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Chapter Text

A My Hero Academia Story

GREEN SON

On Earth-1, Izuku Midoriya is an aspiring Pro Hero-in-training, Deku, a student at U.A., the successor to All Might, his world’s greatest hero, and has become the Ninth Wielder of One For All.

This is not his story.

On Earth-2238, Izuku Midoriya isn’t even human.

Born when his planet died, Izuku Midoriya doesn’t know where he comes from, or what he was sent to Earth to do. The son of a nurse, all he knows, is that he wants to follow in her footsteps and find a way to help people, and with his gifts, what better way is there to help, than to become a Pro Hero.

If only it were that simple.

As Izuku delves deeper into his past, he uncovers the truth of his celestial origins. Shocked and afraid, he learns that not only is Earth not alone in the universe, but that he is not of Earth at all. A survivor from the doomed planet Krypton, his path to realising his destiny will be fraught with challenges, as he searches for his way to help the innocent, while keeping his secret, and his family, safe.

This is the story of how Izuku Midoriya became the world’s greatest hero.

This is the story of how Izuku Midoriya became known to the world as… Superman!

Prologue

Chapter One: Prologue (Part One)

Chapter Two: Prologue (Part Two)

VOLUME ONE: LAST SON

Part One: Secret Origin

Chapter One: Inko Midoriya - Origin

Chapter Two: Kacchan

Chapter Three: The Boys

Chapter Four: Deku

Chapter Five: Izuku Midoriya - Origin

Part Two: Birthright

Chapter One: Admittance

Chapter Two: The Ship

Chapter Three: The Crystal

Chapter Four: The First Day

Chapter Five: Exchange

Chapter Six: Arrivals

Chapter Seven: Melissa Shield - Origin

Chapter Eight: Encounter With The Unknown

Chapter Nine: Game Over

Part Three: The Sports & Culture Festival

Chapter One: TBA

Chapter Text

A My Hero Academia Story

GREEN SON

Prologue

Part One

Earth Year 2210 A.D.
Kryptonopolis City
Planet Krypton

"I implore you! All of you! You must see reason on this. The entirety of Krypton is at stake! We may only have a matter of months! Perhaps not even a full year".

"We hear your words, Son of El, yet in truth, they have no meaning".

"What?! No meaning! You cannot be serious", despite how often he had come across the arrogance of the Science Council, it almost never failed to surprise and frustrate him in the timespan of a single breath, "I have warned you that harvesting our planets core would be suicide. Now? Now I bring you proof of Krypton's impending destruction, and you would do nothing".

"You have brought us proof of nothing", one of the ministers, Dev-Em explained, looking altogether bored with their meeting, "save for some half-mad scribbles and unfinished projections that you have conjured out of the recesses of your mind", he turned to face his colleagues, "tabling the idea of a potential vote to have the Son of El assessed by the Council for Health, I motion that we move past this madness and adjourn the session. There are real problems that we could and should be focusing our time on".

"Seconded", Wyla-Var added.

"Then it is decided", War-Ul, the First Minister and oldest member of the Science Council, declared, "Jor-El, you are hereby ordered to desist with these ridiculous theoretical experiments. For the good of peace, you are also ordered to not reveal what we have discussed here to anyone. I will not have you causing mass panic over naught but poorly thought-out theories. In the interim, an absence from your work is also recommended. As I understand, you and your wife are expected to design a child soon".

Jor-El could feel his eye twitching, as he ground his teeth together, "Lara and I have already begun the process".

"Then might I suggest that you take a work reprieve, to create and spend time with their heir to the House of El. As the Council for Health would say, rest for the body can conjure wonders for the mind".

Feeling as if he'd been forced to swallow a pill of bitterest taste, Jor-El bowed his head, "Of course, Minister".

"Excellent", he stood up, and as he rose, so too did the rest of the council, and in that moment, Jor-El knew that his pleas would go unheard, no matter which words he chose, or which method he tried, "meeting adjourned".

Krypton was dying.

Jor-El knew of this for a fact. He knew that he was, in part, responsible for the coming death and destruction, as were many of their planet's inhabitants. He also knew that the damage was irreversible.

With the Science Council, they could've looked to the stars, as their ancient ancestors once had, and sought out a new, habitable world for them to occupy. They could've rebuilt, forged Krypton anew, forged a purer, cleaner version of what was once intended, but no. Krypton had long since abandoned the rest of the universe for a policy of isolation. The Council would not break that policy now, not after all of these years.

Not if it meant admitting that they had been wrong.

But there was still time.

Not for him, no. His time was passing, had passed, in fact, and his body's greatest years were already behind him. Lara, his chosen wife of many years would not leave his side, he knew, having already offered to save her, but together, the two of them had already chosen to break one of the cardinal rules of Krypton. Ignoring the use of the birthing codex, ignoring the standard gene mapping sequences used by the rest of their society, they had chosen to do the taboo, and instead, have a natural birth. Together, they had created a child unbound from the expectations of society, or the trappings of a position and rank that they had been both, designed and created for.

It had been difficult to hide the changes that Lara had undergone, most especially her physical changes from carrying the child within her own womb. Luckily, Jor-El's position had allowed for him to 'request' her presence in their home, as an assistant to one of his projects. Perhaps it was a response to his outburst to the council, attempting to find a way to make him pause and relent, or simply to provide him with what they hoped would be a distraction, but his request had been granted, and swiftly at that. Lara had been given leave to remain home, and they had dealt with her changes privately. It hadn't been easy, Lara's body had undergone a radical shift in hormone levels, which had caused behavioural changes, mood swings at odd times, and constantly shifting opinions on matters that ranged from the minor to the massive, and that was not touching on the multitude of physical difficulties her condition had caused, but in the end, the result had been worth it.

Kal-El, their son.

The moment he had placed Kal in Lara's arms and sat beside them, their son, who had the bright green eyes of his mother and the constantly curious expression of his father, Jor knew that it had all been worth it.

He'd felt the weight of his son in his arms, seen the brightness of his first smile, and watched in marvel, as Kal found the strength to crawl around their floor, curious and curiouser to discover every nook and cranny of their home. The home of his father, that should one day be his, should one day be the home of him and his wife and their son after them, but even know, Jor-El knew that it could never be.

Krypton's time was running out.

Krypton's time was running out… but there was enough time, just perhaps, for him to make sure that Kal would survive.

Krypton was burning.

Jor-El was too.

He ran.

He ran faster than he ever had in his life.

Jor-El had a body that had been designed for the sciences. For an inactive body, and a mind that could not be contained by one train of thought. He hadn't been designed as a member of their military. His body had been designed for health, for the standard life of a Kryptonian, but there had been no need to give him adaptions for anything other than general fitness, and as he ran, his lungs struggled to pull in the air they needed, as the muscles of his legs and stomach burned.

But he was so close.

His lifelong friend since childhood, Dru-Zod, now a High General in the Krypton Security Force and the Commander of the Kryptonopolis City Guard, had discovered the information that the Science Council had ordered Jor-El to bury. Krypton was dying around them, and they had decided to do nothing to prevent it. For their supposed crimes, Zod had declared them guilty of cowardice and genocide by inaction, and without lawful issue, sentenced them to death.

It was already too late.

Even if half the Guard hadn't sided with the Council, the damage was far too entrenched to be undone. They hadn't the time to evacuate Krypton, nor to even try and repair the damage done to the planet's core.

