was. I won’t stop you from talking to him, but only once I see him.”

Izuku pulled back from the hug.

“Mom are you sure?” He asked only to receive the sternest look she could come up with.

“He is still a villain who might be plotting something. He is also my husband. Do not forget that. Now, how are you planning to meet him again?”

“The guy with a warping quirk that helped dad keep an eye on us, at least me, he’s a teacher at my school. He’s supposed to take me after school.”

“Then I’ll be there,” she said in her this-discussion-is-over voice. She looked at the bloodstained clothes, holding in more tears, and got up.

“I should wash those. There’s food on the stove,” she pointed at Izuku and switched to her most commanding voice that Izuku hadn’t heard in years. “Don’t go anywhere and lay down if you start feeling worse in any way.”

“Yes mom,” Izuku responded and went to eat. After sitting down by the dining table, he raised his hand to look at the palm and the little hole in it.

“All For One,” he muttered and turned his hand around. He should now have those other two quirks permanently. He tried to focus on the blade-like fire quirk. When he accidentally took Bakugo’s quirk there was a strange feeling with his own quirk itself and mentally reaching for it…

A flicker of fire appeared on the back of his hand and quickly spread into an oval-shaped mass of flames. Luckily it didn’t really burn him though he could feel the uncomfortable heat. He was lucky he had taken off his long-sleeved top shirt before trying the quirk. It still didn’t look like what he had been threatened with. He stared at the flame, breathing a little faster with every passing moment.

“Izuku?”

He spun around raising his hand and open palm towards the sound. His fingers touched the flame he was still producing. He yelped at the same time as his chair fell on the ground. The fire disappeared and Izuku was left facing his mother, about to wash the floor with her tears again.

Izuku stared at her for a while as his breathing calmed down.

“Sorry mom,” he said. “I don’t think I’m as okay from that kidnapping as I thought.”

He glanced at his burned fingers. His mother grabbed his wrist and dragged him to the sink. Cold water felt good. They spent the rest of the evening sitting together, except when they got Izuku’s clothes. His mother even tucked Izuku into bed for the first time in years. It didn’t help him sleep any better though.

She barely let him leave to school on his own, checking the bandages on his fingers before he left. At least Izuku’s head didn’t cause any big problems. Just some dizziness when he got up, and he didn’t tell his mother about that.

At school no one cared about him being injured or repeatedly rubbing his forehead. He had felt a bit dizzy again by the time he got to school and sat down. Unable to focus, Izuku spent most of the time staring at his bandaged fingers. If he was going to keep the quirks he took, since he didn’t expect their owners to show up again, he’d have to learn to control them. Maybe he could even pretend one of them was his when he would go to high school. For a moment Izuku considered asking help from the school’s quirk councillor but abandoned the idea. He had asked the man’s help exactly once in the past and the answer was the same as everyone else’s: His quirk is villainous and the only thing he should worry about should be not using it.

Izuku sighed. There was only one person who could really help him control his quirks, at least only one who would. Something slapped him on the shoulder. Izuku’s head snapped up to see the quickly retreating hand of a teacher whose quirk let him reach quite far.

“Since you seem so excited for class, it should be easy for you to solve this equation,” the teacher said and pointed to the blackboard. Izuku quickly scanned everything that had been written, calculating as the impatient teacher kept staring at him. Bakugo muttered “useless”.

“X equals five or negative five,” Izuku answered. The teacher glanced back at the equation he had written.

“Correct. That doesn’t mean you can slack off.”

“I’m not feeling too well,” Izuku said honestly.

“Sure you aren’t.”

The teacher continued the lesson without paying any more attention to Izuku, despite what he had said. This was a teacher, someone who’s supposed to teach them how things worked, but he barely paid attention to the class himself. No wonder his classmates were so uncaring with these kind of adults in their lives.

As soon as the class ended Izuku got up and walked out, ignoring classmates who kept a close eye on him as he passed them. He didn’t care and headed straight towards the teachers’ lounge, scanning for faces until he found who he was looking for.

“Kuro-sensei.”

“Young Midoriya, do you want to talk about something?”

“Yes, um, somewhere el…” Izuku paused when the man put a hand to his shoulder. Small amounts of mist spread from the hand flowing around Izuku’s shoulder. It was oddly comforting.

“Come with me,” Kurogiri whispered and gestured for Izuku to step in a nearby small stairwell. As soon as they were out of anyone’s sight a mass of mist encased Izuku. Any time before or with anyone else Izuku might have been scared at the sudden darkness, but he had learned to relax when with Kuro-sensei. It was genuine relief he still felt this amount of trust despite finding the teacher wasn’t who he thought. The darkness was gone as fast as it came and Izuku was standing on the roof of the school.

“You wanted to discuss something. I assume you don’t want me to take you to master this early.”

“There is actually something I should talk to you about… I think I mostly needed a friend. I’ve been thinking about everything wrong with this place more than usually. You’ve been the only nice person in this school and yesterday,” Izuku paused, “you didn’t talk much but I could sense how you felt. I wanted to thank you for actually caring.”

He chose to not ask about the men Kurogiri had made disappear. The man stepped closer, putting a hand on Izuku’s shoulder again.

“It is my duty here to protect you above all else. That is the mission master has given me.”

“Dad,” Izuku said. “He said something about holding you back. It’s more than a mission isn’t it?”

Kurogiri didn’t say anything but mist leaked from his head and hands. Izuku smiled.

“You don’t need to answer. There’s actually another thing I needed to tell you. Mom wants to come see dad also.”

“I’m not sure how master would feel about that,” Kurogiri responded.

“That’s why I wanted you to know beforehand. Please let dad know before we go.”

“I will. Do you wish for anything else?” Kurogiri asked.

“Why are you saying it like you are going to do anything I say?”

“What is thy bidding my master?” Kurogiri said without even the smallest twitch on his face. Izuku chuckled.

“I didn’t know you do movie quotes.”

“I don’t,” Kurogiri responded with a hint of confusion. Izuku looked at him with the same. The school bell distracted both of them from their thoughts.

“We should go,” Izuku said. He stepped towards a door that led inside but his vision blurred, and he stumbled after just two steps. He was saved from a meeting with the roof by Kurogiri’s mist.

“Thank you, Kuro-sensei. I mean, Kurogiri.”

“You should have told me how serious your symptoms are.”

“It wasn’t that bad when I was sitting, and I had to come to school anyway for you. I can’t exactly tell the school nurse what happened.”

“That would not help you. I shall send you to your father immediately to ensure your health.”

“I think I can manage. I can’t just disappear in the middle of the school day.”

“I will see to it this won’t cause you problems. Your health is most important.”

Izuku closed his eyes, his vision still not normal now further blurred by a new tear. He rubbed his forehead in resignation.

“Okay, I admit I’m not feeling that great, but mom is still coming here after school. You need to bring her when she comes,” Izuku said. Kurogiri looked at him for a moment in silence. “Will you?”

“Yes, if that is what you wish.”                          

“Thank you. I have everything I need. You can send me.”

Mist burst out of Kurogiri, covering him all around and began whirling in front of him to form the warp gate. Izuku looked at the impressive quirk, promising he’d ask a thousand question about it sooner or later. He stepped through and in an instant he was in the same dimly lit room as before. His dad, All For One, was sitting in front of a computer with multiple wires and pipes attached to him, especially a big pipe going into his throat. He turned around. For the first time Izuku saw his father’s entire face, what was left of it. The only part that looked somewhat normal was his mouth and it tensed as he noticed Izuku. He didn’t question Izuku’s early arrival and gestured toward the hospital bed that Kurogiri had warped Izuku next to. He welcomed the chance to lay back down.

“How are you feeling?” He asked. He typed something on the computer and came to sit next to Izuku. He brought his hand to Izuku’s forehead. The familiar green glow appeared, immediately easing Izuku’s headache.

“The doctor said I was good to go if I could walk straight. I don’t think I can anymore. Sitting wasn’t too bad all considered, it got worse when I was standing talking with Kuro-sen… Kurogiri,” Izuku explained, already feeling a little better. His father smirked.

“You did right to talk with him. My quirk should be more efficient now that you are still rested from the night.”

“If you can call that rest,” Izuku responded quietly and sighed in relief. He was feeling better than he had all day or night. His eyelids slipped closed.

“Inko?”

The single word penetrated the darkness of sleep and Izuku blinked trying to get back to consciousness. His father was still standing next to him opposite to Kurogiri and…

“Just so you know, I left a letter explaining the situation with someone you don’t know. If anything happens to either of us it goes to police.”

“Mom,” Izuku’s words were muffled under an oxygen mask placed on his face. She was instantly leaning over him, seemingly ignoring the literal villains in the room.

“Izuku! What did you do to my baby?!”

That didn’t last for long. Father raised one finger.

“Our baby, and I have been treating him after he sought my help when the symptoms started worsening,” he paused for a moment and when he continued talking, he did so with a steady, calm voice. “You may not approve of what I am or that I left you, but believe it or not, I have not forgotten that I am a father.”

“Doesn’t look that way to me.”

The two stood still, glaring at each other, or as much as a faceless man could glare at least. Neither backed down. The edges of Izuku’s oxygen mask started getting wet.

“Stop… please stop,” he cried out, making both his parents turn towards him. “Can’t we just be a family for one day? Please, I can’t even remember when we were all together last. It’s the one thing I hoped for even more than getting a quirk.”

His vision got blurry again, this time from tears, but he could feel two bodies leaning down for one big hug.

Chapter Text

“I’m going mom,” Izuku announced while putting on his shoes. His voice, as most days recently, was more cheerful than it had been in years. His mother rushed into the hall to see him.

“Not until you tell how you are feeling, honestly.”

“Bit of a headache and I think I’m still getting tired faster, but no dizziness since last week. See,” Izuku responded. To prove he was telling the truth he raised his left leg and stood on one foot before hopping close enough to hug his mother.

“Don’t listen to your classmates. Don’t stay with your father too late, and don’t believe a word he says.”

Izuku chuckled at his mother’s standard instructions. Despite her words and… a reasonable suspicion towards his dad, Izuku knew she had been happier since they had been reunited even if she told him to stop ‘spying’ on her. It might have been solely because Izuku was happier to have both his parents in his life, but he was grateful for anything that made his mother happy and didn’t mind wearing the tracker watch either.  

There were still issues in his life. His mother’s first instruction was even harder to follow now that he knew his father was a villain, and they made Izuku think more about his words violating his mother’s third instruction. He forced those thoughts out of his mind before pulling away from the hug. His mother deserved this happiness without starting a discussion on the flaws of society. Instead, he grinned.

“I’ll try not to stay too late, but dad promised he’d start teaching me more about my quirk…s since I’ve gotten better now.”

Izuku pushed the door open and left before he made either of them cry. He didn’t want to go to school in wet clothes even if the weather was sunny. He walked enjoying the spring day, completely ignoring he’d still have to spend hours in the hellhole they called school. At least he had a lesson with Kuro-sensei after lunch. His calm ended when a loud roar echoed along the street. He looked to the side on an intersection. A giant man was standing on an elevated railroad roaring. He swung his arm, knocking down one of the support pillars of the overhead electric cables. Izuku gasped but something grabbed the pillar before it could prove a real threat to the bystanders, and he could hear people start talking vibrantly about the hero Deatharms. Izuku already had notes on him so he focused on the giant criminal.

“A gigantification quirk,” Izuku muttered. He pulled out his notebook to add notes about the unknown giant as someone nearby verbally mocked the giant for doing small crime with a quirk like that. It wasn’t like he could use the quirk much with how the laws were without breaking the law or managing to become a hero. Did they want him to commit worse crime then? Not that going on a rampage like that made sense either. Considering how agitated the giant seemed to be he was probably at his max size and it came with some mutations in his head shape.

Something whooshed over Izuku. It didn’t take long for him to recognize the hero Kamui Woods. Izuku forgot the simple gigantification quirk and focused on the hero’s Arbor quirk. On the surface the wooden body that could stretch and split was obvious, but Izuku didn’t have a clue about the actual limits or capabilities of the quirk beyond the that. After evading a few swings, the hero prepared to launch his special binding move only for another giant person to appear and kick the criminal out of the way, causing considerable collateral damage to the street below in the process. No one cared though since the giant “hero” was a good-looking young woman, and people were more interested in taking pictures than complaining about unnecessary damage. Izuku put his notebook away and continued towards school.

The school day, first of the new school year, started normal enough with no one talking to or approaching Izuku. He for his part focused on thinking of how to get his parents to get along better. Despite being about family conflict, it was a hopeful train of thought to him. He barely noticed the glares of his classmates as he walked past them to his lonely desk. The teacher came in the classroom right after Izuku. He was one of the worst ones in the school and had for years ignored anything Bakugo and others had done to Izuku with no consideration for how his own actions might impact the ostracized student. Not surprising considering how he always praised students with strong showy quirks, talking about how he dreamed of having a student of his become a great hero someday.

And so began the first lesson of the school year.

“You are all third years now,” the teacher started and grabbed a pile of papers from his desk. “It’s time to start thinking seriously about your futures. I would hand out these future career forms, but… I assume you all want to be heroes.”

He threw the papers in the air with the final declaration as the entire class got exited and started showing off their quirks. Izuku held back a grimace. Encouraging was one thing, Izuku had desperately needed someone to do so for years, but there was no way everyone or even most of the class would ever become heroes. The man completely failed to guide any student who wasn’t up to the most demanding and selective career path there was. The man continued talking.

“Yes, you all have wonderful quirks. But you know that it’s against the rules to use them in school.”

The reminder of rules was not especially stern.

“Sensei!” Bakugo shouted. “Don’t lump me in with these losers. As if I had anything like their crappy quirks. Heh.”

Of course, he only cared about the superiority of his quirk, not that most of the class had the drive to really become heroes anyway. Izuku hated to admit it but Bakugo was the one with the best chances, ignoring his attitude. His behaviour was far from that of a hero, but no hero school entrance exam had a test for garbage personality. Everyone in the class recognised this, shouting at the bully to get over himself only to be called extras.

“Ah Bakugo… you of course,” the teacher started, his voice getting more enthusiastic with every word. “… must be aiming for U.A. high school.”

The declaration made the class gasp, reciting the difficulty of getting into the top school. Bakugo jumped on his desk to stand over the rest of the class and declared his greatness and his goal to become the best hero. To become rich mainly, he wasn’t afraid to say.

He was the poster child of why hero schools needed better vetting for their students, not that they cared. The heroes teaching at the schools obviously benefitted from the high-paying celebrity status no matter what kind of people it attracted. While Bakugo was posturing the teacher decided to drop a verbal bomb on Izuku.

“Weren’t you also going for U.A. Midoriya?”

Bakugo fell silent for a moment along with the whole class. It ended as soon as it had begun when they burst into laughter and mockery.

“Huh Midoriya?! No way!”

“A villain at the top hero school? Yeah right. He’d have better chance if he was quirkless!”

“He’s seriously still thinking that he will be something.”

Izuku stayed in his seat, eyes focused on his notebook without responding to the garbage he’d have to take for another year at least probably rest of his life. The teacher did nothing to stop it. Izuku tried to distract himself by imagining how things would have gone if it was Kuro-sensei’s class, but thinking of what Kuro-sensei might have done in this situation made him remember what happened to the man that had caused his brain damage, how his face had twisted in horror and his screams had filled the room they had been in. Izuku shivered and focused on staring at his notebook.

Eventually the teacher concluded that, despite his ignoring the career guidance process, he would still hold some form of a lesson and told the class to sit and quiet down. The remainder of the lesson passed for Izuku in a haze. It was nothing new but the contrast to his earlier happy thoughts was a big one. The incident at the beginning of class had also reminded him of another problem.

What would he do with his life?

For most of his childhood he had dreamed of becoming a hero. That’s why he had also expressed interest for U.A. Recently he had not been so sure. The more he thought about everything wrong in the world, the less attractive being a hero seemed even if he wanted to help people, even if becoming one would have been the biggest possible middle finger to Bakugo and their classmates.

Meeting his father and talking about the meanings of heroes and villains had done nothing to make him more exited of being a hero. Still, he didn’t know anything else he wanted. What career could he do, let alone want to do? He just said U.A. if anyone asked what school he wanted to go to, got laughed at and moved on. If nothing else, it was a prestigious school even outside the hero course.

The class came to an end with Izuku still in his thoughts, not even scribbling anymore, his notebook laying closed on the desk. A hand reached out to grab the notebook and took it away before Izuku realized what had happened. He followed the notebook to Bakugo who had already taken a step back from Izuku’s reach. He had his usual arrogant expression with a tint of wariness in his eyes that did not slip past Izuku’s notice.

“We ain’t done here Deku.”

“What’s that Katsuki?” One of Bakugo’s goons asked.

“Quirk analysis for my future? Seriously, this guy… are you looking for good quirks to steal?”

“Oh come on,” Izuku said, tired of the shit. “Give it back.”

Without a word Bakugo slapped his hands on each side of the notebook, releasing small explosions from both. Izuku froze for a moment. The notebook’s covers were all torn up and the whole thing was blackened and smoking.

“Why,” he whispered.

Bakugo just tossed the notebook over his shoulder and out the window.

“The best heroes out there, well…” Bakugo started. “They showed signs of greatness even as students. I’ll be the first and only hero from this crappy public middle school. The first to win the honour of becoming a student at U.A. high hero course. Guess I’m just a perfectionist.”

Bakugo held his hands open as smoke rose from them. Izuku turned his head away, looking at the open window rather than listening to the walking garbage fire.

“In other words… Don’t you dare to apply to U.A. nerd, not even the general studies for losers that can’t be heroes.”

Failing to get a reaction, the trio of bullies started leaving as Izuku still stared out of the window. Of course they kept jeering at him as they went. Then Bakugo said it.

“You wanna be a hero so bad? I’ve got a time saving idea for you. If you think you’ll have a more heroic quirk in your next life… go take a swan dive off the roof!”

Izuku shook as he heard the words. He spun around, his open palm up, power of All For One crackling within his body. Bakugo tensed and quickly took a defensive stance with one of his hands also raised, explosions flashing from it. He was holding his other hand much lower but open clearly ready to blast the entire room if Izuku moved.

“Don’t you try.”

After confirming Izuku wasn’t moving Bakugo left with a sneer, leaving him alone in the empty class. Izuku sighed and, after waiting a moment, he departed the now empty classroom, heading to the yard. Of course, his notebook had landed in the fish pool that the school had. For a second Izuku thought he should do something. This was a new low even for Bakugo.

He gave up the thought. It wasn’t like the school was going to do anything. Maybe if he didn’t have his parents and took Bakugo’s advice to jump off the roof. For anything less, it was pointless to complain to teachers about the school’s number one candidate for future hero. He stayed there leaning over the water. He brought his free hand on his head.

“What’s the point.”

“Young Midoriya?”

Izuku turns to see Kurogiri in his human form, though with plenty of mist leaking from behind his ears. Izuku squeezed his hands into a fist, pulling his own hair and grumbling about the already abused notebook.

“Take me to my dad,” was all he said.

Izuku stepped out of the darkness of Kurogiri’s warp gate and squinted his eyes. He was not in the dimly lit room full of medical equipment. If anything, the room was as far from it as possible. He was standing in the middle of a luxurious living room with large windows on two sides that exposed the city below. It took a few seconds for Izuku to recognise the city as Tokyo and he was near the top of some skyscraper overlooking it. Was this where his father had lived all these years?

“Izuku?”

Izuku turned around to face his father. For the first time the man was not dressed in his fine suit but a simple white-collared shirt and black jeans. He had the lower half of his helmet on for its breathing assistance. He came closer to Izuku. Even with most of his face gone there was visible tenseness around the breathing mask.

“Did your symptoms get worse again?”

“No, school did,” Izuku responded, gritting his teeth. He sat on the nearest sofa, slumped against the backrest, staring at the ceiling.

“I would ask what happened but Kurogiri has kept me well informed, better than you have with your mother,” his father said and sat next to Izuku.

“Wha… what do you mean?”

“If she knew half of what Kurogiri has reported to me, you would not be in that place anymore. I’m surprised she had you go in such an average school in the first place.”

“It’s the school for the area we have always lived in and I don’t want to worry her. It’s not like things would be any better anywhere else anyway. I would still have had to either pretend to be quirkless or deal with them knowing I have your quirk… Sorry I didn’t mean… it’s just how people view it.”

“That is okay Izuku. I know well how this society works. I saw its formation.”

Izuku sighed.

“Some days I wish you could have replaced all of the teachers with Kurogiris.”

“That might have been a challenge to do without raising suspicion even for me. It has been difficult enough to keep one of him from going too far. You should have noticed by now he has become protective over you, even beyond what his job requires.”

“I did notice.”

“He wanted to burn the school while you were sick to have you transferred without talking to Inko. I have wondered how much that was impacted by my genes and quirk within you.”   

“What do you mean?” Izuku asked and raised his head.

“It’s a matter that concerns my villain activities, some you might find difficult to accept despite how you might feel about this society.”

“I see.” This time Izuku looked down. “But… if it’s about Kuro-sensei… If our quirk does something to him…”

Izuku looked at his palm.

“I’ll keep whatever you say secret, but I’d like to know.”

Father got up and touched his chin. He stepped in front of Izuku.

“I guess it will help you decide if you can truly accept my presence without covering it in ignorance. Kurogiri is not fully human… anymore.”

“Not… human.”

“He used to be. Resisting the society itself and those who created it requires force with unstoppable power and unquestionable loyalty. The doctor has spent years studying myself to modify human bodies to sustain multiple quirks. You should never give people quirks carelessly by the way, at least no more than one and nothing highly powerful. Not unless you want to risk them becoming vegetables. Most people’s bodies don’t adapt to a growing number of different quirks like ours.”

Izuku gulped.

“The injury won’t be permanent if you remove the quirk quickly enough and people can usually adapt better if new quirks relate to their original ones, but even then, it is limited. So, the doctor and I found a way to create artificial humans that were created specifically to hold multiple quirks or quirk combinations.”

“Before you said he was modifying human bodies, not creating them?” Izuku said. As his father kept facing him wordlessly, he had his answer. “Dad… was he dead or… alive when you changed him.”

“Dying.”

“So… you could say you saved him by making him...”

“Nomu, and that depends on what you consider saving a person. Kurogiri’s body might be a modified version of his old one, but his mind is entirely artificial. His body was more adaptive to new quirks than most so his brain could recover enough to build a new personality over time, though still with absolute loyalty, one tied to my genes and the quirk that helped create him, which you share. I never told him to obey you, only to protect, yet he seems to do both.”

Izuku stared at his father and new tears started dripping to his already drying cheeks. He slumped down holding his face in his hands.

“Figures that the only person who cared about me did so only because he was forced to by my quirk.”

“Oh, I very much doubt that. If his actions were solely directed by our quirks’ power over him, I would only have needed to command him once to restrain his actions. Unless you commanded him to burn the school or leak mist whenever you get abused?”

The words were strangely comforting, but at best they left Izuku confused instead of grieving.

“Is there any way to know?”

“If you want to see what he would do you can watch your words. Avoid anything that he can consider an order and see what happens.”

“I will.”

Izuku sat in silence for a long time, still holding his face. His father left the room at some point. Only when he returned and spoke did Izuku raise his head and leaned back.

“You can sit here as long as you want, but if you want to use this time effectively there is more you should learn about your quirk. The risk of giving them is only a small part. Or perhaps you want to talk about school? Aren’t fathers and sons supposed to talk about school?” He placed a jug of juice and a pair of glasses on a table in front of the sofa.

“I shouldn’t listen to them. It’s not like I put much value in their opinions, but it’s the same every single day,” Izuku sighed and stared forward at nothing. “I’m so tired of it.”

They sat in silence for a moment before Izuku continued.

“Can we talk about quirks instead?”

“Of course. Have you tried using your new quirks?”

“I figured out how to activate them, but I can’t control them well and… they remind me about how I got them.”

“So, you need to learn control and help to get over those events. If we’re lucky both have the same solution.”

Izuku stared at him questioningly.

“If those quirks are tied to your memories of the events, then having control over them might help you control your feelings of those events. Now get up.” They stood and he led Izuku to an open space between the sofas and a large dining table. “Show me one of the quirks.”

Izuku did as he was told and a few seconds later an oval-shaped mass of flames lit over the back of his palm, licking his skin. It didn’t quite burn him, but the heat was still uncomfortable. Seeing the flames, he started immediately breathing faster and turned his head. Father placed his hand on Izuku’s shoulder as other came to the side of his head, pushing it back.

“Look at it. Forget where it came from. This is your power now, and it will bend to your will like all others.”

Forced to look at the flaming quirk, Izuku was able to gradually control his breathing. He forced the memories to the back of his thoughts.

“You are in control of yourself. Good. Let’s see if you can get it to change form to something more useful.”

Figuring how to manipulate something that till recently did not exist in his body was even more challenging than Izuku had expected, but his father’s advice and constant presence helped greatly. He soon forgot school and the crap people in his life. The day flew by. Izuku only realised the time when he looked out of the large windows to see the sun halfway below the horizon.

“Perhaps you should head home now,” his father said. “You will need to study what you missed today. Kurogiri can cover your absence with school administration to a point but he cannot study for you or calm Inko.”

“If you think so,” Izuku said. One more time he activated the flaming blade, no, the Dragonblade he decided to name it, and forced it to stretch out into a more swordlike shape. He looked at it for a moment. It brought back the memories, but his breathing remained steady. He could control both of them, his lungs and his quirk.

“If you keep training, I will teach you how to combine and use multiple quirks simultaneously,” his father promised, making Izuku smile.

Izuku soon stepped out of Kurogiri’s portal in his own backyard. He wanted to say something to the misty… Nomu, but did not know what to say. He could only thank Kurogiri before stepping in the mist. He headed straight to the back door, a little surprised at the dark building. He checked his phone still on silent mode from school. There was one message from his mother about being out in case he returned first. She didn’t mention anything about school to Izuku’s relief. 

His father had fed him, so he went straight to his room to study, just briefly glancing at a news feed on his phone. There were some titles about the fight in the morning, but most others were about something called sludge villain attack, one dead. Izuku would have read further but he reached his room. He put down the phone to change clothes, grimacing a little at singe marks on his sleeve. He was lucky to not have lit his clothes on fire.

He was just taking his books from his backpack when the doorbell rang. He headed to the door a little wary, taking his phone with him. They didn’t have visitors often, maybe Bakugo’s mom Mitsuki sometimes. The mothers had a much better relationship than their sons, just one more reason for Izuku to not talk about everything that happened at school. He opened the front door.

He did not expect two police officers and some middle-aged woman in civilian clothing, all of them with serious expressions. Izuku’s heart skipped a beat.

Chapter Text

Izuku stared at the trio at his door as dread consumed him. When he met the eyes of the civilian woman his own began to tear up.

“Are you Izuku Midoriya?” One of the police asked. Izuku could only nod. “Is your father home?”

Izuku gulped.

“No, he’s away a lot because of his work. Please tell me what’s going on.”

“Your mother Inko Midoriya was killed earlier today by a villain.”

Izuku stood in front of them with shaky legs that soon collapsed as he fell to his knees on the doorstep. He grabbed his chest. He was gasping for air barely able to breathe, like something was squeezing his throat. The middle-aged woman pushed through between the two police officers and kneeled to embrace Izuku in her arms.

“Oh for goodness sake. Have you ever told these kinds of news to a kid?” She said and then spoke to Izuku in softer tones. “I am a social worker. You can call me Annaisha. We will explain everything and get you anything you need, but you should be sitting for that. May we have your permission to come in?”

The only sound Izuku could make was quiet sniffing, but he nodded to her.

“Thank you. Don’t worry about crying. You don’t need to keep anything in.”

Annaisha escorted Izuku inside, still holding him close. She settled him on the big sofa and let him stare into the empty air for a long time.

“Wha…” Izuku rasped. “What happened?”

Annaisha nodded to the police officers.

“There was a villain with a quirk that turned his body into a sludge form. He was being chased after a robbery. We believe that he… wanted to utilize his quirk to hide in your mother’s body and use it to escape.”

Izuku gagged loudly and felt a new clump in his throat.

“The sludge villain.”

“You know him?” One of the police asked.

“I saw a headline,” Izuku paused to sob, “I didn’t have time to read mo… there was a video.”

He scrambled to get his phone. Annaisha put her hand on his.

“I would not recommend you watch that. Dealing with a loss like this takes time. It may be too much right away.”

Izuku yanked his phone from her grasp.

“It’s already too much. I still need to see for myself, to know.”

He quickly found the news again and pulled up a video. The situation was already going on when the camera had started. A gas station had been damaged and caught fire. In the middle of it all was the sludge villain, not even human-shaped, only recognizable as a person because it had an oversized face with a wicked evil grin and under it, being pulled up to the sludge, was a human shape. The image was too small to truly identify the person but Izuku knew. A group of heroes led by the Deatharm were at the scene. They grabbed a few civilians caught in the middle of things and retreated with them. Deatharm attacked the villain… once.

Then he ran away.

The heroes withdrew further away from the villain, not even trying to help his mom anymore. Mount Lady was stuck on some smaller street, too stupid to shrink so she could get closer. Izuku started shaking as the video progressed but not of grief.

“WHY AREN’T THEY DOING ANYTHING!” Izuku screamed. The camera moved from the useless heroes to the sludge monster and his still struggling victim. There was a sudden movement and she bent backwards in a snapping motion and stopped. Izuku stopped breathing. His dinner tried to climb up his throat. He couldn’t’ see the video anymore as both his eyes and the screen were wet with tears. He could barely hear the pompous declaration that he used to love, but now only felt rage.

“IT IS FINE NOW. WHY? BECAUSE I AM HERE!”

“No, it’s not,” Izuku muttered, and with a scream threw the phone across the room almost hitting one of the police officers.

“Hey watch it!”

“They did nothing!” Izuku shouted, ignoring the police. “Heroes are supposed to help people, risk their lives to help people and they just watched her die! They threw one punch and gave up! And where are they now, not here for sure?”

“That is easy to say watching videos from a nice sofa. You don’t know what their work involves. They’re busy with more urgent things.”

“What do you think you’re doing?” Annaisha hissed at the police. Izuku didn’t care about her, the police officer’s words echoing in his mind.

“They don’t look that busy when there are cameras around.”

“Yes, let it all out. Seeking someone to blame is normal. You will get over it,” Annaisha said.

Izuku tensed and began shaking.

“Over it? You expect me to watch so-called heroes not even trying to do their job and act like that’s okay and normal? It might be normal, but it’s not okay.”

He raised his head just in time to see one of the police open his mouth to say something again. Izuku’s wet eyes narrowed.

“Get out.”

“Excuse me?” The officer raised his eyebrows. 

“You’ve told me what you needed to and more. Now, get out of my home!”

“Hold on, I know you’re sad and angry, but you shouldn’t be alone today, and we need to determine what happens to you next,” Annaisha tried to reason in a soothing voice.

“No, you don’t. I… I still have a father.”

Izuku pulled away from Annaisha’s grasp and started stumbling towards his phone next to the wall.

“That might be the case, but you said he is not here right now. You still shouldn’t be alone. We have facilities and people that take care of people in situations like yours.”

Izuku took the phone. Despite a seriously cracked screen it still seemed to work. He hesitated with calling his father right away. Talking with a top-level villain in front of two police officers didn’t seem smart, but they also weren’t listening to him, as if he was a little kid. He didn’t have time to make the call as his phone began ringing. It was his father’s number. Izuku took a shaky breath before answering.

“dad”

His father’s voice was calm, but faster than usually.

“Izuku, we need to talk. Kur…”

“I know,” Izuku cried out. “Police just came here with some social worker to tell me. Mom… she’s gone.”

“I see,” his father responded in a more sombre tone. “I will get you.”

“Thanks dad. They… they want to take me somewhere. They think it’s better than being alone until you get here, but…”                                                                                    

He was interrupted by the doorbell ringing repeatedly. Everyone went quiet for a moment.

“Sorry, someone else is at the door,” Izuku said.

“You should see who it is,” his father advised. “It may help us decide what you should do next.”

Izuku walked to the door. The police officers followed but kept a little distance. Izuku opened the door and was instantly grabbed into a hug by a teary-eyed Mitsuki Bakugo. Izuku froze, uncertain of how to react. The woman had been a good friend to his mother, but she also raised the greatest torment in his life.

“Izuku,” she started. “Inko, she, she's-”

“I know,” Izuku shouted as the sad cry was tainted by annoyance. He pulled out of Mitsuki’s hold. “What are you doing here?”

“What am I… I came to make sure you’re okay. So, you don’t need to be alone.”

“I am not okay, and you can’t help it. None of you can.” Izuku raised his voice and looked back at the earlier trio, making Mitsuki notice them too. “I just want to be left alone so I can talk with dad without having to deal with all of you pretending you care or can help somehow.”

“Izuku,” the sound from the phone was barely loud enough for Izuku to notice. He brought the phone back to his ear. “If the police don’t want to leave you alone, you should ask if your mother’s friend can stay with you until I get to you. She should be easier to handle than the authorities, if you can handle a Bakugo that is. I will… ‘get a flight’ and be there in the morning. You can call me again when you get more privacy.”

“Morning… Okay, I’ll try that.” Izuku sighed and ended the call. He looked at the police and Annaisha with tired annoyance and pointed at Mitsuki. “She’s been my mother’s friend almost as long as I’ve been alive. Will you leave me alone if she sticks around until my dad gets here?”

The police officers looked at each other and Annaisha spoke first.

“It should be okay. It’s always better to stay with someone you are familiar with. We need to confirm her identity before leaving.” 

“Fine, do that and get out.”

He walked past them back inside. He wanted to go straight to his room and be alone but Mitsuki would only follow him there. Instead, he collapsed on the sofa, exhausted from dealing with people. He didn’t take his eyes away from the ceiling even as steps approached. Mitsuki kneeled next to him.

“Izuku.”

Izuku did not respond.

“Izuku, please look at me.”

“Why,” Izuku said without looking at her. “You’re only here so I don’t need to deal with those other people. Otherwise, I would not want to be anywhere near a Bakugo right now, or ever.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” The woman’s fiery personality started leaking into her words despite everything that had happened. Izuku grimaced. He could almost see Katsuki in her place.

“You raised Bakugo Katsuki, right?”

“Of course I raised my son.”

“So, you are at least as shit a parent as he is a person.”

“Now you listen to…!”

“No!” Izuku shouted and got up from the sofa. “You listen to me! Your son is a walking garbage fire you threw dynamite into! He is the bane of my life! He is worse than everyone else at school combined! Just today he mocked me in front of the whole class, blew up my notebook and told me to kill myself!”

Izuku paused, breathing fast like he had just run a marathon. He was too tired to be polite and watch his words like he usually did. Mitsuki on the other hand seemed to have forgotten how to speak as she stared at Izuku.

“I… never knew,” she gasped.

“Of course you didn’t, no one cares if an outcast gets tormented, especially when everyone thinks the bully might get into a hero school even if it’s only by luck of birth. What’s the life of one worthless kid if school can get such prestige?”

“But why didn’t you say anything until now…?”

Izuku got up and turned away.

“Not like it would have helped much, it’s the same everywhere. Plus, mom didn’t have many friends besides you, not a problem anymore… and I was afraid what Bakugo… Katsuki might do,” Izuku sighed. “I think I’ll want to start over somewhere else with dad, the further away it is from your family the better.”

He started walking away.

“If you have to stay, stay downstairs. I’m happier if I don’t need to see you or your family ever again.”

“No,” she said. Izuku stopped. “If what you are telling me is true, I need to get to the bottom of it and straighten the brat. I’ll call him here and we can fix it.”

Izuku spun around, activating his new Dragon Blade quirk and pointed it right at Mitsuki’s face. Izuku’s arm shook so much it was visible even on the already wavy blade. They stared at each other for a while, neither daring to say a word until Izuku’s arm dropped and the fire disappeared. Izuku stared at the floor away from Mitsuki. It took him a moment to regain control over his own mouth as he grabbed his face with the same hand he had just threatened Mitsuki with.

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have done that, but I don’t want to deal with your son, especially not today.”

“No, I should be the one to apologise but what...?”

“Was that quirk?” Izuku completed the question and looked at the hole in his palm. “I was… kidnapped a while back and had to take it from one of the kidnappers. I haven’t shown it to anyone since they would just accuse me of ‘stealing’ it Katsuki especially. Now can I go back to cry in my room or do YOU still need something from me?”

“Kidn… of course. I’ll stay down here for tonight… in case you need to talk to someone.”

Izuku walked upstairs without saying anything more, entered his room and collapsed on the bed face-down. In seconds, the pillow was soaked wet as he began sobbing. Time passed, Izuku didn’t know how much. It was completely dark once he raised his head. He turned onto his back and took out the cracked phone. He thought about calling his father again, but the video was still open. It hurt to even think about it, but he could not turn away from his mother’s last moments alive even if they were horrifying. Even after crying for so long he had to watch the video several times to clear his eyes of tears before he could really see it. With every viewing his anger at the heroes rose, and All Might’s words especially caused him to boil inside. The supposed hero punched away the villain too late and dared to stand there, over the dead corpse of Izuku’s mother, like he had achieved some kind of glorious victory.

Izuku’s eyes rose to his All Might posters and a shelf full of All Might merch he had gathered over the years. His fanboying over the hero had degraded over time but all the stuff was still in his room and now he only saw red looking at them. He jumped off the bed and rushed across the room. The fiery blades appeared from both of his hands and he started slashing at the posters. The quirk burned through the posters, leaving black lines of scorched smoking wall but didn’t cut as well as one might have expected from a quirk called a “blade”.

He stopped for a moment, staring at the All Might figurines and other merch, focusing his anger even further. In his eyes he only saw the supposed symbol of peace standing victoriously over the defeated sludge villain, as if he hadn’t even noticed the corpse next to him. Barely thinking, Izuku tapped into all his quirks. The blade twisted and narrowed and started to vibrate. After a few seconds, any restraint broke and with a roar of anger and agony Izuku swung his arms forward, cutting through not just the figurines but the shelfs and into the wall behind. Wood smoked, plastic melted and paper instantly caught fire with open flame. After several swings the whole bookshelf collapsed into a smoking pile, forcing Izuku to jump back. Running steps echoed from behind his door and without even knocking Mitsuki ran inside.

“Are you…?!” She paused mid-sentence.

Izuku was still staring at the pile of what he had destroyed, calming barely enough to deactivate his quirk. Mitsuki stepped past him and rummaged around her purse. She pulled out a miniature fire extinguisher and sprayed with it where-ever she saw smoke, even digging into the pile of rubble to make sure she got all of the flames. Once the extinguisher was empty, she turned slowly to Izuku and gulped.

“Are you okay? I mean physically.”

“Yes,” Izuku responded and sat down on his bed. He pointed at the pile of rubble that was no longer smouldering. “Thanks… for that.”

“It’s not the first time I’ve had to put out fires. Katsuki… sorry, you don’t want to talk about him,” she paused for a moment and gestured to the rubble. “Do you want to talk about this?”

“Yes, but not with you,” Izuku answered and picked up his phone. At least Mitsuki listened and turned to leave. Then she stopped and Izuku groaned internally. She pulled something else from her purse, a letter.

“In… your mother left this with me. She told me to keep it in case something happened to her. I was supposed to open it if anything happened, but since you are here…”

Izuku’s eyes widened, remembering his mother’s threat: ‘Just so you know I left a letter explaining the situation with someone you don’t know. If anything happens to either of us it goes to the police.’

He reached out to grab the letter and hold it against his chest.

“Thank you.”

She looked at him for a while but left without complaint. Izuku sat on the bed, phone on his ear.

“Dad.”

He talked for a long time, laying down and falling into a restless sleep at some point mid-call. Nightmares of his kidnapping had been replaced by visions of his mother covered in and broken by the sludge with All Might’s unending grin hovering above her. He snapped awake as soon as an alarm on his phone started ringing and sprang up to a sitting position with his arm up defensively. It took him a few seconds to realize this was not part of the dream. It was just morning and his normal school day wake-up time.

He dragged himself to the bathroom and for the first time since getting the news saw himself in the mirror. His hair was even messier than usually, his cheeks and undersides of his eyes were reddened, and his eyes just seemed tired despite having just slept all night, as poor as the sleep had been. The weight of everything had pushed his shoulders and head down to the point he had to consciously turn upward to see his reflection. Izuku didn’t feel any of the usual rush to get ready for school so he decided to get a shower going and stand under the stream of hot water for an unknown amount of time. He only left after hearing the muted ring of his phone and ran to his room wet and naked to pick up the call. 

“Dad?”

“Yes. Do you still want to leave, completely?”

“Yes,” Izuku answered. “Without mom there is nothing for me here.”

“Then pack what you need for the first few days. I will get you soon.”

“Uhm, I think Mitsuki Bakugo is still here.”

“Don’t worry. That is actually a good thing. Simply disappearing could raise suspicion. She can witness you leaving with your caring father.”

“But you?” Izuku started asking, remembering his father’s appearance.

“I have my means. You don’t need to worry about that in addition to everything else.”  

“Okay,” Izuku said and they ended the call. Still generally slumped and head down, Izuku stared at the small puddle he had dripped on the floor and went back to the bathroom to dry up. At least the shower had washed the worst marks of crying from his face. After dressing he got out some suitcases from his mom’s closet, barely holding back another wave of tears as he had to cross her bedroom. It did not take long to pack. He filled half the suitcases with his notebooks, schoolbooks and some important papers and dumped clothes on top of them. At the last moment he remembered to get some photo books from mother’s drawers. He made sure to not look into them, knowing the photographs would break him.

Coming back from his mother’s bedroom Izuku caught a faint scent of food coming from downstairs. Mitsuki really had stayed then. Listening to the quiet sounds of cooking, Izuku’s self-control nearly broke again, imagining his mother preparing breakfast while the smell made his stomach growl. It couldn’t be helped. He put the last of his things in the suitcases and started dragging them downstairs. The clanging of the wheeled suitcases attracted Mitsuki from the kitchen.

“What are you doing?”

“Dad is going to pick me up soon,” Izuku responded in a monotone voice. “Did you make breakfast?”

“Oh, yes.”

At least she did not try to push him to go to school. Izuku left the suitcases next to the stairs and headed past her to the kitchen.

“Thank you.”

He was surprised arriving at the kitchen table. Mitsuki had raided through their cabinets and gone beyond expectations with a full Japanese breakfast with rice, natto, eggs, grilled fish and vegetable-heavy miso soup and tea. He looked up to Mitsuki who stood right outside the kitchen, giving him space.

“Sorry how I treated you last night. Despite everything else you were still the only person who showed up without it being your job. I’m actually starting to feel a bit sad we might not meet again.”

“Don’t say that,” Mitsuki pleaded. “Even if you are going to live with your father elsewhere you can still visit any time.”

“We’ll see. Maybe after Katsuki moves away from your house.”

“Is it really… What all has he done?”

Izuku kept looking at the woman, his eyes slowly turning sterner.

“It’s a long list. Might take some time to make. Do you want me to sort it alphabetically or chronologically?”

Mitsuki stared at him for a moment but soon averted her gaze, her face tense.

“I think you have already told me enough. I’ll be in the living room if you need anything.”

Izuku had nothing to say to that. He just wanted to be outside of the blast zone before Mitsuki met her son the next time. He still found it difficult to stay annoyed at the woman while eating her cooking. He was just finishing when his phone notified him of a message. He glanced at it once and hurried to the front door. The man behind it was simultaneously familiar and not. His hair was almost identical to Izuku’s but green as his had been before manifesting All For One. Two pairs of green eyes met his, though they felt strangely empty. The man’s lips were partially covered by his jacket’s high collar turned upwards despite warm spring weather. He kneeled with arms open wide.

“Izuku.”

If Izuku had any doubts of the new face, the voice made him certain it was his father. He jumped towards his father, bringing his own arms around him. As his head pressed against his father’s neck, he felt something strange right under the man’s chin… where he had a breathing tube. Izuku couldn’t see it for some reason but he could still feel it. It didn’t matter, he stayed right there sobbing until his father let go and nudged him to do the same. Izuku gave his father some space but even as he got up the man put a hand on his shoulder.

“It will be okay son,” he said and looked up. “I don’t believe we have been introduced. My name is Hisashi Midoriya.”

“Mitsuki Bakugo.”

Izuku turned around to Mitsuki who was looking at them from inside.

“I want to thank you for supporting my son at this… difficult time, and sticking with him even with the friction I heard there was.”

“Yes, seems I need to confront my own son on some things,” she bowed. “I apologise for all the pain he has caused your son, for my failure as a parent.”

“That is not my forgiveness to give, and I am not one who could comment on your parenting. All either of us can do is better than before.”

Izuku looked up at his father. It was strange to hear him talk about things like that.

“That being said, I do have access to a great many very capable, very expensive, very ruthless investigators and lawyers, in case your son ever as much as looks at Izuku in a way either of us doesn’t like,” the man continued. That was more like what Izuku expected.

“I understand,” Mitsuki said visibly tenser than before. “If there is anything else I can do, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

“Thank you for your offer but you have already done enough. Izuku, did you finish packing yet?”

“Almost, I just need to grab a couple more things.”

“Then you should do that. You said you wanted away from here.”

Izuku nodded and headed back inside. He got the suitcases from next to the staircase and pulled out additional clothes from the hallway cabinet. He shoved some shoes in the suitcases and as an afterthought stepped in the kitchen to inhale the rest of the tea. In a few minutes he was back at the door and turned off the last light. Mitsuki too had slipped her coat on and stepped out.

“We’ll be going now,” Izuku’s father said. He grabbed a suitcase with one hand and Izuku’s shoulder with other. They walked to a large black car with tinted windows in front of the house. Mitsuki followed a few steps behind but they loaded the luggage and entered to the back seat without a word. Inside Izuku noticed Kurogiri in his human form on the driver’s seat. As the car started moving, he took one more glance at the house he had lived in since birth, thinking briefly about all the now painful memories inside it. When it disappeared from his field of view, he felt he would never return.

Chapter Text

Izuku felt both loss and relief as the house disappeared behind a corner. Confused at his own emotions, he stared at the seat in front of him, shoulders sagged. It didn’t last long as his father began making strange groans. The sight when Izuku turned made him gasp as his father’s face morphed and twisted. The healthy skin and eyes lost their colour and smoothness before shrinking into his head, leaving behind only the usual wrinkled and scarred skin. His father pulled down his collar that had helped hide the pipe hanging from his throat, attached to something small enough to hide under the jacket. He reached under the seat and pulled out the collar part of his helmet with its breathing mask attached. With the mask on he drew a deep breath a few times with an audible hiss.

“Are you okay?” Izuku asked.

“Yes,” his father answered. “I had to abandon most of my breathing aides to hide my state even with that shapeshifting quirk. My oxygen levels would have dropped a bit.” He chuckled. “Haven’t I become pathetic, unable to even breathe on my own?”

“No,” Izuku blurted out. “You’ve guarded me even when I didn’t know it, saved me, healed me and even taught me about my quirks. You too Kurogiri. None of that sounds pathetic to me.”

“At least I can still impress my son. Hopefully that means I can offer comfort too. First, you should know that you don’t need to worry about anything practical. I have started arranging things so you can live well and as normally as you want, though even now I cannot be present in your life as much as Inko was.”

Izuku nodded gratefully, but the mention of his mother brought tears back to his eyes. His father brought his arm over Izuku’s shoulder and pulled him closer. The next moment the car was a lot darker and they were in some large windowless garage. Izuku glanced at Kurogiri who was already stepping out. Izuku followed and did not need to be told to step into a warp gate that appeared in front of him. In an instant he was back in the luxurious apartment of the previous day, where he had been as…

Izuku choked a little, barely able to breathe as tears began flowing again. Only his father and Kurogiri were there. There was no one to confront, nothing to hide, nowhere to go and nothing that needed doing. For the first time he could just collapse. Kurogiri’s misty form barely caught him as he did so literally. The mist felt soft and warm as it lifted him to a sofa. The sofa shifted a bit, followed by a familiar hand landing on Izuku’s shoulder. No-one said anything for a long time as Izuku thoroughly soaked the fine leather. Eventually he was too out of breath to cry and too dehydrated to produce any more tears so he could only stare at the opposite window as his vision slowly returned to normal. He gasped, trying to take back control of his lungs.

“Perhaps we should get a breathing machine for you too,” his father said. Izuku tried to chuckle, but it hurt. Father continued. “I am glad that worked. Comforting in a situation like this is not among my strengths.”

Slowly Izuku sat up and stared at the floor. As he spoke it was barely a whisper.

“She’s really gone.”

“Yes,” his father confirmed.   

“They didn’t even try to stop him. They just watched her die.”

“The heroes?”

“I… I don’t think I can call them that,” Izuku said. His father pulled him closer.

“Here that is okay. You have lost so much because of those who are called heroes. We both have.”

They sat there in silence for some time before Izuku raised his head and looked at his father’s mostly missing face.

“Dad, how did you get your injuries?”

“You really shouldn’t worry about that now.”

“I need to know. I have wanted to ask for a while, but…It’s what kept you from even visiting us right? Maybe, without that we could have all been together yesterday and...”

There was a pause of silence before his father spoke.

“All Might,” he said slowly. “He destroyed much of what I had built until we inevitably faced each other head-on. It was the hardest battle I have ever experienced, and he only stopped once he thought I was dead. If it wasn’t for the injuries, I was able to inflict on him, he might have stayed to make sure the job was finished.”

After his father answered Izuku looked away.

“Heroes are supposed to capture villains, not…”

“That only applies as long as it is convenient for the heroes and those in charge,” his father interrupted Izuku. “It isn’t even a secret if you think about it. The most popular heroes and those most expected to become heroes are those with flashy physical powers that are best suited to injure or kill, while people with mental or supportive quirks are lucky to become heroes at all, even when better suited at solving situations without violence. You have already seen this with Katsuki Bakugo. Besides All Might, even the number two hero’s power is, above all else, best suited for maiming or killing people in one of the most painful ways possible. If someone considered a villain, anyone without a card declaring them a hero, burned people half as bad as he has done for even small-time villains, that person would go to Tartarus without a question.”

Izuku thought about his father’s words. He was too shaken and winded to even begin muttering. Kurogiri quietly placed a bowl of katsudon in front of him. Realizing how late it was, gratefully Izuku took the bowl. After the first taste he started eating at an increasing speed, showing more energy than anytime earlier that day. The instant he finished Kurogiri was there to switch the katsudon bowl with a bowl of ice cream. Izuku nearly started crying again at the Nomu’s kindness while his father never left the sofa. After the lunch Kurogiri disappeared somewhere, leaving the two alone. Eventually Izuku was able to ask the one question he needed an answer to most.

“Dad,” he began, “what’s going to happen now? Are we going to live here?”

“No, this place is under another name, but don’t worry. Hisashi Midoriya is about to buy a nice house near a very good school. The rest will depend on what you want. You can live there in peace, go to school and continue with your life as is. I will finance your living as I have till now and keep in contact occasionally, but I cannot be present in a way that would risk involving you in my… business. It would be an ordinary, possibly lonely at first, but a safe live. That is what Inko would prefer.”

The last part was a strong argument in Izuku’s mind, but going back to almost no contact with his father hurt to just think about.

“What is the other option?”

“You will enter my life. We will be father and son, but only out of sight. You will know more of what I do and most likely get involved with it sooner or later depending on your choices. I should warn you this is the more dangerous option. It would make you a villain both legally and in public opinion if our relationship was ever exposed, and that isn’t necessarily the most dangerous part. We would have to spend much time together just to train you so you could protect yourself when myself or Kurogiri aren’t present. You would still live in the house and go to school.”

“So those are my choices,” Izuku said, looking down in deep thought.

“Yes. Details might be flexible to a point, but those are the two paths in front of you. Well, you could always decide you don’t want to be involved with me at all. There are already bank accounts under your name so you won’t be left empty-handed if you want to walk away.”

“No,” Izuku blurted out as his head bounced up. The two options had forced him to really think about them, but the third. He was physically unable to even consider it. He hadn’t even thought about money. His father and Kurogiri were everything he cared about that he still had left. As that thought hit him his arm snaked around his father’s and held onto it like the man would disappear otherwise. He had made his decision.

“People already call me a villain. I would rather be a villain with you than continue being treated like one alone.”

“You should know that I am a harsh trainer. You will need my healing quirks many times.”

Izuku gulped.

“I told you. It will be a dangerous life. If I need to be harsh to keep you alive I will. Do you think you will be up to it?”

“Yes,” Izuku responded. “There was a time when I wanted to become a pro hero, back when I was still quirkless. If I was going to train and do what that would take, I should survive getting proper training with one… some.”  

“Very well. We will start with the quirks you took. Considering your past experiences, it will be easier if you present one of them as your quirk at your new school.”

“It will probably help, I just… Even if someone is nice it wouldn’t be for the real me.”

“You have a few days to choose how you want to do it. It will take at least that long to arrange your transfer and prepare the house.”

“Can I ask where you are sending me, not that anywhere wouldn’t be better than Aldera.”

“Of course. I am arranging for you to attend Soumei private academy for rest of the year.”

“Soumei,” Izuku mumbled, “isn’t it…?”

“Prestigious, expensive and selective,” his father answered. “After being absent for so long, how could I offer you anything but the best.”

“I would ask how you can pull off an admittance to such a school, but I could just as well ask how you got this apartment.”

“In time perhaps. Now, you need something to focus your attention on before crying again. Would you like to continue practicing with the quirks? Whatever you choose you will need to make them yours.”

“Yeah,” Izuku said and a memory hit him. “Yesterday I… I destroyed all my All Might stuff with it.”

“I won’t complain about that.”

“No, I mean…” Izuku brought his arm up and made the Dragon Blade appear. “When I was using it, it changed somehow. One moment it just burns without really cutting like when you taught me to control it, then suddenly it felt completely different. I was carving out the wall behind the shelves I wanted to destroy, and it felt easy like I could have cut through a lot more. But to do that… it would need to be thinner… but that alone wouldn’t...”

“Interesting, either there is more to that quirk than we thought,” his father said, making Izuku pause his muttering, “or you are already well ahead of my lessons.”

“What do you mean?”

“Didn’t I tell you yesterday that I would teach you how to combine and use multiple quirks simultaneously? The other quirk you got was a form of vibration quirk. It may appear simple on the surface, but the simplest quirks often make for the most powerful combinations by altering effects of other quirks. For example, I have a quirk called Springlike Limbs. On its own it can give me slight enhancements to agility and force of my punches as well as the ability to absorb impacts, but combined with other quirks it allows me to push their power past the limits that my body could not handle otherwise. For you, the application of high-speed vibration could explain enhanced cutting ability. What I am surprised by is that you could achieve simultaneous use so soon without even intending it.”

“That is… amazing!” Izuku’s eyes widened and for the first time that day it was not to cry. “Most quirks have weaknesses or side effects, but if another quirk can counter that… I’ll have to rewrite all of my quirk notes… strength quirk with body hardening quirk or maybe flight… water quirk could help focus electricity better than most of them can or maybe…”

“Then again,” his father interrupted Izuku’s muttering again. “Maybe I should not be surprised. If Kurogiri is right, you are a bigger quirk nerd than myself.”

He smiled to Izuku behind his breathing mask.

“Enough talk, would you like to try it right now?”

“Yes,” Izuku said with a smile of his own, not even close to the widest it could have been, but the distraction was welcome. He needed something to do and training with his dad sounded like just the thing.

Chapter Text

“Hello, my name is Izuku Midoriya. I am joining your class for rest of the year,” Izuku said and bowed slightly to the classroom of students.

Bowing let him draw a few deep breaths without it being noticed. It felt uncanny to walk through the school without anyone avoiding or scowling at him, but he was still on edge, ready to be ostracised over even a single wrong move. Finishing his bow, he gathered enough courage to get up and face his new classmates again.

“Midoriya has transferred to us from Aldera Junior High from Mustafa City starting today,” the teacher said. “Please make him feel welcome. Now does anyone have any questions, including you Midoriya?”

Several of the students had their hands up before she finished talking. She pointed at a girl in the back of the room.

“Nori.”

“What is your quirk?”

Izuku gulped. Of course, they would ask that first. What else about him could people possibly care about? If he had any doubts before they were gone now. He held his hand up, the palm towards himself. Fire burst over the back of his hand and Izuku applied vibration to it as the blade stretched and thinned down. It still took too much focus to be practical in a fight, but at least Izuku could combine the quirks reliably for a while. He pushed his limits to make the blade as long and impressive as he could for the brief moment. Most people in the class were wide-eyed. Some made positive remarks about how cool his quirk was, not knowing how that wrenched Izuku inside. Izuku stopped before the teacher could comment on using quirks at school. Instead, she pointed at another student for a question.

“Why did you transfer suddenly and how did you even get in this school?”

Maybe there were worse questions than his quirk. This time Izuku couldn’t completely hide his reaction.

“Is everything okay?” The teacher asked.

“Y… yes. I transferred because,” Izuku paused as the words stuck to his throat as if they were trying to choke him, “my mother was killed recently and, well…”

“You don’t need to talk about anything you don’t want to,” the teacher said, “and no one will pressure you if they know what is best for them. Now, let’s start the lesson. You can get to know each other better during breaks.”

“Thank you,” Izuku whispered as he walked past her to the only free seat, on the second row behind tall blue-haired kid with eyeglasses. No one tried to pull their desks away or lean away from him. It would have been nice if it wasn’t all based on a lie. He didn’t dare to look anywhere but the teacher and his own desk as the lesson commenced. At least she actually taught him too.

The first few classes passed uneventfully. Izuku was used to getting from class to class with minimal contact with others and didn’t think to do anything else. He was also distracted by the school itself. His old school had been… decent in teaching for people that had good or commonplace quirks, just reputable enough that mother had not gone out of her way to send Izuku to a better school further away. The school however had not been exceptional in any way and the buildings had been average at best. Soumei on the other hand showed the money rich parents had poured into it everywhere. Everything looked new, clean and shiny. Large open halls with high ceilings made the place feel more like a monument than a junior high school.

The morning lessons soon finished, and he was about to slip away for lunch when…

“You, Izuku Midoriya.”

Izuku froze in place and turned around a few seconds later. It was the blue-haired boy. So far Izuku only knew that he seemed to be very formal and often quite loud. He walked towards Midoriya, waving his arms like a robot from an ancient sci-fi film.

“My name is Tenya Ida. Are you intentionally trying to avoid interacting with the class? We should all seek to improve both ourselves and each other and isolating yourself will hold everyone back.”

“Wha…” Izuku was genuinely flustered for the first time in a while. This guy actually had a problem with him keeping his distance and not the other way around.

“Sorry,” he said, “I didn’t think anyone would feel that way. Usually people are happy that I stay out of their way.”

“Why…?” Ida started and stopped mid-sentence. Izuku could see gears turning in his head with realization in his eyes. “Would you like to join us for lunch at least?”

The request almost made Izuku tear up from joy but even then, a nagging voice in his head kept saying Ida was only nice because Izuku had lied about his quirk. He still smiled slightly.

“I’d love to.”  

“Excellent,” Ida responded. “The cafeteria is this way. Also, your tie is not straight. It shows disrespect to this prestigious school.”

Izuku brought his hand to the tie that was part of the Soumei school uniform. He was surprised at the other boy’s sudden critique, but… he didn’t seem to be condemning Izuku, even if Izuku couldn’t help but feel annoyed at the irrelevant complaint. He followed Ida to the cafeteria and to the line for food. Some of their classmates were already there.

“Hey, it’s the new kid. Did Ida already chew you out for something?”

“So he does that often?” Izuku asked.

The others snickered. “Every single day.”

“I merely wish everyone would give the school the respect it desires,” Ida defended himself, waving his arms again. He got some laughs from the other students, but they lacked the sharp mockery Izuku was used to hearing in people’s laughs. The group dragged Izuku with them to a large table full of their classmates. Izuku had never been with so many positive and neutral expressions.

“Hey, it’s the fire hand.”

“Uh…?” Izuku stared at the girl that had said that.

“She’s talking about your quirk,” another said. “You didn’t yet tell us what it’s called.”

“Oh right,” Izuku responded. Of course they were talking about his quirk. “I call it Dragon Blade. It’s a pretty simple flame quirk but if I focus hard enough it can cut really well in addition to burning. It isn’t that useful really, but people seem to think it’s cool.”

“It is,” the first girl said. Others expressed their agreement.

“Hey, how…?” Another student started asking, but was interrupted when Ida stood up and started waving his arms again.

“Remember what the teacher said. Do not push Midoriya to answer questions he doesn’t want to talk about.”

“Chill out Ida. I wasn’t going to ask about… that. Just wondered what his old school was like.”

“Very biased and more interested in gaining prestige for the school than actually teaching its students, all of its students,” Izuku said, feeling a sudden need to vent about something he didn’t need to keep secret.

“What does that mean?” Izuku turned to look at his new classmate over the table. His stare was empty with tenseness on his face from anger.

“I was considered quirkless until I was thirteen years old, my childhood best friend got a flashy quirk that could easily hurt people. One of us could do almost anything, hurt anyone, and people would still talk about how he is going to be a hero in the future. The other could have just as well been invisible and could get almost anything done to him without consequences. Would you like to guess which was me?” He turned to look at the girl who had asked about his quirk in class.

“I hoped things might be different here, but guess what was the first thing you wanted to know about me?”

That startled most of the group. Several looked surprised. A few, too few, appeared angry at what they had learned. Some didn’t really react or they looked annoyed. The person Izuku had been talking to moved to that group after initial surprise.

“Well, it’s not like quirkless people could do as much as regular people. Of course a school would focus on making sure that someone more capable has a chance to become something. You should just be glad you got a quirk.”

Izuku sighed and stood up.

“This is why I didn’t bother transferring anywhere else before. People are the same garbage everywhere.”

“It’s the truth, quirkless people are just less advanced than the rest of us. It’s simple evolution.”

“You wouldn’t talk like that if you were quirkless for a while,” Izuku said as he took his food and turned to leave.

“The quirkless probably dream about that being possible, but you just can’t change a person like that. It would be like turning a quirkless human into a chimpanzee.”

Izuku squeezed the food tray, struggling to not make a remark that would make his situation worse. These people definitely would not accept his real quirk. He walked away, finding a corner table which occupants had just left, leaving the entire table empty. He was used to eating alone. At least people didn’t go out of their way to get away from him. He stopped eating to look at his palm. The hole was barely covered by special tape and makeup. For the first time ever, he wanted to use his quirk on someone, and he didn’t even regret the thought. If he hadn’t chosen to fake his real quirk…

He sighed and put his hand down. It would just have been worse if he did tell the truth. At least there had been some that reacted negatively to hearing how he had been treated as quirkless. Izuku didn’t dare to risk approaching any of them and the rest of the day passed with him keeping even more distance from others. In the end Izuku left school with his shoulders sagging and eyes on the asphalt.

“You should carry yourself more respectably, especially in our school’s uniform.”

Izuku turned his head to give Ida a tired look. He wasn’t sure how to feel about the taller boy. Their main interactions had been Ida complaining about stupid things, but he had been the first one to at least try to approach Izuku in a friendly manner, and had seemed surprised, shocked even, when Izuku exposed his quirkless past.

“I carry myself as I feel,” Izuku responded, “and if the school has a problem with it that’s just more reason to feel this way.”

“Yes… I am sorry for how our classmates acted. Even after two years I did not realize how… serious the views are that some of them hold. There has never been a quirkless person in our class.”

“And what would you have done if there was?”

“That… would depend on the person. I think everyone should be treated equally unless their actions demand otherwise.”

“Are you sure about that?” Izuku said. His voice started getting some venom along the tiredness. “You would do that even if it meant being ostracised just like the useless, less-than-human quirkless kid?”

Ida didn’t say anything.

“I thought so. I was a fool to think that an elite school would be any better. It’s easier to look down to people the higher you are in this quirk society, and to ignore the flaws of those on your level. Being from a whole family of heroes you wouldn’t question the darker sides of the hero society whether you see it or not.”

“I wouldn’t… Wait, how do you know about my family? I never told you about them.”

“The most important thing for a hero in this society is their fame and popularity over all else. Ida family and especially Ingenium nowadays aren’t exactly unknown.”

“Right, I accept your explanation.”

They kept walking in the same direction in silence, but Izuku could feel Ida’s eyes on his back. Eventually the taller boy couldn’t hold things in anymore.

“I must ask. Do you have something against heroes?”

“Not the concept of a hero,” Izuku answered after a moment. “I just don’t think there are as many actual heroes as people think. The official title is meaningless, just a way to control who can use quirks. If anything, it stops more people from acting heroically. Not to mention the whole profession is the top example of how people are valued by their quirks, and not even their real usefulness, but how ‘heroic’ the society decides they are. I shouldn’t need to explain after today’s lunch.”

Another period of silence followed. Izuku glanced at Ida.

“Are you following me or?” He asked. Ida stopped for an instance and raised his hands up defensively.

“Oh no, I am going home. Seems we just happen to live in the same direction.”

Izuku looked at him for a moment.

“I believe you. If nothing else I get the feeling you aren’t the lying type.”

“Thank you.”

“Well, I guess we’ll see each other again tomorrow,” Izuku said and turned into a yard. They had walked up a green hill and now on a ledge with an excellent view he entered the lush yard of a new two-story building, large enough for a family of ten. He cringed as Ida stared at the building. Why did father have to do everything so big?

Izuku walked a bit faster to get inside quicker. He had not even slept in the house so far, having only made sure all his things were there. Unfortunately, it had been up to him to sort out his mother’s things and what to do with them. Half of the stuff stored in one of the many rooms would probably get mouldy after being soaked by his tears. Checking the time, he changed out of his school clothes and headed to the basement. His father had arranged for it to be made into a fully equipped gym and spa. Izuku had a feeling he would be expected to spend plenty of time there. The spa was nice though.

He had about thirty minutes for warmup and stretching before a familiar dark mist poured out of thin air. Izuku had a wide genuine smile on his face as Kurogiri’s misty form stepped through the warp gate.

Chapter Text

Izuku stepped out of Kurogiri’s warp gate still smiling. The Nomu himself followed through, and moved to Izuku’s father’s side. They were in a large industrial-feeling room, probably some form of a warehouse. It was dimly lit like the medical room Izuku had first met his father in before. It might well have been the same building. A loud thump took his attention as a large somewhat humanlike creature stepped out of the darkness behind his father. It was taller than anyone else in the room, with a muscular body, a greyish skin and…

It had its brains visible on the outside of its skull.

“Dad… is that a Nomu? Kurogiri isn’t the only one?”

“Yes. I am glad you remember my earlier explanation. That saves time, though you should know that this Nomu is mindless, essentially a walking corpse or a biological robot.

“Who did you use to… make it?” Izuku asked.

“Don’t you recognize him?” Izuku could hear the smirk in his father’s voice. “Then again, he did give you brain damage.”

A fuzzy image of the original owner of the vibration quirk flashed in Izuku’s memory along with his last screams of terror as the man was engulfed my Kurogiri’s mist.

“You… you…”

“You saw me kill one of them. Did you think I would spare others after what they did? Kurogiri could have killed them, but deemed this a better punishment, and I agreed. This way they can pay you back by serving you.”

Izuku breathed in deep. He knowingly chose this life and the man had earned this fate. When Izuku was in their hands he had heard them talk about having killed other people before, they were murderers, they deserved this.

“Why is it here?” He asked.

“For your training of course. The first phase of your training will be to strengthen your body, skills and quirk until you can defeat this type of Nomu reliably. It is a low-tier Nomu, but if you can defeat it you can easily do the same to street thugs like those that kidnapped you and even low-level or non-combat oriented pro heroes. If you plan to exist in my world this is the absolute minimum you have to be able to handle, regardless of what you choose to do.”

“I know,” Izuku said as he stared at the Nomu towering over him. “I don’t want to be that helpless again.”

“You should also know that I am much harsher as a trainer than as a father,” the smirk had disappeared from his father’s face and voice. For the first time since Izuku had learned who the man was, he was feeling like he was talking to the dangerous villain All For One rather than just his long missed father.

“What should I do?” Izuku asked.

“We will start by seeing what you can do now. Fight and try to kill the Nomu. Use everything you know and all of your quirks the best you can,” he paused for a moment as Izuku processed the instructions. “Nomu, attack.”

The creature screeched in an ear-shattering high pitch and charged. Izuku barely jumped out of the way but didn’t exactly land graciously. He yelped as his arms hit the hard floor.

“Nomu stop,” All For One commanded. “Izuku get up.”

Izuku scrambled to get up, holding his wrist that took the worst of the fall. He winced.

“I hope you won’t be slowed down by that amount of pain. You don’t want to be helpless like when you were kidnapped, like your mother was.”

Izuku’s head snapped and he stared at All For One like even All Might wouldn’t dare.

“Yes, let the anger flow through you. If it helps you get stronger it is good. Your reaction speed was good, faster than I expected, but it is no use unless you know how to take advantage of it instinctually. If you dodge, you must stay mobile after the initial motion and counterattack, not become a child who slipped and needs daddy to help with the booboo.”

Izuku gritted his teeth.

“We are going to do this again,” All For One said. “Try to stay on your feet this time and use your vibrating blade. You should be able to evade and attack at the same time with your quirks... Nomu, attack.”

It wasn’t the last time Izuku met the floor during the hour that All For One repeatedly sent the Nomu after him. In the end, gasping, Izuku was held against the wall by the Nomu, his arms held above his head, full of bruises and scabs. The Nomu had a burnt cut on its arm, but that didn’t seem to even slow it and the wound was already closing at a visible speed.

“I think that is enough testing,” his father said, his tone back to normal. “There is much to do. Kurogiri.”

A warp gate opened under Izuku’s legs and the mindless Nomu lowered him into it. Izuku welcomed the familiar feeling of the mist flowing along his legs. His feet hit something soft, and he laid in a half-sitting position on a familiar hospital bed. His father and Kurogiri stepped through another warp gate. Kurogiri reached into a third smaller one and pulled out a bottle of cold water. He handed it to Izuku.

“Thank you.”

As he drank, his father sprayed something onto the scabs on his legs before using a quirk to make them close properly.

“Are you feeling ill in anyway or feeling pain other than from your bruises?” He asked, sounding like a completely different person than he had been the past hour. All For One had done his job for the day and Izuku’s father was back. Izuku smiled.

“My right wrist. It has hurt to move since the second, no, third time I hit the floor.”

His father simply grabbed the wrist held it straight, causing a little pain. With a green glow all of the pain was soon gone. That quirk, or quirks, were really efficient. Most healing quirks drain stamina but Izuku didn’t feel drained by the treatment at all. Then again, his injuries were minor, and father had once mentioned that the healing works better when he was more rested. Izuku started muttering about healing quirks under his breath even as his injuries were healing.

“You truly inherited my interest in quirks,” his father said. “It is very useful, especially with our quirk.”

“Yes,” Izuku said, “There is one thing I don’t understand. If you have such a good healing quirk, or quirks, why are you still so…”

“Injured, deformed, barely alive?” He finished the question. Izuku nodded. 

“While my healing quirks are powerful, there are limits to what they can do, and they do not work passively. I was only saved by a different quirk that allowed my memories to be stored in my spine before All Might crushed my head.”

Izuku squeezed his hands into fists, being reminded of what had happened to his father and by whom.

“That let my consciousness survive until the doctor got to me and re-assembled my skull with surgery and other healing quirk users, but it could only work to a point. We did not possess any quirks that could reverse such total damage. I still require regular treatment, but that is more to maintain my current condition rather than heal anything further. We recently acquired a more powerful super regeneration quirk, but it is a blunt tool, excellent if you already have it in battle, but unable to effect wounds that have already closed.”

“So, there is no way to…?”

“The doctor is still researching possibilities, but so far there is only one way that isn’t more likely to kill me in the process. I need to combine my other healing quirks with One For All.

“One for,” Izukus started. “Is it a quirk related to All For One?”

His father nodded slowly. When he spoke, he didn’t seem to focus on anything in the room. His voice was best described as nostalgic.  

“It is a generational stockpiling enhancing quirk I accidentally created in my little brother. I believed he was quirkless and gave him a power stockpiling quirk that I thought might help his weak body. Only later we found out he already had a quirk. It was a very much useless ability to transfer itself to another person and nothing more, as far as I know. Somehow the quirks fused into one, something that took the doctor a century to replicate artificially in Kurogiri. I doubt I need to explain to you what combining those two powers means.”

Izuku was already thinking. He rubbed his chin with a now fully healed hand and started muttering to himself.

“A quirk to stockpile power and quirk to transfer itself… generational stockpiling enhancing quirk… normal limits of quirks… human lifespan…  passing on the quirk itself, not just inheriting genes.” Izuku’s eyes widened. “Does the quirk also transfer the power it has already gathered?”

“Yes, and it has already been wielded by eight different people for more than a century.”

“Accumulation type quirks that can constantly grow rather than just needing a charge time to use, have much more potential than more stagnant quirks, theoretically unlimited potential if they weren’t limited by effects of aging and human lifespan. If this quirk can bypass that and be passed on faster than normal human generations,” Izuku stopped mid-sentence. “By now a quirk like that could make its holder one of if not the most powerful person in the world.”

“You could say so,” his father said. “One For All is currently possessed by All Might.”

Izuku stared at his father for a moment, but it did make sense. He gestured at his father’s head and mask.

“So, he did this to you with a power you created.”

“Yes, though the only surprising thing was that he won. My younger brother did not share my visions or ways of getting there. He used One For All to try and fight me and everyone that has inherited the quirk since has continued the fight. I believe there was one who disappeared for several years, until someone else appeared with the quirk. I have tried to take it many times, but it is the only quirk that has been able to resist my All For One.

“You couldn’t take it?” Izuku asked surprised.

“No, so-far it can only be passed on willingly. In hindsight it would have been better to just kill one of them and end the quirk, but I wanted it. I have wanted it since I realized what I had created, so even though they all have sought to kill me, I had to let each of them pass the quirk forward in the hope I could one day take it. But I was careless, and while All Might was hiding in the United States, I got… tired. I no longer ruled Japan and the hero society was already rising, but my underground empire was still vast and stable. After a century of fighting and plotting I started questioning my way of life. I had already created new identities to act as covers and took a step back from my organization to try something different, a vacation of sorts to rest before All Might would return. Then I met Inko.”

“How did you meet?” Izuku asked, holding back tears from the mere mention of his mother.

“We accidentally bumped into each other at a café. She was so flustered and apologised repeatedly, as if it was some serious situation. I thought it was stupid for an adult, but something about her was endearing. I had never spent time with someone like her as a villain. I asked if she would like to sit down with me. One thing led to another and you were born two years later.” He paused and ruffled Izuku’s hair like no one else had ever done. “I still took ‘business trips’ but most of the time I could enjoy regular family life for the first time since my own childhood, and those weren’t peaceful times. Some days I even imagined putting my ideals aside to stay like that, at least until you grew up. What would eighteen or twenty years be for a struggle longer than a century? Unfortunately, All Might returned to Japan while Inko was pregnant with you. I had to split my time with you two and one other while trying to maintain what I had built, but… in the end it took all my time to hold him back and Inko started getting suspicious. I came up with the working abroad lie. Then my fight with All Might happened.”

He finished healing Izuku’s injuries, even the smallest bruises. He helped Izuku sit up on the edge of the bed and sat down next to him.

“After that I decided it was best for both of you, easiest for everyone if I just stayed away.”

“You were wrong,” Izuku said quietly, looking down. “It wasn’t easy.”

“You made it quite clear the day all three of us were in this room,” father paused. “Now it’s too late.”

“It is… for mom,” Izuku said and leaned against his father. “You’re still here. I don’t care what you look like, never did.”

His father chuckled and pulled him closer.

“How did a villain like me earn a son like you? Perhaps I should then act like a father. How was your first school day?”

Izuku stiffened. Somehow, he hadn’t expected that question.

“It was fi…”

“Do not lie to me,” his father said with a stern, threatening voice. Izuku shivered hearing it. “While I loved Inko, I know she was a bit… gullible. Don’t think you can pretend in front of me like you did with her.”

“Promise you won’t let Kurogiri go to the school,” Izuku pleaded, getting only a nod in response. The Nomu in question remained quiet and motionless but his glowing eyes were focused on Izuku.

“I pretended that the Dragon Blade is my quirk, but when they asked about my old school I admitted to being a late bloomer and what that meant. I don’t think they are all the same, but some of them are pretty bad. Talking about evolution and comparing quirkless people to chimpanzees. I have never actually wanted to take someone’s quirk before, but today…”

“I would not fault you, but that would cause problems, so unless you want them to experience a sudden accident…”

“No!” Izuku blurted out. “I… just need to figure out who are the decent people, if there are any.”

“Have you noticed anyone specific yet?”

“Maybe one. He criticised people about little things and comes from a hero family, but… It’s impossible to know how he would be in a different situation… He still felt like a decent person besides the annoying strictness. At least he criticized my actions, not what I am. He somehow got me to talk about how I feel about heroes on the walk home... He didn’t judge me for it. Maybe he was just surprised.”

“A hero family you say?” His father asked.

“Ingenium’s brother.”

His father was silent for a moment. Izuku couldn’t read the expressions on his missing face and started getting nervous. Eventually his father got up.

“Not the worst of them. I won’t involve myself with whatever you want to do with him. Just remember, he would still want to destroy us if he knew about me, so be careful. Even if your quirk is exposed, claim it is just a random mutation you hid to prevent bullying. If anyone asks, tell them your father breathes fire.”

“Of course,” Izuku said and followed his father, getting off the bed. “Thanks for… being a dad, I guess. Mom always asked how I did in school. I always lied. Maybe if I didn’t, she would have…”

Something impacted Izuku’s cheek with enough force to yank his head a bit to the side, air flowing past his head. After blinking a couple of times, he saw his father had his hand up, palm towards Izuku.

“Don’t start blaming yourself for what ifs. Nothing good comes out of it and once you start it is difficult to stop. I know.”

Izuku rubbed his cheek and looked at the floor.

“It is still tru…” This time Izuku saw the air blast coming early enough to flinch but it wasn’t enough to evade it. “DAD!”

“I told you to not to do that. If you want a father in your life that includes disciplining you when needed.”

“Is that your idea of disciplining?” Izuku asked, shocked.

“Actually it is part of your training, but works for both. I warned I would be harsh. This quirk is called Air Canon. I held back most of its power, so it won’t cause serious injury, but its speed makes it excellent for training.”

Izuku stared at his father but it was impossible to win a staring competition with an eyeless man. In the end Izuku could only pout. His victorious father continued talking about training.

“Your main limitations in the fight were skill, speed and agility both in evasion and attack. Strength isn’t such a concern when you’re using the vibrating Dragon Blade, which is the only combination you can use without raising unwanted questions. Unless an enemy has a powerful defensive quirk, you will be able to cut them. However, the quirk is useless if you get crushed by a stronger, faster opponent before you can use it or if you cannot hit the enemy at all. In the worst case you could be killed before even being able to fight back if you are targeted. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” Izuku answered.

“Good. Your training will have three parts. You will follow a physical training regimen on your own to make sure your body is capable and healthy. I will help you control your quirks, all of them, and monitor combat trainings with Nomus as often as I can. I want you to be always alert even outside training, so I will use the air canon any time we are together. You must be able to evade sudden attacks also outside of training sessions. That is the only way for you to be as safe as possible.”

“That’s why you are so harsh right?”

“Yes,” his father answered and put his hand on Izuku’s shoulder. “I will also have the doctor provide you a copy of the super regeneration quirk a bit later. It is very powerful so we should wait longer for your body to adjust to holding your current quirks. You need to learn control in the meanwhile. We’ll do that after your combat training sessions.”

“So…” Izuku started, “now?”

His father smiled behind his mask.

“Very good.”

Chapter Text

Izuku yawned, leaned his head sideways and rotated his shoulder, still sore from his morning, and evening gym training. He’d have to check the instructions on the stretches again. He wasn’t excited about feeling like this all day every day, but his father really wanted him to get fit soon so random criminals couldn’t just grab him like they had that one time. With his studies and all the other training, he didn’t have much free time left, but he was sure he could squeeze in more training than his father’s plan required. He counted hours in his head and scribbled notes on his notebook, trying to figure what would be the most efficient use of his time. Father wanted him to improve his agility, so Izuku started wondering what would help with that most.

“Midoriya!” Ida stood up and turned to face Izuku, waving his arm. “You have been muttering the whole lesson. Stop that. It is distracting others and you should focus on the lesson yourself.”

“That is enough Ida,” the teacher commanded. “Midoriya, focus on the lesson. I don’t know how your old school did things but here we don’t think about other things in class.”

“In my old school that was dependent on a person’s quirk,” Izuku answered, wondering how long they would keep treating him as the new guy. He had transferred months ago.

“The lesson Midoriya. Focus on it.”

Izuku shut up and focused on his notebook the one with notes for the class. They were studying history and had just reached the point where people started being born with quirks.

“Now,” the teacher continued, “as part of your grade you will do group presentations for the societal consequences of quirks appearing. I will assign the groups.”

Izuku wanted to smirk. They were literally talking about his father’s childhood. The only problem was explaining to his group where he found the information.

“Team Three: Tenya Ida, Izuku Midoriya, and Nori Uehara.”

Izuku’s face froze, staring forward when the last name was declared. It was bad enough to be in the same class with the girl that would have compared him to a chimpanzee just a year earlier. The idea of having to work with her made him think about his father’s mention of a sudden accident. His hand shot up.

“You don’t get to change your group Midoriya. Here we expect everyone to be able to work with everyone. Your topic will be the rise of organized villainy and the so-called emperor of villains who nearly ruled Japan.”

Izuku would have fallen off his seat if he wasn’t still so focused on who he needed to work with. A chair scraped against the floor as Uehara joined him and Ida. They stayed quiet until the teacher finished assigning groups and let them work for the rest of the lesson. Uehara was the first to speak.

“So, has either of you ever heard about this so-called emperor of villains?”

“I have read about a villain that created an army of followers when the societal order collapsed. I don’t think his name was mentioned anywhere,” Ida commented.

“That is because he only used the name of his quirk,” Izuku said, speaking only to Ida, unwilling to even look at the third member of their group. “It was called All For One.”

“How do you know that?” Uehara asked, sounding like she didn’t believe him.

“I have a bookshelf full of notebooks on different quirks.”

“And you complained about valuing quirks.” Uehara raised her nose and managed a grin so arrogant Bakugo would have been left second.

“Being interested in quirks and valuing people based on their quirks are two different things. One gives you knowledge. The other just makes you a trash person,” Izuku recited in tired tone. “Remember when you said that it is impossible to make a person quirkless?”

“Yeah, the whole idea is ridiculous.”

“Not exactly,” Izuku said, finally meeting the girl’s gaze. He had to choose his words carefully. “There are lot of inconsistencies with any sources on All For One, but most sources from the time claim he could take and give away people’s quirks. Many of people followed him because he either gave them quirks or took away ones they didn’t want.”

“Must have been pretty dumb people to have given their quirks away,” Uehara said.

“Just because you only care about people if they have quirks doesn’t mean everyone else does, and some quirks aren’t any better than being quirkless even today,” Izuku said. He was squeezing his hand into a fist under his desk.

“Especially back then when quirks were relatively rare. Imagine having a mutant quirk or hard to control quirk with side effects when people with quirks were seen as you see quirkless people.”

“Fine, you’re right. Being a mutant quirked freak isn’t that much better than quirkless.”

“So, do you think Ida is a ‘freak’ since he has a mutant quirk?” Izuku shot back. “How many people does this class actually have that you don’t think lesser of because of their quirks?”

Izuku had never even raised his voice, but the people closest to them were already stopping their own discussions to listen in.

“It’s not like they are quirkless,” Uehara bypassed the mutant question. “Some of us just have better quirks. You should see it.”

“Uehara, I still don’t even know what quirk you have,” Izuku deadpanned. He was tired of this and it showed. He couldn’t even get emotional at her. “I doubt it will help with the assignment, so I don’t care either.”

“You two,” Ida interrupted. “We have an assignment to complete. Can you show us the sources you got that information in?” Ida asked. Izuku tensed.

“Uh… probably. It has been a while since I ran into them. There are lot of old books of people describing their experiences after quirks appeared. I can look into it after school.”

“Is there anything else you can think of we should look into?”

Izuku hummed a bit and looked away from his teammates, trying to think of something and remember both things he had heard from his father and what he had actually read.

“We should consider differences in how people saw these things compared to today. Like today people talking about that time talk about how many villains there were and call All For One the emperor of villains, but I don’t think people at the time really used those terms. The clear heroes-and-villains system only appeared later. It was more about being vigilantes or criminals or,” Izuku paused, “maybe revolutionaries.

At that both Ida and Uehara seemed confused.

“Lot of people tried to use the chaos to rebuild society the way they thought right, and things now are as they are because of who eventually succeeded at that. I think that would be a more accurate way to describe All For One than ‘the emperor of villains’. People probably call him that mostly because winners write the history books.”

“That could be an excellent point of view,” Ida said excitedly waving his hand side to side. “How did people see villains before the term became common, and how the societal progress led to our current understanding.”

“Yeah, something like that,” Izuku said. At least Ida didn’t disregard the idea straight away.

They mostly focused on the idea of how people viewed things and the structure of the presentation for rest of class. Izuku promised to get more information and got out of the class as fast as he could. It was the last lesson of the day, so he left and only stopped some distance down the street. Soon Ida walked out and started down the same street. He waited until Ida reached him and then matched the taller boy’s pace.

“How do you feel about the idea of looking at the assignment from how people at the time would have seen it? Can you write about it without framing it in as a modern heroes-and-villains system?”

“Shouldn’t we discuss this with the whole group? We are supposed to be able to work in teams no matter what we might think about the other members.”

“No,” Izuku responded.

“Excuse me?”

“I’ve spent too much time surrounded by shit people,” Izuku said looking at the ground. “I tried being nice and making friends, tried to ignore them, tried to turn the other cheek. Let them mock and harass and do whatever they wanted without standing up for myself. It doesn’t help. I only got away from them when I left. I am too tired of thar garbage to ignore it again, pretend it is not important, or work with people like that just because a teacher that has never experienced it says so. Don’t you feel anything that she called you a freak?”

“Of course I do, but it is not our place to disrupt the class for personal reasons.”

Like he hadn’t already disrupted the same class.

“You want to become a hero, right?” Izuku asked.

“Of course.”

“How are you going to stand up for people if you can’t even stand up for yourself? If capturing a criminal would disrupt something in someone’s life, if it wasn’t polite or convenient to do in that situation, would you just let them go?”

Izuku’s words left Ida silent, but Izuku felt like ranting a bit more. Something in Ida made him seem annoying enough to need a reality check while also feeling like someone that was safe to talk to. Part of Midoriya simply wanted to test him. Ida had been nice, he had only judged Izuku on his actions, but he already knew Izuku had a quirk without knowing what it really was. When Izuku continued his voice was much quieter.

“If you aren’t going to stand up against what is wrong no matter what, don’t become a hero. Someone WILL die waiting for you to help them. Having family members that are heroes doesn’t make you one any more than a hero license does.”

They kept walking in silence until they reached Izuku’s house. Right at the gate he stopped and sighed.

“Sorry for venting like that. I’m just too tired of people like her to just take it. I’ll try to look up the information for the assignment.” He turned his back to Ida to get inside.

“Midoriya,” Ida said, making him stop, “What happened to you?”

“Remember the second question people asked me on my first day? What I said before the teacher said I didn’t need to?”

Izuku walked inside without waiting for Ida to remember and leaned against the inside of the door. He really needed to be more careful at what he said. Thinking of that he was reminded that he needed to find an excuse why he knew about All For One. He glanced at his palm where the little hole was hidden behind the tape and makeup. After a moment he headed to his room to do his homework in the little time he had reserved for it. Afterwards he headed down to the gym to prepare for the evening’s training. Kurogiri showed up right as he was supposed to, but as Izuku stepped closer Kurogiri didn’t immediately open a portal for him.

“Young Midoriya, your father has told me to take you somewhere else today. He has decided that it is time for you to meet someone before training.”

Izuku raised his eyebrow and tensed up slightly. He had not seen many people with his father, just Kurogiri and the doctor who didn’t really show himself. If his father was going to introduce him to someone else, he at least trusted Izuku, but what kind of person would this be?

“I still need to talk with dad also,” he said.

“Of course,” Kurogiri answered and opened a portal. “He is receiving treatment but will be in contact with us.”

“Good,” Izuku said and stepped through the portal. He looked around as soon as his head left the mist. He wasn’t sure what he had expected, but a reasonably decent-looking, though windowless, bar was not that. He quickly focused on the only person that was already in the room, a light blue-haired pale-skinned man with a fricking human hand on his face. Izuku hoped for the best but got the feeling it was not fake, but a real human hand. The man’s mere presence put Izuku on edge in a similar way to facing a Nomu in training.

“So, who is this kid Kurogiri?” The man asked in raspy voice.

“His name is Izuku Midoriya. Young Midoriya, this is Tomura Shigaraki.”

The strange man looked down at Izuku, scratching his neck. Even though he had no weapons, Izuku got the feeling of danger from the man.

“Hel… hello,” Izuku said, stuttering for the first time in a while.

“I don’t like him,” Shigaraki rasped and suddenly moved forward, reaching his hand towards Izuku. Thanks to his father’s training Izuku stepped aside to evade the attack in time, but it turned out to be useless as a small mist portal appeared in the path of Shigaraki’s arm. Behind the man his hand appeared from another portal mid-air. It swung in anger and touched one of the barstools along the brown wood counter. Izuku gulped as the stool turned into dust. One touch from this man and he would be dead, and he couldn’t even see if the quirk was active as one could with his Dragonblade.

“This one is not for you to kill,” Kurogiri reprimanded Tomura. “Master would be very angry if you did.”

“Why would sensei care about some skinny kid.”

“That is a very good question,” All For One’s slightly distorted sound came out of nowhere. After a few seconds Izuku spotted an empty computer screen and speakers. Shigaraki pulled his arm from the dark portal and Kurogiri moved to clean the pile of dust it left behind. Izuku’s father continued: “But is that any way to talk to your brother?”

“Brother?” Izuku and Shigaraki said at the exact same time and with the same tone.

“Izuku,” father started, “Tomura is someone I saved as a child shortly before your birth. I may have been more of an occasional sensei than a true father, but he is effectively my adoptive child. Tomura, Izuku is my long hidden biological son. You two should get along.”

The two youths stared at the blank computer screen and then each other. Shigaraki started scratching his neck.

“You mean there is another Shigaraki?” Shigaraki asked. Izuku blinked, staring at him.

“What do you mean?” He asked.

“Shigaraki is the name I gave him. It is my original name. Midoriya was the identity I created,” father explained.

“So, my name is made up,” Izuku said, surprised with how much the thought stung.

“Aren’t they all?”

“You know what I mean dad. Can I at least have the real name, Shigaraki, now?” Izuku asked. It took a while for his father to answer while Shi… Tomura kept scratching his neck ever faster.

“Here you can, but to the rest of the world you and your father must still be Midoriya.”

“That’s okay.”

“Sensei, why are you doing this?” Tomura interrupted. “There wasn’t supposed to be a player two.”

“There wasn’t, but things changed. Though it is not yet completely sure if Izuku will be… ‘a player’. There are still choices he needs to make.”

“So, I will still lead the League?”

“Yes Tomura. The League is yours regardless of his decisions. Depending what Izuku chooses he can do other things for this family business of ours. I would benefit from a representative to send in my name rather than the League. You two should still work together and help each other.”

“Fine,” Tomura rasped, “what can he even do?”

“You mean what my quirk is?” Izuku said already disappointed.

“Quirk, talent, skills, whatever, can you actually be useful to the sensei or are you planning to drag us down?”

Izuku stared at his adoptive brother for several seconds and slowly a wide grin spread across his face. Unlike students with supposedly bright futures at every school he had ever gone to, this creepy villain didn’t just care about how he happened to be born.

“I think we can get along,” Izuku said.

“You didn’t answer my question,” Shigaraki complained.

“I know a lot about different quirks and what they can do, dad and Kurogiri are teaching me how to fight, and I inherited dad’s quirk.”

“Sensei’s quirk?” Tomura asked, staring at Izuku without moving for a while.

“Yes… I can take other people’s quirks, though I have only taken two,” Izuku said. Tomura continued staring at him for a moment and sat down on the closest stool.

“So, another boss fight for the heroes.”

“Uh, probably not,” Izuku waved his hands defensively as his smirk turned into an awkward smile. He too sat down a couple stools away from Tomura. Without saying a word Kurogiri pulled a bottle of cold lemonade from under the counter. It was even Izuku’s favourite lemonade.

“It is yet to be seen. Nevertheless, you will not talk about Izuku to anyone Tomura, not even within the League,” their father said as Izuku sipped the drink. “You should let him know what you can do too.”

“I can destroy, I have trained to fight and destroy, my quirk can destroy anything I touch with all five fingers and my goal is to destroy what I hate.”

“Like… what?” Izuku asked, once more uncertain on how to feel about the man.

“This whole cursed hero-dependent society where the wrong quirk is enough to destroy your life. Where people walk around smiling even surrounded by deadly quirks but abandon people with quirks they randomly choose to fear or just ignore others’ plight because they think a hero will come. I want to bring it down and grind it to dust.”

“Maybe we have something in common,” Izuku admitted hesitantly staring at his drink, “but what then?”

Tomura looked at him confused, as far as Izuku could tell with a hand on the man’s face, but instead of a clear question there was just a “huh”.

“What are you going to do afterwards if you collapse the society? Do you have a plan or conviction for something? Not that destroying an entire society is something you can just do.”

“Oh, then what would you do?”

Izuku turned his head to stare forward at the bar’s shelves of drinks. After a moment of silence, he decided what to say.

“I think we feel the same about how this society is but destroying it wouldn’t help anyone unless you can create a better one in its place. Honestly, I have never seriously intended or planned to do anything major to change the world, though spending time with dad has made me think about it more. I think I would want to change the society, not destroy it, force it to bend if that is what it takes. Maybe it breaks in the process, but even if change needs destruction, it should be to create something better. There is no point destroying for the sake of destruction, it should be a means to an end at least.”

Tomura started scratching his neck again. Before he could respond or try to disintegrate Izuku again, their father’s chuckle came through the speakers.

“You should listen to your brother Tomura. You still need to learn how to think more than one step ahead. Whether you manage to destroy what you hate, that alone will not take you forward or make the League more than a short-lived collection of thugs.”

“Yes, sensei,” Tomura said, his face visibly tense even under the hand. He might have also gritted his teeth together.

“You should take some time today to get to know each other. Unfortunately, I cannot run your trainings as usual today Izuku. The doctor wants to run some treatments today. I’ll tell him to prepare for yours. You can spar with Tomura if you think you two aren’t going to kill each other in the process.”

“It might be t…” Izuku said and fell silent mid-sentence. “What do you mean prepare for mine?”

“I told you I would have him prepare a copy of the regeneration for you. Your body should have fully stabilized from your last acquisitions, if you feel you are ready.”

“Regeneration?” Tomura asked. “You are giving him a quirk like that even though he hasn’t yet done anything?”

“Yes.”

“Why? I ha…”

“Because unlike you, his body can adjust to handle it without extensive modifications which the doctor isn’t ready to do yet, unless you want to become a Nomu. Izuku should also be better able to supress the quirk when needed to hide it, at least once I am done with him.”

His father’s tone made Izuku shiver. Tomura stared at the screen for a moment before turning back against the bar counter and gesturing to Kurogiri. He muttered quiet enough that father might not have heard.

“Definitely a boss battle.”

“Do you want to talk about anything else?” Their father asked.

“Yes,” Izuku said quickly, then shrunk a bit, poking the tips of his index fingers against each other. He even looked away, even though he had only been looking at an empty screen. Kurogiri gave Tomura a drink.

“I was going to ask if you know anywhere where I might find information on, well, you.”

“You need to explain more my son.”

“We have a history assignment at school. My group has to talk about… ‘the emperor of villains’.”

“Well, that is a name I haven’t heard in a while.”

“I thought so. I need to know about those times for the presentation and find sources to explain why I knew about you in the first place.”

“Sounds like you have been careless, tsk tsk tsk.”

Somehow Izuku managed to shrink even further on the stool. His father hadn’t reprimanded him like that before.

“Early level boss,” Tomura muttered.

Chapter Text

Liquid dropped around Izuku, leaving his skin sticky as he was pulled up from the tank. As soon as his feet touched the floor they gave up and he collapsed on his knees. He was shaking and breathing hard in his oxygen mask.

“Doctor?” His father’s voice sounded somewhere nearby.

“Minor state of shock and residual pain, unsurprising since he is still fully human and the quirk has a strong impact on his physiology, even if he can adapt to it and didn’t require other changes. I could administer him sedatives to ease it, but he will properly recover faster without them.”

A firm hand landed on Izuku’s shoulder. It stayed there until Izuku’s shaking eased and his father took away the oxygen mask and pulled him to his feet for long enough to reach a nearby hospital bed with a pile of towels already there. Izuku grabbed one to clean his face. The sticky feeling was disgusting.

“How are you feeling?” He had to wait for a moment while Izuku wiped his face.

“Like…,” Izuku could barely speak, his breath still heavy, “never doing that again.”

“Gaining quirks that involve physical or physiological changes can be unpleasant and implanting them artificially like this needs to be done with enough time. You will not need to endure the same while acquiring quirks with your own,” the doctor assured.

“How long was I in there?”

“Just over two days. It is Sunday evening.”

“Will I feel better by the morning?”

“Mostly yes,” the doctor said. This time Izuku could actually see the doctor. The old man seemed really familiar, but Izuku couldn’t place the face.

“You survived going to school with brain damage. You will survive this. You can pretend to be sick for a day if you need to.”

“No,” Izuku responded, shaking his head. “We have our history presentation tomorrow.”

The doctor looked toward father. “At least she raised him to be conscientious.”

“That she did. I could already see it in his training.”

Izuku looked away while wiping himself. He still wasn’t used to receiving much praise outside of his mother’s. The doctor pulled a tray closer and turned to Izuku.

“Don’t bother. It won’t go away until you get a proper shower. I will take blood samples for a check-up and then you can go.”

“Do you think it succeeded?” Izuku asked. The doctor looked at him for a moment through his big goggles. He put down his still unopened needle for taking blood and picked up a scalpel, which he held in front of Izuku.

“That is up to you to test,” the old man said. Izuku took the scalpel and stared at it. His hand started shaking again.

“You don’t need to try it now, but you should be able to endure much more pain than that,” his father said. Izuku gulped. He knew that, and the scalpel would be little compared to some of his training sessions. Cutting himself just went against fundamental human nature. He held open his left hand and brought down the scalpel with the right. He winced as the blade cut skin and drew blood. He cut about a one centimetre long cut and stared at it, feeling a little ill. At least he would have stared at it, but after blinking he couldn’t find the wound anymore and there was no pain.

“Wow,” Izuku gasped.

“Excellent, now you can survive actual training, and with the summer vacation you will also have time for much more of it.”

Izuku’s hands weren’t shaking anymore, but the cold shiver was almost as bad. Concern for what ‘actual training would mean, made him forget any worries about the presentation. He was still feeling like he might vomit if he got up from his seat too quickly. He didn’t even scowl at Uehara when he had to stand with her in the front of the class. Uehara started with the basic facts of the era. Of course, she blamed the quirkless majority of the time for everything depicting spread of quirks as the reason for things getting better. He even briefly imagined reaching to the girl and demonstrating All For One for the presentation, but restrained himself at least that much. The teacher didn’t interrupt or even scowl at Uehara’s bigotry.

Ida at least stuck to the script discussing the ‘rise of organized villainy’ and first points about the ‘emperor of villains’. Then it was Izuku’s turn.

“Despite being often referred to as such in modern history books when they mention him at all, the sources of the time do not seem to use that name as it only appears in sources written decades after he rose to power. We also could not find any reliable source about his original name. Most sources from his lifetime seem to refer to this man as All For One. This was the name of his quirk and secret to his power and influence,” Izuku explained and tried to stand steady despite a growing nausea he was feeling.

“Today with quirks so common they are widely considered an inherent part of a person like any organ or thoughts in your head, so most people naturally find this hard to believe, but based on sources from the time All For One possessed an unique quirk that allowed him to take other people’s quirks as well as use and give them away. It is not known if the quirk had any limitations.”

As expected, the statement caused muttering across the classroom. The teacher seemed thoughtful. Izuku continued explaining how All For One gained power with his quirk, leaving out details he would not have found from their sources and leaving in some falsities that he did. He was still careful to not refer to his father as a villain except in the sense of how modern society described him.

“As for how his story ends, we don’t really know,” Izuku lied. “There are no reliable records of his death. We have read some stories talking about him being around even in modern times, some online conspiracy theorists even claim All Might stopped him but… that would make him well over 100 years old. Either way trying to fit him in the modern hero villain dichotomy with names like the emperor of villains, is inaccurate and fails to explain how things were back then and his role in all of it. Looking at him without falling into using our modern standards, it seems he sought change in the society as it was at the time like many others did but was over time simply left on the losing side and labelled a villain for opposing what we consider the norms today. Winners write the history after all. That is the end of this presentation. Thank you for listening.”

He got an applause that seemed more cautious than the previous presentations had received. Izuku glanced at the teacher who scribbled notes and then turned to face them.

“That was an interesting presentation, especially many of your conclusions went beyond what is generally required. I am curious of what sources were they based on? You especially didn’t seem to question the existence of the quirk All For One much, even though it’s supposed ability runs contrary to our current understanding of quirks.”

“The so called ‘current understanding’ of people in this society includes many ideas, especially about quirks,’ Izuku said and glanced at Uehara, ‘that doesn’t make them true. If you look at the actual sources and statements from the time without bias, they are consistent on the basics of his power. The sources are listed in the notes of the slides. I had to go to the National Diet Library for the most important ones. The most surprising part is that he seemingly had massive influence on the country, but almost no one today seems to remember him beyond vague stories of an emperor of villains being a major villain a long time ago. No other history class I have been to has even mentioned him, at least not by name.”

“Did you go all the way to Tokyo to visit the library?” the teacher asked.

“Only Midoriya did,” Ida admitted not knowing how easy travel was by warping. “He found most of our material that wasn’t online.”

The teacher nodded and wrote notes.

“I also liked how you discussed people’s different views back then compared to today.”

“Good thing people have learned and evolved since then,” Uehara commented. “Too bad Midoriya wouldn’t properly discus the flaws of the ideas of people like this All For One. Just because people didn’t realize to call him a villain doesn’t make him not one.”

“You think that every idea that disagrees with yours is flawed,” Midoriya added.  

“And you can’t see the reality. Probably because you barely got a quirk and can’t properly appreciate it.”

“At least I don’t shit on people for how they were born. You are no better than the people that treated first people with quirks like monsters,” Midoriya turned to face Uehara.

“Okay you tw…” the teacher paused mid-sentence as Izuku stumbled and brought his hands to his mouth. He spun towards the door a bit unsteady, but it was already too late. A single gagging noise was the only warning before Izuku’s lunch came up and onto the floor.

“Hah,” Uehara laughed even as Izuku rushed to a nearby trashcan, “seems you can’t stand even your own ideas.”

“Uehara,” teacher said, “go back to your seat. We will talk after the lesson.”

Izuku would have been happy to see a teacher doing at least something to her, but that little wasn’t exactly enough to distract him from vomiting in front of the whole class. Maybe standing around for a long presentation hadn’t been the best idea the day after finishing a quirk implantation. The regeneration quirk was really exacting a price for its power.

It was still worth it though, as proven by his shattered arm the next time he trained, when his father let the Nomu fight more seriously. At least the creature stopped when Izuku told it to. His father came to kneel next to Izuku. Izuku yelped and bit his teeth together at the pain of burns and broken bones and the reformation of those bones as his body healed from the damage. Thankfully, the quirk worked rapidly. He could see his arm twisting back to its normal direction at a visible speed and soon the pain too started disappearing. Not long after the injury was gone and the only sign of it ever existing was Izuku’s heavy breathing that took a while longer to calm down. He raised the formerly broken arm, flexing and turning it. The only pain he felt was in his head from adapting to the powerful quirk. He got up to face his father.

“Do you understand now the reason I have pushed you so hard? Imagine if a hero or villain did that to you. Even with the regeneration you were completely incapacitated and vulnerable. As powerful as this quirk is it does not make you immortal.”

“And it still hurts,” Izuku said and looked at his healed arm. He barely noticed his father’s arm moving just in time to lean away from an air canon blast.

“Then train until no one can hurt you. I am an elderly man stuck to a breathing machine and still need to hold back.”

“An elderly man with hundreds of quirks,” Izuku pouted.

“Actually only ninety-four,” father responded, “I used to have more but even for me it was quite a mental strain at the peak of the number of quirks. After my injuries it became too much. In a single day my near unlimited potential was diminished to a fraction of what it used to be, so I shed some and decided to be more selective. I think my limit now is around a hundred depending on the quirk and the doctor worries even that will yet decline. I have already noticed greater strain in using my quirks.”

Izuku stared at his father for a long moment uncertain how to respond.

“You still have the potential I lost. You only need to work to build on it. So,” father stepped away, “Nomu Two, destroy.”

One of the Nomus waiting at the edges of the room charged forward, reaching to grab Izuku who jumped out of the way. A long and thin blade of flames appeared behind his right hand as he activated the Dragonblade and Vibration. A rapid swing cut the Nomu’s hand off, that much he had managed before, but the other hand was coming in for a punch. Even as he had swung with one blade, he was forcing the other to gather and thicken against the back of his other hand. Manipulating the shape of the fire he could use, it was a small shield instead of a blade, but if he was too slow again, or the shield was too thin again, he would need to rebuild an arm again. The fiery shield hummed from its rapid vibrations until the noise was covered under a loud thump.

Izuku flew backwards, feeling his bones creaking as they barely held together. He stumbled as his feet touched the ground a fraction of a second later, but this time he remained on his feet. The Nomu continued its assault, charging forward with its cut and singed arms spread wide. After enduring a shattered arm, that was one bearhug Izuku did not want to experience, unless the creature was planning to tear him in two.

Izuku’s first instinct was to scream and run.

His father’s training was to attack. With adrenaline running through his veins Izuku charged forward, ducked under the Nomu’s arms, and shoved his right hand upwards. Hot droplets fell on Izuku, making him to jump away just in time to avoid being trapped under the falling body. He crouched to stare at the Nomu, the dead Nomu, with its exposed brain split in two and not healing.

“Excellent,” his father said. “Your first clear victory and you didn’t even need the regeneration.”

“I didn’t mean to do… to kill it. My body just moved before I had time to think.”

“That means you are developing proper fighting instincts. Your analytical abilities are impressive, but sometimes you must be able to just move, unless you find a quirk that increases the speed of thought,” he declared, waling close enough to ruffle Izuku’s hair as he spoke in a softer, warmer tone.

“I know it is a bit shocking to you. With Kurogiri around it is difficult for you to accept this Nomu was just a brainless creature, but you still did good. In fact, I have a gift for you. Nomu One, bring the suitcase.” The Nomu that had broken Izuku’s arm before took a large black briefcase and brought it to the father and son. The father took it and held it open in front of Izuku.

Izuku simply stared at the contents for a moment until he reached in and took out a black facemask reminiscent of the lower half of his father’s helmet. It wasn’t as thick and wouldn’t have covered its user’s neck, but the front had a thicker shield-like part than his father’s. It didn’t have pipes coming from it, but the black metal had silvery horizontal lines that mimicked their look.

“Is this…?”

“Heroes have their unique costumes to help in creating their public image. Many ‘villains’ have them as well, but primarily to hide their identity,” he said. “You told Tomura you want to change the society instead of just complaining about it, something I have been waiting to hear. If you are going to be involved with anything without abandoning your normal life, you need a costume and a new identity. Go take a shower and try it on while I clean up this mess.”

Izuku took the suitcase in silence. He wasn’t even sure what to think about this gift. He was grateful, but it felt like he was being pushed ahead faster than he was prepared for. He took off his shirt stained in Nomu blood and took a long shower to wash the rest off himself. As he was drying with a towel he stopped in front of the bathroom mirror to see if he had washed off everything. He stopped to stare at his reflection and wonder who was the person looking back. Some of the depressed tiredness he accumulated over the years was gone from his face, and his reflection looked older than he remembered, both his face and body, and the later was really starting to show the results of his training. His endurance was never bad, but in the past no muscles had been actually visible. Now he was at least as fit as Bakugo.

Just thinking the name made his expression darken and he went back to the briefcase. He was suspicious of what his father and especially Tomura planned, but someone had to stand up against the Bakugos of the world. Izuku changed into the new villain costume. Similarities with his father’s usual dress were obvious, but instead of a regular black suit Izuku’s costume was more akin to a formal military uniform with a solid black jacket and pants and, luckily, no tie. It actually reminded Izuku of his former black school uniform, which was the biggest problem that he had with the clothes. They were more comfortable than they seemed and didn’t feel like they hindered his movements. 

There were two exceptions to the simplistic formal look. It came with quite tall and heavy-duty metal reinforced combat boots, and gloves which also had metal at the back of his hands, fingers pieces like brass knuckles, and most likely fire protection for his quirk. Izuku would have preferred red boots though.

It took him a moment to figure out how the helmet worked.  Besides the collar it had a thinner top half which the front side of folded inside the sturdier back side. The lack of clear eye holes worried Izuku a bit since, unlike his father, he still had his eyes, but from the inside he could actually see just as well as with no mask at all, despite how the outside appeared. The one-way lenses even had a heads-up display. 

“Cool,” he said, surprising himself with the distorted and low voice that came out of the integrated voice changer. Somehow the lower part of the helmet seemed to fit it, a communication device, a microphone, and what appeared to be filters for a gasmask.

He returned to his father. All of the low-tier Nomus were gone and there wasn’t as much as a bloodstain left of the dead one. It was just his father, Kurogiri, and surprisingly Tomura.

“Hello… brother,” greeted Tomura. The young mand looked at him for a moment and muttered: “Literally a miniboss.”

“Looks good, just as I expected. How does it feel?” His father asked.

“Great, like it was custom tailored for me,” Izuku responded.

“That is because it was.”

“But I never got measurements taken.”

“I had to replace my eyes with quirks. In some ways they are better than normal vision. Acquiring precise measurements was no problem. I even observed how you typically move. The costume was made to work as a formal wear inspired by military uniforms to look representative, while still being simple and practical in battle. The material is fire and stab resistant, but you will need something heavier if you plan to get shot. Not that getting shot would kill you anymore.”

“Formal,” Izuku muttered, “when you first introduced me and Tomura, you said something about being a representative?”

“Yes. All Might may have decimated my previous empire, but many separate operations still remain, mostly information gathering, secret research, and agents running my legal cover businesses. Things that cannot easily be stopped by punching. For years I have kept them under control from a distance, but sometimes a more direct contact is beneficial. Kurogiri can do only so much while Tomura and the doctor are busy with other matters.”

“So, you want me to be your messenger.”

“Depending on your choices, you can become much more, but let’s start with something less dangerous at least until you are equipped with more powerful quirks, in case you need to fight during such a mission.”

“What do you mean?” Izuku asked and activated his Dragonblade.

“Both your blade and All For One are already known to others. At the moment you can only rely on the Regeneration and Vibration quirks while wearing that suit, unless you are prepared to eliminate any and all witnesses.”

“Dad,” Izuku said, walking closer to his father, “there was a time I wanted to be a pro hero without a quirk, and if I practice with the Vibration enough, I think it can be almost as powerful as Tomura’s quirk and even more useful, if I can control it enough to not give people brain damage.”

Tomura huffed at the mention of his name and walked away. All For One looked thoughtful.

“I did not intend to understate your abilities, but can you blame me? Parents worry. Skill or quirks, I will make sure you will be strong enough that danger fears you. Starting tomorrow we’ll focus your training on using the Vibration quirk alone. Until then I think you need a practice mission.”

“You think I am ready?”

“Maybe not yet, this time you will be accompanying Tomura on one of his meetings. Get a feel of things in the shadows of the society. Tomura! He is all yours for the rest of the evening. Try to bring both of you back in one piece, without need for regeneration.”

“Great, an escort mission, I hate those,” Tomura muttered. “Kurogiri, make us a gate. We’ll see how…”

He paused and looked at Izuku, a strange look in his eyes.

“What?” Izuku asked.

“What are we going to call you there?”

“Oh, right, I can’t let people hear my name. I need a code name if I’m going to do things like this. What do you use?”

“Tomura Shigaraki,” Tomura responded, annoyed.

“Your normal name?”

“This is the only name and only life I have. I don’t need to bother with any other shit.”

“Then you could call me Shigaraki too,” Izuku said, “at least until I can think of an alternative name. We are brothers after all.”

Tomura stared at him for a moment and turned around.

“Fine, just don’t get into my way. Kurogiri, gate.”

Izuku’s favourite Nomu did as told, and a wall of mist rose in front of the two brothers. The darkness of the mist was replaced with an alley that wasn’t much brighter.

“So where are we going?”

“To meet a small gang and recruit them for the League. I am no messenger. Sensei trusts me to create and lead the League to support our goals. I will build an entire army for him and destroy the so-called symbol of peace.”

“Build an army. We are recruiting soldiers. Got it.”

“Here,” Tomura said and pointed at a worn-out backdoor. Izuku reached out to knock.

“Stop you fool. You are going to reveal we are coming.”

“Aren’t they waiting for us? I thought you have arranged a meeting with them.”

“I am arranging a meeting with them now,” Tomura said. “Have to show NPCs their place and what I can do right from the beginning. In the underworld strength matters more than being nice. Now get out of my way.”