He'd been in session with the Council when Zod had walked into the chamber, or more accurately, his forces had blown the door wide open. Jor-El had rolled to the floor, flinging himself to safety. With a ringing in his ears, he'd fled as Zod killed the Council and their sympathisers, knowing that his time was at an end.

War-Ul had risen to his feet in indignation, his cheeks swelling red in his anger, as Zod levelled his charges at them, "And just on whose authority do you dare to question us?"

He'd cocked his head to the side, amused, as he brought up his handheld staser.

"My own", had been his response, before he'd opened fire.

Jor-El hadn't waited to have his fate decided for him, instead, he'd risen to his feet, fleeing once he'd realised what was happening.

Zod's forces were battling against those dedicated to the Council, determined to see them eliminated, but Jor-El didn't think that there'd be much in the way of resistance. Zod was not only one of the most skilled military leaders in the history of Krypton, imbued with the skills, knowledge and attributes needed for his position, he was dedicated to self-improvement, believing in his heart that his strength was reflective of Krypton's, but Zod was almost universally respected by those in his chain of command, which included every member of the Kryptonopolis Security Force.

Those among the KSF, who weren't already with him would be given the choice: they could fight, (and most likely die in the attempt), or they could kneel, be spared and submit to Zod's authority.

But it wouldn't do them any good.

If his calculations were correct, and he was arrogant enough to know that his calculations were almost always correct, then the deterioration of the planet's core had accelerated. Despite his warnings, the Science Council had continued abusing the core as an energy resource. Their prospective many months of preparation had already dwindled down to a handful, then a smattering of weeks, and now, they were down to just a few days. If Zod had called upon the core to power his weapons and vessels, and Jor-El was certain that he would have, then he would have pushed it further to the edge.

The day of Zod's revolution could be Krypton's last.

Krypton could have only hours left.

He had no time to waste.

So, he did the only thing he could.

He ran.

Lara-El was worried.

Her husband had marched off earlier that morning with a desperate fervour; with a need to make the Science Council see some form of reason, to try and do something, anything, before it was too late.

She already knew that he would fail.

In her arms, Kal, as if sensing her unease, began to murmur distressingly, so she rocked him, rolling back and forth on the balls of her feet, as she murmured the same songs her mother had once done for her.

She didn't have the same natural abilities that her husband had when it came to the sciences.

She had been born Lara Lor-Van, of House Van from the Island of Twenx, a daughter of two relatively low positioned members of the Historian's Guild. She'd met her future husband during a conference in Argo. Neither of them had had their lives decided for anyone as yet, and they had both infatuated with each other from the early days of their meeting. It had taken beseeching the Council for the two of them to be given permission to marry, and that brought its own stigma with it, but that hadn't mattered to them. Her marriage to Jor-El had also permitted her children to be elevated into the ranks of the Science Guild. One day, they could be afforded the same ranks and privileges as Jor-El. More, even, should his work continue to impress, and their child's work did too.

She may have been given none of those things when she was designed, but what she did have was the intuition of a mother.

Her intuition told her that Kal was in the danger, that he wasn't safe.

She didn't need the explosions to tell her that something was wrong.

She began activating their home's security features. As one of the most intelligent men on Krypton, Jor-El had been offered the highest of security features for his home, and he had taken all of them. He'd then added additional defences of his own design atop them, knowing that one day, he may very well need them.

Today, it seemed, was going to be that day.

Once their home was prepared, Lara chose to prepare herself, setting Kal down for a moment, while she retrieved the staser pistols and cannon that they had tucked away. She had made sure that the pistols were charged and was in the process of making sure that the cannon was still usable when Jor-El returned home, almost flinging himself through the doors and getting shot for his efforts.

"My Love", sweeping Kal up into her arms, she made her way over to him, "what-"

"Zod", he gasped out, as he forced himself upright, "he has killed the Council, taken control. Lara, Lara, I think that he has accelerated the implosion. The explosions you see, they were not caused by his men, they are Krypton itself", he shook his head, "our planet may not even have hours left".

"No", the breath left her, "the ship is not ready", she shook her head, "we are not ready".

"We will not have long before Zod makes his way to us. Whether he decides he wants me executed or working to fix the damage, it matters not. There is not enough time left".

"But-"

"No Lara", he shook his head again, "we can afford to delay no longer. I can run no more tests. There is no time to plan for more than I already have".

Together, they headed up their stairs, to the second most secure room in the building: Jor-El's laboratory.

Usually kept meticulously tidy, with every surface clean and polished to perfection, Lara felt her eyes widen, as she took in the sight of the mess and chaos.

Tables that were usually covered in a variety of gadgets and gizmos that Lara couldn't not help to understand, were instead filled with similar parts, each one forming part of a larger project. The only project Jor-El had spent his time on as of late.

The ship.

Their house pet, Krypto, a white canine, perked up as they entered the room, having been silently sat beside on of the workstations, dutifully guarding his master's work from interlopers.

The plan had always been to send Krypto ahead of Kal, to check that the technology worked, but Jor-El knew that he no longer had the weeks he would need. Instead, Kal would have to be their first and only voyage.

"Kelex! Kelor!"

His home's robotic aides floated down from the ceiling, slowly blinking to life.

"Good morning, Master".

"How may we serve the House of El?"

"The ship", he began, "if we were to change test flight for immediate interstellar, how close to completion are we?"

"Your test ship would be approximately ninety-four point one-seven-three percent complete".

"All remaining works required, involve the connection of repurposed phantom drive technology".

He sighed, knowing they wouldn't have, but desperately hoping that his aides would've already started that work without his presence, "Connect the drive now, with all of the adjustments I made. I want it ready at the earliest possible moment, and I want to know the very instant it is ready".

"Of course, Master".

"We will commence at once".

Satisfied, knowing that they would work quicker than he could himself, he turned to face Lara, "We still need to prepare the Stones of Knowledge, if we wish to preserve his heritage. We also need to choose a final destination".

"The stones are ready", she whispered, clutching Kal tighter to her, "I prepared them all myself".

"My historian extraordinaire", Jor-El murmured, feeling something loosen within his chest, "come then, I have some notes on habitable worlds".

Lara could not bring herself to put her son down for even a moment, knowing that every second spent with him in her arms was more precious than the last. She allowed Jor-El to bring up his projections, surrounding themselves with orbs glowing in a soft blue light.

"We have options-"

"I already chose one", she said softly, her eyes searching out the world in question, where she found it hovering beside Jor-El's left knee.

He turned to her, no doubt surprised that she would have even considered her choices, "You did?"

"Orbiting a main sequence yellow star", she closed her eyes, "just like you said it should do. A young star", she added, "roughly half of the way through its main life cycle".

"Designation?" Jor-El asked, finding his voice had gone hoarse.

"Sol-Three", she told him, still refusing to look at him, "local designation is the Planet 'Earth'. Indigenous lifeform: Earthlings, who also refer to themselves as the human race".

Though she could not see it, she could see the flashes of blue light that meant the projector had shifted, and she knew that it would be showing the planet to him.

"Atmosphere is breathable", he began to murmur to himself, "especially if he starts young. Oxygen and nitrogen rich. Very nourishing. Gravity is weaker than what we have here. Seven mainland continents. Water coverage of seventy percent. Lifeforms fall within accepted visual parameters. Weather patterns are reminiscent of Krypton's prior to automation, with a single natural satellite", he shook his head, "and on top of that, orbiting a main sequence yellow star", he couldn't believe what he was seeing, "it is perfect".

"Master, the ship is ready. Your adjusted phantom drive thrusters have been installed".

"We have commenced a full charging, using full strength core empowerment", both Jor and Lara winced, knowing that they were hastening Krypton's destruction with every dram of power they took from the core, leaving themselves, and their friends and family, even less time to prepare for the looming apocalypse, yet they gave no order to stop, "would you like me to prepare a destination".

"Yes", he murmured in response, his voice despondent, even to his own ears, "Sol-Three. Plot Kal a course for Planet Earth".

Lara rose back to her feet, reaching out, drawing her husband towards her and Kal, until the three of them were stood together, "Maybe this is not the right path".

"Lara?"

"I thought that I could do this, but now that he is here", she pulled Kal in closer, her son seemingly content to be closer to them, "I do not know if I can".

"Lara", Jor reached over, brushing a hand across his son's forehead, moving minutely closer to his wife, "Krypton is doomed. There is no saving it, but with this, Krypton has a chance to survive. Kal has a chance to survive".

"Wherever he goes, he will be an outcast", she fought back the urge to let tears fall, "they will think him a freak".

"No", Jor-El shook his head, "look here", he brought up an outline of a formless Kryptonian body, highlighting key aspects of the body: the brain, the eyes, the heart, "they have the same outwards structure we do, but Earth's lesser gravity will make him far stronger there than any man here could ever hope to be. Under the light of a yellow sun, his cells will drink in its radiation, making him far more powerful than any Kryptonian that has come before him. He will be as a god to them".

"If he makes it there".

"He will", Jor-El was certain of it, "he will more than survive, Lara, our son will thrive".

"But he will be alone", she wanted to cry, he knew, and knew that he did too, "he should be with us".

"Will we not be with him for all of his days? Together, bound forever in love and spirit?"

"But not physically".

It wasn't a question, but Jor-El shook his head anyway, "No".

"I cannot fathom the idea of him to be without us".

"With your stones, he will never have to be. Our knowledge, our legacy, our love, will be there to guide him, every step of the way. He will carry the knowledge of our sacrifice with him for all the days of his life, and with that, know that he will never be alone".

He didn't know when he had started crying.

With eyes that were likely just as wet as his own were, Lara reached out, cupping his cheek in the palm of her hand. He didn't know how long they stood there, together, until Kal reached up, reaching for them both. They chuckled, as they each gave him a finger to pull on, content to be close to him, and Lara leant forward, pressing kisses to both of them.

"Yes".

And she gave them her consent.

Jor-El oversaw the co-ordinate programming, while she sent Kelor to retrieve the three Stones of Knowledge she had prepared for him. Each one had been marked to hold an aspect of Krypton's vast store of knowledge, marked in one of the colours and elemental symbols of ancient Krypton: the red fire stone held everything they had on their sciences, on every aspect of mathematics and technology; the yellow air stone held their accumulated knowledge of art and culture, collected from the other races of the universe; and the blue water stone, her preferred piece, which contained the combined knowledge of Krypton's histories and tradition, or their earliest religions and the growth of the Children of Rao, not to mention those of other worlds.

Yet the true masterpiece was of Jor-El's design. Based on what information that she had brought from some of Krypton's earliest archives, when they were first using crystal-based storage. When the three stones were brought together and combined, they were programmed to form a Kryptonian Fortress of Knowledge, designed in the same image as their ancient crystal temples.

With it, Kal would have a physical reminder of his people, wherever he went.

She tucked the stones in a pouch, setting them down behind the seat of Kal's pod, before setting Kal down in it himself. It wouldn't be long before it was time for him to depart, and for the first time, he began to react to their unease with his cries.

"Oh, my son, my little star", she brushed her fingers through the few soft curls atop his head, "I only had the joy for knowing you a few weeks. I wish I could be with you always to guide you and protect you".

"I am sorry Lara", Jor-El murmured, "but we do not have much time".

"Kal-El, my dearest, know that our love will always be with you, and we may not be with you, but do not be afraid. You will need to be brave. You will need to be brave for what is to come, but you must know that you will never be alone. I can see already that you carry within your father's independent spirit".

"Ah, but more importantly, you carry your mother's never-ending bravery and her compassionate heart".

Lara smiled through her tears, "Rao's light will guide you for all of your days to come. The world we have chosen is one full of complicated beings, each one capable of great love, and great kindness. I wish for you to live a full and wonderful life, even without us, but you must know that you were born of great love between your parents. I see the same brilliant mind behind your eyes that your father has used to save you. To devise a way for that love to carry on".

"The ship that I have designed to carry you can only hold a single Kryptonian, one who has so much potential, so unlike your father".

"Ignore him, little one, your father is a brilliant man, and one day, so too shall you be".

"Neither your mother or I can come with you, but know that within you, is the best of both of us, and we are send you with all of your world's knowledge and none of its pride or ego. They will disappear with Krypton. You will be tested, but know that whatever trials you face, your mother and I will never lose faith in you".

Lara shook her head, "Not for one moment".

"And you must never doubt, not for a single second, that just as you are a part of us, we will always be a part of you".

"And remember, my love, above all things, to be true to yourself. Find a dream, make one, if you need to, and then chase it. Have the confidence you need to make your dreams come true… and… and… and there is so much more I need to say to you. There is a lifetime's worth of knowledge that I wish to pass on to you. I want to be there, to hear you speak for the first time, to know the sound of your voice. I want to see you take your first steps, to see you choose your first destination and reach it under your own power. I want to see the path you choose for your life, and how you reach it, and see how you make us proud, no matter what you choose to do. I wish… I wish I could stay with you longer".

"We both do", he pressed a kiss to his son's forehead, "we love you, my son-"

"My little star", she finished for him, as Jor-El's computer told them everything was ready.

"Prepare for launch", he whispered, unable to tear his eyes away from his son's, "we may not have been able to save our planet…"

Lara's voice was resolute, her tone filled with steel, "But we will save our son".

"Master, we have detected a Security Transport Unit inbound. The identification broadcast indicates that General Dru-Zod is aboard".

Jor-El let slip a muffled curse that still had Lara clearing her throat, as he began throwing switches, moving with as much urgency as he felt he could.

"Kelor, prepare the ship for immediate take-off", he ordered.

There could be no more delays.

Zod would not be one to show any of them mercy, regardless of age, or age-old friendships.

Zod's only true allegiance was to his vision of Krypton. In his mind, Krypton was to be considered a utopia, and it was his job to see his vision made reality. Zod would allow nothing and no one to stand in the way of his mission, not even someone who could quite literally call himself Zod's oldest friend.

"At once, Master".

"Kelex", he said, more softly this time, "take Kal, and prepare for departure".

"Yes, Master".

As Kelor returned to the ship, Kelex floated over to them, reaching to take their son from Lara's arms, who almost immediately took a step back, cradling him closer to her chest.

"Lara", he whispered, settling his hand on the small of her back, "we are out of time".

She pressed another kiss to his head, her lips brushing aside soft curls that Jor-El hoped would never become the same mess his own did, when he left it untamed, before she raised him up, allowing him to do the same. They held him, yet another moment longer, before Lara finally relented, allowing Kelex to take him.

With their eyes watching everything as it happened, Kal was gently lowered into the pod they had designed to keep him safe, as the General landed outside, his armoured transport carrier parked alongside Jor-El's transport and safety vehicle.