Tomura reached for the door clearly to turn the whole thing to dust.

“Wait, that might attract attention, I got an idea,” Izuku said and pressed his fingers against the lock. It began shaking as he activated his Vibration quirk and sped up the vibrations until there was a metallic crack. Izuku poked the door, and it opened without resistance. He stepped aside and looked at Tomura who was scowling behind his face hand.

“After you.”

“Remember, I am in charge. And try not to look too weak,” Tomura said as they walked to a small room and headed down a narrow spiral staircase.

“I will follow your lead. You have more experience in this.”

“Yes, I do.”

The stairs creaked as they stepped on them, but as they descended that was covered under the sound of music coming from behind a door at the bottom of the staircase. When they got closer Izuku could also distinguish happy chatter. Tomura stopped and raised his hand with one finger up.

“This one is mine.”

He slammed his hand and all five fingers against the door. Both already worn-out paint and exposed wood quickly turned grey and began shattering into dust. The chatter behind the door ended. Finally, whatever was holding it together failed and a cloud of dust fell on the ground. Behind it was a living room or lounge-type room with worn out furniture and a shelf full of alcohol. Half a dozen people were standing facing towards the former door. Most of them had mutant type quirks with all kinds of appearance-altering mutations, many on the more visible end of the spectrum. Izuku couldn’t help but wonder if discrimination for those quirks had led them to this place. One of them, for example, had four arms and strange light blue skin with a lot of sharp edges, like some kind of rock. Another had four legs, each in 90-degree angles from each other. The most “normal” looking person was wearing a skull-like helmet and small lightings sparked between his fingers, an electric type quirk. Izuku was worried if the man could use the lightning from a distance.

“Mind if we come in?” Tomura said and stepped over the pile of dust he had created.

“Not if you don’t mind dying,” the four-armed blue man said and charged at Tomura. Izuku crouched into fighting position, but Tomura was faster. Tomura evaded the larger man’s attack, tripped him and elbowed his back in rapid attack that slammed the man onto the ground. Without his father’s harsh training Izuku couldn’t have even followed Tomura’s moves properly. Tomura put all but one finger on the man’s head.

“If I touch him with the fifth finger, he will share the fate of your door,” Tomura threatened. “I have come to talk, not fight. Stand down or die.”

Izuku wanted to comment on the hypocrisy in Tomura’s statements, but he didn’t want to upset the already dangerous situation. He tensed suddenly. Something nearly imperceptible moved at the edge of his vision, a step sounded against the floor. The attacker was fast, but not as fast as Izuku’s father’s air blasts. Izuku leaned out of the way of the near invisible attacker and slammed his fist at the back of the attacker’s head. The chameleon-looking villain became visible again, groaning against the floor. In a split-second decision Izuku mimicked Tomura, holding his hand against the chameleon villain’s head despite the dark memories that the action threatened to bring up. 

“Stay down,” he said, his voice made more threatening by the helmet’s voice changer. “My quirk can be just as deadly as my brother’s.”

“Who are you?!” The electric man shouted. Izuku glanced at Tomura.

“I am Tomura Shigaraki, the leader of the League of Villains, and I have come to offer you an opportunity for something more than this,” Tomura gestured at the shady room. Compared to it the League’s bar was a high-end establishment.

“And who is your… brother?” The same electric man asked. Tomura growled at the question.

“He is observing.”

“So, the mighty leader of the League of Villains needs a babysitter.”

“Actually, I am here to learn from him,” Izuku said, worried at what the seething Tomura might do. He took his hand away from the chameleon-like man and nudged him to get up and join his friends. “You can free the other if you listen.”

“Fine, we’ll listen, but that doesn’t mean you get to leave alive if we don’t like what we hear.”

“You talk big, but do you have the guts to live up to your words? So far you have committed random street crime and killed small-time thugs. I am offering you an opportunity to go after much bigger prey, to tear down the society that has oppressed you for how you were born. I will turn it to dust.” Following his declaration Tomura remained quiet, his eyes locked on the man in front of him, waiting for a response.

“So, you are going to destroy society,” the electric man chuckled. “Even if we assumed you could do that, what then? What will you do when there is nothing left?”

Izuku could see Tomura’s finger twitching, the only one that was needed to disintegrate the man under him. The group in front of them seemed similarly tense. Izuku wasn’t yet sure about Tomura’s full capabilities, but they were outnumbered, he didn’t share Tomura’s apparent confidence facing those odds. Not to mention Tomura’s trouble answering that particular question when Izuku had asked it. He gulped, grateful that his face was completely covered.

“Destroying the current society doesn’t mean there is nothing left,” he said. Tomura turned to give him an angry stare, but it was too late to hold back. Tomura himself had told him to show strength.

“Everyone here should know the wrongs perpetuated by this society. I am sure all of us have experienced them in some fashion, whether it’s discrimination by how we were born or being failed by those so-called heroes who the society has made itself dependent on by supressing everyone else and any change that might threaten their power. For anything to change those systems and people’s belief in them must be destroyed, especially people’s false confidence in the heroes.”

“And that is going to benefit us how?”

“As long as a small minority dominated by people with specific types of quirks is allowed to dictate what people consider right or wrong, everyone outside that ideal are doomed to live as second-rate citizens. Without people’s support it will be much harder for heroes to hold onto that power.”

“Can’t argue with that. At least you have a vision. It doesn’t mean you can make it reality. How would you destroy people’s faith in heroes?”

“By destroying their symbol of peace,” Tomura said, hiding most of the anger he certainly felt. The electric man whistled.

“Ambitious, I’d tell you to go to hell with that delusion, but he,” the man pointed at Izuku, “sounded like you have an actual plan. Personally, I am interested in seeing where this League goes. Now if you would let our friend go.”

A while later Izuku followed Tomura back up the stairs in silence. It was hard to tell Tomura’s real feelings. Despite his usual behaviour, he had actually kept cool in the meeting. They stepped back to the dark alley. Izuku saw the approaching hand just in time and jumped aside before Tomura could grab him. After failing at that Tomura started scratching his neck.

“You bastard. What did I tell you when we came here?” Tomura seethed.

“Ummh, don’t be weak.”

“No, I am in charge. You were supposed to shut up and stay out of the way.”

“I was going to, but you still haven’t figured your answer to that question. Dad would have been disappointed if the mission failed. You can take the whole credit if you want to.”

“I don’t care about the credit. The League is mine. Help sensei however you can but stay out of my way.”

“Umh, okay. I’m not interested in the League. I just want to do best for my… our family.”

Tomura stared at him for a moment, turned away and pulled his phone to call Kurogiri.

“Just stay on your own boss level.”

Chapter Text

Izuku stepped into the large convention hall with his class and thousands of other students that had come to explore different high schools and study the paths to follow after junior high. Izuku’s classmates were chatting excitedly about where they would go, or just about how great it was to get out of school for a day.

“So Midoriya, have you yet decided where you want to go?” Ida asked.

“No,” Izuku responded. “I haven’t really thought about school or its future in general in a long time. I don’t know what I should or even want to do.”

The statement was completely true. He was already getting actively involved with his father’s criminal businesses and choosing a school hardly seemed to matter compared to that, but even before meeting his father he didn’t know. Ever since he was disillusioned by the quirk-based society and his dreams of becoming a hero had waned there had been nothing to take their place.

“Have you,” Ida said and paused. “I know you have complicated feelings about heroes, but I think you could be a great one.”

Izuku turned to look at the taller boy with narrowed eyes.

“Why?”

“I am not talking about your quirk,” Ida responded quickly, waving his arm defensively. “I think your experiences would let you be a better hero. You have talked about the importance of standing up for others and I think you want to do that. I have also seen how you move in gym class. Do you practice gymnastics or martial arts?”

“Sort of, but it’s not to become a hero, just self-defence.”

“Because you don’t want to rely on a hero to come to the rescue?”

“Partially. You are going to see the hero schools, right?” Izuku redirected the discussion.

“I want to go to UA, it is the best high school and especially hero school.”

“I guess it was stupid question,” Izuku said. “Their other tracks are top level too.”

“You should come see their stand too. I believe you would have a chance to get in on any track.”

“Knowing how strict you are with everything school-related, that is pretty high praise,” Izuku said. “Fine. It may be interesting to see what they have there. I don’t really have any better ideas.”

They walked through the crowded hall. Izuku settled on walking behind Ida, using the larger teen as a plough to get through the masses of people. He could focus on glancing at the stands displaying different schools. They tended to get larger and fancier as they proceeded through the hall. The best and most prestigious schools were obviously placed further back to pull people in. Izuku paid specific attention to certain private, prestigious and expensive schools like Soumei, ones with no hero courses. He did not know what he wanted from his future, but he still valued quality education whether it was a good school or getting pummelled to the ground by literal monsters in harsh battle training.

At least he wasn’t sore all the time since getting the regeneration quirk. Healing wasn’t just a matter of visible wounds after all. He could train harder and longer every evening and morning and not feel any effects by the time he left for school. It was amazing to feel perfectly okay every day, except the occasional dizziness and headache from stretching his quirk limit with such a powerful quirk.

Getting to UA’s stand didn’t require searching, it having UA banners hanging from the ceiling and a big stage with a very loud man on it.

“Present Mic,” Izuku muttered, “I haven’t seen him live before.”

“But you have pages of notes on him and his quirk,” Ida commented. It wasn’t even a question.

“Quirk analysis part seven pages 13 to 15, should probably redo him at some point. I was eleven when I wrote that,” Izuku said, making Ida chuckle.

“What?” Izuku asked.

“I am still trying to figure out what kind of person you are, and I can think of people in our school who couldn’t keep such ordered records today, let alone at eleven years old.”

“Okay,” Izuku said and turned his attention back to the loud pro hero talking about different facilities at UA. Naturally he spent most of his time on discussing the extensive selection of hero training sites, despite hero course being a small part of the overall student body. Yes, they had spent millions on fake cities and a giant stadium, but what did the other 80+ percentage of the students have? Izuku’s focus started wandering as his annoyance rose and even Present Mic’s voice couldn’t change that.

“Oh look, the villain wants to go to UA.”

Izuku froze. He knew those words spoken in that tone. They made his bully radar glow like a Christmas Tree. His head turned stiffly like a robot until his eyes found the source and locked on target. Behind the outermost stands a trio of students had surrounded a fourth indigo-haired one and were literally pushing him around between them. The victim of their bullying didn’t just not resist, but very intentionally kept his hands close to his body and seemed to be pressing his mouth shut like saying anything might have proven the bullies correct. Dark patches under his eyes suggested he couldn’t even sleep well.

“Come on. Show them your villain quirk. You have to anyway if you plan to apply. Better do it now than hide your real nature.”

The words made Izuku squeeze his hand into fists hard enough that fingers pressing against his palm actually hurt and messed up the covering on the hole his quirk caused. An image of Bakugo flashed over the apparent ringleader of the trio. Flickers of flame flashed dimly by his fists as he started walking towards the group. He had let the same thing happen for so long. Turned the other cheek too many times, but no more. Now he had decided to change things and he would start by not ignoring another in the same position he had once been. He grabbed the ringleader’s arm and yanked him away. It was a real struggle to not break the bully’s nose right away, but he was just a student, not a Nomu.

“What exactly has he done for you to call him a villain?” Izuku seethed.

“Who the hell are you?” The bully asked, regaining his balance after Izuku’s sudden yank.

“Answer my question or leave,” Izuku said ignoring the bully’s words. “Why are you calling him a villain?”

“Because he obviously will be,” the bully sneered. “You’d agree if you knew his quirk.”

“So, you are exactly the type of garbage I thought. Judging someone just by how you view the quirk he was born with. Actions are what matters, and you are clearly the villain here.”

“Oh, look guys the villain has a little friend. Are you the manipulating type or…”

“The type that makes you quirkless, and I know what it’s like to live as a quirkless person in this society with people like you around,” Izuku said before thinking and raised his hand, no longer squeezed completely into a fist. One of the bullies seemed scared and took a step back. The ringleader frowned.

“If you wanted to talk your way out of this you should have come with a better lie.”

“Would you like a demonstration?” Izuku flexed his fingers and smirked in a very unusual, almost… Bakugo-like way. The though alone made him jolt. The bully misunderstood the reaction.

“Thought so. In case you didn’t get it yet, this guy is a brainwasher. Better keep your mouth shut if he even tries to say anything. One wrong word and you’ll be his slave.”

“Brainwashing? That sounds cool and useful for a hero,” Izuku responded without needing to fake enthusiasm. The indigo haired student stared at him, showing real emotion for the first time, mostly surprise. “Imagine all of the situations he could de-escalate instantly without needing to resort to violence like most heroes. Hostage situations would be a breeze to him.”

“You would seriously trust someone who could control your mind?”

“About as much as I would trust someone whose quirk could kill me, and there are many of those,” Izuku said, though he was not sure how true the last part was anymore. His expression turned darker: “They are often celebrated as great for heroes.”

“Is everything okay?” Ida asked from behind him. He had finally torn his attention from the UA hype. 

“Bullies with Uehara’s ideas on quirks, or close enough,” Izuku responded without turning his head. “They think his quirk makes him a villain while people like them are more likely to do that. I would know.”

“Riiight, a villain would know a villain best,” the bully ringleader butted in. Izuku tensed, knowing one of those villain claims was technically true. Nevertheless, he stepped forward between the bully and his victim.

“You know, if you really thought we are villains, you would be smart to be more careful how you act.”

“Why bother, it doesn’t mean you’re good at it.” As the bully spoke, he raised his hand, middle finger bent under his thumb and finger flicked empty air. Stinging pain briefly struck the side of Izuku’s forehead, making him jolt and glance to that side. No one was there close enough to have hit him.

“Cool quirk,” Izuku remarked, but his tone was increasingly taunting. “Doesn’t seem to enhance the impact though so you are limited by your strength.”

This time Izuku was the one whose shoulder was grabbed, though much more gently than before. He still moved to attack the person before his conscious mind had time to stop his arm. It was the indigo-haired guy he had come to help.

“You don’t need to do this. I don’t want you to get hurt for me.”

“Yes, I do,” Izuku responded quietly, “and no, I won’t. I doubt he can hit that hard.” Izuku turned to face the bully with no fear in his eyes. This clearly made the guy angry, and he stared at Izuku with narrowed eyes. He raised his fist and punched down hard at empty air. The force struck up against Izuku’s chin, making his head yank back.

“Izuku are you okay?” Ida asked. Izuku rubbed his chin. The blow had actually been strong enough to hurt, maybe even break something, but the pain was already going away.

“I’m okay. It just stung a little,” he responded only to get an invisible slap on his face.

“Stop this,” Ida shouted. “We are not allowed to use quirks in public and that’s an assault either way.”

“Good luck getting evidence of anything. I’m just practicing putting villains in their place for after I go to UA and become a pro hero.”

“They do not need to prove anything. You have already shown me enough to ensure you will never enter UA,” a new voice said. Izuku turned around trying to find the speaker.

“Down here.”

Izuku looked down, following the sound. There was a strange white animal-looking person whose species wasn’t quite clear.

“And who would you be, mutant freak?” The head bully sneered.

“My name is Nezu, but you can call me Mr. Principal,” the creature said and paused for a moment, gaining a threatening smirk, “of UA high.”

Izuku stared at Nezu for a moment, uncertain how to feel about the pro hero and principal of the crown jewel of the hero society. Slowly he realized what this meant for the bullies and glanced at their terrified faces. Izuku smiled.

“I find your behaviour and attitudes inappropriate for MY school. As my memory is quite good, I can assure you that none of you three will be accepted to UA on any track. Now if you would leave so I can talk with these decent young men.”

The trio of bullies stared at the principal for a moment longer. One of them left first alone, and the other two followed soon after. Izuku was left with Ida, principal Nezu, and the indigo haired boy who he turned to in favour of the principal.

“Are you okay?” He asked. The other boy blinked in surprise. Izuku feared it was because not many others had asked that question before.

“Yes,” he answered. “They are afraid enough of my quirk to not cross certain lines. Oh, right, my name is Hitoshi Shinso.”

He held his hand out. Izuku gladly accepted the gesture and grabbed it with his own.

“Izuku Midoriya.”

“Tenya Ida.”

“I am happy to meet you all,” principal Nezu said and then pointed at Izuku, “especially you. I saw most of what you did and many who walked past without doing anything. Have you considered seeking education as a hero?”

“No,” Izuku answered. “I used to, but now I don’t know what to do… Ida here on the other hand wants nothing more than to attend your school and become a hero.”

“Interesting. This hall is quite noisy and crowded. Would you like to join me for tea somewhere more peaceful?”

Izuku briefly considered refusing straight away, but he saw the hopeful expression on Ida’s usually so serious face. One that was reflected on Shinso’s face.

“We would love to,” Izuku said, weighting the ‘we’.

“Excellent,” Nezu announced, holding one of his hands, paws, up. “Please follow me.”

The tiny principal started leading them towards the back of the UA stage. Ida followed most enthusiastically as Izuku strolled behind him. Shinso glanced at the principal’s back and stayed back next to Izuku and leaned towards him.

“Thank you. The principal is right in that not many people would get involved. You did.”

“I’m glad you’re okay,” Izuku said, “but to be honest a big reason I did it, is because those are the kind of people I hate the most. I’m no hero. I’ve just experienced my own bullies and those who would judge a person by their quirk.”

“I can understand those feelings, but you still helped me. You are even talking to me even though they told you about my quirk.”

“Remember what I said about quirks that can kill?” Izuku asked and then pointed at Ida. “Ida could crush both our skulls with a kick. Does that mean I should be afraid of him?”

“He doesn’t seem like someone who would do that.”

“And you don’t seem like someone who is planning to take over my mind,” Izuku said. Shinso’s face tensed. He was trying to hold something in. A small glint in his eye was more than enough for a member of Midoriya family to recognize impending tears. Izuku brought his arm over Shinso’s shoulder.

“So how does your cool quirk work exactly?”

“It,” Shinso, paused looking at Izuku. He drew deep breath. “If I talk to you and you answer to me, I can brainwash you to do whatever I say, with some limitations. It can’t be anything that requires advanced thinking. How about your quirk? You said something about making those bullies quirkless. Is it some kind of erasure quirk? I didn’t think people would consider those villainous since the effect is so short.”

Izuku’s eyes widened, staring at the wall. He and his bad decisions. He still had a long way to properly control himself and his mouth.

“It… is not like that.”

“Then wha…? Should I stop asking?”

“Actually,” principal Nezu said, “I would like to know too.”

They had just stepped through a door behind the stage into some maintenance corridor with much less background noise. The principal had stopped to face Izuku, and Ida was standing next to him looking confused.

“My hearing is very good you know,” Nezu said. “Speaking of which.”

Nezu turned around. As Izuku raised his eyes from the small principal, his blood froze and started to boil at the same time. All Might had just stepped out of a nearby room in his colourful skin-tight costume and with the ever-irritating smile he had when failing to save Izuku’s mother. Had his father not warned him about One For All’s ability having resistance against being stolen, Izuku might have thrown away his cover to end the so called symbol of peace right there.

“Oh, mister principal, did you ask these students to join you for tea.”

“Well, yes, I did. They are quite promising young men, especially Midoriya here.”

All Might followed Nezu’s raised paw to Midoriya, who struggled to maintain his calm as visions of this man standing over his mother’s corpse flashed in his mind. He still noticed All Might staring at him, his eyes widening before turning to face away from the man. He turned to Nezu, trying to ignore All Might. He briefly met Shinso’s gaze.

“All Might,” Shinso spoke, gaining the hero’s attention. “I have a nonphysical quirk that people fear. Can I become a pro hero?”

“That would be dangerous. Hero work is already dangerous as is and even more so if you cannot use your quirk to protect yourself in battle or other dangerous situations, but there are those who have surpassed that limit. If you get into UA hero course you may in fact have one of them as your teacher. It would require immense amount of work though.”

“Thank you for answering.”

“What are you doing here?” Izuku asked. He pushed his emotions out of his voice, leaving it monotonous. All Might looked at him again with a strange look in his eyes.

“I am supposed to announce this on stage, but I guess it is okay since you are back here. I am going to begin teaching at UA next year.”

“Sir,” Ida finally joined the conversation. “My name is Tenya Ida. It would be a great honour to study under you. I will do everything I can to earn a place in UA.”  

“That’s the spirit,” All Might declared and gave Ida a thumbs up. “By the way, did I interrupt something? I believe you were talking when I arrived Mr. Principal.”

“Oh yes.  A few students engaged in quirk-based bullying. We were just talking about these young men’s quirks that attracted such attention. I am afraid you need to hurry to the stage though. We don’t want to disrupt the program.”

“Of course, Mr. Principal,” All Might said quickly with some mix of respect and fear in his voice. As he left Izuku drew a deep breath as tension left his body. His hand he hadn’t even noticed shaking calmed down.

“Please follow me,” Nezu said. He looked straight at Izuku as he did and then turned around to enter the room All Might had come from. It was a break room with three small sofas, a low table between them, and a kitchen corner. The principal directed the trio to sit on one of the sofas and settled opposite to them. A water boiler was already ready and full on the table so he could start making tea.

“Now where were we? Oh, yes. You were talking about your quirks. I already heard about Shinso’s quirk, but there was something interesting you mentioned about yours Midoriya. You said something about making people quirkless?

Izuku had really screwed up. Nezu’s knowing stare told him the little creature was already suspicious and Izuku still remembered All Might’s surprised look. Thinking about this only delayed his ability to answer. Ida started speaking instead.

“I am not sure what this thing about making people quirkless is, but Midoriya’s quirk is called Dragonblade, a fire quirk.”

“Really?” Shinso asked, clearly sceptical. “That doesn’t sound like a quirk that you would get bullied for.”

While Shinso expressed his feelings out loud, Izuku’s attention was on Nezu and his piercing stare. Had he figured it out? Could they track Izuku to his father? Izuku was sitting tense between Ida and Shinso, pressing his hands together between his legs. He could keep lying as best he could, but if Nezu suspected something, getting caught lying would be more suspicious and as principal of UA Nezu probably had access to quirk registries. Izuku was still marked as having the quirk “quirk transfer”.

“Ida,” he started, his voice quiet. “The Dragonblade, it isn’t my quirk, not the original I was born with. I just acted like it was so I wouldn’t be bullied like in my last school, like Shinso is. It didn’t end when I gained my quirk, because my quirk made some of it worse.”

Izuku jolted when Shinso grabbed his arm but the indigo-haired teen had an understanding smile. He was the only one who could understand what it took for Izuku to talk about the topic.

“Like Shinso’s quirk, people fear what mine can do and think it’s evil, that I would or can only become a villain because of it.”

“So, you weren’t lying when you said it can make people quirkless?” Shinso asked.

“No, my quirk is a… quirk transfer quirk. I can take people’s quirks from them or give them if I have any, I think. All it takes is a touch,” Izuku raised his hand in front of them. “I can also use the quirks that I have taken.”

“That is a very unique quirk,” Nezu noted. “What kind of quirks do your parents have?”

“My mother had a weak telekinesis quirk. My father breathes fire.”

“So, it would be a mutation. Now this Dragonblade quirk you talked about…?” Nezu asked in a lower, more serious tone. His expression was similarly serious, but he hadn’t had any major reaction to hearing of Izuku’s quirk.

“I was almost kidnapped a while back.” Ida and Shinso gasped. “During the struggle I took one kidnapper’s quirk. He was so shocked I got away. I… never talked about it with anyone. People would just blame me for stealing the quirk.”

“Is that the only quirk you have taken?” Nezu continued.

“You also think that I am some villain going around stealing quirks,” Izuku accused, even if there would have been an element of truth in the accusation.

“For that evaluation I need to know what you have done, not what you can do.”

Izuku sighed and closed his eyes.

“I first discovered my quirk when I accidentally took the quirk of one of my bullies. Actually, my hair turned white first but I didn’t think to be careful after that. I gave it back when I figured out how to with my mom,” Izuku said, “not that he deserved it. If anyone in my old school behaved like a villain it was him, but everyone thinks he would be a great hero because he is strong with a flashy quirk.”

“I cannot comment on that without having seen it myself,” Nezu said, “but what you describe is what often happens when quirks manifest. You can never be sure what kind of quirk a child will have or how it manifests. You should have no worries about the morality of how you have used your quirk, if you have been honest with what you have told. It would also be highly useful for a hero to neutralize villains with dangerous quirks with minimal violence. The same applies to young Shinso’s quirk. Have you considered applying to UA hero course?”

“Yes,” both Shinso and Ida said simultaneously. Izuku stayed quiet, looking away from the principal awkwardly.

“Midoriya?” Nezu asked.

“I used to want to go to UA hero course, but now I don’t know what I want anymore.”

“Because of the bullies?” Nezu wondered. “One of the most important aspects of being a hero is wanting to help people no matter what, and you just demonstrated that with Shinso. I hope you aren’t allowing your bullies’ words to hold you back from your dreams. You clearly would not support Shinso here doing so.”

“I… don’t know,” Izuku responded, still looking away, unwilling to let out his other reasons, even those that didn’t involve his father.

“Very well. I am not going to try to pressure you. Just know that as the principal everything I have seen tells me you would be a great hero. Same goes for you Shinso, but you should take All Might’s words to heart. Your quirk can help you become a great hero, but that alone is not enough. Just to pass the entrance exam and get into my school you need to train your body as well as your mind… and never forget the hero’s first duty is to rescue.”

“I will,” Shinso promised.

“Excellent. I will wait to see you at the entrance exams. I would love to talk with you even longer, but I must soon get on stage. Oh, Midoriya, whatever you choose to do with your life, never lose that will to help others. Sometimes being a hero means getting involved somewhere you don’t need to when everyone else walks by.”

Izuku didn’t answer as all of them got up. The trio of students bowed, following Ida’s lead, and thanked Nezu for the tea. Nezu walked with them back to the large hall and wished them the best. They walk past the UA stage. All Might was there talking in his usual pompous way to an audience that had tripled in size. Izuku purposefully looked away as he walked between Ida and Shinso. The two looked at All Might as they went but didn’t stop to watch. Probably didn’t feel like it much after meeting the man personally.

“I still cannot believe we got the honour of talking with both the UA principal and All Might himself,” Ida said, holding one of his fists in front of him. “To think he is going to be a teacher at the school. My motivation to study hard has never been stronger.”

“It would be an amazing opportunity,” Shinso agreed, “but I’m worried of the principal’s words. I’ve been so focused on proving my quirk isn’t evil, I haven’t thought much about the physical requirements. I only have a few months to get into shape.”

“And learn to fight,” Izuku added. “Whatever your quirk is, they expect you to be able to fight.”

“Right, that too. I’m not sure where to start.”

“Would you like help?” Izuku asked.

“Do you know how to fight?”

“A bit. I’ve been training for several months, since the kidnapping thing, but it has been quite harsh training.”

“I’m not sure,” Shinso said and looked down while holding the back of his neck with one hand. “I don’t want to be any more trouble to you and there’s nothing I can give back.”

“You can be my friend,” Izuku blurted out. All three of them stopped walking. “You might be the only one who understands why I haven’t had many in my life and… it is nice being around someone who can know my quirk and not jump back every time I raise my hand.”

“I think I can do that,” Shinso said. Izuku just smiled. Shinso eventually raised his head and looked Izuku in the eyes.

“I am guessing you want us to keep your real quirk secret?”

“Yes please,” Izuku responded. “You too Ida, especially you.”

“I understand. I can’t completely approve of lying, but I will respect your wishes. It shames me to admit but some people in our school would treat you like those in your last one if they knew, especially after the presentation we did last term. I see how you would have found the information.”

“Wha…” Izuku started. “Right. It… really didn’t help my mental state at the time since it was the only case of someone with a similar quirk I could find. About my classmates, how about you?”

“I heard what you said about my kicks. I cannot argue against the arguments you made. I just wish you can consider me as a friend also, even though I might not understand what you have gone through.”

Izuku looked at Ida from the corner of his eye and raised his hand, its hole now visible. He put it on Ida’s shoulder as the taller teen saw him do it. Ida didn’t even flinch. Izuku smiled softly.

“Sure.”

Chapter Text

Izuku was a bit bummed when Shinso took a different train after the high school fair, but at least they had exchanged numbers and he could still walk with Ida… It felt different than usual, better. He was more relaxed around Ida despite still having a mountain of secrets to keep from the taller teen. His more concerning thoughts raised their ugly head only as Izuku came back home alone. He had really screwed up talking about his quirk with the UA principal close enough to hear. There was still some time left until his normal training would start, but Izuku didn’t want to wait and pulled out his phone, sending a secure message to Kurogiri. A portal opened in the basement gym less than a minute later. He exited the portal at his usual training room next to Kurogiri.

“Your father has not yet arrived, but I will fetch a training Nomu,” Kurogiri said.

“No, I need to talk with dad.”

“He is still in the medical room to check up on his condition. I can send you there.”

“No,” Izuku said. “It’s close and I don’t want to bother you too much. You already help dad and Tomura all day.”

“As you wish.”

Izuku jogged out of the room and down a dark hallway and eventually into the familiar room where his father kept track of his health. He was just on a computer talking with Tomura apparently when Izuku entered.

“You are early,” his father said. “How was the fair?”

“A lot happened and it wasn’t all good, though I learned something about All Might too,” Izuku said. His father stopped mid motion while putting his collar on. His head turned so his non-existent eyes were staring at Izuku. Izuku was poking the tips of his index fingers together and looking away.

“I may have talked with him, and the principal of UA… who now knows about my quirk.”

“We’ll that was a quick game over,” Tomura snickered on the other side of the computer screen. Through the screen Izuku could see he was in the bar and Kurogiri was already there too.

“You should sit down and start from the beginning,” his father said. Izuku quickly explained what had happened from Shinso to the tea moment with Nezu.

“What have I told you about carelessness?” He tsked after Izuku finished. “You talked about your quirk to some of our worst enemies.”

“I know. After he first got suspicious, I thought he could find out from quirk registries anyway.”

“Yes, at that point talking about your quirk and holding onto your cover story was the right choice, but things would have never gotten to that point if you were more careful.”

Izuku didn’t say anything, just held his head down. Feeling sorry he almost missed a quick motion and was a bit too late to dodge an air blast from his father. He doubled from an impact on his stomach.

“And it seems that wasn’t the only time you were careless today. Remember to always be aware of your surroundings, even when being disciplined.”

He shot another blast that Izuku dodged this time. With third he had to vault over an all too familiar hospital bed and the blast still hit his leg, drawing blood. The blasts were stronger than when his father first started this training. It hurt to land on the injured leg, but by the time Izuku got back his balance and checked the wound was gone.

“You are improving, but you cannot always rely on the regeneration to cover for your failures. As for your other actions today, they may not be all bad. We can turn this into our advantage. If All Might is going to teach at UA it narrows down where he can be at any given time. We just need to know exactly where and when beforehand.”

“It still wouldn’t be easy. UA has ridiculous security,” Izuku said.

“Their main campus has, but teachers sometimes leave their school too. With UA there is finally an opportunity to monitor All Might for such opportunities, or you have one.”

“Me?” Izuku asked and stared his father.

“As I understood, the principal of UA encouraged you to apply. Since he knows about your quirk, All Might will also know. They will likely try to contact or keep an eye on you as a potential threat, so why not make it easy for them?”

Izuku’s eyes widened as he realized what his father was suggesting.

“How would you like to study in the UA Hero Course?”

While Izuku was left speechless, the only sound came from the computer speakers as Tomura almost choked on his drink.

“If All Might is going to teach at UA then the teachers and students are going to have closer access to him and his location than anyone else. It is an unique opportunity, that one of us happens to be in the perfect position to exploit. It is not risk free. They should already suspect connection between us, though All Might most likely believes I am dead.”

“But…” Izuku started.

“Are you going to doubt your ability to get in, or you oppose the idea?” His father asked. “Because you don’t want to surrender to the system? The first is lunacy. You have defeated Nomus before, most other applicants will not stand a chance in the practical exam, and the written should not be an obstacle for a smart boy like you either. As for the other, infiltrating the hero society is not the same as surrendering to its values or people that wronged you. You might also get to face that Bakugo kid.”

Izuku tensed from the mere mention of the name, feeling a strange mixture of anger and fear.

“See, even his name alone still has power over you. That won’t do. I could send Tomura to deal with him in your place but that might not solve the issue.”

“Sounds like a fun side mission,” Tomura said.

“So, I don’t have a choice,” Izuku said, looking down.

“Of course you have, son. I have left everything in your life for you to choose so far. I am not about to begin with something this risky to you as well as us. If you are to have any hope of success, you must make the decision yourself.”

“I’m not sure I’m ready to make it. I mean, I don’t know what else to do in terms of school, but UA… It just doesn’t feel right, even if I go there only to spy. Not that there is anything special for me in any other schools...”

“Except your friends, well at least the Ida kid. I doubt your newer friend is going to make it to the UA Hero Program without significant help. You could ask what his second choice for a school is if you aren’t interested in infiltrating UA, though he might still get to the general studies.”

“You are just using them to manipulate me so I would do what you want?” Izuku accused, facing his father directly with irritation creeping onto his face.

“Yes,” his father admitted, “though your help with spying on UA isn’t the only thing I want. Ever since Inko died I have only seen you smiling or genuinely happy with Kurogiri or talking about Ida and now, Shinso was it? I could hear it in your voice when you were talking about today’s events, despite expecting to get disciplined. If they are going to UA, I can’t think of a better school for you to go to, for however long it might last. Even if you plan to work with us in the shadows long-term, you should still get a proper education.”

Go alone somewhere that might just be another Aldera, or stay with the only friends of his own age in more than a decade while helping his father? The answer was obvious. Izuku had known it long before his father stopped talking. He simply found it hard to say. Going to UA… Being taught by All Might. The thought was disgusting, but it was all to bring down All Might.

“I’ll do it, but only if we help Shinso. I want him and Ida around if Bakugo is at UA.”

“Unless you want to risk introducing him to a Nomu or Tomura, the training he needs will have to come from you. It might also be good for you to train with someone on a lower level, just so you don’t kill someone when you don’t intend to.”

“You think I could do it?” Izuku asked.

“Certainly, the way you analyse everything you probably have every fighting technique I’ve taught you memorized with their strengths and weaknesses.”

Izuku thought about the three notebooks he had on the topic and thought best not to comment.

“So, we agree then?”

“Yes,” Izuku responded with more enthusiasm and started rubbing his chin. “Shinso lives pretty far so it would have to be weekends. Can’t ask Kurogiri. Ida could help with the training. I wonder if Shinso’s parents would let him stay over. Mutter mutter mutter.”

“Tomura, make sure the League is ready for a fight by the time next school year begins. Izuku will get us information. You need to be prepared to use it.”

“Yes, sensei.”

“Oh right,” Izuku snapped out of his muttering. “I am supposed to spy on UA and All Might, but what are we trying to do with that information?”

“End All Might,” his father said in a chilling tone, “possibly also take One For All, but end the symbol of peace either way. I made the mistake of allowing One For All to grow stronger before. I will not do it again even if the quirk is lost forever.”

“But wasn’t it your best chance to get healthy again?” Izuku asked.

“It is one. With One For All’s quirk enhancing abilities my more delicate healing and transformation quirks might be able to restore my body as super regeneration would have if I had possessed it before my wounds healed naturally, as well as they could. Unfortunately, the regeneration itself is too blunt of a tool for that now without risk.”

“So, there is another way?” Izuku asked.

“Yes, rapidly cut away every damaged part of my body and hope I won’t die completely before the regeneration quirk can act. Unfortunately, much of that damage is on my head and lungs. The doctor estimated 60 to 70 percent chance of survival, with a proper surgical team.”

“So, you need One For All,” Izuku concluded, “and even if we could take it… that would require defeating All Might first. Tomura won’t like me for saying this, but I doubt anyone or everyone in his league can do that.”

A quiet annoyed huff sounded from the speakers. All For One turned to look at the screen.

“Calm down Tomura. You already knew this. That is what the Nomu are for. The doctor has worked hard to advance past the low-tier ones that Izuku has trained with.”

Whatever pride Izuku felt over his performance in recent training sessions with the Nomus faded quite a bit with the reminder that they were “low-tier”. He could never help his father defeat All Might himself as long as the only opponents he could barely fight weren’t even thought of as middle class.

“You have only trained actively for half a year,” his father said as if he had read Izuku’s thoughts. “No matter how many quirks you stack up, the amount of time you have to master them will not change. You can have talent or train harder, but that can only help against experience… or genetic modifications to a point.”

“I guess…”

“That said, you should get another quirk to keep pushing your limit.”

“Maybe, but where? I don’t want to just steal a quirk from someone, and I really can’t. If someone just loses their quirk anyone who knows about my quirk will suspect me.”

“True. That does not apply with someone that will not be around to tell anyone.”

Izuku stared at his father as a cold shiver passed through his spine. Tomura muttered something.

“A rather reputable assassin did not take well to your brother’s attempt of recruiting him and he tried to kill Tomura. Kurogiri had the presence of mind to capture him much like your kidnappers back then. The doctor is exploring his Nomu potential, but I believe his quirk would suit you well. Right now you lack reach.”

“So, what kind of quirk it is?” Izuku asked.

“It is called Hellfire Arrow, an excellent fit with your blades. Depending how you are able to manifest them you might even present them as a single quirk.”

“And the person was going to be a Nomu either way?”

“If the operation is successful, otherwise he’ll be dead. The doctor can compensate for a missing quirk with a replica, but it is better for you to take the original with your quirk. Kurogiri will take you if you ask.”

Even a mention of the nomu made Izuku’s lips twitch in a slight smile.

“I don’t know how I survived without him. I wish I could pay him back.”

“Pay back to a Nomu?” Tomura said and laughed once. Izuku stared at the computer screen annoyed.

“Sounds like you don’t want him around. Maybe he should spend rest of the day with me. Kurogiri, come here.”

The misty figure walked into a portal in the camera feed and stepped out next to Izuku. Tomura stared where he had been and destroyed a barstool.

“That is fine to me,” their father said, “make sure to train with him after getting your new quirk. I will come to the training room after I’m finished here.”

“We will.”

Kurogiri wordlessly handed Izuku a bottle of lemonade.

“Thank you,” Izuku responded with a new smile on his face, “and sorry for ordering you.”

“There is nothing to apologize for young Shigaraki. Do you wish to go acquire your quirk now?”

“I’d like us to go get it.”

Izuku relaxed as Kurogiri’s mist covered him in darkness.

Chapter Text

Izuku was spending his Saturday morning training against the Nomus, now all three of his remaining kidnappers at once while wearing his villain costume. He’d progressed enough to avoid or defend against their attacks most of the time without having to regenerate, but only caused scratches with his blades or local damage with his vibration. He had not gone for the brain since the one Nomu that died.

He had been training harder than ever since agreeing to help his father by going to UA, but he still wasn’t set on it. It didn’t feel right, not after everything that had been done to him, or everything he had chosen. Not to mention he would have to have All Might as his teacher. Going to school with Shinso and Ida was an attractive idea though.

“You aren’t focused!” His father shouted. “Is this how you’re going to fight when you face Bakugo? He’s going to declare you worthless all over again. Is that what you want? Even if you managed to win like that with your quirks that won’t change your value without them. It won’t prove people were wrong about quirkless people. Until you can beat him even without quirks you haven’t proven him wrong.”

Izuku didn’t respond and blocked a Nomu’s punch with his flame shield. By the time he recovered from the momentum of the impact he had already reformed it back to a blade. He jumped away just in time to avoid an air blast from his father. The bang as it hit the ground reminded him of Bakugo’s explosions. His father had upped the amount of force he used again.

“Not good enough. People are going to come after you. I am already a widower, do you want to add a father of a dead child to that?”

Izuku sliced a Nomu’s arm off and instead of going for a kill jumped away as another attacked. He was biting his teeth together, swearing he wouldn’t let his father’s taunting get to him. He knew what it was for, but that part of the training was something he didn’t want to play along with, even if the Nomus’ old appearances as his kidnappers flashed over them.

“Maybe I should have left you with the Bakugos since Inko raised such a weak child, or taken you with me years ago before she taught you to be so soft. Did you ever even fight back when Bakugo came after you? I am sure he loved having a punching back that didn’t even try to fight back because that is what Inko made you.”

Izuku’s eyes hardened. He vaulted over the attacking Nomu’s arm and brought his palm to strike at its external brain as his vibration quirk activated at full power. Visible waves crossed the brain like when a stone falls on the water’s surface and as the first waves reached the skull the whole thing exploded into a formless mass. The other two Nomus rushed at Izuku only for both of them to lose their hands to his blades, soon after those fiery weapons finding themselves penetrating the Nomus’ brains, no chance for regeneration.

Izuku was left breathing hard in the middle of the three Nomu corpses, his Dragon Blades still active but twisting and bending with his emotions until his eyes found his father and hardened. The blades straightened and stretched even longer and sharper than before. Izuku raised one of them at his father and started walking towards him.

“Leave mom out of this. She isn’t some training tool you can drag out whenever you want to push me. No more.”

“No,” he answered. Izuku stared at him and took a step closer. “As long as you can be influenced by those words, they are a weakness that can be used against you. Until you realize that, they might as well help raise the anger you need to surpass your limits in battle.”

“You can find another way. She was a great mom, and I don’t want her involved in this even if she’s dead. I am not going to fight or,” he stopped briefly to look at the Nomu corpses, “kill because of her, not even Nomus. Even if you weren’t with us you should respect her memory at least that much.”

Izuku stopped a few steps from his father. Suddenly the man smiled so wide even his breathing mask couldn’t hide it.

“Finally, I can feel it, a true threat and you didn’t even stutter. Not many would stand up to me, family or not.”

“Dad I mean it. Leave mom out of it or… I’ll let All Might know you are alive,” Izuku said without any wavering in his voice. His father’s smile disappeared instantly, his face tensed and his hand squeezed into a fist.

“That’s what I feel like when you attack mom, betrayed.”

They stood opposed to each other in silence for a long time. Slowly the smirk returned around father’s mask followed by a chuckle and eventually full-on laughter.

“Impressive, most impressive, you are truly my son. You went straight for effective threats and blackmailing using information you have gained. Very good. Fine, I won’t talk about Inko during training anymore.”

Izuku still stared at him, confused by the rapid mood changes. He barely leaned away from an air blast directed at his face, but his father moved faster than he had ever seen and grabbed Izuku by his shirt before Izuku could evade. Izuku’s feet left the ground.

“Never even suggest betraying us to the heroes, especially All Might.” He held Izuku up for a moment in silence and then put him down gently. “That wasn’t very fatherly I guess, but there are some things I won’t tolerate even from family.”

“I wasn’t really going to do it,” Izuku said, “not after all that he has done.”

“I know,” his father responded much calmer. “I should congratulate you for your combat prowess. There is a not insignificant percentage of pro heroes who would lose against three Nomus. Though you were still unable to react to my attack.”

He said it, but the words lacked the bite it usually had when criticizing Izuku’s performance. The training was over, and he was turning back from trainer to father. Izuku himself was calming down enough to notice the difference and consciously not look at the corpses. It wasn’t just the realization he had killed the creatures that worried him, but it also felt good, like a weight had been lifted off him. Now there was nothing left of his kidnappers except bad memories and that felt relieving. Part of him thought it was sick to feel that way, but he was still going to be happy to never see these nomus again.

“Your goals might have grown, but we started this training so you wouldn’t endure that again,” his father said with perfect timing. Izuku wouldn’t have been surprised if the man had a mind reading quirk.

“It is safe to say you have reached this goal. Try to put it behind you and focus on what is ahead.”

They stood in silence for a moment.

“So,” Izuku started, “do you think I am ready for UA?”

“For the entrance exams, more than ready. Have confidence in your skills. For your mission there however. There is at least one more test you need to pass so we know you can do whatever the mission might require, one that the Nomus are not sufficient to provide.”

“What test?”

“You will see. Meanwhile, you should take pride in what you achieved here today, and without any broken bones. You have also impressed me with the other jobs you have done. Tomura might be unwilling to use your analysis, but your ability to see how to best utilize people he has recruited is impressive,” he paused for a moment and grabbed Izuku’s shoulder.

“You can spend the rest of the day with your friends. Try to enjoy yourself. Befriending likely future heroes may not be the wisest option, but as a father I can’t deny they have raised your mood more than anything since… Inko.”

“They accepted me for what I am,” Izuku said quietly.

“Only part of it. Don’t forget that,” his father corrected.

“Being what is considered a villain is different. Even if they found out and didn’t accept it, at least that would be for my choices, not for how I was born. I can live with that, I think.”

“True, but that won’t change how they would act if they knew, so try to keep the secrets you still have left, especially once you are around pro heroes at UA. You cannot spout out whatever you feel like the moment someone pushes the right buttons. Either you get angry and say something you shouldn’t… or flood the room.”

Izuku evaded his father’s eyeless gaze, embarrassed at the last comment.

“You should also realize the potential consequences of helping your friends enter UA.”

“I know what it might mean eventually, but it is their dream and… if people see different quirks being used by great heroes, that might impact how they treat others with similar quirks. Even if they don’t, every good person that doesn’t get in is a spot that a Bakugo can take to become rich off a lucky quirk.”

“Thinking so far ahead. I wish I could teach that to Tomura,” his father said and took his hand away. What are you still standing here for? You are going to be late.”

…

Izuku went to change from the black uniform to a regular long sleeve shirt and loose pants he used for exercise. He had just finished when a portal appeared under the sweaty uniform he had piled on a table. Izuku turned to face Kurogiri. He was afraid of how the Nomu would react to the fate of the other three Nomus, but couldn’t help but smile at his favourite Nomu/teacher/guardian. Kurogiri handed him an ice-cold bottle of water.

“I heard you were able to defeat three of the training Nomus simultaneously. I am proud of your progress.”

The fear was gone and Izuku stepped into the mist and appeared at his basement. Passing the hot pool, the thought of a bath was attractive, but he wasn’t done sweating yet. He took a waiting backpack, got out and started running across the city. Training and even regeneration had greatly improved his stamina but by the time he reached his destination, he was panting. His breathing sounded like a villain that had reminded him of his father in an old scifi movie he planned to watch with his friends.

“Hey.”

Izuku turned to face Shinso, walking calmly towards him carrying a backpack and an extra-large cup of coffee.

“Hey,” Izuku responded, “it seems we got here before…”

Something whooshed past the two on the empty lot they stood in front of.

“…Ida.”

“One day,” Shinso said.

“Unlikely,” Izuku said, “unless you know someone willing to loan me a speed quirk.”

“Excluding the current company,” Shinso sipped his coffee, “I don’t know many who would stay in the same room with either of us voluntarily, at least not without getting nervous.”

Izuku stepped through an open gate into the fenced-in empty lot and activated his Dragon Blades.

“People are fine with slicing and burning or deadly force in general, but being a threat to their quirk or mind is too much.” He turned to face Shinso while forming both of his blades into shorter and thicker shields. He also tuned down the heat as much as he could.

“Unfortunately, the entrance exams don’t care about how we feel, especially with UA. Their robots are infamous. If you are finished with the coffee, let’s see if the caffeine did you any good. You aren’t going to get to those robots’ weak points if you can’t get good hits past my shields.”

“Just let me get my gloves,” Shinso responded and pulled out thick blackened and charred boxing gloves from his backpack. Izuku picked up his water bottle in the meanwhile. He was still drinking when Shinso got his gloves on and charged. He thought he could catch Izuku by surprise.

Izuku dodged out of the way of Shinso’s first punch and blocked the other with the flaming shield on his free hand while still holding the bottle to his lips with the other.

“Can you at least pretend I’m giving you a challenge?” Shinso whined.

“Sorry,” Izuku said, “but you’re the one who attacked while I was drinking.”

“That was unsportsmanlike,” Ida commented as he finally slowed down and joined his friends.

“If you want to get into UA you should forget that word,” Izuku corrected and focused on Shinso. “There is nothing wrong with striking when your enemy is distracted, unless you underestimate them and strike carelessly. You were too slow and overextended your arm. I could have cut it off when I dodged. Those exam robots don’t have blades… probably, but they could break your bones if they get a good hit in or if you get in their way when they are moving.”

“So, more dodging training,” Shinso said.

“Yep,” Izuku confirmed.

“Has Ida gotten any better at accounting for his speed when holding back?”

“Nope. He’d have to literally pull his arm back or stop at the last moment,” Izuku said and turned to look at Ida. “There is not much point for you to be any faster in a battle until you can manoeuvre better. You’ll just be a bull charging through the red cloth and into the wall of the arena. At worst you will hit someone at speed and kill them. The stupid entrance exam with robots won’t account for that either.”

“I understand that, though it shames me to admit I have not sufficiently addressed the issue before.”

“Not surprising,” Izuku said. “Most of the time people only think how to make quirks stronger. Try not to hurt Shinso too badly. It’s your turn to pay the bill if we need to take him to that quirk healer.”

Izuku pointed at a large sign of a medical clinic on the next building and lowered back into a fighting stance.

“At least you know how to hold back,” Shinso said.

“Yes, well depends how I’m attacking you,” Izuku said and blinked. “I haven’t yet shown you my newest trick.”

“What ’trick’,” Shinso asked with narrowed eyes.

Izuku focused on using three quirks at the same time. He held his hand partially open towards the ground near Shinso. The vibrating flames of his Dragon Blade twisted with a presence of the third quirk making them all look like one. Suddenly an arrow of flames left his palm, pulling some of the Dragon Blade’s flames out with it for the same effect. In an instant the flaming arrow hit the ground behind Shinso with a flash, leaving behind black scorched ground.

“It doesn’t really pierce through anything yet, but that might just be a matter of control like with the basic blade,” Izuku said. “It’s still kind of hard just focusing enough to fire one off.”

“You continue to impress us every week,” Ida praised Izuku. “Though you are correct if you suggested using this technique for Shinso’s training would be unwise.”

“Agreed. I’d rather get slapped around by Ida.”

“My turn first.”

Izuku got back into a fighting stance and went straight for a punch. Shinso partially dodged, but Izuku still hit his arm. They sparred like that for half an hour. Shinso evaded some of Izuku’s attacks but didn’t get a single proper punch back. They were just too slow compared to the air blasts and Nomus. Eventually he got a single hit in on an exhausted Izuku.

“Okay. That’s,” Izuku gasped for breath, “enough. I need a break, Ida! Your turn.”

“Don’t I get a break?” Shinso asked with a deadpan expression as he took off his now smoking gloves.

“How many kilometres have you run today?” Izuku asked with a similar expression.

“Point taken. Just let me get some water first.”

Izuku moved to sit on a piece of concrete left behind from when whatever building formerly stood there had been demolished. He pulled a thicker jacket out of his backpack to stay warm now that he wasn’t constantly on the move. Ida ran literal circles around Shinso, making sudden dashes to slap his shoulder. It helped Ida train his manoeuvrability with the quick turns while helping Shinso with his reaction speed and dodging. Feeling the cold January wind even through two jackets, Izuku activated one of his blades and let it heat up to keep sweaty clothes under his jackets from freezing.

“Hey, you! Stop at once!” Someone shouted. Izuku raised his head to see a police officer walk into the lot. “You are not allowed to use quirks like that in public even if it is an empty lot.”

Ida hit the brakes instantly. The tenseness in his stance was screaming that he was on the brink of bowing and apologising more than anyone should for using their natural quirks in a harmless way. Izuku extinguished his fire, pulled a folder of papers from his backpack and got up.

“Officer,” he called, “the public quirk use ban only applies fully in public spaces. This is a private fenced off property and subject to limited exceptions as long as quirk use doesn’t cause general danger and is permitted by the owner.”

The officer turned to face Izuku, looking down on him like some random thug or quirkless person beneath his attention.

“Are you going to claim you own or have the owner’s permission to use this property?”

“Yes, the second option. I have here a written permission from the developer that owns this land for me to use this property till the end of February along with any person I choose to invite here regardless of my presence. It specifically highlights permission to use quirks to the fullest extent the owner can permit. There are also documents containing parts of the police code and precedents by the courts on what is considered permitted quirk use under such conditions.” Izuku held his id in one hand and handed the folder to the officer, who grumpily skimmed through the papers.

“The last paper contains the contact information of my father’s lawyers in case you need to ask for clarification.”

The police officer handed the folder back to Izuku, biting his teeth together. His next words were almost a hiss.

“You may continue, apologies for the disruption.”

He walked away.

“How does anyone manage to train enough to have a chance at UA with these rules?” Izuku sighed.

“Being lucky… or rich enough to have good lawyers,” Shinso said. “No offence.”

“None taken, I am just glad I could use that to help. We can’t get into UA without a place to train.”

Both Ida and Shinso stared at Izuku, who blinked in response.

“What?”

“You said you were going to go to UA,” Ida pointed out.

“Did I? I didn’t mean to. I mean…” Izuku stuttered until Shinso grabbed his shoulder.

“You can say what you meant if you want, or not if you don’t want to talk about it.”

“Right… So I don’t know where else I should go, so I might as well apply to UA. I got a good feeling there might at least be a couple of people there I like.”

“That is amazing,” Shinso said, so exited his eyes almost didn’t look tired. “It would be great going to same class or even just the same school, if I manage to somehow get in. Even with training, there’s only so far I can go fighting robots.”

“You will do fine,” Izuku said with no sign of the hesitation he had when talking about himself. “I’ve actually been thinking about the exam. It is clearly biased towards physical fighting quirks, but I think there might me more. Remember what principal Nezu said at the fair about it?”

“That was almost two months ago. I can’t exactly remember everything he said.”

“Never forget the hero’s first duty is to rescue. He said that as he was talking about the entrance exam. That never made sense seeing how he supposedly has the exam set up, unless he was hinting that there is something else going on with the entrance exam. The application to UA includes a pretty solid nondisclosure agreement about the content of the exam that wouldn’t make sense if it was just fighting robots.”

“Of course,” Ida muttered. “You are right. Even if the hero system has its biases a school of UA’s calibre wouldn’t have that narrow entrance exam, I think. A hero’s first duty is to rescue. What does that mean for the exam?”

“They vary the details every year. Considering the supposed point system this time, they probably have people there acting like they are in danger or just give points for helping applicants that get in trouble. Hopefully they aren’t counting on just students to keep each other safe. People could easily get killed or maimed beyond even the best quirk healers’ abilities.”

“Hopefully my training is enough to help with rescues then, though other quirks still have an advantage.”

“It has to unless either of you know someone willing to loan you theirs for the exam,” Izuku said. Both Ida and Shinso stared at him again.

“Right, your quirk can do that too. I almost forgot since you mostly use the fire,” Shinso said.

“We can’t use quirks most of the time anyway,” Izuku said. “There aren’t exactly many chances to use my quirk and it won’t help against the robots.”

“You will have your chance eventually with living villains. Both of you can neutralize most dangerous people without even injuring them,” Ida assured. “It doesn’t cause any serious side effects to people you use it on, right?”

“Not for taking quirks as far as I know of. I think it maybe can have temporary effect if the person tries to resist,” Izuku responded, watching his words, “but I have noticed getting new quirks can be though. I wouldn’t try to give someone more than one.”

“That would still let someone have two or three quirks depending how they were born,” Shinso said. “That would be life changing. I can hardly believe you just offered to do something like that for me, even if there really aren’t any who would give their quirk for that.”

“Then you have to train harder.” Izuku raised his arm and lit a flaming shield. “If I am going to UA, I refuse to do it alone.”

Chapter Text

Izuku barely had the strength to lift his foot over the doorstep as he dragged himself and Shinso into his house with Shinso being in an even less functional state. At least Ida got all the way back on his own two feet. Even the speedster was too tired to walk without dragging his feet.

“You know Midoriya,” Shinso started. “I’m starting to suspect you don’t want me to go to UA.”

Izuku froze and stared at his friend only to witness a devious, though tired, grin.

“Why else would you try to kill me with training before the entrance exams.”

“Hey, if you survive, the exam will feel like a vacation.”

“If?”

Both of them chuckled, Shinso a bit more nervously than Izuku. As all of them were practically dripping sweat they headed down to the spa, dropping their bags and clothes at the dressing room. There was a whole Japanese bath and a heated pool that was like a hot spring, just what they needed. Izuku spread his arms and unceremoniously fell in the pool.

“Careful. Even if we’re tired, we cannot forget basic pool safety,” Ida said in his usual lecturing voice, though even that had lost steam. Still laying on the water, Izuku turned around so he could breathe and respond.

“My pool my rules.”

Shinso chuckled and slid down to the water nearby. He went completely lax as soon as the water reached his neck and there was no need to go anywhere anymore.

“I won’t leave here before tomorrow.”

“I would agree, but we were supposed to have a movie night,” Izuku responded.

“Oh right. I may not have a choice though. I’m not sure I’m even able to get up anymore. Somehow you manage to help me find new muscles to hurt every weekend.”

Izuku hummed in recognition of Shinso’s words, remembering entire schooldays of pain before regeneration. Now he was just exhausted and recovering faster from that too but could still sympathise.

“It is unavoidable,” he lied and settled to a half sitting position near Shinso. “That is how you know the training works.”

“You would know,” Shinso poked at Izuku’s arm that showed the results from over eight months of training several of those without needing to worry about injury or recovery time. “I still got a long way to catch up.”

Izuku jolted at the poke but relaxed again quickly.

“You have no idea.”

“At least you got this place. I already feel a lot better. Who do I need to brainwash to get a pool like this?”

Ida opened his mouth to say something, but Izuku was faster and laughed at the comment. Soon Ida too started smiling. Shinso looked at him and his grin turned into a softer smile.

“Usually, I can’t make jokes like that around people.”

“Maybe I should take their quirks,” Izuku said, his expression completely serious. Shinso stared at him and blinked. Izuku returned a smile to his face and continued. “I can’t make those jokes either. You should have seen your face.”

Shinso splashed water in Izuku’s face. Izuku responded in kind. Soon both were splashing like little kids, like they never got the chance to do enough of before. Surprisingly, Ida didn’t reproach them for such childish behaviour. Their stamina didn’t last long anyway as both remembered how exhausted they were. Izuku leaned back, breathing a bit harder than before but with a content smile on his face.

“Glad to see you are enjoying the pool,” he told Shinso.

“I do a lot, though it makes me feel sorrier that I don’t have any way to pay back everything you have done. The pool time is the least of it.”

“Honestly, you already have,” Izuku said. “This house is way too big for me. Usually it just feels empty and cold, hot pool or not, but at times like this I love it. No one ever told me how fun it is to have friends over…” Mumbling under his breath he muttered “or to have friends at all, for that matter.”

“You…haven’t had friends before?” Ida asked.

“You didn’t realize that before?” Izuku asked and turned to look at the ceiling. “I haven’t had a real friend, at least not anyone my age, since I was four or five. There was this one teacher in my old school who was the closest friend I had. He is the one I could talk to when the bullying got too bad. We still keep in touch. Other than him and family I’ve been alone for a decade.”

“That sounds like an excellent teacher truly worthy of being called sensei,” Ida said and paused for a moment before continuing in a more serious tone. “How are you feeling now, about being lonely that is.”

“Right now, I can barely remember how it felt,” he said with a content smile and tilted his head to look at Shinso. “So don’t worry about being trouble and instead go check the minifridge.”

He nodded to the small fridge next to the pool. Shinso waddled to it to check the contents.

“Nice, you want anything?” He asked.

“Just sparkling water,” Izuku said.

“I’ll have the same please,” Ida requested politely. “We should avoid unhealthy drinks so as to be at our best during the entrance exams.”

“Good idea,” Shinso agreed as he came back with drinks and looked at Izuku. “Is there anything else you need?”

“You two in same school when people find out about my quirk.”

“I could say the same,” Shinso responded.

They were all quiet for a moment.

“I am sure if we continue training this intensely, it will happen.”

“If the exams are worth anything,” Izuku said, his smile threatening to slip back to a straight line. His line of thought was cut off as Shinso splashed water on his face again. Once Izuku brushed the water off his eyes he could see the other’s blank expression.

“We should leave that discussion for training time.”

“Sure,” Izuku agreed. “Wake me up when you get hungry.”

“Truth to be told, I have felt increasingly hungry for the past hour,” Ida said. “We shouldn’t leave dinner for too late. You don’t want to eat heavily just before going to sleep.”

“That is probably for the best,” Izuku said. “I got a personal goal to make Shinso sleep for at least eight hours.”

“Good luck with that,” Shinso muttered.

“I won’t give up until I do it,” Izuku promised, determination in his eyes. “Don’t even think about touching the coffee before morning.”

They stared for a moment until their self-control failed and both started chuckling. Eventually Izuku pulled himself to the edge of the pool.

“I’ll go order the food. There’s a nice sushi place I get food from often.”

He went back to where he had dropped his clothes. Getting out of the warm pool was not pleasant, but at least the house felt warmer than usually. He dug his phone from his bag, opened one of the several food ordering apps and ordered a giant sushi collection meant for ten. Smiling he went back to sit in the pool. 

“It’s going to be at least half an hour, probably more. Make sure to wash before then.”

They finished bathing just in time and were just coming out of the spa area in bathrobes when the food was delivered. Shinso sometimes jolted from sudden pains as he walked, but other than that they were enjoying themselves. Both Ida’s and Shinso’s jaws dropped as Izuku placed the literal piles of high-quality sushi on the large table.

“I doubt we can eat all of this,” Ida said.

“At least there isn’t a risk of going to bed hungry,” Izuku shrugged.

“You can say that again. I have never seen this much sushi in one place. That must have cost a small fortune.”

“Worth every yen,” Izuku declared smiling, “to see your faces. Have to do this again with a camera.”

Izuku sat down and despite the size of the table Shinso and Ida picked the seats right next to him. Izuku leaned back on his chair as the two started picking sushi, talking about which were their favourites.

“Totally worth it,” he muttered.

Eventually he too started eating, but they all started getting full with almost half of the food still left. Izuku looked at the entire plates of uneaten food

“I guess you were right Ida. We couldn’t finish it. I usually only order single portions.”

“Midoriya, I don’t want to intrude with your private life, but how much of the food you eat is delivery?”

“A lot,” Izuku said. “I cook sometimes, but I’m not really good at it. Mom used to make all our food... She loved cooking. I have never found anything as good as her katsudon.”

Izuku quieted to swallow and hold back tears.

“So, your father doesn’t cook for you.”

“You should have noticed by now. He doesn’t spend that much time here, usually just quick visits anytime his work permits.”

“Does he have a problem with your quirk too?” Shinso asked.

“What?” Izuku spun to face Shinso. “No! Dad has been the most supportive person with my quirk and… after the kidnapping attempt, he helped me get past it and control the Dragon Blade I got then. He never even questioned me for taking it.”

“That’s good,” Shinso said and turned to pick one more piece of sushi.

“Still seems wrong he leaves you to live so alone. All the times we have already been here we have never even seen the man,” Ida said.

“He has done everything he can for me,” Izuku said in a barely controlled tone, while recalling the correct lies to say, as much as he hated doing that to these two. “Sure he can’t stay home much, but that’s how we have a home at all, and he gets back whenever he can. Sometimes I go to Tokyo because he flies all the way back for such short amount of time it doesn’t make sense to come from the airport all the way here. You should understand Ida. Aren’t most people in your family pro-heroes? They are probably busy and have to go with the demands of their jobs first. Some jobs don’t fit well with a family.”

As expected, pointing to Ida’s own family stopped the taller teen from responding despite looking like he really wanted to. Izuku turned to face the food, sombre expression on his face.

“My family situation might not be perfect, but it isn’t something you should worry about. My real problems have always come from people outside my family.”

“Look at what you did Ida. Now he is sad again,” Shinso commented.

“Oh no, I apologise. It was not my intention. I merely wanted to express the same concern for your wellbeing you regularly show us…”

Even without looking Izuku could feel Ida swinging his arm like a robot next to his head. With Ida’s words he got some of his smile back. He gestured at the food.

“How about we carry the rest of this to the living room and start the movie?”

They didn’t make it to the large sofa before Izuku’s phone started ringing where they had left their bags after the bath. Wordlessly Shinso took the plate Izuku was carrying so he could go get the phone. He froze, recognizing the caller number as his father. Had something happened? His father knew he was with Shinso and Ida right now. Hesitantly Izuku answered and brought the phone to his ear. He made sure to talk excitedly.

“Hey, dad!”

Izuku held back from wincing as both Ida’s and Shinso’s heads perked up.

“Good evening son, how was your training today?

“Good, we trained till we could barely walk back. I just finished having dinner with Shinso and Ida.”

“Right. You know, as your father I should know them. If they are there you should let me talk with them.”

“Are you sure?” Izuku asked quietly after turning his back to his two guests, not wanting them to hear his concern.

“Of course. I should be interested in who my son brings home, even if it is not girls yet.”

“Dad-” Izuku said, making a good impression of a whiny teenager without even acting. He could hear a small chuckle from his father.

“Take the phone to them and put me on speaker or you don’t get to spend time with Kurogiri for a week.”

Izuku spun around and headed to the sofa.

“Guys! My father wants to talk with you.”

He placed his phone on the table next to their remaining sushi and put it on the speaker.

“You’re on speaker,” Izuku said and stepped back from the phone so his hero-hopeful friends could talk with the most prominent villain since quirks appeared. If he showed any nervousness, he hoped Shinso and Ida just thought he was nervous at them talking with his father for the first time.

“Thank you Izuku. Good evening, Ida and Shinso I believe?”

“Yes sir. I am Tenya Ida, it is an honour to talk with you,” Ida said with his usual formality and loudness.

“I’m Hitoshi Shinso,” Shinso said in calmer, more neutral tone, though it was missing some of the tiredness that usually characterized him.

“Interesting,” came from the other end of the line. “Even if you did not say your names, I would have known which was which from your voice and how Izuku described you.”

“I’m sure it’s because of how detailed descriptions he gave, or maybe he wrote full notebooks on us,” Shinso said.

Izuku’s father laughed at that.

“You are truly friends of Izuku, and for that you have my gratitude. He has always had a shine of positivity despite the difficulties of his life. I feared he lost it for good with his mother, but it returned brighter than ever as soon as he started talking about you two as his friends.”

Ida brushed his chin, seemingly deep in thought.

“I fear I cannot claim the honour for that. I saw what you are talking about after he joined my class, but never could change that even after months. It was only after we met Shinso that I have seen him smiling regularly.”

“Do not understate your importance. You were willing to stick around for months and try to be his friend even when he wasn’t yet ready for it. Their similar experiences might have brought Izuku closer to Shinso faster, but you showed him that he can count on someone of his age at least. For that you are always welcome at my house. Well, I suppose it’s Izuku’s house mostly. And speaking of Shinso... and his quirk…”

Izuku tensed and stepped closer to his indigo haired friend, who had also tensed.

“Your quirk is amazing. So much potential. I wish I could observe it myself, but I would be happy if you could overcome other people’s prejudices enough to show Izuku. I’m sure he would come up with even more ways to improve your use of it.”

“Even more?” Shinso asked, emphasising the “even”-part. Izuku turned to face away and after a few seconds walked to his backpack. He pulled out a notebook and returned to the sofa. Shinso and Ida had settled to the ends of the sofa so Izuku sat in between them with the notebook on his lap. Shinso leaned over to take a closer look.

“Friend Analysis to Help Them Improve Part 1,” he read out loud. “You’ve really been taking notes about us?”

“Of course he has,” his father said from the phone. “He is also extremely protective of that notebook specifically. Hasn’t even let his own father read it. Every child needs their private treasure I guess.”

“Dad,” Izuku begged as he seemed to shrink into the sofa.

“Fine, fine. It sounds like everything is fine there. Don’t stay up too late and you two make sure Izuku goes to sleep smiling.”

“We will do our best sir,” Ida declared. Izuku quickly picked up the phone.

“Good morning dad.”

“Sleep well son.”

Izuku ended the call and sat in silence for a moment.

“So,” Shinso said, “you have a whole notebook on us.”

“Yes,” Izuku admitted. “It is kind of a habit to take notes on people and their quirks. At first I just made small notes on my regular notebook. Then we started training together and I started taking notes about that and needed more space. Some of the notes are kind of personal so I haven’t shown it to anyone else.”

“Are you going to let us see what you have written?”

Izuku stared at the notebook for a moment, then held it in front of Shinso. Shinso raised his hand but hesitated.

“Take it. It is about you,” Izuku said. He dropped the notebook on Shinso’s lap and reached for the remote to get the movie night started. Shinso opened the notebook.

“Hmm… I didn’t think of that, though that doesn’t work,” Shinso mumbled and skipped to another page. “Oh, hmm.”

Both Izuku and Ida glanced at him as Izuku tried to remember everything he had written.

“Is something wrong?” Ida asked.

“Hmm,” Shinso leaned his head from side to side in thought. “Nothing we haven’t talked about today already. This is basically just a ‘Midoriya is happy to have friends and not hide his quirk’ page… next to the reasons to be friends with each of us pages. His father wasn’t wrong about you: ‘always there,’ ‘didn’t turn on me because of group pressure,’ ‘lectures too much but only for things I do not how I am.’ That part is underlined. Should I go on?”

“I don’t think that is necessary,” Ida responded as Izuku kept sinking into the sofa.

Shinso inched to sit a bit closer to Izuku and switched the notebook for the remote. Just as he was about to press play, he turned to stare at Izuku.

“We are going to talk about how my quirk works tomorrow.”

Before Izuku could agree Shinso’s focus returned to the screen, and he started the movie. A loud orchestral opening started playing from the sound system as text explaining the set-up of the movie flowed across space. Sometime later the hero left his destroyed home with an old mentor and arrived in a shady town with soldiers waiting. The mentor simply waved his hand and used his power to control the soldier’s mind and they were allowed to pass despite having just what the soldiers were searching for.

“See, brainwashing can be really useful for doing good,” Izuku said.

“Riight,” Shinso muttered. “Did you pick the movie for this?”

“I also like it. It’s a classic.”

“So you did,” Shinso said and looked away while holding one hand against the back of his neck.

“Just saying. I know who I want with me if I ever run into a roadblock,” Izuku said and looked at the screen again. “I wonder how it feels to them.”

“Huh?”

“To be brainwashed like that… or by your quirk. You know you’ll need to use it on me if you want me to figure how to properly help you.”

“Maybe, but…” Shinso muttered, staring at Izuku, stunned and maybe a little afraid. “Are you sure? You’d be at my quirk’s mercy.”

“Shinso,” Izuku looked up at his friend, “I let you stay overnight in my house with a kitchen full of knives and will probably fall asleep before you do. I’m not worried that you would abuse your quirk while we are all awake and together. Forget anything anyone else has said about it. You’ll never become a hero if you let people like that hold you back.”

Shinso still hesitated but Izuku was already subjecting the brainwasher to his “pleading friend eyes” so Shinso had no chance to refuse.

“Yeah, you’re right,” Shinso admitted and drew a deep breath. “Do you really want me to brainwash you?”

“Yes, I…” Izuku fell silent mid-sentence. He was still conscious, sort of, but everything was foggy and unclear like his very mind was full of fog. Someone’s head leaned in front of him and then something moved back and forth in front of his eyes. People were talking but he couldn’t quite make out the words.

Suddenly his hand moved and flicked his forehead with a finger. The world cleared in an instant. Izuku blinked.

“That,” he gasped, “was really strange.”

“Sorry,” Shinso said, “but you…”

“Don’t apologise,” Izuku intervened, “I didn’t say it was bad, and yes I asked for it.”

The next moment the friend-notebook was open and a pen appeared in Izuku’s hand. The movie forgotten, he started scribbling notes to record the experience while it was still fresh in his mind. Everything else around him hardly existed.

“For the record, I didn’t make him do this,” Shinso’s voice said somewhere.

“Don’t worry. This happened occasionally before we even met you.”

Both of them leaned over Izuku to read see what he was writing closing Izuku between them as their bodies brushed against him. For someone that most people had either dismissed or avoided aggressively for most of his life the sensation was new and welcome one.

Eventually he stopped writing and they finished watching the movie.

“We should go to sleep now so we are sharp tomorrow,” Ida declared. Izuku collected the plates, still some sushi on them, and headed for the kitchen. Ida and Shinso leaned down to open the sofa as a bed. Izuku turned around.

“You don’t need to do that. I’ve gotten something better since last week.”

“Because of course you did,” Shinso said and the two followed Izuku after taking away the plates. He led them upstairs to one of the formerly empty large bedrooms. What had his father even been thinking when he picked the house? There was just too much of nothing with only echoes to keep Izuku company, usually. As he pulled open the door, he was thankful for one more room to fill with three more beds, not just beds but wide high-quality beds arranged with their head ends spreading out from a low triangular table in the middle of it all. Izuku turned around and gestured the duo to enter.

“Welcome to the sleepover room. No sofas or floors for my friends.” 

“You never cease to surprise me,” Shinso said as he stepped in and held the back of his neck in a familiar gesture. “So we are all going to sleep in here?”

“If you are okay with it,” Izuku responded. “You can use my room if you want to be alone.”

“No, no, I’ll be okay as long as you don’t snore.”

Izuku nodded with a smile on his face and turned to Ida.

“How about you.”

“Of course I will not refuse your generous effort to make us comfortable and strengthen the bonds of our friendship. Though I have to say your efforts are more than anyone could reasonably expect from you. You should not feel pressured to put such effort into our friendships.”

“True,” Shinso said, “we aren’t your friends to get sushi or a good night sleep. Well, the latter would be nice if you manage to pull it off.”

“Shinso,” Ida remarked, but the indigo-haired teen just shrugged.

“I’m just telling the truth. Friends shouldn’t lie to each other.”

Izuku froze in place, suddenly feeling terrible. Friends didn’t lie to each other, so could Izuku ever be a true friend to them? Tears glinted in his eyes, about to burst out. Both Ida and Shinso stared at him.

“I swear it’s not me,” Shinso said. Ida didn’t have time to comment as Izuku moved forward between them and brought his arms around them.

“Oh,” they said in unison, misunderstanding Izuku’s reaction at least partially. Nevertheless they accepted the gesture. Slowly Izuku’s breathing calmed. He stood back and turned away from the two.

“Sorry. That was embarrassing.”

“I don’t know,” Shinso said. “It was kind of nice.”

“Anyway, we should get ready to sleep so I can keep my promise to you,” Izuku said, still facing away. “I won’t hesitate to withhold morning coffee if you take too long.”

Quick footsteps moved to the adjacent bathroom. A few seconds later they came back and Shinso pulled his Toothbrush and pyjamas from his backpack before leaving again just as fast. Izuku and Ida chuckled.

“I don’t usually support blackmail, but…” Ida started.

“It is for a good cause,” Izuku finished still lacking the cheerfulness he should have had.

They followed Shinso together to the bathroom and soon got to the beds. Izuku loved going to sleep with fresh clean sheets after bathing. With friends it was infinitely better. He turned off the lights and got onto the last free bed. He turned on his side to face Shinso.

“Feeling like sleeping yet?”

“No,” Shinso sighed. “I feel more awake than when we left the bath.”

“Sleeping difficulties are truly a nuisance,” Ida commented. “My brother often misses sleep, though that is just because of his work. Unfortunately humans cannot simply order themselves to sleep.”

Izuku’s head perked up as Ida’s words sunk in.

“Maybe we can,” he said. “Shinso, can you use your brainwashing to order someone to sleep?”

“Well, maybe. I have not tried to use it like that. It might not since people can’t normally choose to fall asleep, but I don’t completely understand all of the limits of my quirk.”

“Don’t worry,” Izuku assured got back to sitting position. “We are going to figure them out starting with this, but for that…”

Izuku fell silent and looked down, rubbing his hands together.

“Can I borrow your quirk?”

“What?” Shinso and Ida asked at the same time.

“I understand if you don’t want to. I just thought if it can make people fall asleep I could borrow it and use it on you. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked just like that.”

“Do it,” Shinso said. Izuku blinked.

“Are you sure?”

“You trusted me enough to let me in your house and willingly let me brainwash you before. I think I can trust you with my quirk,” Shinso said. “Full night sleep would be nice too.”

“Okay,” Izuku said and breathed in deep. “I have only done this a few times, but it shouldn’t hurt. Probably better if you stay relaxed.”

Izuku reached out with his hand and put it on Shinso’s head, amazed as he just lied down relaxed, head on his pillow. He didn’t even flinch as Izuku’s quirk-taking hand pressed against his head. Izuku focused on his All For One, seeking out the quirk within his friend and pulling it away, as gently as he could. A moment later he pulled his hand away, feeling the new sensation deep within himself, but ignored it in favour of his friend.

“How are you feeling?” Izuku asked.

“Strange. I want to say I don’t feel anything different, but there is this vague sensation that everything isn’t right. Can you respond to me?”

“Of course,” Izuku said. Shinso stared him for a long moment before turning his head to look at the ceiling again.

“You really took it away. It’s strange. For most of my life I wished I could get rid of my quirk. Now I actually feel like I’ve lost something.”

“Not lost,” Izuku assured and brought a hand to his chest. “Just loaned to a friend. It is still right here. Want to tell me how to use it?”

“It’s simple. You have to focus on the person you want to brainwash while you are talking to them. If you get a response there is this feeling and you only need to… pull on it. You have to be quick. The moment only lasts for an instant when the target starts responding.”

“Okay,” Izuku responded and focused on Shinso with all the effort his tired brain could muster. “Can I make you sleep?”

“Yes,” Shinso responded. They were quiet for a moment before he turned his head to look at Izuku again. “You missed it.”

“I felt it, but couldn’t grasp it in time,” Izuku said. “Can I try again?”

“Sure.”

It took many more tries, but then on one try Izuku could feel something snap the instant his mind reached for the strange feeling.

“Shinso?” He asked quietly. There was no response. He reached over and in the dark barely saw Shinso staring at the ceiling with empty eyes. Ida joined Izuku with a stunned look.

“I have to admit, part of me has always doubted if your quirk could actually do what you said. Not anymore.”

Izuku didn’t respond, having to focus on the brainwashing.

“Shinso, go to sleep.”

For a few seconds nothing happened. Then Shinso’s eyes closed and his breathing calmed. Neither Izuku or Ida said anything, not wanting to wake up their friend. Izuku placed his hand on Shinso’s forehead and returned the quirk before laying back down. He was holding back tears, this time tears of happiness for being able to help someone with his quirk, and that someone allowing him to. The only one to ever do that before was… his mom.

Izuku wiped his eyes on the edge of his blanket, hoping Ida didn’t notice. He laid still, the silence of the large house only broken by the calm breathing of people who stayed there with him willingly. Izuku wished he could have told them everything, but had to settle with doing his best to help them pursue their dreams. After a tiring day he soon fell asleep, almost as fast as if he got brainwashed.

…

Izuku stood in the middle of a street alone, his field of view filled by flames and a large green blob of sludge. His mother’s head hung out of the sludge, struggling to breath as the villain squeezed her from outside and inside. There were heroes around. Izuku screamed at them to help but they only saved people that were nowhere near the villain in the first place. Death Arms tried a single punch just for show, then went to pick up people who were already out of danger, able to just walk away on their own if they wanted, and carried them to a further distance, passing in front of the cameras to be sure they saw him acting “heroically”. Izuku turned to face the villain and desperately clawed against the sludge to get to his mom, but it was futile. His mom suddenly snapped upwards and there was a loud crack. The world froze still, literary. Nothing moved except Izuku as he fell on his knees. Then the sludge was gone and he could really see his mother with All Might standing right on top of him, arm raised as if he had achieved some great victory. Neither he nor the flashing cameras cared about the corpse or her son who was flooding the street.

“Midoriya. Midoriya!... Izuku!”

Izuku’s eyes jolted open. The towering rage inducing form of All Might was replaced by two concerned faces hovering over Izuku’s. His rapid breathing slowly calmed back to normal as the two gave him space without leaving the side of his bed. Izuku brought his hand to his forehead, biting his teeth together.

“Don’t tell me I had the nightmare and woke you up.”

“I could, but I already said friends shouldn’t lie so it would be hypocritical,” Shinso said.

“You were shouting about your mom and telling someone to help her, something about people supposing to be heroes, and you were just about to say something about All Might when Shinso woke you up,” Ida added.

“I saw her death,” Izuku admitted. “I wasn’t even there but I keep getting dreams several times a week witnessing it.”

“What h…” Shinso started but fell silent as Ida raised his hand and shook his head. He looked at Izuku.

“I know your mother’s death is a difficult topic and you don’t want to talk about it. We won’t make you.”

Izuku lowered his hand and stared at the two. After a long silence he sniffed and reached over his head to get his phone. His hands began shaking as he pulled up the video saved in the phone. The screen was still cracked as reminder from when he first saw the video.

He handed the phone to Ida and pulled a pillow over his face, covering his ears with his hands. He could still hear the muffled sounds of the video and his friends talking. He stayed like that until the pillow, already soaked, was pulled from his face and a dry one was put under his head. Shinso leaned over him.

“Izuku,” he whispered.

“Yes Sh… Hitoshi.”

Izuku’s thoughts became foggy as the brainwashing took over.

“Go back to sleep Izuku,” Hitoshi commanded and there was nothing Izuku could have done to resist even if he wanted to.

At the last second, he realized he had wanted to make Hitoshi fall asleep again after waking him up, but it was already too late as sleep took over.

At least Hitoshi had used his power without needing to be convinced to. Despite the brainwashing Izuku’s lips briefly twitched upwards.

Chapter Text

Their training for the entrance exam was finally over as the happy, tired trio left their usual training spot. The entrance exams were only a few days away so whatever happened, they could take the next weekend off just to have fun. Unfortunately, they needed to see Hitoshi off for this weekend first, the worst part of every weekend for the past few months. It didn’t help that they had worked up plenty of sweat and the February weather did not suit that well.

Luckily one of them had blowtorches for hands when there weren’t too many people or police close by. Even the ever law-abiding Tenya moved in closer to the heat, covering the fire from being seen in the process.

“Thank you,” he said.

“Can’t risk any of us getting sick right before the exams,” Izuku said. “At least Toshi is going to get into a warm train soon.”

“And then the next time we meet is going to be at the entrance exams,” Hitoshi said. “I can barely believe it. The last couple of months have gone so fast, and thanks to you two I feel like I actually have a chance to get into the hero course… maybe.”

“I believe you will, unless they really go out of their way to discriminate against your quirk,” Izuku said. “The reason I applied at UA is to keep our group together.”

“But we don’t even go to the same school now,” Hitoshi reminded.

“And we only meet during weekends,” Izuku shot back. “Though it did give a good excuse to have you stay over some nights. I hope you will do that even if we go to the same school, or even the same class. There are some people who we might come across at UA, and I will need some friendly faces around if we do.”

“Are you talking about Bakugo?” Tenya asked. “To think someone like him could be accepted into UA.”

“Yeah,” Izuku answered. “Unfortunately his quirk and fighting talents are no joke, and he is smart enough to pass written exams. I’d be surprised if he didn’t get in.”

“Surely UA would vet hero students better than that,” Tenya insisted.

“They might ask for records from the previous school, but I wouldn’t trust Aldera’s records. They didn’t bother intervening with him, I doubt they recorded anything their prize student did. Sometimes…” Izuku paused for a moment. His fires disappeared. “Sometimes I wish the sludge villain killed him instead of mom.”

The trio stopped as Izuku confessed his feelings.

“That wasn’t a very heroic thing to say,” Tenya said, “though I can understand where it came from, a bit.”

Izuku sighed and kept walking as Hitoshi and Tenya kept up with him.

“I have never pretended to be a hero. Well, not in many years,” Izuku answered. Tenya opened his mouth to say something, but couldn’t.

“Don’t let Tenya scare you. You can say what you feel,” Hitoshi said, “and if the exams go well, you won’t be dealing with Mr. Boom-Boom alone.”

Izuku chuckled. “Are you trying to come up with ways to provoke him into falling for your quirk?”

“Maybe.”

“Because if you actually say that to his face, I’ll make dad pay for the funeral.”

Hitoshi and Tenya both stared at him with some shock, especially Hitoshi. Izuku looked at them with a blank stare. Slowly Hitoshi started chuckling and it turned out to be contagious.

“Yeah,” Izuku said when they calmed down. His tone became more serious “I was only partially joking. He has gotten physically violent many times, especially before my quirk manifested. Considering how much stronger he must have gotten since then, you should be careful around him. Ten might be fast enough to get out of the way but Toshi, you aren’t.”

“Ten?” Tenya asked.

“Is that what you picked for him?” Hitoshi asked with a grin. Izuku rubbed his chin.

“I thought I did, but it doesn’t sound right, not as good as Toshi. Tenya’s name is hard that way.”

“Unlike yours… Izu, or did you prefer Zuku?” Shinso teased.

“Please no,” Izuku pleaded. “Those sound too cutesy, like we were dating or something. This isn’t some love story. I didn’t buy three beds to share one with you… No offence.”

“How could I ever take offence on my dear Izu?” Hitoshi teased.

That made all of them smirk, until they turned a corner and saw the station. Izuku’s mood quickly dropped. He turned to face Hitoshi.

“See you at the exams. Try to sleep before then Toshi or I’ll take your quirk and make you sleep ‘till the next semester starts.”

“Is that supposed to be a threat? Because it sounds great,” Hitoshi responded. “Well, I should hurry. The train is leaving.”

“Don’t miss it for us,” Tenya added, and the trio separated. Izuku was left with Tenya. He checked his watch.

“Can you get home without freezing?” He asked Tenya. “I need to run some errands.”

“Don’t’ worry about me. See you tomorrow at school.”

“Hey, watch where you are walking... Oh look, this guy wants a fight. You seem to struggle just standing straight.”

A trio of shady looking young men probably on drugs were standing in front of Hitoshi seemingly having come from an alleyway next to them and made Hitoshi evade ready to counterattack like Izuku had trained him. Two of the three were walking around Hitoshi to trap him. The apparent ringleader held his fingers together and his hand formed into a metallic looking blade he held up towards Hitoshi’s neck.

“You must be very sorry about getting in our way. Maybe enough to pay us as an apology and get away with only little pain.” He raised the blade into a strike. “Would be a shame if someone had to tell your mom you…”

He stopped to scream as an arrow of flames struck his transformed hand and had no time to even realize what was going on as Izuku’s shoe met his chin. The walking corpse fell on his back and before his fellow dead men could get involved, Izuku’s Dragon Blade was already lit and moving towards the man’s neck.

“Izuku,” Hitoshi shouted.

The blade stopped millimetres from the man’s neck as Izuku was left on top of him breathing hard, one little twitch away from taking a life. Slowly his stare hardened even as the man under him started trembling more.

“Tell his mom what?”

“No… nothing, it’s just a big misunderstanding.”

“Really, didn’t look like it to me.”

Izuku wanted to say more, but at that moment a hand landed on his shoulder.

“Izuku, breathe,” Hitoshi said. “Let me talk to him.”

Izuku breathed in deep once and pulled his Dragon Blade further away from the man’s neck.

“Do you want to live?” Hitoshi asked the man.

“Of co….”

Hitoshi’s quirk took hold of the man and his eyes glazed over staring ahead into emptiness. Izuku got off him and checked the other two. One was similarly staring into nothingness. Other was very consciously staring at his brainwashed co-criminals looking terrified and restrained by Tenya. Izuku focused on him with a stare that still promised death if he made a single wrong move while pointing at Hitoshi.

“My friend will talk to you, and you will respond, or I will find a more painful way to finish this.”

The last thug nodded several times in a few seconds and a moment later all three were standing next to the wall staring into nothingness. Izuku could focus on Hitoshi.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes, I would be more worried for you.”

Hitoshi’s expression turned sterner.

“Izuku, it looked like you were going to…”

“He was going to attack you.”

“Izuku… were you going to,” Hitoshi paused, “kill him?”

Izuku looked away and at the ground unwilling to face either of his friends.

“I… maybe. It all went so quickly. I was only focused on how to take him down. Can’t even remember anything else before you stopped me.”

A police car curved on the street sirens screaming. Izuku picked up his phone.

“Not a good time to talk about it. I’ll handle this situation.”

He had a lawyer on the phone before the police stopped to find criminals standing in line ready to be arrested. The whole thing took a while to settle but at least they didn’t get arrested for illegal quirk use. Yes Izuku saving his friend from getting stabbed and Hitoshi nonviolently restraining the criminals was bigger concern to the police than actually taking the scum away.

In the end Hitoshi only missed two trains and with Tenya walking home Izuku was left alone, for just a moment. He had to hurry. He left the station and walked until he found an empty alley with enough cover from curious eyes. After sending a quick text with coordinates, a vortex of dark mist appeared in front of him forming into a warp gate. In a few steps he was back at his usual training room, sweating even more after suddenly transferring into a much warmer space.

“I need to wash and get changed.”

“Please be quick young Shigaraki. You don’t want to be late.”

“With you it would be hard to,” Izuku remarked and walked out towards the shower room. There were no long baths with friends here and in less than ten minutes he was already placing his helmet on. He glanced at a mirror before leaving the dressing room. He literally looked like an officer to an army of shadows. How would Hitoshi and Tenya react to seeing him like that? Izuku sighed. Maybe he wasn’t meant to have pure happiness without the danger and lies of living two parallel lives.

At least both sides of his life now had something, some people, to live for.

Izuku smiled under his helmet as he returned to the training room where Kurogiri was still waiting. As long as he could keep these four people, including the Nomu, safe and happy, he could be happy. Whether it was pure or not hardly mattered.

“Are you ready?” Kurogiri asked and handed Izuku a suitcase.

“Yes, let’s get this done. Dad doesn’t like if I’m late for the evening training. He’s planning something special before the entrance exams.”

Kurogiri didn’t even make a move, but a warp gate appeared next to him. In an instant they were on a parking lot full of trucks. It was a good place to hide stuff while keeping it easily transportable, and no one was hanging around there, especially after sundown. Izuku didn’t delude himself by assuming no one could see him though and made sure to stand straight, not allowing any uncertainty into his body language. The one exception to keeping appearances was when he talked to Kurogiri, making sure to not order or demand anything.

“Kurogiri, could you go somewhere where you can look over me from a distance?”

“Yes.”

The word was barely said as Izuku felt the Nomu’s presence disappear. He checked the communication system of his helmet and stayed still until he heard a car approaching slowly. The car stopped for just long enough for a man to step out before continuing away. Izuku stepped out from between the trucks to face the middle-aged man with eyeglasses and a lit tobacco hanging from his mouth.

“Giran, I assume,” Izuku said, his voice altered by the helmet.

“And you would be… Shigaraki I hear?” Giran responded.

“One of us yes.”

“I figured. That helmet would be quite a change of style from a hand on your face.”

“You are thinking about my brother. I trust you don’t a have problem dealing with me instead.”

“Nope, at least not based on first impressions. I heard your brother can be bratty. I am glad to deal with someone more… mature. I have acquired the first batch of the materials you requested, if you have my payment.”

“I have,” Izuku said and opened the suitcase. It was filled with money and a flash drive with confidential data on new support items his father had acquired. “I’m guessing you’ve hidden your products in one of these trucks.”

“Yes, oh I love dealing with bright individuals, at least after the price has been negotiated,” Giran said. “Though that comes with some interesting requests. Usually people want weapons, support items or even new recruits. Advanced medical research equipment and strange chemicals are something else.”

“I’ve been told you are good at keeping your client information secret, but don’t try to pry for information you don’t need. The League is interested in dealing with you again in the future, including for those more… conventional purchases, so long as you mind only what you need to know.”

“Sounds good to me. This way.”

Giran turned around and led Izuku past a row of trucks, seemingly not even paying attention to where he was going as he chatted with Izuku.

“I’ve been hoping to meet you for a while, well not you personally, but I have heard whispers of this League of yours for a while, and about your brother. Many people that have talked about you seem to pass you as couple of crazies who have managed to gather a small army of small-timers with big promises, but seems there is more than meets the eye, and I don’t just mean there being two Shigarakis, although one just appeared recently. Did you just get into the game or have you worked under a different name?”

Izuku deemed it best to remain quiet rather than risk trying to come up with an appropriate response, voice changer or not. Giran had already figured too much. Izuku didn’t want to unintentionally give him more information. Giran waited for a moment before giving up on that question.

“Do you even have a name?” ¨

“I go by Shirokuro Shigaraki,” Izuku responded.

“I can see the black. Where is the white?”

“The casket,” Izuku gave the first part of the response he had thought up ahead of time for his role as Shirokuro, black and white.

“The casket?” Giran asked just as planned.

“The one you will be cremated in if you fail our trust.”

“Ah, I see where you got the name,” Giran stopped. “We are here.”

He turned behind a truck next to them and opened its rear to reveal several large liquid containers and a large amount of advanced looking scientific and medical machinery. Izuku had no doubts that they were for the doctor to create more Nomus, though some might be used to help his father. For that alone Izuku had to complete his mission. He grabbed the side of the truck and leaped onboard with a single fluid motion. His helmet had the list of things that were supposed to be there, so the only problem was recognizing the devices listed on his HUD. Without night vision it would have been impossible.

“Everything seems to be in order, but we will see how they actually work. Just need to be transported now.”

“I can have the truck delivered in any location within 100km and left alone long enough to be emptied.”

“That won’t be necessary,” Izuku responded and jumped off the truck. His helmet’s inbuilt radio had been active since the beginning. “It is all here. You can pick it up.”

Giran blinked, looking at him curiously, but Izuku only handed him the suitcase and raised his other hand to point into the open truck. A large warp gate had already opened and was spreading dark mist across the space. Kurogiri’s voice came from inside it.

“It will take a moment to transport this much, young Shigaraki.”

“That’s fine,” Izuku responded. “You’re still faster than anyone else. Don’t stress your quirk unnecessarily.”

“Well, isn’t that nice,” Giran said. “Most people in this business don’t treat their people that softly.”

“He is one of the few people I can count on with irreplaceable abilities. Why would I treat him anything but well?”

“You are interesting person. I suspect the darkness of this world will either tear you apart or learn to fear you.”

Izuku saw it best not to answer so as not to feed the man’s interest or risk saying anything he would regret. This man was perceptive, meanwhile Izuku hadn’t been able to find out much more than that about him. He had a lot to learn.

“Either way, if you need gear or people, you know who to call, as long as you can afford to pay.”

“I’ll remember that,” Izuku responded, and at the last moment had another thought. Tomura would be livid if he found out though. “If you want a tip, you should be ready when the League starts getting more attention and see if you can identify anyone whose interests might align. The League is growing in numbers but could use a few more carefully chosen, powerful individuals interested in changing this country.”

“That sounds like you have big plans. I will keep your tip in mind… Seems your friend is finished.”

Izuku glanced at the truck where Kurogiri now stood in the otherwise empty space. Giran walked past Izuku.

“Close the door after yourself will ya? I’ll wait for your next contact.”

Izuku stood in place quietly until he was sure Giran had left and gotten far enough away. Kurogiri stepped down from the truck and waited quietly next to him. Still not saying a word Izuku pulled the door closed. There was no sign of anyone nearby.

“Time to go,” he finally said.

“I shall send you straight to master as he requested.”

Izuku nodded in response. A warp gate opened in front of him, and he stepped in.

“Remember to always be aware of your surroundings,” Kurogiri said just as Izuku stepped through the gate.

“What…?”

He stepped into the usual training room. There was movement on his side and he jumped out of the way just in time before a hand struck through the space he had just occupied, brushing against the protective fabric of his sleeve. It was a hand with elongated, sharp nails, from what he could observe. He didn’t have time for anything else as the owner of the hand charged at him again, striking and slashing at a great speed. Izuku barely dodged the barrage and got a tiny bit of breathing room when the sharp-nailed hand struck a shield of fire. The yelp of pain was the first sound the woman had made. Izuku just breathed audibly. He didn’t have energy for this after a day of training.

With a few steps to put some space between him and his attacker, Izuku could finally worry about what was going on. How had this woman gotten inside and why? Was his father okay? Izuku didn’t recognize the woman as any hero he knew of either. He turned a bit as he evaded a new attack and finally noticed his father in a dark corner of the room. He brought the shield up to deflect another strike but this time the attacking woman was prepared and pulled her hand back, then jumped back when Izuku slashed at her with a flaming blade stretched to its max length.

“Dad, what is going on?”

“Your exam. Despite all of the training you’ve had, you have never experienced a true battle with another human… to the end. Better do that here to harden you in case you have to face the same out there.”

“Are you kidding?”

“Do I joke about these things? This is the minimum requirement just to be capable of surviving in this world and completing your missions.” As All For One spoke the woman started attacking Izuku again, making paying attention to his father quite difficult. “Your opponent is not in here out of her own free will. I gave her only two options, kill and be rewarded or be killed. She won’t hold anything back. You have to kill her to stop her.”

“You told her to kill me?!” Izuku shouted as he slashed at the woman again. She was slippery and flexible like an eel and had manged to avoid every strike Izuku had thrown at her, including a hellfire arrow.

“Yes, not that she could. Also, you used the wrong quirks, so I wouldn’t let her get away if I were you.”

Izuku cursed internally and right as he was distracted the woman struck. Her unnaturally long and sharp nails cut into Izuku’s wrist right between the sleeve and glove, drawing a surprised yelp from Izuku, but the cut was nothing compared to what came next. A burning agony radiated through Izuku’s arm that fell down completely lax. The pain quickly spread throughout his body as all of his limbs failed and he collapsed into a twitching mess on the floor. The burning had spread all across his body like his very blood was boiling. He couldn’t shout, just whine quietly. The only things working properly were his eyes and even those felt hot. The woman stood over him with a manic, outright bloodthirsty grin.

“You might not be a quirkless monkey, but I still love it when people keep twitching like fish out of water.

“Oh right,” his father said with an exaggerated high tone, “I forgot to introduce her. This lovely lady is known as Yūi. You might have heard of her in the news. Likes to torture and kill quirkless people.”

“Those monkeys are like an anchor holding back the evolution of humanity,” Yūi said, “I think it’s only fair I get to have some fun with them while working to clean the gene pool. My venomous nails paralyze them and when I get tired of letting the venom cause all the pain, I might make some art out of them. You actually remind me of a kid I dealt with a few weeks back.”

With every word Yūi said Izuku felt such a mix of disgust and rage, he barely noticed the pain anymore.

“Now isn’t that interesting Shirokuro,” his father said to him. “Can you see why I picked her? Imagine all she will do with her quirk after leaving here if you lose.”

Slowly seething, Izuku realized it wasn’t just his anger. The pain as bad as it was, wasn’t as paralyzingly bad as before. He tried wiggling his toes.

“He has already lost,” Yūi said and stepped closer to Izuku, raising her hand, fingers and their nails extended. “Even with that scratch he will be paralyzed for a few more minutes. Last chance to change your mind on making me kill hi….” She screamed in pain as a blade of fire pierced straight through her calf.

In a second Izuku pushed himself off the ground, pulled his feet back under him and bounced up to deliver an uppercut with every ounce of strength in his body. The monster in front of him somehow held her balance for a moment and her hand was already approaching Izuku. There wasn’t even time to consider options of what to do. There was only enough time to activate his quirk.

A hand hit the ground an instant before its owner’s back. Screaming Yūi was holding the scorched stump of her right hand with her left. The nails of her remaining hand dripped a little bit of their poison as she gripped her damaged arm, but most people were immune to their own quirk. Grimacing from the pain, Izuku grabbed her remaining arm with one hand and slammed the other against her face.

Of course, it wasn’t that easy. She was flexible enough to kick Izuku back even from that position and even after all of Izuku’s training, her strength was nothing to ignore, especially when she started panicking. Izuku hardly distinguished all that from the pain he was already feeling. She was so tense and unconsciously resisting Izuku’s All For One that it couldn’t have been pleasant to her either, alongside the dismemberment of course.

Soon Izuku’s pain waned away while Yūi’s resistance grew equally fiercer. She was actually using her cut stump of an arm to punch Izuku, who was glad for his helmet. She was still fighting with her remaining fingers extended but when they hit Izuku’s hand it was just a poke. Her nails had shrunk to a normal size and the attack only hurt her own fingers. She finally stopped moving, staring at Izuku in horror.

“How do you like being quirkless?” Izuku asked coldly, no longer the least bit worried for his safety. He took off one of his gloves and with some focus was able to find the quirk within himself. His nails slowly grew longer and stronger and he could feel the venom building up under them. He made sure to show them to Yūi while lighting a Dragon Blade on the other. With vibration applied to it he was actually using three quirks.

“It’s time to finish this son,” his father said. “You wouldn’t want for her to get away with what she now knows… Izuku.”

Izuku froze. If his father intended to encourage him to act it had backfired. Izuku hesitated. What was he supposed to do? He couldn’t just…

Yūi’s stare turned from horror to one of desperation and she bounced with a scream, going straight for Izuku’s throat. He dodged it almost as easily as Hitoshi’s attacks but also swung forward with his blade as he had trained to do with the nomus. The scream ended with a gasp. The hand that had reached for Izuku fell down and both their eyes turned down where the dragon blade went in through Yūi’s chest and out of her back. Her legs failed and as she fell forward the blade kept cutting until it came out of Yūi’s shoulder and she slumped on the floor. Izuku stepped back. His quirks disappeared from his shaking hands. He fell on his knees in front of the corpse, gasping for air. The only thing that stopped him from vomiting was the inbuilt gas mask in his helmet. He could only imagine the stench of the burnt flesh and blood.

An arm landed on his shoulders. Another circled behind his back and pulled him against another body and up from the ground.

“You did well. I am sorry, but this was necessary to prepare you for the world we exist in. Now you are ready,” his father whispered while carrying Izuku. Izuku’s gasping breath turned into whimpering as tears started blurring his vision.

“Kurogiri,” his father commanded, and darkness encased them.

Chapter Text

Izuku looked up at the UA wall and the tall buildings behind it with empty eyes. If the people around knew all that he had done… Was it really right for him to be here?

“Izuku!” A familiar voice called to him. Izuku turned towards it and responded.

“Toshi?”

Right or wrong, coming here was his best option. Izuku joined his friend and spotted Tenya inside the gate.

“Hey TN!” Izuku shouted, but the taller teen didn’t respond. Izuku looked at Hitoshi.

“I don’t think that’s it,” Hitoshi responded. Izuku pulled out his friend notebook and crossed out the name idea. By the time he got the notebook back into his backpack they had already reached Tenya. Izuku glanced at Hitoshi.

“How have you rested for the exam?”

“Better than you from the look of things.”

“Huh?” Izuku stared at Hitoshi, uncertain about what to say.

“You look like you haven’t slept since the last time we met up. I would know.”

“Hitoshi is correct. You have seemed increasingly tired and quiet for the past few days,” Tenya said. “It is a very bad time to be tired even with your skill. Is this about the incident on Sunday, or did something else happen?”

Unknown to Ida, the words stung Izuku. They would hate him if they knew.

“Uh, n… nothing happened,” he stuttered for the first time in a long while.

“You think so lowly about us that you think we would believe that.” Shinso poked Izuku’s shoulder.

“It’s really nothing… The whole UA and entrance exams and All Might being a teacher here and I saw Death Arms in the news bragging about how he’d save anyone in need. I’ve gone through every nightmare in the past few nights, including one where that guy on Sunday managed to…” Izuku paused. He was only partially lying. “And then there is…”

“What the hell are you doing here villain!?”

Izuku froze mid-sentence. After a brief shock his expression turned even more tired than it had been, undoing whatever impact Hitoshi’s and Tenya’s presence had. He turned around to face Katsuki Bakugo for the first time in ten months, since the walking garbage fire had told him to kill himself.

“What do you think?” He asked.

“I told you I was going to be only person from our school to get in UA. Don’t think that has changed just because you left for a few months! Do you really think they would even consider having a villain like you in this school?”

“I could ask you the same?” Midoriya asked. His expression was blank, but he had inched closer to his friends. Whether it was to feel safer or be ready to protect them wasn’t completely clear even to himself. Bakugo stared at him, even angrier than before.

“What are you blabbering nerd.”

“He is saying that it is your actions that are villainous, and not worthy of a hero, not Izuku’s,” Tenya said, waving his hand.

“Oh, what would you extras know about either of us?” Bakugo said.

“Everything relevant,” Hitoshi interjected. “Yes, that includes his quirk and everything you have done for the past ten years. Your idea of a hero has to be pretty twisted to think you could be one.”

“Really, you claim you know what this Deku’s quirk is about, but you have no idea. You haven’t actually experienced it.”

“Yes I have,“ Hitoshi said. Bakugo froze, staring at him. “Izuku has borrowed my quirk several times and helped me a lot with it. I don’t’ see what the big deal is. Felt a bit strange being quirkless the first time, but it didn’t bother me much.”

Bakugo’s eye twitched and he turned away with a huff.

“Not sure what he has done to you to make you spout garbage like that, but it’s not like that was going to matter. You’re not allowed to attack other applicants during the test and there’s no way that nerd is going to pass without using a quirk. Not that the school would accept someone like him. Just wait till they realize what his quirk does.”

“Actually,” Izuku said, having gained some composure and positioned himself in front of Hitoshi. “The principal already knows and encouraged all of us to apply. We had tea and spoke with him, right after he banned a couple of bullies like you from even applying. This isn’t Aldera Bakugo. You aren’t a big fish in a small stale swamp anymore and you aren’t the best at everything.”

Surprisingly Bakugo didn’t explode or even respond to that, just walking away without a word. Perhaps mentioning the principal had been the right choice even though they weren’t as acquainted as he had made them out to be.

Izuku staggered back as soon as the blond-haired bomb stepped inside and disappeared out of sight. Luckily Tenya caught him before anything big enough to get attention happened. “Are you okay?” He asked.

“Yeah,” Izuku said. “I’ve never talked to him or heard anyone else talk to him like that. It’s… I don’t know how to feel.”

“You can feel like you stood up to a bully once again, but you shouldn’t think about it too much. Today we all have to focus on one thing,” Tenya encouraged.

“And that is getting a higher score than him,” Hitoshi added. “You said he thinks he is best at everything. The best way to teach him a lesson is scoring higher than him.”

“That is not what we are here to do,” Tenya interrupted. “We should focus on doing the best we can to gain admittance to the school.”

“And that requires getting the best possible score, same as teaching that guy a lesson,” Hitoshi said.

“I like the idea,” Izuku said. “I can’t think of a better way to teach him a lesson, not legally, if I can do it.”

“We’ll I guess it doesn’t hurt anyone or contradict the goals of the exam,” Tenya admitted. “Frankly it is less of a concern than your lack of sleep.”

“I know I know,” Izuku responded. “We should get going to find our exam rooms if we want to make it in time.”

“Right, let’s go,” Tenya declared.

They were unfortunate enough to have different classrooms assigned for their written exams. Although it meant Hitoshi and Tenya weren’t around to question the reasons for Izuku’s tiredness and dark demeanour. He could focus on the struggle of taking a written exam while sleep deprived. It wasn’t quite as difficult as he had expected, or Kurogiri was just that good of a tutor.

After the written exams UA gave the hero course applicants a long lunch break, probably so people would not have to do the practical portion right after eating. It gave Izuku time to find Hitoshi and Tenya without rushing straight to the cafeteria. He found the two waiting outside of it.

“So how did your exam go?” Tenya asked.

“I didn’t fall asleep,” Izuku responded and faced Tenya’s stare for a few seconds before looking down. “I think I did fine. I thought it would be harder.”

“It wasn’t as bad as I thought either,” Hitoshi said, “but I’m still worried.”

“I am sure you both did well,” Tenya declared. “Now we should go eat to be at our best for the practical exam.”

They got their food and started looking for a free table. Hitoshi suddenly moved in the way to guide Izuku in a sideways direction, which might have been strange if Izuku hadn’t already noticed the explosive blonde out in front of them. Luckily, they found an empty corner table where some quick eaters had already left. Izuku sat between Hitoshi and Tenya, imagining how this could become a daily thing if they did well. They just had to pass the practical exam, if he could just focus on it. As he was finishing his lunch Izuku could no longer hold back a large yawn.

“Maybe you should take a nap. We still have an hour before the exam introduction session begins,” Hitoshi suggested. “Want help with that?”

“I would say yes, but you might need it more to be at your best in the test,” Izuku responded.

“Hey, I’ve slept more in the last few days than a normal week.”

Izuku tilted his head to glance at Hitoshi with a small smile.

“That isn’t a very high bar.”

“You are the one that looks like a sleepwalker.”

“You should both sleep,” Tenya remarked. Both Izuku and Hitoshi turned to look at him as Izuku’s face slowly twisted into a smirk.

“So are you volunteering to make us?” Izuku asked. “I’m sure Toshi trusts you enough.”

Tenya blinked.

“What?”

“You know my ability to give quirks isn’t limited to their original owner. If I let Toshi make me sleep then I can’t make him sleep, and the same applies the other way around, but you seem well rested already.”

“I am okay with that if Tenya can learn to use my quirk fast enough,” Hitoshi said. “Wouldn’t you like to have two quirks, for a while?”

“Ummh, didn’t Izuku say it would be dangerous?”

“One shouldn’t be too bad, especially since it’s not a very physically demanding quirk,” Izuku said, “and I can take it back if there are problems… Well, we aren’t going to pressure you.”

“You don’t need to,” Tenya sighed. “I have no reason to doubt you and if Hitoshi is okay with giving away his quirk who am I to refuse it.”

“Okay,” Izuku said and slowly raised his hands to each of his friends’ heads. “Lets see how this works out.”

Izuku closed his eyes and focused on finding and transferring the quirk. That was something he was fully capable of already, but this time he tried to directly transfer the quirk forward. He could feel the quirk slowly flowing in and straight back out. His hands dropped back down.

“How are you feeling?” Izuku asked Tenya.

“A little ill actually, and I think I am getting a headache.”

“That sounds pretty normal,” Izuku assured. “Try to use the quirk with Toshi and we’ll see if it gets any worse.”

It took Tenya a while to get a grasp of the quirk, but he had already seen Hitoshi teach Izuku so with plenty of the break still left he got Hitoshi to fall for the brainwashing. With a few words Hitoshi slumped against Izuku as he fell asleep. Next Tenya focused on Izuku who was keeping an eye on nearby people who had started paying more attention to them.

“If you start feeling any worse wake me up,” Izuku said and Tenya nodded.

“Are you ready?” Tenya asked.

“Yes,” Izuku responded and was caught by the quirk. Everything went dark. At least the quirk induced sleep was dreamless like an anaesthesia, so for the first time in several days he was free of the nightmares.

He woke up to Tenya shaking his shoulder, stretched his arms while blinking away the sleepiness.

“I needed that,” he said, “for ten more hours.”

“This isn’t a time for joking. The practical exam introduction session is going to start in ten minutes.”

Izuku’s eyes widened. He turned to check Hitoshi who was in similar state. Without a word he put his hands back on their heads and returned Hitoshi’s quirk. Then they ran, finding and arriving at the auditorium just in time as a staff member was about to close the doors. The auditorium was dark and full so they were separated, taking whatever empty seats they could find. Izuku was the last without a seat and the pro hero teacher Present Mic had just arrived on the stage so when he saw an empty seat, he took it without a second thought.

“WELCOME TO TODAY’S LIVE PERFORMANCE!! EVERYBODY SAY HEY!!” The so-called hero shouted way louder than necessary even in the large space.

“Wow, glad I didn’t sit in the front row,” Izuku mumbled.

“So you chose to sit here… damn villain.”

Izuku froze still for a moment before his head turned to the side, stiff as a robot. Of course he had to sit right next to the walking bucket of nitro-glycerine. Not quite so right next to anymore. Bakugo had dragged his chair as far from Izuku as he could without sitting on the next person’s lap.

“Great,” Izuku muttered and focused on the presentation and papers he had gotten for the test. Present Mic was just explaining how they would be divided to the examination grounds.

“Hey, nerd,” Bakugo called. Izuku wasn’t sure if he should have been annoyed or concerned that the garbage fire talked to him. “What area you are on?”

“B, why do you care?” Izuku responded and settled on concerned when Bakugo’s mouth twisted in a smirk that made Tomura look like a paragon hero.

“Seems we are on the same area.”

“So you can see me score higher than you,” Izuku said. “Didn’t think you’d be excited about that.”

He turned his focus back on Present Mic, but seething Bakugo didn’t care about the presentation so Izuku’s hand was already in his pocket when the explosive teen finally talked.

“You are a dead man.”

Izuku picked out a business card and slid it across the table towards Bakugo.

“Then you are going to need this.”

“And what the hell is it?”

“Contact information for my father’s lawyers. If you don’t understand what it’s for, ask your mother.”

Izuku turned to face back forward, ignoring the confused and seething dynamite stick next to him, at least he tried to ignore it while forcing himself to control his breathing. He got a welcome distraction when Ida got up to question an apparent inconsistency between the presentation and written material they had received. Apparently one of the robot opponents listed was worth zero points. Present Mic explained it away as being one that applicants are just meant to avoid.

“That doesn’t make sense,” Izuku muttered quietly. “Heroes are supposed to face the villains and risk themselves to help people. They are teaching people to run away.” The video clip of Death Arms leaving Izuku’s mother to die flashed in his mind. He squeezed his eyes shut and drew a deep breath.

“Maybe there is something more to it,” he concluded or hoped. “Something to do with the secret part of the test maybe.”

“PLUS ULTRA!! BREAK A LEG EVERYONE!!” Present Mic ended his presentation. Izuku didn’t waste any time getting away from the volatile firecracker next to him. On the way to the exam grounds he looked at what was ahead and started truly understanding the immensity of UA. The exam grounds were entire mini cities. Izuku couldn’t help but wonder how much UA spent on things that only helped one course, a minority among the student body. Even the walls and gates around the grounds were excessively large as if they were built only to look imposing to people.

Izuku navigated through the crowd, trying to get into the front row, anything to get an edge over Bakugo. Unfortunately the pyromaniac had the same idea and while coming up from different sides of a small group they didn’t notice each other before literally bumping into each other. Izuku tensed when he realized that, but Bakugo jumped back already in a fighting stance.