Jor-El was almost surprised to see his old friend actually use the guest warning buttons that signalled the occupants, and for a moment, he contemplated attempting to deny him entry, before he shook his head. Even if he denied him, Zod would simply give the order for his home's walls to be torn down.

He opened the gates, allowing him and his men to step inside.

They were dressed for battle, each one wearing full set of Kryptonian Security Armour over a black skinsuit, each one decorated with their family's crest on their chest piece, and their rank insignia along their collar.

"Jor-El, by the authority of General Zod, you are-"

"That's enough Faora", the General cut off his most devoted lieutenant, "I did not come here for violence".

Jor-El scoffed, using his head to gesture to the explosions in the distance, "Are you quite certain?"

"I am", the man straightened himself up, "I have arrested the Science Guild".

"Yes, I am aware. Might I ask, on whose authority?"

"My own", he reached out his hand, and for a moment, Jor-El could remember the days of their youth, his father Seg-El, and Zod's mother, Lyta, had been the best of friends, determined to see their sons become the same, and they had. The two of them had been inseparable, "And I am here to ask that you join me".

The two of them had been inseparable… once.

"You know what the Science Council has covered up. You, of all Krypton, must have ideas on how to save us, so I am here to ask you to help me save our race. We will start anew. Find a new world, rebuild and repopulate. Imagine it", and Jor-El could, he could easily imagine it, Krypton with a fresh start, the image of it was bittersweet in his mind, a fruit that could never be sampled, "We will sever the degenerative bloodlines that led us to this state and leave only the best of us behind".

And there it was.

Zod said, "arrested", and held out his hand in friendship, but Jor-El could see the blood dripping from it, coated crimson with the lifeforce of his friends and colleagues.

"And tell me, old friend, who will decide which bloodlines are survive? You?"

Zod's jaw clenched, in the way Jor-El had known since he was a teenager, and saw his friend trying to contain his impressive temper, "Do not do this, El. The last thing I want is for us to become enemies. Not now".

"Dru, look at yourself. You have abandoned all of the principles that bound us together. Honesty, integrity, peace. You have taken up your sword against your own people. The very people you swore to defend", Jor-El shook his head once again, "I will honour the man you once were, Zod. My friend, my brother, but I will not stand by this monster that you have allowed yourself to become".

"If you do not stand with me-"

"Master, your orders have been fulfilled. Kal-El is secured and the hyperdrive is fully charged".

Zod's eyes flew to Kelor, as it descended from the ceiling, "Hyperdrive", he murmured, "Jor-El, what have you-"

"Lara now! Ignition!"

So focused on Jor-El and the General, no one had been bothered by the matriarch of the House of El, as she moved to rest beside one of the homes many processing consoles. They had no way of knowing what it controlled, certainly not in the home of one of Krypton's leading scientists, and so, they had ignored it, and ignored her, not bothering with the lowly research historian, while they focused on the scientist.

Their mistake.

Sub-Commander Faora lunged to stop her, faster than anyone else present could have, but she was simply too far away. Her son's life was at stake, and nothing and no one, was going to prevent Lara Lor-Van from doing everything in her power to save her child.

She slammed her hand down on the final button.

Their house vibrated with force, as above them, Kal's ship took off.

The rooftop laboratory had been more than just a building area, Jor-El had designed it to serve as a launchpad in case of emergency, and this? This was an emergency. The thrusters activating shook the whole house, sending most of them, Jor-El and Lara included, stumbling to the floor, as the temperature skyrocketed and the walls cracked at the force, but that didn't matter.

Kal was safe.

Jor-El gasped as he felt hands around his neck, dragging him from the floor, and pinning him to the wall. Zod pinned him there with ease, a single hand holding him up by the throat, as his eyes flashed with danger.

"What have you done?! Tell me! TELL ME!"

He grinned, blood coating his front teeth, "We have birthed a child, Zod. A boy. Our son. The first natural birth seen on Krypton in over five centuries, with no programming to his name. He will be free. Free to forge his own destiny. Free to choose".

"Heresy", Zod spat at him, before turning to Faora, who had also remained standing, "bring that ship down", he tightened his grip, as Jor-El tried to pry him off, but it was to no avail, Zod had been designed from birth as a warrior. His mind and body designed for combat and warfare. The small beard on his chin wobbled, which Jor-El knew from experience meant that he was clenching and unclenching his jaw in anger.

"And Sub-Commander", he added, his voice dangerously low, "do whatever it takes. Destroy it, if you must".

"At once, General".

Lara moaned and attempted to rise, despite the plasma cannons that were being aimed at her, but found that her body was still too dazed, as she gripped the legs of the nearest table for support.

"You knew this was coming. You could have saved Krypton. Yet you chose to save a single life. Why?!"

Jor-El laughed, despite the pain, "Because… because Krypton would not listen… because he will be a new start", he paused to spit out a mouthful of blood, "Kal can be the one to rebuild Krypton, away from the mistakes of its past. He will be the future of us all".

"Where have you sent him?!"

"Away".

"Tell me!"

"No".

"TELL ME!"

"Never!"

"RARGH", as Zod reared back, burying the blade of his armour deep within Jor-El stomach, it was hard to tell which one of them was more surprised, but just as soon as the expression appeared on his face, Zod schooled his features into a mask of serene calmness.

"I'm sorry it came to this, old friend".

"No", Jor-El gasped out, as he slid down to the floor, "you're not".

"No", he agreed, stepping over his former friend's corpse, "I'm not".

"JOR-EL!"

Those that remained raised their weapons, but Zod waved them off.

He wanted this next one for himself.

The rush of stomping boots alerted him to the return of his second-in command, and he knew from her expression that he would not like to hear what she had to say.

"Report", he spoke calmly.

She swallowed, momentarily nervous, "The transport was dispatched and opened fire. There was an explosion, one similar to that of contact…"

Lara's sobbing voice hitched behind him, but he paid it no mind. Something wasn't right, and he prompted her further, "But…?"

"But no debris, General. No signs of the craft".

"It got away", he surmised for himself, nodding, as he crouched down beside his friend's body, "Lara…", he asked gently, "where have you sent him?"

She cradled her dead husband in her arms, as she stared up at him with a venom few could manage. He would have been impressed, had he not been so busy, "Make it easy. Tell me".

"May Rao spit on your rotting corpse".

Straightening up, he nodded to himself, before blasting a hole in her midsection, where her heretical womb should reside. She screamed in pain, blood flowing freely, but summoned the strength to stare him down one final time.

"You will never have him".

"I will find him, Lara, I swear it, and I will take the brat's life too".

"His name is Kal", she said, her voice failing her, "son of El…"

She said no more.

He stood still for a moment, allowing his useless grief to pass, before another explosion rocked the ground they were standing on.

Lieutenant Non rushed in, struggling for breath, "General", he snapped off a quick salute, "there are reports all over Krypton. The planet seems to be destroying itself. What do we do?"

The time had come.

"Restore order", he said, dismissing his men, "Faora, Nam-Ek, you're both coming with me. Non, you have command until we return".

"General!"

There was but a single option Zod could think of.

It might not even work, but with everyone about to die, Zod knew that Krypton's greatest chance, would one day come at his hands, and so, a tactical retreat was his only viable option.

With his most trusted commanders at his side, the General fled.

And around him, his world was torn apart.