“Stay away from me thief!”

“Are you still going on about that. Keep saying it and I’ll beat this exam with your quirk,” Midoriya said before he realized what he was saying, while Bakugo’s shout had attracted the attention of other applicants.

“What are they talking about using his quirk?”

“Maybe he has a quirk copying quirk like you.”

Izuku blinked thinking: ‘What did he say?’

“No!” Bakugo shouted and presented his most arrogant and devious grin. “This guy is a quirk stealer. If you let him touch you, he can take your quirk away! Let your guard down for a second and you’ll be quirkless. You wouldn’t even know it before you tried to use it. Wouldn’t be surprised if he only came here to look for quirks to steal.”

Within a few seconds of those words Izuku had an all too empty area around him that no one entered. Izuku looked around but it only made people step further away. One person brought his tail up as if he was ready to strike at Izuku if he approached. Izuku could have retorted back about the dangers of Bakugo’s quirk, but instead his shoulders slumped. There was no point. He knew it all too well. The walking loudspeaker had won this round and he didn’t mean Present Mic.

Maybe he could get Hitoshi and Tenya to come over after the exam. He really needed their emotional support, or maybe he could hang out with Kurogiri. With them he sometimes almost forgot how despicable the society and many of the people around them were. In a way he thanked Bakugo for reminding him of that and his purpose for being here.

 “And begin!” Present Mic shouted in the background. Izuku turned to notice the gate had opened and ran in. The people in front of him who had heard Bakugo jumped out of his way as he ran.

“WHAT’S WRONG? THE TEST’S STARTED!! RUN RUN!! THE DIE IS CAST!!”

The crowd of applicant’s was unleashed after Izuku. Rapid banging was the only warning before Bakugo flew past Izuku along with a few other students with speed enhancing quirks. He bit his teeth together and pushed himself to run faster.

A one-point robot charged from a side alley right in front of Izuku and threw a punch. Izuku sidestepped it easily and by then had the Dragon Blade ignited already. He rammed it right into the robot’s chest around a joint where its neck met a stronger piece of armour. Even so he could feel resistance as the blade struggled to cut through the armour, much harder than even Nomu’s skin. The robot had already raised its other arm to strike when its systems finally failed. Without wasting a second Izuku dove away from under the falling husk of junk metal and kept running.

That had only been a one-pointer. He wasn’t going to beat Bakugo like this. He focused all his attention and need to succeed on making his fire hotter, vibrations faster, blade thinner.

Hotter, faster, thinner, another one-pointer showed up and charged at him with a wide swing of its arm. Izuku brought his blade up to block. The force still shook his entire body as the metal of the robot smoked.

Hotter, faster, thinner. He turned his arm and pressed against the robot. His blade sunk through its armour and something inside sparked and the robot’s arm stopped. Izuku swung his other blade forward and this time it sunk in faster, not fast enough though.

The entire exam ground had descended into chaos. Izuku briefly saw Bakugo flying in an arch over some distant applicants. He disappeared behind a corner and there was a flash of explosion.

Izuku changed direction, not even trying to catch up to the faster applicants that had headed directly towards the centre of the exam grounds. He needed to find more robots and beat them faster. His entire arm tensed as he pushed the quirks. Soon he found two one-pointers and a larger three-pointer together. The three-pointer had bulkier arms and shoulders that looked like rocket launchers.

Hotter!

Izuku thought about all the heroes that had failed his mother, All Might who had crippled his father, Bakugo and everyone who had judged him after the blond torment told them about his quirk. Izuku wasn’t fighting robots. He was fighting a wall those people erected seeking to keep away people like him, or Hitoshi, and at this rate it might well succeed. A far too familiar explosion echoed from the distance. Anger heated to rage, and his fire followed.

He charged at the nearest one-pointer, sidestepped its strike like before and swung his blade straight through the robot’s chest with no more resistance than it had previously faced against Nomus’ arms. The other one-pointer lost both its arms in a single move. The sudden loss of weight made it stumble. Izuku jumped on and over the bot, decapitating it as he did.

The three-pointer was too slow to stop Izuku as he landed on its face and hanging onto it with one arm sunk his blade deep into the robot’s insides.

With all three destroyed Izuku finally stopped for long enough to stare at his flaming blade. It had turned blue and much more solid looking than before. The surprise at the sudden change made him briefly lose focus and the fire started being tainted by hints of orange. He quickly took back control of the quirks and managed to force it back to its new form. Strangely while the blade was clearly much hotter it only felt a little more unpleasant against his hand, as if the heat was more contained. A four-legged two-pointer rushed along the street towards him. Izuku decided to try everything he had. Raising his hand towards the approaching robot he focused on the Hellfire Arrow quirk, trying to make it feel like his blade. The robot was only a few meters away when he was ready and released the quirk. What appeared wasn’t as much an arrow as a blue oval shaped blast that made a quick whistling sound before it struck the robot’s neck and in a blue flash explosively separated it from its body.

Izuku smirked and whispered to himself, “seems you aren’t the only one with an explosive quirk here… Kacchan.”

He got back on the move and while he was limited by his, still impressive, running speed compared to those with speed quirks he no longer wasted much time on the robots. He only stopped at a crossroad to send two of his newly blue blasts at approaching one- and two-point robots. One hit took the two-pointer out, but the other only grazed the one-pointer’s arm and Izuku was still too slow with this quirk to fire off another so he settled on the dodge-and-decapitate tactic and moved on. He couldn’t slow down or hesitate. Every explosion in the background fuelled his own flame. The constant background cacophony of battle was cut by a nearby panicked shout.

A trio of applicants had been surrounded by an entire group of robots of all three types against the outer wall of the exam grounds. One of them, a really short guy, threw purple balls growing from his head at the robots that seemed to stick to them and limit their movements, probably why they hadn’t yet been captured or crushed despite being clearly out of their league. Izuku charged at the group of robots like someone whose ability to hesitate in battle had been beaten out of him by genetically engineered monsters.

He jumped on a two-pointer and decapitated it while using it as a stepping board to leap on the three-pointer’s back. A blade of blue flame sunk in and then cut up through the robot’s body and out of its shoulder. An image of a dead woman with the same wound flashed in Izuku’s mind.

So maybe there were still some things that could make him hesitate, or at least stop long enough to fight against the urge to vomit.

“Wait. Is that the quirk stealer?” One of the other applicants said, breaking Izuku away from his thoughts.

“Wouldn’t that mean he took that quirk from someone?”

“Better keep a safe distance.”

Ten seconds later all of the remaining robots were in three or more pieces.

Izuku stopped briefly to give the trio a cold stare. The little ball headed guy was so terrified tears were flowing from his eyes as he faced Izuku. Izuku raised his arm and barely looking fired off another blast at an approaching one-pointer. Pieces of metal that used to be the robot clattered on the street.

“You should head back towards the gate. It should be the safest area by now,” he said and started running again, charging or firing a blue blast at every robot that he saw until he was back somewhere near the centre of the grounds. There couldn’t be much time left. Robot pieces flew out from behind a corner following an explosion and Bakugo stepped to the crossroad a few seconds later, a fierce animalistic look in his eyes which quickly found Izuku and his still lit blades. For a brief instant the hot-headed blond seemed more disgusted than angry. His head snapped to the side when a three-pointer charged towards them. Bakugo flew up and towards it with rapid small explosions, but Izuku’s blasts were faster and two blue blasts hit the robot’s armoured face before Bakugo landed on it and blasted its back open. There was no way of telling who got the points.

“STAY OUT OF MY WAY DEKU!!”

Izuku’s flames got a little hotter.

Before he could respond the ground started shaking. A gigantic figure rose over the fake apartment buildings, the zero-point robot. It raised its gigantic arm and punched the ground, creating a pressure wave and a dust cloud that struck Izuku like a storm. He had to spend a few seconds blinking dust out of his eyes.

“Why the hell would they send something like that against middle-school students?” Izuku said, more focused on analysing the situation than running away like everyone else around him. “Maybe they wanted to see if anyone actually dared to take it on. Test if people were actually willing to risk everything, but there were no points in it. Could they really be teaching people the opposite, to run away when facing danger?”

He fired off several blasts on the robot, landing them on it in a vertical spray reaching from its track to the distant head far enough up that the blasts seemed to lose some of their power before reaching their targets. The explosions were impressive but if he had penetrated the armour the holes were too small to see from so far away. The robot didn’t care at least.

It didn’t look like something Izuku could take down and the monster of a machine was rolling right towards him, crushing everything in its path. Biting his teeth together he turned around to get out of the way at least long enough to find a new way to attack. Even if it was just an exam, he was not going to be one of the fake heroes running away from danger.

Bakugo was already long gone. A too-familiar scream made Izuku look back one more time. It was the little guy with purple balls growing from his head again. He had apparently just gotten out of a building on the giant robot’s path of destruction and couldn’t run fast enough to get out of the way of the approaching tracks of the robot. He kept throwing his sticky balls at the robots’ tracks so fast his head bled but the giant machine didn’t slow at all.

“Damn it!” Izuku shouted. He ran towards the ball head guy and grabbed the short boy’s arm. The guy jolted from the sudden touch but Izuku lifted him and was already moving before he realized what was happening. At least the little guy was light. Even carrying the other boy on his shoulders like a sack of potatoes, Izuku still ran faster than the shorter teen had. He barely kept ahead of the giant robot that thankfully didn’t try to punch him.

A surviving one-pointer jumped from a side street, trying to attack Izuku and found itself split in two before touching the ground. The guy he carried yelped as Izuku jolted to the side dodging the robot. Izuku didn’t even slow down until…

“TIME’S UP!” Present Mic declared. The robot stopped. Izuku too stopped running and let go of the other guy. Extinguishing his quirks, he leaned against his knees, winded from the battle.

“Thank y-” the ball head guy started saying but fell silent as he turned to look at Izuku. There was no doubt of what he was thinking as his hand went up to his head to check the balls were still there. Izuku sighed and turned away.

“I’m not going to take your quirk.”

He headed back to the entrance, counting his points.

“49… plus 2 is 51… then 54 and… so 55 total, is that enough? I can probably get in with it, but with how fast Bakugo was moving he probably got more.”

Izuku wanted to punch something, but he walked in the middle of the road and people around him still kept out of arm’s reach. Outside the big gate he looked up at the sky, already breathing easier despite the earlier exertion. At least it was done. He hated the idea of probably losing to Bakugo, but that was only a side mission, as Tomura would put it. Glancing towards the other exam grounds, his thoughts started moving to Hitoshi and Tenya. After changing clothes, the scattered crowds of applicants started to dribble back towards the main building and gate. Izuku wanted to run, but he had already got too much attention.

He reached the front of the main building alongside the first larger crowd of students. Some walked straight out of the gates while others congregated to talk about the exam in small groups, probably with their friends. Izuku looked around for his. He could really have used some senses enhancing quirks in addition to more mobility. Luckily Tenya was tall and Izuku soon spotted his head above those around him. Izuku sneaked up behind him unnoticed and tapped his back. Tenya jolted a bit but relaxed when he saw Izuku.

“Hey, how did you do?” Izuku asked.

“I believe I did well enough to pass. I counted 52 points.”

“Really?” Izuku said surprised. “I actually beat you despite your speed?”

“I would not be surprised by that,” Tenya said. “How many points did you get?”

“Maybe 55, I’m not quite sure how they are going to assign points for one three-pointer so I guess we could have equal score,” Izuku got more serious. “Did you notice any other sides to the exam?”

“Nothing obvious beyond the apparent lack of sufficient safety measures. This exam might not be too dangerous for those who are selected as hero students, but the entrance exams can be attended by anyone.”

“True, I had to save this one kid twice,” Izuku paused and glanced down at the ground, “and he was still only focused on what my quirk could do to him.”

“Did you actually use it on the exam?” Tenya asked wide-eyed.

“No, but Bakugo told everyone. We were in the same area.”

“Oh,” Tenya said and after a few seconds started looking around.

“Do you see Toshi anywhere?” Izuku asked, reading Tenya’s intention. Hitoshi was an expert at curing his quirk discrimination related depression.

“No, and the crowd is just getting worse.”

Izuku stared at the crowd for a moment and then raised one of his arms straight up and fired off a fire arrow, just a regular orange one that Hitoshi already knew.

“I am not sure that is allowed,” Tenya pointed out. Izuku didn’t comment, just kept looking around. Maybe if he had a coffee making quirk… A few students surprised by Izuku’s fire arrow concluded there was nothing more happening and moved on, revealing Hitoshi heading straight for the waiting duo. Izuku immediately focused on his gloomy expression. His body moved before he even thought about it and Hitoshi found himself trapped with Izuku’s arm going over his shoulders and his friend’s smile destroying any thoughts of escape.

“Hey, it couldn’t have been that bad.”

“I don’t know about that,” Hitoshi sighed. “I found the switch to shut the robots down but still only got fifteen points. You think that is enough to get in?”

“Umh… we still don’t know if that was all there was to the test.”

“Even if there is, even if they have a whole second point system, what are my chances against those who already got several times the points from the fight?” Shinso fell silent for a moment. “Speaking of which, how did you do?”

“Well…” Izuku hesitated.

“Please, I need to hear at least some good news.”

“I got 52 or 55, Tenya got 52.”

“You will get in,” Hitoshi said and smiled for the first time. “Maybe I can still get to the general studies. Maybe if I didn’t stay with that guy for so long…”

“What guy?” Izuku asked, still keeping Hitoshi in his hold as they started walking to the gate.

“After I figured out how to shut down the robots, I managed to take out a couple of them. I couldn’t really surprise them, but their attacks were slower than Tenya’s. Your dodge and counterattack style worked great. Then another applicant got driven into a corner by two robots. I managed to jump one of them while they were focusing on him, but he got hit pretty bad fighting the other that fell on him. I think he broke an arm and a leg at least. He definitely screamed like he did. I had to use my quirk on him to stop him from moving and hurting himself more.”

“And stop the pain,” Izuku reminded. “With the fog you put on people’s minds even broken bones probably aren’t that bad.”

“Right, you figured that out. Well, I thought the school would send someone to help him since they monitored everything that was going on, but instead they sent in that giant zero-point robot. I had to carry him on my back to get away.”

“I’d say that was pretty heroic,” Izuku said.

“Truly, you did what any reasonable person would expect of a hero,” Tenya added. “The school would be fools not to accept you for that.”

“Tenya,” Hitoshi said slightly embarrassed, “did you just criticize UA, the most elite of elite schools?”

“I… I mean they probably aren’t fools like that. I am sure they recognize your actions.”

“We can hope. Anyway, did anything interesting happen with your exams?”

“A lot actually,” Izuku said. “See.”

He raised his other hand and lit the dragon blade. It was its usual orange flaming blade. Izuku focused on it.

“I might not have a shelf full of quirk notes, but that’s just your normal Dragon Blade,” Hitoshi said.

“Shh, I need to focus,” Izuku said. With the intensity and adrenaline of the battle gone it was suddenly much harder to raise the heat. It needed more than focus. Izuku struggled to replicate the feeling of before despite being calm this time.

Izuku blinked in realization. He shifted his focus into the feelings he had felt. Bakugo would hate to know his presence alone had helped Izuku.

“Hey, is that…” someone said outside their group.

“…the quirk stealer?”

“What?”

“We heard that guy can take away your quirk if he touches you. Better keep your distance.”

“Then where did he get that fire quirk?”

“More like from who.”

Izuku gritted his teeth. His blade condensed and started burning ever brighter until its colour started shifting. He held his hand further away to not accidentally burn Hitoshi or himself as the blade reached its full blue shine. This time he made sure to memorize every aspect of how it felt with a clear mind.

“I couldn’t cut the robots well at first. Then this happened. Their armour didn’t really matter after that.”

“So, you weren’t satisfied with seeing glowing swords in movies,” Hitoshi said. “You just had to turn your quirk into one, a cooler one at that.”

“I don’t think everyone agrees with you,” Izuku responded, glancing at the nearby people that were still whispering about him.

“So, what about them? Most of them won’t get into the hero course like you, if any.”

“Yeah, probably,” Izuku said and extinguished his quirk. “So... Now that we’re done, do you have time to go somewhere so we can hang out and have dinner?”

Chapter Text

Shota Aizawa, also known as the pro hero Eraser Head, arrived at the principal’s office of UA High School. He was a teacher, so it was not anything unusual, but what awaited him inside was. Principal Nezu was there of course, but so was their newest teacher All Might, in his small form, and the school nurse Recovery Girl. Most concerning was the individual present who was not part of the school staff, though still a familiar face, police detective Tsukauchi. Aizawa made sure he closed the door properly.

“Thank you for coming Aizawa. There is a matter we need to discuss before the start of the new term.”

“Is it about one of my new students?” Aizawa asked and glanced at Detective Tsukauchi. “Or is one of my current ones suspected of a crime? Considering the admission papers on the table I am guessing you are investigating a new student and plan to have him or her in my class since Vlad isn’t here.”

“You are correct,” principal Nezu said. “There are some special concerns considering one of our new students that we want to approach carefully, for his benefit as well as investigatory concerns. As far as school staff is concerned, only those present and Hound Dog as the counsellor are involved in discussing the topic.”

Nezu paused, a serious expression crossing his face before continuing.

“Tell me, how much do you know about All For One?”

Aizawa tensed. His former tired and slightly annoyed demeanour disappeared, replaced by a focused stare and a frown.

“Probably more than most heroes in my age group, especially public heroes, let alone civilians. Back when I graduated, he was said to still control most organized crime in the country, but there were no real sightings for several years even before I became a hero. I don’t think I have heard anything but old legends about him for years.”

“That is because I defeated and killed him six years ago,” All Might said. “That is where I got my injuries.”

“Heroes aren’t supposed to kill people you know,” Aizawa commented.

“Maybe so,” All Might said, “but he is different. As an underground hero you of all people should know that we can’t always be the way people expect heroes to act.”

“True. Now, how does this relate to my students?”

“A major reason All For One could gain such power was his quirk, an unique ability to take and give others quirks, essentially the ability to horde or redistribute power in the society as he saw fit,” Nezu stated. He handed Aizawa one of the admission papers with student information and put footage of the practical exam on a large screen hanging on the wall of his office. It was showing a teen with thick white hair, impressive physical ability, and a fire-based quirk.

“That quirk is no longer unique. Another person has emerged with seemingly the same abilities. Izuku Midoriya scored the highest score in the hero course practical exam and will be attending your class.”

“Are you sure he has the same quirk?” Aizawa asked.

“Yes, I was lucky to meet him at an educational fair a few months back. He stood up for another student he didn’t even know being bullied for his quirk and later admitted to me what his real quirk could do, though he was hesitant to do so. The official quirk registries support this also, though they refer to it as Quirk Transfer and only registered his quirk when he was thirteen.”

“So,” Aizawa started, “if that is the case, where did the fire quirk come from? Seems like something we should at least question before admitting him.”

“Do you think I haven’t already done that?” Nezu responded. “According to Midoriya, someone with that quirk attempted to kidnap him so he took the quirk in self-defence. This let him get away, but he didn’t tell people at the time due to prejudice he has experienced because of his quirk. That is what he said anyway. Detective Tsukauchi has been investigating the matter while checking on the boy’s background. Detective?”

“Unfortunately, the conclusion of my investigation isn’t as conclusive as I would like. I have identified a known criminal with a fire-based quirk similar to his, at least in basic form. It seems he has been able to advance the quirk quite a bit, from the look of things even during your exams. Unfortunately, I have been unable to confirm this man is truly the origin of the quirk.”

“In other words, you haven’t managed to be in contact with this person.”

“No,” Tsukauchi responded. “It seems no one has seen him in nearly a year. Same goes for several known acquaintances. It is unclear if they are on the run for some crime or… worse. Unfortunately, I have not been able to find more, especially while staying discreet. I’m afraid it is the same with the other investigation. I have not found a connection with All For One, the person, but I also couldn’t completely rule it out. Considering his age there could be a connection several generations back that could be impossible to identify even if I had good information, and I don’t. His father Hisashi Midoriya especially is a mystery. He seems to have familial connections to the United States and has spent much of his, and his son’s life working there. Unfortunately, that limits what I can do, especially in secret and without any evidence of a crime.”

“So, his father lives abroad… And how about the mother?” Aizawa asked. Both Tsukauchi’s and All Might’s expressions darkened.

“The mother Inko Midoriya was killed by a villain last spring.”

“It was my fault,” All Might said. “He got away from me earlier that day and I came too late to save Midoriya’s mother. I didn’t even realize who I was talking to when we met at that fair. He must hate me.”

“Unfortunately you are likely correct,” Tsukauchi said. “I talked with the police officers who were present when Izuku Midoriya was informed about his mother’s death. He found a video of it online and threw his phone across the room, cursing the heroes when All Might arrived late.”

“So he has one of, if not the most powerful quirk in the world that people naturally fear and hate, something that can really mess up your life in modern society. He witnessed his mother die due to the failure of the number one hero, and his father is not even in the country most of the time,” Aizawa said, feeling a headache coming and pinched his nose. “And we cannot completely rule out a family connection with All For One himself.”

“That would seem to be the case,” Tsukauchi confirmed.

“He even looks like All For One,” All Might muttered, “though maybe it’s just the hair.”

Aizawa glanced at All Might briefly before focusing on Nezu.

“I am surprised he is even applying at UA,” Aizawa concluded, “with everything and everyone in his life apparently pushing him to become a villain. It’s a near perfect backstory to make a villain, and not because he shares a quirk with one.”

“It certainly wasn’t an easy decision for him,” Nezu responded. “Admitting to his quirk wasn’t the only thing he hesitated to talk about when we met. Seems he had childhood dreams of becoming a hero that he lost. In fact, if I had to describe him when we met, I would say he was lost with no path forward that he really cared about, a precarious position to be in especially for someone with so much potential. Luckily you are wrong about everyone pushing him to be a villain. Young Shinso and Ida appear to have helped him find his path toward being a hero.”

“Shinso and Ida?” Aizawa asked. “I think I read their names on the admission lists.”

“Correct,” Nezu said and replaced the exam footage with what seemed like pictures of school security cameras. Every single one showed three boys, Midoriya and two others: One walking in through UA gates, one talking to an angry looking boy while standing together, with Midoriya standing in front of his friends protectively, and one of the trio eating lunch together. In one picture Midoriya and one of his friends seemed to be asleep, leaning against each other while their taller friend sat next to them.

“Seems they stayed together all the time they were here, except when separated for the exams, and also left together. The taller of them is Tenya Ida, younger brother of the hero Ingenium with a similar engine quirk. He is coming from the same school as Midoriya. The other one is Hitoshi Shinso from a different school. As far as I can tell, they first met him at the education fair. He was the one being bullied for his quirk that Midoriya helped.

“And what is his quirk?” Aizawa asked.

“It is called Brainwashing. I am sure you can deduce what consequences that might have caused him.”

“Yes,” Aizawa admitted, “and the design of the entrance exams in this school wouldn’t help that.”

“Actually, he passed thanks to the hero points,” Nezu said.

“Doesn’t change my point.”

They were quiet for a moment before Nezu continued.

“I have placed all three of them together on your class. If those two convinced him to pursue heroics again, they are our best insurance to keep him on that path.”

“I agree that keeping the three together is the best choice,” Aizawa said, “but I don’t like how you keep talking about him like he was constantly on the edge of becoming another All For One. It is exactly that kind of attitudes that make it happening a threat. I know why you assigned them to my class, but Midoriya needs a non-prejudiced guidance, not a security guard capable of erasing his quirks.”

As he spoke about guidance, Aizawa glanced at All Might.

“I just hope it isn’t too late,” he added.

“I agree with Aizawa,” Recovery Girl joined the conversation. “I have had some experience with bullied and abused people in the past. Based on what I have heard and seen so far, I would expect Midoriya to be wary and distrusting of people, especially teachers if the previous ones let things become as bad as Nezu has described. He is also likely to have sensitive topics you should watch your words around. You will be fighting an uphill battle even if you can share some similar experiences.”

“That is part of the job description as a hero and teacher,” Aizawa responded. Recovery girl nodded.

“He is also likely very attached and protective to those few that have accepted him and earned his trust. That can help you if you win them over, but one mistake with either of them and you will be back on the starting line with Midoriya, or worse. Losing trust is much easier than earning it.”

“Speaking of protective,” Tsukauchi interrupted. “There was one more incident that came up during my investigation. A few days before the entrance exam those three were involved in a confrontation with some street criminals, drugs, gang activity and such. Seems they ran into and threatened Shinso. When the police arrived, they were all standing against a wall brainwashed.”

“Sounds like Shinso has hero potential,” Aizawa noted.

“I cannot comment on that, but he didn’t resolve the situation himself. Apparently Midoriya took one of them down in seconds. They swear he almost killed the man in rage. The man’s chin was broken and there were severe burns on his hand. To be fair, he could turn that hand into a sword and was seeking to stab Shinso according to eyewitnesses.”

“Impressive for a junior high student,” Aizawa admitted, “but legally questionable.”

“That is what the police on scene thought, perhaps even too strongly,” Tsukauchi admitted, “but Midoriya had lawyers on the phone before they even arrived. Self-defence and quirk restriction laws are complex enough combination that with their young age there was no prosecution against Midoriya or Shinso. Also, one prosecutor resigned around the same time for unknown reasons.”

“Them not being prosecuted is probably for the best, but the whole situation raises some concerns,” Aizawa said. “Seeking to protect is the core of being a hero, but how one approaches it is equally important. If Midoriya was truly close to inflicting greater injury or death, that is a major problem to consider. Speaking of which, are you still trying to investigate him?”

“If opportunities come up,” Tsukauchi answered. “There isn’t much more I can do inconspicuously or without a valid suspicion of a crime beyond possibly excessive self-defence. I cannot forcibly question Midoriya or use my quirk without some evidence of a crime. I have discussed with Nezu about holding guest lectures on criminal investigations and hero-police cooperation to get around that.”

“Don’t destroy my hopes of teaching him by getting caught trying to trick him into being questioned with your quirk,” Aizawa warned. Tsukauchi took a step back, facing his stare. He held his hands up defensively.

“Don’t worry. It is not my first discreet investigation.”

Aizawa got up and looked at Nezu with tired eyes.

“If you are concerned that he might veer off the path of a hero, don’t give him any reasons to do so and let me do my job.”

“We are counting on you,” Nezu responded. Without wasting any more words Aizawa got up and turned to leave.

“One more thing,” Nezu said. “Do not expel him.”

Aizawa waved his hand and left. In the corridor he read through the profile of Izuku Midoriya who was turning out to be his newest problem child. He had meant every word he told Nezu and the others, but couldn’t deny that he wanted more information. Even with Recovery Girl’s evaluation he didn’t really know how Midoriya’s mental state was.

He needed to learn about the kid without targeting him specifically. The first day would show him plenty. People tended to show more of their true nature under pressure, and that was Aizawa’s specialty.

Chapter Text

Izuku stepped through the dark mist into a familiar bar. Tomura was already there and by the time Izuku looked around Kurogiri was already behind the counter. Izuku dropped a small disk on the counter and a holographic projection appeared over it.

“I AM HERE AS A PROJECTION!” All Might’s loud shout started the recording, just as annoying as ever. Izuku squeezed his hands into fists, resisting the urge to punch the projection.

“Izuku Midoriya, I have the joy to tell you, you did impressively in the written exam. As for the practical exam you scored an excellent fifty-five villain points. Only one person scored higher.”

Oh, Izuku knew exactly who that was. He squeezed his hands harder.

“You would have had the second highest score, if that was all there was to the test. However! The exam was not graded only on villain points! A hero’s job is to save people. That is no lip service. This is a job that requires risking one’s life.”

If they really did that Izuku would still have had his mother.

“Rescue points!”

The image switched to show a table of names and scores. "Izuku Midoriya, eighty-five points. Congratulations! You passed, with the highest score!” All Might extended his hand towards the camera. “Izuku Midoriya, welcome to hero academia.”

Izuku didn’t care about the man’s gesture and went back to the scoreboard. Even on third viewing he couldn’t help but smirk at seeing Bakugo on the second place. Unsurprisingly he didn’t get any rescue points, despite amassing a massive seventy-seven villain points. Izuku’s eyes moved to the side to find Tenya’s name on the seventh spot, a clear pass. Though Izuku was a bit disappointed his friend had only earned nine rescue points.

Hitoshi hadn’t been among the top ten results, but after a brief moment of fear Izuku called him and Hitoshi played his own acceptance message for Izuku to hear. It was the only reason he could tolerate hearing All Might’s voice for the second time in one day.

“Congratulations,” Tomura said mockingly, holding his hands up, “seems you might yet become a government dog and even have a permission to use the power you naturally have.”

“Do you want to get information on All Might or not?” Izuku snapped back.

“Boys, boys,” their father said, “this is a happy day. You should be celebrating, not fighting. We are all a family here.”

Izuku turned to look at the computer screen where the voice usually came from only to find his father right there in front of a closing warp gate. He had his collar but not the top of his helmet. Izuku wanted to smile at seeing his father, but he had just listened to All Might and could not help but focus on his father’s injuries. Thinking about sharing a class with both his friends, he sometimes almost forgot that his mission at UA was to help destroy All Might, rip One For All from the so called hero and help his father recover.

Tomura muttered something and sat by the counter, waving Kurogiri to get him a drink. The Nomu did so, but in the process also walked past Izuku and handed him a soft drink first. His father put his hand on Izuku’s shoulder.

“Izuku’s achievement is to be commended, even if it wasn’t surprising. Placing first in the combat test wasn’t a given, even to him. This only shows heroes aren’t all they are made out to be.”

“I might have gotten the top score because of the rescue points but I wasn’t first in the battle. Bakugo… even after everything, all your training, he still was twenty-two points ahead of me.”

“I am happy to see you haven’t allowed your high score to make you cocky. Now, considering you have already defeated several Nomu, how could this regular middle schooler destroy more enemies than you?”

“I don’t think Bakugo can be called regular,” Izuku said, “but in terms of the battle… it was all about mobility. My fire quirks became more than powerful enough to quickly destroy the robots, but there were only so many I could reach. He has managed to apply his explosions like rockets to move at high speeds. I theorized he could do something like that when I was six, but he’s already got more manoeuvrability than I thought possible. I can’t compete directly with that no matter how much I train, and I doubt he went to even half the effort I have.”

“That’s true,” his father confirmed, “without an appropriate quirk a normal human body has limitations that cannot be exceeded no matter how much it is trained. Those limitations do not apply to you. Anything he can do you have greater potential for.”

“You mean I should get a new quirk to counter his advantage.”

“And train to master it,” he said in his fatherly lecturing tone. “Bakugo did not reach the highest villain points because of his quirk alone, but by the mastery he has achieved over it, whether it was by pure talent, hard work, or both, it doesn’t matter. That is also the greatest weakness of our quirk. Possessing a hundred quirks is pointless if you wave them around like toddlers that just manifested theirs.”

“I know,” Izuku responded, not exited for the comparison.

“But the new power of your fire proves your own mastery.”

“I will train whatever quirks I may have… Have you thought out any that would help?”

“Several, but I think you should think yourself what kind of quirks would serve you best. Consider what kind of fighting style different quirks would enable, and don’t forget non-combat applications. More importantly you cannot use any quirk to publicly outdo Bakugo unless you can explain where it came from.”

“Right,” Izuku brushed his chin, on the brink of starting to mutter again.

“What’s the point,” Tomura said first. “Just kill him and be done with it. Wouldn’t even be the first one.”

Izuku stared at his brother and gulped, unable to respond.

“That is always an option,” their father stated, “but why waste this opportunity? If Izuku needs to outdo Bakugo, that will simply motivate his training further. Whether Bakugo will ever become the hero he does not deserve to be or finds himself in a shallow grave, well that is also in Izuku’s hands.”

“To think they would accept him at UA,” Izuku muttered. “Not that I am surprised.”

“That is how this society works. It is why we are here doing what we do instead of living a more peaceful life, son.”

Izuku quietly drank from the lemonade bottle Kurogiri had served.

“Speaking of which,” his father continued. “Now that the admission is confirmed we must ensure you are ready for your mission.”

“Isn’t that what we have been doing for months?”

“Yes, but matching or exceeding other hero students in combat ability… and grades, is only part of what you’ll need. From your quirk alone principal Nezu and All Might will be suspicious and afraid of you from the beginning. They will try to find out everything about you, they likely started to investigate you already.”

“Do you think they are going to find out about you?” Izuku asked, raising his head to face his father.

“Unlikely. They might be suspicious about my absence as your father, but I have been building the identity of Hisashi Midoriya in multiple countries for decades. The question is if you can keep things secret.”

Tomura laughed.

“Going to be a short mission then. I have to kill All Might before someone is rude to your little friends.”

“I am not that bad,” Izuku muttered.

“Not quite,” his father agreed…  partially. “There is, however, a greater concern than simple loose lips. If All Might and Nezu are investigating you, you might also need to worry about All Might’s police friend, detective Tsukauchi.”

“Is he dangerous?” Izuku asked, concerned at how seriously his father seemed to worry about this detective.

“In his own way. Even with his police training the worst he could do in battle would be to shoot you, it wouldn’t take you a minute to kill him one arm tied behind your back,” his father said, making Izuku shiver, “but his investigative abilities are nothing to overlook, especially with his quirk. He has a lie detector quirk. He cannot force you to say anything, but if you do, he can tell if you are lying.”

“That’s bad,” Izuku said and rubbed his chin. “Even if I refuse to talk to him that would only make them more suspicious. They probably won’t make too direct questions, but that just means they will try to trick me into saying something, probably just innocent questions about my family or something. I’d be exposed immediately… unless the quirk has some limitations… probably not mind reading, it wouldn’t be called just lie detector… If it can read something in the body… possible to trick it… is it just technically true or...” He descended into a string of low mutters.

“Izuku,” his father said, bringing Izuku back from his thoughts. “While I prefer for you to come up with your own solutions for the sake of learning, this time we should not delay and I already have the solution for you. As you noted the quirk cannot read your thoughts, as far as I know, but it comes close. While the lie detection isn’t flawless you cannot rely on being able to talk around it.”

“You have a quirk that can counter it,” Izuku said. It wasn’t a question.

“It is called Calm Mind,” father said. “Think of it as a super meditation. It lets you calm your feelings and block stray thoughts to the point it affects your physiology. It is unlikely any lie could be detected in that state. It may also help whenever you let what happened to miss Yūi distract yourself.”

Izuku breathed in deep.

“That would have been nice a few weeks ago,” he sighed.

“Perhaps, but you needed to experience what you did.”

“Experience killing someone.”

“Yes. Considering how badly the experience incapacitated you for days, I couldn’t risk that your first experience of killing a human happened during a serious battle. That happens in this world, especially when opposing the powers that rule it. Not that heroes are above it. All Might trying to kill me is only part of it. The Hero Public Safety Commission had one of their special heroes assassinate so many people she eventually killed the chairman of the commission. That is how this system stays in power and those in power aren’t the kind of people you can face without being prepared to kill, and knowing how it feels.”

Izuku looked away from his father, uncertain how to feel.

“To get back on topic,” his father said and reached out his hand. Izuku slowly took his father’s hand, instantly feeling a new quirk flowing into his body.

“Have you had to deal with lie detecting, or maybe mind reading quirks?” Izuku asked. “You said you had to reduce your number of quirks before and this doesn’t look very powerful unless… Maybe it could help focus during fights. Is that how you used it?”

“Actually… I never considered that possibility. You should explore the idea. I used the quirk to better focus on my work longer,” father said, “and kept it because it helped me endure my recovery after my fight with All Might. Calm Mind helped me focus on something other than the pain.”

Izuku tensed, but the transfer was already complete.

“Are you still using it for that? I don’t want to…”

“You will need this quirk more than I do. In my current state the dulling of my senses is usually as large of an issue as any pains. Remember why you are doing all of this. If you are concerned of my injuries, concentrate on taking down All Might. Now how do you feel?”

“Huh,” Izuku was confused at first, but after only a moment he was able to understand the new quirk. There was a slight thumbing sensation behind his eye, but the quirk didn’t seem to be straining him much despite it not being too long since the previous one had been given to him.

“It is a quite light quirk to have,” his father said. “That is another reason why I kept it.”

“Right,” Izuku said.

“I can teach you how to use it during today’s training.”

“Actually,” Izuku said, grabbing the back of his neck in a very Hitoshi like way, “I was going to ask if we could skip today’s training. Since we all got in…”

“You want to celebrate with Ida and Shinso,” his father concluded.

“Yes, Hitoshi’s parents actually invited us over for dinner. I’ll catch up to training later.”

“That you’ll do, probably twice over.”

“So, I can go?”

“Have I ever forbidden you from meeting those two?”

“No,” Izuku responded. A slight smile found its way on his lips.

“They have saved me a fortune on therapy after all,” his father continued, a smile in his voice. “That Shinso kid is especially good to have around you. Despite sharing your quirk, I don’t exactly share your experience of surviving in this society with it, and his quirk is truly something exceptional.”

Izuku’s eyes narrowed as he got up to face his father.

“HIS quirk, keep your hands off.”

“Seems they can get you feral almost as well as Inko. That is something worth remembering.”

A grin was audible in his voice. Tomura muttered something about the stupidity of volunteering for escort missions. Izuku didn’t waver in facing his father, who raised his hands in front of himself conciliatorily.

“I am not going to steal quirks from those two. You have my word.”

Izuku waited for a few seconds before relaxing.

“Of course that only applies to them specifically,” his father continued. “I am still interested in that mention of a quirk copying quirk you overheard. That is something that took the doctor decades to do artificially, and the process has its weaknesses, as you have already experienced. Combining such a power with All For One could yield interesting results. Perhaps quirks copied by such a power could be taken by ours before the copy disappears. At the very least the doctor would love to experiment with such power.”

He grabbed Izuku’s shoulder, taking his son’s attention before Izuku could sink into analysing the idea.

“If this copier is admitted into UA, I trust you to find out about his quirk and its usefulness.”

“Shouldn’t be too difficult a side mission even for him,” Tomura muttered, “but who knows.”

“Tomura,” their father said, “will the League be ready to mobilize by the beginning of the school year?”

“Yes… but I won’t tell them that is what our schedule is based on.”

“That is fine. It would only increase the risk of Izuku being exposed.”

Tomura stared at him and seemed thoughtful for a moment.

“Not a word to anyone outside this room,” their father added. Tomura seemed disappointed at that. There was still a long way to go to for them to have a nice warm brotherly relationship.

“Is there anything else?” Izuku asked.

“Not for today,” his father responded. “When are you going to leave?”

“I have to ask Kurogiri’s help to get there in time now,” Izuku said and nodded in the direction of the Nomu, which stopped what he was doing and moved to his side immediately.

“That’s fine. You may go.”

Izuku picked up the holographic projector and checked he had his keys, wallet, and phone. He nodded to Kurogiri and a warp gate opened in front of them before his head was back up. They had already mapped the area where Hitoshi lived, and the warp gate led to only a few blocks away from Hitoshi’s home. The area was much denser than the wealthy community his father had bought Izuku’s house in. Hitoshi’s house was one in a row of identical apartment buildings. They even had numbers high on their walls to identify different buildings. There had also been a bunch of those near Aldera. Without the excessive amounts of money his father had sent Izuku and Inko would probably have lived in one of those.

Thanks to Kurogiri he had gone from being hopelessly late to arriving quite early, so after thanking the Nomu, he just strolled towards the building, wondering how to make the best first impression. Hitoshi’s parents had been surprisingly trusting and willing to let Hitoshi come meet his friends and stay overnight and Izuku didn’t want to do anything to risk that.

He took a small detour to visit a nearby store to buy a basket and some fresh fruits to fill it. It wasn’t the greatest gift, especially when bought from the local store of the house he was visiting, but he didn’t want to bother Kurogiri again. He did his best to make it look nice as he walked the rest of the way, fine tuning the position of the top fruit once he was already standing at the door. Once he rang the doorbell it only took some seconds until Hitoshi opened it. Izuku relaxed right away. He had probably been just overthinking things.

“Hey Toshi. Hopefully I’m not too early.”

“Well, I…” Hitoshi held the back of his neck, “don’t think you’ll need to worry about details like that.”

“Hitoshi, is it one of your friends?”

A woman stepped around a corner, followed by a man who looked deceptively like an older Hitoshi, except for a lighter hair colour. That was something Hitoshi clearly inherited from his mother. Both smiled and seemed to get exited when they saw Izuku. Hitoshi had the presence of mind to grab the gift basket and step out of the way before the two adults charged at Izuku. He was dragged inside and surrounded within seconds. He tensed at being manhandled like that. Both of the adults bowed in front of him.

“It is an honour to finally meet you Midoriya-san. I am Shizuka Shinso, Hitoshi’s mother.”

“My name is Hibiki Shinso. I am Hitoshi’s father.”

“Umh,” Izuku stared, uncertain how he should react. It was unheard of for someone to be that exited or polite when meeting him. “It is nice to meet you too.”

“You have no idea,” Hibiki said as he ushered Izuku to the living room, “how grateful we are for all you’ve done for Hitoshi, and not just for saving him from criminals.”

“We were so horrified and relieved when he told us what had happened,” Shizuka added. “To think simply walking on the streets can be so dangerous, and still he was so calm, telling us about it and even helped capture the criminals.”

“He has been like a different person for the past months, and now getting to UA hero course. I mean we always hoped he would become a hero, but…”

“His quirk isn’t one that society considers heroic or designs entrance exams for,” Izuku said with a blank expression, replacing his earlier nervousness.

“And yet he did pass,” the mother said, “in no small part thanks to your help with Hitoshi’s training. He won’t shut up about it, it’s kind of cute actually.”

“Mom!” Hitoshi shouted in a very un-Hitoshi-like voice.

“It is true,” his mother shrugged and focused back on Izuku. “Truthfully I didn’t at first want to let him train with you, and especially not travel to a different city and stay overnight with people we didn’t know.”

“I guess that was a lot to ask,” Izuku admitted. “At least he eventually convinced you.”

“He tried… but to tell the truth that wasn’t why we first gave the permission,” she said. “It was because of your other friend, Ingenium’s brother. We figured it wouldn’t be some trick after confirming this.”

“So, you didn’t need to know any of us, just that Tenya is related to a hero,” Izuku did his best to hold himself back from saying how the idea made him feel. 

“At least it told us you probably weren’t villains trying to drag Hitoshi into something illegal.”

“Mom, do you have to talk about them like that?” Hitoshi interrupted. A concerned glance he gave to Izuku revealed he realized the direction Izuku’s thoughts had been going.

“I only told how things were,” she responded bluntly, but then her expression softened. “I am glad we let you go in the end. I think Midoriya has proven it is safe to let you visit. I can’t imagine what we could have done if those thugs had attacked you here. It is just sad you needed to travel so far to find friends.”

“True, and even that was only possible thanks to Toshi,” Izuku said and reached his arm around Hitoshi’s shoulder, trapping his friend into the conversation. “See, most people who know my quirk wouldn’t even come within arm’s reach even if I never gave them any reason to worry.”

“And most wouldn’t talk with me,” Hitoshi said.

“They are stupid,” Izuku said and paused for a moment. “It’s not like you would do anything bad and getting brainwashed is soo relaxing. People should try it more.”

Every word Izuku said was genuine and Hitoshi’s father started tearing up. Soon both parents hugged, crying happily in each other’s arms. Hitoshi sighed. Izuku tightened his hold and poked Hitoshi with his other hand.

“Be happy you still have both of them and they are both here,” Izuku whispered, suddenly much more serious, “or someday you will regret that you didn’t.”

“R-right,” Hitoshi stuttered. Soon his parents let go of each other. His mother walked to the kitchen but his father stayed, asking Izuku and Hitoshi to sit down on the couch while himself taking a recliner in front of it. Behind his happy tears however, the man’s expression turned more thoughtful and tense, his attention focused on Izuku, who was well aware of it. He pretended to not notice and continued explaining the training he had done with Hitoshi and Tenya and how exhausted they were afterwards.

“We noticed. He could barely walk over the threshold when he came back on Sundays,” Hibiki said.

“Oh, that happened already on Saturdays,” Izuku said and gave Hitoshi a mischievous grin. “First couple of months I had to basically drag Toshi home.”

“It wasn’t that bad,” Hitoshi defended himself.

“Yes, it was,” Izuku responded. “The first time I had to carry you the last hundred meters.”     

“That was because you spent half of the afternoon kicking my feet from under me.”

“And now it isn’t as easy to do. It would be hard for you to use your quirk with a mouth full of dirt.”

“That happened once!”

Izuku grinned at the pouting Hitoshi. Hitoshi’s father sniffed then breathed in deep.

“Midoriya,” he started, “you seem to have understood Hitoshi’s problems better than anyone, since you’ve suffered the same things because of your quirk… Does it work like Hitoshi has told us, transferring quirks between people?”

“Yes,” Izuku answered carefully.

“I told you it did,” Hitoshi added to his father. “And yes, it is totally okay.”

“I know, I just,” the man fell quiet.

“Dad, don’t tell me you…” Hitoshi spoke. His father’s eyes widened, and he waved his hands defensively. After Hitoshi fell quiet his father calmed and held the back of his neck. So that was where Hitoshi got it.

“I’m not suspicious of you for your quirk, I was just wondering… Could you use it to transfer my quirk to Hitoshi?”

“What?” Hitoshi and Izuku said at the same time.

“I have been thinking about this since Hitoshi first told me about your quirk Midoriya. Hitoshi’s quirk can be useful for a hero, but you know its limitations by now from personal experience from what Hitoshi has told us. My Surprise quirk can help him overcome those.”

“Dad, that would leave you quirkless,” Hitoshi protested.

“He’s not wrong,” Izuku added, still too surprised to be sure how he should feel. “It would make your life much harder.”

“Perhaps,” the man admitted, “but it probably won’t be as bad as you think. I am already old with existing relationships. My generation has more quirkless people to begin with than yours. It isn’t the same as growing up quirkless today. Either way, for Hitoshi it is worth the risk. It isn’t like I need the quirk for anything. It is wasted on me. So… can you do it?”

“It would be easy,” Izuku answered, glancing at the palm of his hand, “and the quirk would probably be easy enough on Hitoshi, since it’s likely closely related to his. Parents’ quirks are usually similar to the child’s quirk.”

“So, you will do it?”

“IF Hitoshi asks for it,” Izuku said and leaned back on the couch. Hibiki turned his pleading look onto his son.

“Dad, are… you sure?” Hitoshi asked one word at a time. “You would do that?”

His father nodded.

“What parent wouldn’t?”

“Probably many more than you think,” Izuku remarked quietly, still leaning back to give the father and son a little more space. Hibiki grabbed Hitoshi’s hand.

“You have wanted to be a hero since before you got your quirk. Now it is finally happening, and we are terrified your might get hurt fighting villains or even just in training. The possibility of being quirkless is nothing compared to that. I will do anything to make sure it won’t happen. If my quirk can help…”

“It would,” Hitoshi admitted. He looked at Izuku and nodded. Izuku smiled softly and reached to grab one of each of their hands, not separating the others.

“So,” he started, “how does this Surprise quirk work?”

“It is a voice-based quirk that is difficult not to respond to,” Hibiki explained. “If I focus on a single person I am talking to, they will experience my words… well, more dramatically. I haven’t experienced it myself obviously, but people have described it is like I was screaming into their ear and even if they knew it was going to happen it always… jolts them like I caught them by surprise. Usually, people say or shout something when that happens. I have only used it for pranks when I was younger. It has never really been useful, for me that is.”

“Wow, that is a really great match with Toshi’s brainwashing,” Izuku said, holding back the urge to mutter and take notes about the quirk. He smiled at Hitoshi. “You are going to knock out villains left and right.”

“Y… yeah, maybe.”

“Yes, he will. We are ready. Please do it,” Hibiki asked.

“I already did,” Izuku said and let go of them. Hibiki blinked but Hitoshi wasn’t surprised.

“How are you feeling?” Izuku asked.

“My head feels a bit strange,” Hitoshi answered.

“No pain?”

“No.”

“None? The quirk really fits you, still tell me if anything changes.”

“Sure.”

“Good. Welcome to the multi-quirk club,” Izuku declared. The doorbell rang. Hitoshi glanced back.

“I should get that.”

He got up and headed to the door. As he walked out of sight Izuku leaned back and looked at Hibiki again.

“You surprised me,” Izuku said. “The way people are valued for their quirks nowadays, most people wouldn’t even consider giving away their quirks, even to their own children.”

“I can imagine,” Hibiki answered. “Truthfully, I’ve been thinking about this for months but kept hesitating. I tried to talk with some friends about it and they didn’t even think it would be possible.”

“Not surprising,” Izuku responded. “Quirks are considered such an inherent part of a person; it is hard for people to accept it could be taken away or transferred between people just like that, and if they do believe it is possible, the idea terrifies them.”

“Yes…” Hibiki fell quiet. “I would be lying if I pretended not to have felt both of those feelings when Hitoshi first told us… about you."

“At least you got past them,” Izuku said. “That is more than most people I have ever met could do.”

“How could I not. My own son has had to suffer the same fear from people for years, and we could do nothing about it.” Hibiki sighed. “Even if things look better now, I can’t help but worry if UA is going to be any better.”

“It will,” Hitoshi said from behind his father, having just returned with Tenya. “At least I don’t have to deal with things alone there.”

While Tenya gave overly formal greetings, moving tightly like a robot, Izuku moved to the end of the couch to make room for his friends with Hitoshi ending up sitting on Izuku’s usual place in the middle. There were several quick snapping sounds. Hitoshi’s mother was standing on the other side of the room taking pictures, a soft smile on her lips. Eventually she put down the phone.

“The dinner is ready… unless… Hitoshi would like to have my quirk too first?”

“No,” Izuku said before Hitoshi could respond. Both adults in the room seemed surprised so Izuku continued. “There are limits to how many quirks people can handle, depending on the quirk, I think. Being so closely related your quirks probably wouldn’t be enough to cause Hitoshi harm, but I won’t risk giving him more than one, at least not at the same time.”

“I see,” Shizuka said. “Well Hitoshi, if your friend decides it is safe later, you only need to ask. My touch telepathy might not help with your brainwashing like your father’s quirk, but if you can think of a use for it…”

The room was quiet for a moment.

“May I ask what you are talking about?” Tenya asked.

“I just expanded my list of decent people I know,” Izuku responded, his friend notebook open on his hand as he added notes on Hitoshi’s pages about his new quirk combination, and some about his family.

“Where was he keeping that?” Hibiki asked.

Chapter Text

Izuku, dressed in his new school uniform, stood in front of the way oversized door of his new homeroom classroom. He breathed in deep. At least it wasn’t  Aldera and Uehara wasn’t there, then again Bakugo might be and that was way worse. He pulled the door open, stepped inside, and could breathe normally again.

He had come early and the only ones in the classroom were Tenya, of course, and a tall girl with black hair in a spiky ponytail. Izuku raised his hand to greet Tenya and took up the seat in front of him next to the wall. He turned around to talk more easily.

“Seems we are actually here.”

“I can hardly believe it,” Tenya responded, “I have become more exited to attend here every day since the admission messages.”

“Good for you.”

Tenya looked at Izuku more seriously now.

“Still not exited at being here?”

“It’s never been about where, just who.”

Tenya didn’t say anything about that, but his expression softened to a slight smile. They were quiet for a moment.

“So,” the girl asked with little hesitation. “You two already know each other?”

“Oh, yes. My apologies, I should have introduced him properly!” Tenya declared. “This is Izuku Midoriya. We have been classmates for the past year and trained together for the entrance exams.”

“My name is Momo Yaoyorozu,” she responded. “It is quite impressive to have two people from the same class admitted to UA hero course. You two must have trained hard together.”

“Three actually,” Izuku corrected. “The third comes from a different school but we trained together. This is going to be the first time we are classmates. I wouldn’t be here without them.”

“So you are all friends and got here together. That sounds wonderful. Did they help you train to pass the exams?”

“It would be more accurate to say that he trained us,” Tenya corrected. “Izuku is an amazing fighter and started helping us even before he chose to apply.”

“I just wanted to help my friends,” Izuku said. “I never had the chance before.”

“What do you mean by that?” Yaoyorozu asked confused. Izuku inhaled quickly and glanced at Tenya, who nodded slowly in encouragement. 

“Do you think it’s a good idea?” Izuku asked quietly.

“The school already knows. You won’t be able to hide it from your classmates and I don’t think it would help you even if you did. It is not healthy to deny a part of yourself.”

If only he knew.

“Is something wrong?” Yaoyorozu asked.

“We’ll see,” Izuku said only a little louder. “I haven’t had the chance to help friends for most of my life, about ten years because in this society most people don’t want to make friends with people who are quirkless or have a quirk they fear.”

Izuku paused for a moment to let the words sink in as some more people arrived in the classroom.

“Guess who was a late bloomer with a quirk that didn’t make anything better.”

“I… have heard about people being mistreated for their quirks,” Yaoyorozu said like it had been a legend she didn’t fully believe. “Didn’t think it could be that bad.”

“Whatever you are thinking, think worse.”

“Izuku, this isn’t what you were supposed to say,” Tenya intervened.

 “Better she knows what the world is like outside her bubble, if she plans to save anyone in it,” Izuku said and looked around right as a pink skinned girl and a red-haired guy came in.  

“Same for the others.”

The new duo heard him as both turned to look at him and the pink girl whispered something to the guy. Izuku couldn’t help but wonder if she had suffered for her mutated appearance. At least the red-haired guy didn’t seem to mind. Did they know each other?

At that moment Bakugo stepped into the class and his scowl locked onto Izuku faster than a missile defence radar. Izuku tensed and his face dropped to the tired stare Tenya and Hitoshi spent months trying to get rid of.  

“What are you doing here villain?!”

“What does it look like? I am waiting for the teacher to come,” Izuku answered. “How about you? Still not in an asylum?” 

“You…!” Bakugo seethed, ready to jump at Izuku when a red-haired guy stepped between them. 

“Chill dudes. We are all supposed to be classmates here so how about everyone calms down and we’ll all try to get to know each other.” 

“I already know this scum,” Bakugo said, “He has a quirk stealing quirk. He once stole my quirk. If you aren’t careful, he might do the same to you.”

Several people gasped and looked at Izuku with more wariness in their eyes. 

“You know it was an accident,” Izuku said with a blank expression and tired voice of someone who had repeated the same words a thousand times, “accidents tend to happen when people get their quirks, that’s nothing unusual. Remember how you almost burned down the kindergarten? And you weren’t even being attacked by bullies when your quirk appeared. How about the elementary school? Apparently, you’re still having accidents, since at least a year ago your mother was still carrying a small fire extinguisher in her purse. At least I have control over my quirk now.”

Someone giggled until he was silenced by a murderous stare from Bakugo.

“Also, I gave your quirk back as soon as I figured out how to.”

“That’s what you say. It’s not like you had any options. You have always been jealous of my quirk and stole it the first chance you got.” Mini explosions sparkled on Bakugo’s palms. “How could UA of all schools let someone like you in?!” 

“I could ask you the same,” Izuku answered. “I also scored higher than you. I mean, how could they accept someone to a hero school that got zero rescue points?”

“Don’t change the subject. There is no way a school like this could accept someone like you.” 

“Really?” Izuku asked. “That isn’t what the principal told me last time we had tea. Didn’t I already tell you about that? Not everyone is quite as bigoted as you.”

Bakugo kept staring at him, seething, but clearly couldn’t come up with anything intelligent to say. Izuku responded to his stare in kind for about five seconds until a familiar mess of indigo hair and sleep deprived eyes came through the door behind the walking bomb. Izuku instantly ignored Bakugo, most certainly to the hothead’s annoyance, and waved his hand with a wide smile on his face. 

“Hey, Toshi.”

“Hey,” Hitoshi responded, but his focus was on the back of Bakugo’s head, fully realizing what was going on. He walked towards Izuku right past Bakugo, almost brushing against the boiling bucket of nitro-glycerine. “Seems we drew at least one short straw on the class assignment.”

“Stay out of this!”

Bakugo slammed his arm to the side, pushing Hitoshi back and against the wall. Izuku jumped up from his seat, his whole body tense and ready to pounce. Flashes of blue flames appeared and disappeared across the backs of his hands. His fingers flexed. He could feel his All For One pulsing within him, thirsting to tear into Bakugo and rip the quirk out of him for good this time. Tenya’s hand on his shoulder barely stopped him from attacking Bakugo right there.

Bakugo must have seen that intent in Izuku’s stare as the angry Pomeranian took a step back and raised his hand, small explosions sparking on his palm. 

“Well, that was quick,” Hitoshi said.

“Shut u…” Bakugo said and froze, still mid-sentence. His eyes stared forward empty as the brainwashing took hold. Izuku blinked and relaxed a little. His focus moved onto Hitoshi.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah. He really was quick to start trouble.”

“Worse than I expected,” Izuku said and sat back down, or more like collapsed on his seat, needing a few seconds to straighten out. He was still surrounded by people he didn’t know or trust. The red-haired guy waved his hand in front of Bakugo’s empty eyes.

“Brainwashing,” Izuku explained and glanced back at Hitoshi. “Can you… put him somewhere else?”

Hitoshi nodded. 

“Pick a seat on the other side of the room and sit down.”

Without a word Bakugo turned around and walked slowly step by step across the room and past their dumbfounded new classmates. 

“How long is he going to be like that?” The red-haired guy asked with some mix of curiosity and concern.

“Until I let him go,” Hitoshi answered. “Unless you want to punch him in the face.”

“And he will be okay after this?”

“Yes,” Izuku answered this time. “I’m a little jealous. Could use some brainwashing to relax right now.”

“Eh… I’ll take your word for it,” the red-haired guy said and offered his hand. “My name is Eijiro Kirishima.”

“Izuku Midoriya,” Izuku reached out to shake Kirishima’s hand, but the red-haired guy was yanked back by… a tail?

“Hey, what gives?” Kirishima asked the tailed guy. 

“Didn’t you hear what he can do? You shouldn’t touch him carelessly.”

Izuku sighed. 

“And so it begins,” he said and pointed at the seat in front of him. “Give Toshi room so he can take that seat. If you want to keep distance, you can. I’ll stick with people I can call friends.”

“If you are just here to make friends then you can pack up your stuff now,” a new voice said. Not exactly a friendly welcome but it did get everyone’s attention. There was a large yellow sleeping bag laying by the door, with only the face of its occupant visible. The man seemed even more tired than Hitoshi. 

“Welcome to UA’s hero course.” The man got up and opened the sleeping bag to get out of it. “It took eight seconds before you all shut up. That’s not going to work. Time is precious. Rational students would understand that.”

Izuku had hoped UA could at least offer a better education, but this guy seemed less interested in his job than even the Aldera teachers, and he better not mess with his friends. Still, the teachers here were supposed to be pro heroes. Izuku scanned the entire hobo looking man, focusing especially on the strange long scarf around the man.

“Hello, I am Shota Ai…”

“Eraserhead,” Izuku said and received a stare that was somehow tired and angry at the same time as the man’s eyes seemed to glow red. “Sorry,” Izuku said, actually meaning it, at least mostly. 

“Right, let’s get to it,” Eraserhead said and moved his attention from Izuku to pull something from his sleeping bag. It was an UA gym uniform. Izuku grimaced, hoping the teacher hadn’t been sweating in there. “Put these on and head outside.”

Just as they got to sit down. At least nothing the school would throw at them could be as bad as his father’s training. They actually had to avoid breaking the students’ bones. Then again they did have recovery girl…

Izuku picked up the clothes and stepped around the tailed guy, whose eyes followed his every move. Hitoshi nudged Izuku’s side.

“Ignore him,” he said.

“To think UA students could be that easily turned against their own classmates,” Tenya added. As being quiet wasn’t among his strong suites, the topic of their discussion was likely heard among the others. 

“Well, they admitted Ba…” Izuku paused. “Did you release him yet?”

“Not yet. The teacher seems to appreciate punctuality. Would be shame if he had to wait for the angry Pomeranian.”

His description made Izuku chuckle, but it didn’t last long.

“As much as I like the idea, it might get you into trouble. I doubt they would ignore you brainwashing him with many witnesses.”

“WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO THAT FOR!” Bakugo screamed in the background. 

“Maybe it would have been okay to wait a little longer,” Izuku suddenly regretted.

“I... didn’t do that,” Hitoshi said and shrugged. “Maybe that Kirishima guy took my advice.” 

There was a loud bang of an explosion behind them.

“Should I pay for the funeral if he did?” Izuku asked. “Thanks, by the way. Not sure where that was going but probably not anywhere good.”

“Have to agree. I saw how you looked at him,” Hitoshi said.

“I did not, but I could still feel it,” Tenya said. “Be careful with him. Otherwise he might get you to do something you regret, like… getting expelled.”

“So, you know each other, and that angry guy?” A large guy with six arms and a mask on his face asked, with a mouth that had appeared on one of his arms. 

“Yes, to both,” Izuku answered, “he used to be my classmate… for a decade, and it was never better than you just saw.”

“Because of your quirk?”

“Even before it, I was thought to be quirkless till I was thirteen. He wouldn’t get physical so much after my quirk appeared, but I was more alone than ever.”

“Does your quirk really… you know, steal quirks?” A brown-haired girl asked. 

Izuku stared at the floor for a moment and sighed. 

“Stealing is matter of whether you are allowed to take something, my quirk just does the transfer. Toshi, can I…?”

“Go ahead,” Hitoshi answered and offered his hand before Izuku finished the question. Izuku grabbed the hand and faced the girl again as the quirk transferred.

“You saw how Toshi’s quirk worked right?”

“Right….” her eyes turned blank and expressionless, and she stopped, followed by Izuku and the whole group of students. Izuku didn’t hold his control for long, just long enough for people to notice. The girl snapped out of it and Izuku returned Hitoshi’s quirk. 

“Did that answer your question?”  Izuku asked the girl. 

“Umhh, yes, I mean, I think so...”

“If you are worried you can stay out of an arm’s reach,” Izuku said and looked away. “I need to touch the person whose quirk I am taking.” 

“Oh no, I didn’t mean to… My name is Ochaco Uraraka and my quirk is Zero Gravity.”

Surprised, Izuku glanced at the flustered girl and then moved his eyes down on the hand she offered in greeting. He accepted the gesture. 

“Izuku Midoriya.”

“Mezo Shoji,” the six-armed guy joined the introductions. 

They reached the dressing rooms and the boys and girls separated. Izuku had barely started pulling off his shirt when the door was kicked open. Seething Bakugo marched in. Kirishima followed Bakugo, his hair seemingly standing up even more messy than before and black marks on his face, no apparent actual injuries though, not even a scratch. Either Bakugo was actually able to restrain himself better than before or this guy was really tough. Perhaps he had a durability enhancing quirk? Anyone without one should have had at least some kind of injury to get the black marks and hair change from a literal explosion without any visible injury. 

Bakugo’s head spun to stare at Izuku. He got three stares back as Izuku was standing between Tenya and Hitoshi. Bakugo huffed and went to the opposite side of the room.

“Well, this semester started with a bang don’t you think?” Kirishima said like nothing had happened. Izuku didn’t know how to respond and continued changing his clothes. 

“Seems you saved the funeral money,” Hitoshi whispered just loud enough for Izuku and Tenya to hear. 

“For now,” Izuku said, “probably better to not encourage people to punch Bakugo anymore.”

“Fine,” Hitoshi sighed. 

“He might be causing trouble for no reason, but we should not seek conflict unnecessarily,” Tenya lectured. They finished changing clothes uneventfully and got to the sports field among the first of their class. Their teacher Aizawa was already there looking as tired and grumpy as before. 

“You really took your time. That won’t work here.”

Izuku sighed. 

“Do you have a problem?”

“We changed clothes and walked here at completely normal speed. It’s not a race, and you didn’t give us any deadline to be here.”

“You seem to like talking back.”

“I talk when I have something to say, especially if there is something that needs to be said. I’m not planning to go back to staying silent or acting submissive or even respectful to someone who hasn’t earned it.” 

“I am your teacher.” 

“So?” Izuku asked. “What has your job to do with anything I just said? I thought you are supposed to train heroes here, not people that ignore or stay quiet about problems, because an authority figure said so.”

Aizawa stared at him for a moment, perhaps thoughtful, it was hard to say with the capture scarf covering the bottom of his face. Then he pulled a small ball from his pocket. 

“Talking alone won’t solve many problems, let’s see if you can back it up with actions. Today’s lesson is going to be a quirk assessment test.”

“Quirk assessment test?” Most of the class asked simultaneously. 

“What about the opening ceremony?” Uraraka asked. 

“If you want to be heroes, you can’t waste time on pointless ceremonies. Here at UA we are not tethered to tradition. That means I get to run my class how I see fit,” Aizawa said, making Izuku worried. The man hadn’t exactly impressed him as a teacher enough to have free reign over them. The man continued.

“You have been taking standardized tests for most of your lives, but you never got to use your quirks in physical exams before. The country is still trying to pretend we are all created equal by not letting those with the most power excel.” 

Izuku struggled to not shout at the man right there and then, but Hitoshi grabbed his wrist to hold him back. Treating people as equal? Not let those with the most power excel? That was the exact opposite from what he had experienced since he was four. Even if there was the possibility the man was only talking about the overtly restrictive and simplistic quirk laws, there was still the implication that weak, in other words quirkless or weak quirked people, shouldn’t be treated the same or have the same opportunities. Those with strong quirks should get away with things others wouldn’t. Most of the time people’s quirks didn’t even matter to whatever their work was.

“It’s not rational. One day the Ministry of Education will learn.”

‘What they should have learned was to give every student a chance regardless of their quirk, right after firing every teacher and expelling every student that discriminated against anyone for their quirks or quirklessnes.’ Izuku seethed inside.

“Midoriya...”

Hearing his name come from the man’s mouth snapped Izuku out of his thoughts. He met Aizawa’s eyes briefly, long enough to realize they were focused on him and despite their perpetual tiredness the look was sharp, unwavering, like he was analysing Izuku. Izuku’s own stare was nearly murderous, there was no way Aizawa didn’t see how he felt, but the man didn’t show any reaction.

“You managed to get the most points on the entrance exam. What was your longest throw with a softball when you were at junior high?”

“Sixty-eight meters,” Izuku answered, starting to realize where this was going. At the corner of his vision, he noticed Bakugo squeezing his fists. Part of his attention had been on the walking bomb all the time Bakugo had been present. 

“Right, try doing it with your quirk now.”

“I see what you are planning now,” Izuku said while taking the ball. “Let me guess, everything we are going to do today is about physical tests that people with specific quirks can excel at and others are branded weak because theirs work for different situations?”

Aizawa held his head with his hand.

“Just get in the circle and throw the ball. Anything goes, just stay in the circle.”

Izuku stepped in the circle and looked at the ball. It was an informal school test, not the end of the world whether he did well or not, but after all his training and with Bakugo there he wasn’t going to give the asshole anything to hold over him. A Hellfire Arrow might have given the ball just enough of a boost to get a superhuman score. He’d just have to be careful not to destroy the ball. It wasn’t anywhere near as tough as the robots had been. He’d need to be careful with the amount and concentration of power. Flames erupted from the back of his hand as he activated Dragon Blade, keeping up the appearance of it and Hellfire Arrow being two sides of one quirk. He pulled his arm back.

“You know he has stolen that quirk from someone, right?” Bakugo said just as Izuku was about to throw. His flames flashed blue and as the ball left his hand the Hellfire Arrow also took its blue form. In a fraction of a second it reached the ball, exploding right in front of Izuku. Burning pieces of the softball flew everywhere around him. Some hit his cheek and forehead and one struck his eye. He yelped and held his hands against his face to cover the injury. His vision was blurry with only one eye working right.

“Izuku!” Hitoshi and Tenya shouted at the same time, while Bakugo laughed in the background. Running steps approached quickly. The regeneration had already started and Izuku’s vision was returning to normal but was it fast enough? They couldn’t see any injury healing just like that.

“Are you okay?” Ida asked right next to Izuku. Izuku blinked, his eye still covered by his hand to test his vision. 

“Yeah, yeah I think so,” he answered and pulled away his hand, blinking some more. “I… thought a piece hit my eye, but it seems okay.”

“Let me see,” Aizawa said, having also arrived next to him. Izuku had no other choice but to meet the man’s eyes again and let the teacher stare at his. 

“Seems you got off with a scare. There is a black mark right at the edge of your eye. What in the world did you think you were doing?”

“There wasn’t supposed to be that much force. I… was distracted,” Izuku answered and glanced at Bakugo who grinned back. “There… is an emotional factor to boosting this quirk’s power.”

“And you still can’t control it to avoid such issues?”

“I’ve only had this quirk for a year and found out how to make it stronger during the entrance exam. I am sure Nezu has talked to you about my actual quirk.”

“Yes, he briefed me on your situation specifically,” Aizawa admitted, with no hesitation. It surprised Izuku who was left staring at the man.

“That won’t mean that you get off any easier than other students. Since there seem to be no injuries you three go back with the others.”

“Of course,” Tenya shouted way louder than needed and started pulling Izuku and Hitoshi away from the teacher. Izuku didn’t resist and on the way back to their spots, the taller teen leaned down to whisper to him. “Are you okay?” 

“Yeah, the pieces didn’t hit hard enough to cause real injury,” Izuku lied, feeling a sting somewhere deep inside.  

“How about why this whole thing happened?” Hitoshi asked. 

“Bakugo,” Izuku said. “He was part of the reason my flame turned blue in the first place. Seems I still have work to do to truly control this quirk.”

“Somehow I don’t think that will be a problem to you,” Hitoshi responded. 

“You should focus on training your own quirks together,” Izuku responded, getting some looks from their classmates. 

“Enough talk,” Aizawa commanded. “All of you need to know your maximum capabilities. It is the most rational way of figuring out your potential as a pro hero, as long as you can control that potential. Bakugo, you came second in the entrance exam.” 

Aizawa had another ball in his hand, and he tossed it to Bakugo who had a grin on his face that the devil would have been proud of. He marched to the ring and without hesitation threw the ball, setting off an explosion as he did. The pressure wave struck the watching students, but the blast wasn’t as concentrated as Hellfire Arrow so at least most of the ball survived the flight. Aizawa turned towards the class and raised his phone with the measurement of the throw on the screen, 705.2 meters. 

“Wow, 705 meters are you kidding me,” a blond-haired boy said. 

“I wanna go. That looks like fun,” the entirely pink girl said. 

“This is what I’m talking about. Using our quirks as much as we want,” another boy said. 

“So, this looks fun huh?” Aizawa muttered. Izuku got a bad feeling. The man seemed to be smirking. “Idiots. Today you will be competing in eight physical tests to gauge your potential. Whoever comes in last has none and will be expelled immediately.”

The whole class gasped and shouted, except Izuku. His forehead wrinkled as his stare drilled into the homeless looking man that was supposed to be their teacher. Izuku glanced around at his classmates. 

He had no idea about most of their quirks, but the entrance exam would have favoured physical and combat oriented quirks, many of which would help in fitness tests like this. After a year of torturous training Izuku was confident he wouldn’t be last even if he couldn’t excel in any of the tests relative to people with more suitable quirks. Out of the people whose abilities he could reliably estimate the most likely to suffer that fate was…

He glanced at Hitoshi, who was still staring at the teacher, tense from head to toe. Izuku squeezed his hands into fists. 

“So, this is how UA does things,” he said. “With the rescue points I hoped this place wouldn’t be as discriminatory as it seemed, but I guess you can’t accept having anything but flashy physical quirks. If there was a hero I didn’t expect this from it was you Eraserhead, but I guess it was too much to expect that you would actually bother to do your job. Teachers are supposed to help bring out their students’ potential, even if that is different for different people, not push them away because you judge people you know nothing about to have no potential. As if simple fitness tests or relative performance of students told anything about that. With the quirk you have, I bet you yourself would have come last in something like this.”

When Izuku finished everyone else were dead silent as their eyes darted between him and Aizawa, everyone except Bakugo who started only at Izuku, looking surprised, but smirked when Aizawa took a few steps closer to Izuku. 

“Are you done?” Aizawa asked in a tired tone. “Only one of us is a teacher and like I said, I get to decide how this class runs. Understand? If that’s a problem, you can head home right now.”

Izuku almost wanted to agree and leave, but he had a mission and…He glanced at Tenya and Hitoshi.

“You can’t send one of us home. We just got here,” Uraraka said. “Even if it wasn’t the first day that isn’t fair.”

“Oh, and you think natural disasters are? Or power-hungry villains, hmm? Or catastrophic accidents that wipe out entire cities? No, the world is full of unfairness. It is hero’s job to combat that unfairness.”

“Which is exactly why hero training should be fair,” Izuku interrupted. “Giving everyone fair chance without discrimination or other bullshit like this would be the only way to make everyone the best they can be and make the actually best excel. I can’t believe a teacher would fall for that kind of stupid logic. Actually I can, but I hoped for better from a school that is supposed to be so great.”

Aizawa looked at Izuku for a long while with a peculiar look in his eyes, before turning to face the whole class again. 

“We are just wasting time by talking. Let the games begin. We are going to start with the fifty-meter run.”

The class followed their teacher towards the running track. Izuku slipped between Hitoshi and Tenya.

“How is your running?”

Hitoshi sighed. 

“Better than half a year ago, but… I don’t know about the others here but between the three of us I’m going to be the last, and not just in running.” He laughed once and it wasn’t a happy laugh. “It won’t even be close. We all know it. You, Tenya especially, should have nothing to worry at least.”

“Yes. This test is basically made for him and his quirk,” Izuku agreed, “anyone with a quirk like that can easily avoid the last pla…” 

He fell silent mid-word and stopped walking. Hitoshi and Tenya turned to face him. Izuku glanced at his hand and when he raised his head the duo’s eyes widened in realization.

“Don’t tell me you…” Tenya started. 

“Could you even do that?” Hitoshi asked. 

“Probably,” Izuku responded and brushed his chin as if deep in though and not already well informed on his limits by his father. 

“The physical changes are something I haven’t tried before, but in principle it should work just as well. Might feel strange, I’m more concerned how many quirks that would mean for you Toshi, but I could just hold onto the others for the time needed. The real question is how well we could use the quirk, and if Tenya is ready for it.”

“So, you are thinking that,” Tenya said. 

“Hey!” Aizawa shouted. “How are you going to catch villains if you can’t even walk twenty meters?”

Izuku sighed exaggeratedly and kept walking. 

“I won’t do anything you don’t agree to. If things look like Toshi might be last I can do the last tests worse. You two wanted to be here more anyway.”

His two friends didn’t say a word, staring at him. A guy with two different hair colours and old burns on his face looked at the trio, but his face was totally expressionless. 

“You can’t do that,” Hitoshi hissed. 

“Yes, I can.”

“I believe you,” Tenya said, “but you don’t need to. If… if you think the other thing works.”

“Your quirk is safe. The risk is if we can use it properly. You should go run first so we’ll have time to figure it out.”

“Okay,” Tenya said and walked ahead to the front of the class. Izuku leaned closer to Hitoshi. 

“I’ll try it first and swap quirks with you then.”

“This is going to be interesting,” Hitoshi said. There was still clear concern in his voice. Izuku put his arm over Hitoshi’s shoulder and leaned closer.

“You are not going to be last or expelled.”

And that was a promise.

As expected, the 50-meter run was a breeze to Tenya even if he didn’t have time to get on a high gear on such a short distance. While he walked back Bakugo got to run, though he didn’t really even touch the ground, propelling himself ahead with his explosions. Tenya stopped in front of Izuku. He didn’t say anything but could just as well have had a hardening type quirk for how tense he was. Izuku sighed and grabbed Tenya’s shoulder while staring into his eyes, radiating calmness. Tenya drew a deep breath.

“Go ahead.”

“Try to relax yourself. It is easier that way,” Izuku whispered. “The quirk is different, but we have already done this with Hitoshi’s quirk.”

Izuku moved his hand up to meet the skin on the side of Tenya’s head before activating his All For One. The quirk felt different than any other he had taken, but he had never tried to take a mutant type quirk. 

He started wondering how much he could tell about a quirk just based on how it felt. He’d need more quirks to test it on, but there wasn’t exactly an excess of volunteers. Izuku hissed and lost the thought when burning pain struck his leg. Tenya reacted the same, their teeth clenched together as their legs morphed to accommodate the transferring quirk. They would have fallen over if Hitoshi didn’t jump in to support them. 

“What is…” Aizawa started saying somewhere, but never finished the question. The quirk transfer finally finished, having taken longer than other quirks before. Izuku breathed hard and looked down. His calves had bulged out a bit and when he pulled up his pant legs he could see them. His legs felt a bit heavier than before as he raised it, but otherwise they didn’t feel especially strange. Tenya kept patting his legs, trying to feel any signs of engines. 

“It’s okay,” Izuku whispered to get his taller friend’s attention. 

“Right, right, sorry.”

“What just happened?” A blond-haired boy asked, and he wasn’t the only one staring. 

“Haven’t you seen people use their quirks before?” Hitoshi asked, glancing at the guy and then focused on Izuku’s transformed legs. “How are you feeling?”

“Good now,” Izuku responded, “now I just need to figure how to use them. Tenya?”

“Yes, the most important part is…”

Aizawa was eventually able to coax some other students into taking the run while Tenya instructed Izuku and Hitoshi. Then it was Izuku’s turn to run, competing with the guy with a tail. 

“Is that allowed? It isn’t even his quirk.” 

“All quirks are allowed in this test, including indirectly,” Aizawa said.

Izuku focused on his legs, feeling the vibration of the new quirk. The run began. 

He took several steps normally before getting the quirk to activate. Suddenly both his feet were pushed forward, and he zoomed ahead faster than he had ever moved, for less than a second. Then his feet left the ground and the world spun around him too fast to make a sense of things until everything went black with a loud thump. 

“Five point thirteen seconds,” a machine voice announced. 

Izuku crawled up from the ground and wiped sand off his eyes. He hadn’t been as fast as he had hoped, but probably better than he could have done without the quirk. Learning new quirks was tough and next was Hitoshi’s turn. Speaking of whom…

“Are you okay?” Hitoshi and Tenya asked, having ran to him. 

“Yeah,” Izuku answered. “Need to work on the landing. You still want to try Toshi?”

“I want to stay in this school.”

“So yes,” Izuku said and offered his hand. “Just beware, this one will hurt quite a bit, but it passes just as quickly.”

This time Izuku was better prepared for the feeling of having part of his body twist and change form, but Tenya still supported them to remain standing. In the end Hitoshi performed much like Izuku, right down to the face landing. Izuku caught a glimpse of Aizawa grinning. Was he happy for their face planting or…? 

Izuku left the quirk with Hitoshi for the moment to minimize the transfers for the later tests. The next test was a grip strength test it didn’t matter for, but after that came long jump. Hitoshi’s and Izuku’s performances wouldn’t have gotten any points for style, but at least Izuku didn’t land face first this time. Afterwards Tenya finally got his quirk back. The taller teen rubbed his legs and sighed in relief. Suddenly he bowed deep towards Izuku.

“I’m sorry. Even after all this time I doubted you and feared losing my quirk. I hesitated helping you and Hitoshi. I should have known better.”

“You don’t need to apologize,” Izuku waved his hands in front of himself. “It was a big request to make suddenly, and to be honest I was a bit nervous too, but everything worked out well. I just hope it was enough. Your engine won’t help with the ball throw. I already messed my throw… and Hitoshi doesn’t have time to learn the quirk. Maybe he could use it to spin to get momentum, but that would require… mutter, mutter, mutter…”

“Izuku,” Hitoshi interrupted, “I already got an idea on how to handle this. Might need protection afterwards though.”

“Okay…” Izuku said and Hitoshi walked past him to the ring. He looked at Aizawa. 

“So… I can use my quirk in any way I can to get the ball thrown?” 

“That should be obvious by now. Otherwise, I would have already disqualified you and Midoriya.” 

“If there is someone you should disqualify and expel that is MR BOOM BOOM BAKA-GO over there!”

“WHAT DID YOU…!” Bakugo shouted and fell silent mid-sentence. 

“Come here and throw my ball as far as you can,” Hitoshi commanded. Izuku was holding back laughter as Bakugo walked to Hitoshi with a blank stare on his face and took the ball. The class was whispering about Hitoshi’s quirk with a variety of tones. Hitoshi got on his knees and covered his ears without leaving the circle. Bakugo threw the ball with an explosion even larger than before, shaking everyone with its shockwave. 

“WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED!?” Bakugo screamed. He had shocked himself out of the brainwashing with his explosion. Izuku was moving before Bakugo even noticed Hitoshi. When he did his face twisted in rage. 

“YOU BASTARD!”

Izuku was already visualizing his Dragon Blade as a shield, but when Bakugo swung his hand towards Hitoshi nothing happened and a fraction of a second later he was bound by Aizawa’s scarf-like capture weapon. Izuku and Tenya who got there first pulled Hitoshi away while Bakugo was still struggling and cursing. 

“Stand down. It would be wise to avoid making me use my quirk so much. It gives me serious dry eye.”

“You saw what the brainwashing bastard did!” Bakugo shouted.

“Yes, and he followed every rule I laid out. You are wasting my time now. If you try to attack another student, I will expel you regardless of your results.” The capture scarf released Bakugo. “Whoever is next can step up.”

At least he had threatened Bakugo to not attack again, but Aizawa was still letting him get away with trying to attack Hitoshi. He had clearly tried to use his quirk which especially at that distance could have killed or permanently maimed Hitoshi. Izuku’s eyes narrowed as he tried to keep an eye on both the walking bomb and an irresponsible teacher that just continued the tests.

“Are you okay?” Izuku asked Hitoshi, keeping his eyes on Bakugo the whole time.

“Yeah, didn’t expect him to knock himself out of the brainwashing.”

“Sorry I was too slow, even after you said this might happen,” Izuku apologized.

“Don’t. I’m just surprised Aizawa got him before Tenya. That scarf is amazing and it doesn’t even depend on his quirk. I wonder how hard it would be to learn to use one.”

“Probably very,” Izuku said.

The rest of the tests went by uneventfully. None of the friend trio’s quirks helped with things like flexibility and sit-ups and longer distance running was done by everyone at the same time so Tenya kept his quirk. Then it was over, and the class gathered in front of Aizawa. 

“Alright, time to give you your results. I’ve ranked you all from best to worst. You should probably have good idea of your standing already. I’ll just pull up the whole list. It is not worth it to go over each individual score.”

Aizawa pressed a button and a holographic list appeared in front of him. Tenya was safely on the fourth spot. Izuku came in a few spots later wishing he had paid more detailed attention to other students’ performances and Hitoshi… Izuku’s eyes scanned down the list. Hitoshi was 15 out of 20, safe. The person who was going to be expelled was someone called Toru Hagakure. Izuku could hear someone sobbing in the group of students but didn’t see the person. 

“And I was lying, no one’s going home,” Aizawa said, silencing the class faster than any threat of expulsion. “It was just a rational deception to make sure you gave it your all in the tests.”

The silence ended as quickly as it had begun. Izuku was one of the few who wasn’t expressing something out loud. He was pressing his lips together confused. He wasn’t sure if he was relieved there never was the risk of expulsion or angry that not only could they not trust the word of their own teacher but also took some risks because of his lies, especially with Hitoshi brainwashing Bakugo.

“I am surprised the rest of you didn’t figure that out. Sorry, I guess I should have said something,” Yaoyorozu said, seeming not at all concerned with their teacher’s deception. Several other students started bragging about not being concerned or being up for the challenge. 

“That’s it. We’re done for today,” Aizawa said and started walking away. “Pick up a syllabus in the classroom. Read it over before tomorrow morning.”

Izuku’s eyes followed the man until he walked around the corner of a sports hall. He stopped briefly and seemed to talk to someone. Soon he stepped completely out of sight and the class too started slowly moving towards the dressing rooms. Izuku stepped between Hitoshi and Bakugo, who was walking a few meters away. He responded with a glare when Bakugo as much as glanced in their direction. Izuku also held his hand open much like Bakugo when he threatened people with small explosions, but Izuku’s hand only showed the little hole connected to his All For One. Bakugo got the threat and tensed visibly, but also responded to Izuku’s stare until their large six-armed classmate unknowingly stepped in between them. 

“At least we’ll still be here tomorrow,” Hitoshi sighed, still a bit out of breath after the series of fitness tests. “I would probably have been last without your help Izuku. Everyone here is really fit.”

“It is the hardest to get into hero school,” Izuku said. “That’s why we trained so hard.”

“Tenya’s quirk also helped of course.”

“You gave a quite impressive show.” The trio turned to face their large classmate and blinked. Again, one of Shoji’s arms had a mouth formed where a hand should have been. 

“I don’t think our other classmates are used to that kind of body morphing though,” he continued.

“For that part I can understand how they feel,” Izuku responded. “Today was my first time experiencing something like that. Never tried to take a mutant type quirk before, a bit more painful than I thought it would be.”

“But you could still do it,” Uraraka said from the other side. “That was so cool how all three of you could use the same quirk. I still don’t believe it is even possible.” 

They were actually happy talking about Izuku’s quirk. He wasn’t sure how to respond. 

“It can be hard to believe without seeing it,” Hitoshi said, “or experiencing it first-hand, felt kind of strange the first time.”

“More like creepy,” a blond-haired guy other than Bakugo said. “You could easily be dangerous villains with the quirks you have.”

There it was. Izuku sighed and bit his teeth together to not say anything. 

The group fell silent, and everyone looked at the guy that had spoken. 

“That wasn’t very nice,” Uraraka said.  

“Come on, I can’t be the only one who thought about it.”

There was silence as no one responded verbally, but when Izuku raised his head there were a lot of differences in their expressions. 

“They are hard to use honourably,” the guy with a tail said. 

Izuku sped up his steps to walk ahead of the group. Hitoshi soon caught up to him. 

“What basis do you have to judge them that way?” Tenya declared, waving his arm in the usual way he did when lecturing someone. “You should know you are talking about some of the most honourable and hardworking people you’ll ever meet. For you to judge them on their quirks like that…”

Tenya continued lecturing to the class which also slowed them down, letting Izuku and Hitoshi get further ahead. No one tried to stop them. 

Chapter Text

After giving his instructions Aizawa left the sports field without further discussion. He thought about looking back to see how the students were reacting to the day, especially one white haired one, but didn’t want to seem too interested. He had definitely gotten reactions out of the boy for sure, but probably had not made his job easier. Aizawa stepped around the corner of the sports hall and stopped, sighing as he came face to face with the number one hero. 

“That was quite the dirty trick. Are you trying to turn him against us?”

“If today was enough to do that he would already be a lost cause,” Aizawa responded. “I needed to see what he is really like. Some pressure tends to make people expose more of themselves than they otherwise would.”

“So, what do you think about the boy?”

“He could be a great hero. He has plenty of power and showed signs of the capability to care and sacrifice for others. Although he has only show that with his friends so far and he did react to my challenges with more hostility than I expected. He also has no problem making his opinion clear when he thinks something is wrong. I may need to be more careful with my usual teaching approaches. We can’t rely on any respect for authority or trust unless we earn it by his standards.”

All Might opened his mouth to say something.

“If you want to talk about this matter, we should head to principal Nezu’s office first. I don’t want to repeat everything twice.”

They walked to the principal’s office where Nezu invited them in right away. 

“So how did the new students do in your test?”

“They have potential, but that isn’t what you are really interested in is it.”

“True. Tell me everything that happened with Midoriya.”

“Are you trying to tell me you weren’t watching?” Aizawa said.

“It is the first day and I am the principal. There is a lot of ceremony I need to attend,” Nezu responded. 

Aizawa kept staring at him without flinching. 

“I only saw some parts,” Nezu added, holding up a phone, “and the cameras don’t record sound, something about privacy regulations. I did see he utilized his quirk and would like to hear more.”

“Fine,” Aizawa agreed and explained the day’s events. 

“I didn’t expect him to use his quirk so soon at school,” Nezu said, “but that only shows it can be used heroically despite what the All For One we’ve known might have used it for in the past. That is good for us to remember.”

He glanced at All Might.

“The problem is guiding him in the right direction. Sounds like he is not the most receptive to your teaching.”

“It is nothing we didn’t expect,” Aizawa said. “The most surprising part was how vocal and open he is about his views. I can respect being the only one with the guts to talk back, no one else in the class dared to do so, but it might also become a problem if his views contradict with the law. He could be a vigilante just as easily as a hero or a villain, especially since he seems to be more interested in his friends becoming heroes than himself.”

“That would still be a possible path towards becoming a second All For One,” All Might added. “Especially if his experiences make him feel the society should change as he wants.”

“Have you considered that maybe it should?” Aizawa said. “Just because things being as they are let you become famous and successful doesn’t mean it is good for everyone.”

All Might fell silent, looking at Aizawa who rubbed his neck and sighed. 

“You should spend more time in dark alleys, poor parts of town, with people who aren’t pro heroes or just away from cameras.” 

“Even if that was the case, you don’t seem to understand the threat he could pose with that quirk if he went down the wrong path, whatever his reasons were,” All Might said. “The kid is a walking national crisis one wrong choice away from happening.”

Aizawa tilted his head to look at All Might, his eyes glowing red. 

“If he or any student ever hears you talking like that about a student as a teacher of this school, I will erase your quirk in front of the class and drag you out of this school myself.”

“Now now,” Nezu said. “Let’s not start a fight between teachers. Aizawa is right though. We need to teach and treat him like any other student and try to address anything that might make him veer off the right path. Speaking of which, there seemed to be some conflict. Let’s talk about Katsuki Bakugo, shall we?”

“Frankly speaking, I expected Midoriya to be the problem child I would need to worry about the most, but Bakugo has me concerned, by his actions, not his quirk” Aizawa said, glancing at All Might. “There is clearly a history between him and Midoriya so I don’t yet know the full background of his behaviour, but if it doesn’t change for the better there is a high chance I have to expel him. As things are, teaching him combat skills and especially allowing him to have a license to use his quirk freely would be irresponsible.”

“I am concerned at how you described his interactions with Midoriya and saw what he almost did to Shinso,” Nezu said. “Even considering Shinso’s previous actions I have to consider the expulsion option.”

“Not yet,” Aizawa said, getting surprised looks from both Nezu and All Might. “He does not have the attitude to become a hero. If anything, his personality could lead him down a dark path which would be especially dangerous considering his quirk’s capacity for violence, but if no one has corrected his behaviour before I doubt anyone will if UA cannot. We should at least try to correct his behaviour first. Even if he gets expelled, at the bare minimum he should understand his own fault in that. If we expel him now, he certainly won’t change.”

“If you of all people are talking against expelling a problem student then I have to agree, if you think you can guide both of them.”

“I didn’t become hero, or a teacher, to have an easy job,” Aizawa responded. “I still need to learn more about them though. Knowing their quirks and physical ability won’t help with dealing with these issues, especially since Midoriya seems to have a chip on his shoulder about that.”

“I am sure you’ll learn what needs to be learned. All Might’s lesson tomorrow might prove to be informative.”

“Or counterproductive,” Aizawa added. 

“Like today?” Nezu asked. “I don’t think Midoriya at least is any more trusting now than in the morning.”

“Perhaps, but putting people under pressure is the best way to see who they really are. Midoriya said and did a lot that he would not have otherwise. Also, I still have a whole class to teach, not just him. My teaching style is a demanding one and I cannot give differential treatment,” Aizawa answered. He turned around, meeting All Might’s eyes. “Remember that.”

Izuku stepped out of the black mist into the training room. Father was already there. 

“Izuku, how did your first day of school go?” He asked.

“The teacher though it was a good idea to start the year with lies and threats. At least our classmates aren’t, don’t seem to be, all bad, just some, and they put Bakugo on the same class. That…” Izuku squeezed his hands into fists. “He tried to attack Toshi.”

“And what did the teacher do?” His father asked. 

“He stopped Bakugo from using his quirk. I guess I was lucky to get Eraserhead as a teacher… but he did nothing else, just continued the stupid fitness test, I mean ‘quirk apprehension test.’ I know Bakugo’s explosions, and he was really angry. He might have seriously injured Toshi if not worse.”

“Stealing his quirk and letting Tomura dust the body is still an option.”

“Dad… no, I mean… people at UA are already suspicious of me, if something happens to Bakugo…”

“True, good thinking. Always thinking a step ahead.”

“And you already knew I was going to say that.”

“True, but I wanted to see how you would say it.”

“At least some people in the class seem decent, definitely better than my old class at Aldera so far. No one was as bad as Bakugo at least, except Bakugo. I can deal with them as long as Tenya and Toshi are there.”

“Just do not let your guard down. You have been careless with your words too many times before already. Some of them might be decent to you when they think you are just another kid wanting to be a hero, but if they found out about who you really are they will come after you, no matter what you do.”

“I know,” Izuku sighed. 

They stood there in silence for a moment. 

“So,” his father spoke first, “you mentioned your teacher is Eraserhead. What do you think about him?”

Izuku looked to the side, thinking what to say.

“I thought he might understand at least some of the problems of this society since his quirk isn’t physical or flashy. He also works mainly underground so he isn’t a hero for the fame, but he’s far from a good teacher and… well, it is hard to say since most of what I thought about him was because of the tests that he lied about.”

“Lied you say?” His father asked. 

Izuku explained to him what had happened during the school day. It was impossible to say what his father was thinking behind the black helmet. Izuku was just finishing when his father raised his hand and launched an air blast at Izuku who barely avoided it. 

“Dad,” he whined and jumped to the side to dodge another blast.

“You need to keep your guard up at all times. That does not only apply for physical attacks but also to what people say or do. Always assume people might be lying, consider the situation and what you need to do if what is told to you turns out to be a lie.”  

“I know, but I had to assume it was true.”

“Right. Did you learn anything other than the unreliability of heroes? Was All Might around perhaps?”

“No, I didn’t see him all day, but the actual hero training begins tomorrow, and he is listed as our teacher in hero studies.”

Izuku waved papers in his hand with a syllabus and other school related papers. 

“So, it is only a matter of time. How about the quirk copier?” 

“If he got in, I don’t think he is in my class. I didn’t see anyone doing something like that. It should have come up the latest when I used my All For One.”

“Perhaps, but there are still other classes he might be in. Keep your ears open. Did any of your other classmates have interesting quirks?”

Izuku pulled a notebook from under the other papers and held it open. Every one of his classmates had a full two-page opening reserved for them, though Izuku had only scribbled down some observation for most of them. 

“Creation can be unbelievably useful almost anywhere. Hardening is simple but very practical for physical battle, especially since it seems to enhance strength too, and Kirishima seemed to be a pretty decent person. Also, I think one of my classmates is Endeavor’s son with an ice quirk, and I have heard he is supposed to have fire too. Those seem the most interesting so far.”

“Yes, most certainly.” 

“Dad, if you steal any of their quirks the heroes are going to come after me.”

Father didn’t actually respond to that and his face was still covered, but somehow Izuku still felt like the man was pouting like a kid who didn’t get the toy he wanted. A moment later his father got back from his thoughts. 

“Well, it was only the first day. This kind of operation takes time. Keep your eyes open and try to learn something while you are there. Some of the teachers have to be competent at teaching at least to get the school such a reputation. As for your usual training, there is something new I want to show you. The doctor has completed his newest creation. Kurogiri, bring it in.”

A dark portal appeared in front of them and a few seconds later something large stepped through. From the black-ish skin colour Izuku realized it was another Nomu even before its head came through, revealing the beak-like mouth and exposed brain. The creature was much larger than the previous Nomu and muscular in the same massive way as All Might.

“It’s… not low tier,” he concluded, remembering how his father had described the previous Nomus.

“Quite the opposite, Tomura calls it the Anti-Symbol of Peace.”

“It’s meant to fight All Might?” Izuku blurted out. His father chuckled.

“You catch on quick as ever. Given the right opportunity this Nomu should be able to defeat All Might.”

“I’ll believe it when I see it,” Izuku said, his hand squeezed into a fist, trying to control his emotions from the thought of something defeating All Might.

“In time, but until then, want to take a shot at it?”

“Are you kidding? If that thing is meant to be as strong as All Might, what chance do I have?”

“About as much as you had against the low tiers when we began your training,” his father said, “maybe a bit less, but there is only one way to find out. There will be pain, but you need to push your limits to expand them. I don’t quite trust UA enough to leave your training to them. Now put your things aside and prepare yourself. Today you will experience the power needed to change the world.”

“Okay,” Izuku said and gulped.

“It will be challenging but your growth has been impressive,” Kurogiri commented. “One day even this Nomu will not pose a problem as long as you continue your training.”

Izuku smiled and stepped in front of the new Nomu. He breathed in deep and lit his Dragon Blades.

“Nomu,” his father said, “attack.”

Izuku wasn’t planning on just taking the attack and charged forward. Next thing he realized, the Nomu was already right in front of him. He jumped to the side, avoiding the Nomu’s attempt to grapple him. It turned at incredible speed to try with its other hand. Izuku’s blades flashed and turned blue as he slashed off the Nomu’s fingers. That was as far as he got.

The Nomu rushed forward almost too quickly to see and a massive hand grabbed Izuku’s arm. In an instant he was slammed to the floor with cracks from his breaking ribs and nose. Izuku would have screamed but the monster used his other hand to press his face against the floor. The arm the Nomu was holding cracked and broke. Izuku was gasping for air, barely able to breathe against the floor.

“Good first try,” his father said but Izuku barely paid it any attention. He could sense death hovering over him, but was unable to move under its hold, except for the still free unbroken arm. He screamed, muffled by the floor, and swung the blade hotter than ever over his head. Most of the pressure on his skull disappeared and warm liquid fell on the back of his neck. Izuku raised his head and twisted around, screaming at the pain this caused in his broken arm still held down by the Nomu. Izuku pointed his hand at the monster’s chest and with a blue flash there was an explosion that left him temporarily blind and deaf. His broken arm was briefly pulled back agonizingly and then released.

“Izuku?” His father’s voice came right next to him. Izuku blinked as his sight started returning, but mostly his eyes squeezed shut as he bit his teeth together to not scream as his bones reformed themselves. Something touched his reforming arm and the pain there eased somewhat. Izuku rolled to his back to ease pressure on his healing ribs. Slowly his breath eased, and he could focus on his father’s form in front of him.

“That might have been a little much,” his father said. “Do you feel anything broken still?”

“I… I think no. The pain is starting to go away. It was too fast. I couldn’t react fast enough.”

“Were you using the calm mind?”

“No, I haven’t really used it yet.”

“It was your idea to use the quirk to focus in battle. You should try it. At least use the quirk next time you are healing broken bones.”

“I’ll try to remember that.”

Izuku drew a deep breath and let his father help him back up.

“At least you did quite a bit of damage on the Nomu,” his father said and gestured at the creature standing nearby. It had a large red mark across its chest, as if the skin was peeled away, showing the muscle tissue underneath.

“It regenerated the worst of the damage but seems to have some difficulty fully healing back to normal. Look at the fingers you cut off.

Izuku looked down. The Nomu really had regrown the fingers but there was a red line going through all of them where they had been cut.

“I have to ask the doctor to investigate this. See if it has weakness in the regeneration or if it’s something with your quirks. Very interesting either way. Good thing you didn’t hit the brain. I would appreciate if you do not kill this Nomu in training. Then again, if you can, it isn’t as strong as I thought.”

“You are great at motivational speeches dad.”

“You avoided its first two attacks and inflicted injury. That is more than most pro heroes should be able to do. You might lack a speed quirk, but your reaction speed has improved greatly. Now, want to go again?”

Izuku hesitated for a moment, shaking his formerly broken arm.

“Maybe I should tell it to use a bit less force,” his father added.

“That would be nice,” Izuku said and stepped in front of the Nomu, his hand shaking a bit. After activating his blades, he concentrated on adding the Calm Mind at the same time. His hand stopped shaking and the previous ordeal disappeared from his mind. Details of the room disappeared except for their tactical value as the terrain of the battle. The only really important thing was the Nomu in front of him and he was acutely aware of every little twitch and movement of the creature.

“Nomu, attack, but don’t break bones,” a voice commanded. The creature’s posture started changing, it was going to…

The Nomu was right in front of him, already throwing a punch. There was no use or time to form a shield. This Nomu would destroy him even with a shield.

There was no fear in that thought, just an observation.

Izuku bolted to the side and slashed halfway through the Nomu’s arm. It shifted its balance to turn around, but Izuku didn’t have time to land and change direction. The Nomu spun around and brought its other hand to backhand him. That slap alone threw Izuku several meters. Izuku adjusted his position mid-air and almost landed on his feet. He briefly dropped to his knee and used one arm to support himself. He didn’t have time to get up as the Nomu attacked again and could only dive away once before being caught and pressed against the floor again.

“Enough,” his father announced. The Nomu let Izuku go and thinking he was okay, Izuku stopped the Calm Mind.

“Ouch,” he hissed, feeling the full pain from the impacts although his bones seemed to be okay.

“Congratulations son. If you were fighting a non-regenerating enemy, you would have effectively maimed them.”

“How about this regenerating enemy?” Izuku asked while getting up.

“The wound healed like the last ones. Started as it should but slowed towards the end. The arm seems to work normally but still has that scar. I’ll have the doctor analyse them. More important right now is that I could see a clear difference in you compared to the first fight. Did you use the Calm Mind?”

“Yes,” Izuku responded. “It helped more than I expected. I could focus on the Nomu and think clearly. It was like everything else barely existed, just me and it.”

“That is good, but also concerning. Can you think of the reason why?”

“Why…” Izuku repeated and brushed his chin, thinking for a few seconds. “I was totally focused on it. If anyone else tried to attack me…”

“Game over, as Tomura would say,” his father finished. “Be very careful with that quirk, especially if you are fighting alone.”

“I will.”

“Now using it to do homework on the other hand...”

“Right.”

Chapter Text

Izuku yawned as he walked through the UA gate, still stunned that he actually went to school there. Thoughts of his awe drifted away quickly though as he fell deep in thought. The previous evening’s encounter with the new Nomu had reminded him of how far he still had to go to have the power to change the world, or even just his own country. Hell, in terms of speed Izuku couldn’t even keep up with Bakugo in the entrance exam combat, and worse, had been too slow to stop him from attacking Hitoshi the previous day. If Eraserhead hadn’t stopped him…

Izuku didn’t like Eraserhead after the previous day, but he could still be grateful. Even if the man was obviously made his teacher for his ability to erase quirks, including his All For One. Though the man wasn’t too subtle about it, having admitted to being specifically briefed on Izuku. Izuku wondered if the man even knew the whole story with Izuku’s father. Maybe Nezu and All Might hadn’t told him everything. The hobo looking man hadn’t exactly focused on him, except for the softball throw, but entrance exam results were as good an excuse as any. If he just hadn’t messed that up because of…

Bakugo!

Both Izuku and Bakugo froze still as Izuku stepped out of the stairwell right next to the walking dynamite stick. Actually, that was unfair to dynamite. That stuff is not actually that easy to set off. He was more like a bottle of warm nitro-glycerine.

Bakugo hopped back from Izuku and raised his hands, ready for battle with tiny explosions crackling on his palms. After the previous day Izuku didn’t have any doubts about Bakugo’s readiness to use violence. Izuku’s expression fell blank, but within he had tensed throughout, feeling something in his throat. He shifted into a more defensive position, hands open, ready to use either All For One or Vibration. Were things really going to be like this his whole time at UA? Briefly Izuku wondered if it would be easier to get away with stealing Bakugo’s quirk. 

Eventually Bakugo broke his stare and, still ready to strike, stepped towards the class. As he came closest to Izuku he whispered under his breath.

“I will destroy you.”

“A year ago you might have been able to,” Izuku whispered back. 

Bakugo scowled but kept walking, never completely turning his back to Izuku. Izuku kept several meters distance until they got into the class and he slipped into his seat between Tenya and Hitoshi. They kept the same sitting order in every class and Bakugo settled to sitting at the opposite side of the room in every class too. Hitoshi didn’t even need to use his brainwashing. Other students generally didn’t bother them.

Many of them seemed more awkward or hesitant than afraid or hostile, but Izuku mostly kept Tenya and Hitoshi between himself and them whenever they left the classroom. Tenya especially made for a good barricade.

When their lunch hour rolled around the trio stood and departed the classroom quickly. As they left the classroom Tenya spoke up.

“Izuku, I know yesterday didn’t end well but you shouldn’t avoid our classmates. You should at least try talking to the ones that seemed to accept you. That goes for you too Hitoshi.”

Izuku sighed and looked at Hitoshi.

“He is probably right,” Hitoshi said, and both looked around. They had already walked away from their classmates and the corridor was full of other students. Izuku could spot only one familiar person, mostly because Shoji towered above the other students, and some walking behind him snickered while one of them pointed at him. Another waved her hands stupidly. Izuku scowled and walked towards his six-armed classmate.   

“Hey Shoji,” he called loud enough for the snickering group to also hear, “want to have lunch with us before today’s hero training?”

He made sure to emphasize the “hero” part. The snickering group’s faces dropped. It was difficult to tell how Shoji felt under his mask. What was the point of that anyway? A mouth that formed in the end of one of his arm-tentacles was smiling however. Even Izuku had to admit that it could be startling to witness the first time.

“Sure,” Shoji answered and looked at the trio as Hitoshi and Tenya had caught up to Izuku, “if you’ll have me. I don’t want to intrude.” 

“It’s… okay. You seem decent enough as a person to spend time with,” Izuku said, “also I think we have something in common.”

“Oh, what is it?”

“Yesterday when you asked if Bakugo’s behaviour was because of my quirk, I got the impression you were familiar with that kind of stuff, and mutant type quirks are the ones people most often discriminate against,” Izuku said and glanced where the snickering students’ backs were getting further away from them. 

“You aren’t wrong. I... “

“You don’t need to explain,” Izuku said. “All of us understand. Let’s get some food.”

They went to the cafeteria and got a four-person table. Izuku froze for a moment, seeing Shoji eat with a mouth he formed at the end of one of his arms rather than take away the mask he seemed to always wear. He blinked a couple of times until his thoughts moved to wondering how Shoji’s intestines worked with that.  After giving up he focused on his own food. Shoji had his own reasons for eating like that and Izuku wasn’t going to complain about it or push him to talk. 

“So,” Shoji started carefully, “why did you want to become a hero?”

“My entire family are heroes and I want to continue the Ida name in heroics,” Tenya said. “Also, someone taught me I should always stand up against what is wrong.”

“I want to prove to people my quirk can be used to help people,” Hitoshi said. “That it doesn’t make me a villain.”

Shoji nodded to both of them.

“I came here because these two came here,” Izuku said between mouthfuls with a totally neutral face.

Shoji actually made more eyes to stare at Izuku after that answer. “Really?”

“Really,” Izuku said and ate some more.

“It is true, at least partially,” Tenya confirmed. “Personally, I think he is and wants to be a hero more than he admits to. He never turns away from injustice.”

“Already saved me,” Hitoshi added, “and my chances of being here.”

“It... was too much of a hassle going to different schools,” Izuku said, holding the back of his neck in a Hitoshi-like way. “How about you Shoji?” 

“Part wanting to help people, part the same as Shinso.”

“Welcome to the club,” Izuku said. 

Lunch passed quickly without a hassle and next up was the start of their hero training. Izuku was sitting on his seat, nervous of who would be teaching them. Aizawa he could handle unless the man was going for some stupid deception or other stupid ideas, but All Might taught at UA now. Chatter in the room revealed that others were wondering the same question though with more excitement. At least Tenya and Hitoshi knew better than to talk about the number one hero next to him.

“I AM...” 

Izuku’s blood froze. His mother’s corpse laying on the ground flashed in his eyes. His father’s eyeless disfigured face stared at him after years apart.

“HERE. COMING THROUGH THE DOOR, LIKE A HERO,” All Might shouted and came through the door in a stupid pose, leaning forward and hanging from the doorframe.

“Toshi,” Izuku hissed through his teeth, “really, don’t hesitate to use your quirks on me if you have to.” 

Hitoshi nodded slowly without turning to face Izuku, who was grasping the sides of his desk with all his strength to hold himself back. The rest of the class were too busy gasping and whooping in disbelief to notice his opposite reaction. 

“I can’t believe it’s really All Might,” the blonde Izuku didn’t like said; the other blonde, not Bakugo.

“Sweet! He IS a teacher! This year is going to be totally awesome,” Kirishima declared, so blind to the realities of the hero world. As All Might did a stupid exaggerated walk to the front of the class some other students commented on his hero costume. All Might stopped next to the teacher’s desk and looked around the room. His eyes stopped on Izuku, who was in no mood to play around and responded with his most murderous stare. The number one hero quickly averted his eyes.

“Wel…Welcome to the most important class of UA high!” All Might’s signature grin never faltered.

‘A class that only like two out of eleven students in the school gets to attend,’ Izuku thought.

“Think of it as heroing 101. Here you will learn the basics of being a pro and what it means to fight for the name of good!”

‘Depending on what you considered good...’ Izuku continued to glare as the man was posing again, as if they were there to look at his muscles. He showed a piece of paper or a sign that said a single word: ‘Battle.’

“Let’s get into it! Today’s lesson will pull no punches!”

Izuku had to look away from the obnoxious man but that only made him spot Bakugo, whose face was twisted in a dangerous mix of excitement and deranged joy. 

“But one of the keys to being a hero is,” All Might continued.

‘Saving people,’ Izuku thought. 

“Looking good!”

Yep, it had been too much to hope from the number one hero. Punch things and try to look good were the two things he had also done a year earlier, when Izuku’s mother was lying dead at his feet.

All Might continued, unaware of Izuku’s objections. “These were designed for you based on your quirk registration forms and designs you sent in before school started!”

A bunch of lockers extended from the opposite wall with numbered suitcases in each of them. That got everyone excited again. After a few more instructions All Might left the room and the students rushed to find their suits. Hitoshi turned to face Izuku, who stayed tightly on his seat, breathing heavily. If One For All had not been so resistant to All For One…

Izuku’s thought were interrupted when one of the suitcases was placed on his desk. Tenya handed another one to Hitoshi and gave Izuku a concerned look. He glanced back until the last of other students had left.

“Are you okay?”

“Ya, I’m-” Izuku started.

“No,” Hitoshi finished. Izuku slumped. When he spoke next, he spoke quietly.

“True. I’m not sure if I want to cry because of mom or attack All Might for her.”

“I would not recommend the second one, you might get expelled,” Tenya said. With someone else it would have been a joking remark, but for Tenya it was just his usual strictness and good understanding of Izuku. Izuku smiled, sniffed, and wiped a tear from his eye. 

“Thanks guys,” Izuku said and got up. “We should go. I don’t want to make you late from the training.”

The duo nodded slowly, and they followed their classmates to the dressing rooms and settled near Shoji on the opposite end of the room from Bakugo. Others seemed to have at least partially the same idea as Bakugo had the most empty space around him in the crowded room. Izuku opened his suitcase, hoping for the best. There wasn’t really much that could be done to design a suit for All For One so his requests had been mostly focused on not hindering his mobility in combat while surviving his use of the Dragon Blade and Hellfire Arrow. Besides that, it was supposed to be plain. Whatever All Might said, the looks were the least important part of being a hero, a real hero, not a showman cashing in on the fame.

He pulled out a simple one-piece jumpsuit. At first he wanted to make it black for stealth purposes, but that could have resembled his ‘villain costume’ too much. White would have worked with his hair but that would have been a blatant opposite of his black suit and Kurogiri had been strictly opposed to the colour.

The nomu had just finished doing laundry for his white shirts that day.

In the end Izuku had picked his second favourite colour and had the jumpsuit made dark green. The designers had also added some black details and feet reinforcements he didn’t mind. More importantly he had gotten red shoes this time, along with an equipment belt and gloves that had holes on their palms for All For One and some kind of protective layer covering the backs of his hands, though not hard metal like his other gloves. Naturally the equipment belt had a holder for notebooks, and everything was stronger and more fire resistant than regular fabrics. 

Finally, the costume had nothing for his head. It wasn’t like he needed to hide his face in this world of superstar heroes and the next winter was far away. Some kind of gas masks might have been useful though. 

Changing to the simple costume didn’t take long, especially compared to Tenya’s costume that made him look like a mix of a medieval knight and a sports car. The larger teen had barely put half of his costume on by the time Izuku started turning around and flexing his limbs to test if the costume would hurt his mobility. It definitely was not as accurately measured as the costume his father had gotten him. The material was flexible and didn’t hinder his movements significantly, but the jumpsuit felt a bit too tight, fitting him a bit too snuggly and skin-tight.

Then again, maybe the designers had done that on purpose. Tight costumes did help heroes show off and get more pictures taken of them, All Might being a prime example. Izuku sighed, but it wasn’t really something that mattered now. He turned to Hitoshi. 

If anything, Hitoshi’s costume was even simpler than Izuku’s. Instead of a jumpsuit he had a tight black t-shirt. Gray pants that were a bit baggier but would not get in his way and black boots that looked a bit like those of Izuku’s villain costume, but perhaps a bit lighter. For Izuku, the most interesting part of the costume was black armguards on both his arms, wider than the arm itself, reaching from the edges of his gloves to the elbows. Izuku tapped one with a finger. It was hard, though didn’t seem metallic, carbon fibres maybe. 

“What do you think?” Hitoshi asked. “I got the idea from how you use your flame shields. I thought something similar might improve my defence even if they are narrower. I also made sure to ask for fireproof gloves.”

“That’s a great idea,” Izuku said with a wide grin. “We have to train with them after school.

“Yeah, I was going to ask your help with that. My new apartment is close to a nice sports field. We could go there.”

“Oh right, you moved closer for school,” Izuku said, exited. 

“Closer than you,” Hitoshi said, “unless you bought a new mansion and didn’t tell us.”

“No but, if you’d like one,” Izuku shrugged, forcing a thoughtful expression onto his face. 

They stayed quiet for a moment, as did those closest to them. Then both burst out laughing. It took them a moment to calm down. 

“Unfortunately, that might be a little too much to convince dad on.”

“Understandable,” Hitoshi agreed.

They waited for Tenya to finish putting on his overly complex armour and headed to the training site, they were the last of their class to exit the changing areas. The training site was another one of the mini cities UA maintained for the hero classes. All Might was standing in the middle of the street at the end of the corridor they entered through. Izuku could already feel his blood pressure rising at the sight of the man. He fell a few steps behind Hitoshi and Tenya.

“You look so cool,” All Might said with a thumbs up to the students, finishing something the late comers didn’t hear. “Now shall we get started you bunch of newbies? Now that you are ready, it’s time for combat training!”

“Sir,” Tenya said, raising his hand, “this is the fake city from the entrance exams. Does that mean we will be conducting urban battles again?”

“Not quite. I am going to move you two steps ahead. Most of the villain fights you see on the news take place outside. However, statistically speaking, run-ins with the most dastardly evildoers take place indoors. Think about it: backroom deals, home invasions, secret underground lairs. Truly intelligent criminals stay in the shadows.”

All Might’s explanation caught Izuku by surprise, mostly because he was making sensible points for once. 

“For this training exercise you will be split into teams of good guys and bad guys and fight two on two indoor battles.”

The brief explanation was followed by a series of questions from the students. Izuku squeezed his hands into fists when the first question Bakugo was able to come up with was how much they were allowed to hurt their opponents, since obviously the question didn’t come from concern over his fellow students. Uraraka on the other hand was concerned over a possible threat of expulsions thanks to Eraserhead.   

All Might moved on to explain the training scenario. Unfortunately, he had already forgotten the mostly sensible examples he used before and the training scenario sounded more like an action movie battle with villains guarding a nuclear weapon inside an office building for… some reason, and heroes trying to get the bomb or defeat the villains in time, not like a real situation which would require them to do both. Well, if the point was just to learn to fight it might be adequate, except neither All Might or UA had yet to actually teach them anything about fighting. 

Maybe they wanted to test them like the first time Izuku faced a Nomu.

“Time is limited, and we’ll choose teams by drawing lots.”

“The traditional ‘you have to be able to work with anyone’ approach,” Izuku muttered just loud enough for Tenya and Hitoshi to hear.

“It isn’t completely wrong you know,” Tenya whispered back. “Heroes often have to work together and may not have any options in an emergency.”

“What’s that?!” All Might called. Tenya instantly bowed.

“Nothing sir. Please excuse my rudeness.” 

Next they had the team selection. Even the ever polite and dedicated Tenya groaned when he was paired with Bakugo. Izuku placed his hand on Tenya’s shoulder. 

“My condolences. He’s not going to cooperate with you, so your best chance is just letting him go and using him as a distraction.”

“Izuku Midoriya and Fumikage Tokoyami,” All Might declared another team and Izuku started searching for his new ally. He hadn’t yet talked with Tokoyami, but the bird-headed classmate in an all-black cloak was easy to recognize. He might also understand what it was like to be discriminated against for his quirk, so Izuku wasn’t completely pessimistic about the potential teamwork. Izuku decided to test his theory and offered his hand for a hand shake. Tokoyami reacted slowly, but still did respond in kind. Izuku was just about to grab his hand when a dark, distinctly bird-shaped mass emerged from within Tokoyami and blocked Izuku from approaching. 

Also, much to Izuku’s surprize, it could talk. 

“Don’t come any closer. I won’t let you touch Fumi.”

Izuku took a step back in surprise and looked at Tokoyami, a question in his wide eyes. Tokoyami however was already in action, trying to hold down the shadow creature. 

“What are you doing Dark Shadow. He is our ally.” 

“That doesn’t mean I am going to trust him. If he tries anything I won’t hesitate to deal with him.”

“Stop this foolishness Dark Shadow.

“Don’t trust him Fumi!”

“The quirk has the right idea,” Bakugo commented from nearby. 

“Is there something wrong?” All Might asked. 

“I am sorry,” Tokoyami said. “Dark shadow is acting out. He’s a sentient quirk.”

While it had already been pretty obvious, the words ‘sentient quirk’ lit a glint in Izuku’s eyes and he pulled out one of his notebooks. He barely noticed All Might speaking, which was no low bar. 

“That is quite rare. Can you participate in the training?” All Might asked.

“Yes. This isn’t too unusual.”

“With that guy?” Dark Shadow asked, shocked. Izuku felt as if it was glaring at him. 

“Yes,” Tokoyami said more forcefully. “Now go back inside until we start.”

“Don’t let him touch you,” the quirk said just before it disappeared into Tokoyami’s body. 

All Might looked at him for a moment, glancing at Izuku several times, nodded, and went back to randomly choosing teams. Tokoyami turned back to Izuku only to meet an intense stare over an open notebook and rapidly moving pen. 

“Youneedtotellmeeverythingaboutyourquirk.Ishereallyfullysentient?Howfarcanhereachfromyou?Whatifyoudisagreeonsometh-”

“IZUKU!” 

Izuku jumped at the booming voice, it echoed in his head but felt like Hitoshi was screaming next to both his ears with a voice amplifier. 

“Wha…” he responded reflexively and fell under the brainwashing. It didn’t last long as Hitoshi came to him and flicked his forehead with a finger, breaking the brainwashing. 

“His quirk already doesn’t seem to like you. Try not to agitate him by pushing too much,” Hitoshi advised.

“You’re right. Sorry Tokoyami. I got too excited.”

“I should be the one apologising. Dark Shadow has his own opinions on people, but he has never been so hostile to someone new before. I hope you will still fight alongside me.”

“If you were acting like Dark Shadow I wouldn’t, whatever that brick house says, but so far you seem decent.” 

Tokoyami stared at him, not commenting anything until Hitoshi spoke to him.

“Don’t let him scare you. He can be the best friend you ever hoped for, if you earn it, and the bar isn’t as high as he makes it seem.”

Hitoshi went to find his teammate for the exercise and All Might, having finished making the teams, went on to selecting who was fighting who.

“I declare the first teams to fight will be,” All Might plunged his hands in the boxes with marked balls and pulled two out, “these guys! Team A will be the heroes. Team D will be the villains. Everyone else can head to the monitoring room to watch.”

Izuku barely listened to the last sentences. He and Tokoyami were team A, and team D was… He turned to look at Tenya and Bakugo, who was sending a murderous glare at him while explosions sparked on the thick gloves of his new costume. The thing even had gauntlets that looked like large grenades.

Actually, there was nothing surprising there. The real question was, what was their purpose? Even in all his cockiness Bakugo wasn’t stupid enough to slow himself down with useless wrist weights. 

Izuku blinked, realizing he was going to battle with Bakugo and he was calmy evaluating his long time enemy’s clothes. He looked down at his hand. He wasn’t shaking, not in the least bit. Actually going up against Bakugo didn’t feel any different than starting his regular daily training, though of course those tended to include Nomus. Bakugo was going to be in for a surprise. Things were going to be different than in the past. 

All Might handed everyone earpieces to communicate with and sent the ‘villains’ inside the building while Izuku and Tokoyami waited to enter. 

“So, you know both our opponents. What shall we expect from them?” Tokoyami asked. Izuku brushed his chin, thinking. 

“Bakugo will leave Tenya behind and come after me. He won’t care about you or the training scenario and both of them know that. Tenya is more difficult to predict. I think he will probably stay near the bomb after Bakugo leaves, but I did suggest he could use that as a distraction so there is a chance he might surprise us while we are focused on Bakugo. I don’t know how fast Dark Shadow is but if he can circle around you for all around protection that is probably your best chance to stop a surprise attack. Our options are to either fight Bakugo together or split up when he comes for me. You could use that time to find the bomb and we could meet again to attack together if you can’t get past Tenya. I recommend we split up.”

“That only works if you can beat Bakugo.”

“I have to beat him, and not for the exercise.” 

Izuku stared forward with a rare level of determination.

“I can see you are on a quest you must complete alone. I shall find the bomb while you exact the justice you seek.”

Izuku looked at his teammate, not saying a word. 

“I too find him quite annoying and heard what you said about him yesterday,” Tokoyami added. “Show him the terror of the darkness he has inflicted on you.”

Izuku smiled. “I will.”

They spent the remaining time going through the building floorplans and mentally marking the best routs for faster movement and evasion.

“ALL RIGHT!” All Might’s voice boomed from hidden speakers. Considering the time it would take for him to come from the monitoring room, there would be essentially no teacher interruption if Bakugo decided to go too far, or Izuku for that matter. “LET’S BEGIN THE INDOOR COMBAT TRAINING. TEAM A AND TEAM D, YOUR TIME STARTS NOW!”

Trying to avoid the most obvious paths, Izuku and Tokoyami climbed in through a window and started quietly proceeding through the building with Izuku leading the way. His hands twitched, ready to strike, be it by cutting with Flaming Blade or tearing away the quirk of his opponent. 

One moment they were approaching a crossing of corridors. The next, with no warning, Bakugo flew around the corner and launched a large explosion at them.

Izuku reacted in a split second, both jumping out of the way and pushing Tokoyami away at the same time. Izuku managed to stay on his feet after the impact and explosive shockwave, but Tokoyami fell on Dark Shadow who appeared to catch him. 

“Hey, watch it!” The shadow creature shouted. “Didn’t I tell…”

Bakugo charged at Izuku. If he hadn’t changed too much during the past year his first move was going to be… 

Bakugo charged at Izuku and with a scream swung his right arm in a big right hook, just like he always started a fight. Izuku was ready for it and caught his arm, spun around, and threw Bakugo on his back on the floor.

“Bind him Dark Shadow.”

“No.” 

“What!? Cease this foolishness and help Midoriya!” 

“Not going anywhere close to that guy.”

While they argued, Izuku shifted to bring his foot down on Bakugo in a big axe kick. Bakugo let out an explosion from one of his hands and spun out of the way just in time and flew back into a standing position. The two faced each other again, neither yielding a millimetre or bothering with any pointless words to each other. 

“Go, Tokoyami!” Izuku shouted. Bakugo took advantage of the distraction, propelled himself at Izuku with explosions and sunk his foot into Izuku’s stomach. The impact felt like he was hit by a car and wasn’t sure if it tore something inside his guts. The pain was certainly strong enough. They both flew several meters down the corridor from the impact before Bakugo halted his own momentum with small explosions and let Izuku crash on the floor in front of him. 

Still reeling from the impact, Izuku took advantage of his remaining momentum and managed a backflip to get back on his feet. That caught Bakugo off guard as he was charging again, expecting to attack someone already on the floor and not a fist heading for his chin. Part of Izuku wanted to activate the Dragon Blade at that moment and be done with all of this, forever, but punching Bakugo hard enough to knock him back was satisfying regardless. Unsurprisingly it wasn’t enough to knock out the exploding boy. Izuku had figured out long ago that Bakugo’s quirk had to have some level of hidden durability enhancement or shock resistance to not maim or kill himself every time he set off explosions. 

Bakugo released explosions from one of his hands to spin around and hit Izuku with his grenade gauntlet. Izuku held back a yelp. He wasn’t going to show weakness now, and Nomus could hit even harder, at least the new one. Bakugo tried to follow up with an explosive punch but even he wasn’t as fast as Izuku’s father’s air blasts. Izuku twisted out of the way, grabbed the extended arm, and tried to throw Bakugo on the ground again. Of course, it wasn’t that easy. This time Bakugo was ready and the fight degraded into a mix of wrestling and punching on the floor where both were hammering each other.

Izuku could feel something breaking and healing when Bakugo punched him in the face, but being on top for the moment Izuku could deliver equal responses as blood splatter from both stained the floor.

“ENOUGH!!” Bakugo screamed. “DIE!”

Realizing what was coming, Izuku barely had time to bring both his arm in front of his face and light Dragon Blades in the shape of shields, as dense as he could make them. He leaned back to not take the explosion head on, but the shockwave still threw him off Bakugo and left him groaning on his back on the floor.

Steps and heavy breathing approached Izuku, who briefly squeezed his eyes shut to fake more incapacitating pain than he was actually experiencing. There was pain, plenty of it, but he had had his arms broken too many times to let this shock him out of the battle. Without changing his expression, he drew on the calm mind to ignore even that as he only focused on his enemy with every other sense.

The heavy breathing was right above him. He could even tell roughly where Bakugo’s head was from the sound of his breathing. The consistent breathing was interrupted by a huff laced with the arrogance of an overconfident person thinking he had won. New steps and feet dragging against the floor revealed Bakugo turning around. 

“You were never going to beat me. Even with a villain quirk you’re just useless Dekuuuuuh-!” 

With a single quick motion Izuku had swiped Bakugo’s feet from under him. Bakugo caught himself with his hands and used explosions to push against the ground and return to his feet, but it was already too late. Izuku jumped up and at Bakugo’s back, slamming him on his stomach. Having had enough of the battle, Izuku without hesitation slammed his hand on the back of Bakugo’s head. The other snaked around Bakugo’s neck. Izuku could have choked him from that position, but he was more concerned with holding on at any cost until his deed was done. 

“Don’t you dare Deku!”

Bakugo was thrashing hard, a set of another explosions strong enough to lift them both off the floor and slam Izuku against the wall fired off, but Izuku only squeezed harder, refusing to let go. He could feel the explosion quirk inside Bakugo and grabbed it with none of the carefulness he usually applied. Soon Bakugo literally roared like an animal, but his movements slowed as his body tensed. He was gasping for air with whimpers of pain in between. 

“You shouldn’t have resisted,” Izuku whispered his words cold as ice. 

He released his grip and pushed a whimpering Bakugo off him. The formerly explosive blonde fell on the floor and simply stared up at the ceiling as Izuku rose to his feet. He took off one of his gloves and held open the hand, making sure it was visible to a nearby monitoring camera. He already had a little experience with this quirk from when his All For One first appeared, so after a brief moment of focus small explosions sparkled on his palm. He looked straight at the camera, closed his hand into a fist and turned around. 

Only at the last moment he remembered the rules of the fight and pulled a capture tape from his belt. It only took a few seconds to wrap it around Bakugo’s arms. There wasn’t a word in response to him taking down an opponent. Considering All Might’s taste for theatrics and unnecessarily loud shouting, he was either smart enough to not give away intel to the training students or the man was having flashbacks to his previous meetings with Izuku’s father. 

Izuku turned again to leave, but he only took a few steps before Bakugo spoke, just whispers at first but getting louder with every repeat. 

“Give it back. Give it back. Give it Back. Give it back. Give it back! GIVE IT BACK!”

Bakugo had already risen to a sitting position with a stare that still looked, well, empty, for the lack of a better word, but his face was twisting in rage. His arms bulged, tensed and shook against the capture tape.

“You already lost,” Izuku said. “Get out while I go fight Tenya and maybe I’ll give your quirk back.”

“YOU WILL GIVE IT BACK NOW!” Bakugo screamed. The capture tape snapped in two and he charged at Izuku. Of course, he started with a right hook again. Izuku stepped aside and instead of throwing Bakugo like before, he detonated a small explosion next to Bakugo’s face. It was more like a smoke bomb but to Bakugo the shock of being hit by his own quirk was like a nuke going off outside. He barely avoided falling on the floor again. 

“YOUNG BAKUGO, YOU’VE LOST, STOP FIGHTING!” All Might’s voice came from speakers. Neither of them cared.

“I WILL KILL YOU!”

“You didn’t even beat me with your quirk that is supposedly so great. You think you can kill me now as a quirkless?”

“Oh, you might have stolen my quirk, but don’t think I can’t kill little useless Deku. I may not be able to produce explosive sweat now, but these gauntlets are not just for show. They have been storing up my sweat since I put them on for one monster blast.”

Bakugo raised his arm and pointed one of the gauntlets. He pulled a literal pin out of it.

“YOUNG BAKUGO DON’T DO IT!” All Might shouted. “YOU’LL KILL HIM!”

Izuku was pretty sure he’d survive the blast, but not without having to explain his regeneration quirk. The nearest side corridor was too far, and the reinforced walls didn’t have as much as a door anywhere near. He could see a glow of death sparking inside the gauntlet with Bakugo’s near insane stare behind it. 

Izuku ran at Bakugo. In a last desperate try he reached forward and slapped the gauntlet just to move it a little bit as he dove in the opposite direction. 

The entire world turned into light and ear rupturing noise. Izuku could feel burning heat through his supposedly fire-resistant suit as the flash blinded him.

Chapter Text

Izuku’s ears were still ringing as his vision started returning, though it didn’t do him much good with the decimated corridor filled with dust impeding his sight. He coughed, missing the built-in gas mask of his black costume.

“DEKU!” Bakugo screamed, still raging. He emerged from the dust, his skin reddened and wounds from shrapnel all over it. His arm in particular, the one with the gauntlet he had fired from, was hanging limp and visibly busted. Half of it was purple like one giant bruise. Bakugo had never been injured by his quirk like that. 

Of course, it wasn’t his quirk anymore.

And despite all that he started shakily raising his other arm to point its gauntlet at Izuku at point-blank range, too deranged to realize that using it would kill them both, as far as he knew at least. There was a quick swish as Izuku’s Dragon Blade ignited and in a single swing cut off the gauntlet’s handle Bakugo used to set off the explosion. Izuku followed with a punch to the face, and second and third. After the fourth one Bakugo wasn’t trying to straighten himself back up as fast and blood was dipping down his chin. Izuku pushed him against the partially collapsed wall, one arm against his chest, the other holding a bright blue Dragon Blade in front of Bakugo’s face where he could easily deliver a fatal blow. He spoke very slowly. 

“You lost. Stop before you kill someone.”

“Never!” Bakugo shouted spitting blood on Izuku’s face. “If you think I would surrender to a villain like you, you’re insane. I will beat you and the others will see things like I do soon enough. I will destroy you. You will be done for and the same goes for the idiots that take your side, especially the motorhead and your brainwashing villain fr…”

Bakugo fell quiet as Izuku swung his blade closer to him. The Dragon Blade shined even brighter than before and Izuku was holding it close enough to Bakugo’s neck to make his skin blister. Izuku himself leaned in close enough that the heat was uncomfortable on his own neck. His voice when he spoke on the other hand was the coldest and most threatening it had ever been.

“If you have a problem with me, you can come fight me. I even welcome it. I am no longer the weak kid you could push around,” Izuku fell quiet for several seconds, “but if you as much as pick a hair from one of those two’s heads I will kill you with your own quirk and I will do it slowly till even your mother can’t recognize what is left of you.”

His father would have been so proud. Throughout the whole thing Izuku didn’t break eye contact or even blink. He gave no reason to even imagine him being anything but 100% serious with his threat. Seeing genuine fear in Bakugo’s eyes was truly satisfying.

“I AM HERE!” All Might shouted from down the corridor. Izuku’s blade flashed just a little hotter, making Bakugo jolt, before Izuku extinguished it and grabbed Bakugo’s tank top. He threw his former nightmare to the ground like a bag of trash. 

“Young Bakugo, don’t…!” All Might started saying when he arrived and stopped to look at the boy laying in a heap on the floor, then at Izuku standing over him. His costume was half torn or blown away with what was left of the upper half hanging by a narrow strip of fabric from one shoulder. His body was covered in scratches, bruises and burns he wasn’t allowing the regeneration quirk to heal. As satisfying as it would have been to stand over defeated Bakugo completely unharmed, he didn’t want them knowing about that quirk.

He thought he saw a hint of fear in the so-called hero’s eyes.

“He attacked me after I had already captured him,” Izuku said, trying to not show his feelings to the large man, “and tried to kill me.”

“HE STOLE MY QUIRK!” Bakugo screamed, struggling to get up.

“Midoriya,” All Might started and paused, “used his quirk legitimately to win a training battle. You used your quirk… at least indirectly, after you had already lost and in a way that could have killed him…”

He looked around at the destroyed corridor.

“both of you. We will have a talk with Aizawa and principal Nezu after the exercise. They will likely call your parents to join us.”

“Are Tenya and Tokoyami okay?” Izuku asked, paying no attention to All Might who was lifting Bakugo from the floor with surprisingly little resistance.

“Young Ida is unharmed. I told him to remain where his is while the training is halted. Tokoyami was not harmed by the explosion but returned to the area we lost cameras on.”

“I’m here,” Tokoyami called from the opposite end of the corridor. “I came back to look for Midoriya after that explosion.” 

He got a thumbs up from All Might.

“Excellent work considering your teammate. Young Midoriya, how are you feeling? Can you continue?”

“Yes.”

“Are you sure? After such impacts you could have injuries that aren’t visible. Are you feeling okay, no nausea or light-headedness?” 

“No,” Izuku said and turned his back to the man. “Are you going to end the training or continue it? I don’t feel like just standing here.”

“Considering the three of you can still fight I see no reason to stop the training, but you need to stay away from the damaged area. Wait on this floor until I have evacuated Bakugo. I will announce when the training continues. Also, take my earpiece Midoriya. Yours seems to have broken.”

Izuku took the offered device after confirming his wasn’t even in his ear anymore and followed All Might away from the devastated corridor while the man carried Bakugo, who began screaming murder again at the thought of being taken away from the one holding his quirk.

For the first time Izuku took a good look at the damage. Him slapping Bakugo’s gauntlet had redirected the explosion slightly to the side, carving an expanding scar on the corridor wall before busting all the way through the side and end walls into adjacent rooms that seemed quite wrecked. What kind of person would give someone so deranged such a deadly weapon?

He waited in a different corridor with Tokoyami for All Might to restart the training. Izuku focused on his breathing and on calming down from the roller coaster of emotion that was his previous fight. He still couldn’t help but notice Tokoyami making nervous glances at him. Izuku turned toward him.

“Is everything alri…” 

The black mass of Dark Shadow emerged from Tokoyami’s body. 

“Not a step closer villain or you’ll wish the boom boy was back here.”

Izuku sighed, too tired from fighting Bakugo to deal with the sentient quirk’s antics. 

“What is it that makes you act so hostile with me? From how Tokoyami talked about it you don’t act like this usually”

“No, he doesn’t,” Tokoyami said. “I don’t understand why.”

“Has he ever called people villains?” Izuku asked, brushing his chin. 

“No, only once when he caught a purse snatcher when I was younger.” 

“Because that guy was bad news, just like this one,” Dark Shadow insisted. 

“So, he probably has a problem with my quirk, like most people. Can’t say I’m surprised.” Izuku held up his bare hand and let small explosions sparkle on it for Tokoyami to see. “I wonder how the rest of the class is going to take this.”

“I don’t care what they think,” Dark Shadow interrupted. “You will not take me from Fumi.”

Izuku blinked. 

“Is that what this is about? You think I am going to use my quirk to take you away?”

“Didn’t you just take someone else’s quirk away?”

“Yeah, but he was my enemy, and his quirk isn’t sentient. Just because I can do something doesn’t mean I will, and I can’t think of anything stupider than stealing a sentient quirk.”

“Yeah, that’s what you say.”

“You don’t need to trust me,” Izuku corrected, “just think. You seem capable of thinking, right? You aren’t just some extension of Tokoyami’s body he can control at will. You have your own personality, obviously.”

“That doesn’t mean I’m not part of him, and I like it that way.”

“I know. I have read that sentient quirks are very attached to whoever has them, and if Tokoyami can’t fully control you that would apply to me too if I took you from him.”

“You believe it would. I would tear you apart rather than let that happen.” 

“And since we both know that, why do you think I would risk trying to steal you from Tokoyami?”

“Well… you might…”

“It would be really stupid of me.”

“He’s right Dark Shadow. I’ve been trying to tell you,” Tokoyami said, clear irritation in his voice. “Even if he was a fellow creature of the night.”

“Creature of the night?” Izuku asked wary. 

“I do not mean it negatively,” Tokoyami said quickly. “People often misunderstand my interests in… dark themes or expressions for such.”

“I… see,” Izuku said, “Dark Shadow… I am not going to take you from Tokoyami, but if we can’t work together, he’ll look bad in the training.”

The black quirk creature stared at him for a long moment and then… huffed.

“I will cooperate, but don’t think I’m not keeping an eye on you.”

Izuku rolled his eyes but didn’t comment more to the suspicious quirk. 

“Everyone ready!” All Might’s sound echoed through the building. “The training battle recommences NOW!”

“Okay,” Izuku said. “You lead the way. You had more time to investigate the building and Dark Shadow can scout ahead.”

“You want me to get further away from Fumi?” The quirk asked with obvious suspicion.

“Dark Shadow,” Tokoyami commanded. 

“… Fine.”

The quirk stretched ahead of them as they got to the nearest stairwell and started climbing. They proceeded floor by floor just quick enough to peek into every room, with Dark Shadow doing most of the peeking. 

“What do you think Ida is going to do now?” Tokoyami asked as they ran. 

“The options are the same as before. Either he sticks to the bomb to not leave it alone or he tries to catch us by surprise with a sudden attack. Normally I’d say Tenya is going to play it safe and guard the bomb, especially since he can’t use Bakugo as a distraction anymore, but he is facing two on one so he might…”

Dark Shadow peeked on another room and got a face full of armoured leg. The shadow creature got launched through the opposite door. Tenya barely stopped his momentum before doing the same, he needed to train that more.

At least his difficulty of changing direction gave Izuku enough time to push Tokoyami aside and raise his arms before Tenya came for them. The fiery shields formed over his hands just before a spinning kick hit them. The force shook every bone in Izuku’s body and launched him several meters backwards. Tenya turned against Tokoyami but Dark Shadow was already back and trying to surround Tenya, who jumped out before the quirk could fully encircle him. Izuku took a few seconds to recover from Tenya’s attack and then inched closer, looking for an opening. Forgetting he didn’t need to watch for any other enemies, he glanced around and into a side corridor they were standing next to. The room Tenya had come from was on that side. Even if he decided to go on offensive maybe he wouldn’t have left too far from the bomb. 

There wasn’t much time left. Tenya could win just by holding them there for a moment. Izuku bolted to the side corridor and used the earpiece to talk with Tokoyami. 

“Try to hold him there. I think the bomb is close.” 

Izuku turned into a parallel corridor. There were multiple doors all closed with no sign of one being more important than another, but considering how far down the corridor Dark Shadow had been when Tenya attacked him. Izuku quickly counted the doors. Either the bomb was in the room where Tenya had attacked from or…

The door at the end of the corridor was wide open, hanging from a hinge and blackened in the middle, like a walking explosives factory had busted it open, too impatient to open the door normally. The fake bomb was even visible through it. Izuku ran towards the broken door with speed accumulated from a year of harsh physical training. 

“Midoriya!” Tokoyami shouted in his ear, “he’s com-”

A door behind Izuku flew off its hinges as Tenya kicked through it and landed behind Izuku, only bumping on the wall slightly. 

“…ing”

“You’ve improved your braking,” Izuku congratulated and kept running. 

There was no way he could get to the bomb before Tenya caught him and same went for Tokoyami, except... Izuku remembered how Bakugo had propelled himself with explosions in both the entrance exam and the quirk apprehension test. There was some risk, especially while hiding his regeneration ability, but Izuku pointed his arms backwards. He could already hear Tenya’s engine sound closing in. It took a bit of focus to adjust how much power he thought he was putting in the explosion. 

First there was a little spark. 

Then there was a huge boom and scream as Izuku felt like his arms were trying to tear themselves off. Bakugo really did this for any prolonged distance? By the time the thought reached Izuku’s head he was already through the door, having somehow aimed perfectly. 

A fraction of a second later all air escaped his lungs and the cabinet sized fake bomb fell on its side from the impact and Izuku slid down its side. He let himself fall on his back, breathing hard as he came back from the high of battle with a giant grin on his face. If there was one thing in the world he could agree on with Bakugo it was that winning was nice.

He was also surprised his ribs hadn’t cracked from the impact. If he had had time he would have investigated if the explosion quirk really had hidden side effects. Descending on that pit of muttering he almost missed the caped gorilla’s shout.

“THE HEROES… WIN!!”

There was another shout he did not miss.

“Izuku!” 

Izuku pushed himself to a sitting position to face Tenya who had finally arrived in the room. His armour like costume was missing some pieces and largely blackened, at least on the front side, but the larger teen moved with no sign of being hindered by serious injury or pain. Still, Izuku couldn’t be sure.

“I didn’t hurt you right?”

“What…? No not really. I was surprised. You were able to catch me off guard with that explosion. I should have expected that possibility after Bakugo was defeated.”

“Yes, you should have,” Izuku agreed and jumped on his feet in a single quick motion.

“Are you uninjured?” Tenya asked this time. 

“I’m okay, or at least no worse off than after beating McBoom. Well, that was quite a bump I guess.” 

Izuku nodded towards the fallen bomb with a dent on its side. Tenya didn’t look convinced.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yes…” Izuku looked away from Tenya and back at the dented bomb, “though I might owe that to Bakugo’s quirk.”

“I see,” Tenya said. “I won’t tell him if you don’t.” 

“Too late for that,” Izuku said and pointed at the earpiece transmitting everything they said. He sighed. “Lets get out of here.” 

They joined Tokoyami who had considerately waited outside the room and headed back downstairs. Izuku spent most of the time stretching his arms. They still felt like they might fall off because of the force from the explosion. He hadn’t felt like that since after his early training sessions with his father and Kurogiri. It was a calm walk until they passed a side corridor leading to where Izuku and Bakugo had fought. Tenya walked all the way past it and then took a step back to look at the destroyed area. 

“What happened here?”

“Bakugo,” Izuku responded without stopping.

“Forget not being injured. How are you still alive?” Tenya said and took a few running steps to catch up.

“Training.” 

“When did we train to survive getting a building dropped on us?”

“When we tried to not get blitzed by you. You can survive anything if you get out of the way before it hits you.”

No one had a counterargument for that, so they got out talking about the short fight between Tenya and Dark Shadow. All Might was already coming with the next teams: Hitoshi, a guy with a tail, Ojiro, if Izuku remembered the name correctly, Shoji, and Endeavour’s son Todoroki. Hitoshi ran ahead to Izuku’s group. Izuku glanced at Tenya covered in dark soot and then down at himself.

“We are okay,” he said before Hitoshi could ask. “I… I beat him. I beat Bakugo. You should have seen his face when he realized I got him.”

Izuku held up his open hand and let small explosions sparkle on it. Hitoshi softly punched his shoulder. 

“I knew you would, even if you look like you got sucked through a jet engine.”

Both of them smiled at that.

“It is good that you are still standing Midoriya, but you should still go see Recovery Girl to be safe. You can return young Bakugo’s quirk there.”

“I’ll go after Toshi’s match,” Izuku said more rudely than he should have, trying to maintain his cover, “I don’t want to miss it.”

“Toshi?” All Might asked. Izuku pointed at Hitoshi. “I see. I think that is okay. Villain team follow me inside. Heroes wait here.”

“Show them what you got,” Izuku told Hitoshi with a smile. “If you lose, you’ll pay for it during our evening training.”

Hitoshi gulped and followed All Might inside. Izuku glanced at his opponents. Even with all their training Hitoshi could hardly win in direct physical combat, but Izuku was confident he would surprise the hero team. A moment later All Might came back out and led the trio to the control room. 

As soon as Izuku and his two companions stepped into the room everyone turned to face them. Izuku drew a deep breath and observed carefully how everyone acted. A few stepped back when Izuku got close and he was confident it was not because of his slightly disturbing appearance. There were exceptions though, like Kirishima.

“Hey Midoriya, that was a totally manly battle. Even using Bakugo’s quirk was somehow manly.”

“Somehow?” Izuku asked, raising his eyebrows.

“Well, I mean. Even if it was an exercise… stealing is kind of wrong.”

“If a villain tries to shoot you and you take away his gun, is that wrong?” Izuku asked.

“Well no, b…”

“There is no but,” Izuku said and turned away from the redhead. Maybe he wasn’t a bad person, but he was still raised into the prejudices of this society. Izuku much preferred to focus on the large screens across one of the walls. Hitoshi and Ojiro were already standing by the now dented fake bomb, though apparently in a different room. Something poked at the back of his leg. Tenya had found a chair from somewhere and was offering it to him.

“I know I can’t convince you to leave before this fight is over, but you should at least sit down.”

Izuku nodded and sat down. Tenya remained standing next to him and surprisingly Tokoyami stayed almost as close on the other side. The rest at least gave them space. All Might was looking at him from a few meters away but turned his head as soon as Izuku’s narrowed eyes met his gaze. 

“Right, the preparation time is almost over.” He held up the little microphone in his hand. Or, maybe it was a normal sized microphone and just looked small in the boisterous hero’s giant hands. “ARE YOU READY?”

“You know the whole point of the speaker system is that you don’t need to shout all the time?” Izuku asked. A girl with dark purply hair and headphone jacks for earlobes nodded at that. All Might glanced at him and continued, slightly less loudly.  

“Your time begins, NOW!” 

Shoji was the first one to enter the building, spreading all his arms out with ears on each one of them. Almost instinctually Izuku’s hand moved to get his notebook from its holder. Only halfway into the motion concern rose and he twisted to see if the notebook had survived. The corner of its holder was torched, and the notebook was blackened and torn from that corner, but at least his notes were mostly safe. By the time Todoroki walked into the building, half of his body was covered in ice and Izuku was already scribbling notes. 

“Where did he get that?” Someone asked in the background, but Izuku didn’t have time to see who. He was too focused on being surprised that Shoji was stepping back outside as Todoroki already declared victory.

Then Izuku blinked and the whole building was covered in ice. He instantly looked for the screens showing the villain team. To his relief both Hitoshi and Ojiro were okay, and just had their feet frozen onto the floor. With his concern relieved, Izuku was free to nerd out over Todoroki’s quirk. If he ever wanted to take the quirk of any of his classmates other than Bakugo, Todoroki was certainly high on the list, even if it took Izuku years to reach the same ice output. 

Todoroki then simply walked inside with seemingly no worry in the world. Hitoshi and Ojiro were still stuck in the ice, stunned at what had happened. 

“Don’t just stand there,” Izuku whispered and almost like Hitoshi had heard Izuku, he began hitting the ice with his armguard and spoke to Ojiro. 

“Use your tail to break the ice.”

After a few seconds Ojiro did as Hitoshi said, but never responded out loud. Actually, Izuku noticed him pressing his lips tighter together. 

Onto the blacklist Ojiro went. Getting out of the ice faster than Hitoshi and even slamming the rest of the ice trapping Hitoshi with his tail weren’t enough to change that. 

They didn’t have time to take advantage of that situation as Todoroki walked into the room. Ojiro leaped at Todoroki, propelling himself with his tail, but Todoroki slightly twisted his right foot. A burst of ice rushed across the floor until an ice pillar burst out of it right below Ojiro. In less than a second his attack was stopped, and he was completely trapped by the ice pillar. Gasps and statements of wonder filled the monitoring room. Izuku wondered how much about that had come from the quirk and how much from training.

“It’s not your fault. We are just playing on different levels,” Todoroki said. He launched a similar attack towards Hitoshi only for his eyes to widen as Hitoshi darted to the side, avoiding the ice. The rest of the class observing were equally impressed. 

“That attack is fast, but not as fast as Tenya,” Izuku commented. The taller teen simply nodded as Hitoshi dodged another ice attack and hid behind Ojiro’s ice pillar while talking to Todoroki. 

“He improved greatly during our training,” Tenya said. “I have only ever fought two people who are more difficult to hit.”

“So,” Hitoshi said back in the training building, “I guess you’ve been observant enough to hear how my quirk works, since Mr Boom Boom made me use it yesterday.”

Todoroki didn’t answer and instead sent a much wider wave of ice that passed around both sides of Ojiro’s ice pillar and finally caught Hitoshi, freezing his feet on the floor again.

“Well, he did pretty well I guess, kero,” one of the girls said.

“He’s not done yet,” Izuku said smiling. Even All Might glanced at him with a question in his eyes, but the fight wasn’t over yet and there wasn’t time for explanations as Hitoshi kept talking. 

“Izuku might have explained my quirk to half of the class, but did he ever mention my father’s quirk?”

People in the monitoring room stared at the screen confused. Their feelings were reflected on Todoroki’s face, but he had enough self-control to not respond.

“Boo!” 

Todoroki jolted and spun around, apparently ready to attack, with a small burst of fire flashing on his left arm, but in the process he forgot to keep his mouth shut.

“Wha…” He stopped suddenly as if he was caught in his own ice and a devious smirk creeped onto Hitoshi’s face. 

“Told you,” Izuku said. 

“Get rid of this ice and then let me restrain you.”

“How did he…?” The headphone jack girl asked. 

“There is no way Todoroki would have fallen for that after staying quiet for so long,” Yaoyorozu stated the obvious. “He said something about his father’s quir…”

She paused mid-sentence. Her head turned slowly away from the screen towards Izuku. Everyone except Tenya followed her example one by one. Izuku himself started squirming on his seat, getting uneasy with the constant and increasing attention. Some of these people hadn’t reacted to him too badly, but not all were friendly either, and things could change. They were already wary about him taking Bakugo’s quirk and now were increasingly focused on him. In his life so far it had usually meant nothing good and All Might’s presence didn’t help. He was torn between hatred and grief every time the man spoke.

“Izuku?” Tenya asked, noticing his uncomfortable squirming.

“Sorry, it has been quite a lot for one day.”

“Are you sure you are okay?” All Might came closer. “It would be wisest to go to…”

He reached his hand to grab Izuku’s shoulder. There was a lot that Izuku had tolerated and held himself back on but that was too much. Just as the hand that had taken his father from him was about to reach him, Izuku jolted up and away from the man. His chair fell on the floor, the sound of the impact mixed in with the sizzle of a blue Dragon Blade. Izuku’s other hand was partially open. All For One burned inside him, wanting to be used. 

Everyone jumped back. Even All Might took a step away as Izuku literally hissed at him. 

“Don’t touch me.”

“Midoriya,” All Might started, but his voice only made Izuku’s expression harden. 

“Izuku.”

Izuku blinked and glanced at Tenya. He didn’t resist when the larger teen grabbed his arm right above the burning blade. He even reduced the temperature instinctually with Tenya’s hand so close and the blade turned into a more traditional orange. Tenya used his other hand to pull the chair back up. Izuku finally extinguished his blade once Tenya was standing between him and All Might. He looked at the floor.

“Sorry.”

“Wow, what was that about,” one of the boys with blond hair asked, Kaminari if Izuku wasn’t wrong, “Midoriya, Ida?”

“It is not my place to tell, and I ask that you do not try to inquire about the matter from Izuku. You will only make things worse,” Tenya said firmly and turned to face All Might. “With all due respect, sir. Do not try to touch him… or come closer than you have to.”

“I… very well,” All Might responded. 

“How is Toshi doing?” Izuku asked, trying to ignore the large man. 

“He just tied up Todoroki with the capture tape,” Yaoyorozu answered. “How many quirks have you given him?”

Many of the slower members of the class looked surprised as she stated something that apparently hadn’t been obvious yet. 

“He has two quirks,” Izuku said quietly. “Toshi’s father wanted to help him and gave him his own quirk after we got admitted to UA.” 

“So manly,” Kirishima said randomly.

“Wait, you can give quirks to other people?” Kaminari asked. 

“If I choose to and someone gives up a quirk to give away,” Izuku said, now focused on the screens again. Shoji had realized something had gone wrong and was running through the building with extra ears formed on his arms. He reached the correct floor with little time to spare. Ojiro jumped out of a nearby door, trying to catch his opponent by surprise like Tenya had done, but before his tail even swung at Shoji, the six-armed teen was already ready to grab it and swung Ojiro on the ground much like Izuku had done to Bakugo. 

Izuku smiled. Ojiro deserved that after how he treated Hitoshi. 

“HEY!” Hitoshi shouted from down the corridor. Shoji visibly shook but…

He didn’t say anything to respond. Even as three of his arms extended and split to restrain Ojiro the rest of him was frozen in place and staring at Hitoshi. A few seconds later he slapped one of his free hands on the mask covering his mouth and began running at Hitoshi.

“What is wrong… octopus man?” 

Even though Izuku knew Hitoshi was just trying to make Shoji respond, he grimaced at the insult that Shoji most certainly had heard too many times. Hitoshi’s words seemed to shake Shoji, so he was likely also using Surprise with his words. Still, Shoji resisted and reached out with his remaining two arms that stretched towards Hitoshi at high speed. 

He evaded them with the same grace he had done with Todoroki’s ice and slammed Shoji’s arm with one of his forearm guards. It was unclear if he managed to actually hurt Shoji, but it didn’t seem to slow down his six-armed opponent…

Who promptly spun around and threw Ojiro at him. 

Hitoshi avoided his flying ally, but in the narrow corridor it was enough of a distraction that he narrowly failed to do the same with Shoji’s second grapple, this time not slowed down by dragging around another person. His opponent’s much thicker arms fully encircled and restrained Hitoshi and Ojiro suffered the same fate almost at the same time.

Izuku’s face dropped seeing Hitoshi lose, but the analytical side of his mind was already hard at work on picking the fight apart. 

“It is quite surprising that Shoji was able to resist responding to Hitoshi,” Tenya commented. 

“Yes,” Izuku mumbled and brushed his chin. “He has used his transforming arms to speak so far. Maybe he can’t or isn’t used to speaking normally, with his normal mouth. That could have impacted his instincts when reacting to Surprise. Or maybe he is just more focused and could resist it unusually well.”

“THE HERO TEAM WINS!” All Might declared and Izuku tensed. Then he got up. 

“I guess I’ll go to see the nurse. At least the loudmouth won’t be there.”

“That is good,” Tenya said, “though can you do that without ending up in an another fight with Bakugo?” 

Izuku froze. “Shit.”

“Language,” All Might said.

“Shut up All Might.” 

“Izuku,” Tenya pleaded.

Izuku took a deep breath and sat back down, trying to ignore the muttering of the class. 

“I’ll go after Bakugo gets kicked out of there.”

“Midoriya…” All Might said with some mix of concern and demand.

“Shouldn’t you be preparing the next teams for their battle?” Izuku asked.

“… Right,” the so-called hero said slowly and left the room with the next group of students. Izuku visibly relaxed and while he wasn’t ready to slump down in front of most of the class, he did lean against the backrest of his chair, looking at the ceiling. He had probably screwed up again and would need to come up with an excuse of hating All Might that didn’t involve his father.

Oh wait…

He didn’t.

The man already represented everything he hated in this society and then there was… Izuku sniffed as the thought of his mother came to his mind.

“Izuku?”

“Bad memories,” Izuku whispered to Tenya. “Bakugo and All Might on the same day… Going to have nightmares tonight.”

“So, a cloak of darkness shadows your life as well?” Tokoyami commented. Dark Shadow peeked out from behind him without a word.

“You don’t know half of it,” Izuku admitted, or perhaps understated, and closed his eyes. He was tired and didn’t care about the whispered discussions around him. Approaching footsteps and All Might’s voice, on the other hand…

“I can convince him,” Hitoshi’s voice came from the open door. Izuku opened his eyes and leaned even further back to see the door behind him, although upside down.

“I hope you don’t mean with your quirk.”

“If he was in a bad enough condition to justify that you would not have let him wait… I hope.”

Izuku looked at Tenya. “Seems I won’t have a choice to not see Recovery Girl. Toshi has turned traitor and allied with All Might.”

“That means he is worried for you. Maybe… he can come along to brainwash Bakugo if he tries to attack you.”

“Hmm, no. After all that Bakugo did, I don’t want either of you near him. He has gotten even more deranged than before.”

“Then it’s good we don’t have to,” Hitoshi commented, having come in while they talked. “All Might called Recovery Girl. Apparently, you didn’t hurt Bakugo enough since she is already going to transfer him somewhere else and doesn’t think he needs more of her treatments right now.”

“Okay, then I’ll go,” Izuku responded and looked at All Might as he got up. “At least it should be less noisy there.”

He turned back to face his friends. “Not sure how long this is going to take, but at least we’ll see each other after school for our own training. Both of you lost. Have to fix that.”

Both of them shuddered as Izuku walked out of the room.

Chapter Text

Izuku grimaced as Recovery Girl kissed him. That was seriously how her healing quirk worked, literally kissing injuries away while also making him even more tired than before.

“What are they teaching you this year? The second day and I already have two patients with hardly any skin left that isn’t burnt, cut or bruised.” 

“There wasn’t much our so-called teacher could do from a distant monitoring room, especially when the school does nothing to vet its students before making them battle each other.”

“While I agree with questioning how some of the classes are run around here, not many who manage to enter UA hold such a negative view of it.”

“I didn’t come here because I like the school,” Izuku said, “and everything I have seen so far hasn’t exactly changed that.”

“I see. Well, it seems you didn’t seriously break anything but I am a little worried about the hit you took. Concussion or other hidden head trauma are still a possibility.”

“Wouldn’t your quirk treat that too?”

“Possibly, but it has limits. You should already feel the stamina drain. Also, the brain is quite a complex and finicky thing. Never can be too sure about injuries to the head. It is probably nothing but to be sure it would be best if you weren’t alone for 24 hours. Is there someone who can stay with you overnight?”

“I live a…” Izuku started, but stopped to smile. “Yes. I think I can arrange that.”

“Now if you don’t get any new symptoms by this time tomorrow everything should be okay, but come to me or visit a hospital if you notice anything. You really should be more careful with quirks you have no experience of.”

“Yea, well it is kind of hard to get any practice on many quirks. There aren’t many people who would offer their quirk for practice. The only… one I’ve gotten to keep came from a villain. I can take quirks, not copy them.”

“I know how your quirk works. As the nurse, I am expected to know how students’ bodies work in case it impacts their medical needs. You’d be surprised how much even the simplest mutation can impact a person’s treatment. I’m not so old I would mix your and Monoma’s quirks.”

“Monoma’s?” Izuku asked. 

“You haven’t met him yet? I guess they put him in a different class. He’s another new hero course student. Apparently, he can temporarily copy other people’s quirks.”

Izuku did his best to maintain a neutral expression. The quirk copier was indeed at UA. His father would be happy. Izuku briefly wondered what kind of person this Monoma was. There were some, even if few, people at UA he’d rather not take quirks from so he’d have to find a chance to test Monoma’s personality. 

Since Monoma wasn’t in Izuku's class he had to be on the other hero class 1 B. Izuku wondered what kind of opportunities there would be to make contact with them. Did the two classes have common lessons or training?

“Well, I have done what I can right now. There’s a shower so you can wash out the blood and whatever else you have gotten on yourself. Be careful. The freshly healed parts of your skin can still be sensitive. And please change clothes. I’m sure some of the girls wouldn’t mind but most people would not consider that an appropriate attire.”

“I will. Thank you,” Izuku said, blushing a bit at the last comments and got up. He grabbed his bag with his school clothes and headed to the bathroom adjacent to the nurse’s office. Taking off the hero costume, it didn’t even feel like a piece of clothing anymore. He’d need to get tougher fabric for the next one. 

He took a moment to check on himself in the mirror. Any injuries that would have been visible once he got properly dressed had been healed by Recovery Girl’s quirk with only some red tint, dust and drying blood left on his skin. He let the regeneration quirk out of the cage he had forced it into and soon felt much better and fresher, not even as tired as he had been before. Headache and dizziness he had started developing also disappeared. 

At least Recovery Girl had been competent in her diagnosis, but since he couldn’t tell people about his quirk enhanced healing, he still needed… had an excuse to have a sleepover. 

Combining the rapid healing with a shower and he was like a new man, as if the day’s training had never happened, at least physically. A dark part of his mind couldn’t help but wonder how long it would take Bakugo to feel as good.

He shoved his ruined hero costume into his backpack and headed out. He still should have had time to catch the last match. He stepped into the corridor only to meet Aizawa leaning onto the wall outside the nurse’s office. He looked even more tired than usual if that was possible. 

“Are you feeling alright?” The hobo looking teacher asked. 

“Pretty much,” Izuku said and paused, “Recovery Girl thinks I shouldn’t be alone till tomorrow.”

“How are you going to arrange that living alone?”

“I…” Izuku stopped. “How do you know that?”

Aizawa turned to face him and sighed. 

“I was briefed by principal Nezu before the school started,” he said and paused for a moment. “I won’t lie to you, many people are concerned for your quirk’s potential for evil.”

Izuku looked at him for a moment and continued walking. 

“Right. Blowing people up is all okay but being even able to threaten their quirks…”

“We both know it is not just that, or at least I hope you do. There are definite biases colouring people’s views of your quirk but that does not change the potential power it could grant you which exceeds pretty much any other quirk.”

“So, either I am too powerless or have too much power to be treated with basic human decency. Don’t try to teach me about biases.”

“Maybe, but sometimes biases have reasons, good or not. In this specific case,” Aizawa paused. “There has been one other person who could do what you can.”

He was really going to talk about it. Izuku tensed. He could have feigned ignorance, but Tenya and Hitoshi already knew that he knew about the man. Izuku sighed and prayed he wasn’t being incredibly stupid.

“Are you going to tell me about All For One?” 

This time it was Aizawa’s turn to stop and face Izuku who didn’t return the gesture, finding the floor ahead of him much more interesting.

“How do you know that name?”

“I suddenly got a quirk unlike anything I had ever heard of that everyone hated,” Izuku said after a few seconds. “I spent months trying to find anything about any similar quirks to prove them wrong…”

He paused.

“Wasn’t exactly happy about what I found. I think I some part of me believed they were right. Then me and Tenya had to do a history assignment on him at Soumei. At least by then I had the Dragon Blade and people didn’t know about my real quirk. If they did, it might have been worse than Aldera after that.”

“I see,” was all that Aizawa said. 

They were quiet for a moment.

“So, the principal fears I could be another All For One and somehow knows how I live.” 

“He and All Might had an investigation on you after you met Nezu last year. They shared basics with me before the semester started.”

“Sounds like violation of privacy. Should I call my father’s lawyers again?”

“I wouldn’t recommend doing that. As registered heroes they have certain investigative authority and I doubt your father’s influence exceeds them.”

“I doubt they want me to know any of this, so why are you telling me?”

Aizawa put a hand on Izuku’s shoulder. Izuku shuddered, but resisted the instinct to react violently like with All Might. Aizawa gently pushed him forward. They started walking again.

“Because I agree with them you could be a dangerous villain,” Aizawa said and Izuku tensed. “I simply disagree on the reason. You aren’t the first one to suffer for how people view your quirk. Unfortunately, that shows in the crime statistics. At least to a degree those biases are a self-fulfilling prophecy. The difference is that unlike most of them you will most likely have the power to change this country, for better or worse. Which one depends on you.”

“And that is why you are telling me all this?”

Aizawa sighed. 

“No one is born a villain any more than a hero. As a teacher part of my job is to make sure none of my students turn into one, regardless of how they were treated before. If you want to help people in a similar position, you can, but do it right. I will try to be the non-prejudiced teacher you probably never had. Starting with the truth seemed like a good start.” 

“So, mister rational deception, thinking that threatening to destroy people’s dreams is fun wants to act trustworthy.”

“It was…” 

“Spare me your excuses,” Izuku cut Aizawa off. 

Neither spoke for a long while until Izuku finally broke the silence. 

“What does All Might have to do with all this?”

“All For One was his enemy for a long time.”

Of course Izuku already knew that, but how much was he supposed to know? The research he had found hadn’t really addressed what happened to his father.

“What do you mean?” He asked. “All For One ruled literally a century ago. I don’t pretend to like All Might, but I wouldn’t call him that old.”

“I don’t know many details myself, but apparently All For One got some kind of life extending quirk. He only died six years ago in a fight with All Might.”

Izuku struggled to contain the rage bubbling within himself. 

“Midoriya?”

“Figures he would have killed the only other person with the same quirk.”

“If you are wondering if you could have learned more about your quirk, don’t bother. All For One wasn’t someone you’d want to meet.”

If Aizawa had only known. 

“You don’t have to like that idiot,” Aizawa said, “but it better not impact your studies.”

“Huh?”

“I am talking about All Might. It is pretty clear how you felt about him even before that idiot set you and Bakugo against each other during the battle training. The principal let us know about what happened to your mother.”

Izuku’s hand swung up to grab Aizawa’s arm on his shoulder, but the pro hero was faster and Izuku found his own wrist tightly squeezed. It did nothing to the stare he gave the man.

“You have not earned the right to talk about her.”

For a long moment Aizawa stared at him without a word and Izuku responded in kind. Eventually he released Izuku to facepalm and push his hair up. 

“Seems I have more work to do than I thought. Unfortunately, there is a more urgent matter.”

…

“Where are we going?” Izuku asked, looking around.

“Principal’s office, Bakugo is already there. I expect the two of you to not kill each other while we discuss what happened during the training.”

“You are the ones that allowed him into UA in the first place. Does this school actually care about anything but a person’s fighting talent and quirk?”

“There is a background check process with police and previous schools’ records actually. Both of you came out clean.”

“You actually trust the previous schools to tell you the truth, Aldera especially? When was the last time any school told you anything that got a student refused?”

Aizawa looked at Izuku, a question in his eyes. 

“Having a student go to UA, let alone the hero course, is one of the most prestigious achievements a school can have. Why would they give that up just because said student is a violent bully with anger management issues and an ego so big the neighbours complain about the shade? Especially when most of the bullying for years was targeted at a useless quirkless kid and then someone who everyone feared anyway. But I guess UA can’t be expected to figure that out before putting people in combat training with potentially deadly quirks. You are too busy investigating people whose quirk the principal doesn’t like.” 

“Then that should be corrected.”

“Bit late for that. You should have expelled him as soon as he tried to attack Toshi, at the latest.”

“Toshi?” Aizawa asked.

“Hitoshi Shinso,” Izuku clarified. 

“If you think those actions went unnoticed you are wrong. Not every matter is dealt with in front of the students. Today however, the principal wants to hear from everyone involved.” 

Aizawa stopped as he spoke and Izuku realized they were standing in front of the principal’s office. 

“One more thing,” Aizawa said more quietly than before. “I am not supposed to tell you many of the things I did, so keep quiet. It saves both of us trouble.”

Once Izuku nodded Aizawa knocked and opened the door. Izuku wasn’t sure whether to frown or smile as he entered since Bakugo was present, but so were Tenya, Hitoshi, and Tokoyami, still in their hero costumes, seated on a sofa on the side of the room opposite Bakugo. Principal Nezu was sitting behind his desk and gestured at Izuku to step in. 

“I am glad to see you looking so healthy. Are you feeling fine?” 

“Still aching,” Izuku lied. “Recovery Girl thinks there could still be a risk of concussion or something. She doesn’t want me to be alone before tomorrow. Have to ask someone to come visit.”

He was speaking in a tone suggesting this was a bad thing, but at the end he glanced at Tenya and Hitoshi who showed a discreet thumb up. He barely reached the sofa and was sitting between the two when Bakugo, whose arm was in a sling, blinked and seemed to notice his presence. 

“Give back my quirk!”

Izuku froze for a moment, then turned as a tired expression made its way on his face. Fears of the past were gone. Bakugo was standing on the other side of the room. His eyes were empty and his ever-present arrogance had been covered by a strong tint of desperation. Still, his hands were up and open in the exact way as when he was prepared to use his explosions or threaten Izuku with them. Even now Izuku could imagine small explosions sparkling on those hands despite the power of that quirk flowing within his own body now.

“He stole my quirk! Make him give it back! No, expel that villain!”

“Bakugo,” Nezu said with a threat in his voice that was unbecoming of his small stature. “The word expel is relevant to this discussion, but not when it comes to Midoriya.”

Bakugo stared at the principal for a moment, surprise in his eyes, but it quickly reverted to confusion and there was an increasingly angry tone in his voice as he spoke. 

“He stole my quirk. I… can’t be without my quirk.”

“I used mine in an exercise where use of quirks was explicitly allowed,” Izuku said, “and you lost the privilege of me caring how you feel over the past decade.”

“Give it back.”

There was a knock on the door. 

“Come in,” Nezu called. 

Present Mic opened the door and stepped aside to let a fuming Mitsuki Bakugo inside. 

“What did you do now you brat!”

She hit the younger Bakugo on the head as soon as she got close enough. Izuku barely held back a smirk. Aizawa on the other hand rubbed his forehead in disappointment, or perhaps he was now just expecting to have more work to do.

“I did nothing!” Bakugo screamed back, some life returning to his eyes. “That villain stole my quirk again!”

“Again?” Aizawa asked.

“My quirk first appeared when Bakugo decided he needed a punching back to vent his frustration for not getting a high enough score in an exam,” Izuku said and for the first time met Mitsuki’s eyes. 

“Something about how if he had to put up with his mother’s reaction, I should also suffer. Of course, I was the villain for accidentally taking the star student’s quirk. I guess I should have thrown a jar of nitro-glycerine at him instead and it would have all been okay. At least that’s what everyone seemed to think about him.”

There was a long silence. Mitsuki was visibly shaking as she kept looking at her son and Izuku several time, as if unsure who to be angry at. 

“Principal,” Aizawa said suddenly, “don’t you find it curious that while Midoriya’s first use of his quirk war clearly recorded, the other things he has described never came up in school records during Bakugo’s pre-admission background check?”

“I do. Young Ida and Shinso brought up the same concern, although they can only provide second-hand information.”

Nezu looked at Izuku. 

“Anything they have said is the truth,” Izuku said. “They know more about Bakugo’s… villainy, than his own mother.” 

“How dare you say that! How would they know anything about MY Katsuki?!”

Izuku stared at her for a long time. The silence was only interrupted by the younger Bakugo’s angry huffs. 

“Let’s just say my father jokes about how much money he has saved on therapy thanks to them,” Izuku responded.

“Ahem,” Nezu interrupted the following silence. “While this is a most serious matter, we cannot take formal action on it until a proper re-background check is conducted.”

“Formal action?” Mitsuki asked. 

“Being a hero is not just about the physical ability to do the job,” Aizawa said. “We teach combat skills and quirk use that could easily be used to kill. Filtering out unstable or overtly violent people is a key part of the admission process that overrules any other grade or exam, or at least it is supposed to.” 

“Reconducting the background check automatically renders your son’s admission to our school probationary until a new admission decision can be made based on the results,” Nezu said. 

Both Bakugo’s stared at the principal in shock. 

“Of course, that is a separate matter from today’s and yesterday’s events.” 

“Yesterday’s?” Mitsuki asked. Her loud anger was gone and her voice a little more than a whisper. 

“Aizawa,” Nezu said. 

“During his first two days at this school your son has caused disturbances in class, made illegal threats and physically attacked or attempted to attack classmates on more than one occasion, and I had to personally restrain him and erase his quirk to stop an assault on Shinso here…”

“That vil…!” Bakugo shouted. 

“Shut up!” Aizawa responded. “Today he completely refused to cooperate with his teammate, disregarded the goals of the training scenario, seemingly only interested in injuring Midoriya, continued fighting even after being defeated according to the rules of the exercise, and in doing so used clearly excessive and potentially deadly force against the direct order of a teacher, causing not only significant property damage, but high risk of injury or death to himself and no less than three classmates, Midoriya especially. Several of the actions I have listed qualify as not mere breaking of school rules or bullying, but prosecutable crimes, potentially including attempted first-degree murder.” 

“You bet they are,” Izuku muttered in the following stunned silence. After a few seconds Aizawa continued. 

“After his actions yesterday, I recommended to the principal to not proceed with expulsion or other similarly severe actions, as I thought we could offer him the proper and unbiased guidance he has clearly not received before at school or otherwise. Considering today’s events and the new revelations of his past I now retract that recommendation. My responsibility as teacher is to guide and protect my students, it is not part of my job to monitor violent criminals or teach such people combat skills.”

“You have to be kidding. Just because Midoriya has had… issues with Katsuki and his friends obviously speak for him, that doesn’t...”

“Miss Bakugo,” Nezu interrupted. “While your son’s past actions are currently only his word against Midoriya’s, his actions in this school have numerous witnesses including mister Aizawa along with video recordings. As for today’s training, there is plenty of evidence to justify both disciplinary hearing and for safety of the students a suspension until said hearing can decide on final consequences.”

Before Mitsuki could deny her son’s actions, Nezu tapped a button on his computer’s keyboard and a video started on a large screen hanging from the wall of his office. Multiple windows on the screen displayed various camera views, including that of both teams’ points of views during the exercise. Mitsuki held a hand on her mouth witnessing the brutal fighting and her son’s roar as Izuku tore the quirk out of him. 

Then she saw Izuku very clearly bind Bakugo with the capture tape and Bakugo refusing to accept defeat despite All Might’s orders.

“I WILL KILL YOU!”

The recording ended when Bakugo’s giant explosion wiped out the cameras. 

“As you can see, the evidence proving your son’s actions occurred is not in question.”

“But… Well obviously, he was acting in distress. Obviously what Midoriya did has a severe mental impact. Last time Midoriya took Katsuki’s quirk, he wasn’t himself for days. Sometimes he was just staring at the wall.”

“That argument would have more value if his behaviour before losing his quirk didn’t seamlessly fit everything he did after,” Aizawa said. “Frankly, you blaming Midoriya’s use of his quirk is disgusting, especially since your own son seems to have been raised with absolutely no concern for his quirk’s potential to cause harm.”

“I agree with mister Aizawa,” Nezu added. “As for losing his quirk, while I find your son’s possession of such power dangerous, we do not have the legal authority to have someone’s quirk permanently removed. He would have gotten it back long ago had he not acted as he did. Midoriya?”

“I’ll return the quirk once he’s not shouting, making threats or standing like he is ready to attack me.” Izuku pointed at one of Bakugo’s hands that was down but tense and open, ready to blow up if he still had his quirk. “I don’t want explosion in my face as soon as he has his quirk back, or in anyone else’s.”

Izuku’s voice became much lower and colder with the last part. Aizawa and Tokoyami looked at him for a moment. Aizawa then grabbed his capture weapon with one hand, making parts of it seemingly float as he stared at Bakugo, letting the implication hang silently.

“Fine,” Izuku said and got up. He walked to stand in front of Bakugo and slammed his palm on Bakugo’s face with disdain. He would have genuinely liked to keep the quirk and not just to give it back to Bakugo, but this wasn’t the right time for that. With the deed done, he took several steps back without turning his back to Bakugo. The garbage fire in question stared at him with venom showing attacking him was an option, but soon he looked at his very much not exploding palm and then Aizawa, whose hair was standing as he stared at him. 

“Thank you Midoriya. You and your friends can go. The lesson is likely ending already but see if All Might has any final words to share.”

Izuku turned away without a word while Tenya gave enough bows and thanks for all of them. They walked out of the office and a few meters down an empty corridor Izuku stopped to leaned his back against the wall.

“Are you okay?” Tenya asked. “You should see Recovery Girl again if…” 

“It’s not that. It’s been a long day and now… that.”

“At least the school is finally taking things seriously with Bakugo,” Hitoshi reminded. 

“I hope so,” Izuku said. “As long as he doesn’t get to hurt you guys.”

“That seems to be your central concern and the shadow in which you walk,” Tokoyami said. Izuku raised his eyebrow, now remembering there was a fourth person present. He straightened his back, not relying on the wall to remain up.  

“What do you mean?”

Tokoyami glanced at Tenya and Hitoshi. 

“I believe you are not opposed to discuss personal matters with them present,” he paused, but Izuku did not contradict him. “Do they know how much darkness you are prepared to embrace for them?” 

Tenya and Hitoshi glanced at each other. 

“What… do you mean?” Izuku asked.

“I turned back as soon as Bakugo set off that large explosion. I heard what you said to him and had no doubts about your seriousness.” Tokoyami nodded towards Hitoshi and Tenya. “Do they know you would rather kill than risk their safety?”

“Do you have to put it like that?”

“Izuku?” Tenya asked calmly, but with a tone that demanded an answer. Izuku sighed.

“Bakugo threatened to beat and destroy me once others saw things ‘like he did’.” Izuku paused. “Then he threatened to do the same to you two.” 

“Oh, he went there,” Hitoshi said. “I know what you meant by darkness now Tokoyami.”

“You do?”

“Obviously. Izuku is a great friend but there are buttons you do not want to press with him. You should have seen him when some drugged-up thugs tried to stab me… I’m surprised Bakugo came out in one piece without Tenya there. What did Izuku do?”

Tokoyami opened his mouth but closed it again and glanced at Izuku. Dark Shadow even peeked his head out to be between the two. Izuku nodded slowly. 

“He welcomed Bakugo to fight him, but threatened to kill him with his own quirk, slowly, if he ever came after either of you.”

Tenya shook his head in disappointment as Izuku shrunk next to him. Hitoshi on the other hand looked at Tokoyami with a more neutral expression. 

“Sounds about right. I would have done the same if I could.” 

“Hitoshi!” Tenya gasped. 

“Wouldn’t you?”

“Of course not…. I mean I obviously share the same fundamental sentiment, but you can express it in less violent ways.”

“Such dark comradery. I am jealous,” Tokoyami said. Izuku blinked. 

“Jealous?”

“Yes, you might have walked on the cliff above the blackest darkness, but to do so willingly for others, and not be judged by them is comradery I have yet to witness.”

“Hey!” Dark Shadow shouted.

“Except for you of course. Our fates are tied.”

“Yes, and that better not change,” Dark Shadow said and looked at Izuku. He responded with a tired stare.

“I am not going to take you away.”

“You better not,” Dark Shadow said and withdrew back within Tokoyami. They stood there for a moment. 

“I guess we should go listen to what the so-called number one has to say.”

“I have noticed you don’t appreciate All Might much? Has he done something to you?” Tokoyami asked. Izuku drew a quick breath but Tenya stepped in front of Tokoyami. 

“That is a discussion we should not have here. There are things that are painful and not to be shared with everyone. Please restrain yourself from pushing this topic.” 

“I…  understand, I forgot your earlier warning, my apologies.” 

“Don’t worry about it,” Izuku said. “Let’s just go.”

After that incident they walked in silence towards the training grounds until All Might wooshed past them, not even stopping to check on them. Izuku wasn’t interested in talking to the man, but one would expect a teacher to check up on a student he last saw injured heading to the nurse. 

“What was that?” Hitoshi asked. 

“All Might,” Izuku and Tenya said simultaneously. 

“How could you tell? I didn’t even see him before he had already passed us,” Tokoyami asked.

“If you can’t see something coming in a battle you cannot dodge it,” Izuku said and shrugged. “Plus, Tenya’s quirk is speed based, so it probably also impacts his perception. The rest of us have to manage with training alone.”  

“I know what you are thinking,” Hitoshi said, “and I’m already feeling sore.”

“Just because we need to have a sleepover doesn’t mean you can skip on our training.”

“I know I know, pain first, movie second, no coffee before morning.” 

“I got a new fancy espresso machine,” Izuku said. Hitoshi’s expression brightened. 

“I don’t think so Izuku,” Tenya interrupted. “You said Recovery Girl wants you to be monitored in case of concussion. I cannot allow you to strain yourself until we can be confident of your health.”

“But-” Izuku started.

“No buts. We will escort you home and make sure you don’t endanger yourself.”

Izuku stared at Tenya for a long time. Unlike with Bakugo or even All Might, this time he was powerless to fight back.

“Fine,” he agreed, “but don’t think that will let the two of you off easier.”

“Such mastery of the dark,” Tokoyami said and looked at Hitoshi. “I do not know how your private training usually goes, but you have my condolences.” 

“Thanks.”

“If All Might has left the training area, there is no point for us to return there,” Tenya noted. “We should head to the dressing rooms and prepare to go home.”

“Sounds good,” Izuku said. “I’ll wait outside the door so Toshi can’t escape.”

Izuku made sure to reach his arm over Hitoshi’s shoulders to emphasize his point. They met the rest of the class near the dressing rooms. Shoji was the first to notice them, followed quickly by Kirishima at the front of the group. 

“Hey, if it isn’t Midoriya! You look a lot better already.” 

“I feel a lot better, at least physically?”

“Huh?” Kirishima wondered as they reached the group and joined them, walking towards the dressing rooms.

“Don’t worry about it. Today has been a long day.” 

“Okay, if you say so. Sorry you missed the rest of the lesson. It was so cool. Our class has a ton of strong people, and the rest of the week might be even better.”

“What do you mean by that?” Hitoshi asked.

“Well…” Kirishima paused when he realized who he was responding to. Izuku’s stare hardened like he had taken the redhead’s quirk. After a few seconds and a blink Kirishima continued responding at least. “We are going to see the USJ. All Might told us Friday will be rescue training instead of combat and he will teach us there too. Isn’t that cool? Fighting villains is cool and all, but saving people is the manliest part of being a hero.”

Kirishima raised his arm, holding his fingers together and hardened it into something akin to a stone sword. For that last part Izuku forgave Kirishima for his earlier transgression, partially at least. However, thanks to still having his arm on Hitoshi he felt Hitoshi shake a bit and he quickly looked away from Kirishima. Kirishima didn’t notice as he kept talking. It took a few seconds for Izuku to remember the thug with a hardened sword arm he had almost killed.

“Hey, where’s Bakugo?”

“In the principal’s office,” Izuku said and smirked as he positioned himself between Kirishima and Hitoshi, “with his mother and Aizawa.”

“That sounds serious,” Uraraka said.

“It better be,” Izuku corrected. “Anyway, what did you think about Toshi’s fight?”

“It was impressive that he beat Todoroki. After some convincing he told us how,” Yaoyorozu said. “The quirk you gave him supports his own very well. He was simply unlucky to fight Shoji.”

“I still can’t believe you could just give him a second quirk, still kind of creepy.”

“That means he can have double the manliness.”

“He will be hard to beat in battle, kero.”

They finally arrived at the dressing room. Izuku stayed outside, leaving Hitoshi trapped with the new questions people had. As soon as he was alone Izuku took out his phone to find messages about the call he had made on his way to see Recovery Girl and his father mentioning it was okay to have friends over, meaning it was okay to skip his training for the evening. Hitoshi was the first one to step out though, considering the chatter it might not have been just because of his simpler costume.

“Toshi,” Izuku said without even looking at his friend, “how do you feel about Kirishima’s quirk?”

“What do you mean?” Hitoshi asked, but Izuku responded with his ‘I already know so don’t waste time pretending’ look. Hitoshi sighed.

“It’s not really Kirishima’s quirk, just how he used it. I suddenly remembered the exact moment that guy was going to try to stab me with his. I know it’s stupid. Just a couple of days later I was fighting UA robots, but somehow it being a real situation and there being more of them... I think I froze for a moment. Not very heroic of me, wasting all that training only to freeze up at a moment like that.”

“Don’t beat yourself up for it too much. A real danger has a shock effect that you can’t get from regular training. Has anything similar happened before?”

“I… may have had nightmares a couple of times.”

“I know what that is like,” Izuku said. “But with the issue of Kirishima’s quirk you should work on how you feel seeing similar quirks. It would be bad if you had to team up with Kirishima and lost focus from seeing his quirk,” Izuku’s eyes shifted just a little past Hitoshi. “A bit like how he hasn’t been too judgemental but still hesitated to respond to you.”

“And how would I do that?”

“Exposure without danger, for the both of you,” Izuku responded and yanked Hitoshi’s shoulder to make him turn and face Kirishima. The redhead had joined them in the corridor in time to hear the important bits. He and Hitoshi stared at each other for a moment until Kirishima grabbed Hitoshi’s hands and started talking way too fast and loud, apologising and promising he would not do the thing near Hitoshi and offering to help.

The redhead wasn’t necessarily bad. If he could see past the biases of the society around him and help Hitoshi, then he was going to get lots of points in Izuku’s eyes.

Izuku checked his messages again while the scene was going on and more students started joining them in their regular school uniforms. By the time Tenya managed to change from his overcomplicated armour and joined them, rest of the class was already done and chatting. Not feeling enthusiastic for any more discussions with unpredictable topics, Izuku started walking, unintentionally setting off the motion of the entire class. Tenya followed closely, but Hitoshi fell behind with Kirishima, who had hardened his arm for the exposure Izuku had prescribed.

Yep, he got bonus points, lots of them.

Izuku’s phone beeped with another message which he glanced at and sighed. One more thing to endure today, just one more. He leaned closer to Tenya and whispered.

“Stay close and be ready to cover your ears.”

“What…?” Tenya started but Izuku faced away without any more words. They came around the building to the front yard just as the Bakugos stepped out of the front doors. Katsuki had a stunned expression on his face but the way he bit his teeth together revealed the anger bubbling inside. His mother was in tears that could have almost impressed even a member of the Midoriya family, if he cared anymore.

“Why is she crying?” Uraraka asked.

“Her failed parenting has finally caught up to them,” Izuku said as he kept walking, not giving the Bakugos any more than a glance.

“That is not a very nice thing to say.”

“I have no obligation to be nice to anyone. It needs to be earned.”

“Midoriya!” Mitsuki shouted. Izuku kept walking without giving her even a glance. Mitsuki kept talking, sounding like she was closer with every following word.

“How can you just walk away after… They just suspended Katsuki, all but promising to expel him after an investigation!” She shouted. The class members present collectively gasped. “Do you understand what that means? I know he had bullied you, but this will destroy his future, all of his dreams. Look at me!”

Izuku kept walking, not acknowledging her at all.

“You have changed since you moved in with your father. You have become colder. What would Inko think? She wouldn’t have let you turn out like this.”

“Uh oh,” Tenya said.

Izuku stopped. Sparks of fire flickered around his twitching hands.

“Kirishima,” Hitoshi said quietly behind Izuku, “stand in front of her and harden as much as you can.”

Izuku drew a deep breath.

“What…?” Kirishima started asking.

Izuku breathed out and turned to face Mitsuki with a stare so cold even Todoroki’s ice couldn’t match it.

“That won’t be necessary,” he addressed Hitoshi and Kirishima. “I’ve prepared for this. Couldn’t trust the school to take care of things.”

Without breaking his stare Izuku raised one hand and pointed at the gate where two large expensive looking black cars had been parked. One had a single man in a suit standing next to an open door. The other had at least as finely dressed a man and woman standing next to it with the woman holding a black folder under her arm.

Mitsuki turned to stare at the duo of expensive lawyers instead of Izuku and started visibly shaking.

“No, no…”

“You had one warning, a whole year to correct the results of your parenting. Ba… Katsuki could have gotten away with everything he did over the last decade just because I would have rather not even thought about him ever again. You wasted that chance. Katsuki has not changed a bit,” Izuku paused, “and he threatened my friends.”

Tenya grabbed Izuku’s shoulder but didn’t say a word.

“So, step out of that gate and face your futures.”

Chapter Text

Izuku watched, his entire class around him, as Mitsuki stepped outside of the UA gate. She was walking slowly with fear in every individual step like she was stepping into a minefield. She probably wished she did. At least it is possible to avoid mines if you were careful. As she took the first step outside the gate the two lawyers took a step forward and the woman held the folder with both hands.

“Mitsuki Bakugo?” she asked. 

“Y... yes,” usually so strong willed Mitsuki stuttered. 

“We are here as the legal representatives of Hisashi and Izuku Midoriya in the numerous cases of harassment, slander, bullying, threats of violence, assault, illegal quirk use and attempted murder committed by your son, along with your own responsibility of damages both physical and psychological as his parent. We have been instructed by the Midoriya family to ensure that all these crimes and any other inappropriate actions are prosecuted and punished to the greatest extend allowed by law,” she paused for a moment. “Regardless of the costs to either party. You shouldn’t need more than forty- or fifty million yen… for the first round of lawsuits.”

“You, you can’t be serious. That would bankrupt us” 

“Yes. Of course, your son won’t be able to help you with the costs since his most recent actions have taken place at an age where he is eligible for full criminal prosecution and penalties including imprisonment. Seems both of you forgot that schools and parents aren’t the only institutions that are supposed to keep him responsible for his actions.” 

“No…”

“In addition to Katsuki Bakugo’s actions,” the man spoke, “the illegal acts and failures of every educational institution he has attended simultaneously with Izuku Midoriya will be similarly prosecuted, though they can avoid the most serious of consequences by correcting their failure to report Katsuki’s crimes by acting as witnesses in his and his family’s lawsuits. Naturally we expect these witness statements to be made public along with the lawsuits and records corrected. Your son will be famous, just not for the reasons he dreamed of.”

“Though we don’t expect said fame to help with your legal expenses either,” the woman added. 

“You can’t do this!” Mitsuki nearly screamed and spun around. “Midoriya you…” 

She paused seeing Izuku’s cold yet empty stare lacking in emotion. Remains of his earlier burst of rage were still shimmering within, but he would have much preferred to lay on his bed and go to sleep. Still, he felt this was one moment he had to witness, if not for any other reason, then to protect others from Bakugos’ possible reactions. 

“To be clear by Midoriya san’s instructions we will keep pursuing legal action until your family can’t be said to have future or legacy worth mentioning, except as a warning example of where bad parenting can lead,” the woman continued. “Midoriya san asked us to say he did warn you.”

“I… I have to talk with him. There has to be an alternative to all this.”

“He has specifically stated he will not be talking with you, and I would recommend leaving his son alone as well,” the woman said. “That being said, there is a second alternative. Midoriya san has laid out exact conditions under which he is willing to retract his legal actions as long as you and your family follow them to a letter. I can read the conditions for you but know this. There is NO room to negotiate. You can either accept by end of the week or spend the next decade in court. The settlement will additionally be enforced by contract fine of one hundred million yen if any in your family violate it, in addition to immediate restatement of the lawsuits of course.”

“Please, what are the conditions?” Mitsuki begged.

“And this is how you destroy a person, legally,” Izuku whispered. 

The female lawyer opened her folder and began reading the first page much louder than strictly necessary if she only wanted the Bakugo’s to hear. 

“Condition 1: Katsuki Bakugo will leave UA high regardless of what choices the school makes concerning his attendance.”

The class whispered around Izuku, but they had already heard Bakugo might get expelled so the demand wasn’t as big deal it might have otherwise been.

“Condition 2: Katsuki Bakugo will not pursue any form of hero education or any other path towards the profession of a hero or any profession, position or license that would expand his rights to use his quirk.”

That got a slightly stronger reaction from the class. Yaoyorozu said something about it being a harsh but logical demand. 

“Condition 3: Katsuki Bakugo will not engage in or pursue any profession, position or license that would allow or require him to engage in any form of physical force or violence towards other people including but not limited to security guard, police officer and soldier of any kind.

Condition 4: No one in Bakugo family will seek any contact with anyone in Midoriya family or people close to Izuku Midoriya as defined by Izuku Midoriya unilaterally. No one in Bakugo family may initiate contact in any way other than through a designated lawyer or intentionally approach within a hundred meters of any person this restriction applies to. Exceptions are made only when legally required such as to attend court at the same time. 

Condition 5: No one in Bakugo family shall publicly discuss anyone the previous condition applies to in any untrue or negative manner for any reason unless necessary for legally required truthful and factual statement. 

Condition 6: Katsuki Bakugo must give full and fully honest statements to courts and media as part of lawsuits against Aldera junior high and any other educational or other institution that has overlooked, covered up, and/or encouraged his bullying and criminal actions if such lawsuits are initiated.

Condition 7: Mitsuki Bakugo and Masaru Bakugo both together and individually will not give birth, have or raise any more children including adoption and accidental pregnancies to ensure they cannot create any more violent criminals.”

“Now you…!” Mitsuki raised her voice again, but the female lawyer had no issue meeting her in a staring contest. After making sure Mitsuki had shut up, she continued reading. 

“Lastly, condition 8: Katsuki Bakugo will relinquish his quirk Explosion including any current or future rights and claims to it to Izuku Midoriya,” she said and continued without pause despite the deafening shouting next to her, “and shall not pursue retrieving any of the previously mentioned in any way, including any otherwise legal means, for any reasons. The transfer of the actual quirk will be conducted by Izuku Midoriya. Katsuki Bakugo may be restrained for the duration of the transfer at the sole discretion of Izuku Midoriya.” 

“Wow, remind me to never mess with Midoriya.” 

“Are they serious?”

“I get the feeling they are.”

For the first time during the encounter Izuku was nearly as stunned as the rest of his class. He hadn’t realized to demand such thing and it had not come up during the call or in the messages. He was so dumb to not have realized his father would make it happen, the only way to take Bakugo’s quirk publicly without legal repercussions. 

“Not sure if that was manly thing to do.”

In theory that is, in practice that made the settlement contract almost impossible since Bakugo would never accept the last condition. The walking bomb had also turned to look at Izuku and people around him with new rage in his eyes. His fingers twitched and suddenly his expression changed to surprised. Izuku took the risk to look back at the school. Aizawa was standing in front of the doors. 

“Such revelry in the dark, very dark.”

Maybe Izuku could live with the homeroom teacher he got, as long as he wouldn’t threaten Hitoshi’s attendance again.

“Toshi, Tenya, lets go. I’ll give you a ride,” he said quietly and started walking. In a few seconds the walked past the Bakugos. 

“Midoriya you can’t…!” Mitsuki shouted. 

“Condition 4,” Izuku responded without even turning. The chauffeur took the trio’s school bags and held the door open for them. Hitoshi stepped in first. Before Izuku followed, he looked at the lawyers.

“Add one attempted assault and see if you can make it an attempted murder.” 

“You read my thoughts Midoriya san,” the female lawyer responded. “Would you like us to do anything else?”

“No, I think you have things under control. Just… don’t contact me about this matter today if you don’t absolutely have to. It has been a long day.”

“Understood.” 

Izuku got on the middle seat between Hitoshi and Tenya sitting stiff and eyes forward, until the car started moving and got out of sight. He slumped against the backrest looking at the ceiling and the mostly transparent wall between them and the driver.

“Hitoshi, can you press that button and give directions to your home so you can pick up things you need? Actually, can you brainwash me to sleep for the drive?”

“Are you feeling okay?”

“Physically yes.” 

“You sure?”

“Ye…” Izuku fell quiet when the relief of brainwashing took over his mind. His racing thoughts slowed down properly for the first time since the beginning of the combat training. He could feel his head leaning on a nearby shoulder before everything went black. To think there had been a time when he had none available at least not away from home.

He was only woken with a gentle shake of his shoulder and stretched in the limited space of the car, as big as it was. 

“Feeling better?” Hitoshi asked.

“A little.”

“Still planning to torture us till dinner?”

Izuku huffed smiling, thankful at Hitoshi moving to a topic he could easily focus on as a distraction. 

“Thank you for reminding me. Though I feel bad for watching you train without doing the same.”

“Oh no,” Tenya interrupted. “If Recovery Girl feels someone needs to keep an eye on you, we won’t let you do anything more physically demanding than carrying your backpack.” 

“Fine. Here’s what w… you are going to do. Tenya goes to hide in one of the rooms upstairs and Toshi tries to get to the sleepover room. Try to ambush him, without crashing through the wall please.”

“I see, you are trying to recreate today’s exercise.”

“It’s best I could come up with this quickly,” Izuku rubbed his forehead. “If there was any value in today’s training it was learning to fight in a closed space. Toshi keep evading Tenya’s attack but try to strike back more. There won’t be space to evade for long. “

The chauffeur opened the door to let them out in front of Izuku’s house. He already had their backpacks.   

“Thank you for the ride. Smooth enough to sleep the whole time,” Izuku said as he got out. 

“I’m happy to hear you are satisfied as usual. Should I expect additional passengers tomorrow also?”

“At least in the morning.” 

“I will come at the usual time. Have a nice evening.”

“You too.”

They walked inside. 

“I hope you are going to leave me alone for long enough to go to the bathroom.”

“Of course,” Tenya said.

Izuku went upstairs, into his bedroom left his backpack there and continued the adjacent bathroom. That was hopefully enough distance between him and his friends for them to not hear him, even if realizing what he was doing hurt. He picked up his phone double checking encrypting program was running before calling his father. 

“How was your day son?”

“You already know how it was.”

“Only what you told my lawyers. How did the Bakugos react?”

“Loud as expected, but they aren’t going to take your settlement. Even if his parents wanted to accept it B… Katsuki will never give up his quirk.”

“The he will face the consequences of that decision. The quirk is the only important thing he has that we could get other than inflicting appropriate vengeance. Stealing his quirk and letting Tomura dust the body is still an option.”

“No, that would just make people suspect me more. Eraserhead already confessed that the principal and All Might have investigated me since the education fair probably. Seems he is trying to make me trust him. To help me supposedly.”

“We always knew they would assume the worst and investigate you. Though it is surprising that Eraserhead would admit to that. He is a very unusual hero. Still, this is potentially useful information and it is only your second day. We will find when All Might is vulnerable in no time.”

“Actually,” Izuku said and paused to consider what he had been told, “There might be an opportunity soon. I heard we are supposed to be at USJ with him this Friday. I don’t know who else are going to be there, but there will almost certainly be less pro heroes than at the main campus or out in the open. I don’t yet know how UA handless these things.”

“Ah, out of campus training on the first week. That should serve our needs quite well. I will tell Tomura to prepare. If everything goes well then by this weekend the symbol of peace will be gone and the reputation of the so-called number one hero school will be in tatters for failing to keep their staff and students safe.”

“What will happen to the students? Or me.” Izuku asked. 

“Depends how they get involved. Having people to protect will make All Might easier to defeat. As for you,” father paused for a moment. “I wouldn’t want you to expose yourself until All Might is done at least and staying in UA even beyond that might prove useful, so you cannot simply be absent right when the attack happens.”

“Might I present a possible course of action,” Kurogiri’s voice came from somewhere in the background of Izuku’s father. “I can separate the students at the start of the battle. This should help us separate the heroes present and I can simultaneously place young Shigaraki in a safe place. Possibly with some lesser villains so he appears to have been under threat and can demonstrate his abilities to further his infiltration, though the exact choice of the villains is likely not a significant question.” 

“That is worth considering,” father agreed.

“How about Toshi and Tenya?” Izuku asked and paused. “Maybe… I think couple others also might have potential to change hero culture for the better. Even at UA some have suffered for their quirks.”

There was a moment of silence that made Izuku tense. 

“If master approves, I can concentrate a few designated students into same area as young Shigaraki or with villains they are likely capable of defending against.”

“Yes, you said these people could change hero culture for the better. Quite a bold claim after knowing them for two days. Are you sure you aren’t just picking people who suffered a bit like you did and feeling sorry for them?”

“I don’t pretend to know them well yet but what they appear to have experienced is exactly what I hate in this society, why I am doing any of this. I don’t want to add to it. Heroes are a problem because they stand above everyone else not understanding or caring about the darkness they help uphold. If people who have experienced that side of things become heroes, they just might make some difference or at least take space that could be taken by someone like Bakugo.”

“Sound logic but are you sure your evaluation is rational and not simply emotional for meeting people that haven’t so far attacked you for what you are. Remember that they are still out enemies and would not be so nice if they knew who you really are.”

“I know that. Just because they wouldn’t agree with y… our ways that doesn’t mean they couldn’t have positive impact or… deserve to live to try. With Bakugo gone I’d prefer everyone come out okay. I don’t know enough of them to know who are good or not. Also yes, I like people who don’t fear me or Toshi for our quirks alone.”

“We cannot guarantee everyone’s safety if they are to be a distraction for the heroes… especially since Tomura will be in charge of the operation. So how many students’ survival would you like to ensure?” father asked. 

“Well…” Izuku hesitated, “including Toshi and Tenya… four, or five. I think Kirishima would be okay if he can understand the wrongs of this society better. Though he seems tough enough to survive, not that any of them are weak.” 

“So six including you. That is too many to send to one place if the goal is to scatter the class. Make two groups Kurogiri can divide you into. Choose well so the group you are not with can survive some enemies on their own. Shouldn’t be too much to ask from people who have been chosen for UA hero course. Also, either Shinso or Ida must be in that group. It would be too suspicious if you three were taken together.”

Izuku rubbed his chin and started muttering about what he knew about each of the people starting to feel sorry he had missed Kirishima’s fight.

“Son, you don’t need to make this choice right now. There is one other matter we should discuss. You should continue stretching your quirk limit and this attack can be an opportunity to gain a quirk you can use in public. You already have a good understanding of all the people Tomura and you have recruited and their quirks. Consider if they have anything you could use.”

“Aren’t they on our side?”

“For now. However, we both know the quality of most of the league members. They aren’t going to utilize their quirks for much good, nothing like you can for sure. Many of them are no more than thugs much like those who thought nothing of randomly attacking Hitoshi Shinso.”

“Dad,” Izuku said his voice quieter but more threatening than before, “don’t even try to use him to manipulate me.”  

“But it is so easy.”

“Dad,” Izuku said more sharply.

“Fine, fine. It will not change the point. Not continuing to grow your power is wasting your potential, and last I checked you were struggling with mobility against speed enhancing quirks, like Bakugo’s”

“Dad,” Izuku said with annoyance replacing the threat.

“You are growing to recognize your mental weaknesses, very good. Again, it does not change the facts. Choose a quirk among the league you can use and let us know by Thursday so that person can be sent to you during the attack.”

“I will. Tomura won’t be happy.”

“True, he has never liked sharing his toys, but sometimes you can’t have everything you want. You too should remember that.” 

“Yes dad.”

“Now, how are you feeling? I doubt you are really in need of someone to watch over you overnight.”

“No, I think Recovery Girl was right to worry about head trauma, but I let regeneration do its work after she healed most visible injuries.”

“Smart. Most people couldn’t stay rational and delay their own healing with such injuries, now if you could learn the same calm rationality when someone else is threatened or getting hurt…”

“Someone else might not be able to shrug of their injuries in a few seconds.”

“Nor would most face the risk of becoming the number one target for every hero in the country if they make one wrong move.”

There was a moment of silence between them.

“Well, I am assuming Shinso and Ida are in the house so this call should not take too long. Considering all of today’s events it is probably better you relax this evening with them. Tomorrow will be real training however. Don’t miss it.” 

“I won’t. See you then.” 

Izuku ended the call and finished his business in the bathroom. As he walked back to his room there was a loud thump. He peeked out of the door and found Tenya and Hitoshi groaning on the floor, Hitoshi under Tenya. 

“So, you already started?” Izuku asked. 

“Yeah…” Hitoshi gasped. “Tenya… I can’t… breathe.”

“Sorry,” Tenya said as he pushed himself away from Hitoshi. “We do truly require more training in closed spaces.”

“Seems so,” Izuku said. He was now wondering what kind of training would help them most come Friday and just stopping himself from muttering about it was a challenge. Best he could think of was being prepared for surprises, which they were kind of doing already. At least he was a better trainer than a friend. 

“Are you okay?” he asked Hitoshi who was just getting up. 

“I feel like after an hour of your training, make that two. At least Tenya doesn’t have that armour on. I don’t think I broke anything.” 

“That’s good,” Izuku said. “Then you can do this again. Don’t focus on just reacting after you notice Tenya. In real life you’ll never know where or when you can get attacked. You have to be always on guard and notice any signs of threats. You should be already acting when he starts opening the door at the latest. 

“That’s what I tried, but before I could even think about doing anything, he had already crashed on me.”

“That’s why you shouldn’t spend time thinking in a situation like that. If someone is attacking you your body should move before you have time to think.”

“How is that supposed to work.” 

“Instinct. If you want to be a true hero, the same should happen if you see someone in danger. Your body should be moving to save them before you have time to think.”

“Like you do every time someone looks at us unfriendlily.”

“Y… I… what?” Izuku stuttered. 

“He has always been more naturally heroic than he has been willing to admit,” Tenya said, “though sometimes more violently than strictly necessary.” 

“It’s not heroism,” Izuku said quietly looking away from them, “more anger than anything, not very heroic.”

“Oh, there is definitely anger,” Tenya confirmed, “especially when anyone has threatened us. It might be a problem but that is a separate matter from your heroic… instincts I guess.”

“I’d say he has had more than enough reasons to be angry at things,” Hitoshi said. “Hopefully one less after today. I just have to try not to get stabbed… for the sake of the stabber’s safety.”

“Not someone I would worry about,” Izuku said. “By the way, was Kirishima able to help you at all?”

“Yes, a bit, I think.” 

“Help, with what?” Tenya asked. 

“Kirishima’s use of his quirk reminded Toshi about the thug that tried to stab him, and not in a good way. I think that guy left him with some trauma,” Izuku said.  

“I see,” Tenya said holding a finger against his chin thoughtful. “I can see how the quirks could look the same, but I doubt a few minutes with Kirishima are going to help.

“Then they need more time,” Izuku said. “Would it help if we asked Kirishima to train with us… or would sparring with him make things worse?”

“It is probably worth doing,” Hitoshi said. “He also seemed impressive in close combat. He could probably challenge you more in that than we can.”

“We should try to train with other people more anyway,” Tenya said. “Facing Dark Shadow today and trying to reach Tokoyami was a unique challenge. I suggest we try to invite a few classmates to join our training next weekend.”

Izuku looked at a wall without saying a word. 

“That could be interesting,” Hitoshi said. 

By the weekend things could be very different, same with the people around them, and they themselves. 

“Izuku, what do you think?” Tenya asked. Izuku blinked and turned to look at Tenya. “Who do you think we could ask?”

“Umh… I think those two and Shoji seem decent enough to have around, just for the weekend days. Any more than that…” Izuku fell quiet. 

“We understand,” Hitoshi said. “No too many unfamiliar people at once.”

Izuku sighed and looked down.

“Yes. Going to same classes with bunch of people is one thing, even if there are bigoted people or even Bakugos, but training and spending time together like this I… I need this time to relax without needing to worry about the people around me. I can’t trust people after just two days just because they have seemed… not bad.”

“So maybe we should ask only one of them for now,” Tenya suggested. 

“That would be Kirishima, for Toshi’s sake,” Izuku said, “but we still have rest of the week to decide.”

“That works for me,” Hitoshi said. “Now about today’s training…”

“Yes,” Izuku said with his friend notebook at hand and sufficiently distracted from the previous topic. “Try it again. I’ll watch from the other side.”

The duo turned to return to their starting position, but Tenya pointed at Izuku’s notebook. 

“Where was he keeping that?”

Hitoshi shrugged and headed down the stairs.

Chapter Text

Izuku leaned back on the car seat between Tenya and Hitoshi while listening to the former discussing their homework for the day, despite them already doing all of it together the previous evening. Hitoshi was quietly sipping his coffee from a large thermos. How he could drink that much of the stuff and still look either tired or calm most of the time Izuku couldn’t tell, although brainwashing induced sleep had left both of them much more rested than usual.

“Midoriya-san,” the driver said, stopping Izuku from dozing off. “We are arriving at the UA, but there is a crowd preventing me from driving all the way to the gate.”

Izuku leaned forward between the front seats to see what was going on and raised an eyebrow in surprise.

“Media? Leave us here. We’ll try to get past them by foot,” he said.

“As you wish,” the driver said and pulled over.

As they walked closer it became obvious that these weren’t just friendly harmless reporters, more like a swarm of piranhas that sucked in any student trying not to be late to class. The noise of overlapping questions and demands alone was so much it was a wonder if they could even get clear recordings of anyone’s answers to the questions. Izuku and Hitoshi tried to use Tenya as a battering ram to get through, but even so it only took a few seconds for some reporters to push in between them. Instinct told Izuku to throw the nosy woman on the ground like he had done in his fight with Bakugo, but the more rational and calm side of his brain won out. Hitoshi had already disappeared in the crowd behind him.

“Good morning. Are you a student from the hero course? How do you feel about having All Might as a teacher?”

“After one lesson, not impressed and don’t really care what people think about it.”

“That is a surprising answer since most…”

Izuku turned away from the woman, trying to squeeze past some other people harassing other students.

“Wait... I… Have you encountered the quirk stealing student?”

Izuku stopped. How in the word did she know about that? Even people at Aldera hadn’t made enough noise about his quirk to have reporters chase after him.

“We heard there is a student whose quirk lets him take away other people’s quirks permanently with a single touch. Are you concerned about someone with that kind of quirk going to the same school?”

Izuku turned to face the woman again and she actually shut up from his stare.

“Why should I be worried about that?” Izuku asked.

“Because… aren’t you concerned for the safety of your quirk?”

“No more than for my life with the majority of students whose quirk could be used to kill me. Just the day before yesterday I saw one student score high enough in a grip strength test to crush a person’s skull. He turned out to be an okay guy so far by the way. So, I don’t really have a reason to ‘fear’ him for that.”

“I see,” the reporter said, seriously seeming disappointed at the answer but soon got more determination in her eyes. “Have you even seen the quirk stealer?”

“No one in this school is called that, but if you mean the person who can transfer quirks between people you could say I’ve met him,” Izuku kept thinking if he should give the answer that was easier to him or the one that would give him some chance of influencing people’s views, maybe. It wasn’t like his face would remain a secret with this kind of media frenzy and the woman had made him more annoyed than afraid.

“…every time I look in the mirror.”

“So what is h… Mirror?” the reporter started and paused. She took a step back. “You are the quirk stealer!?”

“As I said, there is no one by that name in this school. The real question is how you ever found out about my quirk? UA is quite strict with protecting their students’ privacy outside of the sports festival.”

His words rang to deaf ears as the reporter’s statement had been heard by those closest to them even in the cacophony of the crowd and the word was starting to circulate.

“The quirk stealer?”

“…that white haired kid?”

“Don’t go too close.”

“Your words shame your channel. Despite prejudice like yours he is one of the most heroic people I’ve met and a great friend.”

Suddenly Izuku was no longer being pushed on all sides by the crowd having increasing amount of space which moved with him as he took a step. It was easy to scare away the reporters that had been harassing Hitoshi with a simple glare. Tenya had managed to drown out the questions from the reporter who made the mistake of trying to stop him in his unstoppable lecture. Izuku just tapped his shoulder when walking past. Tenya took the chance to get out of the crowd and they soon walked past the teachers, including Aizawa and Present Mic, who were trying to control the crowd at the gate.

“Wait!” The annoying reporter came after Izuku. “Do you feel any shame for stealing people’s quirks?”

Izuku almost stopped but Tenya’s gentle push on his shoulder kept him moving.

“Hey, can you move? I am trying to interview that kid.”

“No. Get out of here. You have harassed my students enough.”

…

“All right if you don’t come for an interview, I’ll get in there myself.”

“Hey hold on.”

A siren sounded followed by loud clangs as the gate slammed shut.

“Those people bring shame to their profession,” Tenya said.

“And they knew about my quirk and that I study here,” Izuku said quietly. “The only time even the possibility of that has been seen by people kind of publicly was during the entrance when…”

Izuku paused and when he spoke again it was with venom and barely contained rage.

“Bakugo.”

“You think he did…”

“Absolutely. He thinks he is entitled to always win. After yesterday he could definitely lash out. He did the same during the entrance exam telling everyone about my quirk. He called me quirk stealer just like that reporter. The only surprising thing is that he got so many reporters to come here so quickly.”

“Not necessarily,” Tenya said, holding a finger in the air while holding his chin with his other hand. “They were also very interested in All Might being a teacher. They might have come here for that anyway and heard about you just in time.”  

“Maybe,” Izuku said. “It won’t change what he did. My quirk has always been something everyone around me knew but it never really became public knowledge. I’m… not sure what this will mean.”

“Just remember. The people who are worth you caring about their opinion aren’t going to change,” Hitoshi assured. “People were always going to find out by the time you become a hero, probably at the sports festival at the latest. You just got a bad first impression and for a lot of people that was always going to happen.”

Izuku hummed uncertainly and glanced back at the gate behind them, and at Aizawa who was following them. Hitoshi inched closer and a little behind him to block his view.

“Eyes forward.”

That got a small glimpse of a smile to appear on Izuku’s face and he did as told.

“I don’t need many people to like me as long as there are a few good ones, but that kind of hate isn’t just about me.”

“Unfortunately, now isn’t a time you can change that.” Tenya said. “That mob would not give you a voice, or at least not be a fair representation. Better focus on our studies so you can show them later.”

Izuku didn’t respond to that as they walked the rest of the way to the homeroom class. Izuku walked all the way to his seat before he even realized to check on the room. Most of their classmates were already there, but one specific empty seat explained why he had felt so at ease stepping into the room. He even raised his hand to greet Shoji who had made an eye on one of his arms and was looking at him. Ojiro gave a more careful glance. Izuku didn’t bother giving him his time.

The rest of the students arrived within a few minutes, followed shortly by Aizawa.

“All of you probably know this already, but we have one less student present today. Katsuki Bakugo has been suspended pending an investigation and hearing to his conduct in the past few days as well as an enhanced background check on alleged earlier crimes. Depending on the results of those investigations he will either return within a few weeks or be expelled. Frankly, it is going to be the latter option. As a part of the investigation, you may be heard as witnesses. I will inform you if that is required. Take this as a warning. While my expulsion threat on the first day was a deception, UA will not teach combat skills and other aspects of the hero profession to people we cannot trust to use those skills responsibly. How an expulsion might impact your personal lives is not a factor.”

The entire class was quiet. To their credit Izuku heard no arguments or attempts to excuse Bakugo.

“Now that that is taken care of... Decent work on yesterday’s combat training you guys. I saw the video feeds and went over each of your teams’ results. For the first battle: Midoriya, you showed more skill in combat than I expected and were able to reach a position to use your quirk on someone with a much more destructive quirk. Do not let Bakugo’s reaction discourage you from utilizing your power to disarm villains of their quirks in battle.”

Midoriya didn’t respond. Just kept watching Aizawa with a non-hostile and serious expression.

“Tokoyami, I understand a sentient quirk puts you in a unique position, but your ability to fight alongside fellow heroes cannot depend on whether… he likes them.”

“I understand.”

“This is an unusual situation, but I want you to see a school counsellor and see if you can talk things out with Dark Shadow. Reserve a time with him when you can.”

“I will.”

“Ida. You were left in an unexpected and difficult situation due to your then teammate’s actions. Seeking to ambush and delay your enemies was a rational response, but you seem to lack control over your quirk. The speed you can achieve will not matter if you cannot stop and turn in time, especially in enclosed spaces. Focus on fine control in your training for now.”

“We are already working on this.”

“You?” Aizawa asked

“Izuku already identified this weakness in my abilities some time ago. It shames me that I could not properly address it despite his assistance before entering UA.”

“At least he didn’t run through my walls,” Izuku muttered with a small smile.

“I see,” Aizawa commented. “You should continue that training then. I expect to see results.”

It was obviously easy to expect things when he had yet to do anything to help with the issue. He moved on to comment on the participants of the next battle, pointing out Todoroki’s arrogance and congratulating Hitoshi on not giving up and his ability to dodge Todoroki’s attacks.

“Thank you. Dodging Izuku’s and Tenya’s attacks has been a big part of my training from the beginning. Todoroki’s ice did stop me from counterattacking though. I couldn’t even get close.”

“You were still able to defeat Todoroki with your quirk,” Aizawa checked his notes. “Quirks, but don’t let yourself become dependent on being able to brainwash whoever you face.”

“Working on it,” Izuku said.

Aizawa stared at him for a moment but then proceeded with his feedback for rest of the students. At least he gave feedback to everyone without singling anyone out for humiliation.

“Let’s get down to business,” he said after the long list of feedback. “Our first task will decide your future.”

Now what he was planning? It was just the third day. The whole class tensed, expecting Aizawa to drop something super serious on them.

“You all need to pick a class representative.”

‘So, it had been just normal school stuff,’ was the class collective reaction. A few seconds later people were raising or waving their hands and shouting about how they all wanted to get the post, just to have slightly better chances of getting attention from agencies and the public. Izuku preferred to use his hands to cover his ears.

“Silence, everyone, please!” Tenya shouted over the entire cacophony loud enough to silence the class. “The class representative’s duty is to lead others. That’s not something just anyone can do. You must first have the trust of every student in the classroom. Therefore, the most logical way to fill this position is democratically. We will hold an election to choose our leader.”

“It’s pretty obvious you want us to vote for you,” most of the class said at the same time.

“Is this really the best idea?” The boy Tenya had identified as Kaminari asked.

“We’ve only known each other for a few days. How do we know who we can trust,” one of the girls commented, as if that wasn’t a problem for any possible way of choosing the class representative.

“Besides, everyone will just vote for themselves,” Kirishima added.

“Most people will, but that means that whoever does receive the most votes will truly be the most suitable person for the job,” Tenya countered, apparently not even considering the many ways of voting to counter that problem. He then turned to Aizawa. “It is the best way, right sir?”

“Do what you want, just decide before my nap is over,” Aizawa responded while closing his sleeping back around him. What had he said about this being important to their futures again?

“I have to get one of those,” Hitoshi quietly commented in front of Izuku.

“Thank you for your trust,” Tenya told the already sleeping Aizawa before turning back to his fellow students. “We shall now vote for the class representative.”

“Tenya,” Izuku said, getting his taller friend’s attention without even raising his voice. “What voting method do you suggest we use.”

“Voting method?”

“Kirishima is right about people voting for themselves, if we just vote for anyone without considering how and just because one person might get one or two more votes doesn’t mean they have the support of the class.”

“What do you suggest as an alternative?”

“There are many options, open vote where voting for yourself is not allowed, two-part vote where we pick everyone who gets more than their own vote for a second round, only voting among people who get two other people to nominate them, allowing everyone to vote for two different people so they have to vote at least one person other than themselves. I’m sure there are several other alternatives.”

“Nominating people sounds like the most sensible thing to do,” Yaoyorozu said. “It would force people to consider who they would trust and support publicly.”

“I guess that would work,” Kirishima said. “Is it okay for everyone?”

He got multiple supporting statements and positive murmurs. At least no one opposed the idea.

“Very good,” Tenya took charge of the process again as he walked to the front of the class. “In that case the nominations for the class representative election are now open.”

Hitoshi raised his hand a bit, getting a hopeful look from Tenya.

“I nominate Izuku Midoriya.”

The three of them could of course get a nomination for Tenya.

Izuku blinked.

“What did you say?”

“It makes sense,” Hitoshi said, turning in his seat to face Izuku.

“How exactly?”

“I know you aren’t excited about the idea, or the attention…”

“That’s true.”

“… but you have already taken charge of mine and Tenya’s training and it would show those reporters. Even if Bakugo fed them lies, the rest of the class choosing you as the rep would send a different message.”

“You are right,” Tenya joined in the realization. He fell silent for a moment before raising his head. “Choosing him would be better for the greater good. I too nominate Izuku Midoriya.”

“Not a bad idea,” Shoji spoke for the first time during the class.

“Umh, any other candidates?” Izuku asked.

“We aren’t going to force you into the job you know,” Hitoshi said. “Just think of how much it can help with changing people’s minds, and don’t even try to pretend you couldn’t do the job.”

They weren’t wrong, but the whole thing felt like getting even more tied up with the whole ‘becoming a hero’ concept. Still, if it gave him opportunities change people’s minds…

He couldn’t really say either way, so the election went ahead and soon Tenya wrote out the results on the display at the front of the class.

1. Izuku Midoriya: 7
2. Momo Yaoyorozu: 5
3. Eijiro Kirishima: 4

“All right,” Aizawa said. “Midoriya will be the class representative and Yaoyorozu will be the vice representative. Now get going before you’re late for the next lesson. Midoriya, from now on it is your job to take care of that.”

“I understand.”

The rest of the morning went by uneventfully. The most notable thing was when Izuku glanced out of a window and saw the press still crowding outside the gate. Leaving to get back home wasn’t going to be fun. For a moment Izuku wondered if UA would allow a helicopter to land on the sports field.

Then it was lunch time.

Izuku had just gotten food with Hitoshi and Tenya, when he spotted Kirishima just a bit behind them. Tenya turned to look at what had gotten his attention. 

“You know, if we are going to ask him to join us for training, now is as good a time as any,” Tenya said. “Should also congratulate him for third place.”

“Right,” Izuku said and waited as Kirishima got through the queue. “Hey Kirishima, come eat with us.” 

The redhead looked at them for a few seconds. 

“Are you sure? You three are always together. I don’t want to intrude.”

“I am sure. There’s something we need to talk about.” 

“In that case count me in, class rep.” 

They got to a nearby table with four empty seats. Kirishima sat opposite to Izuku and next to Hitoshi. “So, what did you want to talk about?” he asked. 

“Are you interested in training outside school hours?” Tenya asked. 

“Obviously he is,” Izuku said. “Have you looked at him? He also got to UA third in the practical exam.” 

Kirishima held his head, smiling. 

“Heh, I guess I did, still a bit behind you.”

“You got more rescue points. That means you did a better job if you ask me,” Izuku said. “Anyway, we usually train together on weekends and we thought we should train with other people too. “

“That sounds cool!” Kirishima shouted, exited. “Especially after what Ida and Shinso said this morning. I’d love to get some of that Midoriya training.”

He suddenly shut up and glanced at Hitoshi before speaking in a quieter voice. 

“Is this about your…” 

“Partially, it got you first in line” Hitoshi admitted. “Pretty sure they also want someone they can punch without spending most of their effort on holding back. Izuku can afford to get people with good healing quirks to treat me, but I’d prefer if he didn’t need to.”

Kirishima grinned. 

“I can do that. Just… be careful to not hurt yourselves. There was this one guy who tried to help me train my quirk, with a baseball bat who…well, broke his hand. No one has really wanted to help with my training since.”

“Your quirk lives up to its name then,” Tenya said.

“Heh, yes. It is a pretty simple quirk though.”

“The important thing is how you use it and how well you understand it.,” Izuku said. “Like how much can you harden right now, how deep into your skin does it go? Are you bulletproof or just tough against blunt force impact? How about other types of danger like heat or electricity? Does the physical change affect you in other ways? I noticed you hardened for the strength tests during Aizawa’s fitness test.”

“Eh,” Kirishima said. “Are you really that interested in my quirk?” 

“Yes,” Hitoshi and Tenya said at the same time.

“Oh, well as long as you don’t steal it from me.”

Izuku’s eyes narrowed and his face dropped, losing the slight smile he had had. Hitoshi shoved his elbow into Kirishima’s side.

“What… oh, I’m sorry,” Kirishima quickly said. “It was just a joke.”

Izuku’s stare softened a bit but he still didn’t look happy. 

“Just so you know,” Hitoshi said, “him taking your quirk is the best thing that could happen in training. He was able to help me a lot with my quirk after trying it just a couple of times himself. There is a big difference between seeing a quirk and using it himself.” 

“Really? Heh, never thought about it that way.”

“It is unthinkable for most people,” Izuku commented quietly. 

“Hey, I said I’m sorry,” Kirishima responded, waving his hands in front of him. “I didn’t m…”

Alarm sirens began ringing across the school as a voice announced a villain threat at the school, calling for students to evacuate. To where or what way it didn’t say. Izuku and company were standing in an instant, but they were standing tense and more or less ready for battle, meanwhile most others were either frozen in place or already running.

Izuku was mostly focused on wondering what was going on. Who would be crazy enough to attack UA? Besides Tomura of course, but that wasn’t supposed to be at the main campus, or today. 

“We should evacuate too,” Tenya said, and they started moving. Izuku was the last one right behind Hitoshi, but as they ran across the cafeteria, he saw what was happening. The corridor was already so full of panicking students to the point where getting anywhere was nearly impossible. If any villain was actually attacking, they would have been like fish in a barrel. If it was Izuku attacking the school, a couple of the explosive Hellfire Arrows would have been enough to cause nation-shaking carnage. 

Overall Izuku started doubting if they had overestimated UA’s security. Preparing students for emergencies certainly wasn’t a part of it. Tenya and Kirishima were already beyond his reach, but Izuku grabbed Hitoshi just in time before he was trapped in the crowd. 

“Izuku, wha…”

“Getting stuck there won’t help you get out or stay safe. We don’t even know what is happening.”

Hitoshi glanced at the crowd that had already consumed Tenya and Kirishima. 

“You are probably right. What do you suggest?”

“Try to find out what is happening and avoid the crowd. If there is an actual villain attack the crowd will only attract them.”

“But Tenya and others are already trapped in there. If there really is an attack…” 

Izuku raised one arm with a lit Dragon Blade.

“Right, Izuku solution number one if any of us are threatened. That would work. I almost pity the villains,” Hitoshi said. They jogged to a nearby window to see if anything was happening outside. At the second window Izuku’s eyes widened, but as much in anger as in shock. 

“They wouldn’t…” 

“Who?” Hitoshi asked as he came to look out next to Izuku. 

“The media.” Izuku seethed and then blinked. “How in the world did they get through the UA barrier?”

“I doubt the school let them in. Could they have quirks, or tools, to break the gate?”

“It’s possible,” Izuku said. “A group that large probably has some destructive quirks, but using one would get them in real trouble, nothing like harassing some students.”

He squinted his eyes, trying to see the gate that was no longer there. All that was left was the frame and some kind of pile of rubble under it, or maybe dust, like the gate had been just shattered apart… or decayed. 

“Izuku… Izuku,” Hitoshi called. Izuku turned his head to face him. 

“Sorry, I was thinking.”

“Already trying to solve the mystery,” Hitoshi said. “Can’t blame you. This whole thing gives me a bad feeling.”

Izuku couldn’t respond to that, knowing Hitoshi’s feeling was completely justified. After a long silence he grabbed Hitoshi’s shoulder and guided him back towards their table.

“Let’s finish our lunch. It sounds like things have calmed down so Tenya and Kirishima will probably return soon.” 

“Yeah.”

The rest of the day went by calmly with actual teaching on combat and martial arts techniques. The most unusual part was several of their classmates jokingly calling Tenya ‘Emergency Exit’, for slamming in the wall above the emergency exit sign to tell everyone in the corridor to calm down.

As Izuku left the school and walked through the destroyed gate he couldn’t help but kneel by the destroyed remains, separated from the designated walking path by police tape. The gate hadn’t broken to pieces, it had decayed to basically dust, emphasis on decay.

“Hey,” someone said and Izuku turned his head to see the police officer. “Do not touch it. This is a crime scene.”