Across the universe, people and species innumerable mourned the loss of their brethren, as they looked towards the desiccated space that had once held the Planet Krypton.

Though they had long since isolated themselves from their peers, choosing not to interfere in the natural affairs of other worlds, they remained known through the universe as an extraordinary planet; one made up of unparalleled beauty, advanced technologies, and a civilization that had achieved many remarkable feats, ahead of many of their galactic neighbours. Its warm red star, radiant skies, crystalline landscapes, and intellectual prowess made it a beacon of hope for all who had ever gazed upon it.

The inhabitants of Krypton were a people of extraordinary intellect, dedicating their lives to the pursuit of knowledge, science, and the betterment of their society. Their wisdom, innovation, and commitment to the greater good served as an inspiration for countless generations.

Yet, despite their incredible achievements, their relentless pursuit of progress pushed their world to the brink of destruction, and now, they would forever serve as a warning to all those, whose hubris would lead them down the same, perilous path.

Many eyes were cast on what was now, a clump and cluster of debris, however, with the explosion to mask its trail, there was a single signal missing to all.

Mere minutes before the moment that shocked the universe, a single craft was able to be seen entering the planet's upper atmosphere, before it vanished completely.

Where it went?

Nobody knows.

Chapter Text

A My Hero Academia Story

GREEN SON

Prologue

Part Two

Earth Year 2211 A.D.
Near Endo Village, Chiba Prefecture
Planet Sol-Three (Local Designation: Earth)

The drive from her home of Tattoin, in the Shizuoka Prefecture, out to her mother's home in the village of Endo, in the Chiba Prefecture, took three hours on a perfect day, and with the amount of traffic Yokohama saw on a good day, she knew that there was no such thing as a perfect day.

Inko had seen enough trauma injuries to know just how dangerous late-night driving could be, so she preferred to take her time, which almost always guaranteed a fourth hour, but she felt that the trade of slower for safer was worth it.

Her car was nothing special, simply a red, older model sedan that she'd bought as a student and never had the heart to trade in for something newer. It had four doors, one engine and it ran, which was more than enough for her needs.

She'd meant to leave earlier in the day, arriving at her mother's home late enough to share dinner, but she'd agreed to cover Mila's shift at the hospital, which had then ran late thanks to a building accidents, and now, instead of being late at night, it was early in the morning, having not long turned one o'clock, and she was still twenty minutes away from her mother's home, the same house that she'd grown up in.

Her hands were clenched around the steering wheel, tight enough that her knuckles had turned white back at the hospital and remained that colour ever since. Had she been calmer, she would've worried about bruising the palms of her hands.

Senna…

Almost two years they'd been together. All of that, just casually thrown away at the end of what was easily the worst week of her life. First thing on Monday morning, she found out that she'd lost out on the position of Senior Student Nurse at her hospital, responsible for creating and overseeing the schedules for all of her peers. Chiyo was a lovely girl, and Inko knew that she'd do a great job, they were friends after all, but she wouldn't lie and say that she hadn't wanted the job for herself.

On Thursday, she'd finally heard back from her gynaecologist and received her test results.

Primary Ovarian Insufficiency.

She was, for all intents and purposes, infertile, and it was likely that she would never be able to conceive, let alone carry a child of her own.

And then, earlier today, she'd been surprised when Chiyo had told had that she'd just seen her girlfriend arrive. She'd been even more surprised when she'd found her and one of the new interns sharing an on-call room, with the lights out and their clothes off.

She'd turned on her heel and walked away, ignoring the calls for her to, "come back", and told Chiyo that she was leaving for the weekend. Chiyo hadn't protested when she'd seen them trailing her, and simply told her that she was overdue to take some of her vacation time, and that she didn't want to see her before next Monday.

She hadn't bothered with the radio, simply driving in silence, through the forest and farmland that made up the Chiba Prefecture.

She took a breath to steady herself and tried to force her body to relax.

If she gripped the steering wheel any tighter, she'd tear it off of her dashboard.

Away from the bright lights of the city, the only source of illumination was the meagre amount provided to her by the headlights of her car, and what came from the crescent moon of the night sky.

If it had been any other night, or during the day, Inko knew that she wouldn't have noticed it. Had the night been cloudier, she would've assumed that it was simply a trick of the night sky, or perhaps even a shooting star.

But as it was, all Inko could see was a giant ball of fire.

And then, there she blinked, and there was a lot more than just the one to be seen.

The pitch black of the countryside's night sky lit up, and for a moment, Inko found herself frozen, her car simply rolling down the road as she took her foot off of the accelerator, and simply watched as the largest ball of fire she'd ever seem passed almost directly overhead, so close that even in the safety of her car, she could feel the heat from it, and she continued to watch as it crashed, tearing up the field behind her, continuing to blaze.

This was a bad idea, her mind told her.

Things just didn't fall out of the sky, her mind told her.

And when they did, you definitely didn't get up close with them, her mind told her.

She turned her car towards it.

Her car hadn't been designed for off-roading, and the drive was bumpy, if thankfully short. She didn't know what she expected to find when she drew closer, but a big hunk of metal wasn't it.

Still dressed in a pair of white sneakers and the pale blue scrubs she'd been wearing for her hospital shift, Inko trudged her way across the field, through wet mud and destroyed pieces of trees, as her clothes grew blacker, browner and just plain dirtier with every step she took.

It was cold and dark, and a part of her just wanted to get back in the warmth of her car and continue driving, but it wasn't often that you got to see a fallen star up close, so she was curious.

And that was before she heard the crying.

Crying that was coming from the inside of the fallen star.

Only the star wasn't a star.

It was a ship - an alien spaceship!

Aliens were a hotly debated topic nowadays, with quite a few people believing that they had to be real. Some people even thought that they walked among humans, blending in with the populace, or at least, they had done so in the past, and that the changes made to the human DNA of their potentially hybrid children, were what might've given the rest of the human race their Quirks to begin with.

But Inko paid no mind to any of that.

The moment she heard crying, she went into what she affectionately dubbed, "Nurse Mode". Moving swiftly around the ship, paying it no more mind than she would a damaged car, she located the front, where a glass bubble, (or what she at least assumed was glass), was located. As if sensing her presence, the bubble split open, sending a mass of liquid splashing down around her, as the crying grew louder.

It was a baby.

Sitting in the middle of the glass ball, with only a white blanket wrapped around its shoulders to protect it from the elements, was a baby, crying at the top of its lungs.

Inko looked at the tiny little thing, soaking wet, its few dark curls were plastered to its - his, she noticed, as the blanket shifted - head. Desperate to help, she reached inside and scooped him up, immediately rocking him in an attempt to calm him, and she was rewarded, not only with him quieting almost immediately, but with a look at his gorgeous green eyes, a shade of emerald much brighter than her own, that sat above a diamond-shaped cluster of freckles.

He was beautiful.

"Shh", she rocked him, "it's okay, it's okay… what are you doing out here all by yourself… and where are your parents?" She looked at the mass of metal in front of her, "And where are you from?"

Ima Midoriya was accustomed to being woken up at odd hours of the day and night.

A nurse of over forty years' experience, Ima had seen everything and done most of it. She'd outlived her husband, who'd been gone for nearly five years now, and the two of them had raised a brilliant daughter, who had followed in her footsteps and become a talented nurse in her own right.

A Paediatric Nurse, choosing to work with children instead of adults, but there was no accounting for taste.