“Right, sorry, I was just curious,” Izuku said, somehow maintaining a meek tone, despite his growing annoyance. He got up and walked to his chauffer. Thankfully the break-in had been enough for police to get involved with the press and drive them away, at least for the moment. Hitoshi and Tenya came with him, though this time they would just train a bit near Hitoshi’s place and Izuku gave them rides home.

Once home he grabbed only a sandwich and headed downstairs while still eating it. The training had gone a little long so Kurogiri’s portal appeared just as he stepped in the basement. He had barely stepped through and concluded that his father wasn’t yet present in the training room when he turned to Kurogiri.

“Did Tomura go to UA today?”

“Yes,” the Nomu responded without hesitation. “He wished to confirm the class schedule and All Might’s whereabouts himself rather than rely on your information.”

“Of course he did. Is he alone right now?”

“Yes, if you want to see him, I can take you to him, but be careful young Shigaraki.”

“Do it,” Izuku commanded, and dark mist encased him in seconds. As it retracted things didn’t get much brighter as he was in a room lit only by a computer screen. Izuku took a single step. Tomura spun around, reaching for Izuku with his hand. Izuku dodged to the side and grabbed Tomura’s wrist, squeezing much harder than necessary.

“Oh, it’s you,” Tomura said like he hadn’t just tried to kill Izuku. Izuku didn’t let go of his arm.

“What in the world made you go to UA?”

“How do you know that?” Tomura asked annoyed. “Kurogiri, how does he know that? I told you to not talk about it.”

“He asked me about it,” Kurogiri responded.

“Cursed Nomu.”

“Tomura, why did you come to UA.”

“Because of my mission,” Tomura answered. “Did you think I would lead the league into battle based on your word about class rumours?”

“I expected you to not put UA on high alert, especially since I’m already there for information.”

“You can have fun with your little friends there all you want. I lead the league, and I decide what information we use to plan the attack.”

“You may lead the league, but father made me responsible for spying on UA. You making them increase security won’t help either of us.”

“You don’t,” Tomura started raising his other hand. Izuku lit Dragon Blade as a shield on his free hand.

“Children children,” their father’s voice came from Tomura’s computer speaker. “Is that any way to treat family? Izuku, shouldn’t you be training?”

“I should, but Tomura decided to cause trouble by breaking into UA today.”

“Yes, I know. Kurogiri has kept me informed.”

Tomura gave the Nomu a murderous stare. Izuku lowered his hand so that the flaming shield was between them. His other hand squeezed Tomura’s wrist with all the strength other Nomus had beaten into him.

“Kurogiri, leave,” their father commanded.

Once the Nomu disappeared in mist, Izuku let Tomura go and stepped back, his Dragon Blade extinguished. Tomura rubbed his wrist as he turned to face the empty computer screen.

“Master, I have confirmed the information that Shirokuro brought,” a voice called from off screen.

“I am impressed that you could infiltrate UA,” their father said, making Tomura’s expression brighten, “but in the process, you alerted the school to a potential threat that could in worst case make that information outdated. Avoiding situations like this is exactly why we had Izuku going there in the first place.”

Tomura suddenly looked much less happy.

“Take this as a learning experience. You need to think more than one step ahead. If you want more information to confirm Izuku’s findings, what ways you have to do that and more importantly what are their consequences should be considered thoroughly.”

“Yes, sensei,” Tomura responded grumpily.

“And don’t try to hide things from me. Kurogiri won’t keep secrets from me for you… or from Izuku.

“Right,” Tomura muttered and turned to stare at Izuku. “Is there a reason you are still here?”

“Stay out of UA. You don’t want me messing with your league, so don’t mess with my stay at UA. I have enough to deal with the school and the press.”

“Press?” His father asked.

“The media knows about me, my quirk,” Izuku responded, “probably Bakugo’s doing. I also got voted the class representative. Toshi thinks it makes me look better in front of the media.”

“Turning into a hero faster than I thought,” Tomura muttered.

“Shut up Tomura,” Izuku responded.

“Izuku,” his father said, silencing both of them, “your power becoming public was inevitable. It is a small miracle you haven’t been chased by media and hunted by people fearing your existence since your quirk manifested. For a long time after your quirk was registered, I had Kurogiri and other Nomus on standby around the clock, worried the Hero Public Safety Commission would send one of their assassins after you. If lady Nagant hadn’t been arrested just before, I would have had to make you and Inko disappear.”

“Assassins?” Izuku asked.

“You know that the world isn’t black and white. Those calling themselves heroes are capable of just as great violence as any villain. They just tend to hide it better and the public is more willing to pretend it doesn’t exist.”

“I know that. It’s just…”

“I know. Do not let the shine and noble sounding words of the so-called heroes distract you from the reality.”

“Absolutely not.”

“As for the media, it might be annoying, but this attention can also give you a platform to be heard. Words are a tool of change and control just as much as quirks or combat ability. Turn this attention to your benefit. Let people know what you have suffered, but carefully to not show weakness. Cultivate future followers among likeminded people and you can achieve anything. One person, no matter how powerful, can only do so much, but a leader can make the masses change history.”

“I may be a few steps away from that.”

“Perhaps, but it is never too early to start. You still have time to grow. First you need to be strong enough to lead with a firm hand. I am waiting for you.”

The screen turned back to whatever Tomura was watching before.

“Good,” Tomura said. “Leave me alone. Break a leg, or two.”

“I might,” Izuku said as Kurogiri’s portal appeared behind him.

Chapter Text

Izuku stepped out of the warp gate in front of his father and the large Nomu. Izuku looked up at the creature and gulped, remembering Tomura’s mention of broken bones. 

“To improve you must face opponents above your current level that force you to surpass your limits, to go beyond, as the heroes at UA like to say,” his father said, “especially if you are going to skip training sessions. You don’t even need rest days to recover.”

“I know,” Izuku said and looked at the Nomu again. “Seems it has recovered too.” 

The Nomu had regenerated the red marks left from Izuku’s attacks two days before, its skin was back to its normal dark colour. 

“It finished regenerating late last evening. The doctor believes that the sheer heat and vibration of your attack caused some deeper damage and charring that hindered the regeneration even below the surface. There were even some chemical traces that could link to your Venomous Nails quirk, an intriguing discovery.” 

“At least I didn’t leave any permanent damage and it could still fight.”

“The Nomu doesn’t feel much, so it was still able to move, but a human with regenerative abilities would likely suffer too much pain to effectively use the partially regenerated limbs. You might possess an exceptional counter to regenerative quirks son. Of course, you should also take this as a warning to not rely on your regeneration abilities too much. Every quirk has its counter.”

“Even One For All?” Izuku asked. 

“Of course. The current power of the quirk might be overwhelming, but in the end what the quirk provides is raw physical ability since All Might didn’t have a quirk of his own. This Nomu was designed to counter physical impacts. On the other hand, absorption does little against your or Tomura’s quirks, which is why you were able to injure it. You should always know how you match with your enemy.” 

“Right,” Izuku rubbed his chin, falling deep in thought. “It’s not just about power, but what kind of match you are for your opponent, like challenging Kirishima in boxing compared to a running contest.”

“The difference being that most people only have one or a few styles of using their individual quirks and physical abilities, only a few types of situations where they are a strong match to their enemies. You can and should build up your quirks in such way as to be an undefeatable match to everyone at all times. Speaking of which, have you considered what quirk you will have next?”

“If you mean at USJ, yes,” Izuku responded. “The league doesn’t have many options actually, but this one person has a quirk called shoulder mounted jets. From what I gathered he has mostly used it to get away with small crimes like purse snatching street fights and some gang activity he hasn’t talked much about. Not sure why he is in the league, but he doesn’t seem to be looking for any change in the society.”

“And you think his quirk would serve your needs.” 

“It is the most mobility enhancing quirk in the league and would also let me fly. I think that would give anyone an advantage over those who can’t do it in most situations, at least outside,” Izuku said. “It might be difficult to balance and control, but I am already helping Tenya train similar issues with his quirk.”

“As long as you do the most difficult training away from them. Flight quirks are often dangerous to their users, at least in the phase where they haven’t yet learned to use them well, and we don’t want your friends to see your bones healing right after a crash.” 

“No, and it would be embarrassing to fly through the wall after telling Tenya not to do that.”

“Your agility has developed at an exceptional rate since we began your training. You will certainly master use of such a quirk as well… but not by skipping training. Nomu.”

After several broken bones for Izuku and several marks on the Nomu’s arms, the evening’s training was over. Izuku shook his legs every few steps after he returned home. The broken bones and open cuts might have healed quickly but they left an itching feeling behind. The healed parts tended to be lot more sensitive for a while after. 

He ate a quick snack and headed upstairs, stopping briefly next to what he had named ‘the sleepover room’ before going to his own room. As soon as he finished his homework it was time for bed…

… Everything around him was dark and misty, not like the warm protection of Kurogiri’s warping mist, but an unending porridge trapping Izuku within. There was movement next to him. Without thinking and unable to control his body Izuku swung his arm and Dragon Blade cut deep into the woman. The blade penetrated her body and cut through it as the corpse fell in front of him. An arm transformed into a swordlike blade emerged from the mist, swinging in an attack against Izuku, but was no match to the Dragon Blade that first cut off the blade arm and then the neck of its owner with a single swing. Someone shouted somewhere, but it was muffled by the mist. Two other human forms stood behind the falling decapitated corpse. Izuku’s body again moved against his will and charged past them, cutting through both their bodies. More and more human forms appeared around him, some attacking him, some just standing there. A few had faces, like All Might and Death Arm. Two of the men that had kidnapped him a year before emerged from the mist, reaching out to him, their faces twisted.

“What did you do to us?”

They were cut down just as everyone else. 

Many others seemingly didn’t even have faces. Izuku didn’t have time to be sure as burnt blood splattered on his face and he shouted without making a sound. Someone was behind him. Reaching towards him. He swung his blade and then everything stopped.

Finally in control of his body Izuku turned to look at who it was and froze as he did. Hitoshi and Tenya were laying on the ground, dead, deep torched gashes across their chest right at the height where their hearts had been. Izuku grabbed his head with both hands and screamed.

His eyes opened and he screamed into the empty bedroom until his lungs were empty and left Izuku gasping for air. His head spun around, looking for anyone. Without thinking he even turned to check the floor on the sides of the bed before getting up to sit on its edge, staring at his shaking hands, still having some difficulty breathing. He had already lost count of how many times that dream had repeated. Him fighting alone in the darkness, killing, constantly surrounded and the moment he wasn’t alone in the darkness he… 

Even if it was a dream, the thought of what he did to Hitoshi and Tenya almost made him vomit. What if one of these days they really got caught up and hurt in some battle because of him? What if that happened on Friday?

Izuku wiped the tears off his eyes and looked at the luxurious but sparse room with empty eyes. He got up, took his phone from the night desk, and left the room. He walked down the hall, dragging his feet until he got into the sleepover room. He laid down on the bed he usually used between the two other empty ones. For a long time, all he did was stare at the ceiling of the quiet room. There were no calming safe sounds of others’ breathing.

A shadow moved at the edge of his vision. Izuku grabbed the sides of the bed to not do as he had in his dream. Some of his tenseness disappeared as he recognized Kurogiri’s silent shadowy form standing in the corner.

So maybe he wasn’t completely alone even in darkness. Izuku reached for the Calm Mind quirk within him and pushed everything out of his mind except for the safe presence of the Nomu. It took time, but eventually he fell back asleep under Kurogiri’s watchful eyes. 

In the morning the first thing he did was to head downstairs to a fancy espresso machine he got for sleepover mornings and made himself a triple dose of the black stuff. It was a routine he’d developed for every morning after a nightmare. Unfortunately, the caffeine didn’t do much for him in the long run. Its effect probably seemed like a poison to the regeneration. 

He filled two extra thermoses just before leaving for school. Both his chauffeur and Tenya were already waiting outside. Izuku stopped for just a few seconds to look over his speedster friend. No charred wounds across his chest or anywhere else.   

“Did you have difficulty sleeping again?” Tenya asked. 

“Huh…” Izuku blinked before the words sunk in. “Yes, it… has been worse since we got into UA.”

It wasn’t technically a lie. Bakugo’s and All Might’s presence had made things worse. 

“Have… you ever considered getting a therapist to talk about things with?”

“I already have two, but I can’t hog them every hour of every day,” Izuku responded, trying to smile as he sat on the middle seat. 

“I appreciate the sentiment, but you know that isn’t what I meant.”

“I know,” Izuku said and leaned back. Tenya looked at him for a few moments from the door before giving up and getting into the car with Izuku. A bit later they stopped by Hitoshi’s house. Izuku was already holding one of the thermoses for him when he got in. The smile the gesture got from Hitoshi warmed Izuku more than the coffee ever did. Convinced both of them were alive and uninjured, Izuku dozed off between them despite all the earlier caffeine.

The crowd of media at the school was just as large as the previous day, but all of them had either Izuku’s description or a picture. Even trying his best, the driver couldn’t get past the crowd so the trio had to get out and walk. 

“It’s the quirk stealer.”

“Are you his classmates? How do you feel attending class with someone like the quirk stealer?”

As the questions started flooding at them, Hitoshi grabbed Izuku’s arm and Tenya stepped in front of them sharply as if they had practiced the whole process in advance. 

“Only despicable bullies have ever called him a quirk stealer,” Tenya declared with, for him, a surprising lack of politeness. “His name is Midoriya. He is a highly respected member and the newly elected class representative of the hero class 1A.”

The last point made the reporters quiet down for a moment. Tenya started moving with Izuku and Hitoshi following in that order. They were almost through when Eraserhead and Present Mic pushed aside the last reporters and ushered them past the threshold where the UA barrier kept the reporters out, or would have normally. The pile of dust that used to be their gate was still present with police tape around it. Security guards and entrance exam robots had taken its place in keeping people out. 

At least the rest of the day went by calmly with the only especially notable thing being the partially ceremonial job of the class rep. People were fully capable of getting in their seats for classes on their own. Despite the suggestion to the contrary, Tenya tried to give Izuku as an advice about the job. 

Then the night came again with a nightmare where Hitoshi and Tenya got swarmed by villains and seemed to only be further away no matter how fast Izuku ran towards them. Another night of sleeping under the watchful eyes of Kurogiri, a morning quadruple dose of pitch-black coffee, and the drive to school while Izuku couldn’t even think about sleeping. 

It was Friday. 

At least the school had gotten its act together with robots and police officers having pushed the remaining media further away from the gate and kept the door open. 

During the lunch hour Izuku and Tenya got separated from Hitoshi, but the brainwasher soon reappeared with a familiar redhead. Surprisingly he did not sit on the free seat next to Izuku, but instead specifically directed Kirishima to sit there. Izuku, his mouth full, glanced at Kirishima and then focused on Hitoshi. 

“Exposure without danger,” Hitoshi said. “You are still avoiding people too much and Kirishima is supposed to train with us tomorrow. Also, he promised to not make jokes.”

“Yeah, heh… Shinso warned me that you haven’t had good experiences of some things. Listening to those reporters I’m starting to understand. Sorry if I hit a sensitive spot the other day.”

Izuku looked at Kirishima in the eyes for a long moment and something in the look he got back said the redhead was being genuine. After all, Izuku had already deemed him worthy enough to make sure he’d survive the day. 

Well, that was a cheery thought. Izuku hid his feelings behind a yawn. 

“You already apologized back then,” Izuku said once he could talk again. 

“Oh, right.” 

“How’s your practice with Toshi going?”

“Oh that. I’ve been trying to imitate the sword… hand… quirk whenever I got the chance,” Kirishima held his fingers together and hardened his arm. “He doesn’t react much unless I catch him by surprise so… it’s going well, I guess.”

“It still reminds me of that time, but I can tell the difference before reacting, if that makes sense.”

“It does,” Izuku said and yawned again. “Lets... have you two spar tomorrow.”

“He’s not bored with the idea,” Hitoshi told Kirishima, “just sleeping badly.”

“It hasn’t been a good week,” Izuku added and quickly swallowed his last piece of food. “Speaking of which. I could use a nap.”

“If you want,” Hitoshi said. 

“Yes,” Izuku responded, and soon everything went black. For the first time since Tuesday morning he was free of the fear and stress of what was coming. 

It didn’t last for long. 

Izuku was still groggy as they got to the class just before Aizawa. Tenya had almost panicked that they might be late for the lesson. 

“Today’s training will be a little different,” Aizawa began. 

“We are going to do rescue training!” Kaminari interrupted. Despite his earlier experiences with the blonde Izuku could at least be happy to note he seemed similarly excited for the rescue training as for combat training. The rest of the class expressed similar feelings. Kirishima even called it the ‘real hero stuff.’ Izuku mentally gave him points for that. 

“Kaminari,” Aizawa said quietly, but in a tone that made the boy shut up and freeze in an instant. “How do you know that already?”

“All Might,” Izuku said and yawned. He was too tired to even grit his teeth at saying the name, or perhaps it was because All Might wouldn’t be around much longer. 

“Of course,” Aizawa sighed. “Yes, you will have rescue training dealing with natural disasters, shipwrecks, stuff like that, but today’s training will be a little different. You will have three instructors: Me, All Might, and another faculty member will be keeping tabs on you.”

That information managed to grab Izuku’s attention. Three teachers for one lesson sounded unusual. Was it normal for off campus trainings like this or were they being careful thanks to Tomura’s little adventure? Even three shouldn’t have been too bad. The whole point of attacking a whole class was to distract the other heroes.

“Now, what you wear in this exercise is up to you. I know you are excited for costumes.” Aizawa pressed a remote controller and the racks holding their costumes came out of the wall. “But keep in mind that you haven’t gotten used to them yet, so they may limit your capabilities. This training will take place at an off-campus facility so we will be taking a bus to get there. That’s all. Start getting ready.”

He walked out, leaving the class to prepare on their own.

“Izuku,” Tenya whispered from behind Izuku, “this is where you as a class rep need to keep order.”

Izuku rubbed his head, annoyed. 

“I assume everyone can get dressed and find their way outside in reasonable time without needing any more instructions?” He said out loud.

“Already on it,” Kirishima said, walking past them with his costume suitcase. Izuku got up, facing away from Ida who would probably have forced the whole class into a useless queue or something if he had been the class rep. Maybe it wasn’t so bad that the job had been pushed onto Izuku. 

Izuku didn’t bother taking the empty suitcase of his destroyed costume as they headed to the dressing rooms. He separated from the group at the entrance to stop by the dressing room toilet. He pulled his phone out as soon as the door snapped locked. He sent a quick encoded message and then deleted it from his phone before flushing and joining the others.

“Izuku, what are you going to wear?” Hitoshi asked. “Your last costume wasn’t exactly in a decent condition… unless you like it that way. I heard some girls talking about Kirishima’s hero costume the other day, and one of them mentioned seeing you after the battle training. She sounded pretty excited about it.”

Hitoshi grinned while Izuku’s face started mimicking Kirishima’s hair. 

“No… I actually got a new one made privately. It just came last evening,” Izuku responded and opened his unusually bulging backpack to pull out the costume. “It is pretty much the same as the last one, but should be more durable, especially against fire.”

“You got something better than the support company had?” Hitoshi asked. “Wait, don’t answer that, stupid question.”

“Speaking of better,” Izuku said. “We need to talk about your arm guards someday.” 

“Sure.” 

“You should also take this,” Izuku tossed Hitoshi a small pouch like those attached to his belt. 

“What is this?”

“A compact foldable gas mask. You never know when you have to face someone with a gas quirk like Midnight’s. In your case it should also help you speak and use your quirk in dust or things like that. Tenya, I have one for you too.”

“Thank you. I am grateful for your concern and help as always.”

Tenya received the gift and then turned, confused, trying to figure out where in his costume to put it in in a way that it wouldn’t fall off. 

“You might want to consider an equipment belt,” Hitoshi said.

“Or pockets. You could hide closable pockets in many places on that armour,” Izuku added. 

“Perhaps.”

“That’s pretty cool,” Kirishima said from nearby. “I never considered having my costume prepared to protect against gas.”

“Not surprising,” Izuku said, pointing at the entirely shirtless Kirishima. “You didn’t even prepare it against the winter.”

“Heh, I guess I’ll have to figure that out later. I thought this would last longer. My quirk has a lot of sharp edges… Where were you keeping that?”

“Huh?” Izuku asked, looking up from his notebook. “Sorry, I’ve been taking notes to plan tomorrow’s training.”

“Cool. I can’t wait.”

“Hey, what are you talking about?” Kaminari asked. 

“Oh, they invited me to get some of that Midoriya training this weekend.”

“Cool, can I come?” Sero asked. 

“No,” Izuku said and turned away from them.

“Please forgive his rudeness”, Tenya hurried to say. “We thought it best to not have too many people we don’t know well yet. These weekend training sessions are quite important to us.”

There was a short silence and Izuku could feel eyes in the back of his neck.

“Oh, that is okay. I hope you have fun. Don’t lose your quirk Kirishima.”

“He’s not careful enough to do that,” Ojiro said.

There was a long silence.

“Dude, you should know that isn’t cool. Midoriya doesn’t like it, especially with how those reporters come after him, and why should I be careful,” Kirishima said. “Midoriya is cool.”

Had anyone ever said that before? Izuku wasn’t sure.

After that they got their clothes changed in silence before heading out. The bus arrived soon after most of them got there.

“Izuku, this is your time to show you can have the bus loaded efficiently,” Tenya whispered. Izuku looked around at their classmates.

“Okay. Everyone, the bus is here! Get in.”

Tenya might have died a little inside, but the entire class was in the bus quickly. Most gathered in the front section with an open layout where it was easier to chat. Izuku sat on a window seat in the back with Hitoshi taking the other seat. Izuku tried to mostly look out of the window so people wouldn’t notice the tension on his face.

“Izuku, is everything okay?”

“Huh?” Izuku jolted and luckily yawned. “Yeah, I think I spaced out listening to them talking.”

Every word tore Izuku apart inside from being lies and no amount of regeneration could heal that. He leaned back and closed his eyes before they could expose his lies. Instead, he kept reviewing the plan to keep people he didn’t want dead alive. Kurogiri was going to do his part and Izuku could always command the new Nomu if nothing else, but he didn’t trust Tomura if things went wrong, and the mass of criminals Tomura had assembled would attack them just like the rest of their class.

At least that was a problem Izuku could punch away. He just hoped Tokoyami, Shoji and Kirishima could do the same. The redhead was just commenting something about his quirk not looking impressive.

“Don’t evaluate yourself based on how your quirk looks,” Izuku said out loud without opening his eyes. “If you are here to look good in front of cameras you should quit and give your place to someone else.”

“Izuku,” Tenya said, probably facepalming as he did. 

“No, he’s right,” Kirishima said. “I’m just worried how much my quirk can do outside of beating villains.”

“That is a more reasonable concern,” Izuku said. “At least it keeps you alive. You can’t help anyone if you are dead.”

“Eh, I guess that’s right. Kind of a dark thought though.”

“The world is a dark place. If you haven’t noticed that before you are one of the few lucky ones who have only seen the shiny surface.”

Apparently his words had hit a cord since no one talked after that. At least it had been a bit of a distraction.

“Okay, we are here,” Aizawa said. Izuku finally opened his eyes again to witness the massive dome structure they were approaching, the USJ, the place where everything would change.

The bus stopped right in front of the main entrance where a person dressed like a strange astronaut was waiting. Izuku recognized the space hero Thirteen.  So, she was the third teacher, as expected. The class got out of the buss and gathered in front of her.

“Hello everyone, I have been waiting for you. I am Thirteen. Please come in.”

They followed her into the dome and it really was just a single massive open interior space with multiple areas that were the size of entire city blocks. They were standing on a large podium, or a bridge overlooking the entire space at the top of a long stairway. The class was stunned and chatting excitedly not for the first time that week as Thirteen stood at the end of the stairs facing them.

“A shipwreck, a landslide, a fire, a windstorm, et cetera, I call it the Unforeseen Simulation Joint, but you can call it USJ.”

Aizawa approached Thirteen. “Hey, shouldn’t All Might be here already?”

Thirteen stepped a little closer to Aizawa, clearly trying to tell something to him and him alone. Izuku leaned a bit to the side to see better. Thirteen seemed to be holding up some fingers, not very informative. Was she showing minutes All Might was going to be late, or hours or something else? There wasn’t much time. Now that they had been seen entering the attack could start at any moment, their target wasn’t here and there was nothing Izuku could do to stop what was going to happen. He struggled to not show his anxiety and focused on looking down at the different training grounds. He didn’t pay much attention when Thirteen started explaining things, though her warning about how quirks could be dangerous even when intended to help people was a good one.

There were a series of a sparks among the lights that illuminated the large space. A dark swirling point appeared down above the floor of the dome, right in front of a fountain, and then started spreading into a warp gate. Usually that would have given Izuku great comfort, but now it just meant their time was up. At least the thought gave him a more appropriate expression as he stared at the forming warp gate. Aizawa turned to see the warp gate just as Tomura stepped out, followed by the mass of villains he had assembled.

Aizawa spun around holding his arm out to tell the class to stay back.

“Protect the students,” he shouted to Thirteen.

Now the rest of the class also started realizing something was going on.

“What is that thing?” Kirishima asked. Aizawa put on his goggles, not turning his eyes away from the arriving villains.

“Those are villains.”

The words sent an electric shock through the class and they could only stare as the Nomu stepped out of the warp gate. Everything was ready and in place, except for their target that all this was done for. Izuku squeezed his hands into fists.

“Don’t even think about fighting,” Aizawa said, misunderstanding Izuku’s reaction. His capture scarf spread out around his head like gravity didn’t exist to it.

“What, villains? There’s no way they could get into a hero school,” Kirishima said, dumfounded.

“Teacher, what about the security system?” Yaoyorozu asked Thirteen.

“We have one of course, but…”

“If alarm sensors aren’t being triggered then one of them must have a quirk that is masking their presence here?” Todoroki said.

He was completely ignoring the potential of technological jamming or hacking, showing how focused he was on quirks’ role in life, but he wasn’t wrong considering Izuku had helped to recruit the person he was speculating about. Todoroki continued.

“They attacked an isolated area away from the main campus at a time when a class is supposed to be here. They may be fools but they aren’t dumb. This surprise attack was carefully planned with some sort of goal in mind.”

“Kaminari, try to contact the main campus with your quirk,” Aizawa ordered. The electric quirk student held his hand against a headset he was wearing as part of his costume, but seemed to get nothing.

Aizawa stepped right up to the edge of the stairs.

“Get them out of here and alert the main campus.”

Izuku glanced at Aizawa. Was he really going to go fight alone? Sure most of the league members weren’t too impressive individually, but there were dozens of them just on that central area and with the length of the stairs… as far as Aizawa should have known they should have had a good chance of reaching the door before any of the villains could climb the stairs.

And yet no one was moving.

Tomura was really putting a lot on Kurogiri’s shoulders to make this work.

Izuku bit his teeth together. The events were beyond his control. Aizawa jumped down the stairs without hesitation. Izuku watched as he reached the bottom in an instant and quickly took down several of the villains, despite being a poor match against large groups.

“Izuku!” Tenya shouted. “This way! We are leaving. Don’t try to get involved.”

He probably didn’t expect Izuku to listen considering the surprise on his face as Izuku turned around and ran after the class. He couldn’t change anything going on below them, that was now in Tomura’s many hands, but he could still control what was the most important to him.

They were perhaps halfway to the door when a warp gate spun into existence on the floor in front of them and dark mist began flooding out of it. The class came to a dead stop. Hitoshi was just ahead of Izuku. Izuku could see in his stance that he was ready to move quickly, but his hands were also shaking like many others’. Kurogiri wouldn’t hurt him. The Nomu was physically unable to seriously hurt him, compelled by a rare order from Izuku, but Hitoshi didn’t know that.

“There is no escape for you,” Kurogiri declared.

Izuku pulled on Hitoshi’s shoulder and slipped in front of him for perception of safety. He had to admit Kurogiri could sound quite menacing, even if he was unable to experience such feelings about his long-term guardian.

“We are the league of villains. I know it is impolite, but we have decided to invite ourselves to this haven for justice to say hello. And besides, isn’t this a fitting place for All Might, the Symbol of Peace, to take his last breath. I still have a role to play.”

Thirteen raised her hand to use her quirk but Kirishima was already in motion with no hesitation and charged at Kurogiri. Unfortunately, that put him in Thirteen’s way. He hit something and Kurogiri’s mist twisted for a few seconds, but then Kurogiri’s voice came from within the mist as it took its shape again.

“You live up to your school’s reputation, but you should be more careful child. Otherwise someone might get hurt.”

“You, get out of the way right now!” Thirteen shouted to Kirishima, but it was too late. Tendrils of mist burst from Kurogiri at them.

“I’ll scatter you across this facility to meet my comrades and your deaths!”

“Crap, what is this!”

Izuku felt the ground disappear below his feet and he fell through the floor, listening to Hitoshi yelp next to his ear. At least they were together as planned. Everything went dark as they fell into the misty warp gate and it didn’t get much brighter as they emerged out of it. Wind and rain hit Izuku’s face. A second before hitting the ground he adjusted himself a bit and landed on his feet slightly crouched. Hitoshi landed on his feet but staggered from the momentum. Izuku spun around and caught him, but rather than ask if he was okay, Izuku looked around, eyes narrowed like a predator ready to pounce on its prey.

There was a thump near them. The Dragon Blade lit and swung towards the direction. Izuku squinted in the darkness but only saw a large black mass. Then a familiar bird face emerged from it. Tokoyami had landed on Dark Shadow.

“Thirteen…” Izuku started. The Dragon Blade he had pointed at Tokoyami flashed and fired a blue Hellfire Arrow. Dark Shadow tried to move in front of Tokoyami to take the hit, but it flashed past them. There was an explosion.

“Aach, put it out put it out!” A villain screamed as the close hit had not just launched asphalt pebbles at him but also lit his pants on fire.

“Dark Shadow,” Izuku said. “If you want Tokoyami to live through this, you need to work with us.”

“Don’t tell me what to do. I’ll tear these guys apart!”

So maybe having Tokoyami with Izuku’s group wasn’t his best idea.

Chapter Text

Hitoshi’s back met Izuku’s as he stood ready to fight and cover Izuku’s back. Tokoyami came closer but with Dark Shadow looming over him larger than before he still kept some distance and focused on the group of villains that were helping their comrade put out his burning pants. 

“Be careful. He is more powerful and difficult to control in darkness. I’ll try to cover this side.”

“I will keep Fumi safe. You stay away.”

“Get them Aaah!!” 

A group of thugs tried to charge Tokoyami and got slammed to the nearest wall. Izuku nodded and turned to another group of Tomura’s thugs that approached on that side obscured by the rain and darkness. 

“I’ll charge against them to hold them from crowding us,” Izuku said. “Cover my back and knock out those I let pass.”

“Okay.” 

“Focus Toshi. This is what we trained for,” Izuku said and fired a series of Hellfire Arrows that exploded in front of the villains, briefly pushing them back. He wasn’t willing to kill them with direct hits, he hoped. Hitoshi nodded, but still seemed uncertain and shaky. Izuku spoke again but more quietly. 

“Please Hitoshi, I… I don’t know what I am going to do if they manage to do something to you, but both things terrify me.”

“I… I won’t let you down.”

That was all Izuku needed. He sprung forward like a giant spring. A blurry figure with a cobra like head jumped through the dark rain and spat something at Izuku. Izuku dodged the slow, relative to what he had trained against, blob of liquid easily and flattened the attacker’s nose, or snout, with a single punch hard enough to hurt his own fist. He didn’t care though, and the pain went away in a few seconds.  

Another person jumped him but was unprepared to meet someone more than capable of taking him on and got tossed in a long arch towards Hitoshi to be finished off. 

Izuku jumped back and lit his Dragon Blade when and entire group charged through the rain. Half of a sword went flying its cut end glowing hot red, a blue flash whizzed, followed by a pistol exploding in its holder’s hand taking much of the hand with it.

The resulting scream echoed between the buildings not covered by even the artificial storm that more people lurked in. Izuku held his Dragon Blades up as a sword and a shield ready to take them on, but as he did his breathing kept getting faster with flashbacks to his nightmares. A villain with scorpion like tail emerged from the rain sloppily launching his stinger at Izuku. It would have been so easy to cut off the whole limb, but Izuku froze in the middle of raising his blade. An image of piles of corpses in mist flashed over the storm in front of him. 

Only the unconscious reflexes honed by his father’s air canon training made his body dodge the painful meeting with likely venomous stinger and he backed away some more. With another flashback he glanced back to make sure Hitoshi was okay. He could only distinguish one form standing over two or three laying on the ground. He hadn’t let that many through. At least he didn’t intend to…

Something hit the back of his neck. A crack vibrated through his skull into his ears, and he might have blacked out for a few seconds. He blinked his eyes millimetres from the wet asphalt coming back to consciousness. Someone shouted right above him.”

“I’ll make sure he’s done. Go kill the other two.

Many pairs of feet ran past.

“Izuku!” Hitoshi screamed behind the whooshing wind; his voice panicked. 

Izuku’s head spun to the side. His attacker had barely enough time to notice the murderous one-eyed stare before Izuku’s legs twisted around his and in a matter of seconds their positions had been reversed. A fraction of a second later his head got hammered between the asphalt and a furious series of punches and the man took it a lot worse than one Bakugo had in a similar situation.

Not wasting time to check on the unconscious man’s condition, Izuku charged towards Hitoshi and Tokoyami who were getting surrounded. His arm was already up ready to turn all of the attackers into wall paint with superheated Hellfire Arrow blasts before he realized what he was about to do. He aimed down and further away from Hitoshi and exploded a large chunk of the asphalt in the middle of an enemy group. Half a dozen of them went down right away, burnt and bleeding, and were swept away by a large black mass right after. Hitoshi flipped one enemy on the ground and caught another with the Brainwashing. At least the attackers hadn’t yet realized to stay quiet in front of the suddenly chatty student. 

Hitoshi was still holding the woman he had tossed on the ground when another approached to stab him. Izuku roared and barely held back as he attacked without slicing the man in two. Instead he jumped and did a spinning kick he had learned from Tenya. It hit the attacker who was still turning in response to Izuku’s roar to the side of his head. The kick was strong enough that the man’s feet left the ground and he was completely out cold before hitting the ground again. Izuku didn’t care. He looked over Hitoshi who seemed uninjured and then down to the struggling woman Hitoshi was restraining. 

Image of Yūi, the serial killer Izuku’s father had made him kill, flashed in Izuku’s eyes as he saw the woman who looked just like her. If Izuku wasn’t still having nightmares of killing Yūi he would have thought she was the same person. Hands held in place by Hitoshi showed long sharp nails that dripped venom. Was she a serial killer too?

Izuku’s stare alone made the woman stop struggling. 

“Hey!” Hitoshi shouted at the woman.

“Wha…” she responded and was caught by brainwashing. Hitoshi left her unconscious on the ground. It seemed like that had been the main group of attackers, but Izuku knew better. He kept looking around for the next attack. 

“Are you okay?” Hitoshi asked. 

“Yes,” Izuku said and with no attack in sight took the risk of briefly facing Hitoshi. 

“I’m sorry. I wasn’t supposed to let so many people pass. I wasn’t focused enough and... Ouch.” 

Hitoshi flicked his finger at Izuku’s forehead.  

“Izuku, I know you are like ten times better than me in a fight, but that doesn’t mean you need to take on everyone alone. We survived and largely thanks to you. Don’t start acting like you failed somehow.”

Izuku looked away meekly and started looking out for dangers again as he spoke. 

“Thanks, but we aren’t safe yet and we don’t know about everyone else. No one outside even knows what is happening.”

“I agree,” Tokoyami said with Dark Shadow hovering over him focused on Izuku. “We should seek the exit and try to regroup with the teachers.  

“I ag…” Izuku said and heard a woosh that was barely distinguishable in the rain and wind. He was already moving when his eyes started turning towards the new threat. He leaped towards Tokoyami with Dark Shadow moving to counter him. A flaming shield flashed into existence and blocked a blade that had headed towards Tokoyami’s neck. The force of the impact pushed him back and yanked the attacker’s flight path in the opposite direction. A suddenly hot sword flew in the air.

As fast as he had appeared the screaming assailant disappeared back into the wet darkness. He was wearing some sort of wing suit and glided through the air with the thrust from his shoulder mounted jets -quirk. Izuku focused on the man until he disappeared behind a corner. 

“Stick together, he might strike again from any direction,” Izuku said. Both of his allies joined him in a circle. The shadow of Dark Shadow fell on Izuku who tensed and glanced up. 

“You saved Fumi.” 

“Just did it a little faster than you were going to.” 

“No, I was too focused on you. I was going to fail Fumi because I feared you. He might have died,” Dark Shadow paused for a moment then continued speaking more meekly than before. “Will you help me keep him safe again?”

“Are you going to work with me on that, for all of us?” Izuku asked.

“Yes,” the giant quirk creature said. 

“Then stay vigilant. You are our best change at reaching him. Watch your side and be ready to slap him from the air.”

“Yes,” the quirk said with more confidence. 

The first and only warning of the approaching enemy was a barely distinct woosh. 

“There!” Tokoyami shouted.

Izuku followed his hand pointing up just in time to see Dark Shadow charge at the flying attacker who bolted to the side narrowly avoiding Dark Shadow and disappearing back into the darkness above them. Izuku fired several Hellfire Arrows after him, the red weaker ones, but none hit. 

“Stay sharp,” Izuku said and kicked one of the villains on the ground that they had knocked out before. She had regained consciousness and was trying to get up to stab Hitoshi in the back. Izuku’s kick sent her back into the asphalt and unconsciousness.

“Hey birdie!” Hitoshi shouted. “Too afraid to face some kids head on! I thought you were supposed to be the league of villains not the league of chickens!”

“Did you use the Surprise?” Izuku asked. 

“I couldn’t. I can’t focus on someone who I can’t see or sense at all,” Hitoshi glanced at Izuku. “Just trying to provoke hi...”

The woosh was back. Hitoshi yelped. Izuku spun around. The flying villain was already almost upon unarmed Hitoshi with a katana. There wasn’t time for Izuku to get in the way. Everything else had already gone wrong he wasn’t going to let the man get Hitoshi, whatever it meant for his mission at UA. He raised his arm already heating the Hellfire Arrow as hot as possible ready to turn the attacker into paint on the nearest wall. If the flying villain had seen Izuku’s eyes, he would have seen death. 

Lucky for him, Dark Shadow was ready and faster than Izuku this time. A giant wing claw slammed on the attacking villain and slapped the attacker from the air. He slammed on his back on the ground but was still conscious and tried to crawl back up. Izuku jumped on him, literally, slamming knee on his chest with an audible crack and grabbing his head. 

“Let… go off… “the man grabbed Izuku’s arm and his jets flared as he struggled slamming them to a nearby wall, but Izuku never let go of him, “me, AAAA…!!!” 

The man punched Izuku to the face, but it was nothing compared to hits he had taken from Nomus in training. The man started convulsing and screaming as Izuku’s All For One grabbed his mutant type quirk and pulled with no care or consideration for how the quirk’s owner felt, tearing it from within, forcing his body to change. Izuku too felt the searing pain as his back started morphing, but he was too angry at the would-be murderer to show anything more than biting his teeth together.

“What are you doing to me?!” the man screamed and gasped for air. 

“Making sure your quirk goes to better use,” Izuku hissed. “You used those swords pretty well, not your first time trying to cut people open? Don’t worry, I’m not going to do that to you even if you would deserve it.”

Just as he finished the convulsing man’s eyes rolled over and he fainted. Izuku stayed on him for several seconds staring at the man with murder in his eyes before pushing himself up. He staggered back and fell, but only a little before he hit something cold but soft. 

“Hey, Fumi doesn’t want you to hit your head,” Dark Shadow said behind Izuku. It was strange hearing the quirk creature talk like he did during the day with the deeper voice of his larger form in darkness. Izuku responded with a slight smile and a huff. 

“And you don’t seem to be worried about me being so close right after taking someone’s quirk.”

“That guy tried to hurt Fumi. He’s lucky you finished him before I could.”

Izuku’s smile became wider, though still tired and he glanced at Hitoshi. 

“I know the feeling.”

Hitoshi rolled his eyes. 

“Great, now there are two of you,” he looked at Tokoyami. “We better stay alive or those two will team up to burn down the country.”

“I believe you are correct,” Tokoyami responded. “It is a burden but one we must carry for the greater good.”  

“It's not like they give us an option, not that I’d want one.”

“Hey,” Izuku called, once again standing up. “We are still in the middle of a giant attack on our class. Also no, you don’t have any options for staying alive or we won’t stop with the country.” 

“That’s for sure,” Dark Shadow added. 

“We better go before we cause the end of the world,” Hitoshi said. Tokoyami nodded and they started running, leaving behind a literal pile of unconscious and maimed criminals. Even in the darkness they were able to distinguish the blackness of the dome’s interior wall at the end of the street. 

“Left or right?” Izuku asked. 

“Right,” Dark Shadow shouted from above and a moment later they were at the exit, which was an oversized gate completely overdone like many things at UA. 

“How are we going to…?” Tokoyami started until a loud hiss covered his voice. Izuku had stuck the Dragon Blade at maximum heat through the thick metal and was quickly carving a shining red-hot cut through it until a slightly larger than a human sized piece separated from the rest of the gate. Dark Shadow hit it once causing the piece fly out and many meters away. All three of them squinted their eyes at the brightness of the outer dome as Dark Shadow shrunk to his normal daytime size. 

Izuku checked their surroundings for ambushes just in case some of Tomura’s forces were smarter than the rest. No one came after them. 

They had exited the storm dome near the miniature lake on their right side ahead of them a wide path to the central plaza and to the left some greenery and trees before the giant staircase to the entrance platform far above.

There were still people there. There weren’t supposed to be people there. Had something happened to Kurogiri?

Izuku blinked as he recognized one large six-armed person up there. If Shoji hadn’t been transported, what about Tenya and Kirishima? There were more people up there, but Izuku couldn’t identify either of those two among them and there was no sign of All Might. Still Izuku could hear sounds of fighting coming from the central square. 

If All Might hadn’t shown up, why was the league even still there? What was Tomura doing?

Izuku had a hunch about that, and it sent shivers down his spine. He glanced up again. If there were multiple students still up there, they were probably relatively safe as long as battles raged on the lower parts of the dome. 

“These trees will give us cover to reach the stairs,” Tokoyami said.

“True,” Hitoshi said hesitantly and glanced at Izuku, “but what about everyone else? We survived our trap, but others are still in danger. I don’t know if I can just turn my back and escape.” 

“The teachers would want us to get to the exit,” Tokoyami said. “These are real villains, and we are still students.”

“Yes, but… If… if we want to be heroes, we cannot just leave people behind in the middle of this, even if it is dangerous.”

Izuku was so proud of Hitoshi at that moment, and worried… proud and worried, and terrified, yes, definitely terrified.

“Toshi, you do understand how dangerous that would be? They came here to kill All Might… That means they have… people or something they think is enough to defeat him.”

“Still.”

“Do you think it is wise?” Tokoyami asked. 

“I… think it’s the right thing to do. We should at least see if there is something we can do.”

“It is,” Izuku said after a few seconds. “We can follow the treeline to the central square. That way we can have an escape route or keep one open for others. Stay close.”

They proceeded alongside the edge of the greenery. The sounds and shouts of battle had waned away. There was a wall between them and the central square, but Dark Shadow carried them over it quickly, dropping them behind nearest trees. As Izuku peeked he could see Tomura and the Nomu that was sitting on downed Aizawa. The teacher’s arms were broken reminding Izuku of his own painful encounters with the creature. As a hero the man was their enemy and Izuku didn’t exactly like him, but seeing the pure brutality inflicted on him made Izuku sick. Behind him Hitoshi gagged. 

The only relief Izuku felt was that of Kurogiri appearing next to Tomura seemingly unharmed.

“Tomura Shigaraki,” the much nicer nomu started.

“Kurogiri, did you manage to kill Thirteen?”

“The rescue hero is out of commission, but there were students I wasn’t able to disperse and one of them got outside of the facility.”

Tomura turned to Kurogiri surprised and then brought his hand up to scratch his own neck with increasing intensity soon bringing his other hand up too. Izuku’s entire being tensed. He knew what Tomura was literally itching for. 

“Kurogiri, you fool. If you weren’t our warp gate, I’d tear apart every last atom of your body.”

Not if Izuku had something to say about that. Suddenly Tomura stopped. 

“There is no way we can win if dozens of pros show up to stop us. It’s game over, back to the title screen, and I was looking forward to finishing this today. Dammit. Lets go home.”

Was Tomura actually making the sensible choice and leaving?

“Oh, before we leave, lets make sure the symbol of peace is broken,” Tomura said and turned to look towards the edge of the mini lake. Izuku realized there were people in the water trying to hide behind the edge between ground and water. 

“Lets wreck his pride,” Tomura said an dashed towards the water few meters at such speed it surprised even Izuku. “Lets make this hurt.”

The students in the water jolted back revealing themselves as Uraraka and Kaminari, but they were too slow. Izuku didn’t hold Kaminari in very high value but could barely resist looking away as Tomura reached for Uraraka’s head. He touched her with all five fingers. Izuku held his breath. 

Nothing happened. Tomura turned his head. 

“You really are so cool.” 

Even with broken arms and held down by the Nomu Aizawa was still staring at Tomura with one eye to erase his quirk.

“Eraserhead,” Tomura finished and as if on que the Nomu pulled Aizawa’s head up and smashed it on the ground.”

“Maybe we should take you if we can’t have All Might. I’m sure sensei and… my brother would like to study your quirk… then again.”

Tomura turned back around moving towards Uraraka who tried to waddle away. He jumped back just in time to avoid Dark Shadow. Despite Dark Shadow’s speed and benefit of surprise he failed to catch Tomura and by the time Dark Shadow turned to attack again…

“Nomu!” Tomura shouted and before anyone could know what was going on the large Nomu loomed over Dark Shadow who withdrew as quickly as he had attacked. Tomura’s eyes followed the quirk murder in his gaze until it met the trio coming from the storm dome.

“Nomu k…” he noticed Izuku who had inched in front of Hitoshi and Tokoyami, and the two brothers’ eyes met. While Tomura’s eyes were full of rage, both of them knew he could rely neither on the large Nomu nor Kurogiri if he wanted to oppose Izuku. Izuku might have lacked the power to stop the Nomu or protect Hitoshi in battle, but that just meant he would have had no choice but to order the Nomu. Not a single Nomu had yet to refuse his commands and both of them knew it. 

Tomura started scratching himself with even more fiercely than before. Izuku glanced at Kurogiri nearby. Kurogiri looked at him for a moment and then in his misty form floated over the ground to Tomura. 

“Tomura Shigaraki. It is time to leave. Waiting will only cause unnecessary risk.”

“Fine, but this isn’t over.”

“We should take the teacher as you proposed.”

Tomura scratched himself a little harder. 

“Whatever, just open a warp g…”

There was a loud boom and a dust cloud spread out from the entrance above. Everything stopped as everyone turned to look what was going on. A few seconds later a familiar oversized man appeared at the top of the stairs. 

All Might had arrived.

“Aah, looks like our game is getting to continue,” Tomura said. 

And Izuku wasn’t sure whether to be happy or not. On one hand they still had a chance to succeed at taking down the so-called symbol of peace. On the other hand this whole farce had been seconds from being over and if All Might had come from outside fully ready for battle, that meant others already knew what was going on and more heroes would soon arrive. The window of time for Tomura to take him down was…

All might stopped next to Izuku with Kaminari, Uraraka and unconscious Aizawa. Tomura’s remaining thugs in the area. Were already unconscious but some of them hadn’t yet had time to fall on the ground.     

Izuku was frozen still, still facing up towards the entrance as he was too stunned to even turn to see All Might next to him. 

He hadn’t even been able to follow the man when he moved. After all that training, getting his bones broken by Nomus and honing his instincts dodging air blasts he couldn’t even properly follow All Mights movements. Sure, he had already had similar experiences with the large Nomu but this was still something else. Despite his analytic tendencies and childhood fanboying he had never actually witnessed All Might’s power in person. If he knew about Izuku’s real loyalties All Might could crush his bones at least as easily as the Nomu had done and Izuku wouldn’t even have time to realize it was happening. 

Whatever hopes he had had that the plan might yet succeed cracked and crumbled like Tomura had touched them, even with all the tactics they had come up for this battle. 

“What the heck,” Hitoshi gasped.

“Everybody back to the entrance and take Aizawa with you. He doesn’t have much time,” All Might commanded. He glanced at Izuku who was still turning to stare at him. 

“No, no, no,” Tomura muttered nearby holding one of his own hands in place of one that had fallen of his face. “It wasn’t supposed to go this way. He’s still fast father. Somehow he managed to hit me.” 

Tomura slouched to his fallen face hand to pick it up.

“Of course government hero relies on violence. I wasn’t prepared. I couldn’t even see him when he moved. But he is not as fast as I thought he would be, not as fast as he used to be. I guess it is true after all. All Might really is getting weaker.” 

Midoriya kept an eye on his deranged adoptive brother as he pulled Aizawa on his shoulders, very carefully and aware of the agony even slightest motion of a broken arm could cause.

“Sir,” Tokoyami said, “the villains came here planning to kill you. That large creature seems to be the strongest one and faster than Dark Shadow.”

All Might showed them thumbs up.

“Young Tokoyami, I got this.”

Tokoyami stood there for a few seconds and nodded. He followed Izuku and Hitoshi who carried Aizawa. All Might charged at Tomura but was blocked by the Nomu moving in the way instantly. All Might’s strike did nothing, same happened with follow-up punches even though winds they generated ruffled Izuku’s hair. It gave back some of his confidence in the Nomu. 

Soon All Might grabbed the nomu by the waist and pulled. When the Nomu’s head hit the ground there was a large explosion like burst of dust as the ground shook. Tokoyami and Hitoshi stopped to look, but Izuku walked a little faster effectively using Aizawa to pull Hitoshi along. Anything that got them safe sooner. The battle going on was too much for them and Izuku wasn’t about to let Hitoshi become a hostage even if it would help defeat All Might. 

As the dust cleared Hitoshi and Tokoyami gasped. The Nomu’s topside had gone through a warp gate on the ground and come up from another right next to it under All Might. Now it wasn’t just All Might holding the Nomu, but the other way around with Kurogiri looming over them. They were going for Izuku’s gate slicer idea, but the Nomu pulled All Might too deep to only cut legs and take him alive to father. It looked like they were going to cut him in half from the waist. 

The students could only stare as the Nomu started pulling All Might into the warp gate. 

“I cannot believe such a dark creature exists that it can overpower All Might,” Tokoyami said. 

“He… might actually die,” Hitoshi added, and half turned towards the battle. 

“Don’t, you can’t do anything to that thing,” Izuku said. 

“No, and I doubt my quirks would work on it…”

“Right,” Izuku said wishing Aizawa wasn’t hanging from his shoulders right then. 

“Right, but that thing hasn’t done anything unless that… Tomura guy told it to.”

Izuku just stared at Hitoshi hoping his fear wasn’t true. 

“I know you are worried, and don’t like All Might… but…”

Hitoshi dropped Aizawa’s legs, turned and ran back towards the battle. 

“Hitoshi!” Izuku shouted as images flashed in his eyes from every single nightmare where he had been too slow or too weak. “Dark Shadow!”

Izuku tossed Aizawa off his shoulders like the man was just a large pillow. Dark Shadow was just fast enough to catch him. By then Izuku was already moving. He was faster than Hitoshi. Even with Hitoshi’s head start he should…

Hitoshi was already almost where All Might was struggling. 

“Hey Handjob!!”

Tomura was so going to kill Hitoshi. The Surprise quirk struck visibly shaking Tomura. It was hard to see if it made him respond with the hand covering his…

Kurogiri emerged right in front of Hitoshi with a warp gate already forming between them. Hitoshi jolted, probably too surprised to activate the brainwashing. Kurogiri wasn’t going to outright kill Hitoshi. Izuku knew that, but he wasn’t about to let Hitoshi out of his eyes… or explain the lack of deadly force afterwards. Izuku finally reached Hitoshi, grabbed his arm and after a strong yank placed himself between Hitoshi and Kurogiri Dragon Blade lit. The now useless warp gate closed in front of him. 

The next question was now what. Kurogiri couldn’t harm him and he wouldn’t harm Kurogiri. All of which did not apply to Tomura. Then there was Hitoshi who didn’t understand the true situation but still tried to get Tomura with his quirk. 

“What’s wrong! C.. .can’t stop a couple of kids without sending lackeys to do your job! Don’t tell me you are afraid of getting your hands dirty with so many of them!”

To be fair it would probably have worked and saved All Might if Tomura wasn’t well informed on Hitoshi’s quirks. Izuku wasn’t sure if that was good to ensure All Might’s defeat or…

“Toshi,” Izuku hissed through his teeth. Tomura stared at them and started walking. Izuku adjusted his position holding his blade more towards Tomura than Kurogiri. 

“Don’t try anything,” he told Tomura, trying not to say anything condemning. “I won’t let you hurt him.”

Tomura actually stopped and both his hands rose to scratch his neck. They stopped halfway when one side of the large Nomu including leg and arm, suddenly froze. Nearby Todoroki stood at the end of a long stripe of ice stretching across the ground.

“One of your poorly trained thugs told me you are here because you think you can kill All Might,” Todoroki told Tomura with a calm arrogance as if he wasn’t in the middle of a massive villain attack.

Tomura didn’t have time to address that situation before he had to jump to dodge the sharp-edged fist of a familiar redhead. Kurogiri sunk into the ground in front of Izuku and emerged next to Tomura.

The ice ended just before the Nomu’s fingers easing its hold enough for All Might to pry himself free. He flipped and landed near Izuku and Hitoshi holding his side where a red stain had appeared. 

He was also standing his back towards Izuku whose Dragon Blade was still activated. 

But the overwhelming power and speed All Might had demonstrated before… The distance between them may not have been more than two meters but with such speed it was still too much. 

“Are you unhurt?” All Might asked and glanced at the two students. Izuku jolted and blinked back into the situation at hand. 

“We are fine,” Hitoshi said quickly as Todoroki and Kirishima joined them. Kirishima was breathing hard and leaned against his knees. One side of his pants were torn off up to his knees and other than his shoes that was all that was left. The shoulder pads around his arms and his strange face mask were completely gone. Surprisingly, or in Kirishima’s case perhaps not, he didn’t seem to have visible injuries.

“Are you okay?” Izuku asked this time. 

“Yeah, I…” He drew deep breath. “That mist guy sent me somewhere with a lot more villains. It was an exhausting fight.”

“How about others?” Izuku asked barely holding back from outright asking about Tenya. “Or… were you with Todoroki?”

“No, I was only one there... Were you together, lucky.”

…

“Wait!” Hitoshi said. “You too were sent against a crowd of villains, and you were alone, and you beat them?”

“Heh, I guess. It was hard fight, but I really expected them to be tougher that that to attack UA.”

“Izuku,” Hitoshi whispered. “I think you might have found a punching bag that can take you.”

“Focus Toshi,” Izuku responded without letting Tomura out of his sight. His adoptive brother was already muttering.

“They escaped uninjured and captured my strongest asset. Kids these days really are amazing. They make the league of villains look like amateurs. Can’t have that. Nomu.”

The Nomu screeched and started pulling itself up despite being frozen solid. As it got out of Kurogiri’s warp gate frozen pieces started breaking off unable to flex with the motion. It was time for the creature’s next surprise. Last of the ice shattered as bare flesh and muscle twisted and bulged and the began to grow out into new limbs, ones without the scars Izuku had left in training.

“What is this! I thought you said its power was Shock Absorption!” All Might said.

“I didn’t say that was his only quirk. He also has super regeneration. Nomu has been modified to take you on even at a hundred percent of your power. He is basically a highly efficient punching bag that hits back.”

Izuku had to pretend most of his shock for the regeneration but hiding his annoyance at the monologuing Tomura was just as difficult. Was he going to give All Might address to his hideout next? Izuku especially wasn’t exited at Tomura highlighting the multi quirked nature of the Nomu.

“We’ve got them outnumbered,” Todoroki said.

“These guys might act really though, but we can take them down now with All Might’s help,” Kirishima said and hardened his arms ready to fight. “Lets do this.”

“Don’t attack,” All Might commanded as he walked forward and held his arm in front of them. “Get out of here.”

“You would have been in trouble earlier if it weren’t for me remember,” Todoroki said. “You need our help.”

“I thank you for your assistance, but this is different. It’s going to be alright. Just sit back and watch a pro at work.

He gave them a thumbs up. He was clearly pretending to be more certain than he was, but after all that Izuku had witnessed so far he with all his analytic ability was at loss. He had no idea who would win now.

“Kurogiri, Nomu, kill him,” Tomura said. “I take care of the children.”

“Tomura Shigaraki,” Kurogiri started hesitantly.

“Do as I ordered! The rest isn’t your concern. Lets clear this level and go home.” 

Tomura began running towards the four students.

“Heads up, we are fighting after all,” Kirishima said and hardened again. All Might moved to counter Tomura and was met by the Nomu. The first meeting of their fists created a shockwave that blew Tomura away and pushed Izuku’s group back. As All Might sped up to throw punches faster than a normal human eye could follow the air pressure got too much. Izuku fell on his knees and sunk his Dragon Blade on the ground to not be blown back. Kirishima did the same punching a hardened arm into the ground as Todoroki braced himself against a wall of ice. Hitoshi slid past Izuku until he dragged his armguards against the ground long enough to stop him flat against the ground. Izuku could turn his attention back to the fight.

All Might’s barrage of punches was actually pushing the Nomu back as the very ground shattered around them. With a massive punch the Nomu got launched through the forested area and All Might leaped after it. As the two charged at each other again the battle actually moved mid-air briefly, hitting the ground several times with concrete shattering force, until All Might grabbed the Nomu and threw it back onto the ground with enough force to create a crater launching chunks of stone everywhere. Izuku lit another Dragon Blade as a shield to protect his head. All Might landed next to where the Nomu was bouncing back up.

“Now for a lesson, you may have heard these words before,” All Might declared, “but I’ll teach you what they really mean. Go beyond, PLUSS ULTRA!!.”

Instead of a ridiculously fast barrage like before All Might only threw one ridiculously powerful punch which shockwave exceeded the previous ones shaking the whole facility. The Nomu was launched like an artillery shell barely a blur and explosion as it bust through the dome and out into the sky. Izuku could only stare at the hole in the dome until his eyes slowly descended to the man who did all that, slowly emerging from a dust cloud that he had created.

“I really have gotten weaker. Back in my hayday five hits would have been enough to knock that guy out,” All Might declared and straightened his back, “but today it took almost three hundred mighty blows.”

How strong had he been ‘in his hayday?’ Izuku was more amazed than ever that his father was still alive, even knowing his power. All Might turned to face Tomura and Kurogiri.

“You have been bested villains. Surrender. We all want this over with quickly.”

Tomura simply stared at All Might and brought a hand up to scratch his neck.

Chapter Text

It had all gone to hell, and more times than once. The Nomu was gone, with All Might and all his overwhelming power now facing Tomura… and Kurogiri. Izuku gulped and moved closer behind All Might, uncertain of what he himself was going to do. Tomura and Kurogiri should just have escaped, assuming it was even possible anymore with nothing to stop All Might from getting in their way. Maybe there was something Izuku could help with. He wasn’t about to let Kurogiri be caught, and he wasn’t too excited about the idea of his adoptive brother in the heroes’ hands either.

Tomura’s scratching slowed down and he glanced at Izuku just before Izuku got into the dust or steam cloud around All Might. The last thing Izuku did before losing sight was to silently mouth the word ‘escape’.

“What’s wrong? Not attacking me? Didn’t you say you were going to clear this level earlier? Well come and get me, if you dare.”

Why was he taunting Tomura? With his overwhelming speed he could and should have taken both of them out already. 

“What, are you scared?!” All Might shouted.

“If only the Nomu was here. He’d rush you right now. Pound you to the ground without giving it a second thought.” Tomura declared despite the Nomu’s earlier loss. There was a short pause.

“You must be kidding. I don’t care what he wants. I lead this league. You can go back to playing babysitter after we finish off All Might.”

Izuku had to fight the urge to facepalm. And Tomura complained about him talking carelessly?! In either case it was too late to worry about it. Izuku could already hear Tomura running at All Might straight from the front. Izuku bit his teeth together and ran towards All Might’s back. It was all or nothing. Even if they succeeded Izuku’s life as he knew it would be over. 

He wouldn’t even have the chance to say goodbye to Tenya and Hitoshi or thank them.

A gunshot echoed in the dome, accompanied by a gasp of pain from Tomura and several other sounds of gunfire. Izuku ground to a halt. 

“I have returned. I have fulfilled my duty!”

Izuku would have recognized Tenya’s voice anywhere, even from a distance in the middle of a battle. One of the many weights on his shoulders disappeared. 

“And I have brought reinforcements!” 

More shouts and gunfire filled the area. Many of the knocked-out villains had to have recovered. A few seconds later Izuku slapped his hands on his ears as a literal shockwave of sound hit the area. Present Mic had to be part of those reinforcements. 

It was over. 

“I may have failed to kill you this time, but your days are numbered,” Tomura said somewhere barely audible to Izuku. “All Might, Symbol of Peace, I am going to kill you.”

Izuku was only a few steps from All Might, but it was too late to do anything but hope Kurogiri was able to take himself and Tomura away safely and watch the dust settle, literally. All Might’s form in front of his got clearer by the second. Izuku’s shoulders slumped, and he was about to turn away to join rest of the students until he blinked. 

All Might looked different than he used to, smaller, more so on one side than the other. One of his arms already looked thinner than Izuku’s and was still shrinking.

“What the…” Izuku gasped. All Might jolted and spun around, unsteady on his feet that just moments ago possessed immense power. 

“M… Midoriya,” All Might said and looked around. “Please, I will explain later. Don’t tell anyone what you saw.” 

Izuku did not respond, only able to stare. All Might was losing his power. If they had had a few more seconds Tomura might have been able to kill him. The way the man looked Izuku could have most likely finished him right there and then, but… If All Might was that weak, did that mean something had happened to One For All? Had he already given it away? As much as Izuku hated the man he couldn’t break his cover to kill him if he didn’t even have his quirk anymore.

Whether he still had it or not, this weak form would give Izuku new opportunities later. 

“You…” He finally got a word out. 

“AAHH!” Hitoshi groaned in pain somewhere nearby. Izuku’s head perked up. 

“Later… All Might.” Izuku said and ran out of the dissipating cloud. It took him only a few seconds to locate Hitoshi a lot further away from where he used to be. One of the clones of the pro hero Extoplasm was standing next to him, helping him up, but Hitoshi was leant forward and holding his side. He tried to take a step but jolted from pain and almost fell, being held up by Ectoplasm. Izuku cursed himself for not paying attention. A wall of concrete emerged between him and All Might. 

“For your own safety please stay back young man,” Cementos, another one of the pro hero teachers said. “Join your classmates at the front gate. Leave the injured to us. We can take care of… them.”

As if Izuku was going to do that. He was running before the hero stopped speaking. 

“Toshi! Are you okay?”

He skid to a stop next to Hitoshi. 

“Yeah… well, mostly. One of those shockwaves from All Might’s fight blew me away… and something hit me. It’s hurting to walk.”

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t paying enough attention,” Izuku pleaded.

“Izuku, stop bl… whoa.”

Hitoshi didn’t even have time to argue, when Izuku crouched in front of him and in a few seconds pulled him over his shoulders onto a fireman’s carry. Izuku glanced at Ectoplasm as he got up. If eyes could talk his would have said ‘back off, I’m not going to trust him with you.’ Not caring about the hero’s opinion, Izuku was running before Ectoplasm could say anything. 

“Izuku, don’t you think this is a bit much?” Hitoshi asked. 

“I saw you trying to take a step. You want to try walking up those stairs?” 

“Point taken, but are you going to do that while carrying me, after all that fighting?”

Izuku didn’t say anything and a few moments later Hitoshi sighed in defeat.

“Well... Could be worse. I prefer overly concerned Izuku over self-blaming Izuku.”

“I saw your armguards weren’t enough to hold on. I should have…”

“Izuku, if you start, I swear I will brainwash you to leave helping me to All Might.”

“Traitor.”

“It’s for your own good.” 

“Hey Midoriya!” Kirishima called from the bottom of the stairs. “Are you okay? Did something happen to Shinso?”

“Hopefully it’s minor,” Izuku said. “Seems All Might forgot not everyone is as invulnerable as him when he threw that thing on the ground next to his students.”

“Izuku,” Hitoshi sighed quietly enough that only Izuku heard. They started ascending the stairs. 

“Need help carrying him up?” Kirishima asked and flexed his arm.

“No, and I think you are the more exhausted one out of us.”

“Can’t deny that... Do you think everyone else is okay?”

“I fear not, but everyone I’ve seen so far has done better than I imagined, so… maybe.”

“I hope so. A lot of them seem to be up there already and the teachers are going to rescue the rest.” 

Izuku focused on the top of the staircase, relieved to see Tenya looking down towards them. All Might was unfortunately alive, and Izuku didn’t even know if he really had One For All anymore, but at least everyone he cared about had lived and gotten through the attack almost unscathed. 

Izuku adjusted his hold on Hitoshi.

“So embarrassing. I should have been more careful. I feel like a sack of rice,” Hitoshi groaned. 

“Stop it,” Izuku said. “If I can’t blame myself, I’m not going to let you do it.”

“And what are you going to do about it?” 

“I am pretty confident Recovery Girl will get you fixed by tomorrow, for training. If you think you aren’t progressing fast enough, we can always try to fix that.”

Hitoshi gulped and stayed quiet for the rest of the climb up the stairs. By the time they got to the top Eraserhead and Thirteen were being taken to ambulances outside. Tenya waited next to Principal Nezu and another pro hero teacher Vlad King. Izuku hardly recognized their presence, saying anything to Nezu could have been dangerous, and kept walking towards the ambulances gathering outside without a word. Tenya tagged along, bugging Hitoshi about how he felt. Izuku put Hitoshi down only to sit him on an ambulance’s open doorway.

Two other ambulances departed, sirens screaming to carry Thirteen and Aizawa to a hospital. Izuku didn’t know how to feel about that, especially about Aizawa. Whatever side he was on, part of Izuku couldn’t help but respect the fierce fight the man had fought to protect his students even when outnumbered and outmatched. He had done exactly what Izuku had expected from the heroes that failed his mother, maybe more, and his only quirk was to turn a battle into a quirkless one.

“They really showed us what real heroes do,” Tenya commented behind Izuku. “That mist guy got Thirteen bad and even after that she helped me see past my misguided ideas of honour and do what was best for everyone.”

“You had something to do with the teachers coming when they did,” Izuku said. It wasn’t even a question.

“I got out thanks to our classmates and ran back to the main campus.”

Izuku was impressed Tenya had gotten past Kurogiri, even with help it was impressive, but he couldn’t say anything about it.

“You didn’t get taken away by the… mist guy?”

“It was close. I and Shoji managed to grab a couple of our classmates before we got taken. After that Thirteen got taken out but she told me to get out to get help. The mist guy almost got me too. If you hadn’t made me focus on improving my turns he might have succeeded.”

“I see. I’m… glad.”

They hung out at the ambulance while the paramedics checked Hitoshi. Other students came out of the USJ dome a couple at a time but didn’t have any serious injuries. The only ones being brought to the ambulances were villains in handcuffs that had taken part in the attack. Izuku recognized some faces from the times he had either tagged along for Tomura’s recruitment drives or simply looked into what kind of people they had. He had never been so grateful for his helmet.

Then they brought out the man whose quirk Izuku had stolen. He was conscious but staggering, needing to be supported by the police officers escorting him.

“It’s gone, it’s gone. He took it,” he muttered until he saw Izuku and his eyes widened. “YOU! You took it! You took it! Give it back!”

Despite being barely able to walk and wincing from pain with every step before, the man was now trashing against the police and his handcuffs so much that Vlad King ran from the entrance and restrained the man with his own hardened blood.

So that was one quirk Izuku was not interested in getting.

“What is up with him?” Vlad King asked and followed the man’s stare right to Izuku. Izuku met their gazes if only for a moment, turned around and opened his costume, pulling it down enough to reveal his upper back now with two slight bulges with slits where the shoulder mounted jets opened up. Izuku had no idea how they actually worked but after tensing his shoulders for a few seconds he could feel the jets at least open up.

“SEE, see! He took it! Give it back!”

“You took another quirk?” Tenya asked. Izuku pulled his costume back on.

“Yeah…” Izuku said. “That’s what he gets for trying to kill us.”

“GIVE IT BACK!” The quirkless man screamed in the background like he was channelling the spirit of Bakugo.

“Why would I?” Izuku said not even looking at the screaming man. “He can’t take it back. Even if he tries through courts, didn’t I mention he tried to kill us? Would be a shame if I had to push for the maximum sentence. I assume the school has no problem with self-defence on school property when the school failed to keep us safe.”

Izuku tilted his head to look at Vlad King, who had come closer and had been joined by Principal Nezu.

“As long as the situation is settled in a legal manner, the school has no problem with your actions on this matter. Of course, that assumes you use the power responsibly as long as you might have it. Do you have anything to add detective?”

Izuku blinked and looked to the side. He barely stopped himself from showing recognition of the man dressed in a long light-brown jacket that he only knew from pictures after his father’s warning. Izuku slightly tugged on the Calm Mind quirk within himself as he came face to face with Detective Tsukauchi.

“I don’t think there are any precedents I could comment based on.”

“Right,” Izuku said and turned to Hitoshi and the medic checking him. “How is he?”

“I don’t think anything is broken or seriously damaged,” the medic responded and looked at Hitoshi. “I’ll get you something for the pain, but if your classmates help you to the bus, I think your school nurse can handle the rest more effectively than the hospital could.”

“No worries. It would be impossible to stop them from helping.”

“It warms my heart to see students supporting each other,” Nezu said. “If everyone is okay, I’d like all of you to gather with your classmates, unless the detective needs to talk to you about anything?”

If he hadn’t already activated the Calm Mind a little bit, Izuku might have tensed just enough for someone like Nezu of Tsukauchi himself to notice.  

“I don’t think that will be necessary. We will interview all of the students about this incident of course, but this isn’t the best time for that. If everything is okay here, I need to help with restraining the villains.”

The man lifted his large hat and walked past them. At least they weren’t as blatant as trying to get one over on Izuku right after a large villain attack. Izuku focused on Hitoshi.

“Tenya,” Hitoshi said, “help me up before Izuku forgets I’m not a sack of rice.”

 “Not a sack, more like a little bag,” Izuku teased. “You still need to bulk up.”

“Thank you. You are a real master of motivational speeches,” Hitoshi responded.

“Anything for my friends.”

“To be fair, Izuku still wants to bulk up too,” Tenya commented.

“We should all get stronger, although,” Izuku glanced back, trying to see the bumps of the jets that had formed behind his shoulders, “I might need your help with controlling my movements with this quirk, Tenya.”

“I’d be happy to work with you on that, although… while I haven’t yet seen how the quirk works, I think it might be more similar to my brother’s engines since both quirks are on your upper bodies.”

“They do seem similar actually,” Izuku admitted. “By the way, are you going to help Toshi up, or do I have to carry your bag of rice?”

“Right, sorry,” Tenya said quickly and moved to support Hitoshi in getting up, and they went to join the rest of their class and board the bus. Most of their classmates seemed relieved and tired. Kaminari stared into nothingness with a stupid expression on his face. Kirishima was slouched against his seat. If he really beat the group of villains that had been prepared for he, Tenya and Shoji, all by himself, he had more than deserved his rest. Whether that made him a powerful ally or a major threat, Izuku didn’t want to think about.

Ojiro glanced at Izuku nervously and inched closer to the window as the trio settled in front of him. Izuku would have preferred the back seats, but the open-plan front area was easier for Hitoshi to get to. Several others gave Izuku looks that weren’t as bad, but they obviously knew what had happened. Izuku reached back to scratch the newly morphed part of his body. At least they stayed pretty flat when he wasn’t using them, not really visible under regular clothes.

“Hey, Midoriya, Shinso!” Dark Shadow shouted, appearing from within Tokoyami, opposite to the trio on the bus. “Fumi was really worried for you. Don’t do stupid things like that.”

Tenya looked at the quirk creature and Izuku, one after the other.

“Did something happen between you? Didn’t Dark Shadow hate you before?”

“If I hated someone for no reason and that someone saved your life, do you think I would still hate them after that?” Izuku responded.

“No, you’d probably buy them a house.”

“House?” Dark Shadow asked and looked at Tokoyami. “Can we do that?”

“No.”

“Just a little one. He saved you.”

Tokoyami closed his eyes and muttered something too quietly to hear as the bus got going.

“Speaking of houses, Kirishima,” Izuku said, getting the redhead to look up at him, “do you think you’ll be okay to train at my place tomorrow, or will you need the day to rest?”

“Eh, I guess. I might be really sore, unless Recovery Girl can fix that too.”

“The more reason you should come,” Hitoshi said. “Izuku’s house has great baths. Can’t think of anything better for sore muscles.”

“Sounds good,” Kirishima responded and rotated his shoulder.

The rest of the afternoon went by pretty uneventfully. They arrived back at the main campus, Izuku loomed over Recovery Girl as she healed Hitoshi, and then they waited in their classroom until Nezu came to tell them they could go home, saying all of them would see the school councillor and a detective during the next week. Thankfully for Izuku they didn’t call parents to pick them up, though the school seemed to take the students’ traumatic experience a bit too lightly. For once Izuku didn’t feel like criticizing the school. He just got into his car and collapsed on the seat between Hitoshi and Tenya.

At least they were both okay. With Recovery Girl’s treatment, even Hitoshi no longer showed any signs of injury.

Not everyone was that lucky though.

After making sure the two got home safely, Izuku walked down to his basement where Kurogiri was already waiting for him and opened a warp gate. Izuku looked at the Nomu before stepping through.

“Are you okay? I didn’t see you get hurt at USJ.”

“I am unharmed, young Shigaraki, but I cannot say the same for your brother. Be careful.” 

Izuku gulped. Kurogiri wouldn’t say that without reason.

“Thank you,” Izuku said and stepped into the warp gate.

He emerged into the medical room he had become intimately familiar with before receiving the regeneration quirk. Tomura was laying on the bed in hospital garbs and with heavy bandaging on his arm and legs. At least he was healthy, or angry enough to rise to a sitting position as Izuku arrived.

“YOU! You dare show your face here after helping the heroes?! Because of you All Might still lives!”

Tomura’s outburst was loud enough that Izuku took a few seconds to respond while Tomura continued.

“You put your little friends ahead of destroying the Symbol of Peace and now the league has been decimated!”

“And you think it is my fault?” Izuku scoffed. “Your league,” Izuku emphasized, “got beaten up by fresh first year students. Kirishima alone beat the group that was supposed to keep three people busy. Kurogiri,” Izuku hesitated. “Some of the students were capable enough to get one of them outside. The Nomu couldn’t beat All Might, and heroes arrived before you had the chance to finish him.”

Tomura bit his teeth together.

“And never threaten Kurogiri again, unless you would like to be quirkless from now on,” Izuku added. The misty Nomu moved his head slightly, but he was as expressionless as ever.

Their father chuckled nearby, where he was sitting by a computer.

“Interesting, you think Tomura would have defeated All Might himself with more time. He can be destructive, but if that was enough to kill All Might we would not have needed the Nomu.”

“I thought the same,” Izuku said and looked down. “I have never actually seen All Might’s power first-hand. I… When I did, I lost hope we could win even though Tomura still had the Nomu then, but at the end… I snuck into the dust cloud behind All Might after the Nomu was defeated, to be close at hand in case I needed to step in and help Tomura and Kurogiri. I was there when the heroes arrived. I saw All Might, but he wasn’t himself. Almost as soon as Tomura and Kurogiri left he started… shrinking. He became skinny and sickly looking, like his power had simply left him. Tomura could definitely have defeated him in that state, but…”

Izuku looked up again.

“He might not even have One For All anymore, and I have no idea who he might have given it to.”

His father brought his hand up to his cheek, just like Izuku tended to do when deep in thought.

“Considering the injuries I gave him, I wouldn’t be surprised if his ability to use One For All was waning anyway, but that would be a reason to finally find a successor. Losing his ability to be a hero might be the only thing that could push All Might to pass on the quirk. That would be both a good and bad thing for us. On one hand we do not know who has the quirk. At the same time, the inheritor would be less experienced with One For All and would be an easier target. Besides making them easier to defeat it might make taking the quirk easier, and if you are correct about All Might’s state, then his defeat is only a matter of time. We only need to push him to his limits first.”

“It might not be that easy,” Izuku said. “It wasn’t just the Nomu. I saw news about him stopping many crimes during the morning before fighting the Nomu.”

“I didn’t say it would be easy,” his father said, “and we need to find out who has the quirk first. Izuku, you might need to… get closer to All Might and be friendly with him.”

Izuku pressed his lips together, trying not to groan. Eventually he gave up and let out an unhappy sigh.

“I doubt I could avoid talking to him anyway. All Might noticed that I saw him. I didn’t give him much time to talk, but I bet he’ll try to talk to me on Monday, if not before.

“So, you are already ahead on that, good. Tomura.”

The seething man turned his head at hearing his name.

“Today was a failure, but not the end. Take all the time you need to recover and rebuild the league. Make it stronger, with people worthy of joining you who will follow you through all that needs to be done. I will continue to support you, but you must be able to lead on your own.”

Tomura muttered something incomprehensible and let himself fall back to a laying position.

“Izuku,” their father continued, “keep doing what you have been doing. We need to know if All Might has passed on One For All or not, and to whom. I know this might be especially hard for you, but you need to control your feelings about him.”

“I know. Thankfully I have Calm Mind for that.”

His father nodded. “Never forget why you are doing this, the better world you want cannot come to be while the so-called Symbol of Peace exists to hold up the current one, be it All Might or his successor.”

“I know, I’ll do it… but I would rather fight another Nomu.”

“That can be arranged,” his father said, “but I would prefer if you got the previous one back. From Tomura’s and Kurogiri’s report it sounds like the Nomu is likely still alive either somewhere out of sight or captured by the heroes and police. It lacks the intelligence to resist capture on its own. Tomura will need time to recover so I will count on you to release it. All Might might know what happened to it, or his police friend.”

“So, I need to get information about it from them and then break in where-ever it is being held to bring it back.”

“Yes, consider it your first major mission that you are in charge of, besides spying on UA. This is a mission for Shirokuro, not Izuku. If you need something you can request it, but I want to see you handle things and make decisions yourself. I believe you are more than ready for this.”

Izuku opened his mouth to make a request.

“You can have Kurogiri to help, of course.”

Izuku closed his mouth, the request rendered pointless.

“You have trained hard and gained new quirks that Izuku Midoriya can use, but you lack real experience, especially from the dark side of this society. Which reminds me. How do you feel about the new quirk?”

Izuku glanced over his shoulder even though he couldn’t see the jets morphed into his back.

“I haven’t had a chance to test it, but after the initial pain I haven’t noticed many negative effects.”

“Your body is starting to adjust to new quirks faster now that you have been getting them more often, but you can use most of them only as Midoriya the hero student. Do you feel up to a challenge?”

“What kind of challenge?”

“You have practiced supressing quirks with your regeneration, but now with the Shoulder Mounted jets it is even more critical to not be exposed by a clear mutation. I have a quirk that could be extremely useful to you as Shirokuro, but being able to supress its effects constantly when you don’t want to use it is critical. The person who was originally born with this quirk begged me to take it away, offering everything he owned in exchange and became my loyal follower for the rest of his life when I did.”

Izuku gulped.

“I’m not sure. I haven’t even really trained with all of my previous quirks. What is the quirk like?”

“It is called Killing Intent,” his father responded, “and if you have read manga, you should be able to figure out most of its effects. Essentially it makes people believe you are about to kill them. The effect can vary from unease to paralyzing terror depending on how convinced they are of your ability to do so, and some other factors. Used correctly, people don’t even realize they are being impacted by a quirk.”

“And the quirk is always active?” Izuku asked.

“The original owner was never able to fully suppress it, but with All For One it is quite easy to control.”

“I can see why he wanted to get rid of it. A quirk people fear is bad enough. One that literally makes people fear you… You must have saved his life. Too bad he… already died?”

“You shouldn’t feel bad about that part. I think he would be about… a hundred years old if he still lived.”

“Right,” Izuku said. “I always forget how old you are.”

“Watch your words young man.”

Chapter Text

“Welcome,” Izuku greeted with a simple smile, hesitant to show any more excitement while welcoming a new guest at his house. Kirishima barely met his eyes, spending most of his time looking past Izuku at the large house behind him.

“Hey Midoriya,” Kirishima responded. “Wow, you got a cool place here. I’m starting to suspect Ida was serious with the house comment yesterday. So, this is where you train?”

“Partially,” Izuku said. “Some things have needed more space, but this should do at least for the morning. I hope you’ve recovered from yesterday.”

“Yeah, I’m okay. The biggest problem was convincing my parents.”

“I know how that feels,” Hitoshi said as he stretched a few meters away, wearing his UA gym uniform already. “At least they know Izuku and Tenya.” 

“Well, I’m here now,” Kirishima said. “Thank you for having me. I know you like to keep this stuff kinda private.”

“You should not worry about that,” Tenya said from next to Hitoshi. “Izuku might be a bit wary of… trusting people due to some earlier experiences, but having more decent people around is good for him. He has smiled a lot more since Hitoshi came along.”

“Don’t underplay yourself,” Hitoshi commented.

“Guys, can we get started?” Izuku side-tracked them.

“Why?” Hitoshi asked. “Are you in a hurry to try out your new unbreakable punching bag?”

“Oh, you got one too,” Kirishima said. “What model do you use? I haven’t managed to find one that doesn’t break.”

“He’s talking about you,” Izuku said.

“Oh, well… just be careful. I… don’t want to break anyone else’s hand.”

“I appreciate the concern,” Izuku said, “but don’t even think of going easy on our training.”

“Translation, he wants more of a challenge than we can give,” Hitoshi added. He wasn’t exactly wrong, even Tenya with his size and speed couldn’t push him like he was used to with the Nomus, except in long distance dashes when there was plenty of space. 

Izuku wasn’t going to say that to their faces though. 

“Well, I’d love to see what you got,” Kirishima said with a wide smile. “I haven’t really had good training partners except for some private lessons and training with Mina more recently.”

“Maybe you should just stop talking and see who wins”

“I’m up for it,” Kirishima said. “Just don’t cut off my limbs.” 

“Hey,” Izuku said and smirked, “Toshi and Tenya still have all of theirs.”

“Izuku is joking already?” Hitoshi said. “Kirishima is doing better than I thought.”

“Hitoshi,” Tenya said, sounding disappointed, but the hand he rubbed his forehead with only partially hid his smile. 

Izuku moved to an open area of grass. Kirishima followed and they faced each other. Tenya and Hitoshi got up to watch from the side. Izuku glanced at them without turning his head from Kirishima. 

“Don’t even think about using him as an excuse to take it easy.”

Hitoshi let out an exaggerated sigh and they moved to the other side of the yard to spar. 

“Ready?” Izuku asked Kirishima.

“Yes,” the redhead responded with a smile and hardened his body. He had barely blinked when Izuku was already on him with a punch straight to the face. 

Pain radiated from Izuku’s hand as his entire arm shook from and felt a little numb from the impact. There might have been some fractures considering the pain and how it went away. Izuku had gotten really good at recognizing broken bones based on the pain. He hopped back to avoid a counterattack, but none came. Kirishima just tilted his head without any sign of even the slightest pain, looking at Izuku with concern in his eyes. 

“Are you okay? I tried to warn y-”

“I’m okay,” Izuku responded, shaking his now fine hand. “Had to try. Seems I can’t do much damage without using the Dragon Blade. I wonder how much heat you can take.” 

“Eh?” Kirishima questioned, holding his hands in front of himself.

“I know you took one of Bakugo’s explosions to the face, even if it would have been one of the smaller ones. I think you’ll survive training.”

“You think?” 

“Welcome to the boot camp Midoriya,” Hitoshi called from the other side of the yard, only for Tenya to take advantage of his distraction to pin him to the ground.

 “Focus Toshi,” Izuku said with a smiling before turning back towards Kirishima. “Let’s continue.”

Kirishima smiled and hardened again. This time he went for the offensive with a barrage of punches. His rocky appearance gave the impression of someone strong and slow, but his attacks were anything but slow. Izuku dodged the first attack easily, much to Kirishima’s surprise, but as the punches kept coming Izuku started struggling as he tried to find any weaknesses he could exploit without slicing Kirishima in two like the UA robots. He didn’t even know which was harder, the robots’ armour or Kirishima’s hardening. He’d have to come up with some kind of test for that. 

One punch grazed Izuku’s arm as he was a little too slow with a dodge and a sharp edge tore straight through his sleeve, cutting all the way to his skin. Kirishima tensed and pulled his arm back almost faster than he had punched with it. 

“Sorry, are you okay?”

Izuku turned his arm and looked down at the cut without saying a word. His lips slowly bent into a smirk. Kirishima stared at him and gulped audibly.  In a swift motion Izuku swept Kirishima’s feet out from under him. With surprising agility Kirishima avoided falling down and instead backflipped back onto his feet. 

As he did so, his shirt rose up enough to show that to achieve such a move had forced him to undo some of his hardening. The soles of Kirishima’s shoes were barely back on the grass as Izuku charged and delivered a powerful punch straight to his stomach. He couldn’t exactly describe what he hit as ‘soft’, but at least this time the hit hurt Kirishima more than himself. 

Unfortunately it wasn’t enough to bring the redhead down, and by the follow-up punch he had hardened again. Izuku hopped back, massaging his hand but with a smile on his face. 

“I’d say you are tougher than you look, but in this case the look is pretty accurate.”

“Thanks. I really thought you got me for a moment.”

“Every quirk has limitations,” Izuku responded. “I just stumbled into one of yours. It might not slow you down as much as one would expect, but you aren’t as flexible while using it, or you could say you are more agile than you usually show.”  

“Yeah, I guess you could say so. I do my stretches but they are more difficult with my quirk. It can be pretty useful in a fight, but it is pretty simple and straightforward.”

“It’s amazing,” Izuku almost shouted and started talking faster than he intended. “You just need to find different ways of using it, or even just improve to use it better. Like if you could switch faster between hardened and unhardened, I wouldn’t have gotten that hit in.”

Izuku already had a notebook open, and he was taking notes on this new discovery while muttering to himself.

“Where did you get that?” 

“It’s better not to worry about that,” Hitoshi said, joining the duo while taking a sip of water. “There are some questions that aren’t meant to be answered.”

Tenya sighed next to Hitoshi.

“He had a holster made that keeps a notebook against his back like the equipment belt in his hero costume, except this one is hidden under his shirt.”

“Don’t tell him that,” Hitoshi elbowed Tenya’s side.

“It’s just a regular notebook,” Izuku said without slowing down with his note taking. “The other one is still hidden.”

“Other?” Kirishima asked. 

“He has a whole separate notebook for us and our training,” Tenya explained. 

“Shouldn’t you be training?” Izuku asked as he closed the notebook. “Okay, let’s get back to work. I still have a rock to crack.”

Hitoshi and Tenya barely had time to get out of the way before Izuku and Kirishima were at it again. It was much the same as before. Izuku’s punches did nothing and avoiding Kirishima’s got gradually harder, until Izuku caught one of his extended arms and threw Kirishima over his shoulder on the ground. He was on top of the redhead in an instant but couldn’t do any more damage than before. He tried to just grab and restrain his opponent, but Kirishima smirked and pushed back, his hardened arms stronger than humanly possible without a strength quirk. Izuku tried to back off, but Kirishima had a hold of his wrists. 

“Got you.”

“You think so,” Izuku responded and activated the Dragon Blade on both his arms, slowly starting with low heat. Smoke began rising from under Kirishima’s hands. He was still stubbornly holding onto Izuku, but as Izuku upped the temperature Kirishima’s expression tensed. Finally, he let go with a small hiss. Izuku was on his feet two meters away before that was over. 

“You are pretty good, and really tough with your quirk. I really can’t seem to beat it with quirkless combat.”

He crouched again in a battle-ready stance, but this time with his blades lit and formed into shields on both arms. 

“Heh, things are getting interesting then,” Kirishima, back on his feet, responded and charged. Izuku again evaded the first few attacks, but then he blocked one with his flaming shields. Kirishima yanked his arm back before the heat had any chance of burning through his hardening, but the impact had already happened. Izuku got pushed back. His whole body shook while his arms felt numb. 

“Well, at least you really aren’t holding back for training.”

“Eh, how should I put this…” Kirishima scratched his head. Izuku raised his eyebrows. 

“You are holding back?” 

“Well, yes. Don’t take it the wrong way,” Kirishima said quickly. “You… well you don’t have any durability quirks. If I didn’t hold back a direct hit could… kill you, or break bones at least.”

Izuku looked at Kirishima for a moment and then quickly walked past him, grabbing his arm with one hand, a notebook already on the other. He dragged Kirishima across the front yard to a large boulder poking out of the ground. Izuku pointed at it. 

“Punch that, as hard as you can.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to mess up your yard.”

“Just do it. My notes aren’t going to be any good if I can’t estimate your real strength with your quirk.”

“Okay, if you insist. You should stay back.

Kirishima pulled one hardened arm back and then in wide swing threw a single massive punch. When his fist hit the surface of the boulder the impact appeared almost like an explosion as the shattering of the stone on the surface launched small shrapnel and left behind a crater around Kirishima’s arm. His fist sunk even deeper, and the boulder cracked in two well beyond it. 

Izuku whistled, impressed, as he rarely was while, internally struggling to squash the urge to take Kirishima’s quirk. 

“Forget what I said before. My bones are glad you held back.”

“I could say the same. I like my arms where they are.”

Izuku rubbed his chin, quiet for a moment, and smirked. 

“This isn’t really developing our skills. Want to try a no quirks round? You shouldn’t rely on yours stopping every attack.”

“Bring it on.”

To be fair to Kirishima, even without his quirk he gave a surprising amount of challenge to Izuku. Over multiple rounds of sparring, unable to take hits like before but also not restricted by his quirk, his style changed to a more mobile and agile one, making him harder to hit. It didn’t save him from multiple meetings with the grass though. His quirk might have been hard to crack, but in quirkless combat Izuku was still ahead. They kept going round after round until both were laying on the ground full of bruises and breathing hard, wide smiles on both of their faces.

Hitoshi came to stand next to Izuku and looked down toward him for a moment. Then he glanced at Kirishima and turned to face nearby Tenya. 

“Seems we chose the right one.”

“I believe so,” Tenya responded. “I just wish one of them at least had the common sense to stop before going too far.”

“So…” Hitoshi started, “lunch?”

“Yes please,” Izuku said, not getting up. 

“We’ll get things ready,” Hitoshi said and turned to leave. As soon as he started walking Izuku noticed a slight limp in his step. Izuku pushed himself up to a half laying position supported by his arms. 

“Is your leg okay?”

“Good enough,” Hitoshi stopped to respond. “Unlike you two Tenya has some restraint. I think my back is still sensitive from yesterday despite Recovery Girl’s treatment. Started acting out while we trained. I’ll go see her again on Monday.”

“Don’t wait for that if it gets any worse. I got good doctors and quirk healers on speed-dial.”

“I know,” Hitoshi said as he kept walking, “I’ve met them all already,” 

“I’d ask why,” Kirishima started, “but after the last couple of hours I think I understand. Midoriya doesn’t mess around with training.”

“If we hadn’t taken our training seriously some, or all of us, would have died yesterday,” Izuku said. “I don’t want anyone here getting hurt, but I’d rather send you to a doctor than a morgue.” 

“I… guess that makes sense. Being a hero can be dangerous.”

“Depends on if you are worth the title. If you want to call yourself a hero, you need to be willing to get hurt or killed so others don’t. Some ‘heroes’ only fight when they are confident of victory and can claim glory with minimal risk.”

“You really think so?”

“I know it. I’ve suffered for it.”

“Suffered… how?”

“I…” Izuku almost responded but choked up. Without another word he got up and went after Hitoshi. 

“That topic is something he won’t easily talk about,” Tenya told Kirishima quietly behind Izuku. “Please don’t try to ask about it. He will likely open up about some things if he ever feels he can trust you unconditionally, but not before. Just remember that if it ever happens, that will be the day he will need your support the most.” 

Izuku looked back over his shoulder.

“Tenya,” Izuku said louder than needed, making his larger friend flinch. “Are you two coming?”

“Uh, of course.”

When they got inside Hitoshi was already bringing the chicken salad to the table. They couldn’t eat anything too heavy before the afternoon training, so protein shakes would keep them going until the evening. They had just finished with lunch when the doorbell rang.

Izuku of course tensed right away. The only people who had any business to visit, and enter through the door, were already there.

“I assume you aren’t expecting anyone,” Tenya said. 

“No.” 

Izuku got up from where he had been sitting and headed to the door. The trio of his guests followed but stayed further back, just curious. Even as Izuku reached to open the door his other hand was tense and ready to ignite the Dragon Blade. He came closer to do so than he should have as he saw the familiar man with a long jacket. 

“Detective…” he paused just in time to look like he didn’t have everything of the man memorized, while also grasping at the Calm Mind, “Tsukauchi, I thought you were supposed to interview us next week.”

“Yes, about the USJ incident. However, something else has come up. May I come in?”

Izuku stayed quiet for few seconds, wondering if he had any valid excuse to not allow the man inside. Besides being on the other side, he didn’t exactly have a reason to hate the man like with All Might.

“Yes, of course.” He stepped out of the way to let the man in. It didn’t take long for the perceptive detective to notice the others. 

“I see you have company. I apologize if I interrupted anything.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Izuku said as he followed the man inside. “We were just having a lunch break from training. So, what made you come here?”

“Right. What was your last contact with Katsuki Bakugo?”

And there went any positivity Izuku’s quests had managed to cultivate over the morning. His expression fell into an empty stare. 

“On Tuesday when leaving school as he and his mother finally realized his actions were going to have actual consequences.”

“And you haven’t heard of him since?”

“Thankfully not. Why are you suddenly asking about the walking bomb threat?”

“Midoriya, he has gone missing. No one has seen him since yesterday evening. His mother is afraid of what might have happened.”

Izuku looked at the man for several second, then the floor, and eventually his friends.

“I doubt anything has happened to him. Most of the time he is the most dangerous person present. If he has gone missing that means he never accepted his own responsibility for what is happening. In the best case he is just trying to escape, but knowing him he will blame others and might seek revenge. Considering his earlier crimes, I hope you treat this as chasing an escaped suspect, not a missing person.”

“I am aware of your plans to pursue charges, but until evidence is presented to the police, we are approaching this as a teenager gone missing. If you know anything that might help, any place he might have gone to…”

“No,” Izuku said and turned away from the man. “For most of my life I’ve tried to avoid him and have been very successful at that for the past year. So no, I don’t know where he likes to hide out.”

Izuku paused. 

“You should keep an eye on T…Hitoshi’s and Tenya’s houses. If Bakugo decides he wants revenge he’ll come after me.”

“Then we should stake out this house,” Tsukauchi said.

“No need to. It has more security than you think, and if Bakugo comes here,” Izuku faced Tsukauchi again with a cold stare. “I can… I have to face him myself. The real problem is that he might try to get to me through them.”

Izuku nodded towards Tenya and Hitoshi. “He’s already threatened them for no other reason than being my friends, and because he hates Toshi’s quirk almost as much as my own.”

“If that is really a possibility I can request some monitoring, but that would include all of you, and there is a limit on what I can do on your word alone. Do you have any evidence of the threat?”

“That specific threat, no. Bakugo destroyed all of the cameras before making it, but I can relay you the material about is tendency for violence we are preparing to use in court. Actually, never mind. I’ll get some security myself.”

The detective looked at Izuku for a few seconds and then put his hand on Izuku’s shoulder, probably thinking Izuku didn’t realize his finger was discreetly touching skin on the side of his neck. Izuku held onto the Calm Mind he had already been using and let the quirk slowly take over more. 

“If you are really that worried, I should talk with your parents. Are they home?”

At least he didn’t realize, Izuku knew the man had investigated him. That meant Izuku was another step ahead.

“No. My father works abroad. Probably just went to sleep. My mother is dead.” The Calm Mind barely kept Izuku’s voice steady. “I live alone, when I don’t have friends over.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I don’t need your sorry. Just find the walking bomb factory before something explodes.”

Izuku slapped Tsukauchi’s hand away from his shoulder, hoping he had managed to hide his lies.

“We will do our best. If you remember or hear anything about him, please contact me, and please relay my number to your father,” Tsukauchi said, offering a business card. Izuku snatched it from his hand without any customary politeness and without touching the man’s fingers.

“Do you need anything else? We need to get back to training, now even more than before.”

“No, not on this matter. We will keep looking for Bakugo and look into the possibility he might pose a threat.”

“You know the charges I’m pressing include attempted murder?” Izuku asked. 

Tsukauchi rubbed his forehead.

“I’m aware. I will be in contact as needed, and please ask your father to contact me.”

Izuku gave barely a noticeable nod and escorted the man out. He drew a deep breath as soon as the door clicked closed.

“Are you okay?” Hitoshi asked. Izuku hadn’t even noticed him approaching.

“I’m worried. I didn’t expect Bakugo to disappear. Now I can’t tell what he is going to do.”

“Izuku,” Hitoshi said more forcefully. “You just talked about your mother with a stranger and didn’t as much as stutter.”

And there was another danger of Calm Mind. Izuku looked down, hiding his expression. 

“I didn’t want to… I was more focused on what Bakugo might do.”

“To us,” Hitoshi added. It wasn’t a question. 

“I know how you feel about all this,” Tenya said, “but you should remember he is a police officer when talking with him.”

“We have bigger things to worry about than my politeness,” Izuku said, looking at Tenya. “How’s the security at your house?”

“You don’t need to worry about me. My family recognizes that being heroes makes us targets.”

“How about…?” Izuku turned to look at Hitoshi.

“I… have a lock on my door.”

Izuku looked at him for a few second.

“Everyone here could destroy your door in a few seconds at most. Need to get something better… by Monday.”

“I won’t even bother trying to refuse.”

“Good. Let’s get back to training. It is our best security.”

Izuku brought his arm over Hitoshi’s shoulder and strolled back deeper inside the house where Kirishima was waiting. Izuku didn’t take long to meet his stare.

“Do you really think Bakugo could be that dangerous?”

“Yes… Didn’t he hit you with an explosion on Monday?”

“Well, there was that one when I woke him up from the brainwashing, but that was just a little puff.”

“For you maybe.” Izuku stopped and detached from Hitoshi to stand straight facing Kirishima. “You hardened back then didn’t you.”

“Well, yeah. It’s basically an instinct in a situation like that.”

“And you wouldn’t call that explosion a ‘little puff’ without that instinct. If you want to be a hero that protects others, you can’t think about things based on how much they would hurt you. That ‘puff’ could have easily blinded someone else at the very least, probably worse.”

Kirishima opened his mouth to respond, closed it. and looked down thoughtful. Slowly, Izuku could see a bit of shame appear in his expression.

“I didn’t think about it that way.”

“No, you didn’t. That’s why you are going to practice using your brain in a fight for the afternoon. You are going to train with Toshi while I work with Tenya, and afterwards you are going to do ten push-ups for every time he manages to brainwash you, if you want dinner that is.”

Kirishima smiled.

“Is that supposed to be a threat? I’ll do twenty.”

“You are supposed to avoid getting brainwashed.”

“Oh, right.”

Izuku shook his head.

“One more thing,” he said and went to a nearby dresser. He pulled out a small first aid pack and bunch of tourniquets he had bought right after USJ. He dumped them on Kirishima’s hands. The redhead looked at him confused. Hitoshi smirked and quoted principal Nezu.

“Hero’s first duty is to rescue.”

“Figure out how to carry some of these on your costume. There is no point in saving people from villains if you can’t keep them alive long enough for that to matter.”

“He forced, I mean donated us the same set,” Hitoshi added. “It’s not just you.”

“Oh, okay, thanks. I’ll promise to help someone with these,” Kirishima smiled and Izuku responded in kind without even thinking.

“Let’s get going.”

“Where?” Kirishima asked. 

“To a beach, Tenya and I can’t do our next training here. You brought a swimming suit like I asked?”

“Yes. I was wondering why.”

“Don’t forget the papers,” Tenya added. 

Izuku took the written permission from a private beach club, and the same legal papers he carried while they trained for the entrance exams.

Kirishima looked around as they stepped through the gate of the beach club, a large wooden building looking over the beach with a massive terrace as long as the building.

“Oh, this place. My parents like to come here during summer. Do they really let us train here?”

“Oh, Midoriya-san!” An older man in a fancy suit approached. “I am happy to see you here again, and… with more friends than before I see. I’m sorry, I feel I have seen you before but…”

“This is Kirishima. He is our classmate who joined us for weekend training.” 

“Ah, young Kirishima. I didn’t recognize you with the new hair colour.” The man focused back on Izuku. “We have restricted your area of the beach. The dinner will be ready at the same time as before. Please let me know if you need anything else.”

“So, I guess they do let us train here.”

“They do. My father owns this place,” Izuku said. “Except you two are going to train in the water. The water resistance makes moving around a bit more difficult that way, and you don’t need to worry about throwing each other around.”

“You mean Kirishima tossing me around.”

“Either he drinks sea water by the end of the day, and not because of brainwashing, or you will join him in doing push-ups.”

“We can have a competition.” Kirishima smirked without the least concern about Izuku’s threats, and Izuku found it difficult not to feel happy to have the redhead around as they passed a restaurant and headed to the dressing rooms. As soon as Izuku got his shirt off he reached to feel the lumps that were his new jet-quirk. He wasn’t used to them and could barely avoid being constantly distracted by the foreign sensations. 

Now he had to train using them without breaking his bones like the previous evening.

There weren’t too many people on the beach that early in the spring, despite the day being relatively warm for the time, at least warm enough to be comfortable. Though even Kirishima’s smile briefly wavered as soon as he stepped into the water. Izuku stood just beyond the waterline next to Tenya, who was describing how he felt his engines and controlled their power, with some extra tips from his hero brother Ingenium.

Izuku had already figured out how to activate the quirk, but controlling it, let alone his movement, was a whole different matter. The slits in his back opened and started blasting out air, a little too much of it.

Izuku’s feet left the ground, and he was already well over the water before he managed to lean back enough to halt his forward momentum. After almost falling on his back, he spread his arms, dipped his foot in the water, and managed to balance himself upright, kind of hovering over the water.

“Good, now focus on keeping the output stable as you try to move,” Tenya called out behind him.

Izuku did his best, but as he leaned forward, he moved a little too fast, tried to change direction, accidentally changed the power output of the quirk, and landed face first in the water, almost exactly at the same time as Hitoshi a few meters away. Hitoshi got up, spitting sea water, and glanced at Izuku.

“Nice to see you on your face for once.”

“Don’t get used to it,” Izuku responded, and his jets flared.

“Let me have this. Usually it’s you who makes people eat dirt, mostly me.”

“At least it was premium dirt at a central location,” Izuku said and softly elbowed Hitoshi’s side.

“And this is premium seawater at an expensive beach club,” Hitoshi shot back, splashing water on Izuku.

“So go and make Kirishima drink some,” Izuku responded, but that made Hitoshi’s smile disappear. Izuku put his hand on Hitoshi’s shoulder.

“I know he’s strong, especially after fighting him all morning, but you can’t let that make you doubt yourself. Doing so will just make you hesitate and do worse. Even when he is using his quirk, just remember you can also do things that he can’t, even if they aren’t physical.”

“I guess, though my arms are already hurting from thinking about all the push-ups.”

“That means they work, but how about this. If I slam into the water more times than you, I’ll join you in doing the push-ups.”

“Deal.”

All four of them were still doing push-ups when the sun went down. Tenya joined the other three just because he felt wrong not doing it with them.

Chapter Text

On Monday Izuku was already in the classroom with Hitoshi and Tenya when Kirishima walked in, rotating and stretching his arm. There was still a bruise on his cheek from the weekend. 

“Hey Kirishima,” Kaminari said, “what happened to you? I didn’t think you could bruise.”

“You mean this?” Kirishima asked, smiling and poking his cheek, flinching as he did so. “Had some quirkless spars with Midoriya over the weekend. He’s hardcore when it comes to training.” 

“Oh right, you mentioned planning to do that. I couldn’t even think about training over the weekend after what happened.”

“At least you still have your quirk… right?” Ojiro interrupted.

“Wha-?” Kirishima got caught off-guard, confused. Hitoshi tilted his head to stare at Ojiro. 

“Do you have a problem with Izuku or are you just trying to be annoying for no reason?”

“Of cour-” Ojiro started saying, turning around to face him. In an instant he froze still and fell silent.

“Toshi?” Izuku asked. 

“I didn’t do anything. He’s just too afraid to talk.”

“It would be too much to ask to have a whole class of decent people,” Izuku said. “At least so far there have been more than I expected.”

Ojiro frowned. “At least I don’t depend on stealing from others.”

“Depend?” Hitoshi responded before Izuku could say something rude. “I think Kirishima’s bruise might disagree.”

“Yeah, he whooped my ass without quirks.”

Ojiro stared at them for a moment, huffed and turned to face forward.

“What a great way to start a week after almost dying,” Jiro, a dark-haired girl said while playing with one of the headphone jacks hanging from her ears. “Anyone got anything else to say?”

“Well,” a voice came from seemingly an empty flying set of clothes that was their invisible classmate Hagakure, “did you watch the news last night? Did you see how everyone in class was on-screen for a second? Though I bet no one noticed me hanging in the background.”

Of course she was interested in getting attention from the media. Then again, being invisible had to have some effect on that desire, and she was trying to cheer everyone up so Izuku wasn’t ready to condemn her for that yet.

Unfortunately, discussion after that moved to people gawking at All Might’s strength. It was bad enough as things where, but now Izuku would actually have to talk with the man. Trying to distract himself from the others’ discussion, Izuku happened to meet the gaze of Shoto Todoroki, the son of the number two hero. He looked away as soon as Izuku noticed him staring. Todoroki had been even more unsocial than himself and it was difficult to know what he might have been thinking.

Todoroki’s quirk was interesting, but that was just another example of what he had been handed to in this world that worshipped people just like him. After witnessing his fight against Hitoshi and Ojiro the one thing Izuku was sure of was that he should keep his guard up around the strangely two-faced classmate. At least Todoroki wasn’t loudly declaring his presumed superiority like Bakugo.

Also, how had his eye survived unharmed with such a wide burn and permanent damage all around it?

The large clock on the classroom wall clicked forward to the next minute and something poked Izuku’s shoulder.

“Izuku,” Tenya whispered. “It is time for the class to begin. You should make sure that…”

“Everyone is already in their seats,” Izuku said, “and the teacher isn’t even here yet.”

“Hey Tsu,” the pink girl Ashido said to the girl behind her, “so who do you think is going to teach class today?”

“No idea. Mr. Aizawa is still in the hospital recovering from his injuries.”

Hearing them talk, Izuku realized he hadn’t even thought about that. He had gotten so used to injuries just disappearing he hadn’t considered their teacher wouldn’t be around after the battle. Great job failing to follow his own advice. Part of him felt sorry for the man like he had never felt for a teacher, other than Kurogiri that is. 

The door opened, revealing Aizawa. He could only be recognized from his clothes and hair since every bit of skin was covered in bandages to the point it was unclear if he could even see anything. Also, the tired voice was unmistakably that of Aizawa.

“Good morning class.”

The reactions from the class were unsurprising gasps of surprise with a louder, overly formal statement of relief from Tenya.

“Are you really in any condition to teach a class?” Izuku asked as soon as things quieted down a bit. 

“My wellbeing is irrelevant,” Aizawa responded. Izuku wasn’t sure if he should respect the man’s work ethic or call him an idiot for endangering his recovery, so he didn’t say anything more as Aizawa continued.

“What’s more important is that your fight isn’t over yet.”

Izuku kept looking at the man, expecting he’d say something about addressing Friday’s events, but most of the class expressed several nervous questions

“The UA Sports Festival is about to start.” 

That stamen made the atmosphere in the room make a full 180 degree turn to loud excitement, except for Izuku who frowned. At least some students expressed concern over security after their ears recovered from Kirishima’s exited shout. Aizawa’s response was more of an explanation for the massively popular sports event than an answer, but eventually he got to the importance of the event for students to get noticed for career opportunities. Izuku didn’t really care about that, but he saw the glint in Hitoshi’s eyes as Hitoshi turned his head and Izuku couldn’t help but smile.

“Now that you have gotten excited,” Aizawa spoke ominously, the whole class went quiet in an instant, “we can talk about the more serious matter. Last Friday everyone here came close to being killed.” 

At least Aizawa wasn’t just going to ignore it. Izuku hadn’t had high expectations for any school since elementary school started, but what kind of high school would just ignore possible consequences of having an entire class almost getting killed by an army of villains?

“I am glad to see you so energetic today and will not force you to talk about the events here, but everyone will have to meet with the school counsellor during this week to discuss how the events might affect you. This is mandatory. I don’t want to hear any excuses or claims that you can handle it. It is not talked about much publicly, but essentially every pro hero worth the title gets counselling in some form at least occasionally. If you know a pro hero who retired early and the cause wasn’t an obvious physical injury, there is a fifty percent chance the reason was mental health related.”

Unlike with everything else that had been said in the class that morning, the only response to Aizawa’s statement was a deep silence. 

“You can also come look for me in the teacher’s lounge after school if you want to have a one-to-one talk. Unfortunately, I must also ask you to be interviewed with a detective from the police force concerning the attack. I have a list of appointment times for both the counsellor and detective here. Midoriya, have everyone pick a time before the next class.” 

He dropped the papers from between his plastered arms on the teacher’s desk and looked at the class for a long moment as if to say something more. 

“Class dismissed.” 

He left the room. Izuku got up as soon as the door closed. 

“Well, let’s get this done. Toshi, if anyone tries to leave without getting their times booked, brainwash them. We need guineapigs to test how far your control goes.”

“If that is what the class rep orders.”

“Good, start by picking your times, then guard the door,” Izuku said and walked to the front of the class. “For the rest of you, it’s first come first pick. If you don’t want to miss hero training better get in line quickl-” 

When he looked up at the class, he saw there was already a line. Well, a mix of line and mess in front of him, with Tenya at the front. The job was quickly done, but Hitoshi didn’t get any new guineapigs despite guarding the door the whole time.  

“Maybe next time,” Izuku said as he left the room last with Hitoshi and Tenya. Hitoshi smirked. 

“Already tired of being the volunteer?”

“No, I’ve told you. It is really relaxing, though I guess that makes me tired in a way.” 

The morning went by relatively calmly. The most unusual part was almost everyone they passed was talking about Friday’s events. After the last class before lunch a handful of Izuku’s classmates had gathered right outside the classroom. One of the girls, Uraraka, was loudly declaring how they would do their best, looking like a completely different person from how she had behaved previously. 

“You are truly enthusiastic about becoming a hero,” Tenya commented. Uraraka’s expression softened a bit and she smiled.

“Thank you for saying that.”

“So why do you want to be a hero?” Izuku asked, and not in a being-exited-to-share-reasons way. He spoke in the ‘give-the-right-answer-or-be-judged’ tone.

“Well,” Uraraka started, “to tell the truth, it’s because of the money.”

“Oh,” Izuku’s expression dropped. For some reason he actually had had some hope about her before, but with that answer he kept walking without another word, at least he tried to. He didn’t get far.

“HAH HAH HAH HAA!” 

The familiar obnoxious laugh made Izuku freeze stiff. All Might appeared from an adjacent hallway.

“YOUNG MIDORIYA IS HERE!”

“All Might,” Izuku gasped and his eyes narrowed. “What do you want?”

The oversized man held up a comically small looking lunch box. At least he wasn’t shouting anymore.

“Lunch. Would you eat with me?”

Izuku’s first instinct was to tell the man to go die, but he needed information from the so-called hero and he knew why the man was asking him. Hitoshi didn’t, and had discreetly grabbed Izuku’s arm. 

“We are going to get food from the cafeteria. I guess I can’t tell you to not come there.”

“Actually,” All Might said, clearly taken off-guard, “we need to have a talk, alone.”

Izuku struggled to bottle up the anger and disgust the mere thought made him feel.

“All Might,” Tenya spoke, “that isn’t a good idea. By now you should…”

“Tenya,” Izuku said and pulled his arm from Hitoshi’s hold to face the duo. He drew a deep breath. “It’s okay. There is something he needs to get done and he won’t leave me alone before he does it.”

Hitoshi stared at him for a long moment.

“Does he know she was…?” Hitoshi pressed his lips together to not say too much.

“Yes… but there is also another thing.” Izuku paused for a long moment. “I won’t promise that both of us come out alive, but reserve a seat for me.”

“Okay,” Hitoshi said, “call us if you need to.”

Izuku nodded and turned towards All Might. 

“Show the way and make this quick.”

“Good,” All Might said after a short silence, “there is a room in the teacher’s lounge we can talk in privately.” 

He gestured Izuku to follow and turned his back. It was such an attractive target to stab, but that wasn’t enough anymore, and having seen the man’s power it couldn’t have been that easy. All Might led him to a small quiet room with some couches and a low table. He gestured for Izuku to sit on a chair opposite the sofa All Might himself sat on with an audible sigh. 

Izuku looked around, scanning the room and identifying all possible exits.