She could only pass on so much.

Her husband had been a journalist, and he'd always been just that bit slightly disappointed that Inko had followed her into medicine rather than following him into reporting, believing that she would've made a talented investigator, but Inko had always been at her best when she was helping people directly, and her parents had both known that.

The point was, very few things in life could manage to surprise her.

Which was why the pounding on her door had her on full alert the second she heard it.

Sherubi immediately started barking in response, racing past her, out of the bedroom, and down the stairs towards the front door, and with the noise she was making, Ima was glad that she had no neighbours close enough to hear her.

"I'm coming! I'm coming!"

Her calls went ignored, as she wrapped her fluffy brown dressing gown around her, covering his nightdress and made her way downstairs after the dog, pausing only to slip her feet into her slippers. The pounding on the door continued, despite her calls for it to calm down, and after taking a moment to fish the right key off of her chain, she pulled open her front door, and allowed her frantic daughter to barge straight past her, as the dog ran in circles around her.

"Honestly", she grumbled, as she shivered from the cold air that was rushing into her house, "Inko, where's your key?"

"I'm sorry, but I couldn't find it and then he started crying and I couldn't get him to stop, and I wanted to get him out of the cold-"

"He? Who is", she blinked, as she took in the bright white bundle in her daughter's arms, "Inko Midoriya", that same tone had kept Inko in line as a teenager, and never once failed to convince her to tidy up the mess beneath her bed, "have you stolen a baby?"

Inko hadn't been pregnant. She saw her daughter at least once a month, and she might've been retired, but that didn't mean she'd gone and become simpleminded in her advancing age.

"What?! No! I mean, it's just, I was driving, and there was a fire, and then all the water, and just him and his blanket, and oh my gods, you wouldn't believe-"

"Inko Midoriya", she ground out, in a tone that often came before Inko found herself regretting everything she'd ever done, "did you steal a baby?"

"I, uh… maybe?"

"Maybe?"

She shrugged, biting her lip in worry when the baby in her hands startled, "I'm not sure".

Ima simply sighed, taking a seat on her sofa, "Start talking".

"So, you were driving here?"

"Yes, Mother".

"And you saw a falling star?"

"Yes, Mother".

"Only, it wasn't a falling star, it was apparently an alien spaceship?"

"Yes, Mother".

"And this baby", she pointed towards the baby, who was still wrapped in his blanket, tucked into Inko's arms, "was inside?"

"Yes, Mother".

"Then you took him out of the spaceship, realised that he was probably an alien, panicked, fled and then decided to bring him here?"

"Yes, Mother".

"Well then, why didn't you just say that", she scoffed, as she reached for her tea, "honestly girl, that was much less time consuming than your version of the story. Wouldn't you say so, dear?"

Inko sighed, "Yes, Mother".

"Well then, what are we waiting for", she finished the last of her tea, "give the boy here and go get your coat. Once you've done that, your father's old truck is inside the garage, you can drive", she wrinkled her nose, "I never liked the dratted thing".

"Wha- what? Mother, where are we going?"

"We can't just leave the boy's… spaceship… in the middle of nowhere now, can we? We'll pile it onto the back of your father's truck and bring it here", she waved off her daughter's rising concerns, "we can hide it in one of the fields out back".

"M- Mother?"

"Honestly dear, you really need to learn to be more articulate. You're a nurse and you should learn to speak more clearly", tired of waiting, Ima took the baby from her grip with a practiced ease, "now, hurry up. Izuku and I are waiting".

She blinked, "Izuku?"

It didn't take them long to retrace Inko's steps. She always took the same route into Endo from Musutafu, and she'd driven these streets with her father so often, that she often felt she could do so in her sleep, and she already knew that the particular turn off for Izuku's spaceship would forever be ingrained into her memory.

Not even a half hour had passed, and she had already changed his designation in her mind from, "The Baby", to "Izuku". The Midoriya Family, of which they were now the last, had often used similar names, and Inko also learned that had she been born a son, and not a daughter, her parents had planned on giving her the name Izuku, but now it was to go to the baby she'd picked up in the middle of the woods.

"Oh my", Ima murmured, as Inko pulled up alongside the crashed ship, "now that is impressive".

And it was.

The glass ball she had seen earlier, wasn't a ball, she realised. Now that her adrenaline had worn off, and she'd calmed down, she could clearly see that it was instead the top half of an egg-shaped pod. The pod was encased in a pentagonal shell of a silver-grey metal that wrapped around it, which Inko assumed was designed to protect it, but with her knowledge of spacefaring vessels, it could simply have been decorative.

Within the pod, which no longer held what Inko assumed was not, in fact, water, all that remained was a thick cushion layer of black, padded material.

"I wonder what it's made of".

"-Tt-", Ima made a clicking noise with her tongue, "most likely something we've never heard of. Else our old pre-Quirk space programmes would have used it", she shrugged, bobbing Izuku on the nose when he started, "I doubt it's made of stainless steel".

The two of them paused for a moment, looking over the craft in front of them, made of a material that was quite possibly unknown to their entire planet, and despite that, they both knew they could never tell anybody.

Not without putting Izuku at risk.

Inko didn't quite fully understand everything that was happening, but she already knew that she wasn't going to let anything happen to him. She liked to think that the people that made up her government were nice people. The kind of people that wouldn't harm a child, but at the same time, she watched the TV, and heard the horror stories that had happened when Quirks were first revealed.

If there was even a one percent chance of that happening to this, cute, innocent baby, then there was no way in hell that Inko was going to turn him in.

"Alright that's enough gawking", Ima moved to settle the baby - Izuku - Inko's mind corrected onto the front seat of their truck, securing him in place with a pair of crossed seatbelts, "let's get this thing loaded already. We take any longer and the main road's going to be loaded with every idiot salaryman on his way to work".

"Right", Inko agreed, "we'll need to use our Quirks though".

"-Tt-, like that matters. No one out here can see us. We'll be fine".

"Alright then", Inko gestured towards the main body, "after you".

Inko called her Quirk, Minikinesis. It was a slightly upgraded version of her mother's Quirk, which granted Inko the ability to summon objects into her hand, but only if they were small in size and relatively close. Ima's version helped her to move similar objects about, but she needed physical to make physical contact to do so. She called her Quirk, Tactile Attraction.

Neither of them were out of shape, but they lacked the physical strength required to lift the ship directly. If it weren't for the help that their Quirks provided, they wouldn't have been able to load it, but as it was, it took them over fifteen minutes simply to lift it and secure in their truck, which was parked less than five metres away.

Izuku was a little saint throughout it all, she decided, barely making a peep beyond the occasional stir, settling into Ima's lap without a fuss as they drove him home.

Ima made fresh tea when they returned home, the sun was still not ready to rise, but they both knew that neither one of them would be able to sleep.

Izuku had awoken once they'd parked up, and insisted on Inko rocking him, while she paced up and down her mother's sitting room.

"What do we do now?"

Ima chuckled, idly scratching behind Sherubi's ears, "What do you want to do? Take him to an orphanage?"

Outraged, Inko pulled Izuku closer to her, "What?! No!"

"Why not?"

"Because he's…"

Ima smirked, "Yes?"

She looked down at his smiling face, as he played with the collar of her scrubs, "Because he's mine".

"I've still got a lot of friends in medical; I can arrange for a birth certificate for the boy easily enough. We'll just register him as a home birth. No one out here knows that whether or not you're pregnant, so no one will notice. The only issue for you is back home".

Senna's face flashed in front of her eyes, and it left a bad taste in her mouth, "I was thinking about moving", she looked down to Izuku, who had now found the shoulder strap of her bra and seemed to be fascinated by his own attempts to grasp at the fabric, "a fresh start might be nice".

"You'll need things: clothes, formula, diapers, a stroller and a car seat, and that's just to start with", Ima told her, ticking them off her fingers, "there's toys and vitamins and bibs and a million other things that normal people would have bought months ago".

"We don't even know if he can eat our food", Inko despaired, "what if he starves?"

"Oh, I know for a fact that you've got a brain in that head of yours, girl, do try using it", Ima pinched the bridge of her nose, "he can obviously eat our food and drink our water. He'll be fine".

"How do you know that?"

Ima sighed the sigh of those forced to suffer the presence of fools, "Think on it. Any race capable of space travel would never send a baby out there alone, without knowing if they could survive the planet they landed on. He looks like one of us, and that's not an accident. Nor is the fact that he can breathe our air. Whoever sent him here, did so knowing that he would blend in and survive", she tilted her head as she regarded her new grandson, "I wouldn't be surprised if sending him here was some sort of act of desperation".

"So… you don't think that he might be the sign of an invasion?"

"-Tt-", she clicked tongue, "invaders send soldiers, girl. They send warriors and weapons, and when they're advanced enough for space travel, I'm guessing they've got some pretty impressive weapons to match. Let me tell you what invaders don't send - babies".

"Right, right", Inko nodded to herself, "that makes a lot of sense".

"Yes, I usually do".

"Okay then", Inko nodded to herself, "can you make some calls now, please?"

"No! It's barely three AM! Office hours don't start for another six hours yet, honestly, do use your head will you".

Izuku Midoriya was born on the Fifteenth of July 2211, according to his birth certificate, with his mother listed as Inko Midoriya, and without a father, his file simply contained a note listing his father as a man known only as, 'Hisashi'. She'd known a boy in town called Hisashi when she was younger, and she'd had quite the crush on him as a pre-teen, but when she was still in high school, he'd moved away for university and she hadn't seen him since.

As far as names went, she supposed it would do.

A notification was sent to the local registration office, along with copies of Inko's documents and updated copies of her insurance forms, which now listed her son.

He was added to the Midoriya Family Registry, and after a visit to Ima's home from a member of the local office, which had Inko needlessly terrified. The young man that had been sent to see them spent his entire visit visibly unnerved by Ima's forceful nature, and after a shorter visit than was strictly considered appropriate, wherein he was given only the barest amount of information and brow beaten into submission, he hurried out the door, glad to be gone.

And just like that, Inko had a son.

Izuku Midoriya.

"They're through here".

She looked up from where she and Izuku were sat on the floor.

They'd used the day Izuku had landed as his actual birthday, but they had to assume that Izuku was a few days, if not a few weeks or months older than that. He was already capable of sitting up under his own power, whereas a newborn would still be struggling to lift his own head and learning to roll over.

Her mother had chosen a pair of grey trousers and matched it with a bright yellow cardigan, while Inko had chosen a pale pink cardigan and blue skirt, in an attempt to look more normal and homely. Her mother's guest, dressed in a pale-yellow polo shirt and a pair of tan trousers, was Taro Henkao, an old friend from her days as a nurse, and one of the most impressive surgeons of his time.

His Quirk, Iridescence, had aided his career as a plastic surgeon, as he could minorly adjust the colour tones of any object he was holding, and his Quirk worked for materials that were both, organic and synthetic. He'd often used it to adjust skin tones, shades of eye colours and on rare occasions, hair colours all the way to the root, at the request of his patients.

When Ima had called him, Taro had been confused to say the least. It wasn't uncommon for people to want to change the way they looked, or to make slight alterations to their children's colouring. He'd made a lot of money privately adjusting eye colours and skin tones for children whose parents could afford it. His Quirk couldn't change a colour completely, only adjust it, adding slight highlights or making slight shifts, adding bits of contrast or softening out a stronger colour. It also helped his vanity, he was almost eighty years old, but he'd constantly been adjusting his hair for decades, so that it kept its glossy black sheen, despite the fact that he probably should've been greyer than grey by now.

Still, "No-Nonsense Ima", was the last woman he ever expected to contact him in his retirement, asking him if he could adjust the colouring on a newborn baby boy.

"Inko", Ima said, as they stepped fully into the room, "this is Doctor Henkao. Taro, this is my daughter Inko", Inko merely waved, while Henkao bowed in greeting, a soft smile on his face, as he registered the room's fourth occupant, "and this little man, is Izuku, my grandson".

"Hello there, little one, ma'am".

"Doctor", Inko smiled, while Izuku's head switched back and forth between his mother and the newcomer, before he reached out, wanting her attention back, and she picked him up, tickling his tummy.

As Izuku erupted into laughter, Inko rose to shake the doctor's hand, letting him get a closer look at his patient.

"Thank you for coming, Doctor".

"Of course, it's my pleasure", he leant in for a closer examination, "and you little man, look very healthy".

"Perfect health", Ima told him brusquely, half-bragging, half-matter of fact, "I've honestly never seen a healthier child", she shrugged, "what do you think?"

"Visually I'd agree. I'd usually like a patient chart, but I trust your judgement, Ima. If you're both ready and have somewhere we can lie him down, we can get started", he half-shrugged, "I do apologise for the rush, but my wife and I are on our way to visit our sons, and we need to get going".

Ima waved him off, "Don't apologise, you're the one doing us a favour".

"I need to ask", Inko said, "this doesn't hurt, right? I mean, Izuku will be okay, won't he?"

"With most of these adjustments", Taro began, speaking clinically, in the way doctors were known to do, "even my younger patients were also undergoing other procedures and were sedated the entire time, and wouldn't have felt a thing. A few of them were done on waken patients, and they reported an itching sensation, but otherwise, they were unharmed. It was worse on their eyeballs, but I'm told that won't be an issue here".

Inko swallowed, "Oh, okay then", she nodded her head, "I think my mom set up a space in the kitchen?"

"I did", Ima agreed, leading Henkao by the arm, "come, it's just through here". She'd spent a few minutes earlier that morning clearing her dining table of its usual clutter and laid out a baby mat for them to rest Izuku on.

"This should do nicely", after taking a moment to check that the table was sturdy, Taro turned to address the three of them, "now this won't take long, but it is draining on the body. Little Izuku will likely fuss as well, so Inko, I'll need you to try and distract him, while Ima helps hold him down, so that I can keep in contact with his hair", he glanced at the mother-daughter duo, noting the identical shades of green in their hair and in their eyes, while Izuku's eyes were a few shades brighter than theirs, his hair was completely black, without a trace of green present. "It is just his hair, you want doing, correct? A series of dark green highlights, the same shade of your own".

"Yes, thank you".

"Don't you dare touch those beautiful emerald orbs, Doctor Henkao", Ima warned him, "you mess with those, and my little girl might just pull your eyeballs out of your sockets".

"I'll consider myself warned then", he chuckled dryly, before letting them settle the boy on the table, and pressing his fingertips to the boy's hairline, preparing to brush them slowly through his locks, "and here we go".