“So, it is safe to talk here?” He asked in an emotionless tone. 

“Yes, no one will hear or see us here,” All Might responded while Izuku’s finger tapped his fancy wristwatch. The one he had gotten from his father. He could barely sit still being essentially trapped in the room with the man he hated the most in this world, other than the sludge villain that killed his mother that is.

Better tear the band-aid off quickly.

“So, are you going to stop pretending? We both know that isn’t how you really look, and I’m guessing it puts some kind of strain on you. Otherwise you would not have changed at the USJ.”

All Might sighed. 

“You are right.”

There was a literal puff of smoke and the oversized, inhumanly muscular All Might disappeared, leaving behind only a skeletal man who was barely taller than Izuku and looked like he could be blown over by a gust of wind. He actually looked like someone Izuku could have beaten in a fight even before his father’s training.

Even knowing the man was going to change, the difference was so jarring Izuku was left speechless, only able to stare. His brain was struggling to process what he was witnessing as it went against everything he had seen or been told by the entire world around him.

“How?”

He couldn’t help asking despite already knowing the basics. His voice didn’t even have the usual animosity towards the man.

All Might opened his mouth as if to respond, but remained quiet, staring at Izuku, or perhaps his hair. He even closed his eyes and breathed in deep before speaking. 

“The work of a hero is dangerous, even with my power. There was a fight a six years ago that was especially bad.” All might reached for the bottom of his shirt and pulled it up on the left side. 

His left side was a single massive scar around a single point, as if a hole had been there. Izuku a year earlier would have jolted from shock and felt ill just from seeing the injury. 

But that had been a year ago.

“A villain did this to me,” All Might continued. “My respiratory system was nearly destroyed, and my stomach was removed. I’ve wasted away because of the aftereffects of those surgeries. I can only…”

He fell quiet and stared at Izuku again. 

“My quirk is very powerful, but it requires a body capable of wielding that power, so now it takes a lot out of me. I have to pace myself completely differently than before.”

He was leaving something out, but how much could Izuku push questions without being suspicious?

“So, the number one hero isn’t so far above everyone else like he’d like us to think.”

“I would not phrase it like that, but you aren’t wrong. I have been able to thus-far hide this from the public. The Symbol of Peace cannot be seen wavering.”

“Why, because you wouldn’t fit the society that has been built to your image?” Izuku snapped. “Welcome to the club.”

All Might sighed.

“I see we have to clear some air before anything else. Listen, I know that…”

“You failed to save my mother and were more interested in posing for the cameras like you had accomplished a great victory, despite her corpse laying right next to you. More worried about the cameras then letting her family know what happened. Why bother telling them you failed to save her yourself, when the police are just your lackeys.”

“That time I made a mistake. It is important for people to see the Symbol of Peace but… I think I thought I had come just in time and didn’t immediately understand she was…”

“Gone, dead, killed while a bunch of ‘heroes’ refused to even try to save her because it wasn’t easy fame, and you were too busy basking in that fame to even check on her.”

“It’s not like…”

“Don’t bother pretending. You milk that fame just the same as almost all heroes and either don’t understand or don’t care about all the suffering you are not just standing on, but creating.”

“What… do you mean.” 

Izuku huffed at the man’s apparent ignorance. 

“When one group of people are put on the pedestal above everyone else, everyone will inevitably be compared to that. If you have a quirk similar to top heroes, one that looks flashy and cool, just what you need to show off to cameras, everyone thinks you are going to have a great future. If not… well, the whole idea of heroes comes with the concept of villains.”

All Might kept looking at him without showing signs of understanding.  

“If you aren’t heroic, you are either useless or a villain, and a lot of the time your actual actions don’t matter to that judgement.”

All Might’s eyes widened in surprise or shock and he opened his mouth, probably to say something stupid.

“Don’t even try to deny it, or pretend you are any better. I’ve seen how you look at me since the first time we met. I know you have been spying on… I mean, ‘investigating’ me since then. Couldn’t accept someone having a quirk that didn’t fit your idea of a hero? Or maybe you just don’t want a power to exist that could take away yours.”

“No... wait, it’s not that. Well… not exactly.”

Izuku held back guessing what was coming.

“Your quirk isn’t as unique as you might think. There was one other person with the same power. It isn’t called Quirk Transfer. The name of your quirk is…” 

“All For One.”

Those three words were enough to completely throw All Might off balance. He was left staring, mouth hanging open. 

“How do…?”

“Tenya and I had a history assignment on him. Good thing the people at Soumei didn’t know what my real quirk was. They would have reacted the same as you. After all, why bother with what kind of person someone is or what they actually do when it’s so easy to judge them on what they could potentially do.”

All Might’s skeletal shoulders slumped and he looked down, acting like he was ashamed. 

“I guess… they would. I never thought…”

“Doesn’t seem to be your strong suit,” Izuku responded and tapped into the Calm Mind to not forget why he was talking to the man in the first place. “You shouldn’t be a teacher if you can’t help but compare your students to ancient… villains.”

“He isn’t… wasn’t some ancient villain. All For One might not have been much in the public eye since the current hero system was established, but he was still alive until recently. I don’t know how. He probably got a life extending quirk from someone, but he was still controlling most of the underworld when you were a child. He only died six years ago. I only killed him six years ago, or at least I thought I did.”

“That, I didn’t know,” Izuku lied, hanging onto the Calm Mind to not show his emotions about All Might’s statements. A few seconds later he raised his head.

“You thought you killed him?”

All Might sighed and stood up. He stepped next to the window to look outside. Clearly, he couldn’t help but do unnecessary theatrics even when in his walking skeleton form. 

“It was a brutal fight. It was when I got my injuries. By the end I had crushed his head and was barely alive myself. I was sure I had killed him, at least I was until last Friday.”

Now Izuku was genuinely interested in what the man had to say, and worried. 

“Friday… the USJ?” He said. 

“That creature, the Nomu, it had multiple quirks. I fear All For One might have been involved in its creation,” All Might stated. “There are many mysteries about All For One and how it works, but one thing I know for sure is that normal people aren’t meant to have many quirks, can’t handle many quirks.” 

All Might finally turned to face Izuku rather than the window, with an unspoken question in his eyes. Izuku diverted his gaze before responding. 

“I have noticed there is a strain when I have gotten new quirks, but it goes away eventually. That’s why I’ve never given anyone more than one quirk at a time.”

“It is good you didn’t. I have heard that when people were given more quirks than they could handle, it would overcome their conscious minds, leaving them in a mindless semi-conscious state, a bit like the Nomu. It seems it cannot think on its own or do anything without being ordered to.”

“Cannot… are you saying it survived the fight?” Izuku said, exaggerating his surprise. 

“Yes. Police found it in a forest some distance away. It was taken to the villain hospital for the moment, but the thing wasn’t the least bit injured. Seems the only reason I won was because I separated it from the person giving it orders with that last punch.”

“So it was that strong,” Izuku said. “Can you even keep something that powerful imprisoned? Sounds like the… League of Villains could free it just by shouting orders through a window.”

“That is a concern, but it is going to be transferred to Tartarus in a week or so, so that should be okay. If it survived my attack, there isn’t anywhere else we could keep it.”

Izuku tried to shut up, but couldn’t help himself having gotten what information he could.

“Did you intentionally aim it at a forest, or did you just get lucky that it didn’t crash through a building or two? Did you ever even consider people around you while fighting?”

“Midoriya…” 

“What made you think it was a good idea to throw that thing towards your students? I had to carry Toshi out of USJ and he was lucky nothing worse happened. I guess I should have known though, it’s not like someone who can pose like a winner next to a corpse would care about a random student getting hurt. You probably think of him too as a potential villain, don’t you? I bet you never expected to meet someone like him at UA with how the school’s entrance exam is built for ‘heroic’ quirks.”

“I did not make the most careful choices back then, but that fight was the hardest I have faced since All For One and I had to hurry before my power failed to keep you and your friends safe.” 

Izuku huffed and looked away from the man. It would be a cold day in hell when he needed All Might’s help to keep his friends safe. Then an idea sparked in his head. 

“If you have become too weak to protect those around you, maybe you should step aside and leave the whole Symbol of Peace thing to someone else. Even your quirk wouldn’t need to go to waste. If it was to replace you, I could help by transferring it.” 

All Might’s eyes widened, and he seemed to forget to breathe. A few seconds later he coughed blood on his hand. 

“I… thank you for your offer, but I still have things to do as a hero and… my quirk is very powerful and demanding. It would be dangerous to try to take or give it to someone else.” 

“As you want, but you better not fail people because you refuse to give up the fame. If you change your mind, find someone who is worthy. Being a teacher here should help. UA is biased but someone here has to be worthy enough, even besides Toshi and Tenya.” Izuku paused for a moment, genuinely thoughtful. “Giving it to Tokoyami, Dark Shadow might be too dangerous if your quirk powers other quirks like your body, but Kirishima could probably split the Mount Fuji if your quirk and his could be combined.”

“Yes… I am sure someone is… many young heroes surely are. I am certain someone will continue my work.”

“Better I hope,” Izuku said and got up. “My friends are waiting for me. Did you have anything else you wanted to say?”

All Might opened his mouth. 

“You don’t want me to tell anyone about your condition,” Izuku interrupted, followed by a long silence. Before All Might could speak Izuku walked to the door. 

“Then don’t piss me off and never mention my mother again.”

He left the room and walked down the hall quickly to get some distance. Gradually his steps slowed down until he stepped into a small side corridor. A quick glance confirmed he was alone. He released the Calm Mind and collapsed against the wall, grasping his shirt. He drew deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. 

Hearing approaching steps didn’t help that. Izuku tensed and straightened his back, until Tenya and Hitoshi stepped around a corner. Tenya noticed him first. 

“Seems you were right,” he said, directing Hitoshi’s attention to where Izuku was. They both walked to Izuku. 

“You know you don’t need to pretend like whatever happened didn’t affect you,” Hitoshi told Izuku, who relaxed and leaned on the wall again.

“Depends on who is around,” Izuku responded quietly. 

“No one else. So do you want to talk about it?” Tenya asked. 

“No, at least not right now.”

“Can we assume that the big man is still alive?” Hitoshi asked.

“Unfortunately.”

“When you are ready, we should head to the cafeteria so as not to be late to the next lesson, and you need to sit down.”

Izuku looked at Tenya and breathed in deep.

“Okay.”

They headed towards the cafeteria with Tenya and Hitoshi flanking Izuku on both sides. They found an empty table and ate with just the three of them. As they got to class for afternoon hero classes the trio was left surprisingly un-harassed, although both Kirishima and Tokoyami glanced at Izuku as he settled down. Shoji had an extra eye on one of his hands on Izuku’s side that disappeared as soon as Izuku turned to see it.

At least Izuku could appreciate the day’s lesson on laws as a part of the hero training more than most of his classmates, even if he wouldn’t have agreed with all of the laws of the country. By the time Aizawa left at the end of the day, some peers, like Kirishima and Kaminari, were laying on their desks like they had been worked to exhaustion. 

“Kirishima,” Hitoshi said with a slight smirk, “don’t tell me some books can defeat the manliest guy in the class.”

“It’s not the books, it’s trying to remember everything in them,” Kirishima groaned and raised his head from the desk.

“I guess there are negatives to having such a thick skin. Books don’t get through any more than punches.”

“Hah ha,” Kirishima responded dryly and dragged himself up. If there is something all high school students have in common, it is that they are never too tired to leave school. 

“If you plan to uphold the law as a hero, you should at least know what you are upholding,” Izuku said as he finished closing his backpack. His voice was missing much of the judgemental sharpness such comments often came with. His attention soon moved elsewhere, distracted by a noise coming from outside the room.

“I wonder what is going on out there,” Uraraka said as she headed to the door

“Lot of people clearly,” Izuku said as Uraraka reached the door. Izuku was proven correct when a large crowd was revealed, the people at the front barely holding back from being pushed into the class by the pressure of the crowd. Izuku stopped, still next to his desk, unwilling to get any closer to the crowd. 

“Wh… what’s going on?” Uraraka stuttered, staring at the people gathered outside their classroom, looking in at them.

“What business do you all have with class A?” Tenya questioned the crowd.

“Hmm, either news about Friday got to the rest of the school and they’re worried for us,” Hitoshi said, “or they realized the sports festival is approaching and want to check out the competition.”

“Of course, the whole event pretty much focuses on the hero course students,” Izuku said.

“Not just that,” Hitoshi added, “people are sometimes allowed to transfer to the hero course and making an impression at the first sports festival is pretty much the only serious opportunity to do so. Of course, normally there is the issue of the course having only space for a limited number of people, but…”

“With Bakugo getting kicked out there is an open seat,” Izuku finished, and glanced at Hitoshi. “How do you know transfer opportunities so well?”

“We both know how my chances at the entrance exam were. Even with your training the sports festival always seemed like the more likely way in. If things were just a little different, I might be right there testing how easy it is to provoke you into responding to my words.”

“HAHHAA, so this is the famous class 1A, not impressed.” 

A new student had gotten through the crowd to stand in front of the doorway. A single glance at his arrogant glee was enough for Izuku to classify him in the group of people he didn’t like. 

“Shouldn’t there be more of you, oh right the crazy got kicked out. Did you hear, someone in class A was so insane he didn’t even last one week without being expelled.”

Izuku mentally reclassified the student as loud and annoying, but not the worst.  

“At this rate you’ll run out of students before the sports festival. Maybe then the rest of us can get to school without being harassed by those reporters. Surely they’re going to show up again now that the mighty 1A has fought actual villains. I hope anyone isn’t hoping to get noticed at the sports festival. They are going to steal all of the attention with that.”

He got some annoyed rumbling from people behind him. Izuku wasn’t sure how to feel about him anyway. It was getting difficult to keep track of what he was saying. 

“Well, that isn’t going to happen. We might not have reporters running after us yet, but just wait. Class 1B will…. “

A hand swung from behind him and chopped the loud one’s neck with great precision. The loud one collapsed immediately and was caught by the collar of his shirt. A smiling girl with long orange hair was revealed as the loud blonde fell out of the way. 

“Hey, my name is Itsuka Kendo, nice to meet you. Sorry about Monoma. He can get a bit overexcited about some things.”

Monoma? Izuku blinked as the name registered in his mind. 

“Well, we’ll be off before he gets going again.”

“Wait,” Izuku said and stepped forward, much to Hitoshi’s and Tenya’s surprise. “Did you call him Monoma?”

“Yes…” Kendo responded and left behind an unspoken question.

“Izuku Midoriya,” Izuku introduced himself and fell quiet for a moment before continuing. “Is he the one who can copy quirks?”

“Huh?” The question caught Kendo by surprise, but soon her eyes narrowed. So she wasn’t just a careless fool. 

“How do you know that, and why would it matter?”

“Recovery Girl mentioned it when talking about my quirk. I…” Izuku paused and hesitated, looking at all the people around her. Soon he could sense two presences behind him, hovering there as silent support.

“I have the Quirk Transfer quirk. The one those reporters called the Quirk Stealer.”

Those words invoked the expected gasps and whispers from the crowd which suddenly moved a few arm’s reaches further away, except Kendo who still stood in the same place, perhaps a bit tenser. Izuku bit his teeth together from the familiar reaction, barely noticing the new sets of steps that approached from behind and joined the previous two. Soon a large shadow rose over him, literally. Dark Shadow reached over Izuku and looked at the crowd that got a little further away. 

“He saved Fumi and we haven’t gotten him the house yet, so back off. Oh, wait you already did. So… step closer?”

“Dark Shadow! Get back here!”

Izuku had to resist chuckling at the sentient quirk’s antics now that it didn’t want him dead anymore, but he couldn’t stop a smile from getting on his face.

“I believe you were talking about this guy,” Hitoshi said, pointing at Monoma followed by a light elbow to Izuku’s side. “I haven’t seen you that interested in anyone before.”

“I heard he can copy quirks. I wanted to see if we could use our quirks together.”

“What…?” Hitoshi asked. 

“I see,” Tenya interrupted. “If you can take the copied quirk, you could have people’s quirks without actually taking the original. Together you could have and give away an unlimited number of quirks.”

“Maybe,” Izuku said. “I have never encountered a copying quirk, and I don’t know how his works.”

“That’s…” Kendo started. 

“Ha,” Monoma said, almost sitting on the floor hanging by Kendo’s grasp of his shirt. “So even class A’s mighty Quirk Stealer needs help from class B. Are 1A quirks really that pitiful you need to come after us alrea… dy.”

Monoma fell quiet as he met Izuku’s stare. It mainly carried a mix of tiredness and annoyance, but it was a stare from someone trained to kill. 

“They have fine quirks, but some of them might be worthy of keeping those quirks. So far I can’t say the same about you.”

“Izuku,” Tenya sighed.

“If I hadn’t already seen how well UA’s admission process works, I would ask how someone with your attitude got in,” Hitoshi said to Monoma. “Oh, and if you call Izuku a quirk stealer again I will brainwash you with my quirk and make you walk into the cafeteria naked during the lunch hour.”

“Hitoshi!” Tenya said louder. “What am I going to do with you two?”

“That sounds fun, can I watch?”

“DARK SHADOW!”

Monoma’s eyes darted between each of them with growing concern covering up the annoying arrogance. It was more satisfying but didn’t really help Izuku get what he wanted. Now it was his turn to sigh as he held the back of his neck in the gesture he had picked up from Hitoshi. 

“I’m not going to play your hate-the-other-class game,” he said. “Your actions matter more than the letter in your class name. If you want to be an actual hero you should seek to know the limits and potential of your quirk. It could be the difference between life and death, especially for the people around you. You know where to find me when you are ready to learn more about your quirk.”

Izuku stepped forward and past Monoma, who was still sitting on the floor. The remaining crowd parted from his way, keeping out of arm’s reach. A few steps followed him before stopping. 

“Butt naked, and I’ll make sure someone has a camera ready,” Hitoshi said before catching up with Izuku. 

“I’m sorry for them,” Tenya spoke as the two were getting further away, “but you really shouldn’t treat him like that. None of us choose our quirk… well I mean the ones we are born with. Of course, in his case um…”

“I thought he was bad too, but he’s okay.” 

“Come on, Dark Shadow.”

“So,” Izuku said to Hitoshi who was now next to him. “You are now threatening people with your quirk?”

“Hey, you aren’t exactly in a position to complain. How many people have you threatened, or broken the chin of for my sake?”

“I’m just thinking back to when I had to convince you to even show us how it works. I’m glad to see how far you’ve come.”

“Oh. I hope I didn’t get into trouble with that though.”

“After everything else they have failed to stop, you better not,” Izuku said. “By the way, I booked my interview with the detective to start in a moment, so you and Tenya need to wait a bit if you want a ride.”

“That’s fine. With Tenya around we’ll probably get our homework done before you finish.

Chapter Text

”Please, come in.”

Izuku followed the invitation and stepped into the staff cabinet room turned temporary interrogation chamber, or at least that was what it felt like to him while facing Detective Tsukauchi and another police officer from across the table.

He was already drawing on the Calm Mind as much as he dared to, not wanting to appear odd. The story of how the events at USJ happened and how he felt about them was clear in his mind and the rest of the world didn’t exist except for the two men in front of him. He sat down, maintaining a neutral expression. The police officer started a voice recorder. 

“Please state your name,” Tsukauchi said.

“Izuku Midoriya.”

“You were one of the class 1A students present during the U.S.J incident?”

“Yes.” 

“Please describe in your own words what happened from the beginning.” 

Thankfully the events had been set so that Izuku didn’t really need to lie about his actions, just his surprise and some of his feelings of the situations, and even those were dominated by genuine fear he had felt for his friend. He both naturally and purposefully let that come through in his description to cover his other feelings.

“Midoriya, I am not sure if you have noticed, but during this whole discussion you have not expressed feeling any fear for your own safety. Were you not afraid with actual villains trying to kill you?”

“It… was a shock at first, but I didn’t have time to fear… for myself.”

“Only others?”

“Yes.” 

“You were focused on their safety, not your own. Was that your main focus while fighting?”  

“Yes. Why are you asking about this?” 

“Are you aware of the level of injuries you inflicted?”

“Yes.” 

“In other areas the villains suffered severe frostbites and dangerous levels of electric shocks, but the storm dome where you fought had by far the most severely injured villains with burns, piercing wounds from shrapnel, and broken bones. It is miracle none of them seem to be in danger of dying anymore.”

“They tried to kill Toshi… and Tokoyami. THEY are lucky they failed.”

“Why is that?”

“Because I would have kille…” Izuku paused. With the Calm Mind there hadn’t been the emotions that would have usually stopped him from blurting out the words.

“You would have killed them?” Tsukauchi asked and discreetly slid his hand forward on the table to touch Izuku’s. It was too late to make up a different response. 

“Probably,” he responded truthfully. “There have been a couple of times T… my friends have been threatened or in danger. Those times are a bit of a haze, but I… I know I would kill to keep them safe, and they know that much. At USJ I had enough time to aim in front of the attackers and not at them with my explosive attacks to not kill them, but I wouldn’t risk Hitoshi’s safety to spare the villains from the shrapnel. It stopped most of them at once.”

“And the one whose quirk you took?”

The words didn’t hold any more judgement than the previous comments on the violence Izuku had inflicted on the villains, but the other police officer seemed tenser and stared at Izuku more constantly. 

“I barely stopped him from decapitating Tokoyami. Then he tried to kill Hitoshi. I was too slow. The only way I could have stopped him in time was to aim to kill and... That time Dark Shadow was faster, but the villain could still have gotten back into the air so I stopped him and took his quirk.”

“Do you intend to return the quirk?”

“No. Do you have any more questions about what actually happened there?” 

“Did you notice anything odd or specific about any of the villains?”

“Mostly I was surprised we could beat them relatively easily, and I mean the whole class. They or someone leading them was good enough to trap us in the dome, but most of the villains were out of their league against fresh high school students. There only seemed to be like two really dangerous ones, besides the creature that fought All Might. The leader and the one with the teleportation quirk.”

“You and your classmates also fought impressively. I think we are done here. Do you have any questions?”

“Have you arrested Bakugo yet?”

“No, he is still missing, though the city has had a number of noise complaints about explosion-like sounds.”

“It’s him. His quirk is as loud as himself,” Izuku said, squeezing his hand in a fist. 

What was the firecracker doing?

----------- 

A book hit the wall hard enough to crack it. It was one of the books Katsuki had gotten for UA, laws of heroism or something else stupid. Now it was just a reminder of the shitty situation he was in, all because of that Deku villain. It was bad enough that that rich bastard bought out the school and got him expelled. Now he might get imprisoned, and for what? For keeping that Deku in his proper place when no one else would? He was the one who had stolen Katsuki’s quirk twice and was still trying to do so.

“He doesn’t have an option!” The old hag shouted downstairs. “If he doesn’t give up his quirk he is going to prison! He won’t have much use for it there and our family will be ruined even after he gets out! Whenever that might be.”

He couldn’t even count on his own mother. For all the attitude she always gave him, she was just going to bow down to Deku’s demands. 

“How could we fail so badly at raising him? Despite everything Midoriya is doing he is right about that. How did Katsuki end up like this?”

Katsuki gritted his teeth. His mother wasn’t just bowing down to Deku, but taking his side. Still fuming, Katsuki looked for something to destroy, but his eyes kept returning to the news stream about what had happened earlier that afternoon. UA hero class had been attacked by villains. 

His class had been attacked by villains. He was supposed to be there beating up real villains. Taking out a bunch of villains on his first week at hero school would have showed everyone what he was capable off. Paved his way to greatness faster. 

And Deku had taken that from him too. Small explosions crackled on both of his palms. He wanted to destroy something, preferably something with white hair. 

“The deadline is today. We have to tell them we agree!”

“…”

“I know he doesn’t want it, but… after how he has acted… maybe being quirkless shocks him to a better path. His quirk is what this all started with. Maybe not having it is better for him.”

Like hell it was. No one was going to take Katsuki’s quirk, again, and live. His parents could die and go to hell for all he cared if they thought he was going to hand everything over to Deku. He was already strong enough to be a hero. He didn’t need them. 

Katsuki left his room, being quiet for the first time since waking up and sneaked into his parents’ bedroom. It only took a few seconds to get the cash stash the old hag kept there. He had already packed everything else into his backpack.

He pushed open the window. For someone like him it didn’t matter it was on the second floor. Even if he couldn’t use explosions to fly off because of the noise it was effortless for him to just slide down a drainpipe. He ran off the lot and behind a corner faster than his parents could walk up the stairs. Then he walked. He would have loved to walk straight to the Deku’s house and blow it up, but he didn’t know where it was. At school he hadn’t exactly cared about where that villain lived. 

All he knew was Soumei. That engine for brain had mentioned going there with Deku, so he lived somewhere in that region. Still, Katsuki wasn’t going to just walk around hoping to randomly run into that bastard. That engine for brains ‘friend’ of Deku’s would be easier to find, being from a famous hero family and all. Still a headache. Family of pro heroes could be a bit much even for Katsuki, for the moment. He’d need to keep up his training. He’d be stronger than any of the extras that stayed at UA. 

First, he needed a place to stay somewhere his parents wouldn’t find him, also cheap. The money he took wouldn’t last long if he didn’t acquire more and use it sparingly. So he kept walking towards the poorest and shadiest part of the city. Soon the sun was going down and the surrounding buildings cast long shadows over him. He noticed several people sitting on the sides of the road or walking shakily, probably on something. A woman walked across the street quickly looking around every few seconds. Katsuki strutted down the street like he owned the place, only dreaming about someone trying to mess with him. He should have been there as a hero making villains terrified just by walking by. 

A shadow moved next to him.

“Hey, if you don’t want to get hurt give…”

He yelped when Katsuki caught him by surprise by grabbing the wrist of the knife hand. A single yank pulled the fish-faced guy off balance and brought his face straight into a meeting with Katsuki’s other fist. The knife clinked against the asphalt of the street, a mere moment later a larger thump followed. Katsuki pressed his foot on the worthless loser’s chest and shook his hands in disgust to get rid of slime sticking to them. 

“Damn mutant. Even quirkless losers at least aren’t physically revolting.”

The fishman tried to get up to lunge at Katsuki, who kicked him in the head, knocking out the would-be robber with no real effort. He hadn’t even needed to use his quirk to deal with the slimy villain at least as fast as pro heroes.

Katsuki grinned, it was a grin that would make parents usher their kids away, but a grin nonetheless.

They thought he needed to rot three years in some hero kindergarten to beat up villains and be a hero. He’d show them. He’d show them all by beating so many villains the heroes of the city would be left out of work. UA would regret kicking him out when he became the number one without them, and then…

He would crush that insignificant bug Deku who dared to get in his way. With the media now properly aware of that quirk stealing villain everyone would know who was the villain and who was the hero. 

Katsuki’s stomach rumbled. He’d still have to feed himself until people recognized his greatness. He looked down towards the still unconscious fishman and his slightly bulging pocket. He crouched down to take the would-be robber’s wallet. 

“You tried to rob me so it’s only fair you compensate me, wouldn’t you say? Who better to pay for the heroes’ work than the villains?”

The wallet had a bunch of cash and a ring, probably stolen from some weakling who couldn’t take care of themselves. Katsuki dropped the wallet and started counting the money. A photograph slipped from between the bills. It was of some little fishgirl, who was probably smiling. It was hard to say with a face like that. Katsuki tossed the picture away from his money.  Just mutants robbing people to breed more mutants.

He glanced down at the fishman. He couldn’t just call the police and hand him over. The old hag had probably already sent them after Katsuki. Still, the fishman would just go rob some weakling if Katsuki left him here. 

He raised his foot and slammed it down on the scaly wrist, breaking it. The unconscious fishman jolted but was still out cold. Bakugo repeated the same for the other wrist. 

“Let’s see you use a knife now.”

He walked away, looking for more villains and a dry place to eat at as rain clouds rolled over the city and the unconscious villain. He’d probably be fine. Why would a fish mind some rain.

Chapter Text

“Good, I can feel your anger. I am defenceless. Take your quirk. Strike me down with all your hatred.”

Izuku tried to imagine intending to kill his father while drawing out as much of the Killing Intent quirk’s power as he could, but it was difficult since he didn’t really harbour any hatred for his father, let alone enough to want to kill him.

“Is that all the hatred you can feel? Do I have to bring Inko into this again?”

“Don’t you dare!” Izuku shouted. His father shook for just an instant.

“Good, good. I could really feel that. I wonder how you would react to me mentioning someone else, or specifically two people, who are actually still alive, for now.”

“Dad!” Izuku shouted and lit a Dragon Blade on one of his hands. His father took a step back, a first as far as Izuku remembered, and they ended up in a standstill staring at each other, as much as his father could stare without eyes that is. It lasted until his father burst out in laughter. 

“Good, Izuku, good. Let the hate flow through you. It will make your quirk stronger. If you can impact me here, enemies on the battlefield will freeze in terror in front of you.”

“I thought I was supposed to learn how to control the quirk to supress it.”

“The control that allows you to draw out its full power is the same control you need to suppress it or control it so that people don’t even realize you are using a quirk on them.”

“That makes sense, but are you sure we should be spending this much time on it? I am still struggling with the jets, and I can’t use them at the sport festival if I just fly out of bounds.”

“Winning at the festival is a secondary goal. You have dedicated much time to the skills and quirks you can use in public as Izuku Midoriya, but you must be able to also act in the shadows as Shirokuro. Do not forget you are at UA to gather information.”

“I know. I found out where the Nomu is being held didn’t I?”

“But the Nomu is still being held there.”

“I’m going to get it out on Monday when they try to move it.”

“Good. Then if that’s settled, let’s focus back on the training so you will be ready for that mission. Now, think about killing me. Make me really feel that bloodlust. Would be a shame if I had to drag some random criminal from the streets to play with you again to bring it out.”

Izuku gritted his teeth. 

“Good, good, I can feel your anger,” his father said, “unless you activated the quirk by accident, tsk tsk tsk.”

Izuku drew a deep breath. It was going to be a long evening. At least the weekend was starting so it was his turn to be the slavedriver and go for a swim. 

---------

Izuku’s toes brushed against the water as he wavered from side to side, but he managed to stay somewhat upright without dipping fully into the water below him, gliding forward using his jets as Tenya ran to keep up with him along the beach.

“Okay, are you ready to turn?” Tenya called out. 

“As ready as I’m going to be!”

“Remember to adjust for the change in balance when you turn to maintain your momentum!”

It was easier said than done. The rapid changes in momentum and balance took all of Izuku’s concentration to even hope to adjust to. He was tempted to tap into the Calm Mind but it was dangerous with Tenya and Hitoshi present to notice odd behaviours and he didn’t want to depend on the quirk. He turned his upper body, redirecting the jets. He could feel his centre of gravity shift. He bent back to counter it.

The move messed up his direction of thrust.

Suddenly the surface of the water was right in front of his eyes. 

There was a loud splash. Izuku sighed while still underwater, producing bubbles before he turned upright and brought his head over the surface. He was still blinking water out of his eyes when there was another splash nearby. Both Hitoshi and Kirishima scrambled to get back standing up in their shallower water.

“Toshi!” Izuku called out while wading towards them. “Did you finally take him down without your quirk?”

“I wouldn’t call that taking him down,” Hitoshi responded, “more like falling together.”

“Still better than you did last weekend. All you needed was to make sure you land on top and keep him down until he fainted from the lack of oxygen.”

Both Hitoshi and Kirishima stared at him for a long time in silence. 

“If it was a real fight I mean.”

“Right heh.”

“You on the other hand,” Izuku said interrupting Kirishima. “You are still physically much stronger than Toshi. Even if you both fell down and even if he was on top of you, you should have been able to turn the tables before running out of air even without your quirk.”

“Wasn’t the fight over already though?”

“If you think a fight is over before you win, you have already lost.”

“Maybe I should get a notebook too,” Hitoshi said, “for all the Izuku proverbs and motivational speeches.”

“You can have one of my empty ones,” Izuku said, “they’re on one of the lower shelves in the library.”

“Oh thanks,” Hitoshi answered with a blatant lack of seriousness.

“Try to keep over the surface,” Izuku said and turned to leave them.

“Right back at you.”

Izuku smiled as he waded back towards the beach and Tenya. As he approached, he flared his jets enough to lift him out of the water. He couldn’t fly properly jet, but he was more than capable of jumping even with some extra kick to make it an inhumanly long leap. Seconds later his feet sunk into soft sand as his legs flexed to absorb the impact. There wasn’t even the tiniest waver as he landed and stood back up. At least his balance was fine. It was just adjusting to the new quirk that was the problem. He faced Tenya.

“So how did it look to you?”

“It seemed fine at first. You were able to redirect yourself and as far as I could tell you were balancing quite well, against the initial change in direction, but you had to move to do that so there was a change you also would have had to counter, but that… thinking like that it could go around forever.”

“Balancing change from trying to balance other change, and the quirk itself doesn’t offer much help for that. I can’t change their direction enough to have much control. I’m starting to see why the villain used a wing suit. I might have to rethink my hero costume. I’m already planning modifications to use these jets without ripping it apart. Still that way would be too limiting for battle. Do you have any other suggestions to improve this training?”

“I’m afraid I’m out of ideas. Our trainings have similar needs but the quirks are really quite different. Even though my engines can provide thrust somewhat similarly having them on my legs is quite different from your jets. There is only one other thing I can think of.”

Izuku’s head perked up.

“My brother’s quirk is much more similar to your jets and he has had his own problems with changing directions at high speed. He has a free evening on Monday and wanted to see how my training has gone. He has said he’d like to meet you too so we could see if he can help you.”

“That… would be great, but I can’t on Monday,” Izuku responded. He forced a wide smile on his face while locking away the voice screaming ‘liar!’ in his head. “Dad is flying in briefly during a business trip, so we are going to spend the evening in Tokyo together.”

“Oh, I’m happy to hear that. You shouldn’t worry about training during that time then. Tensei is also usually busy but I’m sure you can meet eventually. I think he is planning to have a short vacation after the sports festival.”

“Yes, we should set up something. I don’t think I’m going to be able to use this at the festival anyway, or at least not much.”

“I doubt that. You have a tendency to surprise people, especially when it comes to quirks,” Tenya said. Him and Hitoshi really had too much confidence in Izuku, especially in other matters. Izuku didn’t respond but simply stood there looking as Kirishima pull Hitoshi almost all the way out of the water before slamming him down again. It was a welcome challenge for Hitoshi, but if Kirishima kept dominating this much, they’d have to adjust the training. When he avoided Hitoshi’s brainwashing the redhead, despite also not using his own quirk, had proven to be even tougher for Hitoshi to beat than Izuku had estimated.

“I’m not sure if you have noticed,” Tenya said, “but you have seemed more… relaxed and natural with Kirishima around than last week.”

“Have I?”

“Absolutely. I know it wasn’t the easiest thing for you but look at what happened when you gave someone a chance.”

“One person.”

“I hope it’s only the first of many.”

“Well actually more like the third… sixth… seventh, maybe,” Izuku corrected rather than try to counter Tenya’s point.  

“Does that include your parents?”

“Yes.”

“You should know I and Hitoshi plan to grow that number further.”

Izuku wasn’t sure how to respond, but he had to stomp out and burry alive the same voice that previously called him a liar. He swallowed before speaking.

“You’ve spent the whole afternoon helping my training. We should do something to help you too. Perhaps get some more sparring in.”

“Are you sure? You just said you are worried about being able to use the quirk for the festival.”

“I’ll see if I can get some use in during training. I think that is better for the festival than trying to master flying.” Izuku stepped back into the water.

He was doomed to fail their confidence in everything else eventually, but not necessarily in preparing them for whatever might come. Izuku glanced back as Tenya followed him into the water.

---------

Not all evenings could be about training for festivals at the beach. The next day was Monday. Izuku dropped off Hitoshi and Tenya at their homes and only came home long enough to change clothes from his school uniform to regular civilian clothes, perfect for a evening in the city. There were a hundred things he still wanted to check or go through so driving all the way to Tokyo felt like a waste of time even if he knew it was important to keep his cover. He could only focus on preventing his anxiety from showing too much in the presence of the driver.

“I see you are excited to see your father again.”

Well, that had been a failure.

“Yes,” Izuku responded briefly before realizing brief and antisocial didn’t fit the situation he was supposed to be in. “It’s been too long. Hard to imagine but I wasn’t even at UA when he came home last time.”

“I hope you enjoy the evening.”

“It’s definitely going to be special,” Izuku said and turned to look out of the window, hoping the driver would get the message. Thankfully he was mostly quiet for the rest of the drive until stopping at the centre of Tokyo in front of a bank with plenty of surveillance cameras. The spot wasn’t an accident.

“I’ll call you when I’m ready to go back,” Izuku said and dropped a bunch of cash on the front seat. “It could be late so try to enjoy the evening yourself.”

“Of course, Midoriya-san.”

Izuku got out and briefly stretched out his arms in front of the bank before walking down the street and once out of the sight of spying optics headed to a nearby parking garage. With a tap of a button in his wristwatch a dark warp gate appeared in a prearranged dark corner of the space and he stepped through. Arriving back at his usual training hall with his father and Kurogiri waiting, he couldn’t help but feel he had just wasted a ton of time, even if it had been necessary.

“Hello son, I’m home. How have you been?”

“Better after the mission is done,” Izuku responded as Kurogiri handed him the suitcase with his ‘villain costume’. Izuku gave the Nomu his first genuine smile of the evening.

“Are you ready for this?”

“Yes, young Shigaraki. I will complete my part of the mission as you command.”

“Just make sure to stay safe. I’m not willing to lose you for that Nomu.”

“I will remain safe as long as your safety does not require otherwise.”

Izuku blinked and glanced at his father. Did Kurogiri just say he’d disobey him? Father too had tilted his head towards the misty Nomu.

“Son, you should go change. It’s almost time.”

“Right,” Izuku nodded, glancing at Kurogiri one more time before going. He never wanted to control Kurogiri so he wasn’t very bothered by it, but it was still surprising.

In the dressing room he changed his clothes and held up his helmet. Completely covering his face was such a blessing in letting him be Shirokuro, no need to worry about what sorts of facial expressions he might make during villain work, but it also made him look like a completely different person; a person that Hitoshi, Tenya and their classmates would either fear or hate, probably both.

Izuku couldn’t help but wonder if Shirokuro would suffer nightmares from everything that had happened to him. He blinked at the strange notion and shook his head, pulling himself back to reality.

He put the helmet on.

Chapter Text

Izuku crouched on a rooftop with Shirokuro's helmet on and looked down at the villain hospital some distance away. The night vision made the building much clearer, and the lights of the arriving vehicles were especially easy to distinguish. A heavy door covering the entry of a loading bay opened for the approaching police van. Izuku tapped a button on the helmet to measure distance before the door closed after the van.

“I got your coordinates,” Izuku said as he backed away from the roof edge and stood up next to Kurogiri, who had silently stood behind him.

“I am ready young Shigaraki.”

“Wait fifteen more seconds. They aren’t going to waste any time loading up the Nomu, but we want it in the bay.”

“Understood.”

Izuku stayed quiet for a few seconds.

“Have we considered everything?” he asked.

“You have prepared this mission with great care and consideration. As long as you maintain your concentration on the mission, I have no doubt of your success.”

“Our success,” Izuku corrected. “It is time.”

With those words several warp gates opened on the street outside the villain hospital releasing lighter coloured low tier Nomu’s like those Izuku had trained against for months, though with these he did not know who they had been before. The thought alone made him draw a deep breath through his gas filters.

“Try to bring them all back alive when we are done. Dad might be willing to sacrifice them all for the one high end, but I’m not… They still were people,” Izuku said as another warp gate opened in front of him. Kurogiri did not say a word as Izuku stepped through.

He emerged from the dark mist in the loading bay to face half a dozen pistols pointed at him. The guns gave Izuku a pause even knowing they probably couldn’t kill him even if they emptied their magazines on him. He reminded himself of that fact and steeled his resolve. The Killing intent quirk burst from within as he took a step forward seemingly unconcerned about the police officers between him and the parked van. Three of them stepped backwards and everyone’s aim got a little unsteady.

“Greetings,” Izuku said through the voice changer and pointed at the Nomu that was already in the van, trapped inside some metal contraption covering all but its head. “I have come to pick up my friend here. Shall we do this the easy way where you step out of the way or the hard way where I leave behind six corpses?”

Izuku had kept walking closer to the open back of the van and now only one exceptionally brave man was standing between him and the Nomu, visibly shaking but refusing to move. Izuku took the risk and acting with all the confidence he could muster reached out to grab the gun in the man’s hand. The man didn’t pull the trigger, just stood and shook. Izuku activated the Vibration quirk and the gun shattered as every part shook itself apart from the others.

The shock made the man drop the remains of the gun leaving him unarmed. In panic he slashed out with a straight punch. Izuku dodged, grabbed the man’s arm and with a yank switched their places bringing the man between himself and the rest of the police who were a little firmer with their hold of their guns now with a colleague in danger. Izuku grabbed the back to his new hostage’s neck.

“Drop your weapons, unless you would like to see how my quirk works on his internal organs.”

The man collapsed on the floor as he fainted, and a distinct stink rose from his wet pants. This surprised even Izuku. He had only gotten to test the Killing Intent on his father who wasn’t easy to faze. Three of the other five police officers inched closer guns up now that their colleague wasn’t in the way. Izuku could appreciate their bravery to resist the killing intent and the threat he had already shown himself to pose to them. That kind of people should have been the ones to go to hero schools. Still, he had a mission. 

“Nomu, free yourself.”

The Nomu responded with a loud screech and then the metal cocoon holding it shattered in two with enough force to bend the sides of the van. The three police finally opened fire but by the time their fingers moved against the triggers the Nomu was already in front of Izuku instinctually protecting him. The bullets did nothing to its dark skin.

Once they realized this and stopped shooting Izuku stepped next to the Nomu to face the remaining police officers with the Nomu standing over him.

“You should already know this, but this Nomu was enough to push All Might’s limits. How do you feel about your chances?” He paused for a few seconds. The three police in front of him dropped their guns and stepped out of the way. The other two were already out of the way sitting on the floor to the sides.

“Well, we’ll be going now.”

On que a warp gate opened where he had first entered.

“Nomu, go through the warp gate.”

The Nomu did as ordered and walked ahead of Izuku into the gate. As soon as it was completely in, there was a quick swish. Izuku turned to respond, but he was looking for the three police that had opposed him, not the two that had collapsed on the floor. A loud bang reverberated throughout the space. Izuku’s whole body shook and tensed from the impact.

“Shit,” was all he could say as he stumbled through the warp gate and barely balanced on the other side to stay on his feet.

“Young Shigaraki, are you okay?”

“I got careless,” Izuku hissed. “They shot me. Wait.”

There was a quiet plop and a cling as the bullet joined a puddle of blood on the rooftop. Izuku could immediately breathe a little easier.

“Did you not intend to take a hostage to avoid violence?” Kurogiri asked.

“I did. He collapsed, from fear I think.” Izuku drew a deep breath. “How about the other Nomus?”

“Seems two of the four have been restrained and I cannot safely transport them. Two others are fighting but damaged. There are some heroes down there. We should leave.”

“No,” Izuku cleaned and held open his hand. “Paper.”

A warp gate opened and Kurogiri pulled a pile of hand paper from where-ever he had been keeping it. Izuku pressed the whole pile against his side to wipe and absorb what blood he had had time to bleed. He didn’t want to leave any of it behind for the police to analyse. His black costume barely showed the taint around the little hole where the bullet had entered. Izuku kept talking as he did this.

“I said I don’t want to leave any of them behind. Did you recognize any of the heroes?”

“Yes,” Kurogiri said.

…

“Who?” Izuku asked worried what the answer was.

“Kamui Woods and Death Arms.”

Izuku stared into the empty air for several seconds as the names sunk in. The video still stored in his phone rose into his mind from the dark corner it was held in his memories.

“Drop me and the Nomu behind Death Arms.”

It was an order, more so than almost anything he had ever said to Kurogiri.

“Understood.”

A warp gate opened under Izuku’s feet much like at the USJ and he fell through. Right away his head passed that of Death Arms as he fell behind the man. Izuku’s hand swung to touch the so-called hero’s head before his feet even touched the ground. Even if the darkest corners of his mind would have disagreed, he didn’t want to kill Death Arms, at least not there. He needed him alive. That didn’t mean he was above risking injury to the failed hero.

For a fraction of a second, he unleashed the Vibration quirk controlling its power to the best of his ability. There was no sound as he nimbly landed on his feet followed by a loud crack when the Nomu landed next to him cracking some asphalt. Finally, there was an audible thump as Death Arms collapsed on the ground. At that point they had been seen. Kamui Woods spun around seemingly not bothered by the limited amount of Killing Intent Izuku let out. His wooden arm extended at high speed to grab either Izuku or Death Arms.

“Nomu.”

The large Nomu grabbed the extending arm and swung it hard enough to throw the wooden hero away.

“Take him,” Izuku said pointing at Death Arms. The Nomu grabbed the man from back of his neck and lifted him upright with one hand. Izuku turned to face the other hero and countless police officers, some still battling with the other Nomus.

“Nomus, stop! Come to me,” Izuku commanded, and they did while he focused on the enemy and gestured towards the large Nomu.

“If you are here, you should know a bit about what this Nomu can do. It has been called the Anti Symbol of Peace for a reason. Also, Death Arms is still alive in case you are concerned, for now.”

“You are pure evil,” Kamui Woods declared. “What do you want?”

“Just my Nomus back, this time,” Izuku wanted to say more but usually his big mouth just got him into more trouble. ”One worthless hero for few Nomus seems like a fair trade, but don’t think too long.”

The Nomu lifted Death Arms a bit higher.

“Just let the ones you have restrained go, and we’ll leave with no casualties. As heroes you should be prepared to sacrifice yourself, but how about all these police officers or the people inside the hospital who might get caught up in our battle.”

It wasn’t easy talking to Kamui so calmly but at least Izuku’s anger fuelled his Killing Intent. Kamui’s face was completely covered but tension in the faces of the police officers around him was obvious even in the limited light of the streetlights.

“You only want these creatures?” Kamui asked.

“Yes, I prefer not to leave allies behind if I can help it. I am also not going to play along if you plan to delay waiting for reinforcements. You have ten seconds.”

Izuku waited, 3 seconds, 6 seconds, 8…

“Fine,” Kamui said probably gritting his teeth. “Let the beasts go,” he ordered. The police officers released the two Nomus from restrains. They moved with extreme caution, but as the Nomu’s were released they simply ignored them and walked towards Izuku following his earlier command.

A warp gate opened next to Izuku. The low tier Nomus walked inside. Izuku stood straight trying to project confidence. Finally, he gestured the large Nomu to move back towards the warp gate while doing the same. This time they walked backwards. Getting shot from behind once was enough for one evening. On his signal the Nomu dropped Death Arms next to him as it entered the warp gate. Few rash police officers stepped forward but were stopped by Kamui Wood’s extending branches, at least one of them was smart.

“Lets go…”  Izuku started saying but froze mid-word.

“I”

No

“AM HERE!”

All Might landed between Izuku and Kamui cracking the asphalt even more than the Nomu had. Memory of his overwhelming power hit Izuku like his Killing Intent had been turned against him. He quickly crouched to touch Death Arms, but only met empty asphalt. The man was gone.

Before Izuku could move to escape he had already been hoisted up from one arm held in the near bone crushing grip of the number one hero. Even if Izuku could have maintained Killing Intent with the shock he experienced, in that position he wasn’t presenting any credible threat to people around him let alone All Might.

“And who might you be villain?” All Might asked arrogance in his voice befitting of a man who didn’t see his opponent as a threat.

Izuku didn’t respond. He was too busy not hyperventilating at being at the mercy of the man he so hated. He wanted to kill the large man, but… All Might was too powerful. He couldn’t win.

“Are you sure you aren’t too young for this kind of stuff? You feel a bit young. Lets see.”

His other hand reached for Izuku’s helmet.

“NO!” Izuku shouted. His leg swung up faster than it had ever done meeting All Might’s chin and stopped. He felt like he had kicked a concrete wall and only his reinforced boots stopped him from breaking his foot.

“Impressive, but not enough,” All Might said.

“Let him go!” a new voice shouted as a large shadow rose over them. Kurogiri had abandoned any pretence of human form and was just a dark cloud that emerged from nothing.

“Kurogiri,” Izuku shouted, “leave, get out of here.”

“No.”

No?

Izuku stopped shocked by the Nomu’s response. He was brought back into his senses by a yank as All Might jumped to the side. There were multiple yelps around him. Several warp gates had appeared on the ground that multiple police and still unconscious Death Arms had fallen into, but not through. The gates had closed around them, holding them trapped like All Might at the USJ.

“Release him or they die,” Kurogiri threatened now surrounded by Nomus, all of the ones Izuku had just gotten out and several more that seemed to be at least above low tier.

“You are a monster, I can’t…” All Might was cut off by a scream as one of the warp gates closed into one of the police officers, literally. In few agonizing seconds the upper half of the officer stomach and up was left laying in an expanding red pool. If there was any life left in him, he couldn’t scream anymore. A silence took over the street until a wet thud as the cut off lower body fell from high above.

“Even you cannot save all of them while fighting all of the Nomus. Release young Shigaraki.”

Izuku was only now getting properly back into his senses with the help of the Calm Ming following All Might’s arrival and Kurogiri’s disobedience. His breath was calmer, and he moved with purpose as he turned in All Might’s hold to face the man. He even considered his words before speaking.

“Isn’t it nice to have good trustworthy help.”

“He just murdered a man and is threatening to murder a dozen more,” All Might responded. “You seem in charge of him. You must tell him to stop.”

“I thought you might be getting old, but I didn’t think your hearing had gotten so bad. I already told him to leave. He didn’t.”

As he spoke Izuku brought his second hand up to the one All Might was holding onto.  

“You are lucky my brother isn’t here.”

“Brother, wait… that one called you Shigaraki…?”

He grabbed All Might’s hand and hit it with the Vibration, as much vibration as he could. He wasn’t sure if it caused any damage to the symbol of peace, but the shock travelled through his hand and into Izuku’s wrist. The only thing preventing him from shouting in pain was his complete refusal to show any more weakness in front of All Might. All Might let go of his destroyed wrist and Izuku jumped back as soon as his feet touched the ground. His hand was hanging from his arm like there were no bones. Izuku held it up with hit other hand to help the regeneration as it restored the damage he had caused. All Might’s eyes widened.

“You…?”

“Will be leaving now,” Izuku interrupted, “unless you want more corpses here.”

Several people yelped as Kurogiri briefly tightened the warp gates around them. All Might gritted his teeth, but didn’t move as Kurogiri’s mist encased Izuku and all of the Nomus.

“Don’t worry All Might. We will meet again soon.”

As the mist cleared Izuku let go the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding and dropped on one knee. Kurogiri’s mist hovered behind and around him almost covering the large Nomu next to them from Izuku’s sight.

“Son,” father said with concerned but stern voice, “what happened and why did all of my Nomus suddenly disappear?”

“It,” Izuku started after a few seconds and lowered his head, “it didn’t all go well. I got the Nomu out but… took too long to get the others out.”

“I told you the one Nomu was worth losing those low ends.”

“That doesn’t mean I was going to just abandon them, and I got them out but… All Might was here.” Izuku punched the floor hard enough to hurt. “I was too weak. I couldn’t even follow his movements and didn’t even realize before he was holding me up like a little kid.”

“If you feel things should have been otherwise, you are expecting too much of yourself, at this point. He is considered the number one and the most powerful hero for a reason.”

Izuku could only squeeze his fist not saying a word.

“So, you decided to summon all the Nomu’s against All Might?”

“No, Kurogiri,” Izuku paused and glanced up at the mist cloud still surrounding him. “I… asked him to get us out of there. I wasn’t calm or in control, not ready to face him. Kurogiri must have used everything he had to… follow my order.”

“I see. I believe we have talked about being considerate what you tell him. It is not important just because of your hesitation to command him.”

“I know… I think all the Nomu’s survived at least.”

“They did and have been returned to their place,” Kurogiri confirmed.

“That is not important,” father declared but then his tone softened, and he kneeled next to Izuku, “both of you are more valuable to me than all of the Nomu I gave you. That is why I said they could be sacrificed if necessary.”

“I didn’t think it was necessary. You trusted me with them. I wanted to bring them back,” Izuku said, “but then All Might arrived, and Kurogiri had to save me.”

“I should reproach you for your carelessness, but I am impressed with your dedication again, so I don’t need to change my plans.”

Izuku blinked in his helmet.

“Despite your training there are still heroes who you aren’t ready to face, especially All Might, not without help. Since you got my Nomu back you can keep it. I trust you use it wisely, also for training.”

Izuku looked up at his father, then at the large Nomu.

“Huh?”

“Unlike Tomura you didn’t leave important assets behind, and if you are going to take risks for that you should at least have reliable backup. It may have failed at killing All Might but should suffice for most foes you cannot defeat alone. You hear that Nomu. Serve and protect my son.”

The Nomu let a short screech. Father stood back up.

“But do try not to steal the rest of my Nomus without asking, that goes for the both of you.”

“Yes master,” Kurogiri said obedient as always… usually. He shrank back to human form despite still appearing only as mist that his clothes emerged from.

“Yes dad.”

Father put a hand on Izuku’s shoulder.

“Get up son. Even if you couldn’t win you can’t let facing All Might shake you this much every time. That is the first thing you have to work on if you want to stand against him.”

“I know,” Izuku said as he stood up, “but every time I even see him I…”

“I understand, no training today. I must rest and prepare before Hisashi Midoriya can make his appearance for the cameras. Clean up and take some time to reflect on your actions today and what you could have done better. Come to get me when you are ready.”

“Okay.” Izuku glanced down where the bullet had entered his side. Father said nothing, not about that exactly.

“I hope you didn’t leave behind anything that could be tracked back to you.”

Izuku realized what he meant but too late.

“It is all taken care of,” Kurogiri said.

“Good,” father said and turned away. Izuku didn’t even move a finger until he had left the room. Then he finally took off his helmet to face Kurogiri. The Nomu stood still and silent.

“Back there,” Izuku started, “I told you to leave.”

“Yes.”

“You didn’t. You told me no.”

“Yes.”

“I’m not complaining… but I thought you aren’t supposed to be able to do that.”

“Yes, my mission is to protect and serve you.”

“But you didn’t… Can you repeat that?”

“My mission is to protect and serve you.”

“In that order?” Izuku asked.

…

“Yes.”

It might not have been what father had intended with the Nomus, but Izuku didn’t care. He took a step forward and embraced Kurogiri with a hug.

“That is fine for me,” he said barely audibly before letting go of the Nomu. “Sorry, I’ll go change my clothes.”

“I will clean the evidence for you young Shigaraki.”

Izuku thought about asking about that, but decided it was unnecessary. If Kurogiri said he could make sure there was no issue, Izuku was going to believe it. Still, as he walked towards the dressing room he glanced back and saw Kurogiri pouring some chemical from a large plastic container into a small warp gate. Izuku thought it better not to ask.

Chapter Text

“Please come in,” Nezu called as soon as Aizawa’s still bandaged arm brushed against the door. Aizawa pushed the door open with his body, refusing to show any of the pain for simply pressing lightly against it.

As soon as he saw the group gathered at the meeting room, he also started getting a headache. Nezu and All Might weren’t unexpected or concerning on their own, but All Might was in his powered form and with the detective Tsukauchi present there was something more serious going on. Considering the recency of the USJ attack and regular visits by the detective at the school since then, that still wouldn’t have been too bad. That is if they hadn’t also been joined by the dog-headed Chief of Police and two other pro heroes, Kamui Woods and Death Arms. 

Aizawa was going to need more coffee by the time this meeting was over. 

“Please tell me you are here because of a breakthrough in the USJ investigation.”  

“Unfortunately it is quite the opposite, and what discoveries there are, raise some questions that will interest you as well.”

“Is this related to last night’s battle at the villain hospital?”

“Yes. Nomu, the creature you fought at the USJ, was freed by an unknown attacker with several weaker Nomus, and the villain with a mist-like teleportation quirk helping him.”

Aizawa’s still healing bones suddenly ached even more. 

“And that isn’t the worst part. You should sit. Recovery Girl will have my tail if I hinder your recovery.” 

Aizawa didn’t fight the suggestion. Sitting down was a great relief and despite how he presented himself to the students he wasn’t about to go against the old lady. Nezu maintained control of the meeting as Aizawa sat. 

“I am sorry to disrupt your respective works by asking all of you into this meeting, but there are reasons to believe we are facing a far greater threat than might be immediately obvious even from the two recent attacks. While the creature called Nomu captured at USJ has been liberated by the villain, the police and hospital staff had time to conduct experiments and especially dna tests on it. During the USJ attack the leader of the villains, called by the name of Shigaraki, referred to it as an artificial human. Based on the tests this is not the case. Rather it should be described as a former human.”

Nezu paused, giving everyone present time to process the information.

“Do you mean…?” Death Arms asked. 

“Yes, whatever that creature was, it used to be a human, a small-time villain to be exact.” Nezu placed a photograph of the man on the table. 

“That is horrendous,” Kamui Woods commented, “and to think there are several more of those poor souls.”

“That we know of,” Nezu added, “and that is not the most disturbing thing we have discovered. Already during the USJ incident we discovered that the creature had at least two quirks in addition to its immense strength, and neither of these matched the registered quirk of the original person. Additionally, the person who freed it appears to poses at least two quirks himself, perhaps more.”

“Is that even possible?” Death Arms asked.

“Yes,” Aizawa responded and turned his head to look at Nezu. “Is this why you wanted me to be involved in this meeting?”

“Partially, you are also a part of this due to your own encounter with the creature.” 

“What are you talking about?” Death Arms asked. 

“Previously you asked if it is possible for people to have more than one quirk, ones they weren’t born with. It is. We already know of one quirk that allows its wielder to take quirks from others and if they so choose to also give those quirks to other people.”

“Hold on,” Death Arms said. “I’ve seen the news. Do you really have a student…?”

“Who can do exactly that, yes,” Aizawa finished.

“Are you saying one of your students…?”

“No,” Nezu quickly responded. “We think it is something, someone, even more dangerous. Over the generations since quirks first appeared, we are aware of only one other person capable of doing what we are talking about. We believed him to be dead, but with the discoveries of this Nomu we must consider the possibility of that not being the case.”

“So now you think All for One is alive, and involved with this league of villains?” Aizawa held back a groan, his head hurt more just thinking about the possibility.

“That seems possible,” Nezu confirmed. 

“All for who?” Death Arms asked. Aizawa sighed. 

“All For One, it is the name of his quirk that he has adopted,” Nezu said. “He is the most powerful and dangerous villain we are aware of since the emergence of quirks. All Might, you tell them.” 

Aizawa dozed off, sinking into his own thoughts as All Might explained who All for One was to the uninformed in their group. 

“To think someone so despicable can exist,” Death Arms said. “Then again, with a quirk like that, him becoming a villain is obvious. I wish the government did more to control villain quirks.” 

Aizawa’s head perked up, as did his hair as a side effect of his quirk. 

“What?”

“What did you just say about quirks?”

“I said villain quirks should be controlled better, or at least those people should be monitored better.”

“Because you don’t like the quirk they are born with? Before you answer, remember that we were talking about a quirk of one of my students.” 

“I haven’t forgotten. You might want to re-evaluate your student selection principles.” 

“We do, but to the opposite direction to what you are suggesting. I find it difficult to believe I am hearing such prejudicial ideas from a supposed professional hero. Even the staff here might not be perfect, but we definitely need new screenings to eliminate people like you from the admission.”

“You dare…”

“Enough!” 

Nezu might be small but when the usually calm principal raised his voice everyone shut up.

“Death Arms, as much as I’d like to destroy you in an academic debate on this topic, that is not what we are here for. That said, I will not allow attacks on our students, including verbal ones.”  

“And what do I care what you want? Have you even considered that kid might be involved? Hell, maybe he’s the one who attacked us. That villain was small enough to still be a high-schooler.”

“You didn’t even see him,” Kamui Woods said, holding his temper much better. “He knocked you out before you ever had the chance to.” 

Death Arms gritted his teeth.

“That doesn’t change the fact I’m right, as you and All Might both know.” 

“I can’t deny that. They are about the same size as far as I could tell,” All Might said, looking unusually meek as he glanced at Aizawa. “Though Tsukauchi has already investigated him, so I don’t think he is directly involved.” 

“Like you thought All for One was dead?” Death Arms asked. 

“What do you want?” Aizawa asked. 

“We should question him. Test if he is involved.”

“And how would you do that?”

“Doesn’t the detective here have a lie detector quirk? Also, that villain had some kind of healing quirk. Have you ever seen that kid injured?”

“Yes,” Aizawa said. “Would you like to see the recording?” 

“I’d like to see it myself. It’s school day right now isn’t it? Get him here and we’ll see what we can find out.”

“You will not harass my student just because you got beaten. People like you have already made his life difficult enough. It is hard enough to earn his trust as things are.”

“This is a bit more important than your class. Chief,” Death Arms turned to the Chief of Police, “you have to agree.” 

The dog-headed man seemed thoughtful for a moment and then sighed. Aizawa felt a headache coming up. 

“Considering the threat this League of Villains poses, especially if they are tied to All for One, we have to investigate every possibility. I don’t want to suspect detective Tsukauchi’s abilities at their earlier meetings, but the boy hasn’t been questioned about this matter directly.”

“Do you actually have any evidence or way of identifying the villain other than having the detective ask about it from everyone you suspect?” Aizawa asked.

Tsukauchi’s and the police chief’s expressions turned darker. Tsukauchi was the first to talk. 

“Unfortunately they didn’t leave much evidence behind. The villain was fully covered with a face covering, including a voice changing helmet and gloves. We hoped to get a blood sample from the floor where he was shot but, well...”

“Well what?” Aizawa asked. 

“Before we got to take a sample the teleporting villain opened a small portal to that place and poured enough strong chemicals through it to cover the entire floor. We couldn’t even try to get a sample before the fumes were ventilated out and investigators don’t expect to get anything usable. The only samples we have come from some of the Nomus. Their identity might give us some clues but…” 

“So, you can only make accusations without even being able to prove anything.”

“That is why he needs to be investigated,” Death Arms declared. “If he wasn’t involved and has nothing to hide, he shouldn’t have any issues with it.” 

“That is not true,” Aizawa said, “and that is an excuse tyrants use when they want to trample on people’s rights.”

Death Arms gritted his teeth, but the Chief of Police raised his hand in front of the hero before he could say anything more. 

“I understand your concern, but we are not talking about violating anyone’s rights or accusing your students without evidence, at least I’m not. However, questioning him is within our authority and even if there are no indications of his involvement, his knowledge about this All for One quirk can be valuable.” 

“Why are you trying to convince me if you have already made the decision?”

“There is another concern,” Nezu interrupted. “Midoriya doesn’t know about All for One. Him learning of All for One and our investigation could lead to a negative reaction. I’d like to keep that part secret.”

“He already knows,” Aizawa interrupted. “He’s known about All for One since before coming to UA.”

“Really,” Death Arms said, “and how is that?”

Everyone in the room stared at Aizawa and the big headache had finally arrived. The painful silence continued for a long time. All Might seemed strangely tense, like he wanted to say something.

“Aizawa,” Nezu said in a quiet voice that caused Aizawa goosebumps. “I too would like to know the answer to that question, and how you know about what Midoriya knows.” 

“He told me.” 

“I find that difficult to believe considering the distrust he has shown.”

Aizawa sighed.

“You wanted me to guide him and earn his trust. To do so, I needed to show a little trust myself. Trust goes two ways, so I told him about your investigation and about All for One, or at least I tried to. Apparently, his old school had a history assignment about the man.”

“I doubt that. I didn’t even know about him,” Death Arms said. 

“That is your problem. I haven’t confirmed the claim, but another student went to the same class. I haven’t wanted to involve him in this. That might be the fastest way to get on Midoriya’s bad side.”

“I understand what you were seeking,” Nezu said, “but I am disappointed you gave away such information on your own. Without that we could at least control how to give it away.”

“Actually,” All Might said with timidness that didn’t fit his massive frame. “I… might have had a similar discussion with him.”

“At the risk of sounding like the principal,” Aizawa said, “I find that difficult to believe. The kid hates you.” 

“I know, and I doubt I made things any better, but there was something I had to talk about. He,” All Might glanced at the visiting heroes, “saw something I needed to address. I can confirm he already knows about All for One. Aizawa is also right that questioning him due to nothing but his quirk will not go over well, and I cannot be present.”

“Why is that?” Kamui Woods asked. All Might looked more nervous than most people would expect the number one hero to be capable of.

“I cannot afford to… ‘piss him off’ right now for… reasons, and he might be more responsive to questioning if I’m not around anyway.”

“Are you all afraid of this kid or something?” Death Arms asked.

“We are afraid of failing him as teachers like every school before has done to him,” Aizawa said. “If the police want to talk to him, we can’t stop you, but it will be on you, and if you don’t do everything exactly by the book, the kid has enough lawyers to make the UA legal team lose sleep.”

“I would have to agree with mister Aizawa,” Nezu said. “If the police request access to him in writing, we’ll bring him to you. The rest is up to you. We will monitor the questioning of course. My official position, though, is that I do not recommend it. For the rest of these matters, I will have a separate discussion with All Might and Aizawa later.”

Both of the hero teachers had shivers go through their spines, knowing that a lecture was sure to occur at a later time.

Nezu had the chief write up a formal request. Unfortunately getting Midoriya from class fell on Aizawa, which is how he found himself interrupting Present Mic’s lesson. 

“Midoriya, come with me.”

The glare his request got in response was enough to tell him this was going to get ugly. That glare only softened a little bit as Midoriya passed Hitoshi Shinso, who whispered something as he went by. Putting the trio in the same class was probably the smartest thing Nezu had done in a long time, and the principal was a certified genius. Midoriya stayed quiet barely long enough for the classroom door to close behind him and Aizawa. 

“What do you want?”

“Nothing, but there are other people who want to talk to you, and I’m not allowed to tell the police no on this matter.”

“Why would police want to talk with me?”

“Two reasons,” Aizawa responded, “your quirk might give you valuable insight on a matter concerning the USJ investigation, the Nomu more specifically.” 

Aizawa paused for a moment, but Izuku wasn’t having any of it. 

“And the second reason?”

“The Nomu was broken out and taken by someone with multiple quirks, supposedly about the same size as you. The heroes who were…”

Aizawa stopped and turned to look at Midoriya who had fallen behind. He was looking down so Aizawa couldn’t see his expression, but slowly the kid’s hands stopped shaking and squeezed into fists. 

“So,” he said, “any time police run into someone with strange quirks they are going to come for me.”

Aizawa sighed. 

“No, I hope. However, they now have two cases of villains with multiple quirks. Nezu and All Might… On the second day of school, after your fight with Bakugo, we talked about All for One. I told you he is dead.”

Midoriya tensed visibly. 

“We aren’t so confident about that anymore. Considering him and you are the only examples we know of quirks being transferred between people... I know you are capable of being smart and logical. If you were a police officer or a hero involved with this, wouldn’t you want to talk to yourself in this situation?” 

Midoriya didn’t say anything, but as Aizawa was waiting for a response he got it from the kid’s body language. His fist loosened and most of the tension in his stance disappeared faster than Aizawa thought possible. The only sign of the rapid change to a less perceptive person was a slow long exhale as Midoriya brought himself under control. Aizawa had to give the kid credit for achieving that despite the obvious emotional baggage he carried. 

Though as Midoriya raised his head, the look in his eyes was worryingly empty, to the point of being downright cold.  

“Get it over with,” was all he said. Aizawa nodded and they walked the rest of the way to the meeting room the others were waiting in. He opened the door and stepped aside, preferring to let someone else become the target of Midoriya’s ire. It happened faster than he thought. 

Midoriya was barely two steps in when he froze still and a blade of blue hot fire flashed into existence next to his hand, shaking like he was struggling to not use it. Aizawa couldn’t hold the kid back in his injured state but quietly prepared to use his quirk. The others in the room weren’t quite as calm. At least two chairs clacked against the floor. Midoriya raised his arm to point at someone with the blade. 

“WHAT… are they doing here?”

Recovery Girl had better prescribe Aizawa more painkillers after this. 

“Midoriya!” Nezu commanded more forcefully than Aizawa had heard the principal talk in a long time, but Midoriya didn’t budge. Nezu quickly calmed down though.

“What might be the issue with our guests.”

“Existing,” Midoriya responded through gritted teeth. “Daring to call themselves heroes. Being here.”

Midoriya’s Dragon Blade flashed seemingly even hotter. A branch from Kamui Woods stretched across the table at a blinding speed to tie up Midoriya. Midoriya stepped aside and cut the extending branch three times in less than that many seconds. 

“You have a strange idea of talking, Eraserhead.” 

Aizawa muttered things under his breath that would normally endanger a teacher’s career if spoken at a school and stepped into the room. The first thing he did was to use his quirk, not on Midoriya though, but the pro heroes across the room. The extended tree branch didn’t disappear but stopped moving.

“Eraserhead, what the hell?!” Death Arms shouted. 

“I could ask you two the same,” Aizawa said. “Sit down.”

“Don’t bother,” Midoriya said and turned towards the door, but Aizawa placed himself in the way. Midoriya engaged him in a staring contest and held his own, despite that being Aizawa’s specialty. 

“Sit,” Aizawa said.

“What are they doing here?” Midoriya seethed. 

“They were the heroes at the scene when the Nomu was taken.”

“They might have been there, but they are not heroes.”

“How dare you, you brat?!” Death Arms interrupted. The look in Midoriya’s eyes told Aizawa the hero was simply throwing more dynamite into the fire. Midoriya finally broke his stare to redirect it at Death Arms. 

“Heroes risk themselves to save others. Fake heroes let others die to keep themselves safe. You didn’t want to take the risk of fighting an enemy you couldn’t beat in a single punch, so you just watched him murder someone.”

Aizawa looked at Midoriya, ready to erase his quirks if needed. 

“And what do you know about being a pro hero?” Death Arms asked. 

“More than you, apparently.” 

“You…” Death Arms stepped around the table and towards Midoriya but was stopped by Kamui Woods’ branch grabbing him.  

“We are not making any progress like this,” the wooden hero said. 

“I agree,” the Chief of Police nodded. “Perhaps you two should step out for the moment. We can handle the questioning.” 

Death Arms gritted his teeth but didn’t fight the chief. 

“Fine, but don’t let that villain kid play you.”

“Get. Out,” Aizawa commanded. He sighed in relief as the door shut behind the two heroes. Afterwards he found Midoriya looking at him. 

“Any other issues, problem child?”

Midoriya stared at him quietly for a long moment. 

“No, not yet.”

“Then sit down so we can get this done.”

“Okay, you too. This can’t be good for your recovery.”

“Then try not to strain my mental health.”

“Depends on them… I’ll try.” 

After those words Midoriya, finally, sat down. To be safe, Aizawa sat next to him. Tsukauchi took a seat opposite to the kid with Nezu and the Chief of Police. Someone at least had to stay on the kid’s side when everyone else was literally facing against him. The Chief of Police spoke first. 

“I apologise for the behaviour of our hero companions… even if it wasn’t unilateral or completely unprovoked, woof.” 

“Oh, it was plenty provoked, by them.”

“Could you explain in more detail? Clearly something is happening between you three that I am not well-informed on.”

Midoriya was quiet for a few seconds, looking at the table until he seemed to get his emotions back in check, surprisingly quickly considering the storm of emotions they had just seen a glimpse of. 

“Why don’t you ask your detective, or the principal. From what I’ve heard they’ve been poking their noses in my private life. This meeting isn’t the first time I’ve been harassed for my quirk, including by people in this room.” 

“That is quite concerning to hear, detective?”

“Uh,” the detective hesitated and glanced at both Midoriya and Nezu before his shoulders slumped and he faced the chief. “We have conducted an investigation on him for…” 

“It was my decision,” Nezu said. “We have already discussed the matter of All for One. After learning of Midoriya’s quirk I had to investigate the matter and his background.”

Midoriya huffed but kept whatever he was going to say to himself. 

“And our hero companions?” The chief asked. 

“They were the hero responders at the incident where Midoriya’s-” Nezu at least had the decency to pause to give Midoriya a sad apologetic look, “where his mother was killed.”

Aizawa wished his arms weren’t still broken and wrapped up as he couldn’t properly comfort his student who was literally shaking next to him. He could only watch as Midoriya had to calm himself down. Nezu gave him a moment before continuing. 

“The performance of Death Arms and Kamui Woods in that battle was… less than impressive in the moments leading up to the… end result.”

“I see. I’m sorry to hear that. You have endured much for such a young age, and yet we are here to put you through more.”

“So either don’t or get on with it. I’m missing class.” 

“We’ll try to be brief. There are two reasons we asked you here. Considering the concern that has been raised concerning the villain All for One, whom you appear to already be aware of, we are hoping to find out if you can provide insight on the quirk by the same name.”

“And the other?” Midoriya asked.

“The Nomu creature from the USJ incident was freed by a villain. Based on eyewitness statements the person had multiple quirks and was about your size.”

Midoriya said nothing. The chief cleared his throat. 

“As our leads on the matter are limited, we must look into every possible lead, especially if we are to discuss with you more on the matter. Therefore, we request that you submit to two tests.” 

“What kind of tests?” Midoriya asked.

“First, we want to question you with detective Tsukauchi and his quirk. I believe you are already familiar with it.”

Midoriya nodded. 

“We would also, with your permission, like to cut a small wound on your hand.”

“Do what?”

“Well, according to All Might’s observation,” the chief said, making Aizawa tense as he mentioned the number one. Midoriya stayed quiet. “The attacker appears to possess some sort of a rapid acting healing quirk. Demonstrating a lack of one would be the easiest way to counter the suspicion raised by Death Arms and All Might.”

If he really wanted to convince Midoriya he should have been more careful with the forbidden names.  

“Pretty sure you can’t make me.”

He met the chief in a staring contest for a moment until Aizawa sighed audibly. If he didn’t want to spend the rest of the day here, he had to use his secret weapon.

“Midoriya,” the kid looked up at him, “Shinso has expressed interest in my capture weapon. If you cooperate, I’ll give him private lessons to see if he could learn to use it.”

Midoriya stared at him for a few seconds. 

“He has mentioned liking that, just not confident at being able to use it even if I got him one… It could save him if he couldn’t brainwash an enemy,” Midoriya said and paused. Then he raised both his hands, lighting his Dragon Blade quirk in one of then, though much smaller than usual, like a burning dagger. Others by the table had barely enough time to yelp as he cut and burned a long gash across his other hand without even flinching, and all for private lessons to someone else Aizawa had considered giving anyway. Midoriya held his hand up for the trio in front of him to see. 

“Satisfied?”

“Yes,” the chief said after watching the very much not healing wound for a few seconds. Tsukauchi got up for a moment and retrieved a roll bandage from his jacket which Midoriya accepted despite his still very much unfriendly expression. Tsukauchi returned to his seat and waited quietly, long enough for Midoriya to wrap his hand. He held his own hand between them as his quirk required physical contact. Midoriya was about to reach out with his healthy hand but seemed to change his mind at the last moment and reached out with his barely wrapped injured hand. The detective’s own hand was stained by some blood as they met. Midoriya sighed, losing some of his tension. 

“Midoriya,” Tsukauchi said, “were you involved in an attack at the villain hospital?”

“No.” 

“So, you didn’t have a role in freeing the Nomu?”

“No.”

“Are you involved with the villain known as All for One?”

“No.” 

Detective Tsukauchi waited, looking thoughtful for a long time before letting go and leaning back. 

“Something feels strange, probably because of how he is feeling about all this, but I couldn’t detect a lie.”  

“So, you are going to stop with these accusations?” Aizawa asked.

“Unless something else comes up,” the chief responded, “I can’t say the same for Death Arms though.”

“I don’t see any reason to care about what he thinks,” Midoriya said. “Now what do you want to know.”

“First anything you know about having or giving someone more than one quirk.”

“Right, first thing is to be careful about it. Getting more quirks can be… harsh. For me it has gotten better after a time, but that could be because of my quirk. I’ve never even tried to give anyone more than one extra quirk. All Might also warned about that based on what he knew about All for One.”

“But you have given someone an extra quirk?”

“T… Hitoshi…”  

“His classmate,” Aizawa added.

“… He has his father’s quirk now, which I did at his father’s request, and we’ve both had Tenya’s, he’s another classmate and friend, we’ve had his quirk to deal with Eraserhead’s ‘rational deception’.”

“What do you mean by that?” The chief asked.

“It is not important,” Aizawa said, “a test for the students.”

“I see. So given the ability to transfer quirks, someone having two of them isn’t really an issue then. No need to turn them into Nomus.”

“Seems so,” Midoriya said. “I think it might depend on the quirk. Hitoshi had no issue getting his father’s quirk, but their quirks were already similar and related. He could probably handle his mother’s quirk too, but… I haven’t wanted to risk testing it. Even I myself haven’t had the chance to hold more quirks than that.

The chief wrote some notes before continuing.

“Other than this Hitoshi, have you used your quirk to give anyone else quirks other than their own.”

“Not permanently. Hitoshi is the only one right now with two, and just so you know neither of those is a healing quirk, even if I’d love to get him one of those considering this school’s inability to protect its students.”

The coldness in Midoriya’s voice as he said the last part came as a not at all unclear warning to everyone in the room.

“We have no reason to suspect your classmates. That won’t change the problem that our enemy has fighters with multiple quirks in addition to multiple of these Nomu creatures.”

“That I can’t help you with… unless you want to confiscate their quirks.”

“That is… an interesting idea, but I’m afraid the law doesn’t even know such a concept.”

“Well, that is your problem. Is there something else you wanted from me, any other part of your job you need a high school student to help with?”

The dog faced chief’s expressions were difficult to read but there was definite tension there in response to Midoriya’s last comment.

“Working with the police is an important part of the work of a hero. Rather than a disruption you should see this as a learning experience in addition to providing your knowledge to help catch these villains who tried to kill you.”

Midoriya didn’t say anything to that. The chief waited for a moment before nodding.

“We still need to discus matters here, but I think you two can go.”

Midoriya got up without a word while Aizawa at least gave a nod to the chief and then followed Midoriya out. The kid tensed right at the door, looking at the two heroes waiting in the corridor, but Aizawa kept moving and pushed Midoriya with his body to keep moving before the kid could start another incident. Midoriya’s eyes never left the death stare he was giving to Death Arms. He held up his cut and burned hand, even pulling the bandage off. That actually startled the pro hero.

Aizawa remained quiet until the two pro heroes had gone back into the room.

“Midoriya. Go see Recovery Girl about that wound before getting lunch. Don’t worry about being late from class if you need to.”

“Are you sure you don’t need to see Recovery Girl? You don’t sound like yourself,” Midoriya asked.

“I am being serious, and Recovery Girl will have my head if she blames me for your wound.”

“It is your fault. You better not forget your promise.”

“I won’t,” Aizawa sighed, “Shinso can start training today after school if he wants to. The rest depends on him.”

Midoriya nodded and walked away from Aizawa. Rather than staying on the main hallway all the way to the stairs, Izuku soon turned to a smaller corridor. There was a secondary stairwell that way, but something felt strange about his choice in direction, so rather than going on with his business Aizawa approached the corridor, applying all his experience to move without a sound.

As he glanced into the side corridor, he saw Midoriya leaning against the wall with one hand, breathing heavily enough for the motion to be visible from the back. Either his emotions were an even greater challenge, or he wasn’t controlling them as well as he seemed to. Aizawa didn’t have the time to decide what to do with this information as a new sets of steps drew his attention.”

“Teacher,” Tenya Ida greeted as he stopped a few meters away. Unsurprisingly he was accompanied by Shinso. More surprisingly they were followed by Kirishima and Tokoyami, though the latter seemed to have been dragged there by his sentient quirk that stretched out to the duo up front.

“You came looking for Midoriya,” Aizawa stated. There was no question or uncertainty in his voice. “Perhaps that is for the best. Saves me the headache. He is right there. Make sure he doesn’t skip his visit to Recovery Girl.”

Aizawa nodded towards where Midoriya was struggling to hold himself together and walked past his friends. He stopped next to Shinso.

“Shinso, your special lessons start today. Go to the sports field after hero class. No need to change away from your costume.”

He continued walking, leaving them behind.

“What classes was he talking about?” Ida asked.

“I have no idea.”

“Shouldn’t you ask him?” Kirishima said.

“No… I’ll just ask Izuku.”

There was a short pause.

“Again?” Ida asked. So, this wasn’t the first time.

“Again,” Shinso answered. “What did they put him through this time? You two stay back.”

Aizawa stopped to lean against the wall as soon as they disappeared behind the corner. If something like this had happened before it could happen again and as their teacher, it was another headache he needed to be ready for.

“What happened to him? Who should I tear apart,” Dark Shadow’s voice rang over the others.

“Kirishima, Tokoyami… what are you doing here?” Izuku wheezed a little as he spoke.

“They tagged along with us,” Shinso said. “More than two people can be worried for you at a time. You don’t have to talk in front of eve… what happened to your hand?”

“Don’t worry. I cut it to show I don’t have a healing quirk.”

“You did what? Why would…?”

“Because police encountered someone with multiple quirks and one of them was healing.”

“That wasn’t everything was it?” Ida asked.

“No… Death Arms and Kamui Woods were there.”

“The pro heroes?” Kirishima asked. “Why would that make you…”

He fell quiet like someone had flipped a switch. It lasted for a while before he spoke again.

“Eh, maybe we should go… leave you three alone.”

There was another pause until Midoriya spoke.

“No… no, since you are already here it’s fine.”

“Just don’t ask too many questions,” Shinso said, “and remember that those two ‘heroes’ being there was not easy for Izuku.”

“Okay, if you say so.”

“And don’t talk about what you saw here.”

“Our lips are sealed,” Dark Shadow said.

“You don’t have lips. Neither does Tokoyami,” Midoriya said, sounding tired despite the joking comment.

“Oh r

“Still, thank you.”

“I understand the situation was difficult for you,” Ida said, “but we should really go to the nurse’s office. That wound must be painful.”

“Worth it,” Midoriya said. “Oh right, Toshi, remember how you said you were interested in Eraserhead’s capture weapon?”

“So that’s what he meant. I know I’m going to hate the answer, but what has my extra training got to do with you cutting yourself? I just need to know for the talk we are going to have with mister Aizawa.”

Aizawa left the wall and walked away faster than before.

Chapter Text

Izuku raised up his arm to shield his face from the flames as he peered through thick smoke, only barely distinguishing a human shaped form on the floor. If it made a sound it was covered under the woosh of the fire, at least to Izuku’s ears.

“Found one!” He shouted and kept pushing through the smoke, grateful for being prepared with a fireproof suit and his gas mask. It didn’t have an oxygen supply, making breathing still difficult with so much oxygen in the air being consumed, but at least his lungs weren’t full of irritating smoke. 

Considering the coughing behind him Shoji certainly regretted not being as prepared. Izuku dragged the victim away from the flames and helped to lift him on Shoji’s back with three others who were held up by Shoji’s many tentacle arms, which had also split into many eyes and ears. One had formed a mouth and stayed low close to the floor where the smoke was at its thinnest.

“That should be everyone,” Izuku said. 

“I agree…” Shoji coughed. “I can’t detect anyone else.”

Izuku nodded and followed his larger classmate as they turned to get out. Izuku made sure no one fell off as Shoji navigated back to the exit. As soon as they emerged from the smoke-filled doorway Izuku drew a deep breath, amazed at how great a thing as basic as fresh air could feel.   

“Time, five minutes, twelve seconds,” a robotic voice announced as Izuku helped to put down the dolls in a fake medical area.

“Good job,” Aizawa said, still completely wrapped in bandages, “especially cooperating to take full advantage of your respective abilities, and good preparation. Join the others and review your work. I want to hear five mistakes you made at the end of class.”

The rest of the class waited nearby, watching from a large screen on the fake street close to the building set up to be on fire. That way neither they nor Aizawa needed to walk all the way to some distant observation room and back. Gave them more time for the actual training. Izuku and Shoji joined the group. 

“Next, Kirishima and Todoroki.” 

“Oh yeaah!” Kirishima shouted and slammed his hardened fist together. Todoroki followed silently with an empty expression showing boredom at most. 

“How do you think they are going to do?” Hitoshi asked as Izuku got within talking distance.” 

Izuku glanced at the duo, especially Todoroki. 

“About ten seconds.” 

“What?” 

“You should already know.”

They looked as the two took positions in front of the building while UA robots carried the dolls representing victims back inside. 

“Ready,” Aizawa prepared, “go!”

Todoroki twisted his leg a bit and a stream of ice shot out until it reached the building and started spreading across the wall and in through every opening.”

“5, 6, 7, 8” Izuku counted out loud as the ice approached the top of the building, “9 and 10.”

He finished just as the entire building was covered and there was no more fire. The last puffs of smoke floated up from the frozen windows. Kirishima’s shoulders drooped. Izuku licked his lips.

“I’ve done my part,” Todoroki said. “Go get the dolls will you.”

As Kirishima sighed and walked into the building, Izuku was practically drooling at Todoroki’s quirk. He was only restrained by his annoyance at the arrogance of his two-faced classmate. It was so easy to look down on others when you were born with a godly quirk in a super-rich family. 

Izuku wasn’t exactly in the position to complain about Todoroki having those things, but the way he used them and seemed to think of others as below him was a different matter. It didn’t feel as bad as the loud and violent attitude of the last walking ego Izuku had to deal with, but would all the same help put less lucky people down. He didn’t even get into UA fair and square, but because of who his dad was. 

“Izuku,” Hitoshi whispered, “you have that look in your eyes. Don’t get in trouble with the Todorokis.”

Izuku blinked

“What do you mean get in trouble?”

“You know what I mean… problem child.”

Izuku tilted his head to stare at Hitoshi.

“You have spent too much time with Eraserhead this week.”

“And who do you think you should blame for that?” 

Izuku pressed his lips together and turned away, having been outmanoeuvred. Still, those lips twitched a little upwards, at least until Todoroki, still not bothering to help Kirishima carry out the dolls, glanced at Izuku. As their eyes met Izuku realized it wasn’t just a random glance. Todoroki turned away as soon as he realized he had been caught. 

“Anyway,” Hitoshi said, taking back Izuku’s attention, “I’m going to have another special class today after this.” 

“Great, do you think you can take advantage of that for the Sports Festival?”

“Are you kidding? I’m still in the not-getting-wrapped-up-in-the-damn-thing phase. Even Aizawa sensei took years to figure out how to work that thing.”

“We could ask him to give you even more lessons.”

“No. After how you got me these, I don’t want to know how you’d get any more. I prefer you with all limbs attached.” 

“Me too,” Dark Shadow said, having appeared to hover over them. “Fumi really didn’t like to see you hurt like that. He kept talking about how you could walk on such darkness for someone and still stay in the light with them, or something like that.”

“Dark Shadow! Get back here.”

“Do I have to? That shiny sparkling guy is right next to you,” Dark Shadow whined pointing at Aoyama. “Too bright.”

Tokoyami muttered something under his breath and the class continued with Aizawa criticizing Todoroki’s behaviour, saying things like “in a real situation every hero needs to retrieve victims as quickly and safely as possible to minimize casualties” and such.

If Todoroki cared, he didn’t show it. As the lesson ended Hitoshi stayed behind with Izuku and Tenya and the trio headed to the sports field. 

“Hey!” Kirishima called to them, “where are you going?”

“Training,” Izuku responded. 

“Cool, can I come?” 

“If you want,” Izuku said.

“If?” Hitoshi asked. “You know this is Kirishima we are talking about. When there is the option to train, he’s as crazy as you… almost.”

Tenya didn’t say anything but nodded in affirmation. 

“What can I say,” Kirishima smirked, having caught up to them. “I don’t want to ever regret being too weak and scared again.”

“Again?” Izuku asked, looking at the redhead. 

“Yeah,” Kirishima said. It was quiet, almost a sigh. Izuku turned his head back forward.

“I’m not going to ask. You can choose if you want to talk about it.”

“It wasn’t that serious,” Kirishima said, still quietly. “Some people were threatened, and I was too scared to move, just looking from the side-lines, but I felt really ashamed for a long time. I almost gave up even dreaming of being a hero.” 

“You? Hard to imagine,” Hitoshi said, but then glanced at Izuku, thinking he wasn’t noticed.  

“We are all glad to see you didn’t,” Tenya said. 

“Me too,” Kirishima said, “but I’m never going to skip training that could let me save someone, even if my quirk isn’t the strongest.” 

“It is plenty strong, especially when used by someone deserving of it,” Izuku said. “My fist hurts just thinking about it.”

“You aren’t the only one,” Hitoshi added and swung his arm to softly punch Kirishima’s bare stomach. “I think I hurt my hand hitting him when he wasn’t even using his quirk.”

“Eh, I tried to warn you.” 

“I guess you did,” Hitoshi said.

“So, while Hitoshi is training with Aizawa sensei, what kind of training were you planning to do?” Kirishima asked Izuku. 

“Good question,” Izuku said. “There is going to be an uneven number of us so one on one spars aren’t an effective use of our time. Since we are at school, we should take the full advantage of that to train our quirks. I’ve been wanting to see what kind of impacts you can actually take.”

“So,” Kirishima started with a tense smile, “how were you planning to do that?”

“Well, you mentioned someone helping you train with a baseball bat, and quirks are often compared to muscles in how using and pushing them makes them stronger. Logically your hardening should get stronger the more hits you take. I’ve already practiced hitting moving targets with Tenya, but with him I always have to cool and slow down the shots to be safe.”

Izuku rubbed his fist with his other hand with little flashes of fire sparking on the back of his hand. 

“Eh, you aren’t wrong. That’s how I have trained before. If you think it’s safe.”

“Recovery Girl is going to stay at work for at least another hour. I checked.”

“Good to know,” both Kirishima and Tenya said. Izuku shook his hand in preparation to blast them with Hellfire Arrows. Hitoshi’s face was stuck somewhere between a grin and a sigh of relief. 

Footsteps approached and stepped on a branch somewhere near them. Izuku raised his arm ready to fire in that direction. Tenya sighed. Izuku’s tension dropped as he saw Todoroki step around a bush, though the look in his eyes cooled by a few degrees. 

“Todoroki, have you also come to train after school?” Tenya asked. 

“No,” the two-faced boy responded without even looking at Tenya. “Midoriya, we need to talk, in private.”

Todoroki started turning, clearly assuming Izuku would simply do what he asked. He stopped and looked back, clearly surprised when Izuku didn’t.

“Now,” Izuku started, “are you going to tell why you want to talk with me, and why would I want to go with you?”

“I told you. I need to talk with you.”

“Well, I don’t need to talk with you, so if you have something to say you can do it here.”

Todoroki glanced at Hitoshi, Tenya and Kirishima considering their presence. Izuku didn’t budge once Todoroki returned his attention to him.

“You may be used to getting whatever you want from people, but not from me,” Izuku said. “So what is it you want?”

For a moment Todoroki seemed to grind his teeth together, but then he sighed and met Izuku’s gaze again.

“You can take quirks from people. If someone has more than one, can you pick only one to take?”

“Yes,” Izuku responded slowly, taken aback by the surprising question. “Why would you ask that?”

“My quirk has two parts, ice from my mother and fire from my father. I want you to take away only my fire.”

… 

Izuku waited for something, a confirmation he had heard wrong. None came.

“You actually want me to take away your quirk?”

Izuku could barely believe what he was hearing. It would have been unbelievable even from a regular person, but from someone so blessed with his quirk…

“Only the fire if you can. I intend to become a hero on my ice alone.”

Even with all the questions Izuku had, that statement and the arrogance inherent in it gritted his nerves the wrong way. At the same time Todoroki was offering him a powerful quirk practically on a silver platter. Or maybe even a gold platter, honestly.

“Well, I guess I can’t refuse an offer like that,” Izuku said and raised his hand. “I’ll need to place my hand on you. Then it is easier if you try to be as relaxed as possible.”

Todoroki nodded without saying a word. 

“Are you seriously doing this?” Kirishima asked. Izuku nodded and placed his open hand on Todoroki’s head. As soon as he tapped into his All for One, he could feel the presence of his two-faced classmate’s quirk. It was powerful for certain, but unlike other quirks he had experienced so far. If those were like a sphere or an atom, this was like a molecule. There were definitely two sides to it, but no gap between them. Izuku tried to grab one side with the power of his quirk, but as he pulled on it the entire quirk, both sides of it moved. Todoroki pressed his lips together and tensed up as Izuku tried to pull his quirk apart. 

Eventually Izuku could only sigh and drop his hand.

“I can’t do it. Your quirk is clearly a mix of two powers, but it is a single quirk as much as your arms are part of your body. I can take all of it or nothing.” 

“I see,” Todoroki said quietly and actually seemed to think about it for a bit before turning to walk away. “Sorry for disrupting your training.”

“What did your father do?” Hitoshi asked. Todoroki stopped mid step and glanced back at Hitoshi, who kept talking. “You are trying to reject him through the part of your quirk you inherited from him.”

Todoroki didn’t respond, so Hitoshi continued. “What could the number two hero have done to have his own son hate him so much?”

Todoroki’s stare hardened. 

“What hasn’t he done?” He paused for a moment. “Have you ever heard of quirk marriages?” 

Izuku’s eyes narrowed hearing those words, but Tenya spoke first. 

“It is when people choose their partner based on what quirk they have and how they fit together to create children with a more powerful quirk or a specific quirk combination. It is considered improper since the results can be unreliable and,” Tenya paused, “since the practice has been more common in wealthy and powerful families the relationships haven’t always been… completely by choice.” 

“Are you saying that Endeavour…?” Kirishima let the rest of his question hang silently. 

“That man only cares about beating All Might, or in failing that, raising someone who can. He doesn’t care what that means to anyone else,” Todoroki said and looked down at his own hand. “In every memory of my mother, I only see her crying.”

Todoroki raised his hand and brought it over the burnt side of his face, seemingly forgetting there were other people present. 

“I remember she called my left side unbearable, before she poured boiling water on my face.” 

That was too much for anyone present to do anything but stare, for the moment Izuku took to processing what he had heard and rearranged his views of the two-sided classmate accordingly.

“So your father treated you like a weapon and the rest of the family were just an obstacle to push aside? Not something people would believe about the number two hero. You sure you want to say stuff like that?” 

The fire in Todoroki’s eyes told Izuku everything necessary before he even spoke. 

“People only seeing a hero is the problem. When the cameras turn away, he’s the biggest garbage fire you can imagine, whether you believe it or not.”

“In case you haven’t noticed, I don’t really buy into the shiny public image of so-called heroes,” Izuku said. “Though even knowing how brutal he can be behind that, I didn’t expect something like this. That doesn’t explain why you want to give up part of your quirk.”

“That man made me as his weapon to surpass All Might. I will do that, but I will do it without his power.”

… 

“You’re an idiot,” Izuku said. 

“Izuku I don’t think this is…” Tenya started but Izuku waved his hand, signalling him to stay quiet. 

“You say you want to reject your father, but you still want to achieve the same thing he wanted you to and hold back on your own power because of him.”

“I won’t use his power. I’m going to become a hero without it.”

“So now you want to become a hero? I thought what you wanted was to surpass All Might.”

“They are the same thing.”

“The hell they are! Either you want to be stronger to surpass All Might or you want to be stronger to help people as a hero ranking be damned. You can try to do the first with only your ice only for all I care, I doubt you can but give it all you’ve got if that’s what you want. But if you want to be a hero, to try to save people, for their sake you better not hold anything back. If I find out someone innocent died because you refused to use part of your quirk I will take it from you, all of it, and find someone who’s more worthy.”

Izuku grabbed Todoroki’s arm as he spoke but with those last words Todoroki shook him off. 

“You don’t-” Todoroki started. 

“Understand your anger?” Izuku interrupted. “Maybe not for family, but you're not the only one who has been abused for how you were born. Whatever your father put you through and no matter how much you pity yourself, a whole lot of people still have it worse for no fault of their own because of the ideas that people like Endeavour maintain in this society. That you will be just as guilty of for the way you are strolling through life waving around half of your power like it made you any better than anyone else.”

Izuku paused.  

“I am not going to tell you to not reject your father or even not to seek revenge. People like him need to be exposed and pay for what they have done, Bakugo was the same, but don’t even think about making yourself weaker for him. If you do, that only means he holds that much more power over you. You were blessed in birth with more power than most. Where that came from doesn't matter nearly as much as what you do with it. Your power, like your life, is yours. If you want to throw them away, you can just give up your whole quirk now.”

Todoroki looked at Izuku for a long silent moment. Parts of his face twisted like it didn’t know what expression to have. Eventually he looked down and walked away. 

“… So, that just happened,” Hitoshi said, breaking the silence that Todoroki had left behind.

“Even knowing things aren’t always as good as they seem, to think someone so respected would do things like that…” Tenya shook his head in disbelief.

“Do you think it’s true?” Kirishima asked. 

“Yes,” Izuku said, “and you still have a lot to learn if you think it’s hard to believe.” 

“So, what now?” Hitoshi asked. 

“I’m not sure,” Izuku responded. “I don’t know what to think about him anymore.”

“I thought he was just being a prick, but now… I think it might be more that he is closed off from people… a bit like you can be,” Hitoshi briefly moved his attention from Izuku to glance at Kirishima, “or at least were.”

“You think so?” Izuku asked. 

“Yes, except his Bakugo is also his father.” 

Izuku looked at Hitoshi and rubbed his forehead. 

“I did not need that image in my head.” 

“Sorry. Still, what do we do now?”

“I doubt we can do anything concerning Todoroki’s family problems. We are talking about the number two hero after all. We’d be lucky to see him in person, maybe at the Sports Festival,” Tenya said. “We should be considerate how we treat Todoroki at school, even if he hasn’t put on a very friendly face. He might not really know how to approach someone as a friend.”

“Well, you would have experience at dealing with that,” Izuku said quietly. “I never could drive you away, even over the course of months.”

“I didn’t realize you took so long to become friends,” Kirishima said. “Seems hard to believe now.”

“True, at least for Tenya” Hitoshi added, “compared to him I was playing on easy mode, thanks to some bullies.”

Kirishima kept looking at Hitoshi, clearly confused. 

“People didn’t like my quirk and Izuku doesn’t like bullies,” Hitoshi clarified, “it was kind of an enemy of my enemy situation.”

“Do they still have all their arms attached?”

That made Hitoshi laugh out loud and even Tenya wasn’t quite managing to keep a serious expression. 

“You are learning,” Hitoshi said once he could, “but yes, they do. It really was their quirks that were at risk.”

Kirishima tensed with the last words.

“I thought we aren’t supposed to…” He glanced at Izuku. Both Izuku and Hitoshi looked at each other confused until they finally realized. Izuku shook his head.

“It’s fine. He is just saying how things really were. I was considering it and I don’t need to worry about his intentions. Toshi knows what the lines are to not cross… for him.”

“Oh, good. Well, actually I’m bit confused. Just trying to not say anything I’m not supposed to you know.”

Izuku got a soft smile on his face. “The fact you are worried about it means you probably don’t need to worry.”

“Eh?” Kirishima was only more confused than before. 

“Shinso,” Aizawa said from behind them. The way Kirishima turned around showed that he had not noticed the man approaching. That was another thing they needed to train. As Hitoshi followed the man Izuku shook his head to clear his thoughts. He raised his hand, flames already burning over it. 

“Now, where were we?”  

Kirishima took a few moments to readjust to the new topic but then he hardened his body and brought his fists together while smirking. 

“Bring it on.”

By the time Hitoshi’s training was over Aizawa was scowling as he looked at all of the craters and blackened sand on the field, with Kirishima lying next to one of the craters. The strange shoulder pads in his costume had been blown away. Izuku had to admit there was some sense for the redhead to basically only have half a costume the way he took hits straight on. Tenya was leaning on his knees and panting nearby as Izuku joined them, shaking his arm. He too was breathing harder, feeling the strain of using his quirk excessively. He looked down at Kirishima.

“I knew you were tough, but seems we get to use more quirks in our spars.”

Kirishima gave a short laugh. “Sure, it’s lot better than a baseball bat.”

“If you say so. Training with someone who wants to get hit is ok for me.” 

Izuku offered his hand to help Kirishima get up. 

“If you had my quirk, you’d do the same.”

“Is that an offer?” Izuku said raising his eyebrow.

“Eh, well, I guess it would be… interesting. Now or…?”

Izuku’s smile was the widest it had been in a while, but he pushed back on the hunger to take the quirk right away, a task even more difficult than before witnessing how much punishment it could take. He put his hand over Kirishima’s shoulders and pointed at him with a finger of his other hand.

“Better focus on the Sports Festival for now,” he responded, “on Saturday, maybe we try to see how to improve your quirk use.”

“Works for me. Do you really think you can figure something out about my quirk by trying it? It isn’t a very complicated quirk.”

“I might, and if I can’t it will still be interesting to try a new quirk even if just for a moment. I can’t really do that enough. There aren’t many ways to legally get quirks from people.”

“Heh, I can imagine. It’s not like you can just buy quirks.”

Izuku blinked. “… What? Wait…”

“Ahem,” Aizawa interrupted them. Izuku had tried to ignore the man. “I am glad to see you getting along, but if you want to use school facilities for afterschool training you will have to clean your mess.”

Aizawa pointed at the craters and an open door on the side of the gym building. 

“There are shovels and other equipment in the storage locker. Close the door after yourself.” 

“I guess the training isn’t over yet,” Kirishima said, seemingly unbothered by the extra work. 

For Izuku that was even more true as he had barely gotten home when he had to already hurry to meet Kurogiri in the basement. As he stepped out of the warp gate in the training hall the large USJ Nomu, his Nomu, was already waiting. 

Yes, while Kirishima did make for a fine punching bag, this was what Izuku had to now face for the really hard training. At least his body had already recovered and regenerated from the strains of the past afternoon. It would have to do a lot more of that before the day was over.   

He was regenerating a broken arm when his father walked in. 

“How is your training going son, ready to destroy you opponents at the Sports Festival?”

“Hmm, yes, I think I’ll manage. The only ones from my class I am uncertain about are Tokoyami and… Todoroki.” 

“What is that I hear in your voice about the son of the number two hero?”

“I learned some new things about Endeavour today,” Izuku responded while rotating his newly healed arm. “Todoroki asked if I could take the fire part of his quirk.”

“Quite a tempting offer, but I suspect it wasn’t a separate quirk.”

“No, it did feel strange, but it was a single quirk. I’m not sure how to explain it.”

“You don’t need to. I have experience with combination quirks. The real question is why practical hero nobility would want to give up such a powerful part of his quirk.”

“Apparently Endeavour’s dark side isn’t limited to shadows of his job,” Izuku said and repeated what Todoroki had explained. It was impossible to know what his faceless father was thinking, at least until he started chuckling. 

“Good job son. Not everyone can go spy on All Might and get such inside information on the number two, though I did already know some of what you describe.”

“Of course you did,” Izuku muttered, looking away.

“It also wouldn’t be difficult to conclude that the son of the number two would be actively raised to take his place or more. The norms that make our society are like power in that it is largely passed from parents to children. Sounds like he is already valuing people based on their quirks, himself included.” 

“Maybe, it’s hard to decide how to think about it now with this information,” Izuku said. “He has everything most people dream about and could turn into just another fake hero keeping most of those people down, but…” 

“But?”

“I’m not sure. Something about how he’s been treated for that, if he told the truth, even if it’s only by his father… With all that he shouldn’t be as sold on the shiny surface of this society even if he has never suffered most of its flaws. Maybe I’m just hopeful he’s not a lost cause as I thought.”

“You trust too easily. Be careful what you share with others and don’t forget how this world they enjoy works.”

Izuku sighed. 

“I know, but… What if Todoroki really isn’t a hopeless case. If the son of the number two hero could see and stand against the flaws of this society, it would be a step in the right direction.”

“Aren’t you being ambitious.”

“Maybe, but I can’t think of anything better. He is already showing arrogance. Even with having to endure the things he has; he is still arrogant about his power and could turn into another Bakugo. If there is a chance to get through to him before that,” Izuku paused. 

“I keep wanting to change things but there really hasn’t been that much I could do for people. Even the people I’ve met that have hope of being better were already on the right track to begin with, or just not paying attention at worst. I haven’t changed much. Even USJ was a failure.”

“Son, haven’t I taught you about patience? I can understand your feelings, but if you let them control your actions you will rush into things that you aren’t prepared for. You are still in training. Still gathering quirks. Pace yourself appropriately.”

“So, I shouldn’t try to approach Todoroki.”

“I didn’t say that. Go for the throat. Such an opportunity to toy with the so-called number two, and no-one is in a better position to do it than you. Just don’t get careless. Not everyone who has faced difficulty is an ally. The same applies for people who don’t show immediate hostility to your quirk.”

“I know,” Izuku sighed. 

“Both things can be used to approach people though. You should also focus on the Sports Festival first. While the media is already aware of you, this is going to be your first truly public appearance and the first you can have on your terms. Even if you have to go against your friends, you have to win. People cannot ignore the winner or what he might have to say.”

“That’s the plan. I just hope they listen. So far all of the news has just repeated the same things as Bakugo,” Izuku squeezed his hand in a fist, “and he is still missing. I should have kept his quirk.”

“Perhaps you should have, but it is too late to change that now. You must keep moving forward. Now how about your training, is there anything more you need to destroy your opponents?”

“No… well actually I could use, probably, a couple tens of millions of yen, maybe a hundred to start with, clean legal money.” 

“Oh? That is quite a bit more than you are normally using. What are you planning to buy?”

“Quirks.”

Chapter Text

Izuku stepped out of the car some distance from the UA gates. The lines of people waiting to get in went far further than that. Hitoshi whistled next to Izuku.

“I knew it was going to be big, but I’ve never actually seen the sports festival in person.”

“Hard to imagine people being so interested in a high school competition,” Izuku said.

Tenya hummed. “It is one of the largest sports events in the country, and it is where many famous heroes have appeared in public for the first time.”

“And punched their classmates in public for people’s entertainment,” Izuku added. “Then there are those from other courses who just got dragged in to make the hero students look better.”

“You punch us almost daily,” Hitoshi pointed out. 

“That’s not for entertainment,” Izuku said.

“Are you sure about that?”

Izuku looked at the ground quiet for a long moment. He understood and wouldn’t mind partaking in the joke, but really… The entertainment was the joke. Izuku looked at Hitoshi completely serious.

“Yes.”

“Right,” Hitoshi said. “You are feeling more serious today.” 

Izuku looked around at the crowds they were passing while heading towards the entryway reserved for students. He could already see some eyes following him. He was having relatively good luck with his classmates, but…

Hitoshi sighed. 

“It could be a long day. I’m nervous myself. I’ve never brainwashed anyone in public like this, with so many people watching.”

“Toshi, a few months ago you hesitated brainwashing me even when I asked for it, you’ve come a long way, but yeah. I’d be lying if I pretended not to be nervous.” 

“I wish I could say you don’t need to,” Tenya said. “Unfortunately, I don’t know any way to cheer you up.”

“Hey! Midoriya, Ida, Shinso,” Kirishima called from behind them with a wide smile on his face, “are you exited for the festival?”

Both Izuku and Hitoshi smiled as they glanced back at the approaching redhead.

“Sure are,” Hitoshi responded. “You seem to barely contain your own excitement. Maybe your quirk could help with that.”

“Heh, that’s a new one.”

“Good, I have to remember it,” Hitoshi softly punched Kirishima’s shoulder. 

“So,” Izuku started, “are you ready to punch other students for people’s entertainment?”

“Eh?” Kirishima stared at Izuku, confused. 

“Never mind. Just make sure you do well. I want some good opponents in the finals.” 

“Right back at you. This time I’m not going to just take hits. Just… try to leave my limbs attached.”

“If you don’t shatter all my bones. The guy mowing my lawn is still complaining about the rocks spread in the grass after your… demonstration.”

“Heh, sorry about that.” 

“Don’t worry about it. It was my lack of preparation. Focus on the competition…” 

Izuku’s voice waned away as he encountered more stern and fearful stares that were following him even more openly than before. They were just outside security checkpoints set up at the gate and even with a separate path for the students they had to pass the densest crowd waiting to get inside. Unfortunately, that included a lot of media. One of the reporters looking at Izuku even seemed familiar to him. 

“Is that the quirk stealer?”

“Yes, I saw him here already before.”

“Are they seriously allowing him to join the competition? a I heard he already stole the quirk of some other student.”

“Are you sure?”

The crowd stayed behind a fence erected to separate the lines but as the people continued talking and leaning closer to see better it felt to Izuku like the whole mass of the crowd and its prejudice could wash over them at any moment. He drew a shaky breath with some mix of fear and anger. 

“Yeah. I also heard that indigo haired kid is a brainwasher. He could make you his slave and force you to do anything just by talking to you.”

“And they are training him?”

“Yeah. I hope they take responsibility if he turns into a villain.”

Izuku started quickly leaning towards rage. He was lucky to be with people who could see the warning signs. Hitoshi grabbed Izuku’s wrist before any flames could light over it, but the hold was much tighter than it needed to be as Hitoshi dealt with his own feelings with the situation. Tenya’s shadow came over them as the larger teen stood between them and the crowd. 

“Bakugo is so going to pay for this once he is found,” Izuku hissed. 

“I don’t doubt that,” Hitoshi said and softly pushed Izuku to keep walking forward, but the comments kept coming.

“They are both together. Seems even more dangerous.” 

“Hey, what makes you think you deserve to go to UA or be heroes?”

“Why are you talking about them like that?” Kirishima said, sounding tense but more confused than angry. Could that guy even be angry?

“Are you kidding? Even if you aren’t from the same class how could you not know by now what they are?” One of the reporters asked.

“Eh, we are all in the same class and train together even outside school. You really shouldn’t judge people for their quirks.” 

“Aren’t you worried that white haired kid might steal your quirk?”

“Not really, though I promised he could try it the next time we train.”

“You… What?!” More than one person shouted. Despite all of the dark emotions he was feeling, a smile sneaked on Izuku’s face for a few seconds at the people’s reaction to Kirishima’s innocent comment. 

“Yeah, he is really smart. I’m hoping he can help me improve my quirk use like with Shinso.” 

“But if he takes your quirk you’ll be quirkless?”

“Yeah, but only until he gives it back.”

“You trust he would give it back?”

“Yeah, why wouldn’t he?”

Izuku and Hitoshi passed the student’s gate with Tenya closely in tow even as Kirishima was stuck being questioned by the bloodhounds of the crowd. Izuku stepped to the side of the path to wait for the redhead. 

“Are you talking about Midoriya?” Dark Shadow’s voice came from the line before the sentient quirk rose to loom over the crowd, staring at the people who were still harassing Kirishima. “You have a problem with him, you have a problem with me. Get that?”

The crowd backed away from the quirk creature, messing up the que completely and causing enough of a distraction that Kirishima got to leave without being questioned anymore. He got through the gate and joined the waiting trio. 

“Whew,” he started and looked at Izuku, seeming uncertain. “Is that what you have to deal with all the time?” 

“Anytime there is a large crowd or reporters, since Bakugo told everyone about my and Toshi’s quirk.”

“Man, no wonder you don’t like crowds. That sucked.”

“That’s putting it mildly,” Hitoshi said. “Thanks for distracting them.”

“Oh, I didn’t even realize I was doing that.”

“Well you did. I guess you are good at taking verbal punches as well as physical.”

“Oh yeah, I can do that.”

“Be careful what you promise,” Izuku said. “There are a lot more of those punches coming.”

As he spoke, he waved to Tokoyami who had finally gotten Dark Shadow to back off and come through the gate. 

“Hey, I’m not going to call myself the Sturdy Hero for nothing.”

“Thick-Skinned Hero might be more accurate,” Hitoshi said.

Tokoyami joined the group and they started walking towards the stadium at the back of UA premises while talking. Izuku found himself in the middle of the group less visible to other people and they reached the dressing rooms without any more incidents. Most of the class was already there. Only Todoroki was still absent. Most of their classmates greeted them as the group arrived. 

“Good morning Ojiro,” Hitoshi told the classmate with a tail who had not greeted them. “How do you feel about your winning chances?”

Ojiro pressed his lips together and turned to face the wall without responding to Hitoshi. 

“Hitoshi, don’t bully him,” Tenya said. 

“But he makes it so easy. I just need to open my mouth.” 

Tenya shook his head, but the gesture couldn’t hide how his lips tried to turn upwards. Izuku just enjoyed listening to them as he changed into the PE-uniform. He was just pulling the shirt on when the door opened and Todoroki finally stepped in. The classes’ reaction to his arrival was much more reserved in reflection of Todoroki himself. 

“Oh, good morning to you too,” Tenya was the first to openly greet him. 

“Same. Remember to watch your words in the arena,” Hitoshi advised him.

“You were almost late,” Izuku added. 

“Yeah,” Kirhisma was brief but exited. A bit too loud for Izuku’s tastes, but the redhead had earned the right to be loud. 

It only contributed to Todoroki’s visible confusion at the warm reception. He stopped to stare at the small friend group. The rest of the class were almost as confused. Even Ojiro found it more interesting than the wall. 

“Shouldn’t you change clothes, there isn’t much more time?” Izuku said, bringing Todoroki back into the moment. 

“Right,” he said quietly and tried to pass Izuku to a free spot. Izuku grabbed his shoulder.

“You better fight with your full power. Everyone here is trying to do their best. Don’t look down on them by not doing the same.”

Their stares met for a few seconds.

“I don’t need his power.”

“But you will need your power, all of it. I’ll make sure of it.”

“Man, it sounds like you are declaring war already,” Kaminari commented. 

“Just a little border conflict,” Hitoshi corrected. 

“What’s the difference?”

“If Izuku ever decides to go to war against someone, you won’t need to ask that.”

Izuku did his best to ignore them while maintaining his stare on Todoroki and talking more quietly. 

“You can hate him. Hate can make you stronger as well as hold you down. It heated up my fire. It can do the same for you, but don’t let him shackle you down.”

Todoroki shook his shoulder free of Izuku’s grasp. 

“Why do you care?” 

“Because I don’t like him either,” Izuku responded “and because as long as he controls the path you walk you will probably become part of the problem like him. Don’t become your father.”

The final statement made Todoroki’s stare harden and he turned away from Izuku. 

“You don’t know what you are talking about. I will win this festival with my mother’s quirk.”

Izuku shook his head as Todoroki walked to the opposite side of the room.

“I thought we were just supposed to be friendlier to him,” Hitoshi commented from behind him.  

“We were,” Izuku said, “but that will only go so far as long as he defines himself based on his father… and his quirk.”

“It might not be so easy for him,” Tenya said, “as everyone else around him has likely done exactly that.”

Izuku sighed, looking at Todoroki’s back. 

“These things take time,” Tenya added. 

“If you say so.” 

“You did.” 

“Right. Better focus on the festival then.”

After changing clothes, they were gathered in the stadium’s corridors and after waiting for a while were ushered to the arena by class. The hero classes entered with obvious excitement. For the rest the feelings were more divided.

One of the teachers, pro hero Midnight, came from the other side and got on a small stage elevated slightly above the field. Izuku didn’t have a high opinion about the woman in a skin-tight costume. She seemed a perfect example of the superficial attention seeking hero making sure to push out her chest while talking and waving her stupid whip. Then she started talking about a speech. Izuku sighed. 

“Representing students is Izuku Midoriya from class 1-A!”

“What?” Hitoshi asked.

“Apparently number one on the hero course entrance exam is expected to make a speech. They only told me like two days ago.”

“My condolences.”

“It’s not all bad. There are some things I have wanted to say to a lot of people.”

“Oh no.” 

Half of Izuku felt the same as Hitoshi as he walked to the stage. Even from the field he could hear the changing tone of the audience chatter as he was separated from the nameless mass of students and stood in front of the microphone for everyone to see. 

“Yes,” he began his speech, “I am the one who can transfer quirks between people. My name is Izuku Midoriya, not the other thing you people have kept repeating for the past three weeks. Welcome to your annual watch teenagers punch each other in the face for your entertainment day.”

That got them quiet. Izuku could even hear Tenya mutter “Izuku” in a fake disappointed tone. 

“Now most of the students entertaining you today are not here because they want to be. Mostly it’s the hero students and those hoping to transfer. Most of the rest know they don’t have a real chance and got dragged here to make us look better. How could they win when the whole thing is about not just physical fitness but specific kinds of quirks, the same as the hero course selection. and everyone else is not even allowed to really use and practice with their quirks in regular life. That’s how this world and this school work.”

The stadium wasn’t silent anymore but at least people so far restrained themselves to muttering and quiet talk.

“Speaking of narrow views. Those of you who call yourself heroes and are watching to look for interns should reconsider how you evaluate people’s fitness to be heroes. Most of you are going to focus on physical, combat oriented and flashy quirks, note quirks not people. If that is all you can think of, I would recommend retiring as you are not serving the people the best you can. If on the other hand you are competent at your work, you should be able to consider a variety of abilities, their utility in different situations and even more importantly the person behind the quirk like this school does not. The entrance exam is built on the exact biases I just listed. As for considering the person behind the quirk.”

Izuku paused. 

“I am here because I got first in the entrance exam, but did you know the person who came second, the person everyone has told he would become a great hero since his quirk manifested… Well as soon as he was told he could use his quirk at UA it took him all of two days to commit assault, threats of violence and an attempted murder, and later to get kicked out. So much for selecting the people with most quirk potential to be heroes.” 

That got a louder reaction even if the general tone sounded like that of disbelief. 

“To UA’s credit they actually took his behaviour seriously, eventually. Can’t say the same about all the assaults and abuses he committed at our previous school at Aldera Junior High. If any parents in the area are listening, you might want to send your kids somewhere else if you value their safety. If the teachers think that someone might get into a hero school, or do anything that would bring the school prestige, they will ignore even violent assaults by that person on other students they don’t consider as valuable. If the school is still around after all the upcoming lawsuits that is. Also, if you have called me the ‘quirk stealer’, and this goes especially to the representatives of media, this is the person who created that name and told you about me. Great job at being critical of your sources, not.” 

Izuku had to stop to draw breath. The stuff before was easy to rant about. Confronting the people about himself specifically and with Bakugo involved, that was harder.

“Congratulations for all the reporters involved in spreading the hate and lies of a violent near murderer, you know, stuff like deeming someone likely villain or unfit to be heroic based on what quirk they happen to be born with, and I’m not even talking about the quirks most suited to hurt people. You love those. You are doing a stellar job. Hope it earned you enough money to hire some good lawyers because you are going to need them. If you are lucky, I might settle for your quirk as a settlement.” 

Izuku had to wait for a long time before he found it quiet enough to bother continuing to talk. 

“Speaking of which. If you aren’t using your quirk, like most aren’t allowed to, don’t need it anymore, find it harmful for your wellbeing or just need money, I am in the market for new quirks. There is a limit to how many I can take, but I’ll pay a million yen and up to at least a hundred million yen for good quirks. If you are interested in selling yours, email me a description of your quirk at [email protected].”

Midnight started moving towards Izuku, indicating that the speech was over. Izuku turned around and walked away using Calm Mind to maintain a neutral expression, as if he wasn’t too nervous to talk properly without the quirk. Whether he had actually achieved something only time would tell, but at least his side was out there. As Midnight tried to get back control of the audience, Izuku returned to the side of the unusually speechless Tenya and Hitoshi, who seemed to be struggling with too many remarks to choose from. Izuku decided to help them.

“So, was it as bad as you though?” He asked. 

“Around there,” Hitoshi waved his hand in a so-so manner. “The ending was what surprised me.”

Izuku smirked.

“Right. I can’t believe I never thought about it before Kirishima mentioned buying quirks.”

“Kirishima did? Now that you mention it, that is surprising. Could be cheaper than suing quirks off people. Though after all that you might need Kirishima as battering-ram just to get out after the festival.” 

“Or people will keep even more distance,” Izuku said.

Hitoshi shook his head, but with a soft smile. 

“Always glass half empty.”

“It’s from experience, although,” Izuku glanced towards the other non-hero-class students. Many of their students stared back at him, and some didn’t seem to do so out of fear or hate as people usually did. “Maybe some change is possible.” 

“So how many offers you expect to get?”

“What?”

“Quirks, do you think people are actually going to offer to sell you theirs?”

“Most wouldn’t even consider it, and it might take some time, but as long as the price is high enough,” Izuku paused. “They may be pushed aside, but there are many people who suffer because of their quirks who might pay to get rid of them, and then there are the people close to death with family that could use the money. Eventually others might take the offer. There is a limit to how fast I can accumulate them, so it is really a question about what kind of quirks are offered.”

“You know, you could at least pretend the money is at least a little bit of a limit.”

“Maybe, eventually, but dad said it’s okay as long as I choose the quirks wisely. Oh right, Tenya!”

“Yes?” Their larger friend responded, broken out of the short circuit of trying to comment on Izuku’s speech. 

“Are there any specific kinds of quirks you’d like to have for a second quirk?”

Tenya’s jaw dropped, as did the other students’ around them. 

“Second quirk?” He finally asked.

“Well, Toshi got one. Your family are heroes so they need their quirks, but I’d like to find a second quirk that fits you.”

“Now!” Midnight announced, barely gaining back the audience’s attention and drowning out Tenya’s chance to respond. “It is time for the first event!” 

She pointed up where a large screen began showing names of different contests rotating quickly, as if the contests hadn’t been set months in advance. Anyone who wasn’t blind would have seen construction work outside the stadium. Some kind of a race would make sense for the first contest with the most people. A few seconds later it stopped, revealing the first contest.

“Obstacle race! The students will leave the stadium and complete a race featuring multiple obstacles testing their abilities. First one to return to the stadium at the other end wins. Leaving the path is not allowed. Now everyone, get ready.”

The students were guided in front of an oversized tunnel leading out of the stadium and got packed rather close together. Izuku got pressed between Hitoshi and Kirishima, not the worst place to be if he was honest, as long as Kirishima didn’t activate his quirk. 

“Uh, what do you think the obstacles are going to be?” Hitoshi asked. “I doubt UA would settle with anything… regular.”

“Of course the greatest hero school would have something more challenging,” Tenya said from behind them. 

“Except most of the contestants aren’t hero students or seriously trying to be one,” Izuku said. “I hope the school isn’t putting people in unnecessary danger.”

“What could they do?” Hitoshi asked. “They already used giant robots against us in the entrance exams, drop us into a bottomless pit?”

“Heh, that’s fine for me,” Kirishima said. “I jumped down from a roof for training.”

“Well, you could take an afternoon stroll through a minefield,” Hitoshi added. “The rest of us have to watch where we step.”

“Maybe,” Kirishima said thoughtfully. “I have never tried.”

“We’d be surprised if you had,” Izuku said.

“And worried,” Tenya added.

“Ready!” Midnight announced and the countdown began.

“Be careful in that corridor,” Izuku said at the last moment. “With this many people it is going to be tight, basically it’s the first obstacle and we are going to be very vulnerable if we get stuck.”

“Start!” Midnight announced.

And so, the race was on. 

As Izuku predicted it only took a few seconds for everyone to get stuck. In the initial rush he had gotten ahead of Hitoshi and Tenya and was now squeezed between some other students with the crowd’s pressure only increasing. One of the students next to him yelped as she saw him but couldn’t get out of arm’s reach like people usually did. Deciding it was time to get out of there Izuku twisted so that his back wasn’t completely pressed against another person. As he did there was a rapid clinging sound he had only heard a few times during hero training.

His back bulged as the jets opened and pushed open slits sewn into his PE-uniform. The jets flared and launched him off the ground just in time as a layer of ice spread across the entire floor, freezing everyone’s feet on the floor. It was a smart move from Todoroki, assuming he could do it without causing mass injuries from frost. Still unable to fly properly Izuku put his feet on the wall and pushed off it with extra boost from his jets to jump between the walls of the corridor.

Surprisingly many other people were also still on the move, especially from his class. With a quick glance behind him Izuku even saw Hitoshi sitting on some other student’s shoulder, away from the ice. Then he was out of the tunnel and decided it was better to land and run the normal way. He wouldn’t want to break anything in front of such a large audience and Todoroki was only a little ahead of him.  It was time to test if all of the running during training had been good enough.

It seemed so as he was gaining on his two-faced opponent. Suddenly he hit the brakes and with a jump to the side avoided a swing from a robot, one of the ones from the entrance exam. 

“I guess it is smart to use them for more than a single exam per year,” Izuku muttered. After another sudden change of direction and a flash of the Dragon Blade an arm of the robot fell on the ground. A few more swings cut its body into pieces and separated a large armour piece from its chest, but by then a very large shadow had fallen on Izuku and every other contestant who had gotten this far. He looked up at the two enormous zero point robots. They clearly wanted to see how well the students could avoid and get past the robots rather than destroy them, but that was still a little… 

Over a matter of seconds one of the robots froze still, literally. Izuku glanced down to see Todoroki run past the robot’s feet. Izuku licked his lips, pushing back on the urge to run after Todoroki just to try to get his quirk. Izuku had to shake his head to clear his thoughts by which time some other students had passed him, and then the robot began falling down. Izuku barely caught a glimpse of a familiar redhead before the giant hit the ground and filled his vision. 

“He attacked and defended in one hit!” Present Mic kept narrating like this was just a regular thing.

“Kirishima!” Izuku shouted and jet-jumped on top of the husk. He started looking for any weaknesses or point that would be easier to cut into. Then a loud thump echoed through the metal, then another, and another... 

With a creak and bang a fist punched through the frozen hull followed by a lot of red hair. 

“I AM ALIVE!” 

A weight dropped from Izuku’s shoulders but he was also visibly drooling, and not because the sharp metal had cut long slashes into Kirishima’s clothes during his climb through the robot. Why did the best quirks so often appear in people he didn’t want to take quirks from? He’d have to rescale his estimates of the redhead's durability again. Luckily Kirishima didn’t notice Izuku staring at him like a starved wolf at a steak dinner. 

“Man Todoroki, if that had been anyone but me, they would be dead.”

He had barely finished the words when another fist, this one shining like metal, punched through the armour. 

“I AM ALIVE!” Besides having a similar quirk, the other boy was as loud as Kirishima, but he was someone Izuku didn’t have strong feelings about. 

Explosions around them and against the remaining one pointers broke him out of his thoughts. Kirishima was already running again alongside the other students while complaining something about them being the same. Izuku took a few steps after them, when an idea hit him. He glanced back, looking for the metal piece he had broken off and then ran back to it. Present Mic’s narration of the contest that was ever present in the whole area noted him with loud confusion. Izuku set the flat-ish plate of metal on the ground and formed his Dragon Blade into a small thick shield and pressed it against the metal to create roughly foot-sized dents. 

After hesitating for a moment and waving his hand over the smoking metal, Izuku stepped onto the plate, held onto the front edge, and braced as he let the jets loose. Sliding against the ground on the piece of metal made it much easier to balance than trying to actually fly. He zoomed ahead like a train and started passing other students left and right. This included Kirishima and the other student with a hardening type quirk who were still running right next to each other, seemingly totally even, which was impressive from the other guy.

A bunch of people that hadn’t had to spend time climbing through a giant robot had stopped and gathered ahead. Izuku leaned to the side to not hit them, but it wasn’t easy to stop and he noticed why the others had stopped too late. The plate slid past the edge of a giant chasm. The school actually did try to push them down a bottomless pit.

It was too late to back down. Izuku could only double down. He pushed the power of his jets and leaned back so after an initial drop he flew upwards, briefly bouncing again on one of the stone pillars standing up from the chasm and kept flying towards the other edge. He felt like he would make it, except...

He was coming in a bit too low. Izuku’s eyes locked on the edge of the cliff as he stood a bit straighter on the armour plate and jumped. Without the extra weight he launched up at a much greater acceleration. He just had to focus on going straight until he passed the edge.

Izuku shut the jets and landed gracefully, rolling once to soften the landing. He turned around to face the students on the other side. Tenya was sliding along one of the ropes stretched over the chasm while others were trying to walk on them more traditionally. Sadly he couldn’t see Hitoshi anywhere. After a moment of concern, he accepted he could only focus on winning. Todoroki also was no longer on that side of the obstacle, so Izuku turned and ran. He had already cut deep into Todoroki’s lead, and anger at the two-faced bastard’s disregard for everyone else’s safety pushed Izuku’s feet forward even faster. It didn’t take long for Izuku to see his enemy ahead, except Todoroki wasn’t running anymore.

“… It’s a minefield!” Present Mic announced.

“Minefield?” Izuku muttered. “Did I give Toshi a fortune telling quirk at some point? They can’t be actual landmines.”

Thankfully Present Mic explained something about them not being that, but still not something you’d want to step on. Izuku focused on the slight signs of where the mines were buried, tapping into some Calm Mind to improve his focus as explosions started going off behind him. Still there had to be a faster way. Trying to fly with his jets would just make him land face first in the minefield. That might need regeneration no matter how much the school said they weren’t real mines.

So if he couldn’t just fly over the mines, his only options were either pushing through or clearing the mines. Without Kirishima’s quirk the first option was not going to be any faster than he was already doing. Todoroki could have done so by making an ice path over the minefield, but he should have done that before others caught up to take advantage of that. The only option then was to clear the mines.

Izuku stopped and looked at his hand. He reached out, pointing his hand at the ground at what he thought to be a safe distance away, and with a blue flash an explosive Hellfire Arrow detonated against the ground. Pink smoke filled the air as the ‘fake’ mines detonated, leaving behind a small crater that was safe to land on. Izuku crouched and jumped. With a small burst from his jets he cleared the several meters of mines before landing in the crater. He had to lean forward and press his hand on the ground at the edge of the crater to stop his momentum but otherwise it was a flawless landing.

Izuku smirked and fired another Hellfire Arrow a little further away. He wouldn’t want others to be able to use the craters too easily. After repeating the process two more times he leaped past Todoroki.

“You aren’t going to beat me like that,” he taunted as he passed his opponent.

“And Midoriya takes the lead!!!” Present Mic screamed.

Izuku pushed the man’s ear-splitting voice out of his mind and focused on his next big leap. The edge of the minefield wasn’t much further, two or three leaps at most. He was so deeply focused on what he was doing that he almost missed the familiar rapid sound approaching from behind. Only the constant vigilance cultivated by his father’s air canon training warned him of the approaching stream of ice. It was coming straight at him while he was in the middle of a leap. The image of an ice pillar rising from the floor and trapping Ojiro during the second day of combat training flashed in Izuku’s mind.

He twisted around mid-air, falling almost upside-down, and pointed his hand at the approaching ice. Fires around his hand flashed extremely bright for a second as he pushed the quirks’ limits and released the largest blast he could, at least with the limited time he had.

The blast sunk into the approaching ice and in the Calm Mind induced focus it seemed like it took forever to explode. When it did the ice simply disappeared, creating a shockwave as some of it turned immediately into steam. Both Izuku and Todoroki got pushed by the blast. Todoroki was pushed back but at least he started with his feet firmly on the ground and could create an ice wall to brace against. Izuku was pushed forward, but he had already been mid-air and was now spinning uncontrollably as he missed the safe crater he had created.

Instead he was heading rapidly toward the ground filled with mines, his landing only briefly delayed by the extra altitude gained from the shockwave. Without the Calm Mind he could never have focused on responding properly while being tossed like a ragdoll.

The edge of the minefield wasn’t too far. Izuku’s jets opened wide as he waved his hands, trying to uselessly control his spin. At the exact fraction of a second he was facing the right direction, they flared at full power, launching him forward, ten meters, five meters, one meter. He passed the last mines, now he only needed to deal with the ground.

Which was approaching rapidly.

Approaching very rapidly.

Izuku bent, arching his posture just in time before the impact. Even allowing his body to flex and bend as much as possible and rolling on the ground to expend the rest of his momentum, it still hurt. It didn’t feel like he’d broken anything major, but he couldn’t rule out breaking something. At least as long as any injuries weren’t visible to anyone else he could heal them without concern.

With the last bit of his momentum and a little push, he was back on his feet and running. The pain of the impact disappeared quickly and he was in a clear lead approaching the stadium again.

“Your class is amazing Eraserhead. What the heck are you teaching them?” Present Mic asked. Aizawa was decent enough to not take the honour for his students’ work at least.

“This has nothing to do with me. They are driven forward by each other, and their work ethic has been exceptional, especially for Midoriya. The end of the school day has only been a reason to train somewhere else for him and those closest to him. Most people don’t bother paying enough attention to notice that.”

That was actually the nicest thing anyone had said about Izuku in public, except maybe for Tenya’s, Hitoshi’s, and Kirishima’s comments to random reporters. If the man didn’t suspect Izuku and wasn’t trying to get Izuku to drop his guard, he might have teared up a little.

He entered the long dark corridor leading back into the arena. In the enclosed space he could soon hear the running steps following him with the clinging of the ice even closer, but even if Todoroki had been faster, it was already too late. Izuku left the darkness, stepping into the light and noise of the fully packed stadium.

“IZUKU MIDORIYA IS OUR CHAMPION!”

Outside of the arena, in sight of a screen showing the race, a fist hit and sunk into a concrete wall.

“That villain brat again,” Death Arms muttered.

Chapter Text

It wasn’t loud, Izuku couldn’t deny that. With so many people the stadium could never be completely quiet for long, but for a stadium of that size when a winner of a race was declared it could as well have been a library as soon as the echo of Present Mic’s voice waned.

Some people cheered, not worrying about more than the resolution of the race. Others were surprised silent, seeing how the number two hero’s son was overtaken so… explosively. Many had issues accepting who had done it. Izuku could feel all of the suspicious and even outright hostile stares numbering higher than he could count in a day. He swallowed and hung onto the Calm Mind to remain standing straight and not wither under the pressure of the crowd as soon as he was no longer focused on the race.

He turned to face the entryway he had just come through, focusing his worries at the stream of other students that eventually started coming through behind Todoroki. Surprisingly Tenya did not come third, but fourth. Tokoyami came fifth. Kirishima was not far behind him at sixth. His clothes and especially pants seemed even more worn out than after the robot. Izuku made a mental note to find video of the competition to see if he actually strolled through the minefield without caring about the actual mines. Izuku smirked at the thought, briefly forgetting what little tension Calm Mind couldn’t cover.

After Kirishima there were many foreign faces and some familiar ones. Izuku’s previous smirk disappeared as the number of students reaching the finish line grew and one specific one was missing from the group. Almost twenty students had already completed the race. How many were going to pass to the next round?

“Hey Midoriya,” Dark Shadow shouted, having reached out from Tokoyami to hover over Izuku. He pointed into the tunnel. “Are you looking for him?”

Izuku blinked and followed the shadowy limb until he caught a glimpse of familiar indigo hair behind another student. Hitoshi started running a little faster and passed the other student, coming into full view. Without even thinking Izuku joined the crowd of students cheering and shouting encouragement at their still racing classmates and friends. After passing a few other students Hitoshi finally crossed the finish line around twentieth, maybe nineteenth by Izuku’s count. It had to be enough. 

Hitoshi leaned his hands against his knees, seemingly unsteady on his feet and gasping for air. At least he had given his all, though Izuku would still have to add stamina exercises to his training. Izuku ran to his side and tapped his back. 

“Great job.”

“You…” Hitoshi gasped for more air, “think so?” 

“There are like 200 students. You got into the top ten percent. That is really good without a physical quirk in a contest like that.” 

“I guess… Hopefully it is enough.”

“There are still two more rounds including the final tournament. They are going to need at least 30 to 50 people to make it interesting.”

Hitoshi smiled a little. 

“Well, it’s not your worst motivational speech. I worried you’d threaten me with more training to be faster.”

“You should watch your words, Nostradamus,” Izuku said, smirking devilishly. “So far your predictions have come true.”

“I knew it.” 

“You sure did.” Izuku grabbed Hitoshi’s hand, helping him stand back straight up. It was better not to show any physical weakness to the already biased audience. 

“At least that includes predicting the winner.”

“You didn’t think it would be Tenya?” Izuku asked and glanced at the speedster in question who had joined them. 

“Before you got those jets maybe, but the obstacles were a wildcard you were always going to handle better.”

“Probably true,” Tenya admitted. “The mines completely negated my quirk.” 

“Well, I thought it was fun,” Kirishima said, reminding Izuku of his presence. He turned to face the redhead.  

“Are you sure you are okay?”

“Yeah, why you ask? Those mines weren’t that bad, kind of tickled.”

“Why?” Izuku’s voice rose, and he repeatedly poked Kirishima’s chest. “You got crushed by that robot, basically got a building dropped on you and just kept running. Forget taking my punches or blasts. That is on a completely different level.”

By the time he stopped speaking Izuku had a notebook and pen in his hand, though he stopped to rub his now sore poking finger before he could start writing. 

“Where…?” Tokoyami started asking.

“Don’t,” Hitoshi said. “It will be better for your sanity to not ask.”

“Could all the students currently present gather here to hear the results?” Midnight called. Izuku stopped his note taking while they walked. 

“Kirishima,” he said quietly to the redhead walking in front of him.

“Yeah?” 

“Don’t ever complain about your quirk being too simple or weak again, or I’ll buy one of those robots and drop it on you again.”

“Is that supposed to be a threat?” Kirishima grinned. Both Tenya and Hitoshi sighed. Soon after Izuku was proven correct in his earlier estimate as Midnight announced a total of 42 students would move onto the next contest. Izuku softly elbowed Hitoshi. 

“See, not even close Nostradamus.”

“How long are you going to call me that? I’m not sir Nighteye or anything.”

“You could have fooled me.”

“Since when?”

“Sshh,” Tenya hissed. “She is about to tell us about the next contest.”

“The next up is…” Midnight declared as the potential competitions rotated on the screen, “a cavalry battle!” 

Gears started rotating in Izuku’s head as soon as he realized the team nature of this specific event while Midnight started explaining the rules: teams of two to four, one is a rider that isn’t allowed to touch the ground, taking points in headbands that were based on the results of the first race, and the winner of the first race started with…

“Ten million points!” Midnight declared. 

If people’s attention had moved away from Izuku since his win, it now returned in full force and some of the people that had been shocked at him winning mixed an increasingly jeering tone in the cacophony while the other students were already looking for teammates anywhere else, not that that was ever going to be different. Izuku’s real problem was that he was already surrounded by more people than he could have in his team. The thought helped him keep standing in the face of all this without relying on the Calm Mind. Kirishima might have been their resident walking shield, but Hitoshi, Tenya and Tokoyami, did a pretty good job too at that moment. 

“You have ten minutes to form the teams. Make it count.”

Kirishima turned around. 

“So, can I team up with you? No one can drop you with me as your horse.”

“I’d be glad to, but we really have to think about this. A team can only have four people and we should think how our quirks and skills work together.”

“You don’t need to worry about me,” Tokoyami said. “I don’t want to make your team building more difficult.”

“Don’t even think about it,” Hitoshi said. “That’s not how this works. You will team up with Izuku.”

Tokoyami looked confused and glanced at Izuku who shrugged his shoulders. 

“I wasn’t asked about this, but it makes sense.” 

“Dark Shadow and your jets would work well together,” Hitoshi interrupted. A light turned on in Tenya’s head. 

“I see, Dark Shadow could be the wings he needs to balance his flight.”

“Exactly, also other reasons,” Hitoshi said. “That’s two, now we just need to agree on the other two.”

Kirishima rubbed his head. 

“I guess it is going to be you two then. No worries. I know a couple other people to ask.”

Hitoshi smirked and opened his mouth, probably to repeat what he had told Tokoyami.

“Actually, Tenya should go to another team,” Izuku interrupted, getting four surprised stares. Izuku gave Tenya an apologetic look. “Your quirk is one of the best for this kind of contest, but it is no use to you if the rest of us can’t keep up. If you can find teammates who can, you can show your abilities better. You should ask Yaoyorozu. If she can make roller skates or something, you can pull the whole team along at top speed.”

“I understand, that is a good plan.” 

“Also,” Izuku said and glanced at the two-faced classmate who was surrounded by people wanting to team up with him, “see if you can get into a team with Todoroki. He needs someone with more patience than me.”

Tenya’s expression turned more serious. “I’ll do my best, but if we are going to be in different teams you should know I will also have to do my best to beat you. Not doing so would be wrong towards our fellow students.”

“I’d be disappointed if you didn’t.”

Tenya nodded and ran to look for Yaoyorozu. Izuku turned to look at his team: wings, a battering ram, and psychological warfare. 

Yes, he could make this work. 

“Kirishima, Dark shadow, I can use my jets to move us quickly, but it is going to take a lot of effort to hold us all together especially while evading other’s attacks. We’ll count on your strength to keep us all together. Can you do that?”

Kirishima smirked and hardened his arm. “You can count on me. Even those robots couldn’t pull us apart before the battle is over.”

“How about me?” Hitoshi asked and got an evil smirk in response. 

“You are our first line of offense. Just hang on and do everything the exact opposite of what you did when we first met, let loose and mess with people as much as you can. I want Ojiro to see nightmares about today for the rest of the school year.” 

Hitoshi’s smirk was, for Izuku, like looking in a mirror. 

“Such revelry in the dark,” Tokoyami commented. 

At the time to start the contest Izuku took his position sitting on the arms of his friends, with Kirishima as his front horse, Hitoshi on the rear right and Tokoyami on the rear left. Kirishima hardened his arms and Izuku felt like he was sitting on a stone throne. Dark Shadow took his position under those arms, twisting his shape to grab Izuku’s legs which sunk into the dark mass. That was a strange sensation.

Izuku observed the other teams. Most of them were focused on him and especially his headband of more than ten million points. Izuku briefly lit his Dragon Blades, stretching them to their full length on both sides in a clear challenge: ‘come if you dare.’

At least Tenya had gotten his ideal team with Yaoyorozu and Todoroki, with an interesting addition of Kaminari. Did they have any specific plan for their electric classmate? At least their team would be a challenge for Hitoshi to mess with as all of them were classmates quite familiar with his quirks.

“Are you ready?” Midnight asked the teams scattered across the arena. A bunch of fools focused on Izuku’s headband.

“Get ready Dark Shadow. We are going to move quickly,” Izuku muttered just loud enough for his team to hear. The quirk creature spread out wings to each side of their team.

“Go!”

As expected, most of the teams rushed straight towards Izuku’s team, though there were exceptions. Izuku paid attention especially to class B’s quirk copier Monoma. He hadn’t confronted the annoying blonde since their first meeting, but it seemed that might yet be ahead during the festival.

The ground ahead of Izuku’s team began glinting and seemed to have waves like it was liquid. Izuku’s jets flared and despite pulling his team up he could also feel Dark Shadow pushing him and them up. If that was true, Tokoyami should have been able to fly.

They easily left the ground before the liquefied ground reached them. Kirishima’s arms under Izuku didn’t even bend at the sudden motion. Izuku leaned forward and they glided over the arena on Dark Shadow’s wings. He glanced back, confirming that Tokoyami and Hitoshi were still hanging on for their lives. The initial shock and even a hint of fear soon made room for the thrill and excitement of their flight. 

“Toshi, you better get to work. Tail approaching.”

A team consisting of Ojiro, Ashido, Sero and Aoyama approached from their side. Aoyama as the rider pushed his stomach out. Izuku twisted to the side, redirecting his jets. 

“Incoming!”

Dark Shadow tried to follow his motion and they did barely avoid a direct hit from the laser, but Izuku still had to shield his eyes. Dark Shadow screamed like he had been on fire and the lift Izuku had felt from him disappeared. His jets were still pushing them but now he had to hold his legs around Kirishima’s arms while Hitoshi and Tokoyami were really just hanging from the redhead’s grip. Also, they were suddenly veering to the left.

“Get ready for landing,” Izuku shouted and leaned his body further back to keep Hitoshi and Tokoyami higher, relatively speaking. “Kirishima, it’s going to be a hard landing.”

“Got it.” 

Izuku didn’t have much control for where they landed, but he was able to make sure Kirishima hit the floor first, cracking the surface as he touched down. He staggered for a few steps but managed to come to a stop. Hitoshi and Tokoyami had their own struggles, but Izuku’s seat remained almost still as they found their footing again. He swung his arm, cutting and lighting on fire a tape Sero launched at him. He quickly formed a flaming shield and blocked a second laser burst. 

“Turn to face them,” he commanded. The others turned just in time for a shot aimed at Tokoyami beyond Izuku’s arms reach to hit Kirishima instead. After his earlier false alarm, Izuku didn’t even bother asking if he was okay. If anything, the attack seemed to excite Kirishima as he began charging at the approaching team at high speed. 

“Let’s get ‘em!” He declared. Izuku had no issue with that. They didn’t need the points but couldn’t escape properly as long as Aoyama was after them. With Kirishima and Izuku’s fire shields now facing the same direction, the follow up laser shots didn’t even slow them down. 

“Dark Shadow,” Izuku commanded the quirk creature now hiding behind Tokoyami. “Grab the headband while they focus on us.”

“No.” 

Izuku blocked another laser blast on that side. 

“We won’t let them hit you, but they won’t stop until we make them understand they will lose wasting time and losing points on us. You want Tokoyami to win right?”

“Yes, okay.” 

“Hey Ojiro!” Hitoshi shouted. He probably used also his Surprise quirk considering how their tailed classmate jolted and staggered, almost bringing his entire team down and forcing them to a near full stop. Izuku’s team passed them before they could regain their balance. Dark Shadow bounced from Tokoyami like a spring and Aoyama’s headband seemed to simply disappear in the blink of an eye. 

“Thank you!” Hitoshi shouted after they passed the other team. “If you don’t want to get dropped from the contest with zero points you might want to find some easier prey.” 

“No way, we ar…” Ashido responded, a bad mistake. 

“Drop Aoyama,” Hitoshi commanded. Ashido let go of her team and then pulled on Aoyama’s shirt. Ojiro’s tail moved to slap her head to break the brainwashing, but it was already too late. Aoyama fell on her and they both fell on the ground as the whole team collapsed. Dark Shadow handed Izuku their headband. 

“Team Aoyama is out!” Midnight declared. 

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but your quirk can be really scary,” Kirishima said as he kept running.

“And I’m going to take full advantage of that,” Hitoshi responded, breathing a little harder. 

“Just make sure you can keep talking,” Izuku said. “Dark Shadow, how are you feeling?”

“Better now that that sparkling guy went away.”

“Good, get ready to fly again. Tenya is comin…” Izuku paused mid-sentence as a shadow blocked the sun. He flared his jets to move them to the side just enough to avoid Shoji’s extending arm as he fell from the sky. His six arms had spread out so that the skin between them formed simple wings and with Uraraka accompanying Asui on his back it was no wonder he could launch such a surprise attack. They would all have been effectively weightless as long as Uraraka could use her quirk. 

Shoji’s arm was followed by Asui’s tongue slashing out like a whip. Izuku instinctively raised his arm with his flaming shield lit but resisted the battle instinct to slice straight through the offending appendix. Yelping, Asui pulled her tongue back just before she could properly hit the shield and seriously burn herself. Part of the tongue was left hanging as she seemed to breathe a little faster. 

“Sorry!” Izuku shouted genuinely as they kept running away from the trio. “Got to fly!” 

During the incident Dark Shadow had once again taken his original place and with a burst of his jets they left the ground just as a wave of ice from Todoroki covered the whole area where they had been standing. Shoji got frozen to the ground but raised his hands up to create a cocoon that completely covered his passengers and the headband Uraraka was wearing. 

That was until Kaminari reached out to him. Yaoyorozu created some kind of sheet between Kaminari and the rest of their team. Even from high above Izuku could distinguish the sparks of electricity as Shoji got shocked and the resulting spasms forced his arms open. A few seconds later their points were gone.  

“Tenya seems to be doing well for himself,” Izuku said.

“Yeah,” Hitoshi agreed in a bit of a strained voice as he hung from Kirishima’s stone grasp with nothing under his feet again. “Too bad he can’t reach us here huh.”

“That’s the plan,” Izuku said but he had hardly finished when his eyes widened and he suddenly jolted their whole team to the side. An ice pillar tens of meters long appeared where they were moments before. 

“What the…” Kirishima shouted just before they avoided a second similar attack. Izuku directed them across the field to get more distance between them and the attacks stopped at least for the moment as Todoroki’s team chased after them. Izuku could only salivate following their approach.

“Should we keep running or…?” Tokoyami asked. 

“No, it is a competition. We should do our best,” Izuku said, raising his hand. ”I hope Tenya made enough progress in our training.”

Fires lit on the back of Izuku’s hand. He drew down the heat and intensity, leaving the flames orange and then fired the arrows in three hit bursts. Tenya saw the first two series of flaming arrows, jolting to the side to avoid them. For the third burst Todoroki whipped up an ice wall between his team and Izuku. The weakened flames did nothing to the wall and a new pillar of ice launched from it at Izuku’s team. It got dodged like all the previous ones. 

“Two minutes left!” Present Mic announced in the background. 

“I guess we could just hang on up here a little longer,” Izuku concluded, moving them back across the arena. “How are you holding up Kirishima, Dark Shadow?”

“Heh, I could keep going ‘till dinner.”

“As long as he doesn’t let go of Fumi I’ll be fine… What are they, AIEEH!”

It was suddenly a lot brighter. Squinting his eyes Izuku could barely distinguish large mirror behind the bright light coming from below. 

“She made a giant mirror!” Hitoshi said as they started falling. “I really didn’t want to do this again.”

“I guess we’ll have to face them on the ground,” Izuku said. “Kirishima, get ready for an emergency landing. Dark Shadow, focus on defence.”

The landing was just as hard as before, but they managed it just the same and turned to face their approaching opponents. 

“I’d rather neither of our teams drop at this stage,” Izuku said. “There isn’t much time left. Try to evade them.”

“Okay,” Kirishima responded and started running to the side. He had to stop after just a few steps as a wall of ice grew in front of them, blocking that side of the arena off from them entirely. A quick glance confirmed that the same had happened on the opposite side. They were trapped in a funnel with ice on two sides, the edge of the arena on one and Tenya’s team on the fourth. 

“What now?” Kirishima asked. Meanwhile Izuku met Todoroki’s cold confident stare and Tenya’s more nervous but determined one. 

“Now we give people the show they came for, a head on charge. Isn’t that the manly thing to do?”

“For sure. Let’s go.”

Both teams ran towards each other, but Izuku knew it wasn’t that easy. Their opponents’ mobility came from Tenya and he had clearly resolved to give his best. Izuku drew on the Calm Mind and let it encompass him. Other teams were outside the ice walls and Dark Shadow was watching their back. They didn’t need to exist in Izuku’s consciousness. He followed every little motion and twitch of Tenya. Tenya’s expression tensed. There was a near imperceptible glow coming from his engine exhaust. Izuku started leaning to the side. 

Air whooshed against Izuku’s hair and Tenya’s team was suddenly behind him. It had been too fast to evade after Tenya started his Recipro Burst.

But Izuku had started dodging before that. He released the Calm Mind and his hand went to his forehead where the ten million point headband was still firmly held around his head. Turning to face his opponents Izuku found Todoroki and Tenya both equally stunned at the failure of their attack. Tenya’s engines were smoking. 

“Are you going to be okay by the next round?” Izuku asked. 

“Yes, but, how? Even you…”

“I’m no Toshi, but it wasn’t that hard to predict. You should have gone after someone who doesn’t already know all of your special moves. Anyway, how is melting the ice queen going?”

“Enough!” Todoroki shouted. There were light sparks of fire along his left hand and cheek. “We can still get them.”

“Then come and show what you are capable off,” Izuku shouted back, lighting a Dragon Blade on his left hand, the shining blue vibrating blade that could cut through almost anything. “Just don’t expect to achieve anything with a mere half of your power.”

A more pronounced flame flashed across Todoroki’s sleeve, surprising everyone, most of all himself by the look of things. Staring at your own arm wide eyed when it was on fire might have been a reasonable reaction for most people for a few nanoseconds before the screaming started, but Todoroki was clearly not harmed by his own flames and kept staring for several seconds before he started patting it with his other hand and the flames got extinguished. Izuku wanted to smile thinking Todoroki hadn’t completely supressed that side of him, but he wasn’t sure if he was making any positive progress with Todoroki this way.

Also, he really wanted to have a taste of that quirk.

“TIME’S UP! The cavalry battle is over!” Present Mic screamed.

“WE DID IT!” Kirishima somehow managed to outdo the pro hero in volume. Izuku slipped down from his arms and their team finally got to separate. Part of Izuku didn’t want that to happen, but a larger part didn’t want to make them carry him any longer than they had to.

Todoroki did the same but the expression on his face was darker. Meanwhile Present Mic started announcing the results.

“In first place, team Midoriya!”

The declaration got some mandatory cheers, but much of the audience were still at least hesitant.

“In second place, team Todoroki!”

It wasn’t a bad result, but Izuku couldn’t help but wonder how Endeavour had to feel about it. Izuku almost wanted the man to face Hitoshi to find out how many ways he could find to irritate the so-called hero with son-of-number-two-being-number-two type remarks after Todoroki had come second twice.

“In third place, team Monoma! In fourth place, team Tetsutetsu! These sixteen students move on to the final competition. Now, we’ll take an hour’s break for lunch before we start the afternoon festivities!”

“I can hardly believe it,” Kirishima said, tearing up. “We are in the finals for the UA sports festival.”

Hitoshi next to him seemed more stunned at the idea while rubbing his wrists that had red marks on them from hanging from Kirishima’s grip. Tokoyami tried to hold down Dark Shadow who wanted to celebrate, and Tenya joined them, being greeted by Izuku’s smile.

“Great job getting to the final round,” Izuku said. “That Recipro Burst almost got us.”

“I know, but I’m actually happy it didn’t since we all got to move on.”

“Me too, but it doesn’t change what happened. Almost isn’t good enough for a move you can only use once.”

“Are you talking about that super speed?” Kirishima asked. “I could barely see you coming before it was already over.

“Yes, that was what Tenya couldn’t have done with us,” Izuku said. “Did you get a chance to talk with Todoroki at all?”

“I’m afraid no. He wasn’t any more willing to talk than usual, but I think it was still worth it.”

“Seems so,” Izuku said, leaning to look past Tenya at Todoroki who was walking toward them.

“Midoriya, we ne… Can we talk, privately?”

Izuku looked at Todoroki for a moment. The choice and tone of his words at least showed some progress. He kept a neutral expression, even let it soften a bit.

“Sure, but can you do us a favour first?”

“What kind of favour?”

“That last move took a lot out of Tenya. His engines need to cool before he can fully recover. You can use your quirk to do that without freezing him right? He did it to help your team.”

Todoroki held up and looked at his right hand and then kneeled, reaching for Tenya’s legs. There was something akin to steam as air cooled around his hand and Tenya’s legs. Tenya hissed quickly but it soon changed into a relieved sigh.

“Thank you, that helped a lot,” Tenya said as Todoroki got back up. Todoroki didn’t respond, he just looked at Izuku while taking a few steps away from the group.

“Why don’t you guys go on ahead,” Izuku said. “I’ll find you soon.”

Hitoshi nodded. “We can check out the festival area and go get lunch together when you’re done.”

Izuku nodded before following Todoroki.

Chapter Text

Izuku followed Todoroki across the arena. Separated from everyone else he felt a thousand eyes on him, more so than during the contest even though the audience was rapidly flowing out. Izuku turned his gaze down to focus on his classmate Todoroki, but on the way his line of sight paused on an entirely different Todoroki instead. 

Endeavor certainly wasn’t one to keep a low profile with the flames constantly burning around his head and shoulders. The scowl on his face would have been more than a match to Izuku’s best ‘leave me alone’ face, especially with his lack of practice on it for months now. 

Izuku realized the scowl had moved to target him. He was now facing eye to eye with the number two so-called hero. All Might might have held the more overwhelming power, but unlike him, Endeavour’s stare held true hostility, and being burned alive was frankly a scarier thought than being smashed into a stain on the wall. Izuku kept that thought away from his face and turned to look at the younger Todoroki with minimal acknowledgement of his father. 

Todoroki too had faced upwards at seeing his father and glanced back at Izuku with a serious, even angry look in his eyes, though not necessarily one targeted at Izuku. They entered a corridor exiting the arena, out of sight of the masses of people finally, but not alone with other students also heading out the same way. Todoroki looked around and picked smaller corridors until they were almost out of the stadium. They both concluded there was no one else present in that exact corridor at the moment. Todoroki turned to face Izuku face to face, alone for the first time. 

“What are you trying to do?”

“What do you mean?” Izuku asked, a bit annoyed by the demanding tone. Then again… The image of Endeavour’s scowl returned to Izuku’s mind, right next to Tenya’s relief at having his engines cooled. 

“You sent Ida to my team on purpose. Why?”

“Because he is more patient with people who think they’re better off not dealing with anyone else,” Izuku responded, completely honest for once. “I don’t like how you chain yourself to your father, but you might still be able to leave the shadow he has cast.”

“I don’t need your help to leave anything.” 

“You think I’m going to buy that? You begged me to take away half of your quirk just to get rid of it because it ties you to your father, and you have done your best to not let anyone get close since school started. All that while acting like your quirk and power means everyone else is below you.”

“We are on different levels.”

“Maybe in terms of power in a battle, but that doesn’t make you a better or more worthwhile person than others. The way you are going, you are going to be just like your father, if not worse.” 

The look in Todoroki’s eyes hardened, but his mouth moved and there was a small sound, almost like he was gagging. 

“Never.”

“If nothing changes you will.”

“Is that why you acted so… strange before the tournament started?”

“You mean being friendly?” Izuku asked. “If you think it was strange then maybe Tenya was right that it might help you. He got through to me.” 

“You?”

“You aren’t the only one that has been abused and preferred to be alone. Let me guess, all or most people you’ve ever met only see you as the son of the number two and maybe see you for your quirk.”

“So you sent Ida to be friendly with me and not do it yourself?”

“In case you haven’t noticed, I don’t have Tenya’s patience or even Kirishima’s thick skin to help with that.”

“And you think you can get me to accept my father by being friendly?”

“No,” Izuku responded, his voice sterner than before. “He doesn’t deserve that. We just don’t want him to drag you down with him. He has already ruined enough lives.”

“You don’t know the half of it.”

“Oh I doubt that. The way he has raised you to look at people, you probably don’t even see most of the people he has hurt. Every time a kid gets bullied for not having a sufficiently ‘heroic’ quick,” Izuku made quotation mark gestures with his hands as he said the word heroic, “that is partially your father’s fault. Same when someone with a quirk well suited to actually hurting people gets encouraged or not held to same standards as others and has their ego stroked until it rots through. You are in the latter group.”

“So you don’t want me to accept my father, but also refusing him and his power is wrong?”

“Your power,” Izuku corrected. “It is your power. You control how it is used and how you view it, and that is all that matters.

“It’s not… You wouldn’t understand.” 

“You really think so?” Izuku said and held his arm sideways in front of him. The Dragon Blade lit over his hand. “You were at least born with your power. It’s not your father’s any more than the rest of you. This quirk belonged to a criminal who thought kidnapping a middle-schooler off the street was a good way to make some money. Wouldn’t be surprised if he was a murderer too. The fire itself is certainly more than powerful enough to kill people and can do that in very gruesome ways. The jets in my back belonged to a criminal that tried to murder Hitoshi and Tokoyami, and I don’t think we were his first victims.”

Todoroki looked at Izuku for a long time as his face twisted between different emotions. 

“Doesn’t that… disturb you at all?”

“I have thought about it sometimes,” Izuku admitted, “but right now they are my quirks. I decide what to do with them, and whether they are used for good or bad depends on my choices. What the original owners think or did with them doesn't really matter. Can you imagine if I refused to use my blades because of who they came from? People might already be dead because of it if I had.”

“Well at least you aren’t doing exactly what those people wanted you to do.”

“If I thought what they wanted would be the right thing to do, I would still do it.”

“Then maybe I don’t think it is right to use m… the fire.”

Izuku’s eyes narrowed.

“Fine, if that is what you want, but you are only letting your father destroy you more.”

“Maybe, but…”

Todoroki couldn’t find the words he wanted to say, and his usually emotionless or arrogant expression was replaced by one of confusion and… perhaps desperation. Izuku wished he had brought Tenya and Hitoshi. They were better at this stuff. Izuku was only better than Todoroki in this situation for the sole fact that he had somewhat recognized his issues, so he wasn’t the best person to be giving a lecture on it, but he would just have to make do. Eventually Izuku broke his stare of Todoroki and sighed. 

“I can’t make you use your fire, but don’t expect to win on your ice alone, especially the way you use it.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well,” Izuku started, but paused, having gotten an idea. “I’ll tell you if you join us for lunch.”

Todoroki pressed his lips together before starting to respond.

“I don’t think…”

“Endeavour would hate to see his son hanging out with the ‘Quirk Stealer’ don’t you think?”

Todoroki blinked, then seemed thoughtful for a few seconds. 

“Are you trying to manipulate me again?”

“The word you are looking for is being friendly. You should try it. I can’t teach you to, but you can copy Tenya or Kirishima. Toshi might be more difficult. I don’t think you are quick-witted enough with your words to match his style.”

Todoroki hummed sceptically. Izuku turned to leave.

“Are you coming? I’ll gladly help you piss off Endeavour.”

“Fine,” Todoroki responded and followed Izuku out of the dark corridor. In moments the quiet privacy of that corridor was replaced by the noise and carnival like activity of the festival stalls around the arena. Izuku glanced occasionally behind him to make sure Todoroki was still following. One such time he almost missed rapid steps coming from ahead of him and barely stopped in time to avoid colliding with a little boy, probably six or seven years old who had ran in front of him and Todoroki.

“Hey I know you. You were at the arena…”

“Asahi!” A young tall man probably in his early thirties ran out from behind other people. As soon as there was no one but the kid between them, the man’s eyes locked onto Izuku. He grabbed the kids arm quickly and clearly more tightly than necessary as the kid grimaced. 

“Asahi, come away from him. That’s the Quirk Stealer.” 

He pulled the kid away from Izuku and partially behind himself, placing himself between the kid and Izuku, his intent clear.

“Did he touch you?” The man asked the kid.

“No, why….?” The kid didn’t get to ask his question. 

“Can you still use your quirk? Use it right now.”

The kid, still looking confused, held up his hand and it glowed a bright white light, like a tiny sun. Was it just a simple light quirk, or something more like a laser, or a healing quirk with light as a side effect? Seeing this the man focused on Izuku.

“Stay away from my son.”

Izuku sighed with the tired expression on his face he often had to deal with people like this. 

“In case you didn’t notice he ran to us. Also no, I don’t go around stealing quirks from kids.” 

“That is what you would say. Stay away from my son and don’t think you can trick us by hiding behind Endeavour’s son.”

“Pretty sure he is behind me,” Izuku said, channelling a bit of Hitoshi in his tone. “Now if you excuse us, or not, we need to get lunch before the final tournament. Your son seems to be excited about it and it would be a shame to disappoint him with a weak performance.”

Izuku walked around the father and son without giving the man a chance to throw any more empty accusations at him. He only glanced back to make sure he hadn’t lost Todoroki in the incident. The two-faced classmate was still following him, looking back as they went. When he turned his head to face forward his expression was thoughtful and he glanced to the sides with new comments about the ‘Quirk Stealer’ being made around them. People had been surprisingly able to miss Izuku’s presence in the buzz of the festival, but the overprotective father had dragged their full attention straight to Izuku and people in his way parted to the sides. Todoroki took advantage of the extra space and with a few faster steps caught up to Izuku.

“Is this… usual?” 

“Since the media found out about me. This is pretty much how most people realise they are too close to me for comfort,” Izuku paused. “Seriously speaking, you should probably consider if you want to be seen with me like this.” 

“Would it annoy Endeavour?”

“Definitely,” Izuku’s tense expression eased a little, “that man already recognized you as his son, probably only as his son.”

“Then I think I want to stay around, at least until the tournament begins.”

“I… appreciate the company,” Izuku said. “Speaking of which, we need to find the others.

“And you need to keep your promise. You were going to say something about my ice.”

“Not the quirk itself, probably” Izuku responded, welcoming the distraction. “Have you ever tried to control it more?”

“I can control it just fine.” 

“You can use it and draw out a lot of power, or ice in this case, but that doesn’t mean you have mastered it. I could draw a lot of power-from my jet quirk after a couple of days training, but I still can’t use them much without landing on my face. You can create a lot of ice but so far you have only shown enough control over the quirk to point it at a general direction and know roughly where to stop it. There is usually no precision or finer control, or at least you have never shown any.”

“I can use my ice well without… landing on my face.”

“You might be taking my comparison too literally. What I am trying to say is if the way you use your quirk is because of limitations in the quirk or the way you have been taught to use it. When your father made your train, how much about your training was on drawing out your quirk’s power or just getting stronger?”

“Isn’t that the whole point of training?”

Izuku sighed. “So he did. You are refusing to use half of your,” Izuku emphasised the ‘your’-part, “quirk and he has even managed to mess up how you use the other half.”

“I still don’t understand.”

“When you use your quirk you just make more ice until you get what you want. I doubt that is anywhere near the full potential of your quirk or even that half of it. You don’t even try to control how the ice forms in any detail. Everyone thinks you are insanely powerful but, simple power isn’t everything. If your enemy can avoid or destroy the large ice attack you are going to be in trouble right away with little options. When Toshi avoided your attack in the battle training on the second day all you could do was to repeat the same attack until he ran out of space in the room.”

As Izuku glanced at Todoroki the two-faced classmate at least seemed thoughtful, following his words. He turned to face forward again.

“Hi,” a pink-haired girl with strange goggles said, her face right in front of Izuku’s. He barely stopped in time to not collide with her. She didn’t seem to mind and kept talking quickly. 

“My name is Hatsume. You are the guy who wants to buy quirks?”

Izuku took a moment to process the girl’s words and the feeling he had seen her before. She was wearing a UA gym uniform so…

“You were in the competition.” 

“Sure was. I’m from the support course. Do you really want to buy quirks?”

“Yes,” Izuku responded slowly. 

“Cool, will you buy mine?”

Now Izuku was really taken aback and if he was surprised, he couldn’t even imagine how Todoroki had to feel. 

“Why would you give up your quirk?” Todoroki asked as if on que. 

“We’ll for money of course. That is the whole point of selling stuff. If my quirk can fund more of my babies why not sell it?”

“Babies?” Izuku and Todoroki asked at the same time. 

“My inventions, support items and others,” she announced loudly, getting more exited with every word. “Surely you saw some of them during the obstacle race at least?”

“No,” Izuku and Todoroki answered at the same time.

“Ah well, I only bothered with the sports festival to be seen by businesspeople that could invest in my babies, but when you said you’d buy quirks, I figured I could make more babies with that money. So how about it? You can have my amazing quirk for just thirty million yen.”

“Hold on,” Izuku said. “You haven’t even told me what your quirk is yet.”

“Oh, I didn’t. It is really handy, especially for a hero looking for villains or people to save. It is called zoom. My eyes can zoom into distant things. I can see things up to five kilometres away.”

“Doesn’t sound that powerful,” Todoroki said.

“What did I just say about power?” Izuku responded and rubbed his chin, thinking about the quirk. It could certainly be useful in some situations, especially combined with his Hellfire Arrow or other long ranged or vision-based quirks. Still he had to be careful to not carelessly blow his quirk budget on something that could turn out better or worse than expected. He focused on Hatsume again. 

”That’s what your quirk can do, but how about its limitations? Are there any costs or side effects?”

“Not really, might take some time to learn to focus properly and you probably don’t want to move while zoomed in initially if you don’t want to trip.”

“Seems logical,” Izuku responded. “It is a decent utility quirk even if a bit situational. I’ll pay ten million.”

“That’s not enough, not going to fund many babies. I’ll need at least thirty.”

“It is useful, but not that exceptional of a quirk. I’ll pay fifteen.”

“Not enough babies. I’ll need at least twenty.”

Izuku pressed his lips together. 

“You said you invent a lot of… babies. Are you any good at it?”

Hatsume smirked and showed him a thumbs up. 

“The best.”

“So,” Izuku started. “If you are really the best it probably wouldn’t be too hard for you to solve a little acoustic challenge. I’ll pay you fifteen for the quirk and another five million if you can come up with what I need.”

“Depends on what it is that you need?” Hatsume asked, but Izuku already had an open notebook on hand he showed her. She looked at it for a long time as her eyes widened and there was a grin.”

“Yeah, that is possible, but it is going to be twenty million plus materials, and I want the fifteen for my quirk first.”

“Agreed.”

“So, what now?”

“I’ll get us a contract…” Izuku brought his hand to his pocket only to realize he didn’t keep his phone with him during the contests, “later. It’ll probably need your parents’ agreement.” 

“Leave that to me. You just make sure you have the money ready.”  

“It already is,” Izuku assured. Hatsume gave him another thumbs up and started walking away.

“Good luck for the tournament. I already dropped out of the contest, so I’ll go work on that other thing. See ya.” 

“She would give up her quirk?” Todoroki said, seemingly unable to wrap his head around the idea.

“You just asked me to take your quirk away yesterday and I didn’t even offer to pay you.”

That shut Todoroki up, or perhaps he was just too confused with his feelings on the topic to get any words out.

Izuku continued walking past the festival stalls with a confused Todoroki. People were still looking at him like he was a plague patient, but at least the surprise encounter had raised his spirits. He mostly succeeded at keeping his expressions under control while excitedly imagining all the possible applications of the Zoom quirk. It might have even made finding his friends in this crowd easier, not that he could see very far among all of the people. Also Kirishima’s hair was like a signal torch shining from the camera flashes of a small crowd surrounding him, Tenya, and Tokoyami. Izuku looked around but didn’t find Hitoshi. Kirishima was the first to notice him and started waving. 

The crowd around them started quickly scattering as Izuku waved back, his hand almost brushing against one of the bystanders. The woman stared at him for several seconds, then jolted away, like a cartoon character that only falls after a delay once they realise they have walked off a cliff.

At least it cleared Izuku’s way to the trio. Each of them noted the people’s reaction with tense glares, but seemed to at least have been in high spirits. Tenya had a full litre bottle of orange juice to refuel his engines and Kirishima had finally gotten a change of clothes to replace those torn up when he climbed through a giant robot.

“Did they leave?” Dark Shadow asked, peeking out of Tokoyami. 

“Yes,” Tokoyami responded.

“Good, too flashy. You should keep Midoriya around as long as there is a crowd. He’s a really good scarepeople.” 

Somehow the dark quirk creature always managed to pull Izuku’s lips upwards even talking about subjects that usually did the opposite, but something was still missing. There was no clever comment about the effect Dark Shadow had on him. 

“Where’s Toshi?”

“I am not sure,” Tenya responded. “He said he saw someone familiar and disappeared just as people started noticing us.”

“Unfortunately,” Dark Shadow interrupted. “He might have been a good scarepeople too.” 

“Can you stretch up and see if you can spot him?” Izuku asked, pointing up. 

“Sure thing,” Dark Shadow gave his equivalent of a thumbs up and started raising upwards, stretching up as a narrow black line from Tokoyami. He got surprisingly high. Izuku thought back to the lift Dark Shadow had given in the cavalry battle as he looked at Tokoyami. 

“Tokoyami,” he said getting all four’s attention, “have you ever tried to fly with Dark Shadow, let him carry you?”

“Fly?” Tokoyami responded. “No, I doubt that would work since he is already tied to me.”

“Tied maybe, but he’s clearly not dependent on that to move. You don’t seem impacted as he moves and he helped keep us up during the cavalry battle. You should experiment more on what you can do.”

Tokoyami scratched his beak, considering the proposal as Dark Shadow came down and pointed towards the main building.

“That way, behind the ice cream stall with some other people.”

“Show the way,” Izuku said. “Hopefully he’s not getting ice-cream right before the tournament.” 

Dark Shadow started moving and they followed. After a few steps Izuku glanced at Tokoyami. 

“Sorry if asking Dark Shadow’s help is intrusive.” 

 “It could be since we are bound together, but we were supposed to find Shinso and go have lunch together so it really doesn’t matter. At least he isn’t threatening you anymore.”

Dark Shadow was already in front of the ice cream booth waving towards its back. What was Hitoshi doing there? Izuku walked a bit faster and was the first to pass Dark Shadow. He stopped at the corner of the booth.  

“What’s wrong? Afraid the school sees the villain you are if you get in trouble with quests?”

“Look who is talking. You are too afraid to even talk to me,” Hitoshi responded. It was quiet for a long moment after that. Izuku peeked around the corner. The three people talking to Hitoshi had their backs towards Izuku but he recognized the middle one who had spoken. They were the bullies from when he had first met Hitoshi. Part of him wanted to hug them for their role in that. 

“Stop smirking,” the head bully said and swung his fist against empty air. Hitoshi’s head yanked to the side and there was a drop of blood on his lip. Now all of Izuku just wanted them to suffer. Their mistake. 

“That’s still all you got?” Hitoshi asked in a mocking tone. “You know I’ve fought Endeavour’s son and trained with a couple of people that could turn either of our bones to dust in a single strike. You think you can threaten me like this?”

There was a long silence, just long enough to make sure Hitoshi couldn’t use his quirk.

“I can make sure you won’t be in any shape to stay in the tournament and if you try to stop me you’ll be in trouble for assaulting a festival visitor. You might have managed to worm into UA with that other villain, but do you think they are going to keep you after that?”

“I could ask you the same. You might go to a B level hero school but how would they feel about their student being caught starting fights in another school? Not that you’d have much chance graduating without a quirk anyway.”

“Without… wh…?”

“Hi,” Izuku said, making sure to keep his hand open, ready to use All For One if he so chose. The trio spun around so quickly one would have thought they had super speed quirks. Izuku continued: “Still a bigoted bully I see.”

The other two bullies took a few steps to the side, visibly tense, but at least the head bully was brave or stupid enough to stand his ground. 

“You… you really are a Quirk Stealer.”

“Considering how careful you are with your words when talking to me,” Hitoshi started, “it’s surprising you’d start like that with Izuku.”

The head bully bit his teeth together until the window for brainwashing had passed.

“It… it doesn’t matter. If he even tries to steal my quirk you’re both done. We’ll tell people you assaulted us and who do you think they are going to trust, villain?”

“If you want to play that game, I suspect they might be more willing to trust the brother of Ingenium and a son of Endeavour more than some second-rate school bully,” Izuku answered. 

“Oh hi Todoroki,” Hitoshi said. “Surprising to see you here.”

Todoroki didn’t answer anything in words but probably nodded or something before Hitoshi moved his attention back to the bullies.

“What the hell did you do to get people like them to side with you? Is this some new kind of brainwashing or… I guess you could have made them do something to blackmail them with. Just something more to show people what you are.”

“Or maybe we just like him more than you,” Izuku said. “Which isn’t a high bar.”

“Yeah,” Dark Shadow declared, looming somewhere above Izuku. 

The head bully gritted his teeth. He squeezed one hand in a fist like preparing to use his quirk again. Izuku’s gaze turned dark, and he raised his open hand, ready to elevate the guy from a bully to a quirkless dead man walking if he attacked Hitoshi again.

“Don’t do anything stupid if you want to see tomorrow.”

“Izuku,” Hitoshi said, carefully now focused on Izuku rather than the bully. It was fear in his voice that got Izuku to listen, and it was not fear of the bully. “Don’t… do anything rash. Let me handle this. I… I need to handle this.”

Izuku looked at Hitoshi for a few seconds and lowered his hand.

“If you want his quirk, just say so.”

Hitoshi looked down and shook his head, but he was smiling as he did so. It made Izuku ease a little. Hitoshi might have struggled with Kirishima, but what chance would this guy have if he started a fight?

“You really should leave,” Hitoshi told the bullies. “I left you behind. I have no interest in wasting any time on you. Go live your lives somewhere else.”

The head bully squeezed his fists but turned a bit towards his friends, seemingly leaving. 

“You will pay for this,” he muttered.

“No,” Hitoshi responded calm and cold. “We aren’t in junior high anymore and I don’t let people like you hold me back anymore. You can’t bring me down now, and if you try you’re the one who’s going to fall.” 

As Hitoshi spoke he walked around the head bully until he was between Izuku and the bully so Izuku couldn’t easily end the bully if he tried something. 

“I used to be alone and people like you made me hate my quirk. These people changed that. They accepted how I was born. You aren’t their problem, and you’re not my problem anymore either.”

The bully waited for long enough to respond to avoid Hitoshi’s quirk. 

“And what are you going to do about it?”

“The thing you have always feared I might.”

The head bully’s mouth immediately pressed shut like it was glued, realising what Hitoshi suggested. He held his fist ready again. Izuku smirked, knowing what was coming.

“Surprise,” Hitoshi said in a regular calm voice. The head bully yelped and jolted like someone had screamed in his ear when the Surprise quirk hit. This was followed by him freezing still as Hitoshi’s brainwashing caught him. 

“Checkmate,” Hitoshi said. “Now what should I do with you. You would do something to make my life miserable just for the sake of doing it.”

“Ho… how?” one of the other bullies could barely speak

“He would never respond to you,” the other said.

“Like…” Hitoshi said, “this.”

The remaining bullies reacted to Hitoshi’s quirks just as their ringleader had. After a few seconds Kirishima stepped past Izuku to wave his hand in front of the head bully before staring him in the eyes, their faces almost touching. 

“I still can’t wrap my head around how you can do that, but I guess at least this is better than punching them.”

“Coming from you,” Hitoshi smirked, “it is probably the most positive thing anyone has ever said about my quirk.”

“So, what are you going to do with them now?”

Hitoshi looked at the trio for a long quiet moment. 

“Nothing. Abusing my quirk is exactly what they would want me to do and worrying about them would just hold me back. I’ll release them after we leave and hopefully we won’t meet again.”

“What if you do?” Todoroki asked from behind the group.

“Not sure. Ignore them, brainwash them again, or borrow one of Izuku’s lawyers if he doesn’t send them to a hospital first.”

“Better be quick then,” Izuku said. Hitoshi smiled. 

“Anyway, I have more important things to worry about in my life and it's not like they are a part of it anymore. I don’t want to waste time on them.”

“You don’t want to take revenge on them?” 

“I’d be lying if I said no, but becoming a successful hero like I want to be is the best way to prove them wrong, and maybe that’s enough. At least I don’t want to risk any of that because of them.”

“Right,” Todoroki said and turned away, seeming thoughtful. With that over Izuku glanced at the three brainwashed bullies one more time.

“Toshi,” he said, getting the brainwasher’s attention, “do you realise what you did here?”

“I think I did, but since you are asking…”

“How many times did you use your quirks?”

“What do you… twice. Why?”

Izuku smirked. 

“And how many people did you brainwash?”

“Thre…” Hitoshi paused and glanced at the brainwashed bullies like making sure he had counted right.

“You caught two of them at once. You’ve never before managed to brainwash more than one at a time.”

“Well… I have only tried anything like that recently.” 

“Maybe you just needed some extra motivation, or three. That’s good. Makes you less vulnerable to groups.”

“That is great, well done,” Tenya showed a thumbs up. “Now, there isn’t much of the break left so I recommend we head for lunch without further delay.”

“Agreed, I’m starving,” Kirishima declared. They started moving, leaving the three bullies behind, and Izuku who turned to face the head bully one last time. He leaned next to him to talk into his ear. 

“Your head is pretty foggy right now, but you should remember at least some of this. Stay away from Hitoshi. I could put you in jail or send you to a hospital or take your quirk, or all of the above, but those are the least I could do to you. If I hear you are trying to go after him again in any way, you will pray you got off with one of those, and that will be the last thing you will do, ever.”

Izuku left the bullies staring into nothing and jogged after the others before they would start asking questions. 

Chapter Text

As Izuku got his lunch he noticed a nice corner table they often used was free and started heading towards it. 

“Izuku,” Tenya interrupted him. 

“Yeah?”

“I think we need to find a larger table than that.”

Izuku looked at the four-person table again and then at the group around him, six people including himself. He smiled. 

“I think you are right.” 

He followed Tenya to a longer table that could have seated half a class. He sat between Tenya and Todoroki opposite Kirishima who already had his mouth full of a juicy steak. 

“Mmmmh…” he mumbled and swallowed. “Lunch Rush has really outdone himself today.”

“For sure,” Hitoshi said after a single bite. He was sitting next to Kirishima. 

“Perhaps, but we should still remember all of the relevant table manners as UA students,” Tenya commented, glancing at Kirishima who had his mouth full again. 

“More importantly we should be careful with how much we eat,” Izuku said. “The final tournament is going to start soon, and you don’t want to fight on too full of a stomach.”

“That makes sense,” Tenya agreed. Kirishima on the other hand looked at his already half empty plate.

“Man, I wanted to get seconds. Just looking at all that food is making me drool.”

“You’ll survive it,” Izuku said while cutting his steak. “I keep drooling any time you or Todoroki show off what you can do and have gotten through it so far.”

“Eh?” Kirishima looked at Izuku surprised. Todoroki raised his head and Hitoshi smirked. 

“I think that came out a bit wrong?” he said just as Izuku started realising what he had said. He suddenly found his own plate very interesting but that did nothing to the embarrassment he was feeling. Still it was out.  

“Well, not exactly. It has happened more since coming to UA with people using their quirks constantly. Just looking at them, especially really strong ones, makes me well, hungry. Coming to school is like stepping into a buffet after starving for days.”

“So you want to eat Kirishima. Be careful or your teeth might break,” Hitoshi said, making Izuku even more embarrassed. 

“It’s not like that. It’s just that… Well I think my quirk makes me attracted to strong quirks like I get hungry when my stomach is empty and I see good food.” 

“Ha,” Dark Shadow said as he emerged from Tokoyami, “I knew you wanted to take me from Fumi.”

Izuku tensed as did the others, but Dark Shadow stayed small and nonthreatening next to Tokoyami.

“Good thing you didn’t,” he continued and most of the tension disappeared.

“That seems logical,” Tenya said, “though people are likely to interpret it badly, especially in your case. We shouldn’t talk too loudly.”

“I know,” Izuku whispered and glanced at Kirishima and Todoroki. “Sorry if that sounds disturbing. I would never act on it.”

“Eh, we know that, but can a quirk really do something like that, like change how you think?”

“I believe so,” Tenya said, “at least there are hypotheses.”

“They are more than some hypotheses,” Izuku said gratefully distracted from his embarrassment. “It might not be the same for every quirk, but there is a connection between how people behave and what quirks they have, though people don’t agree on the exact cause. Like for Kirishima. You take things on head on and don’t generally yield or give up. It is the most natural way to use your quirk, but is it because your quirk makes doing that in a fight easy or because it makes you instinctually behave like that?”

“I’ve never thought about it like that,” Kirishima said. “I thought you don’t like when people think people’s quirk determines how they behave?”

“I don’t. Just because your quirk might be able to make you feel one way or make something more attractive that doesn’t remove your free will. Even in the worst cases people should get help to deal with the effect, but usually they are just called mad or a villain. After you survived that robot, which could have killed someone when it fell,” Izuku weighted the last words and stared at Todoroki as he said them. He kept the quiet stare for a few seconds before returning to talk to Kirishima and the rest.

“I get ‘hungry’ just looking at you and thinking about your quirk, but that doesn’t mean I would choose to take it, I hope,” the last words were barely audible. “Tokoyami likes dark probably because Dark Shadow prefers it, but he still lives in daylight like the rest of us and Toshi has a really sharp tongue, but he can control what he says to different people rather than trying to provoke everyone, most of the time.”  

“Now that you say that they do really… fit their quirks.”

“No wonder you are so interested in studying quirks then,” Hitoshi added. “But should I be worried you haven’t mentioned mine or Tenya’s quirk. Don’t you think they are strong, or… taste good?” 

Tenya shook his head before Izuku responded. 

“I don’t think it is like that. I’m just… used to it. I didn’t get to experience much of your quirks when we met and then we were already training together. Also… you didn’t really even show your quirk to us until the same day you let me,” Izuku paused, “taste it.”

“Figures, what better way to deal with hunger than eating.”

“You might be onto something,” Tenya said, “but it seems a little more complicated than that. If he just wants your quirk, then wouldn’t the ‘hunger’ have returned when he gave your quirk back?”

“You might be taking the comparison a bit too far,” Izuku said. “I think I just got used to the quirk faster when I could try it.”

“Oh like eating sweets?” Kirishima said.

“I’m not sure what you mean?” Izuku said.

“Well, if you see a new candy, you haven’t had before you really want to try it and the first one is really good, but if you eat a whole bag the last one isn’t as good anymore and you don’t want to try another bag as much. Also, you need to spend a lot more time at the gym afterwards.”

“That…” Izuku started, “that actually sounds surprisingly right.”

“So we are like bars of chocolate now and you want to constantly try new tastes,” Hitoshi remarked. Izuku wanted to counter that but could only smirk and give up.

“If you want to put it that way. I just hope I don’t get distracted by the new tastes when they try to punch me in the face.”

“Is it really that bad?” Kirishima asked genuine concern in his voice, though he might have just been worried he couldn’t get as good of a match.

“It usually hasn’t been, but with that robot there was a moment I couldn’t focus on the race.”

“Oh,” Kirishima looked down, “I’m sorry.”

Izuku blinked and considered slapping the redhead for blaming himself like that but he was too slow. Kirishima’s head jumped up and he put his hand on the table in front of Izuku who could only stare at it.

“You said it isn’t as bad with quirks you have tried.”

“Really?” was all Izuku could say and even that was barely a whisper.

“If all you need is… a taste then why not. I need it back before the tournament.”

Izuku was tearing up barely holding back the flood as he grabbed the offered hand. Kirishima’s grip was unsurprisingly tight.

“You know, we haven’t yet seen which one would win in arm wrestling,” Kirishima said a lot more emotionally stable than Izuku. Izuku brushed his eyes with his other arm.

“Yeah, we’ll have to find out about that. Okay, it’s done.”

Kirishima let go off Izuku and looked at his hand. His whole arm shook a little as his muscles tensed, but his skin remained normal.

“So it works by tensing your body.”

“Yeah, sort of. You have to tense your skin not the muscle. I can’t explain it any better.”

Izuku pulled up his sleeve and tried to do as advised. After a few tries part of his skin hardened for a second and only slightly. He focused on repeating how that felt and suddenly something snapped and his arm hardened.

“Yeah, just like that.”

With a few more tries Izuku managed to repeatedly harden and unharden his arm and even widen the hardened area. His entire body shook as he tried to use the quirk everywhere.

“It can be harder to harden a larger part of your body and keep it up,” Kirishima explained.

“Everything is always hard with you,” Hitoshi said.

“I mean… yes,” Kirishima said.

“Yes,” Izuku celebrated as he could feel his entire body change, though it was still shaking from strain.

“Wow you actually did it this quick,” Kirishima said, “really manly.”

“So how do you like your quirk dessert?” Hitoshi asked.

Izuku’s skin returned to normal unable to maintain the quirk any longer, but the smile on his face was so wide one could have thought he had a stretching quirk.

“Great, really really great. I feel stronger than ever, like I could be hit by a truck and the truck would lose.”

“I think Kirishima has already established that much,” Hitoshi said. “Still hungry?”

“Not… as much,” Izuku said as he repeatedly flexed his arm to harden and unharden it. “Now how did you…?”

He held his fingers together like Kirishima did sometimes and tensed a little more around them. His hand hardened into shape like a rocky sword. As it did, he kept an eye on Hitoshi’s reaction, or lack of one as it turned out.

“You’ve kept up with your treatment.”

“Huh, oh right, yeah. At least with Kirishima it doesn’t really have that impact anymore,” Hitoshi responded.

“Good, good,” Izuku said offering his hand to Kirishima. “Maybe I should buy him too a second quirk.”

Kirishima stopped mid motion to grab Izuku’s hand and rest of them just stared at Izuku, well everyone except Hitoshi who was shaking his head.

“You keep talking about it so casually. You should understand how big deal it is to everyone else.”

“I know.”

“And you’d need people willing to sell their quirks which is equally big deal to them. It’s possible you might not even get any offers.”

“He already did,” Todoroki spoke for the first time during the meal.

“He did?” everyone else asked.

“You already have a new quirk?” Hitoshi continued.

“Well no,” Izuku corrected, “I still need to arrange the payment and contract and things to make sure I don’t get in trouble later, especially since she is another student and her parents might not be as excited for this as she is.”

“That is very wise and considerate,” Tenya nodded.

“It wasn’t my idea. Dad told me to check with his lawyers before buying anyone’s quirk. They worked the whole night before being confident enough to instruct me on how to arrange these trades.”

“So what kind of quirk is it?” Kirishima asked as he finally remembered to grab Izuku’s hand.

“She called it Zoom. It is a vision enhancing quirk that lets her see further away. Could be really useful if I ever need to follow someone from a distance.”

“Nice.”

“Izuku,” Tenya interrupted. “While we are all eager to know more, we don’t have much time. You should eat while you still can.”

With Tenya’s dedication to keep them on schedule they arrived back at the stadium with time to spare as they were gathered on the arena. Soon Midnight got back to the podium.

“Welcome back everybody. It is finally time for the first years’ final round of competitions, the fighting tournament. The remaining competitors will fight in a series of one-to-one battles until one person surrenders, is unable to continue or leaves the arena. For safety the fights are also monitored by myself and todays judge Cementos. If we deem the fight is over both fighters must stop immediately. Use of quirks is naturally permitted. Does everyone understand the rules?”

There was a complete silence among the remaining competitors. Izuku made sure to memorize the point about quirks word for word.

“Now, we have randomly selected the fights for the tournament roster. Are you ready to see who you are going to face?”

This time there were some reactions among the students at least. Izuku was satisfied just staring at the large screen and waiting.

“Well here it is!”

The pyramid structure of the tournament appeared on the screen. Izuku’s lips fell from an almost smile into a frown.

“Well, my sports festival is over,” Hitoshi said. “I wished I could at least show how useful my quirk can be.”

The first match of the tournament was Izuku Midoriya versus Hitoshi Shinso and after all their training neither had any delusions on which one of the was going to win as long as Izuku remembered to keep his mouth shut.

Izuku leaned closer to Hitoshi to whisper to him.

“Do you want to win this fight? People need to see how your quirk can stop people.”

Hitoshi was quiet for several seconds before whispering back.

“Remind me to slap you when a million people aren’t watching. Even if you mean well how do you think I would feel if you gave up because of me.”

“It isn’t just about winning or not. People are looking into this tournament to offer internships.”

“The answer is still no. If you aren’t going to let Todoroki fight with less than his best don’t even think about doing any less yourself.”

Izuku didn’t respond but leaned back with feelings he couldn’t quite place, pride perhaps, but also deep sadness and fear.

“You should focus more on your second fight,” Hitoshi said. “Depending how Yaorozu does, you might get to face off with Monoma. You were interested in him right?”

“Yes, but if he acts like last time…”

“You get to punch him in the face completely legally.”

“Well, that is true.”

“You still need to learn how to see the silver lining with things like this.”

“You call knocking people’s teeth out a silver lining?”

“Depends on the person, but for the record, I didn’t say anything about anyone’s teeth.”

Both of them were well aware that the topic of their discussion was standing right behind them.

Everyone except the first two contestants please leave the arena. We will start the first match in a moment,” Midnight announced.

“Good luck man,” Kirishima told Hitoshi as he passed by.

“Thanks, I’ll need it.”

Not long after Izuku and Hitoshi were facing each other in the middle of the arena.

“Begin,” Midnight announced. Hitoshi held his fists up as Izuku had taught him.

“Try not to whoop my ass too badly,” he said.

Izuku didn’t respond.

“It was worth trying. Well get on with it. Try not to make it too embarrassing of an ass kicking. Better get it over quickly.”

He seemed so sad and resigned to his fate that Izuku wanted to say a lot of things to him, but he wasn’t going to fall for that trap, especially since there was clear exaggeration in that sad resignation to his fate, right? Hitoshi knew exactly where his best chance to catch Izuku off guard was but, if he wanted a fair fight no matter how it would end that was what he was going to get.

“Fine, I guess we have to do this for real,” Hitoshi said. “I could try using Bakugo to provoke you, but that might just make you punch me harder.”

Without waiting for a response that wasn’t coming Hitoshi charged. He was moving a lot faster than just a few months ago and that also applied to the punch he threw towards Izuku’s face. It never connected as Izuku dodged and Hitoshi staggered back as Izuku’s response emptied his lungs. He didn’t have enough time to attack again or get away as Izuku grabbed his arm too slow in pulling back after that punch. Hitoshi’s feet left the ground as Izuku flipped him over his shoulder. Hitoshi never got to catch his breath after that first punch as his back hit the floor emptying rest of the air in his lungs.

Hitoshi let out a loud squawk followed by a gasp of air and quiet whimpers. Izuku froze still his grasp of Hitoshi’s arm failing. He took a step back. Midnight approached them.

“Shinso can you continue to fight?”

Hitoshi pushed up to his side with one arm gasping a few times.

“Yeah.”

A few seconds later he had his feet back under him and got back standing up.

“He can still continue,” Midnight announced and backed away.

“Remember to not overextend,” Izuku reminded Hitoshi. “You aren’t fast enough to avoid my counterattack if you leave yourself so open for one. We’ve trained that for months.  Don’t let the audience distract you from the fight.”

“When did this become a lesson?”

Izuku couldn’t respond immediately of course and by the time it would have been safe Hitoshi was attacking again. To his credit his punches were now much more controlled and somehow a little faster. Most importantly there wasn’t just one. Izuku had to actually focus to avoid and block all of the attacks while looking for an opening.

As soon as he found one, he didn’t even need to think as his body moved without thinking guided by combat instinct honed by his father’s training and brought his fist into a meeting with Hitoshi’s face. The barrage of punches ended immediately, and Hitoshi staggered back holding his face with one hand. This time he stayed on his feet though.

“I told you,” Izuku said, “I don’t punch you for fun. If you want me to fight you seriously it should at least help you improve.”

Hitoshi blinked a couple of times while staring at Izuku. Izuku stepped closer about to attack.

“One more punch like that and I’ll forget the previous lessons.”

Izuku stopped mid step. Before he could finish the step, Hitoshi’s fist was already approaching his nose. Izuku’s training made him move without thinking again and dodge, but Hitoshi’s follow-up punch connected with his stomach. It wasn’t much compared to a Nomu’s punch, but Izuku also wasn’t Kirishima and grimaced a little. It wasn’t enough to slow him though. After all the training to hone his combat instinct he didn’t even need to think to return the favour except twice and harder. Hitoshi bent over from the force of the impacts.

While he was still gasping for air Izuku swept his legs from under him. Hitoshi had another meeting with the floor this time falling on his stomach and face. Izuku quickly lowered his knee against Hitoshi’s back, grabbed his arm and held it behind his back just below the point where it would have started really hurting Hitoshi. If Hitoshi was unable to continue the fight Izuku wouldn’t need to hurt him anymore.

Hitoshi struggled but couldn’t get up and out of Izuku’s hold. The stadium had fallen completely quiet.

“It’s okay,” Izuku whispered. “They saw you can fight. You don’t need to make this any more painful.”

Midnight came to them and started counting.

“10… 9…”

“That how lowly you think about me?” Hitoshi stabbed Izuku’s hear or said in sad voice, but it felt like the former. Izuku hesitated. “Now let go!!!”

The Surprise-quirk struck like a hammer. With the real emotion in the situation, it hit even harder than usually. Izuku jolted back and barely stopped himself from responding verbally by slapping a hand on his mouth. Before the shock waned, he got air kicked out of his lungs and the next moment Hitoshi wasn’t under him anymore. A shadow moved across the floor sparking Izuku to roll out of the way of Hitoshi’s feet coming down on him quickly. He pushed with his hands and bounced back to his feet.

He got another shock seeing Hitoshi stare at him angry. Had that even happened before?

“Both of us know how this is probably going to end, but until you actually beat me stop acting like I’m any more easily breakable than anyone else here. That I couldn’t take the pain of a single tournament. I might be weakest in our group but have just as much right to get a real fair fight as anyone else here and if I’m going to lose, I want to at least lose to someone taking me seriously.”

Izuku had to force himself to meet Hitoshi’s stare. He sighed and raised his fists again. After the window for brainwashing was gone, he responded:

“Okay, I’m sorry. I promise I’ll… beat you seriously.”

He charged at Hitoshi, who surprisingly dodged his first punch thought not the second. Hitoshi did his best to defend and had some success, but he didn’t get a chance to attack. That didn’t mean he didn’t try. After barely ducking under one punch towards his face he tried to move under it to attack Izuku only for his chin to meet Izuku’s knee in an automatic response. Inevitably he kept backing away or staggering as the case was most of the time. That wasn’t enough though. After a particularly nasty hit blood started bleeding from his mouth. Hitoshi staggered longer than before to steady his footing, gasped and spat more blood.

Izuku forced himself to not look away in shame, but he started noticing the noises around him. Individual people in the audience were surprisingly audible and understandable considering the size of the stadium.

“… then stop acting like a villain! If you are so good just send him out of bounds! Stop toying with the guy and end this match!”

“Yeah, you heard the guy!”

So now actually fighting properly in the tournament made him a villain. Of course people would have preferred to see Izuku lose and embarrassed. His thoughts were interrupted when Aizawa’s voice came from the speakers.

“Where is the man who started this uproar? Are you a pro?”

How he had heard anything all the way in the room he was narrating from seemed even larger mystery than where Izuku hid his notebooks.

“Because if you are being serious, you can go home and hang up your cape. I’d suggest looking into another career if you cannot distinguish respect and self-control from villainous violence. If Midoriya could simply and safely throw Shinso out of bounds he would have done so from the beginning.”

If only it had been so easy. Izuku glanced past Hitoshi at the edge of the arena they had been moving towards since the beginning.

“Those two are the best of friends. Despite the apparent skill gap between them, Shinso is the worst possible opponent to Midoriya. I would not be surprised if Shinso had to demand him to fight this seriously. If anyone attacked Shinso like this outside of the tournament Midoriya would be the first one hunt down the attacker.”

Hell yeah he would be, and that made Izuku hate every punch even more.

“The fact he has let the fight continue this far means he respects his opponent’s skill and could not end the fight cleanly faster, at least not without unacceptable risk of more severe injury. You should not mistake his strength as weakness on Shinso’s part.”

That might have been the nicest thing the man or almost anyone had said about Hitoshi.

“Of course, that only matters if you care about their actual abilities and actions. Seems like you are only looking for more excuses to call Midoriya a villain or dismiss Shinso as weak because of his nonphysical quirk that you cannot see working since Midoriya is also the worst opponent Shinso could face, being the most experienced with his quirk and how to avoid it. This is a fight of minds and self-control as much as physical ability.”

The man had certainly paid attention. Izuku wasn’t sure whether to be happy or worried, but if it made even one person reconsider their attitudes Izuku would take it. Unfortunately, he still had to finish this fight. Hitoshi was only a few steps away from the edge. If they kept fighting like they had, he would soon step over. Hitoshi spat blood again… and his eyes didn’t seem to focus well as he looked at Izuku.

Then again strong enough push might end the fight right then.

Izuku charged pretending he was about to throw just another punch but at the last moment he moved his hands to grapple and push Hitoshi. Next instance Hitoshi was just a little bit to the side moving surprisingly quickly. Though it seemed to be at the cost of his balance, Izuku observed. Also, he was smirking.

That thought almost cost Izuku as he failed to follow his own advice about not overextending. Despite his unsteady state Hitoshi reached out quickly enough to get a hold of Izuku’s shirt and yank Izuku towards the edge while he himself fell away from it.

“Clever,” Izuku muttered as the edge approached. He was going to fall right on it, far enough to lose. If he was in the festival just for the competition, he would have gladly fallen out with Hitoshi getting an earned victory. Unfortunately, there were things he still wanted to achieve, and more importantly, he had made a promise to a friend.

As Izuku was falling he twisted around enough for his back to face the floor at least in an angle. At the last fraction of a second his shoulder mounted jet flared through the slits sown on his shirt. At that point he didn’t have enough time or control to get straight back on his feet, but the short burst of thrust turned him enough to land fully in the arena and from there he bounced quickly back up on his feet with a flip. Hitoshi was slower at doing that and was still on his knee.

“Damn it. That… was my last plan.”

Izuku waited for the window to brainwash to pass.

“Don’t say that if you can still fight.”

“Yeah… I’m not sure I can.”

Hitoshi kept his eyes on Izuku as he was supposed to in a fight and pushed up to get back on his feet. The look in his eyes turned hazy only a fraction of a second before he stumbled and fell forward. Izuku moved faster than he had done with any of his attacks during the fight and had to lean next to Hitoshi to catch him just in time.

“Toshi, Toshi are you okay? Talk to me.”

“At least I now know how much you held back while punching us for training,” Hitoshi answered quietly.

Izuku opened his mouth to criticize Hitoshi for joking about his health. He snapped it shut remembering to watch out for tricks but immediately cursed that this contest made him suspect Hitoshi.

“Tos…” he started. Hitoshi shifted suddenly to turn his head away. After a few gags vomit burst out of his mouth and on the arena barely missing Izuku. All Izuku could do was to turn and shift to better support Hitoshi as Hitoshi’s stomach emptied. As the stinky flow ended Hitoshi raised his head, the simple action seeming to take much effort.

“Either Midnight has an identical sister or there is something wrong with my eyes.”

Izuku breathed in sharply and quietly cursed himself. He looked at Midnight who arrived to check on them.

“You have to end this fight. He needs to see Recovery Girl.”

Midnight looked at Hitoshi and even kneeled to meet him on the same level.

“Shinso are you...?”

“No,” Hitoshi responded and gagged up some more vomit straight on her feet. “I can’t fight any more… Is the arena supposed to spin like this? It seems faster than when we were fighting.”

Midnight nodded and stood up.

“Hitoshi Shinso can no longer fight! The winner is Izuku Midoriya!”

Izuku didn’t bother listening to the audience reaction. It barely existed in his consciousness almost as if he had used Calm Mind. He shifted ready to pick up Hitoshi over his shoulders like at USJ.

“Don’t worry,” he said. “It is over now. I’ll get you to Recovery Girl. She is going to make you feel better.”

“Wait…” Hitoshi whispered. “I need to walk off the arena.”

“Toshi, you can’t even stand straight.”

“I know,” Hitoshi paused, “but I don’t want to look like a bag of rice with so many people. Please.”

That magic word from Hitoshi was almost as effective on Izuku as the Brainwashing.

“Okay.”

Izuku stood next to Hitoshi and moved his arm under Hitoshi’s arms to support him. He could feel Hitoshi’s weight shifting from pressing against him to pulling away and back as Hitoshi struggled to remain upright. Izuku braced himself against Hitoshi to prevent that struggle from being visible as much as possible.

“I’m sorry. I tried to fight for real, but maybe too real. It’s supposed to be just a competition but I…”

“Izuku,” Hitoshi whispered, “shut up. This is what I asked for. You wouldn’t have gone any softer at Tenya let alone… Eijiro.”

“Well not Kiris… Eijiro, but with Tenya I should at least watch hitting the head.”

“Well… I didn’t do that.”

“You never hit my head.”

“Doesn’t mean I didn’t try.”

“How are you feeling?”

“I think the arena is spinning the other way now, but at least I have three of you for a crutch. I think that is the best part of this whole thing.”

“Toshi,” Izuku said trying to speak in a reprimanding tone but failed to change the tone of worried sick in his voice.  

“I mean who wouldn’t like to have three Izuku’s around, well, besides Ojiro, Bakugo, Death Arms, most of the audience here, media... Not sure about mister Aizawa. I think one of you is plenty enough for him. The man doesn’t get enough sleep as is,“ Hitoshi fell quiet for a moment. “Just happy I didn’t need to fight all three of you.”

“I wish I didn’t need to fight the one of you.”

“You know I’m glad you did.”

“That’s just the concussion talking.”

“No I… We both knew you are stronger. I learned to fight from you, and you are always the one coming to my defence. Those are some of the best things about you,” Hitoshi fell quiet for a moment. “I know punching isn’t everything there is to being a hero and we are still training but lot of the time I don’t feel like that with you guys. Even as we have kept training, I only feel weaker. Sometimes, especially at USJ I just felt like another burden you needed to carry.”

“No, you…”

“You literally had to carry me out of there,” Hitoshi interrupted. “The thing is I can’t change that, at least not quickly. It takes time to get better or stronger, but… I don’t want you to feel you’d need to hold back or slow down for me at least more than with everyone else. Even if I was going to lose, I wanted it to be a real fight for you. At least show I could take a punch if nothing else.”

Hitoshi choked and spat blood.

“Didn’t go that well.”

“No, actually… honestly you did better than I expected,” Izuku sighed. “I feel bad about saying that. Maybe you are right that I haven’t believed in you enough. The truth is I’m scared. There are a lot of dangerous people out there. No matter how much we train it never feels enough.”

“How did you put it…? You’d rather put me in a hospital than a morgue. You are really man of your words.”

“I never wanted it to go this far.”

Izuku glanced behind them. They had already entered the corridor to the arena and were deep enough to not be seen. Izuku leaned down and hoisted Hitoshi onto his shoulders.

“Yaah, hey I…”

“People can’t see us anymore. You made your point already. Even if you can walk you shouldn’t push it if you don’t have to,” Izuku said. Hitoshi sighed and slumped against Izuku’s shoulders lacking the strength to resist what was going on. His opposition was quiet enough that approaching footstep were clearly audible over it.

“Oh, who we have here,” Monoma said announcing his presence, “class A’s great thief and the friend he pummeled.”

“What did you say about people not seeing us again?” Hitoshi muttered.

“Have to say I didn’t expect that level of brutality. At least not towards a supposed friend.”

“You should watch your words talking about things you don’t have any idea of,” Izuku said in a low threatening tone while giving Monoma a stare only a killer could manage. The annoying blonde tensed and raised his hands up like Izuku had pointed a gun at him. It might not have been the best reaction from Izuku considering his goals for Monoma, but he was currently carrying a bleeding Hitoshi and wasn’t exactly in the mood to deal with anything annoying.

Monoma kept his hands up as he passed Izuku and Hitoshi under Izuku’s stare. As he did his hand brushed against Hitoshi’s hair. If Izuku’s hands had been free he might have grabbed the offending appendix even with the risk of breaking the wrist, but after that initial instinct he thought a little further and let the annoying blonde walk away without consequence. He was Yaoyorozu’s problem now.

Chapter Text

Izuku kicked open the door to Recovery Girls onsite reception at the stadium, softly, not willing to risk dropping Hitoshi by letting go off him with his hand. 

“Recovery Girl, we need your help.”

“Yes, yes,” Recovery Girl said as she came from behind her desk. “I might not sit in the audience, but I do follow the competition. Bring him to bed here.”

“He said the world is spinning and he sees things triple, can’t stand straight, vomited, spits blood…”

As Izuku listed his sins, he did as instructed lowering Hitoshi onto the bed. 

“Thank you, medic Midoriya.”

“His tongue still works as well as usual,” Izuku said trying to fake a smile before taking half a step back from the bed. Beyond that he didn’t move even a millimetre from the bedside as Recovery Girl came to the other side. 

“I’ll take care of things here. You can join your other classmates watching the tournament.”

“No,” Izuku said, his voice leaving no room for arguments. ”I’d rather stay here, at least until everything is okay.”

Hitoshi chuckled quietly. 

“Don’t bother trying to tell him no. You’d have more success trying to win a staring contest against mister Aizawa.”

“Been there done that,” Recovery Girl said. “Glad to see someone here at least takes injuries seriously rather than ignoring risks thinking the old lady can always fix them.”

“You can still… fix him, right?”

“Oh usually I can, but that doesn’t mean people should automatically assume that about everything. Remember what I told you about trying to heal injuries to the brain when you first visited me?”

Izuku was about to answer ‘yes’ but his eyes dropped to Hitoshi, and he started mentally counting how many times he had hit Hitoshi to the head, only now starting to realize how many it was. His training had been more about turning Nomu brains into mush than avoiding concussions on people after all. That knee to the chin wouldn’t have helped either. 

His worries grew with rapid yelps of pain from Hitoshi. Recovery Girl was just gently pressing a hand against his chin as part of checking him up.

“That’s what I was afraid of since I saw that kick. Your chin is broken, probably not too badly but at least a small fracture. I’m surprised you could talk as well as you have.”

Izuku’s face dropped from the weight of quilt. 

“Every word hurts,” Hitoshi admitted. “I didn’t want to say anything until Izuku left, but I guess that was never going to happen.”

Recovery Girl sighed and shook her head. 

“Are there any other symptoms you would like to tell us now that we know your friend isn’t leaving before you do.”

“Izuku forgot to list migraine. My stomach… or maybe chest hurt when I breath. That’s nothing new when I get punched enough, I think, maybe bit worse this time… Do the lights have to be that bright… Where was I…” 

“Changes in mental state,” Recovery Girl muttered as she moved to feel Hitoshi’s ribs. 

“Will he be okay?”

“I can’t diagnose or treat him any faster no matter how many times you ask. Well at least you didn’t break any of his ribs,” she glanced at Izuku scanning him for a few seconds before looking at Hitoshi again. “Probably didn’t come far from that though. I don’t think there is any obvious internal bleeding. Damage behind the pain should be within my ability to heal quickly, but the other symptoms suggest at least a concussion. I will now treat you with my quirk though being tired by the tournament its efficiency may be limited by your stamina.”

“Which one of you is talking?” Hitoshi asked, his gaze unfocused in Recovery Girl’s general direction.

“I’ll use my quirk now,” Recovery Girl said and leaned down to kiss Hitoshi’s forehead. 

The way she used her quirk was unique to say the least and could get awkward depending on situation, but the quirk itself… Izuku licked his lips. After a few moments she stood up straight. 

“You should be okay in terms of purely physical injuries.” 

“At least it doesn’t hurt to talk anymore, just a bit sore.”

“Yes, bones are easy to treat.”

“Have I ever said how amazing your quirk is?” Izuku said. 

“No but thank you,” Recovery Girld said. “Also no, it is not for sale. I may be old, but I’m not planning to retire yet.” 

“So, you watched my speech.” 

“Of course I did. I only started getting patients after the first competition started.”

She held open Hitoshi’s eye while shining a light on it.

“There’s a bucket on that side of the bed in case he starts vomiting again,” she told Izuku before getting up and facing Hitoshi. “I’ll get you something to drink, but for now you should rest. Avoid any strain or stress.”

She walked to an adjacent room flipping the light switch on the way. All lights in the room turned off leaving them in the dim light coming through the doorway. Hitoshi sighed. Izuku pulled a chair to sit next to him. 

“So… I broke your chin.”

“Izuku,” Hitoshi whispered, “lean closer.

Izuku did as he was asked. Hitoshi’s arm rose and swung in the general direction of Izuku’s head. He could have dodged the sloppy move rather easily. He didn’t and got slapped to the cheek. Hitoshi closed his eyes, shifting for a more comfortable position. 

“I knew how you would feel about that. That’s why I didn’t say anything.”

“but…”

“No buts. It’s a dangerous career path we are on. If I couldn’t take the risk and injuries of a competition, what chance would I have to be a hero? You aren’t helping me survive by keeping kids gloves on in the wrong places. It hurt but I’m glad you could take them off, at least for a bit.”  

Izuku looked at the floor uncertain if he should argue against Hitoshi or feel ashamed. Hitoshi cleared his throat then gagged. Izuku raised his head then found the bucket under the bedside table to hold it in front of Hitoshi. He gagged for a moment though this time there was just a little spit. 

“I don’t think Recovery Girl’s quirk worked that well.”

“It’s your head,” Izuku said. “It’ she didn’t want me to be alone after the battle training against Bakugo.”

Izuku tried to cover some of his fear but couldn’t help but imagine worst case scenarios. His relationship with injury might have been twisted since he received the regeneration quirk, but brain injury was nothing to dismiss. 

“At least you didn’t blow up the arena. Unless you have a better healing quirk than Recovery Girl you probably shouldn’t worry about it.”

Izuku barely managed to not expose himself as Hitoshi came close to the truth. At least he though he hid his reaction.

“You don’t have one right?”

How was Hitoshi so perceptive right after complaining about the room spinning?

“No,” Izuku responded quickly, “unless… yours.”

“You’ll have to explain a little more. “

“Well, your symptoms might be because… I punched you in the face.”

“Yes, I would agree on that.”

“but they are pretty similar to when I have gotten extra quirks before I could adapt. I think they might put pressure on the brain as well as the body.”

“So you think taking my quirks might help.”

“Maybe…” Izuku lied dying a little inside. At least the hesitation injected his voice with uncertainty helping the lie. “I really don’t know. Just thought, maybe it would make recovering easier.”

“And you’d get to use them in your next match.”

“Toshi that’s not…”

“Just because it wasn’t your first reason doesn’t mean it isn’t true.”

Izuku lowered his head.

“You didn’t get a good chance to show what your quirk could do because of me.”

“So you’d better make it look good. I want a decent internship.” 

Hitoshi raised his hand but this time not to slap Izuku. Izuku took his hand onto his own but with much more hesitation than usually, not because he hesitated taking Hitoshi’s quirks, but what he was about to give in return. 

The regeneration was no regular quirk even before considering that it was an artificial copy. Whilst other quirks moved at Izuku’s whims the Regeneration was like a mass of half molten rubber sticking to everything it touched. He had to drag, push and shake it off to get it moved after taking Hitoshi’s quirks. As the quirk transferred Izuku suddenly felt more vulnerable than he had remembered ever feeling. Afterwards he didn’t let go of Hitoshi’s hand, worried at Hitoshi’s reaction to the harsh quirk. 

“How are you…?” Izuku said. Hitoshi’s soft smile suddenly disappeared, and his eyes widened before he jolted forward and threw up on the bucket Izuku was still holding. 

“Toshi?!”

Hitoshi didn’t respond, barely able to breathe between vomiting and choking. Once there was definitely nothing left in his stomach he started gasping. Izuku held his hand tighter internally debating if it was better to take the Regeneration back already or give it more time. How long had it taken with his own injuries?

Hitoshi’s eyes started turning around and he slumped back on the bed with Izuku not having free hands to catch him. Izuku grabbed the Regeneration quirk and started pulling it off Hitoshi like it was a constrictor snake choking him. 

“What is going on there?” Recovery Girl called from the next room. Izuku just finished forcing the quirk back when she entered the room. Upon seeing unconscious Hitoshi, she rushed to his side barely putting aside the cups of water she carried rather than dropping them. 

“What happened?”

“He vomited and fainted.” 

“I heard that. Anything else, especially before that?”

“I… took his quirks,” Izuku said. Technically he wasn’t lying. 

“You t…why?” 

“He has an extra quirk and the symptoms that can cause are a bit similar.”

“I see,” Recovery Girl interrupted. “Did you consider that the transfer itself might put a strain on him?”

He hadn’t. 

“Will he be okay?” Izuku asked quickly. “I…” 

“Will not blame yourself or I’ll slap you again,” Hitoshi said. He had opened his eyes and their glare had gotten all its usual sharpness back. “Especially since it seems to have worked. I feel a lot better.” 

Izuku sighed of relief and that he didn’t even try to hide as he finally let go off Hitoshi. 

“That is quite interesting. Look this way,” Recovery Girl said and then looked at Hitoshi’s eyes while flashing a light at them. “Very interesting.” 

“Good interesting or…?” Izuku asked. 

“Very good it seems,” Recovery Girl paused, “but it is best if you don’t try to give the quirks back yet and not without myself being present. Is that understood, no more surprises.”

“Yes Recovery Girl san,” Izuku and Hitoshi responded at the same time. 

“Good, now Shinso needs to rest and Midoriya, you should follow the fights of your future opponents.”

Izuku hesitated. 

“I don’t see any immediate danger anymore you should worry… or feel bad about.”

“You should go,” Hitoshi agreed, “you might still see how the second fight ends. 

“It should be over already,” Izuku said as he relented and got up, “Monoma won.”

“How do you know that?”

“You might not have noticed it, with your head spinning and all, but he touched you when we passed him.”

“And you let him keep his hand after that?” Hitoshi asked, raising an eyebrow. Izuku shrugged and smirked. 

“I figured I wouldn’t need to be the only one to show people how strong your quirk is.”

Hitoshi’s expression became like a mirror image of Izuku’s. 

“He is going to be extra annoying after that. You should go knock some sense into him.”

“I will.” 

“Just… not too hard. I don’t want to share a room with him.”

“I too would appreciate that,” Recovery Girl said. 

“I’ll do my best. See you after the tournament.”

“I’ll try to get off bed by the time you get your medal.”

“I believe that is my decision to make,” Recovery Girl said. “Now shoo, go.”

Izuku actually smiled as he stepped into the corridor. Not something he would have expected a few minutes earlier. As expected, Yaoyorozu was already there stepping back into the stand right before Izuku. She was holding her own arm and looking down looking embarrassed despite their classmates’ encouragement. Tenya was the first one to notice Izuku.

“How is Hitoshi? Well I hope.”

“Better now, it seems,” Izuku responded and sighed. “It could have been worse. I think there are some things that we have to talk about with more time and privacy.”

Tenya nodded sensing the seriousness behind Izuku’s voice.

“Was helping that class B guy your idea?” Ojiro asked loud enough to get their classmates’ attention, especially Yaoyorozu’s. 

“Not really,” Izuku responded, “I just didn’t stop him.”

“So, you let your classmate lose.”

“She lost herself. If she paid attention, she should already have known Monoma is a quirk copier and been more careful,” Izuku paused and showed Ojiro an evil smirk. “You never know what quirks the person you are talking to might have.”

Ojiro tensed and his mouth snapped shut. Izuku didn’t care to give him any attention after that. 

“You are right of course,” Yaoyorozu admitted. “I was too focused on making sure he couldn’t touch me to consider he already had copied a quirk.”

“How long did it take from him to figure out Toshi’s quirk.”

“I think he tried to use it at least ten times as I kept foolishly responding to his provocations.”

“Ten times… and without any advice,” Izuku muttered a notebook at hand, “that is impressive. Either he is more intelligent with understanding of quirks than he lets out or… could the quirk itself give him a natural understanding of the quirks he is using…? Both would make sense… mutter… mutter… mutter...”

“Those two just keep going!” Present Mic declared from the speakers. “How long can they continue like this? One of them has to break eventually, right?”

“Physically yes,” Aizawa agreed, “but clearly neither of them intends to give up before that happens.”

Izuku’s head perked up. 

“How is Kirishima doing?”

“It is difficult to say,” Tenya responded. “They are very evenly matched and equally unyielding.” 

So that Tetsutetsu’s quirk could compete with Kirishima’s. Izuku licked his lips as he stepped past his classmates to see properly. It was just as Tenya described. They were basically taking turns punching each other and seeing who lasts longer. It was an effective way to impress people with their quirks, but… Izuku frowned disappointed at Kirishima’s straightforward way to fight. Sure it might have worked on most people, but against someone that could take his punches as well as he, he should have known better. Where was all the agility he had displayed when Izuku made him train without using his quirk?

“He should be doing better,” Izuku said and sat down.

“Harsh,” Kaminari commented. 

“No,” Tenya said, “analysis.”

“Oh can he analyse who is going to win?”

“If they keep at it like this, no, I don’t know enough about their limits to determine who is going to break first,” Izuku said, “but if Kirishima fights smarter like I know he can then him probably, though I could say much the same about the other guy.”

They watched as the two thick skinned fighters kept hammering at each other with force that made the viewers’ bones ache. Izuku distracted himself thinking of how to chew Kirishima up, without breaking his teeth, during their training for falling back into the punch and get punched until someone breaks strategy.

“Hold on. It seems Kirishima is struggling,” Present Mic narrated. Indeed, the redhead had backed away from contact with Tetsutetsu and if Izuku squinted his eyes he could just barely distinguish changes in Kirishima’s skin as he wasn’t maintaining full hardening everywhere constantly. At least that’s what it seemed like, but it was hard to say as only his head and face were visible. Izuku got up and stepped to the railing as if that made any difference in how well he could see. He wished he already had Hatsume’s quirk at that moment. 

Tetsutetsu’s smirk was visible even from the distance though as he said something to Kirishima. Kirishima made no moves in response. Tetsutetsu charged and attacked with wide excessively large swing. With his physique and quirk the punch was certainly powerful, more than just dangerous if Kirishima’s hardening failed at the critical moment, but… 

“Kirishima’s going to win,” Izuku said. 

As he was speaking Kirishima bent and ducked under the attack with great speed and flexibility. His arm hardened again and shot up right into Tetsutetsu’s chin. The punch had enough force to knock Tetsutetsu off his feet, as his entire body moved upward and his feet fully left the ground. Before he could touch the ground again Kirishima grabbed his arm and pulled him down slamming Tetsutetsu on his stomach on the floor. Kirishima jumped on Tetsutetsu twisting both of Tetsutetsu’s arms behind his back. 

“What just happened?” Ashido asked. “I’ve never seen Eijiro fight like that.”

“Because you’ve only seen him rely on his quirk too much,” Izuku said. “It is not uncommon with people who have strong quirks though it is a bit strange for him to do it considering how hard it has been for him to admit his quirk is strong.”

“I know what you mean,” Ashido said. “I think he just isn’t yet used to it. He has changed a lot in the past year or two. He didn’t use to be that strong and his quirk wasn’t very impressive. It was more like a thin, rocky sheet on his skin he could barely hold onto for his whole body. Lot of kids at school actually used to bully him for having a weak quirk.”

“Weak?” Kaminari interrupted. “Are we talking about the same person here. My bones hurt just from watching that fight.”

“Yes,” Ashido said. “Something happened to him in the middle school. He had always dreamed about being a hero and tried to help people, but suddenly he spent every waking moment training and it… really had an impact. I still remember one really hot day when some of the boys decided to play shirtless in sports class...”

Ashido stared into the empty air and while it was hard to distinguish on her naturally pink skin, she seemed to be blushing. Suddenly she jolted and started stuttering. 

“I mean… his training really paid off and… right, his quirk seemed to change at the same time. That was one of the things he showed off that day. I haven’t seen him bullied since at least not for weakness.”

“Hopefully not,” Izuku said, “but if it had lasted for a long time, it might still be impacting his confidence.”

“Maybe.”

“The winner is Eijiro Kirishima from class 1A!” Midnight declared standing next to Kirishima and Tetsutetsu who had failed to escape the redhead’s hold. Izuku was already taking notes. 

“He never mentioned how much his training impacted his quirk. Part of it is probably him getting hit with something, but since the quirk impacts the physical structure of his body its efficiency is probably heavily determined by the state of his body.”

“So, if he is… physically stronger his quirk gets stronger?” Ashido asked. 

“Seems logical. Trained muscles are not just stronger but harder and denser than untrained ones let alone fat, so if the quirk enhances his… hardness relative to where he is when not using it the effect would be more pronounced as he got physically stronger.”

“I can vouch for that.”

“Do you know anything else my notes might be missing?”

“Maybe, I don’t know what you have notes on, but… what’s in it for me.” 

She gave a smile trying to make it seem innocent. 

“I’m not sure there is anything I can offer,” Izuku said and thought for a few seconds. “Maybe a temporary access to the beach club where we train with him… in a proper attire… for a beach.”

Yes, she was definitely blushing. Her natural skin tone couldn’t hide that. It took her a few seconds to get back the ability to speak. 

“That sounds very nice, I mean I’d love to visit a beach club sometime.”

“Weekend afternoons.” 

“Maybe some weekend afternoon, the weather has been nice recently. Eh, what did you want to know again?”

“Lets start with details about progression of his strength, both physical and quirk. It might give us a better idea of his future potential and what kind of progress our training should reach.” 

Izuku and Ashido were still chatting when Kirishima returned from the arena. 

“So that’s the first time he got hit by a baseball bat?”

“No, the first time one broke hitting him.”

“I see. Was it wooden or carbon fibre?”

“How should I know? All I know is that the boy using the bat went to see the nurse.”

“How strong was he?”

“Not bad for his age, but by then Eijiro always beat him in arm wrestling even without his quirk.”

“Not surprising,” Izuku muttered and glanced up. “Oh, hi Kirishima.”

“Hi,” Kirishima responded as his eyes switched between Izuku and Ashido. “What are you doing?”

“Eh, well, you see… talking,” Ashido stuttered.

“I bribed her to tell what she knows about your progression with your training and quirk to better map your progress and potential. Hopefully it helps our training,” Izuku said without a stutter. It was the truth. All he needed to do was to skip how he bribed her and why it worked. Kirishima would realize it himself eventually, probably. “Oh, good job adjusting your fighting style to your opponent.”

“Thanks, I was so excited I almost forgot.”

“I noticed. Have to fix that. You’re coming tomorrow, right?” 

“Of course! Training at your place is great, and the beach is even better with this weather.”

Ashido blushed a little again, but Kirishima was too oblivious to notice.

“It sure is. Lets continue our talk with Kirishima after the tournament Ashido.”

“Huh, yes, okay.” 

Izuku returned to his seat leaving Kirishima to wonder why Ashido seemed to behave so strangely. The next match was between some class 1B students Izuku wasn’t familiar with, Kaibara and Tsuburaba. The winner would face Kirishima on the second round and might fight Izuku on third, though he doubted that. Based on their reactions to Present Mic’s introductions Tsuburaba was the one with brown hair and Kaibara the one with black hair. It was enough for Izuku to keep track of them. 

As soon as the match started Kaibara charged at his opponent and his hand began… spinning? The hand spun so fast it was indistinguishable as a hand and seemed more like a drill. Tsuburaba didn’t even try to evade but Kaibara’s attack stopped mid-air. There was something barely distinguishable in the air that was blocking the attack. Kaibara didn’t let that slow himself though and quickly moved around it only for the same thing to happen and this time Tsuburaba moved to counterattack with a punch. 

He was too slow and got blocked by a spinning arm. Tsuburaba yanked his hand quickly back barely creating another transparent barrier between them as Kaibara moved to attack again and was stopped again.  His attempts to move around the obstacle was stopped by new ones until he had walked all the way around Tsuburaba. Tsuburaba seemed to say something to his opponent, confident behind his defences. It was certainly useful quirk, but what were its limitations. Izuku kept taking notes without even looking at the notebook. 

Kaibara apparently wasn’t’ too confident on the endurance of that defence as he started punching the transparent barrier repeatedly. When that didn’t seem to work, he pressed his spinning hand against the barrier using it like a drill. If his hand didn’t turn into mush from that effort his quirk had to have secondary reinforcing effects beyond spinning even though that’s a good trick. Tsuburaba seemed increasingly confident failing to hold any kind of battle-ready stance inside his barriers. 

Then Kaibara jolted forward as the barrier broke under pressure. Tsuburaba was only able to jolt back not prepared to counter Kaibara’s attacks. It only took a few hits to bring Tsuburaba on his knees and quite literally at that. 

“Kaibara is the winner,” Midnight announced. 

“Kirishima,” Izuku said just loud enough for the redhead to hear him over the audience cheering. “What was Tsuburaba’s primary mistake?”

“Eh, why are you asking?”

“Because it is a mistake you have natural tendency to do.”

“Oh… his defence wasn’t strong enough?”

“No, that is limit of his power relative to his opponent, but not a mistake. His mistake was trusting his defence too much and getting careless so when it broke, he had no cards left to play.”

“Okay, that makes sense. You’re saying that Kaibara guy might be able to break my hardening so I might have to fight him different.”

“Yes… well I would bet ten million yen against him managing to drill through your quirk, but that doesn’t mean you can be careless.”

“Oh I get it. I’ll be careful. By the way, who’s going to fight next?”

“Todoroki and someone called Awase,” Izuku said and looked around. “Has anyone actually seen Todoroki?”

“Not since the tournament started,” Tenya responded. “He never joined us to watch your fight.”

Izuku looked down towards the arena and brushed his chin.

“Next up, Shoto Todoroki from class 1A and Yosetsu Awase from class 1B,” Present Mic announced and the two students stepped onto the arena. So at least Todoroki wasn’t missing, still… As Todoroki stood against his opponents facing towards his classmates Izuku got a bad feeling. 

As the match started Awase instantly charged against Todoroki jolting from side to side to make himself a harder target. If he had faced someone else he could have had a good fight. Todoroki twisted his foot a little releasing his ice, a lot of it, like a lot a lot. A literal glacier of ice grew out of the arena reaching and passing their class’s seats just a few meters away and rising higher than the stadium itself and it all had happened in a matter of seconds. An attack like that could have frozen an entire city block, or two, including everything and everyone in it. Izuku’s mouth was hanging open staring at the wall of ice he could almost reach from his seat. 

Tenya nudged his side and whispered. 

“You are drooling on your notebook.”

Izuku jolted looking at his now wet notebook as his mouth snapped shut. He quickly wiped his face to his sleeve hoping people didn’t pay much attention. They didn’t appear to. Unsurprising considering the iceberg that had just appeared out of thin air. 

“To.. To.. To,” Midnight tried to speak somewhere behind the ice. “Todoroki wins.”

Izuku shook his notebook trying to make it at least a little dryer as the ice began to evaporate. He stopped to look at it disappear. Creating such a large amount of ice was already impressive, but the power output needed to evaporate the whole thing… If Todoroki really let his quirk loose it might just melt the stadium and everything in it. Izuku had to swallow some saliva as his stomach churned. 

“What do you think about this?” Tenya asked. 

“I underestimated what he can do, by an order of magnitude or two.”

“What…? No, I mean why he would do this? It is quite a serious overkill don’t you think.”

“Yes,” Izuku admitted slowly bringing his focus back on the relevant.

“Did your talk earlier include anything that might explain it?”

“I don’t think I pushed him that hard, but… If someone made Todoroki snap, that would be his father. He is somewhere here and not happy after what happened before.”

“Do you think we should be worried?”

“Hmmm… you should be careful if you have to face him, but it is probably better to try talking with him outside the ring. You can’t speak if your mouth is frozen shut.” 

“Not a pleasant thought.”

“You saw what he just did… I’ll try first.”

Izuku got up and walked into the corridor after Tokoyami who went to get ready for his fight after Kaminari’s. Once deep enough for some privacy Izuku leaned against the wall to wait. Todoroki soon turned around the corner. He walked head down looking at the floor and walked past Izuku without even noticing him.

“Todoroki,” Izuku said. The boy in question stopped and turned. “What happened there?”

“What do you mean?” Todoroki talked quietly and emotionlessly like someone who had been stepped on while being unable or afraid of standing up for himself. Izuku recognized that feeling. 

“You almost freezing the entire stadium. Don’t pretend you needed to do so to win that fight.”

Todoroki looked at the wall instead of Izuku. 

“I was angry.” 

“You met your father after lunch.”

Todoroki didn’t respond or move but the sharp breath he took and coldness that appeared in his eye were all Izuku needed to know. Izuku tried to make his voice as understanding as he could.

“Was he angry for coming in second or for talking with me.” 

“Both.” 

“Did that really get to you so badly you went overboard with your quirk? Part of the reason you joined us for lunch was to annoy him.”

“It… it wasn’t that,” Todoroki paused. “He talked about how I would have to be what he made me to be and would be. Saying it was going to happen despite… ‘my little rebellion.’ That I should be grateful for the gift of his quirk.”

“He really is despicable, real scum.”

Todoroki nodded. 

“Are you planning to do something about it or just take your frustration out on others?”

Todoroki glanced at Izuku with a spark of anger in his eyes, but it quickly waned as his head dropped. 

“He’s my father and the number two hero.”

“So? Are you going to just take it and hope you somehow randomly get away from under his shadow before snapping badly enough to kill someone who doesn’t deserve that?” Izuku asked. “Because you aren’t far from that, and I am not talking about getting away from his shadow.”

“Why do you care?”

“I’ve already told you why, also if Tenya and Tokoyami win their first fights, one of them is going against you. I would appreciate it if you didn’t burry either of them under a damned glacier.”

“I…” Todoroki sighed and lowered his head in shame. At least he had some chance. “I’ll try.”

“Your quirk is even stronger than I thought, both sides of it, and you have already almost killed people twice today. With something like that there is no ‘try’, only do, or people will die, assuming I don’t confiscate your quirk first.”

“So what do you think I should do?”

“Stand up to him or ignore him. Resist what he wants, but in a way that doesn’t shackle yourself. Expose him for what he is to the public. Be your own person and consider what you actually want. Just do anything that goes against what he wants to achieve, anything other than ruining yourself in his shadow thinking about him and feeling pity for yourself.”

“Do you think it is so easy?”

“If it was easy to change things, I would have already changed a lot. That doesn’t mean it’s not worth doing, but you aren’t even trying, except trying to annoy him a bit while ruining yourself. I guess that is a start.”

“And you are going to say I should start by using my fire.”

“It would be best for you. You can’t exactly plot your father’s downfall if you are holding yourself back because of him.”

Todoroki looked down and then away as he kept walking. At least he wasn’t fighting back. That was progress at least. Izuku hoped.

Chapter Text

Izuku followed Todoroki back to the audience stands. From the volume of cheering something had just happened. Peering over the railing, it turned out the fight was already over. Kaminari had lost and was completely wrapped in the… hair of his opponent. The long green thorn-like hairs of the girl Kaminari had fought had extended well beyond their previous length to tie and lift him up. There was also a bunch of separate hair rising from the surface of the arena like a wall, or a shield.

Izuku might have licked his lips, but his ‘taste buds’ were still only interested in the power they had witnessed with Todoroki’s iceberg. The next fight was bound to be more interesting anyway. Izuku took his seat next to Tenya. 

“How did it go?” Tenya whispered. Izuku sighed and shook his head.

“It’s better than before, but he is still resistant to thinking differently. At least he admitted the risk of what happened with his quirk. He met his father like I feared,” Izuku grit his teeth together. “I really want to drop that man from his pedestal.”

“Be careful not to do anything stupid. Whatever he might have done behind the scenes, he is still the number two hero. Even if you had evidence he probably has just as many lawyers as your father.”

Izuku brushed his chin as he watched Cementos clear and fix the arena with his quirk. 

“Don’t…” Tenya said.

“What?”

“You have that look in your eyes. You are plotting something.”

“Is that a problem?”

“It is if you get burned.”

“Hmm. Actually that could be really useful… though with people’s biases not as effective as you might think.”

“Izuku stop,” Tenya commanded. Something in his voice reflected genuine worry, even fear, which brought Izuku out of his thoughts. 

“Sorry,” Izuku said. “Didn’t mean to worry you.” 

“So you won’t get yourself burned by Endeavour?”

“I’ll try to avoid anything with… permanent consequences.” 

“Izuku…”

“Tenya, do you think I would choose to get myself seriously hurt?”

“Depends. Are you calling Todoroki a friend yet?”

“Okay everyone!” Present Mic drowned out any further attempt at conversation. “We have two more matches left for the first round. The next one is Fumikage Tokoyami from the class 1A! Facing him is Shihai Kuroiro from class B!”

Tokoyami’s opponent was an interesting case. His hair was almost as white as Izuku’s, but the rest of him was completely black, not like someone with African heritage black, black like Tokoyami’s raven-black feathers. It would have been difficult to distinguish any features as Kuroiro’s skin seemed to suck in all light that hit it, making him seem faceless, especially from a distance.

It almost seemed like someone wanted to arrange a fight between shadows for people’s entertainment.

“I should go get ready for my fight,” Tenya said and got up. “Don’t,” he emphasized, “get in a fight with Endeavour while I’m away.”

“I’ll try. Don’t lose.”

Tenya shook his head as he left. Izuku focused on the fight. He hadn’t had much chance to train or fight with Tokoyami besides the major exceptions of USJ and the first day, but considering Dark Shadow’s speed and strength Kuroiro wouldn’t have much chance trying to fight in a direct physical brawl, so much would depend on his quirk and how he used it. Now, Izuku didn’t want to make assumptions, but usually physical changes caused by a quirk had some connection to the power, and Kuroiro did not exactly seem like someone with a light producing power that would give him an advantage over Dark Shadow.

Midnight started the fight. Tokoyami did not hesitate, Dark Shadow launched from his chest like he was shot out of a cannon. Kuroiro didn’t even have time to move in the instant the quirk took to stretch across the arena. It seemed like Dark Shadow would throw him out in a single move. The quirk collided with his opponent and kept moving, but without Kuroiro. 

In fact he was nowhere to be seen. Dark Shadow stopped at the edge of the arena and turned up to look around for his enemy, but he wasn’t visible at all, despite the flat arena not having anywhere to hide. Then again, Mightnight and Cementos did not appear confused and did not disqualify Kuroiro for leaving the arena, so where was he? Could it have been an invisibility quirk? Something like that could have definitely come with mutations in the skin and light absorption, but Kuroiro’s clothes had disappeared too. What else could it have been and what would Kuroiro do next? What would Izuku have done in his position? Izuku’s gaze moved to Tokoyami, still attached to the stretched Dark Shadow. 

Kuroiro appeared out of Dark Shadow right next to Tokoyami, launching himself at Tokoyami and delivering a powerful punch in Tokoyami’s stomach that made him bend over. 

“Fumi!” Dark Shadow shouted and rushed back towards Tokoyami to attack Kuroiro. Kuroiro swung his fist again, delivering a blow under Tokoyami’s beak. Tokoyami fell backwards on his rear. Then Dark Shadow was on Kuroiro. 

Kuroiro jumped aside seemingly to dodge Dark Shadow but it was clearly a pointless attempt from the beginning. He held his arm out so it touched the attacking Dark Shadow first and… was sucked into the quirk. It was like he had just completely melded with the black mass that formed Dark Shadow. The quirk didn’t even have the time to be confused as Kuroiro emerged from his other side and delivered a kick to Tokoyami’s head while he was still getting up from another fall. Izuku grimaced, remembering what he had done to Hitoshi and what it could have caused. 

“Man, Dark Shadow can’t do anything to that guy,” Kirishima said, clearly feeling a bit sorry for Tokoyami in this case.

“Doesn’t seem so,” Izuku agreed. “Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem Tokoyami knows what to do either. He’s relying too much on Dark Shadow. That first attack might have caught him by surprise, but unless that guy’s quirk enhances his strength Tokoyami should have been able to even out the situation by now.”

“Eh, you know not everyone has your skill with stuff like this.” 

“That’s just because he hasn’t trained enough, or the right way,” Izuku said, then fell quiet, brushing his cheek. This lasted for a moment as Dark Shadow repeatedly failed to catch Kuroiro and Tokoyami struggled to defend against the rapid attacks. 

Kirishima looked at Izuku for a while, longer than Hitoshi would have, but figured out Izuku’s thoughts eventually. 

“Is he going to join us tomorrow?”

“I… wouldn’t be opposed to it. It’s not bad to have him around, if he wants to be, and Hitoshi is getting tired of you tossing him around.”

“Heh, sorry.”

“Don’t apologize for doing what you were supposed to.”

As they talked Tokoyami had realized what needed to be done and convinced Dark Shadow to go back inside so Kuroiro couldn’t merge with him. Depending what else his quirk could do the fight might have just turned into another basically quirkless brawl. Unfortunately, that seemed to still leave Tokoyami in the weaker position. 

He displayed basic fighting skills, but his movements were awkward. It seemed like he was out of balance trying to fight without Dark Shadow being out. Kuroiro was really a perfect match for him. It certainly didn’t show Tokoyami’s and especially not Dark Shadow’s abilities in the best light to the audience. Even without Dark Shadow Kuroiro still showed off his quirk by diving into Tokoyami’s shadow to avoid a counterattack only to emerge at high speed and deliver a rapid upward strike. 

Punches like that got the strongest reactions from the audience, especially his classmates, but what less people paid attention to was that the fight was moving towards the edge of the arena. That was really the best way to end a fight for anyone whose quirk didn’t allow for an instant knockout. Izuku glanced at Kirishima. Instant knockout without brain damage or worse preferably.

Tokoyami was now at the very edge of the arena, a single step away from losing. He did the sensible thing and tried to move sideways to get out of the precarious position, but Kuroiro matched his movements to deny any escape. 

“Looks bad,” Kirishima said. “He might lose.”

“He’s in a bad position, but not hopeless,” Izuku said. “Considering their performance so far it is unlikely that Tokoyami could fight his way out of this hand to hand, but if he stays calm and works with Dark Shadow smartly…”

“Won’t that guy just… get into Dark Shadow the moment he comes out?”

“If he tries to attack directly, yes. That’s why it is so important that he… they, stay calm and think through what to do.”

Tokoyami dodged an attack, stumbling right on the edge of the arena. He tried to push off and rush towards the middle. That was his chance, but nothing more happened. Kuroiro was able to recover from the momentum of his previous attack and grapple Tokoyami before he got away. Tokoyami somehow stayed on his feet like most wouldn’t, but it wasn’t going to be enough. Izuku sighed. Dark Shadow burst out of Tokoyami, pushing Kuroiro away from him in an instant. 

“Yes!” Kirishima cheered, “maybe…” 

“No,” Izuku said.

For a moment Dark Shadow’s assault seemed to be efficient and was pushing Kuroiro away. The force of the impact could have certainly stunned him. After several metres Dark Shadow extended his shadowy limb to get a proper grasp of the enemy but like with every attempt before Kuroiro disappeared into Dark Shadow. Tokoyami had learned enough to raise his arms in defence before Kuroiro had a chance to emerge and attack. It worked, except for one little detail. 

“Tokoyami is out of bounds,” Midnight declared, “the winner is Shihai Kuroiro!”

Despite defending against the attack quite well, Tokoyami had never gotten properly away from the edge. Too focused on the attack, his foot had slid out of the ring. 

“Man, that sucks,” Kirishima said. 

“One of them had to lose,” Izuku shrugged. “That’s the whole point of competition.”

“Yeah, but he never really lost the fight. His foot was just a little over the line.”

“Those are the rules of the competition that they both knew beforehand. Knocking your opponent out isn’t the only goal with every fight, even outside competitions. That’s how I almost lost with Toshi. He used his brain and my rush to get him out. Without my jets he might have succeeded. Even if he didn’t beat me in the fight that would still have been a win. Tokoyami could have done the same, but made the wrong move, or at least Dark Shadow did.”

“I see,” Yaoyorozu spoke up. “That is what you thought Dark Shadow could do.”

“I don’t follow?” Kirishima said. 

“It is quite simple. Since Dark Shadow couldn’t safely attack their opponent, Tokoyami should have used it to push himself away from the edge. That way he could have used Dark Shadow for mobility, but his opponent wouldn’t have had a chance to merge with it.”

“Something like that,” Izuku said and glanced at Kirishima. “Sometimes attacking directly or taking the hit isn’t the best option, especially if you are literally balancing on an edge.”

“Right.”

“Kirishima, when did you get a new sensei? Be careful or mister Aizawa might get jealous.” Kaminari commented with a sly grin. Kirishima stared at him, confused. 

“When he showed he was worth the effort,” Izuku answered in his place. “You should watch out or he’ll leave you behind even more than you already are.”

“Ouch,” Sero said, “maybe you should ask Todoroki for some ice on that burn.”

At least most of the class could take that comment with good humour.

Tokoyami left the arena with Dark Shadow out in his smallest size and leaning against Tokoyami’s chest. He was even petting Dark Shadow’s head. Izuku just hoped Tokoyami wouldn’t need a quirk psychiatrist. Izuku had a strong hunch of who that would be.

“And now the final fight of the first round,” Midnight announced. “From class 1A, Tenya Ida!”

Part of Izuku was happy as Tenya got one of the loudest reactions from the audience, second only to Todoroki. The other part of him was annoyed because he knew why that was, and the people certainly weren’t cheering for Tenya and Todoroki because of their own efforts. 

“And opposing him is a highly talented student from class 1B who was admitted to UA with high-standing recommendations, Juzo Honenuki!”

Tenya’s opponent was a pale blonde-haired boy with a minor mutation of having his teeth visible on the outside where his lips would normally have been. Izuku dug through his memories for information about the boy from earlier competitions. 

“Tenya might be in trouble,” he concluded. 

“How so?” Kirishima asked. “I doubt that guy will even have time to see him coming.”

“That’s assuming he can run at full speed. Honenuki is the one who did something to the ground during the cavalry battle.”

“Right, I noticed something strange, but you made us fly before it reached us.”

“Something Tenya can’t do. I fear he might be just as bad a match up to Tenya as Kuroiro was for Tokoyami.”

“So they were just unlucky.”

“Yes, though in life you sometimes need to face people you’re a bad match against, better here than in an actual battle. At least in the tournament the worst you can lose are more chances to show off what you can do. Even then you can take lessons from your mistakes. Speaking of which.”

Izuku looked back at Tokoyami who had just re-joined them. He was still holding Dark Shadow like a crying child, quite literally.

“I’m sorry Fumi. I didn’t mean to make you lose. I just wanted to get him off you. Now people are going to think you can’t fight.”

“As much as it pains me, I fear they would be right. Without you I could not do much.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It is not your fault. I have put too much of our training on your wings.”

Izuku sighed, wishing UA at least gave out degrees in quirk psychology. Then again, he didn’t let himself sugar-coat even harsh truths.

“Tokoyami,” he said getting the two’s attention, “did you tell Dark Shadow to launch that last attack?”

“No… he… I told him to stay in.”

“Then that final losing move was his fault,” Izuku said. Even though Dark Shadow lacked a face he somehow managed to express even more grief. “Don’t try to convince him otherwise. He, both of you, can only improve if you recognise what you did wrong.”

“I knew it,” Dark Shadow cried out.

“That doesn’t change the fact you would have lost anyway, with the way you were fighting.”

“Hey, you can’t talk to Fumi like that!” Dark Shadow said, breaking off from his crying.

“I call it like I see it. If you want the best for Tokoyami you can’t deny things just because you don’t like to hear them.”

“You are right,” Tokoyami agreed. “In trying to control Dark Shadow’s power I have failed to train myself adequately.”

“Yes, you have. We’ll start fixing that tomorrow,” Izuku said and turned back to face the arena.

Tenya was presently running away from his opponent, with a spreading patch of liquefied arena pooling around said opponent who was half sunken into it like he was in a swimming pool.

“This is going to be great,” Kirishima declared, still not looking at the fight. “You get to train at Midoriya’s place. He has helped me improve my fighting more than UA.”

There was a long silence, except for the rest of the noises in the stadium.

“What is he talking about Fumi?”

“Midoriya said you could come train with us tomorrow. Ain’t that great?”

“You don’t have to come,” Izuku said without looking at them, “but if you don’t want to be dependent on Dark Shadow alone, you should.”

“It would be an honour.”

“Hey, why does Tokoyami get to go?” Kaminari complained.

“Because I say so,” Izuku responded, more focused on Tenya’s fight. He had been driven near the edge of the arena already. He’d have to do something very bold to grasp a win. Backed into a corner, literally, Tenya crouched like he was preparing for a sprint. His engines, properly cooled thanks to Todoroki, flashed and he wasn’t there anymore. Knowing what to expect Izuku just about followed what happened.

Pushed forward by his engines Tenya initially streamed over the surface, reaching Honenuki who had no time to react. As Tenya’s foot sunk into the liquid arena in front of him, the other delivered a full-force kick that sent him backwards with devastating force. Unfortunately, he was still half inside the arena and Tenya couldn’t actually fly with his engines. He was already dipping into the liquid arena and the impact took most of his momentum. As soon as he sunk deeper into the liquid he began tumbling across the surface until he stopped some distance from Honenuki. Both of them were left floating on the surface, which began solidifying around them. Seeing this Tenya scrambled to get away but could only make sure his head remained above the surface as the arena hardened around him. Honenuki did not even move as he was left half inside the arena.

“Well…” Present Mic looked for the right words. “Did one of them win?”

“I don’t think so,” Aizawa said, “While Honenuki appears to be unconscious, Ida is also effectively pinned. If nothing happens by the time Midnight does the count it will be a draw.”

Midnight moved to check on both students. The stadium was quiet, like actually quiet. Cementos too joined Midnight on the arena, probably intending to free Ida and Honenuki with his quirk once Midnight declared the match over.

“5… 6…”

Honenuki’s head moved and Midnight fell quiet. Slowly the concrete around Honenuki softened on he dragged himself up with some effort. His feet shaky as he pushed first on his knees and then to his feet. Midnight raised her hand.

“Honenuki is still conscious and able to move. He is the winner.”

Izuku couldn’t join the cheering of the audience around them. In the end only Todoroki and Kirishima had moved on from their class and he could only watch as Honenuki freed Tenya from the concrete.

“What’s wrong?” Said the infinitely irritating voice of Monoma, who was hanging over the divider between the audience segments for the different classes. “Are you surprised that the mighty class A is barely staying in the tournament?”

“What do you want?” Izuku said, not bothering to look at the quirk copier. “Our fight is next so choose your words wisely.”

“You really trying to intimidate us? So typical for class A. You think yourself so much better, that you can do whatever you want.”

“No, just that there is something wrong with you to constantly act like this. Did your parents drop you on your head as a kid? Brain damage doesn’t always make people nicer you know.”

“I guess we are going to find out after your so-called friend recovers. Such brutality from the supposed number one class.”

Izuku finally looked up. Neither Hitoshi nor Tenya was there and others would not have recognized the signs or moved in time to prevent Izuku from taking out Monoma. The idea was certainly attractive.

“If you think this is going to somehow help you in our fight you are wrong, you’re only digging your own grave deeper.”

It must have been something in Izuku’s voice as Monoma hesitated with his response until a giant hand slapped him from behind. An orange haired girl peeked over the divider and after a few seconds Izuku even remembered her name, Kendo.

“Sorry about him. We really don’t know what’s wrong with him, but he is a good planner. He can just get a bit too competitive.”

“More like self-destructive,” Izuku muttered.

“Did you say something?”

“No… Has he considered what I suggested before about trying to use our quirks together?”

“I don’t think so. It seems like quite a big ask.”

“It really isn’t. I’m not even asking to borrow his quirk exactly.”

At least that wasn’t necessary to start with.

“Still seeking to get at our quirks,” Monoma said barely audible behind the divider. “Did your classmates already figure out to avoid getting theirs taken? Probably keeping their distance and warning people to stay out of arm’s reach.”

Izuku was surprised to realize that behind the annoying tone Monoma’s voice had a tint of bitterness. Maybe he was not just mocking Izuku. Kendo looked behind the divider at Monoma and then shrugged her shoulders at Izuku.

“He doesn’t have to be interested in what you suggest. Hope you understand.”

“We will have a short break and then move on with the second round,” Midnight announced. “The fighters for the next match should proceed to their ready positions.”

Izuku got up from his seat and headed for the door.

“I guess we’ll have to continue this talk in the arena.”

He encountered Tenya as he entered the corridor. The speedster was walking with his shoulders slumped and chin down. Izuku stopped just as they were passing each other.

“Decent job,” Izuku said, approaching him, “just hesitated too long before making your move.”

“I know. I was too focused on avoiding his quirk’s effect until it was too late to safely reach him.”

“Your quirk works great for running but it won’t keep you flying for long, maybe sliding would work. You should probably consider that with your support equipment.”

“That is probably a good idea, but shouldn’t you concentrate on your own fight?”

“I am… but it’s not the fight I’m interested in. Just have to be careful at the start in case he copies someone else’s quirk before the fight. Don’t worry about your loss. Your strengths are easy for people to see even besides family connections. This tournament isn’t going to hold you back.”

“I know, but I still failed.”

“More training,” Izuku said and kept walking. “Speaking of which, Tokoyami will join us tomorrow.”

“Good to hear you are comfortable enough to have him around, and Dark Shadow.”

“He knows part of the darkness I have to walk through.”

“You even sound like him.”

Izuku chuckled once as he walked out of Tenya’s sight.

Chapter Text

Izuku stepped onto the arena. It was a lot quieter compared to previous fights. Monoma entered from the opposite side with a wide smile and generally friendly expression. Izuku was immediately on alert. Even Present Mic couldn’t distract him from that.

“We are going to start the second round with a fight between Izuku Midoriya of class 1A, who already demonstrated his extensive fighting skills in the first round. His opponent from class 1B is Neito Monoma who showed he can have more tricks up his sleeves than one might expect.”

“To be fair you could say the same for both of them,” Aizawa added. “Either one could surprise us.”

“It really is great to be here, even if having so many people watching us makes me a bit nervous,” Monoma said still with his fake smile. He raised his hand offering it for a handshake. “Let’s have a good match.”

Izuku’s hand inched a little upwards before he stopped and hardened his stare. He wasn’t going to fall for such a simple trick. 

“What’s wrong. I thought a handshake is the proper way to start a friendly match. It… is going to be friendly right?” 

Monoma made his voice shake like he was getting afraid while still keeping his hand up ready for a handshake, making sure everyone saw it.

“Please, I don’t want to go to the hospital like your previous opponent.”

“Can you believe that Midoriya kid?!” Someone in the audience shouted. How could anything be heard understandably that far from such crowd still baffled Izuku.

“Really? He steals quirks, did you expect him to be some beacon of morality?”

Izuku sighed. “You can drop the act. Both of us know you are just trying to touch me to copy my quirks.”

“You might know,” Monoma whispered, maintaining his fake expression, “but they won’t. For people like us people are more than willing to assume the worst. So want to convince them more or…?”

Izuku kept staring at Monoma for a moment then smirked, for more than one reason. He raised his hand to accept Monoma’s handshake. 

“And you already know that both our quirks work through touch, except only one of us can use his after that.”

Monoma froze still just as he was about to grab Izuku’s hand and yanked his back. 

“What’s wrong, don’t want to start with a friendly handshake after all?” Izuku taunted, glancing towards the audience.

“He wasn’t being serious?” Some people in the audience at least noticed.

“I wouldn’t shake hands with the Quirk Stealer either.”

“So one refusing to shake hands shows bad morals and other refusing is what you would do?” 

At least the whole stadium had one person with potential. 

“Are you ready?” Midnight took control of the situation, forcing Izuku to focus on his opponent. “Start!”

“I hope I didn’t ruin your whole plan,” Izuku said, raising his hands in a fighting stance. “Then again you probably already copied someone else’s quirk like with Toshi. So whose would you use against me? Either you need to keep your distance and attack from there or get something that helps you with hand-to-hand combat…”

As Izuku spoke Monoma’s skin turned into metal and he charged. Izuku ducked and jumped to the side, avoiding the first punch.

“… and protection from my Dragon Blades wouldn’t hurt either, smart. You picked a strong quirk, just made one mistake.”

“And what would that be?” Monoma asked while swinging at him again.

“I have trained against basically the same power, you know the guy who beat the guy whose quirk you are using,” Izuku dodged effortlessly again and lit a Dragon Blade formed as a shield. “The question is if you are a better fighter than him. So far, I’m not impressed. Don’t burn your fingers.”

He flashed the flaming shield hotter just as Monoma launched another punch but Monoma didn’t pull back or even jolt as his fist hit its mark. The same couldn’t be said about Izuku who got shaken to his core and pushed back. It wasn’t as much force as Kirishima could hit with but still a lot more than someone could do without a quirk. Izuku bit his teeth together from the pain until it eased. Monoma made sure to hold his fist against Izuku’s shield for a few seconds as he recovered. 

“You might think less of our class, but is that Kirishima also fireproof? Didn’t think so.”

Monoma launched another punch. Izuku, having seen the limited usefulness of his shield, understood the brute force of the attacks would be too much for him to stop head on without breaking something. As he recovered from the first attack there wasn’t enough time to properly dodge so Izuku had to give in and lean back from the attack. As he leaned far enough away from the attacking fist he shut off his shield and reached his arms backwards.

Izuku’s hands touched the floor and he began a backflip. Normally he would have gone for a simultaneous kick on the chin but after breaking Hitoshi’s, he hesitated rather than going with his instinct. A fraction of a second later he realised the chin was made of steel.

He returned to his feet and had just enough time to dodge the next attack. Monoma was now fighting faster, but also more haphazardly. It wasn’t enough though. After dodging a couple of punches, Izuku jumped backwards, boosting his distance with his jets.

“You seem to be in a hurry,” Izuku said while jogging sideways to keep his distance from the approaching Monoma. “Does your copy perhaps have a time limit? Shouldn’t have wasted time trying to mess with my reputation.” 

“Says the coward who is just running away.”

“So now I’m a coward. Wasn’t I supposed to be some kind of violent maniac or a thief?”

“You are going to be declared the loser if you just keep running away.”

The steel was still holding up on Monoma so Izuku flicked his arm and launched a blue but relatively weak Hellfire Arrow at him. Monoma dodged the first one but couldn’t change directions before the second one hit. As the smoke cleared Monoma had been thrown on his back by the impact but his steel defence was intact, not even a scratch. There was just a little bit of steam rising from where he was hit.

“You sure you don’t want to test if our quirks can work together?” Izuku asked, strolling towards Monoma who scrambled to get up.  

“I’m not going to fall for your trick to take my quirk.”

“If I wanted to take your quirk I could and the consequences would be no different than if I tricked you, but fine. I can test all I want to know with Tetsutetsu’s quirk while you have it.”

He said it confidently, but that same quirk meant he didn’t have much chance restraining Monoma long enough to test, not physically at least. Luckily that and his All For One were exactly the threats Monoma was focused on. He was back on his feet still steely and visibly tense as Izuku approached. His stance left one of his hands remaining mostly open in a very Bakugo like way to more easily use his quirk.

“You should be careful about using your quirk on me,” Izuku said. “Usually people only have one quirk to copy. You might get more than you can handle and I won’t be responsible for the consequences.”

“You think I couldn’t handle your quirk?” Monoma responded, too focused on the discussion about their quirks to think of stopping himself. He was left quiet after that, standing still and staring into the empty air.

“After beating Yaoyorozu with this I thought you’d be more careful,” Izuku said as he stepped in front of Monoma, who didn’t, couldn’t, respond. Izuku raised his hand and put it on Monoma’s forehead. “In battle you need to watch for more than one threat at a time.”

Izuku focused on his quirk and those laying within Monoma. At least there were supposed to be more than one. Monoma’s skin was still steel, but… Izuku could only sense one quirk. There was a strange feeling around it he hadn’t experienced before, but there was only one quirk factor, that much he could be certain about.

“What is he doing?”

“He’s taking his quirk!”

“Someone stop him!”

“Silence!” Aizawa’s voice boomed across the stadium. “If you can accept freezing someone inside a glacier during a match and cheer you have no right to whine at a persons’ quirk being taken during the match.”

Izuku wanted to smile hearing his teacher’s voice, but at the same time he could feel Monoma’s skin changing under his fingers and also felt a change in the one quirk in Monoma. He bit his teeth together and frowned as he let go.

“It would have been too good to be true,” Izuku muttered and looked at Monoma who was still staring into nothingness. Izuku had won. The match would end as soon as he ordered Monoma to leave the arena. It didn’t even feel like he had tried, but that was how good Hitoshi’s quirk could be. If everyone could just see that.

“Are you… going to do anything with him?” Midnight asked, having come closer. “I can just do the count.”

“Yeah…” Izuku paused mid response and reached out for her microphone. “Can I?”

“What do you want it for?”

“You’ve heard what people think about me and my quirk… and not just me.”

She looked at him for several seconds, but eventually nodded and gave him the microphone. Izuku took it but breathed in deep and hesitated for several seconds before bringing it in front of his mouth.

“Ladies and gentlemen, especially those calling yourself heroes…”

He was doing his best to keep unnecessary sharpness away from his voice, he really was. 

“I would like to introduce you the quirk Brainwashing. For the whole day you have seen students fight and beat each other with everything from fists to ice and of course with a healthy dose of risking injury to one or the other, you know a bit like your job, not just restraining villains, but beating them in a risky fight. Wouldn’t it be nice to skip that part about risking injury?”

Izuku made some grand gestures towards Monoma who was still standing in the exact same spot, not having moved a millimetre. 

“Completely pacified, restrained and easily to arrest with zero resistance or violence needed. I could make him walk straight to Tartaros itself if I wanted to, and this isn’t even the first fight today to be ended by this quirk. You could have this capability for your agency, and be backed by the brain and tongue needed to make it efficient. Just send an offer of internship to the owner of this quirk, Hitoshi Shinso of UA class 1A, and make it more worth his time than any other offers.”

“Do the count Midnight,” Aizawa’s tired voice said from the speakers as soon as Izuku’s stopped. 

“Are you done?” Midnight asked.

“Yes,” Izuku handed the microphone back, “I hope it mattered.”

“The words alone maybe not, but with the demonstration you put up most certainly yes. A proper visual demonstration can do wonders in getting people’s attention.” She winked and leaned forward in a posture that pushed her chest outwards, towards a now blushing Izuku. “Trust me, I know.”

She stood back up straight and began counting down towards Monoma’s loss while Izuku tried to stop blushing and remind himself of the superficiality of heroes more focused on ‘visual demonstrations’ than helping people.

“… Two… one… zero. The winner is Izuku Midoriya by… a knockout, I think.”

Izuku raised his hand and flicked a finger at Monoma’s forehead hard enough to wake him. Monoma jolted and took several steps before stopping to stare at Izuku.

“You…”

“Won,” Izuku said. Monoma’s stare hardened. 

“Give my quirk back right now.”

“Never took it. I didn’t exactly have any use for it in a one versus one fight. More importantly your quirk doesn’t actually create a copy of people’s quirks. It just replicates their effect, or something like that, still very impressive. It means your quirk is doing all of the things the quirks it copies did. I can’t imagine how it does that, but I couldn’t even feel the Steel quirk in you.”

Izuku turned away. 

“Since you don’t want anything to do with me, I won’t bother you about our quirks. Just make sure to not complain when people suspect or fear you because of your quirk. Not when you think the exact same way as they do when it comes to others’ quirks.” Izuku paused. “Also… I was serious about not using your quirk on me. Having multiple quirks can be a strain and even I need time to adjust when I increase my number. If your quirk tries to copy multiple at once that could have unexpected consequences.”

He walked away, not showing any joy at his victory. As far as he was concerned the whole thing with Monoma had been a total waste of time. Maybe mass-producing copies of quirks would have been too good to be true. Well, at least the sports festival was almost over. He just needed to make sure he wouldn’t get buried under a glacier and survive whatever Hitoshi had to say about the stunt he just pulled. Izuku knew he’d either apologize or laugh by the end of it. 

He met Kirishima in the corridor coming down for his own match. The redhead raised his arm and the two fist-bumped as they met. 

“Great match… and speech,” Kirishima said. 

“Thanks. It was a decent warm-up for our match I guess.”

“Heh, I still have to win mine first.”

“I have faith in you. Show them how to use your kind of quirk properly.”

“Thanks. I’ll do my best.”

Izuku passed him and continued towards the stairs a bit happier than when he had left the arena. He made sure to walk a bit faster, wanting to see the whole drill-vs-wall fight. He got back to his class just in time as Midnight declared the start of the fight. Kaibara charged forward right away, turning his arms into large drills. Kirishima hardened and also charged, fist raised. It seemed like it was going to be a head-on meeting of brute force. At the last moment Kirishima twisted his body and shifted to the side to avoid Kaibara’s direct attack and deliver a punch from the side, a smart choice made just in case Kaibara could actually hurt him. 

With Kirishima’s ability to hurt Kaibara there wasn’t even that small doubt so Izuku couldn’t claim surprise as Kaibara did the exact same thing in the opposite direction. Both passed each other, pulled out of balance by their over-extended punches. Izuku’s pen scratched against the paper of his notebook without him even looking at it. 

While Kirishima corrected his position with great agility he was still slowed by his hardened state and adjusting it on the move. Kaibara didn’t have that problem as his quirk only increased how his body could move. He spun around and launched another attack. Kirishima having only just steadied his stance barely had enough time to raise his hardened arms. Kaibara’s drilling punch hit right in between them with full force and continued drilling after the initial punch, and drilling, and drilling…

Kirishima peeked from behind his raised arms and while it was impossible to see from this far away, he was probably smirking, thought that wasn’t necessarily a very Kirishima thing to do. Apparently he had gotten an answer to the question about Kaibara’s ability to hurt him. 

Without hesitation Kirishima’s fist launched forward in a counterattack, but using one of his feet as a pivot point Kaibara used his quirk to literally spin out of the way. He used the momentum to hop beyond arm’s reach. As soon as both of his legs were solidly on the floor again his entire upper body began spinning. Kirishima charged forward to deliver a punch that would end the match no matter how much Kaibara spun except….

He had extended his arm out from his spinning body. The spin accelerated his fist to a speed no human could achieve without a suitable quirk and the two fighters were again on a collision course. It was too late for Kirishima to stop his attack or do anything except maybe increase his hardening. It was hard to say from far away. 

Kaibara’s drill-like hand impacted right in the middle of Kirishima’s chest. The speed and sheer momentum of the impact pushed Kirishima back. He slid on the concrete for a couple of meters but succeeded at staying on his feet. Meanwhile Kaibara’s spin destabilized, and he took several seconds to stop and find his balance. 

Kirishima bent his upper body back to upright, having been pushed backwards by the impact. With his opponent at a safe distance the first thing he did was to glance down. There was a large hole torn into his shirt right in the middle of his chest but there wasn’t any sign of even the smallest injury. Kirishima’s movements themselves only suggested surprise at most. If there had been any doubt after the first attack, the question between drill and wall had been settled after the second. Wisely Kirishima quickly moved his attention back to his opponent, holding a proper stance despite his clear advantage. 

In the meantime, the whole stadium got to hear Kaibara’s scream as he held his hand close to his chest, a bit crouched forward protectively. Kirishima dropped his stance and reached one hand forward apologetically as he took a step closer, only stopping as Midnight gestured him to.

“Oh great,” Izuku sighed.

“He’s going to blame himself for that,” Ashido finished Izuku’s thought. “It’s just like back in middle school. A lot of other people even blamed him then.”

Midnight talked to Kaibara and checked on his hand. As Kaibara moved it for her to see better Izuku could see the whole hand hanging unnaturally, not just from the wrist but the forearm itself. Considering the force of the impact Izuku was surprised Kaibara’s arm was still properly attached on his shoulder. His quirk had to provide some reinforcement to his body even if it was clearly insufficient. 

“What was he thinking hitting that hard if he couldn’t handle it?” Izuku muttered. 

“Most likely,” Tenya said, “he saw Kirishima’s endurance before and thought his normal attacks wouldn’t work.” 

“So he just went all out not thinking about his limits,” Izuku finished. “Probably so… You think their quirks would work well combined?”

“I… don’t think Kaibara is planning to sell his.” 

“I know,” Izuku sighed. “Still, they could be a great match. Imagine Kirishima using that same attack.”

“My bones are hurting just thinking about it. Still, no.”

Izuku turned to look at the arena again and brushed his chin.  

“I wonder what would happen if he had a flexibility enhancing quirk. Would they work together or contradict each other?”

“Should I be worried that I’m not even surprised by what Midoriya is saying?” Kaminari said. 

“I’m not sure anymore,” Sero responded.  

“I just wish I had an extra quirk to sell him,” Uraraka muttered. Izuku glanced at her, but was more interested in Tokoyami, who was standing in the shadow of the exit corridor. Still holding Dark Shadow in his arms like before. Izuku sighed and turned away from the sunny arena below to step into a literal shadow. 

“How are you doing?” He asked. 

“Well enough. I am trying to review my mistakes during our battle.”

“Sorry Tokoyami, I was actually talking to Dark Shadow.” The quirk creature perked up in Tokoyami’s arms. 

“I failed Fumi. I don’t care what you say about his skills. Now he won’t get a good internship. Everyone thinks he has a bad quirk like they did with Shinso after you broke him.”

Izuku needed a few seconds to pull out the figurative knife Dark Shadow had stabbed his heart with. 

“You’ll have new chances to show you are a great quirk. You just need to work with Tokoyami and not blindly attack.”

“Even then, people got to see how good washing brains could be, Fumi won’t have another chance today and that’s what matters to that internship thing. The sleepy man even said this is one of only three chances in a lifetime.”

“It’s okay Dark Shadow. We will still become heroes. We just have further to go than we thought.”

“Then shouldn’t you get a better intern place?” Dark Shadow asked.

“That would help greatly, but we cannot change it anymore.”

“Why not? Brainwashing got a second chance, and third.”

“That is because I could borrow the Brainwashing from Toshi without being smashed through the wall by it,” Izuku said. “Trying to take you from Tokoyami wouldn’t work out that well. It’s why you wanted to kill me before, remember?”

Dark Shadow’s wings and ‘head’ flopped down in disappointment. 

“We shall have our new chance in time,” Tokoyami assured the shadow-bird, but Dark Shadow didn’t seem to care.

“You will,” Izuku said “and Dark Shadow, you are more than powerful enough to convince people of it. Tokoyami is lucky to have you.”

“Certainly,” Tokoyami agreed, but Dark Shadow didn’t seem to believe them. For a moment no one said anything until Izuku pulled out a notebook and spoke again. 

“So, if you still want to join us tomorrow for training, I’ll text you the address. We usually start at 9am. You can get some good practice with hand-to-hand combat. Not sure yet how to help Dark Shadow train.”

“We appreciate all of the help you are offering. Those who train with you do seem to excel in our practical exercises no matter what kind of shadow the school casts their way. If you are certain you are comfortable with opening your home to us. I have understood that-”

“It’s okay,” Izuku interrupted. “Having more people visit makes it feel less empty. I just… need to make sure those people don’t cast even darker shadows inside.”

“I understand,” Tokoyami nodded.

“So, what’s your number?”

Izuku had just written Tokoyami’s phone number down when Kirishima walked past them. He barely acknowledged them, looking at the torn sleeve of his arm and occasionally feeling the much larger hole over his chest. Izuku reached out to grab Kirishima’s shoulder just before he got out of arm’s reach. He didn’t pull hard but the surprise from the yank was enough to stop Kirishima. He turned to look at Izuku, surprised, but didn’t have the time to say the question in his eyes.

“Punch the wall,” Izuku commanded.

Chapter Text

“Punch the wall,” Izuku commanded Kirishima, pointing at the concrete wall next to them.

“Eh… why w…?”

“Do it,” Izuku snapped, “punch the wall.”

Kirishima was still staring wide-eyed out of confusion. He glanced at the wall before turning back to stare at Izuku. After a few seconds he turned to face the wall and raised his fist, ready, but gave another questioning glance to Izuku who nodded. Kirishima’s arm hardened as he pulled his fist back.

“Wait, don’t!” Izuku yelped. Kirishima blinked.

“But you told me to…”

“Yes… but don’t use your quirk. I don’t want to explain to dad that he needs to pay to repair UA stadium.”

“Oh, sorry.”

“Just do it.”

Kirishma’s arm returned to normal and he punched the wall softly, more like a tap just with a closed fist. 

“Harder,” Izuku commanded with a voice that did not allow the words to be questioned. Kirishma did as told and the second punch actually looked like a punch, but more like a friendly punch to the shoulder of a training buddy. 

“Harder! Do it like you were in an actual fight.”

Finally Kirishima swung his arm in a wide arch in a proper punch. It wasn’t nearly as hard as he could do even without his quirk, but the sound of impact convinced Izuku it was enough for his needs. This was confirmed as Kirishima started nursing his fist with his other hand.

“Does it hurt?” Izuku asked, trying to keep the most obvious concern away from his voice for the moment. 

“A bit,” Kirishima answered. “I still don’t get why I did that.”

“Do you blame the wall for your hand hurting?”

“What? No, what do you mean?”

“Is it the wall’s fault, your hand hurt punching it?”

“No, why would it… be responsible for what my punch did?”

“It isn’t, and shouldn’t. Remember that when you talk about your fight with Kaibara. He broke his own arm, not you. You were just the wall.”

“Yeah, but…” 

“No buts. You already carry around too much self-doubt… and you need to focus on your next match.”

“Right,” Dark Shadow whined. “You get to show what you can do beating each other up.”

Dark Shadow let out another whine that sounded almost like crying.

“Is i… he okay?” Kirishima asked. 

“Yes, unlike you they have something to blame themselves for.” Izuku glanced at Tokoyami. “Sorry, that was…”

“The truth. Denying the shadow would not help us step out of it.”

“I don’t think you need to worry about it since Midoriya invited you to his place. It’s going to be great, just wait and you’ll see,” Kirishima gave Tokoyami a thumbs up. At least he had cheered up from just a moment earlier. Tokoyami’s expressions were harder to read, but he would probably have smiled if his beak bent that way.

“So,” Kirishima continued, “were you in the middle of something? Todoroki’s fight is about to start.”

“No, we just finished,” Izuku responded and gestured Tokoyami to follow, “you too should come watch rather than stand here just the two of you.”

“Very well.”

“I hope Todoroki wins quickly so we can get to our fight sooner,” Kirishima declared as they walked. 

“We spar every weekend,” Izuku reminded him.

“That’s not the same. This isn’t just training. We are going to test our manliness head on in the arena for victory. You’ll have to fight seriously.”

“Why is everyone so interested in getting beaten up seriously?” Izuku muttered, wondering how Hitoshi was recovering.

“You can only get tougher if you get hit, so don’t hold back.”

Izuku sighed. “Well, at least that actually works in your case. Just remember people can’t see that during the tournament. You aren’t going to get any points for getting your ass kicked.”

“Heh. If you can do that you can have my quirk for the final.” 

Izuku stopped mid-step like he had walked into a wall. Kirishima took two steps before realising and stopping himself. 

“Did you just say what I think you said?” Izuku asked. Kirishima tilted his head.

“Eh… Yeah I guess. I mean you did it already once during lunch. It… isn’t a problem right?”

“No… I’m just surprised… You sure?”

“Why not? I didn’t even notice when you did it last time.”

Izuku brushed his eyes and got his hand wet. 

“Did I promise to get you a second quirk yet?”

“Ehh, you said something about it. Are you… going to make that as a bet?”

“No, no bets, just a promise.” Izuku breathed in deep and got back some self-control. “I still need to get you that ass-kicking first.”

“I’m not going to make it easy. Just… don’t break a leg when you do it.”

That got a laugh out of Izuku, and he patted Kirishima’s shoulder as they kept walking.

They got back to their class just as Todoroki’s fight started and leaned on the railing rather than sit down. As soon as Midnight declared the start of the fight Todoroki launched a stream of ice across the arena. The trio leaning on the railing quickly stepped back, but there was no instant glacier this time. After a few seconds they dared to move back to see what had happened. A layer of ice had spread across the arena but at least it had been more restrained this time. 

Shiozaki had been able to mostly avoid the attack using her hair like legs to quickly move out of the way, but the attack had been too wide, the hair still had to touch the ground to move herself and the ice had spread from there. The glacier was smaller than before but she was at the top of it. Some of her green thorny hair had even gone for an attack, reaching towards Todoroki. The furthest strands were only a meter or so away from Todoroki before they were caught in the ice. 

“She’s faster than I thought,” Izuku commented.

“Didn’t think she’d almost win against Todoroki,” Kirishima said.

“She didn’t. She almost reached him, but that alone isn’t enough to win against Todoroki, even if he is still only using his ice… crudely.”

Izuku licked his lips. 

“Apparently it doesn’t make you less hungry eh,” Kirishima had at least enough sense to whisper. 

“Hss…” Izuku still hissed back. 

“Right, sorry. Our fight is after the next one. Should we go get ready?” 

“Sure,” Izuku nodded, smiling as they left. This tournament was turning into a lot of walking back and forth. At least the corridor was clean and quiet and the company wasn’t bad either, though Kirishima was outpacing Izuku, being already a few steps ahead.

“I can’t wait for this fight.”

“There is still a fight before ours. Moving faster isn’t going to make it start any sooner,” Izuku said and grabbed Kirishima’s shoulder to hold him back before he could disappear in the stairway behind a corner. Kirishima stopped and half turned to face Izuku, a smile on his face. Izuku was going to say something nice about Krishima’s excitement, but the words died in his mouth as a large form appeared behind Kirishima. 

Endeavour had just stepped around the corner behind Kirishima. His head turned in slow motion until his eyes focused on Izuku. He quickly turned to completely face Izuku as both his arms raised a little, more prepared for a fight than seconds before. It was because of Izuku’s quirk of course but he could at least take some pleasure in the fact that the so-called number two hero was at least a little afraid of him. 

Only now Kirishima started realising something was going on. Glancing back he jolted and jumped to Izuku’s side upon seeing the very large man.

“En… Endeavour.”

The man ignored Kirishima as his stare focused on looking down on Izuku, as far as he could tell behind the beard and mask of literal flames that covered most of the man’s face. Izuku responded to the stare without yielding a millimetre, but a nagging feeling in the back of his head reminded him of Tenya’s warnings. 

“You are the quirk stealer that is manipulating my son.”

“I’m one of the people trying to be your son’s friend after you raised him to barely understand the word. You really are a number two, and I am not talking about hero rankings.”

Endeavour stared at him for a moment before his eyes widened and his lips pressed against each other, holding back anger. The heat that radiated from his constant flames got a little warmer. Izuku barely stopped himself from licking his lips. This was the quirk that let such a pile of garbage be considered number two hero.

“You disrespectful…” 

“For sure,” Izuku interrupted, “but respect is earned. Number twos like you haven’t earned any.”

“Midoriya,” Kirishima whispered. 

“You can’t bow down in front of people like him. Remember what Todoroki told us, the other Todoroki,” Izuku said, breaking his stare of the so-called hero long enough to talk to Kirishima eye-to-eye. He turned back towards Endeavour, continuing to talk to Kirishima. 

“Not all villainy happens in dark alleys by people with mutations, or even most of it. Often it happens with those people you least expect it from.”

“Bold words from a thief.” 

“You think repeating that accusation is going to achieve anything? It’s something a middle school bully came up with.” 

Izuku paused for a long moment. He should have gotten past the large man quickly to be safe, especially since Kirishima was there too. Tenya’s warnings repeated in his mind. On the other hand, one of the people he hated in this world was standing right in front of him. 

“Not that an abuser like you is in any position to complain about anyone else.” 

Well, if he still had a chance to just keep walking it was gone now. Endeavour’s stare hardened and the nagging feeling had turned into a real sense of danger. Izuku focused on not yielding in front of the stare. With Endeavour’s size and the colour of his costume Izuku could at least imagine he was just facing a Nomu, except this one wouldn’t stop if he told it to. 

“Sometimes words can be dangerous. You might want to choose yours carefully.”

“No, not my style. That’s what dad keeps lawyers for. Also, what words I use don’t change what you have done to your family.”

“The only thing you need to worry about my family is to stay away from it, especially Shoto. He will be the greatest hero and doesn’t need to be seen with people like you.” 

“People like what? People who would like to be his friends?”

“You brat. You know what I mean.”

“And what would be so wrong with him having friends?”

“Shoto doesn’t need friends. The purpose of his existence is to become the strongest hero. That is what I made him for and that is what he will do whether he likes it or not. Anything that doesn’t help that doesn’t matter, any sacrifice he needs to make he will make, and anything that stands in the way of that...”

Endeavour leaned forward, bringing his facial flames even closer to Izuku and lowered his voice. Izuku held his own wrist in what seemed like an expression of hesitation and uncertainty, but the same move had pulled his sleeve back slightly exposing most of his wristwatch. The one his dad had sent as a gift. Kirishima was standing next to Izuku, tense, and inched slowly even closer.

“Needs to stay away if it knows what is good for it.” 

“That sounds like a threat, but that wouldn’t be very heroic. Should I take it as a threat?” Izuku asked sarcastically, struggling to keep a neutral, almost bored expression. 

“At least you aren’t stupid,” Endeavour responded. “Shoto will be the most powerful hero, but to be number one he must also be the most popular. I don’t want him to be seen with the quirk stealer unless he is defeating you.”

“Well, it is good neither of us take orders from you then. But you should already know that for T… your own son… sons. Must have been a real disappointment when your abuse didn’t make them submit to your will. Too bad you didn’t learn after the first one.”

“Them?” Kirishima muttered, surprised, but Izuku didn’t have time to explain the discoveries of his research in peace. The burning reactor in front of them was about to blow the lid and Izuku had broken his cooling pumps.

“It was pretty shocking to hear how you have treated Shoto, but I was only surprised when I started looking into things more closely. It’s pretty well known that you have three children. Not many know there is a fourth one, there was a fourth one, until there was a fire when he was alone. I wonder what you did to drive him into that.”

Endeavour’s flame bear flashed. Izuku squinted his eyes at the light and pure pressuring malice from the man. In an instant Endeavour’s arm rose sharply, reached instantly for Izuku’s throat with a hand that had caught fire. Despite the air cannon training Izuku wasn’t moving fast enough to avoid it completely. Something yanked his shoulder and as he got pulled backwards a red mess of hair filled his vision. Endeavour’s hand slapped Kirishima’s face harmlessly as the redhead hardened in time. 

Endeavour withdrew his hand, looking at it for a few seconds in surprise before his stare hardened again and focused on Izuku. Kirishima didn’t move from the position he had taken between them. There was no sign of hesitation even when facing the number two so-called hero. Izuku drew a sharp breath, but slowly his hand squeezed in a fist with flames sparking over it and he met Endeavour’s flaming stare with his ice-cold one.

“Kirishima, are you okay?” He asked without breaking his stare.

As Izuku spoke he grabbed Kirishima’s arm and tried to pull him into a safer position, but he wouldn’t budge from his protective position. It was like trying to move a boulder.

“Yeah, that was nothing. Not sure I can handle it if he cranks up the heat though,” Kirishima responded and pushed Izuku’s hand away. 

“I knew you were evil, but to attack students at their school is low even for you.”

“You brat, don’t pretend to be innocent and keep your nose away from where it doesn’t belong.”

“Afraid I’d find something you don’t want the public to know, besides what I already did of course, anything that would ruin your ‘heroic’ reputation? Now I am curious.”

“Midoriya,” Kirishima whispered in his best Tenya impersonation. 

“You are walking on thin ice kid. Things can happen to people that take that kind of risk, especially for people with such villainous quirks. You could easily get arrested for trying to steal people’s quirks if you don’t know how to behave.”

“Not really since I don’t do that, unless you are suggesting you’d make false accusations. Thinking a judge would believe the number two ‘hero’ rather than the kid with a ‘villainous’ quirk?”

“I am glad I don’t need to explain your position. Make no mistake. I can make your life very unpleasant and as far as anyone else is concerned it would be you who is considered responsible for getting burned, and I do mean that quite literally.” Endeavour stepped to the side to walk past them. “Stay away from my Shoto.”

“Piss off,” Izuku responded after Endeavour passed Kirishima. The man froze mid step, figuratively speaking of course. “He needs to get away from you as soon as possible and I am going to help.”

Endeavour’s hands squeezed into fists. Izuku tensed to dodge faster this time, but under the anger his confidence was cracking. He might have gone too far or his stupid mouth did. Hero or not Endeavour was powerful enough to be considered the number two after All Might and while his aura wasn’t as overwhelming it was far more malicious. Even he wouldn’t get away with attacking students at school, probably, but if Izuku had pushed him to that point Izuku and Kirishima would not stand a chance. 

“Hey!” A very familiar voice shouted, making Izuku’s anger flash even surrounded by his fears. Kirishima sighed from relief. “Long time since the last time I saw you.”

All Might was standing some distance down the corridor in his muscular ‘hero’ form. He was smiling and had his hand up in greeting towards Endeavour, but something in his eyes… If it was directed at Izuku he might not be able to fight it. The stare was backed up by the overwhelming power he had felt at USJ. 

“I see you have met some of my students. I hope you aren’t planning to chat for too long. They need to get in the ring soon.”

“Of course, they would be your students,” Endeavour sneered. “I don’t care about them. Just make sure they don’t get in my Shoto’s way.”

“If you are referring to the tournament, I believe that is what they are expected to do. Surely you want your son to be challenged by opponents giving it their all?”

“All Might,” Kirishima said, “he…”

Izuku grabbed Kirishima’s arm and pulled him to follow. The redhead fell quiet.

“We need to get to the arena,” Izuku said in an emotionless tone.

“Oh, right.” Kirishima finally started walking on his own rather than being pulled. He even stayed quiet as they walked down the stairs and far enough to not be seen or heard by the two top ‘heroes’. Izuku drew a deep breath.

“Shouldn’t we have told all might what just happened? Endeavour…”

“Did pretty much what I expected, maybe a little more straightforward,” Izuku interrupted, “and even if All Might could do something about it I’d get burned before begging for his help.”

“I still really don’t understand why you feel like that about All Might?” Kirishima said. Izuku stopped and turned to stare at him.

“Sorry,” Kirishima said quickly. “That’s one of those things you don’t want to talk about.”

Izuku sighed.

“Yeah… maybe,” he looked down. “Back there, you jumped between me and Endeavour. You must understand even you couldn’t take it if he seriously decided to attack us.”

“I guess. I wasn’t really thinking about that. My… body just moved before I could think.”

“Moved before you could think,” Izuku muttered. “I hate that you risked it for me but… That might be the most heroic thing anyone has ever said to me.”

“You think so?”

Izuku smiled softly. “Yes, very manly.”

That got a wide smile on Kirishima’s face. That said, there was still one thing Izuku had to address before he could face Kirishima in the ring. He turned to face away from Kirishima.”

“Kirishima, back there before the whole getting attacked by Endeavour, you tried to tell me to stop, to hold me back at least.”

Kirishima didn’t say anything, probably not sure how to respond.

“Do you want to be another Tenya, trying to lecture me off of doing things when you disagree with what I am doing?”

“No, Midoriya I…”

“Because if you do you should at least use my first name. Otherwise, you sound like a teacher and that isn’t going to work… Eijiro.”

“Oh…” Kirishima gasped. “Sure, if that’s okay with you Mi… Izuku. So you aren’t… angry about that…?”

Izuku stepped back closer to Eijiro and reached an arm over his shoulders. They continued walking like that.

“Why would I be? I might not listen to you, especially in that kind of situation, but…” Izuku swallowed and blinked. “It is nice to know someone cares enough to try.”

Eijiro gave him a blank stare for a few seconds before his lips stretched into a wide smile, again. He slapped Izuku’s back.

“Sure Izukubro.”

“Izukubro?” Izuku asked.

“Sorry. You don’t like it?”

“You apologize too easily. At least it’s better than what Toshi came up with.”

“Oh, what was that?”

Izuku hesitated for a few seconds.

“Izu… also Zuku.”

“Heh, Izubro, actually that sounds better.”

Izuku held his face with his free hand, though there was still a smile on his face.

“What have I done?”

“Zukubro?”

“Oh shut up Kir… Eijiro.”

“Okay,” Eijiro said and actually kept his word. The previous fight was already over by the time they reached the ground level and stepped outside together.

Chapter Text

Izuku and Eijiro stepped out to the arena together from the same corridor, despite the disagreement of the event organizers. Izuku still had his arm over Eijiro’s shoulder and they were both smirking. 

“Our next contestants are the man of multiple tricks Izuku Midoriya and his opponent the unyielding Eijiro Kirishima,” Present Mic announced.

“Unyielding,” Izuku muttered, “that’s pretty good. At least he came up with a good name for one of us.”

“I don’t know. You seem to always have some ‘trick’ up your sleeve. Or a quirk.”

“Maybe, but it doesn’t sound that good. He probably didn’t want to mention multiple quirks because of how people might feel about that.”

Izuku pointed at Eijiro with his free hand. 

“Still, don’t forget to watch out for those tricks. I’m in this to win, but you should at least make it look good.”

“Seems they are coming to the arena together,” Present Mic continued. “Is that allowed?”

“It doesn’t matter to the actual fight,” Aizawa responded. “Though I suspect we are about to witness an impressive match.”

Izuku smirked in a way to taunt Eijiro. It worked. 

“In your dreams.”

“So, you are going for a knockout. Good to know. Try not to crack my skull in the process.” 

“Eh?” 

Izuku smiled and shook Eijiro’s shoulders slightly.

“I hope they can fight seriously against each other,” Present Mic continued. “They don’t exactly look like enemies down there.”

“And that is why they will give it their all,” Aizawa said. “They respect each other too much not to, and neither of them are ones to not give their all.

“Just joking. Don’t worry about me,” Izuku said, smiling. They finally arrived in front of Midnight.

“Well, you two seem to be having good time.” She held the microphone in front of the two students. 

“Of course,” Eijiro said louder than necessary with the microphone right there. “I can’t wait to get this match started.”

Izuku kept a much calmer demeanour and pointed at Eijiro with the thumb of the hand still on his shoulder.

“Things have to be pretty bad if this guy can’t put you in a good mood. His excitement is contagious… and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t excited for this fight.”

Midnight smiled softly and was about to say something. 

“Make sure he didn’t take the redhaired guy’s quirk,” someone shouted from the audience. Izuku’s smile disappeared faster than if he had been punched to the face and his arm tensed against Eijiro’s shoulder.

“Yeah, why else would he be hanging on the Kirishima guy like that. With the last match he was also trying to get to touch the other student.”

“The match hasn’t even started yet. Just disqualify him.”

“Seriously?” Eijiro said, still within range of the microphone. He seemed to only realize he was talking to the entire stadium after that. “Izuku is a cool guy. Why do you keep attacking him when you’ve never met him.? Sure he could take my quirk, but why would he? That would just ruin the match for the both of us.”

Izuku wiped a tear off his eyes. People didn’t care though.

“Because he wants to win obviously.”

“But what would that win be worth?” Eijiro responded.

“Don’t bother,” Izuku said, also still in range of the microphone. He was now holding the flood back better. “They don’t want to hear things that don’t fit their prejudices, and it’s not your burden to try to make them.”

Izuku slid his arm away from Eijiro and turned away. 

“You should probably test your quirk to confirm you still have it before we start so no one can claim otherwise.”

There was a short pause.

“No,” Eijiro said. “I don’t need to test it to know I still have it.”

Now it was a real struggle to hold back the flood behind Izuku’s eyes. Only the stares of millions of people kept him from exposing his feelings. 

“Ah the purity of a young heart,” Midnight swooned. “But we have limited time. Are you ready to battle?”

“Yes,” Izuku said almost without sounding like he was about to cry. “Oh, and Eijiro, I’m going to do everything I can to win, but I’d prefer you didn’t open your mouth at the wrong time and lose that way.”

“Don’t worry. You made me train with Hitoshi for a reason, right?”

“Right,” Izuku said and took his position opposite to Eijiro. Midnight moved between them to declare the beginning of the match. Izuku glanced at her.

“You might want to keep a bit more distance for this fight.”

“Oh, don’t say that,” she winked suggestively, but walked further away before turning and raising her hand. Izuku crouched and tensed. Eijiro hardened his arms and punched them together before assuming his own stance. 

“Ready?” She swung her hand down. “Start!”

Eijiro charged, a hardened arm raised for a wide swing. In a literal flash Izuku raised his own and launched a blue Hellfire Arrow at a dangerously short range. Eijiro was smart enough to see it and moved to dodge, but Izuku was just a little faster. The blast struck Eijiro’s raised arm and exploded. The shockwave launched Eijiro to the side, but by then he was fully hardened and showed no sign of injury. At such a short distance the shockwave might have shaken Izuku more of the two. Eijiro quickly stopped his momentum, bracing against one leg and turned to swing his other fist. 

Izuku leaned back and his jets flared. He launched away from Eijiro, but as usual his flight fell off balance after a few seconds. He let himself keep falling backwards and did a somersault back on his feet at a safer distance, safe for the moment. Eijiro was already charging at him. Izuku raised both his hands and began firing blasts, focusing more on speed than the power of any individual shot. Considering how Izuku had to tense himself to make the Hardening work when Eijiro let him test it, having to keep up his defence constantly against the barrage should wear out Eijiro’s defences better than any single hit. 

The only damage Izuku’s first shots did was to Eijiro’s clothes, burning away the front half of his shirt and making it appear more like his hero costume except for the backside and the surviving left sleeve that were still hanging on. Izuku made a mental note to only aim above the waistline. His second barrage however didn’t hit even that as Eijiro ducked to the side, choosing to evade the attack which exploded against the arena wall somewhere behind. The impacts were well below the audience, but the school really needed to consider the safety of the people more. 

Some of their classmates were probably surprised at Eijiro’s skills and the agility with which he moved, but Izuku only smiled and adjusted his aim. Despite Eijiro’s dodging Izuku got in a few more hits before he got into punching range. Izuku kept firing ‘till the last second with no time left to dodge so he could only pull his arms back and form his flames into shields. Eijiro’s punch shook him to his core and pushed him back. The punch had enough force to push aside Izuku’s arms, opening a gap in his defences, but at least Eijiro hadn’t gotten too excited to not control his strength, so Izuku’s bones were still intact. 

Unfortunately for Eijiro the large swings, despite their power, lacked in speed, so the follow up strike didn’t come even close to hitting as it was Izuku’s turn to duck out of the way. He continued reforming his Dragon Blades even thicker and smaller than their shield form until he was basically wearing burning gloves like flame brass knuckles over his fists. Eijiro had barely time to see them before Izuku’s uppercut hit his chin with one of them. Izuku’s experiment was a success in the sense that his fist hadn’t broken, the pain was even less than when hitting nonhardened opponents.

Unfortunately, the hit hadn’t done much more to Eijiro. His head had moved back a tiny bit but the biggest impact was the look of surprise in his eyes. It quickly turned into determination as he pressed his chin down against Izuku’s fist despite the steam rising from his rocky skin. Izuku jumped back and pushed a few extra meters with his jets. He fired a pair of blasts before his feet even touched the floor again. This time Eijiro shielded himself with his arms so there was even less impact, although at the cost of his remaining sleeve. 

“Was that a new move?” Eijiro asked.

“Yeah, I came up with it just for you. I’m still not sure how well I could cut you, but this seemed safer. Cutting people’s arms off isn’t very manly anyway. What do you think?”

Eijiro opened his mouth to respond but at the last moment remembered to stay quiet. They both waited silently for the brainwashing period to pass, Izuku with a smile on his face. 

“It’s cool. I didn’t think you would come up with a whole new attack for me.”

“Not good enough yet. Need to punch harder to crack that rock.”

Eijiro smirked and hardened some more before charging. Izuku reformed the flames around his fist and added some more Vibration to it. It was still a new move so he couldn’t properly focus on blasting Eijiro while using it. Facing him in close combat might have been stupid but Izuku wasn’t going to pass on this chance. With Recovery Girl on standby, now was the time to really test their limits.

Izuku narrowly avoided Eijiro’s fist and brought his own into a hard meeting with the redhead’s six-pack. It was way less efficient than punching him in the face, like trying to break in through a brick wall instead of the door, but safer to experiment on. The strike did move Eijiro back a tiny bit and made him grunt, which was already impressive. Izuku punched again faster than Eijiro and with the element of surprise got in a quick barrage before he had to jump away to avoid being crushed under Eijiro’s counterattack. 

“I don’t know what you did,” Eijiro said, “but I did actually feel that.”

He brought his hand to brush against his stomach that had a black mark where Izuku had punched him. When Eijiro brushed that away the skin below seemed a bit red-tinted. 

“Not just the heat, felt like you were shaking my insides.”

“Glad to hear that. If it works on you then there won’t be many I couldn’t use it on. Don’t think it’s going to win this match for me though.”

Eijiro waited for the brainwashing window to pass and scratched his nose.

“Heh. Don’t think so.”

“Now, how long can you keep going? You have to strain yourself constantly to keep your hardening up. You are already taking breaks of it even when not necessary for your mobility. You aren’t even fully hardened now.”

Eijiro didn’t have time to wait for the brainwashing window to close before Izuku started blasting him again. Eijiro reacted fast enough to reinforce his hardening but this time Izuku used as much power as he could, as fast as possible. Even if Eijiro could take it the momentum from the first hit threw him off his feet. It left him unable to dodge the follow up barrage of weaker shots. Izuku walked closer, blasting him repeatedly on the ground. He didn’t give Eijiro the chance to get up but listened carefully. At first Eijiro’s reaction to his bombardment was just grunts, but it soon turned higher pitched and Eijiro gasped for air. 

Izuku stopped his attacks and stepped closer massaging his hands. Eijiro was left lying in a small human shaped crater surrounded by cracks in the concrete expanding from him. He was breathing hard but he was breathing. Izuku got a chance to draw a deep breath as the last remnants of the hardened rocky texture disappeared from Eijiro’s skin. Izuku stood over him just beyond arm’s reach.

“So, do you think that was enough of an ass-kicking?” Izuku asked. Eijiro smiled, still breathing hard but delayed in responding. Izuku held one hand behind his back, starting to form fire around it. Eijiro’s stare sharpened and his arms pushed against the floor as his entire body hardened again.

Izuku’s arm moved from behind his back and swung in one large punch downwards against Eijiro’s stomach with every bit of strength and mass in his body. This time the punch had an actual impact as Eijiro got air punched out of his lungs, blowing it out with some spit. His already strained quirk failed, turning his skin normal. Izuku extinguished his fire but remained tense in a fighting stance until Eijiro’s panting changed into laughter occasionally broken up by gasps. 

“I,” he panted, “can’t even remember the last time a punch hurt like that.”

“Welcome to the rest of our world,” Izuku said. 

Midnight came to stand next to them.

“Kirishima, can you continue fighting?”

“Even if I managed that I wouldn’t get up past Izuku. I think this was it.”

Midnight raised her arm.

“Eijiro Kirishima can no longer continue. The winner is Izuku Midoriya.”

There was very limited cheering. Izuku thought he heard some comments about Eijiro not taking him seriously, or at least his threat, seriously. As much as Izuku would have liked to correct them, there was a more important person to worry about. He reached his hand to Eijiro who, after a few more seconds of panting, grabbed it and let Izuku help pull him up. They both glanced at the hole Eijiro left behind. The redhead waved his hand to Cementos. 

“Sorry about that. Didn’t mean to make more work for you.”

The pro hero nodded. Eijiro reached behind his back for the last remnants of his shirt that was still somehow hanging from his neck like a cape. He ripped through the last surviving strands around his neck to take off the remaining fabric and wiped sweat off his face with it while they walked away from the arena.

“You really go through those quickly,” Izuku elbowed Eijiro’s exposed side.

“Well, yes. I was afraid something like this might happen. I used to tear up a lot of clothes when I was younger before I learned to control my quirk better.” 

“Getting blasted into the arena probably didn’t help either.”

“Heh, that was actually amazing. I still can’t believe you managed to punch through my quirk.”

“Hitting it with an artillery barrage first might have been the bigger thing.”

“Still, did you really come up with that new technique just for me?”

“I wouldn’t say ‘just’, but punching your face was definitely the inspiration for it, thanks.”

“Heh, anytime. So, what did you think about my fighting?”

“A big improvement from what I thought in the beginning of the semester. I was actually having a hard time hitting you. If I didn’t have my jets things could have gone very differently. You are weak, relatively speaking, to long distance attacks, but that only works for as long as I could keep that distance and you can move pretty fast when you want to. Hmm… A speed quirk might make you almost unbeatable.”

They stepped into the corridor.

“Oh, you are still serious about that?”

“I made a promise, didn’t I?”

“So manly… Oh right,” Eijiro raised his hand and held it up between them. “I guess I made a promise too.”

“You don’t have to if-” Izuku started, but Eijiro shook his head.

“A promise is a promise.”

A few drops of water from the previous flood leaked from under the floodgates behind Izuku’s eyes. If only he could be as trustworthy as those who trusted him.

“Shouldn’t you at least hold onto it until your fight for the third place?”

“Oh right, I forgot about that,” Eijiro put his hand down. Izuku shook his head and took the chance to discreetly wipe his eyes on his sleeve. 

“You think it’s going to be against Todoroki or that…?”

“Honenuki,” Izuku said the name.

“Yeah. I bet Todoroki is going to beat him so I have to figure out some way to deal with that crazy quirk that melted the arena.”

Izuku brushed his chin and looked down deep in thought. 

“I wouldn’t be so sure.”

“Eh? Do you mean I can’t beat him or…”

“I’m not sure Todoroki can beat him, not the way he is using his quirk and chaining it to his father. He might be the audience favourite but unless he manages to overcome Endeavour, or at least his crappy training, he isn’t going to win this tournament.”

Izuku raised his head to face Todoroki who was coming to the arena for his fight. They both stopped to stare at each other, neither willing to break the contact but also not planning to be the first one to talk until Todoroki finally spoke. 

“You should mind your own business.”

He walked past Izuku and Eijiro. Izuku glanced back. 

“You are doing exactly what your father wants, you know. We had the displeasure of meeting him earlier.”

That stopped Todoroki.

“He wants you to stay away from us to focus on becoming what he wants you to be, and to not stain his dear shiny reputation with having a family member around someone like me.”

Izuku turned forward and continued walking. 

“I won't try to tell you how to fight, again, but you should at least understand what you are doing. You don’t have to take my complaining, but if you keep pushing everyone away you are only making his job easier. Still, do whatever you want to do, but just,” he paused, “don’t become like him.”

Todoroki didn’t respond to that. After a few seconds Eijiro caught up to Izuku. 

“Do you think it is good to talk to him like that?”

“I-” Izuku started, “I don’t know. I’m just telling him how I feel. It’s not like I am some kind of expert on, well, people.”

“Really, you think that?”

Izuku glanced at Eijiro with a question in his eyes.

“I mean, you are always training and helping us with whatever trouble we have. You even helped me see my quirk has more potential than I thought. I don’t know how to help Todoroki, but if anyone of us can figure out how to do that, I think it's going to be you.”

“Oh…” Izuku couldn’t say anything more. Eijiro smiled. It was the kind of wide smile that was contagious and Izuku felt his lips twitch before Eijiro even spoke.

“I guess I wasn’t the only one underestimating what I could do.”

Izuku shook his head, trying to keep a straight face, but man was it difficult with Eijiro around. By the time they got back to their seats he had already failed. 

“Excellent fight you two,” Tenya declared. “Izuku, did you use some new technique?”

“Yeah, how did you punch Kirishima without breaking your hand?” Kaminari shouted. “I’d need to see Recovery Girl if I even tried to do that.”

Izuku held up his fist and encased it in blue flames so intense it looked more like a wavy blue burning liquid than a regular flame. 

“Not sure what to call it yet, but it works.” 

“Sure does,” Eijiro said and rubbed the spot on his stomach where Izuku had punched him. His skin still had a fist-sized red mark. “You got to use that in training tomorrow.”

“Oh, don’t worry. I will.”

Chapter Text

“Okay everyone!” Present Mic announced. “We’ve got three more matches to go. The next one is between Juzo Honenuki from class 1B! He’s facing up against Shoto Todoroki from class 1A! Both were admitted to UA with recommendations and have shown strong performance today, though with some side effects. Will the arena turn into a puddle or the arctic sea? Either way, Cementos is going to have work to do when this fight is over!”

“They both have powers with far reaching effects,” Aizawa commented, “but both also need to improve the technique and control with which they utilise that power.”

Izuku couldn’t have put it better himself. Well, maybe, but he would have been ruder. With any luck Todoroki would pay more attention to their teacher. Izuku glanced to the side at a glowing spot in one of the VIP sections of the audience that was the older Todoroki. He was probably scoffing at the suggestion that his son wasn't a perfect hero already. He would see his error eventually; he might not accept it but he would see.

“So are you excited to be in the semi-finals?” Midnight asked the two students. 

“Should I be?” Todoroki asked back in a quiet voice, his lack of emotion alone was enough to answer the question. “Is it somehow different from my earlier fights?”

“Well… you are closer to the finale than any time before.”

“Isn’t that what happens when the tournament goes on? Weaker opponents drop out and the rest get closer to the finale. I’ll have time to be excited after I win the finale.”

“Well well, aren’t you confident. How about you Honenuki? Seems you have recovered from the hit in your last match.”

“Yes, we have an excellent school nurse, but she is also humble, unlike my opponent. He seems to forget he isn’t the only one aiming to win.” 

“I can see that,” Midnight agreed.

Izuku poked Eijiro’s side with his elbow. 

“Are you sure you don’t need to see Recovery Girl? You’ll still have to be in shape for the last fight.”

“Nah, I just need to rest a bit and relax my body so I can use my quirk properly again. You didn’t hit me that hard.”

“I’ll have to remember that for next time.”

“This is going to be an exciting match,” Midnight declared, “so let’s get it started!” She quickly ran away from the two, further back than with other battles. “Ready? Start!”

Todoroki immediately launched one of his giant ice attacks. Izuku pressed his lips together to make sure he wouldn’t drool. Ice caught up to Honenuki in seconds and he disappeared behind the glacier. Izuku sighed. At least the iceberg wasn’t as excessively large as with Todoroki’s first fight. The entire arena fell quiet.

“Is it over already?” Kaminari asked. Izuku opened his mouth to answer it in a way that would have highlighted the stupidity of the question. Tenya, having experienced Honenuki first hand, reacted faster.

“No. He can’t win this by trapping his opponent.”

As he spoke one side of the glacier began drooping and falling like it was melting. Honenuki slid out of the ice just before the whole thing collapsed into an arena wide puddle. Todoroki moved his right leg, probably to launch another attack despite the failure of the first one. His foot got stuck as the spread-out ice resolidified around his leg. He glanced down and kept staring for several seconds, a very long time in the middle of a fight. Izuku shook his head. 

“He seems confused,” Eijiro commented. 

“He isn’t used to setbacks. A strong quirk and rich dad can do that, or well, in combination with other things anyway.”

“Hey that’s right, he’s a lot like you.”

Izuku frowned. “No.” His father might be considered a villain, but at least he wasn’t scum like Endeavour.

While Todoroki was dealing with the confusion of not winning instantly and started melting the ice, technically using his fireside, Izuku noted, something was happening to the arena barely visible through the now relatively thin layer of ice. It reached Todoroki by the time he released himself from the ice. 

An Ice pillar burst from below Todoroki’s feet, launching him upwards. The bottom of that pillar began immediately liquefying, but it gave him enough momentum to get away for the moment. Izuku leaned over the railing in an attempt to see better. 

“This might be good.”

“Eh?” Eijiro responded. 

“Honenuki’s quirk is a perfect counter to Todoroki’s ice, at least the way he uses it. It might force him to reconsider how he treats his quirk, like how sparring without quirks has made you change your fighting style to not just take every hit head on.”

“Oh. You’re right.”

“Probably,” Tenya added, “though it most likely won’t be enough to make him use his fire.”

Izuku couldn’t deny that. He shrugged. 

Todoroki landed outside the liquefied area but had to repeat the same move as that area spread out. He walked backwards to keep his distance and glanced back towards the nearest edge of the arena. 

“He’s getting pushed to the edge like I was,” Tenya said.

“Seems so,” Izuku said. “The question is, did he learn from your mistake.”

Todoroki put his foot down, literally, and launched another mass scale ice attack, though this time the large ice mass appeared closer to him and moved rapidly like a giant horizontal pillar, or a piston. Izuku tilted his head. It was a little better than before, but still essentially a ‘make more ice until the problem goes away’ type of solution.

The ice covered Honenuki from sight as it pushed him, but as it reached over the edge of the arena he was still nowhere to be seen. Todoroki had failed to push him out at least, and now Honenuki was out of his line of visibility entirely.

“I wonder how long he can hold his breath,” Eijiro said, staring at the still liquid arena under the ice pillar. The quirk was now impacting most of the arena though the floor Todoroki was standing on was still solid. Izuku started getting increasingly excited about this quirk. Too bad a hero student would be unlikely to sell his. Izuku had to be satisfied by taking notes. 

While doing that he almost missed a glint in the ice behind Todoroki. A small puddle appeared barely a meter from him. A hand shot out of the puddle and grabbed his feet as Honenuki emerged.

A few seconds later they were both covered in an iceberg, because that had worked so well before. It was probably just an instinctual reaction from Todoroki, and the only thing he knew to do.

The stadium was completely silent for a long time as the glacier just stood there with no sign of either student.

“Uhh, shouldn’t they be getting out of that thing soon?” Present Mic voiced his concern. “Are we sure they’re okay?”

“Both of them have the ability to get out of that ice, but only as long as they are conscious,” Aizawa said.

Both Midnight and Cementos had stepped to the edge of the ice and seemed to talk to each other. The side of the glacier near them began to droop. Honenuki slid out on the arena and was left lying on his back. He gasped for air so hard it was obviously visible even from a distance. Midnight leaned next to him.

“Honenuki is out again and seems to be okay,” Present Mic announced, “but where is Todoroki?”

He had barely finished speaking when the whole iceberg began steaming. Izuku stepped back from the railing and put his notebook away. A few rising strands of steam soon turned into a giant hot cloud that filled the entire stadium. It was almost like they were in a steam sauna. Izuku would known, he had one of those in his house. 

“Was that…?” Present Mic spoke.

“Yes,” Aizawa responded. “I think we can say Todoroki is safe too.” 

Izuku wiped his face on his sleeve to clean the signs of his salivation. The power output needed to evaporate such mass of ice was phenomenal, a whole buffet in itself. Thankfully the steam cloud covered everything for several minutes.

“Wow,” Eijiro said, “I think with power like this Todoroki won after all.”

“Don’t think so,” Izuku said after managing to swallow the remaining saliva from his mouth. “There are no sounds of battle. Either Honenuki got pushed out of bounds by the steam or there is something going on we can’t see.”

“Too bad you don’t have a quirk to see through this.”

“True, have to remember to get one.” 

“Heh. That isn’t even surprising anymore.”

Finally, the steam started evaporating, first enough to see people around them, then nearby sections of the audience. Slowly the four forms of people on the arena became visible. Three were standing up and walking towards the fourth which was still and seemed a lot smaller than the others. 

It was Todoroki. 

He was half sunken in the now completely solid arena floor. The floor around his left arm was deformed and smoking and his shirt on that side was just gone. 

“No way, he got Todoroki!” Sero shouted.

“Man, that’s impressive,” Kaminari added. In the arena Honenuki stood in front of Todoroki who suddenly turned to look up at his trapper. The amount of smoke rising from his left arm increased. 

“SHOTO-!” A scream echoed across the arena. The light that was Endeavour was burning brighter as he screamed. “Don’t you dare to lose!”

The smoke around Todoroki disappeared and his head dropped. Midnight kneeled next to him. Izuku frowned. Damn Endeavour. Midnight got back up and raised her hand.

“Shoto Todoroki can no longer move or fight. The winner is Juzo Honenuki from class 1B.”

Endeavour’s fires across the stadium were even brighter, causing people to run away from him. Izuku focused his stare on Todoroki who was waiting chin down for Honenuki or Cementos to release him from his concrete prison. Despite the figurative chains around Todoroki, it was the first time Izuku had even heard of him failing or losing at something, and he now looked like it too. 

“We are going to have a short break before the final two matches,” Aizawa announced. Izuku glanced at Endeavour and turned around. He tapped Eijiro’s shoulder.  

“I need to go do something. Do your best if I won’t get back in time. At least try to not catch a cold.”

“Heh, sure,” Eijiro responded. “Is… this about Todoroki, or Endeavour?” 

Tenya turned to face Izuku.

“I’m not going to look for him if that’s what you are wondering, but there is something else that might be worth doing.”

He left his class looking for the stairs up, walking past Tokoyami who was again standing in the shadows of the entrance with Dark Shadow.

It took some time to handle his business upstairs and the bronze match started just before he got back. As he entered his classes section the first thing he saw was an ice pillar rising from the arena. He shook his head then rubbed his forehead.

He realized the match hadn’t yet been announced over and glanced down.

Eijiro was still moving, running away from the pillar. A piece of ice seemed to be missing from the outer edge of the ice. The attack might have been just a little too big to fully evade, but sometimes problems could be punched away if you were strong enough.

Using the pillar itself as a cover Eijiro had managed to cover a good chunk of the distance between himself and Todoroki, another reason for Todoroki to not make them so large carelessly. Then again even with a large one he didn’t get a direct hit so…

He launched another large ice mass at Eijiro who dove out of the way, hardening his legs to get the strength boost from his quirk and extend his jump. Izuku smiled. People actually thought Hardening was bad for Eijiro’s mobility, failing to understand that the strength to punch through concrete walls could be applied to more than that. Despite the shorter distance he managed to dodge the attack completely, thought the iceberg was also smaller than before. 

Was Todoroki trying to fix his technique or was he reaching his limits? He had just made some pretty big glaciers in the previous match. The end result of the fight wasn’t as set in stone yet as someone might have thought. Eijiro charged forward again. He didn’t really have any other options. 

Maybe a long-range quirk would help him more than one that more closely worked with his hardening. Izuku brushed his chin.

Todoroki launched another attack, but this one didn’t go for Eijiro. Instead, the ice formed a long wall that started from Todoroki and reached past Eijiro to deny any evasive movements in that direction. It was even thick enough that it would take Eijiro at least several punches to break through.

He seemed to realize that and moved sideways to get some distance from the wall, but a few seconds later Todoroki created another wall, trapping Eijiro between them much like he had done in the cavalry battle. Though this time he seemed to be slower in creating the second wall, it didn’t change the end result. All Eijiro could do was to run at Todoroki faster, but when the third attack came straight through the middle it spread across the entire space left between those walls. The only way for Eijiro was up, but even though his jump was impressive, the ice launched upwards and caught his feet. 

Eijiro broke some of the ice away with a punch, but new ice simply grew over his arm until he couldn’t move enough to break it even fully hardened. Only his head was left outside the ice.

“Even with his flaws he is still strong,” Izuku said about Todoroki. 

“Certainly,” Tenya responded and turned to look at Izuku. “Shouldn’t you be getting ready for your match?”

“Yeah, just wanted to see this one to the end.”

Izuku turned back to the corridor and headed to the arena. It had been a long day, but there was only one more fight to go. He didn’t want to underestimate his opponent, but couldn’t help but start worrying about why he was here in the first place. He walked with a thoughtful frown on his face until he stumbled on the stairs. He blinked a couple of times, half hanging from the railing. After drawing a deep breath, he kept walking and rubbed his forehead. The frown was about to come back when he stopped at a platform between floors and his lips stretched into a wide smile. 

“Hey, Toshi!” He greeted his favourite sleep deprived brainwasher. “Are you feeling better?”

“I’ve been feeling better since you left, but Recovery Girl wouldn’t believe me,” Hitoshi said, glancing at the short elderly woman next to him. 

“I have been a nurse in this school for longer than you two have been alive. Can you imagine how many students have claimed they have felt fine when they were everything but, especially students from the hero course?”

“Then… why did you let To… Hitoshi come? Shouldn’t you be keeping an eye on him at your reception?”

“I should, but I also should have some peace and quiet to do my work and watch the tournament.” Recovery Girl pointed at Hitoshi with her cane. “Have you ever tried to tell him no?”

Izuku smiled. “Did you make the mistake of trying to debate him?”

Recovery Girl huffed and shook her head, telling Izuku more than any verbal answer could. 

“At least you weren’t lying with your sales pitch,” she eventually responded. “Though I can’t complain about getting to view at least the final match directly. I can always monitor him up there since other students’ injuries were better within my ability to treat without long monitoring. At least people that get this far are generally sturdy.”

“What if you get other patients? Eijiro just got frozen in an iceberg and I wasn’t exactly gentle with him before.” 

“And where am I most likely to find him now that he should be coming to see me?”

“Oh… that makes sense,” Izuku realised. 

“As I told you. I have a lot of experience with how you hero students tend to behave, and your friend didn’t hesitate to exploit that.” She glanced at Hitoshi again. 

“I just pointed out the obvious,” Hitoshi shrugged. “By the way… great speech.”

“You liked it?”

“I felt like a used car.”

“Used car that’s going to have plenty of internship opportunities, hopefully.”

“If not, it is not because of your pitch. I especially liked the part about walking to Tartaros. Letting Monoma copy my quirk was also genius. Too bad you didn’t catch Eijiro with it too.”

“Hey Eijiro needed a chance to show what he can do too, also you’re the one who taught him to watch his words while fighting.”

“I guess I did… wait what did you call him?”

“Eijiro.”

It was Hitoshi’s turn to smile. “I see, so we are up to three now. Finally. Was it so hard?”

“Yes,” Izuku said and turned his head to face away, “but he made it easier.”

“That much has been obvious since the beginning. We should have made you fight in front of people sooner.”

“It… wasn’t that. We can talk about it later, but…  There is more to worry about than the finale.”  

“Oh.” 

Hitoshi didn’t have time to say anything more as Izuku grabbed his shoulder. 

“Still glad to see you up.”

“For now, he still needs to be monitored,” Recovery Girl said.

“Not alone overnight?” Izuku said and smirked. “No problem.”

“Shouldn’t you already be out there beating that Honenuki guy?” 

“I was just going there. Any suggestions how to beat him?”

“You’re asking me?” Hitoshi said. “I might be biased but be careful with the head.”

“Yes, please,” Recovery Girl agreed. Izuku rubbed the back of his neck, looking down unusually meekly. 

“Yeah, sorry.”

Recovery Girl sighed and kept walking past Izuku.

“Maybe there is still hope for you. Go show it in practice. No reason to make this tournament any longer than it already is.”

“Wish me luck,” Izuku said as he passed Hitoshi.

“As if you’d need that. Seems a bit overkill actually.”

Izuku was smiling a lot more for the rest of the walk down. He reached the corridor on the ground floor without frowning, maybe a few blinks and rubbing his forehead for a moment, but not frowning. Then he ran into Eijiro, and Todoroki.

The redhead was holding his arms with his hands still shivering a bit but with a grin on his face. Todoroki was walking eyes down, an empty expression on his face. If anything he seemed tense. If Izuku hadn’t seen their match he would have been mistaken on who was the actual winner.

“You don’t seem to mind losing, again,” he told Eijiro with a smirk.

“With a fight like that, no way. I just wish I’d gotten closer and seen how well Todoroki fights in close combat. Never seen anyone really get to do that with him.”

Izuku wanted to say something about what that might mean for Todoroki’s skills in such a situation, but in an unusual expression of self-control he kept his mouth shut. Instead, he lit his Dragon Blade and held it as a shield in front of Eijiro, who let go of his arms and held his hands in front of the flames like he was sitting by a bonfire.

“Thanks. So, you want my quirk now?”

Todoroki’s head finally perked up.

“That’s up to you,” Izuku responded. “You don’t need to, but do you want another chance to show it off to people?”

“Oh right, that too. Hell yeah I do. If you can do that. Not sure how much it helps against that Honenuki guy.”   

“Okay,” Izuku said, shut off his Dragon Blade and held his hand between them like wanting to shake Eijiro’s hand. Eijiro accepted the gesture and grabbed his hand, firmly. Rather than a regular hand shake he pulled Izuku closer until their forearms met. Despite the firm grip his arm was still shaking.

“You should get checked by Recovery Girl after getting frozen like that.”

“Nah, I’ll be fine, and wouldn’t want to miss the finale.”

“You don’t have to. She’s waiting for you with our class. Both her and Toshi figured what you would do.”

“Heh, that’s Hitoshi for you. Shame he missed… Eh, I mean. Maybe you should give him my quirk next time you want to spar. You could hit at full power even if it’s just training.”

Izuku stared at Eijiro for a moment then brushed his.

“That might not be the worst idea. Also… We can’t have each other’s quirk most of the time, but practicing with different quirks has taught me a lot, and it would help us understand what each other can do. Remind me about this tomorrow.” As he spoke his hand went from his chin to his forehead. He drew a long slightly shaky breath.

“Will do… Are you okay? You don’t look that good.”

Izuku blinked a couple of times to clear his vision.

“Yeah, don’t worry. My body just needs to adjust to taking in more quirks.”

“Oh, because you also got both from Hitoshi. I didn’t think of that. Sorry, I shouldn’t have pushed mine on you too.”

“That’s okay. It’s like adding weights at the gym, lifting gets harder but it is the only way to get stronger.”

“Oh, didn’t think about it like that. Well, you can always borrow my ‘weights’ if you need to train.”

Izuku chuckled and tested the quirk by hardening his body. Surprisingly he also felt better as he did that. His head still felt dizzy, but breathing was easier. Izuku sighed in relief and looked down the corridor, past Todoroki who was staring at him and Eijiro, with more determination now set in his eyes, thinking of his upcoming final match.

“I hope you don’t have plans for the evening, victory party at my place… both of you.”

Eijiro gave him a thumbs up. Todoroki just looked at him with an emotionless stare.

Chapter Text

Izuku released the hardening before stepping out to the arena. It left him feeling worse without it, but there was no need to expose the ace up his sleeve unnecessarily. He wondered if the quirk could have other positive effects on the body besides the obvious defensive value and enhanced strength. He joined Honenuki and Midnight at the centre of the arena.

“Well aren’t you looking in high spirits Midoriya,” Midnight said, “Excited for the finale?”

“No,” Izuku said and tilted his head to massage his stiff neck. “Just ran into some friends on the way. Invited them to a victory party at my house.”

Honenuki frowned at Izuku’s nonchalant attitude. “Confident much?”

“Actually yes, although you did beat Todoroki so I should probably be careful. Mostly I just have other things on my mind.”

“Like?”

“Not your business.”

Izuku slipped from the serious expression with a quick inhale and held the side of his forehead for a moment.

“Are you feeling okay Midoriya?” Midnight asked.

“Yes, don’t worry about me.” Izuku stretched his arms above his head, trying to show he was ready for the fight despite blinking a few times to clear his vision. “Are we going to start this show?”

“You should at least take this seriously.”

Izuku brought his arms down and stared at Honenuki.

“It is a show to entertain people and do our best to show off for heroes that are recruiting. That’s the whole point of this festival. Doesn’t mean I wouldn’t take this fight seriously, just not for my own sake.”

“Mmm interesting,” Midnight said in her constant flirtatious style. “You have goals besides winning the tournament?”

“The point of winning is to look good to people watching and lot of them have already decided to hate me before they knew anything about me besides the basics of my quirk. I prefer to worry about people that actually give me a reason to care about what they think.”

“That…” Honenuki said. “I don’t have anything to say about that, except people can be nasty that way… I apologise for what I said.”

Izuku smiled and offered his hand for a handshake. “No hard feelings then?”

Honenuki raised his hand but hesitated.

“Don’t do it,” someone shouted from the audience and got a scowl from Midnight.

“The match hasn’t started yet. I couldn’t do anything to you without getting disqualified if I wanted to.”

“True.” Honenuki admitted and took Izuku’s hand. Then each of them took their starting position with Midnight to the side. She raised her arm. 

“Begin!”

Honenuki immediately crouched to bring his hands in contact with the floor for his quirk, but at the same time Izuku’s jets flared. He took several running steps and then his feet left the ground. The distance between them disappeared before Honenuki had time to even activate his quirk. He barely dodged Izuku’s kick. It was an impressive show of reaction speed on his part, although he only had time to do so because Izuku aimed for his side rather than the head as was his first instinct. Still impressive especially considering Izuku had moved so fast he himself had barely reacted fast enough to do the kick. 

He landed behind Honenuki a bit further than intended and took a fraction of a second too long to regain his balance, but by then he was already turning around and charged back at Honenuki the instant his feet touched the floor, this time without using his jets. The one mistake both Tenya and Todoroki had made was to keep too much distance for too long. Honenuki however continued reacting fast. He was already back up and raised his arms to block Izuku’s punch, turning a little to guide the attack aside. Then Honenuki started falling backwards. His hand approached the floor again. 

His leg left the floor and swung up in an arch ending at Izuku’s head. It was far from impossible for Izuku to dodge, but what benefit would that have had for him?

The kick connected with a loud thud, yelp and a hiss as Honenuki’s foot met the rocky surface of Izuku’s hardened skin. His head barely turned from the hit. It was so painless Izuku had a chance to analyse the experience. If he had chosen to do so he could have braced himself and remained totally motionless from the hit, though that would have been bad news for Honenuki’s foot. 

He really liked this quirk. He was so happy to have gotten a taste of it and had a wide grin on his stony face, at least until the booing started, well mostly booing. 

“So you did steal Kirishima’s quirk after all,” Honenuki said, hanging on the opposite edge of a small puddle of the arena nursing his foot bent against his torso. “Was that whole friends act just for show?”

“Why does everyone always assume I’m stealing?” Izuku muttered and raised his hand to point at where his class sat, where the loudest voice in the arena had come from. 

“OH Yeaaaah!” Eijiro cheered arms up standing one foot against the railing despite Tenya waving his arm next to him. Midnight stepped a bit closer and had enough understanding to hold her microphone in front of Izuku. 

“Does he look, or sound, like someone that has been stolen from?”

Honenuki didn’t respond. He wouldn’t be that easy to brainwash. 

“No, I let him borrow my quirk! He didn’t even ask until I got the idea!” 

Izuku raised his head to look at Eijiro while still keeping his mouth close to the microphone. 

“Eijiro I could hear that. Are you sure you don’t have a voice quirk too?”

“Yeah!” Came the response only slightly quieter than before, more audible as the rest of the audience had forgotten to boo while listening to the interaction. Izuku finally returned his full attention to Honenuki. 

“I want people to see what he could do with his quirk, in case it isn’t clear to everyone already. If you get out of your pool, I’ll let you attack me three times without fighting back.”

Izuku strained his whole body, turning it entirely into its hardened state. Despite the strain he was feeling so much better that way. Honenuki remained quiet for a long moment and began expanding the melted pool behind himself to get further away. 

“You think I am stupid enough to expose myself for pointless attacks?”

Izuku crouched and leaped using his jets for extra distance. He landed on Honenuki’s side of the puddle right by the edge, reached down with a hardened arm before Honenuki could swim away and lifted him up with a single arm. Izuku moved his arm up and down, testing his strength in this state, satisfied and excited at how light his opponent felt. Honenuki wasn’t about to go down without a fight though and swung his fist to punch Izuku between the eyes. 

It ended about as you’d expect. There might have been a little crack, but it didn’t come from Izuku. He swung his arm and threw Honenuki several meters away. He tried to step to go after him, but one of his feet wouldn’t come up. Glancing down it had been partially sunken into the floor that had resolidified around the foot. Izuku had to move quickly and he crouched to punch the floor as hard as he could. The solid concrete around his feet exploded and shattered like the boulder on his yard had. Izuku still had a wide grin on his face as he pulled his foot free and kicked the floor just to see a piece of concrete break and fly off from the kick. He was getting giddy at experimenting on a new quirk like a kid that had just manifested his but hadn’t yet had their parents notice.

A moving shadow was the first warning of Honenuki’s approach. Izuku raised his arms in defence, but Honenuki didn’t go for a punch, or even kick. Instead he dove to the ground below Izuku’s defences like he was going for a super low tackle. It was surprising and for most people seemed to be a stupid move as Izuku was just a second away from stomping him into the arena, hopefully with not too much force. Unfortunately for Izuku he wasn’t fighting most people and the foot still on the ground sunk into the ground that began rapidly turning into liquid as soon as Honenuki touched the floor. They both sunk in as the fight suddenly turned into a mix of swimming and wrestling. 

This was Honenuki’s domain. Hardening wasn’t helping Izuku and he had to focus on keeping his head above the surface and keeping Honenuki close, while Honenuki tried to pull him down and get him trapped. Ever considerate, Izuku twisted to turn his back away from Honenuki before activating his jets. Liquid concrete splashed around them as Honenuki tried to keep him down, but that ended when Izuku introduced him to the sole of his shoe. With a burst of the arena Izuku launched straight up in the air.

If only things had been that well.

It only took seconds for his flight path to start shifting towards more erratic. The way he was going he’d be lucky if he crashed inside the arena instead of outside of it. At least that way the landing would be softer as Honenuki had finally gotten to start the process of turning the arena into a swimming pool. 

“Well I guess this is as good a chance as any to do this,” Izuku muttered. “Even if it hurts.”

He boosted his jets trying to gain as much altitude as possible, then reached deep inside and opened the cage in which he had stashed his second most recent quirk loan. As soon as he did, he bit his teeth together from pain as his entire head felt like it was on fire and being crushed at the same time. He couldn’t even keep his eyes open as the skull and skin around them changed. If his flight had had any stability left it disappeared as he entered a death spiral towards the floor. He tried to twist and change his position but it was already difficult enough to do at the best of times. 

Suddenly he jolted upwards and came to a relative stop as his body was pressed against a large soft mass.

“Finally. I don’t know how you did that, but I don’t want to do it again.”

“Heh,” Izuku chuckled. “Mehe neihthe.”

He was having difficulty talking now. He felt his new beak with his fingers. The teeth he had bit together were no longer there. The audience had fallen silent again, but really, did they have any reason to be surprised anymore?

Dark Shadow had emerged from Izuku’s gut and spread his wings to balance their flight. As Izuku restarted his jets they zoomed over the arena like a plane. 

“You better not. I didn’t want to do this in the first place,” the quirk complained.

“Ith wah youh idea.”

“I only did it because of Fumi. You need to show these people I am a good quirk.”

Izuku chuckled. “Okah.”

He leaned back, bringing them to a hover. Dark Shadow pressed and even melded against his body, spreading his wings even further, making them look like some dark angel hovering over the arena. Izuku pulled his hands up and leaned his elbows against Dark Shadow to support his head over the quirk, acting quite relaxed. 

“You ahe heat at this. Why haven’th you donh this with Tokoyahmi?

“I wish we could fly together, but he doesn’t have such a jet-quirk, just me.”

He was quiet for some time. 

“You have been talking about giving people quirks, could you… I mean… I wouldn’t be opposed if he had something like those jets, if they feel good for him of course.”

Izuku would have laughed, but the sound that came out of his beak was barely recognizable as one. 

“You donht neeh anohher quihk. I alheady sthopped ushing my jet quihck. You ahe the one keephing ush up.”

Dark Shadow twisted to see Izuku’s back and how the jets weren’t doing anything anymore. Izuku was just laying on Dark Shadow and they kept hovering over the mostly liquid arena. 

“I’m flying?” Dark Shadow said. “We are flying. I can help Fumi fly.”

“Seemh sho.”

“I can fly with Fumi!” Dark Shadow shouted and moved around excited so much Izuku had to grab the quirk and hold on.”

“Calmh dohn. The fight ish not oveh yet.”

“So,” Present Mic’s voice echoed across the stadium, “what now?”

“Now,” Aizawa responded, “now Midoriya has taken a possibly insurmountable advantage over his opponent. It doesn’t seem like Honenuki can reach him up there, and we have already seen in previous matches that the opposite isn’t true.”

Even though he couldn’t see Aizawa, Izuku could tell he was rubbing his forehead about to get a headache over his ‘problem child’. Speaking of which, Izuku’s throat was squeezing and he had to breathe shallowly for a moment.  

“Wah out,” he told Dark Shadow and pointed his hand down where Honenuki was still floating in the now mostly liquefied arena. The Dragon Blade flashed over his hand and launched a blue Hellfire Arrow. Izuku wasn’t aiming directly at Honenuki. His opponent wasn’t Eijiro and killing him would have been counterproductive. 

The blast hit the liquid concrete several meters from Honenuki and exploded with enough force that some of the liquid concrete got launched into the air and well out of bounds of the arena. Honenuki got pushed back by the waves generated and landed with a splat. His head turned enough to keep his face over the surface as one of his hands clawed at the liquid concrete. 

“Aeei,” Dark Shadow screamed and they lost several meters of altitude before Izuku used his jets to slow them down until Dark Shadow got back control.

“Sohhy,” Izuku said. “Leth land on the edge,”

Dark Shadow carried him down to a thin edge of arena within bounds of the match that was still solid. As soon as Izuku’s feet touched the floor he pointed at Honenuki. 

“If you want to showh you ahe gheat quihck, go defeath him and dhag him up.”

“Okay,” the sentient quirk responded excitedly and stretched away from Izuku towards their opponent. Izuku made it a point to turn away.

“Hey! What? Let go of meblmm!” Honenuki shouted. As his voice was mumbled under gurgles there were splashes and soon after wordless yelps.

Izuku strolled casually along the edge of the arena. If he still had lips he might have whistled just to make the point better, but instead he was more focused on feeling his facial changes. His mouth and nose had turned into a bird’s beak like Tokoyami’s, but as he yanked off one of the feathers covering his head it wasn’t quite as dark as Tokoyami’s feathers or Dark Shadow. Izuku’s were grey, and light grey at that, closer to his normal hair colour than Tokoyami’s feathers. He remained focused on it until a large shadow rose over him, Dark Shadow carrying a gasping Honenuki from one leg. 

“Gooh, puth him out of boundhs. Gently. He might be huht.”

“Okay,” Dark Shadow dragged Honenuki past Izuku and lowered him over the edge of the arena.”

“Honenuki is out of bounds,” Midnight declared. “The winner of this match, tournament and first year’s sport festival is Izuku Midoriya!”

“And Dahk Shadow,” Izuku added.

“Yes of course,” Midnight said, “and Dark Shadow… the quirk.”

“Thanks,” Dark Shadow whispered to Izuku who held his fist up and they fist bumped, or at least Dark Shadow made his closest equivalent to a fist. Then Izuku jumped off the arena and kneeled next to Honenuki who was still conscious but breathing fast and superficially. He jolted when Izuku pressed his chest with his hand. 

“Maybe that wah litthe too much,” Izuku muttered, then spoke louder as Honenuki tried to push himself up. “Don’t move. That shockhwave did a numbeh on you. Recovehy Gihl needh to check on you.”

“Ar,” Honenuki couched, “Aren’t you going to celebrate your victory?”

Izuku’s eyes hardened. “Celebhate? While shomeone is layinhg on the ghound with uncleah injuhies bahely able to bheathe? Only a shcum would do shomething like that,” Izuku turned to look away and towards the area of the audience where he knew most of the teachers to be, including All Might, “oh something wohse than that.”

“Like what?”

“Nothing,” Izuku shook his head, then regretted it as the world began spinning. “Sorry.” He turned away and managed a few shaky steps before he leaned forward and vomited his lunch out while UA’s robots came to pick up Honenuki. One of them came to Izuku and tried to grab Izuku’s arm, but despite barely remaining standing Izuku pulled his arm back. 

“I don’t need youh help.”

“Are you sure?” Dark Shadow asked as the robot held back.

“Yehs, you ahe jusht a heavy quihk to have.”

“Are you calling me fat?”

Izuku laughed once, then gagged, barely holding back another hurl of vomit. 

“No, but you ahe sthong and complhex. It is hahdeh foh my body to adapth to you.”

“Oh. So I’m so strong it makes you sick.”

“Soht of.”

“Remember that if you ever want to take me again.”

“Suhe.”

“What have you gone and done now!” Recovery Girl said with annoyed sharpness in her voice. She stopped the robots from taking Honenuki with a gesture as she stepped out of the corridor. After feeling his chest with her fingers, looking at his eyes and giving him a short kiss with her healing quirk, she let the robots then take him away and walked to Izuku with Hitoshi, Eijiro, and Tokoyami coming after her, though the last one was unrecognisable for most present.

He had a sharp chin, regular but quite pale skin, thin lips, large sharp nose, large eyes and spiky raven black hair that would have not been out of place on an anime protagonist. Most importantly there were no feathers or beak anywhere on his head.

“Fumi!” Dark Shadow stretched out to Tokoyami. “Did you see us? I could fly. We could fly. He wasn’t even using his jets. We could fly!”

Fumikage smiled. He could be surprisingly expressive even in his normal look, but this was the first time in all his life he could smile just the same as almost everyone else around him. He hugged the dark quirk as Recovery Girl kept walking to Izuku with the others. Midnight got there first though.

“Midoriya you really don’t look right. Are you sure you didn’t suffer any injuries during the fights?”

“No…” Izuku had to pause to gag and spit some more slime and vomit. He was leaning on the edge of the arena as he did.

“I don’t think you need to worry about him,” Hitoshi interrupted. “He just forgot to follow his own advice.” 

“Oh, what advice was that?” Midnight asked, holding out her microphone.

“He warned us to not eat too much right before the tournament, then he went all in on the quirk buffet.” That caused a lot of murmur from the audience. “Izuku was mostly trying to help us get visibility for our quirks, but that just made him overdo it. He can get overly selfless sometimes and forgets his own good, at least for people that he likes enough. He didn’t need my quirks to beat Monoma, but it let you see what they could do better than our fight did.”

“Heh, I just had the idea to bet my quirk on our fight,” Eijiro added. “Glad to see he got to use it. I hope that guy’s hand is okay.”

“I didn’t like to leave Fumi, but Midoriya wouldn’t be alive anymore if he had stolen me,” Dark Shadow said just as the audience murmurs were getting louder.

“I should have realized you were going to do something like this,” Recovery Girl muttered. “What made you think it would be okay to take, what, three, no, four extra quirks into your body all at once?”

Izuku didn’t respond anything to that. Recovery Girl sighed. 

“For Shinso’s quirks you should hold onto them till the morning while he recovers, the other two…”

“Noh phoblem.”

Izuku pushed himself away from the arena and stopped in front of Tokoyami.

“I hope you didn’th get ushed to the new fhace.”

“I sent a picture to my parents and didn’t explain anything to them.”

He smiled again, taking the last chance to do so as Izuku placed his hand on Tokoyami’s head.

“Don’th bite youh tongue.”

The transfer and the transformation were no more pleasant than the previous times and Hitoshi moved in closer, ready in case either of them collapsed during the process, but slowly the pain began losing its heat. Both of them were left gasping for air, but at least the arena around Izuku didn’t spin anymore. Dark Shadow popped out from behind Tokoyami’s once again very birdlike head and showed his closest equivalent to thumbs up, clearly in a chirpier mood than before. Izuku leaned back, his arms hanging loose, enjoying the feeling of relief like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. 

“You know,” he said just loud enough to be caught by the microphone. “People act like I was going around stealing every quirk I see, but besides everything else they are wrong about, they don’t get how hard that would be, just from a biological point of view. For a moment there I thought I was going to faint from four extra quirks, and two of those I’ve already had before, before today.”

He straightened up and grabbed Eijiro’s hand in a very manly handshake until Eijiro raised his other arm and hardened it in the view of everyone. 

“Great quirk,” Izuku said. “Love it.”

If it was possible for Eijiro to look any brighter than before he managed it.

“Any time dude. I just wish you had gotten to use it more.”

“Me too.”

“So did that help?” Recovery Girl asked. 

“Yeah, I’m already feeling much better.”

“Good, now if you excuse me, I’ll have to go see how badly you shook that boy’s insides with that explosion.” She turned around and walked away with a clacking of her cane. 

“Well folks,” Present Mic started narrating. “The first-year tournament for this year is over, but remember to stay for the award ceremony which will begin shortly!”

“You can step in to wait while we prepare the arena, but don’t go anywhere far,” Midnight ordered to the students.

“Okay,” Izuku responded and settled between Hitoshi and Eijiro as they headed back.

“Congrats Izuku. We knew you’d win,” Eijiro said.

“Hey, I was there too,” Dark Shadow complained.   

“Yeah, it was cool too. I didn’t know you could fly together like that.”

“Neither did I,” Tokoyami said.

“Yes, we can fly Fumi. I’ll show you.”

Dark Shadow dove under Tokoyami, trying to become his wings like he had done with Izuku, but Tokoyami yelped and jumped back.”

“Dark Shadow!”

“Sorry,” Dark Shadow said, head down. Tokoyami took him into his arms and patted the quirk’s head.

“I am excited too, but this isn’t the place. We need to train somewhere in peace to master flight.”

“Tomorrow,” Izuku said, “at the beach is a perfect chance for flight training, for both of us.”

“That sounds good.”

Izuku reached out for Hitoshi’s shoulder and pulled him close with an arm over his shoulders. “Hopefully Toshi also recovers enough to participate in our training. That way we’ll have a full five people for it. Never had that many people over…”

Izuku paused to look around.

“Wait, where’s Tenya?”

Chapter Text

“Where’s Tenya?”

“Right,” Hitoshi started. His tone made Izuku immediately worried. “Principal Nezu came to see him during your match and told him there is a phone call he needs to take. He never came back after that.”

Something squeezed Izuku’s insides like an invisible hand had reached into him, about to rip something away. The words were innocent enough, except for the principal coming personally, but that fact, something in Hitoshi’s voice, and Izuku’s own instincts made a chill go through his spine colder than anything Todoroki could create. A phone was in his hand faster than even a notebook ever was. Hitoshi tilted his head.

“You kept a phone with you during the fights?”

“Not at first,” Izuku said while picking the number. “I needed to pick up the phone for something. Good thing it didn’t break.”

Izuku raised the phone to his ear and waited in silence, no one interrupted. Unfortunately that included Tenya as the phone beeped busy. Eventually Izuku gave up and began staring at the screen that was only showing Tenya’s name and face.

“Izuku, he’s okay,” Hitoshi said. 

“Maybe, I mean he wasn’t injured when he left, but… I got a bad feeling about this.”

“I feel the same, but it is something you can’t control, probably, at least not right now. You just won the UA sports festival. Take a moment to enjoy this, at least until we can reach him.”

“I know that but…”

“No buts. You’ve spent the whole day worrying about others. Can’t you take at least this moment for yourself?”

Izuku stared at the ground for a moment before looking at Hitoshi again.

“No.” His voice was apologetic, but not hesitant. “Even if we don’t know what is going on with Tenya…”

“Todoroki,” Hitoshi said, “so what are we going to do about him?”

Izuku stared at him for several seconds.