Chapter Text

A My Hero Academia Story

GREEN SON

VOLUME ONE: LAST SON

Part One: Secret Origin

Chapter One: Inko Midoriya - Origin

If I remember my history books, then the first incident happened in Qing-Qing City, deep in the heart of mainland China.

And it changed everything.

One a random day, apropos of seemingly nothing, and with no external factors that could be identified, the world's most extraordinary child was simply born in an ordinary hospital, yet they were no ordinary child. Instead, they were born a child whose very skin radiated an astonishingly bright light.

At first, no one knew what was happening, local experts panicked, scientists around the world were baffled, but then, it turned out that the baby wasn't the only one. New reports started coming in from around the world, and before the year was out, every country in the world was seeing people born with astonishing abilities.

No one knew where these superpowers were coming from, but these quirks of humanity kept growing, and before long, the supernatural became the totally normal. Around us, our world had changed at its core, becoming a superhuman society, one in which people's dreams seemed to have become reality.

But as these children grew, like in any other time period, some sought to use their gifts selfishly, and with the rise of superpowers came a rise in the levels of criminal activity seen around the world. While the governments of the world were stuck, trying to figure out how to reform their laws with superpowers in mind, how to adapt with the times, they saw groups of courageous people stand up and do what they felt was right. They started fighting back, performing heroic acts to defend their cities against the criminals who used their powers to do harm unto others.

It became an age of heroes.

And in the end, and with overwhelming public support, these heroes who had stood up to do the right thing, found that they had an official place in our society, as a new wave of peacekeepers overseen by the government.

The heroes became Pro Heroes, recognised as celebrities and as their powers grew, and more of them rose up, so too did they grow in fame and popularity. Over time, they did more than help keep society feeling safe, they began forming their own teams, organising themselves into ranks and over time, they even gained their own departments in the world's systems of government.

Those who perform the best are paid the most, and they also gain all of the fame and glory. The careers of a Pro Hero depend on their ability to stay in the spotlight, to keep the people's thoughts on them, and gain the most attention. As long as they reside in people's hearts and minds, they can grow in popularity, and as their popularity grew, so too did the desire to see their likenesses on products and merchandise, and before long, the age of heroes became synonymous with the age of celebrity.

And honestly? I wouldn't say that this was necessarily a good thing.

"Inko Midoriya to the Nurses' Station. Inko Midoriya to the Nurses' Station".

With a hum of curiosity, Inko took a few moments to finish her updates to Little Saiken's record, for his most recent visit, before she bustled herself away in search of whoever was at the Nurse's Station, calling for her. It clearly wasn't an emergency, or else they would've used her hospital-issued phone to call her directly, so she felt she was more than justified in not rushing about the hospital.

She'd been a nurse at the Shizuoka Medical Centre for Children for over a year now and felt as though she were finally beginning to have fully settled into her new life.

Leaving the Tattoin Care Centre behind had been a relatively easy decision. Chiyo had been equal parts apologetic and apoplectic, asking her to stay, while telling her that Darla, the nurse who she'd found Senna in bed with, would be on their nastiest cases for the next few months, clearing bowels and whatever associated messes came with them, but she hadn't raised much of a fuss when Inko had told her that she couldn't.

She'd simply written Inko the nicest recommendation letter she'd ever seen, and then wished her well.

A few days later, after a phone call to the Shizuoka Medical Centre, she'd had an interview with their Human Resources Department, as well as their Chief Nurse, and after confirming her payment package, benefits and that yes, she would require use of their in-house day care facilities, she was told that she could start with their team, first thing on Monday morning.

And for the past two (and a bit) years, she'd been their ever since.

She and Izuku had moved into her new apartment, a much nicer one within a nice school district, with two bedrooms and there were plenty of other kids in the area, who he could hopefully learn to play with when he was older. It only had a communal bathroom, which she supposed wouldn't be a problem for a few years yet, as she'd grown used to the site of the various rubber sea creatures that lived in the bathtub, but the apartment did include its own washer-dryer machine, which she was grateful for.

When she turned the last corner, stepping towards the nurses' station, she was surprised to see Ren waiting for her, with a red lotus blossom tucked into her bright green hair, which was a much lighter shade than Inko's own.

"Inko", she visibly sighed with relief, "thank goodness-"

"Is it Izuku? Is everything alright?" Her eyes took a quick scan, not finding her son anywhere and fear seized her in a way that it hadn't since the early days, when she'd first brought him home, "Where's my baby?!"

"Inko- INKO", Ren reached over, placing her hands on her shoulders, as the blossom in her hair stretched open further, "calm down, Little Izuku's fine, I promise", she smiled, which did nothing to reassure her, "I just need you to come with me".

Without explaining further, Ren turned on her heel and marched off in the direction of the day care centre, expecting (and knowing) that Inko would be less than two steps behind her. She ignored Inko's attempts to question her with an easy smile, borne of working with the children of overprotective doctors and nurses, and led her through the few corridors that separated the children from the rest of the hospital.

Inko blinked in confusion, as she walked past the hole in the wall, before Ren led her into the room fully, where she found Izuku sitting in the middle of the room, surrounded by building blocks, as he cried.

"Oh, Miss Midoriya", Sakura, an elderly lady, who was one of the day care minders smiled at her, but Inko could see the tension behind it, "thanks goodness".

"Oh, Sweetie", Inko scooped her baby up without a second thought, letting him rest against her, as he quieted at her touch, nestling in, "what's all that noise for?"

"Well", Sora, a member of the hospital's maintenance staff, who she just realised was also there, vaguely recognising him from their rounds, "as you can see, there was quite a bit of damage to the wall", he gestured with a nod of his head, "both to this one, and the one in the corridor", he ran his hands through his hair, "and we thought it was best we spoke with you as quickly as possible".

"Oh, did the noise upset you", she settled Izuku on her hip, now that he seemed to have quieted completely, she gave the rest of them her full attention, "will you need to pause day care for a few days then? Do you need help contacting other parents? I'm on shift, but I'm sure I can make some time to help, if you need it".

"Ah", Sora cleared his throat, "I'm sorry, but what we needed to ask you about was the damages".

"Oh", she blinked, "well, I don't know much about walls, but if I can help, I will".

"Oh, well that's not… I mean…"

Ren chuckled, "I told you she didn't know".

Sakura nodded, "We both said it", she pointed out.

Inko blinked, confused, "I'm sorry, but know what?"

"Miss Midoriya", he dipped his head in a pseudo-apology, "your son is the one who caused the damage".

"What?" She spluttered, shifting Izuku into a firmer grip, "Don't be ridiculous. He's just a baby. He won't even turn three for another few months".

"Yes, well, it appears then, that his Quirk came has come in early", he shrugged, eyeing up Sakura and Ren, "I'm told that it's not unheard of".

Sakura shrugged, "It's not common, but I wouldn't say it was extremely rare either".

"My Izuku did that?"

"Threw a building block clean through one wall and halfway through the other", Sora confirmed with a nod, trying his best to not look too impressed by that fact, "and it's still there", once again, he ran one of his hands through his hair, "I've called for a hammer and a chisel, see if I can't pry it lose… it's, well… it's pretty much stuck in there at the moment".

"Oh".

Shizuoka Medical Centre was, Inko was relieved to find out, fully insured against minor accidental damages resulting from Quirk use within the building's boundaries, with a special circumstances clause included for the use of Quirks within their day care facilities, where their patients were even younger than the usual faire that temporarily resided within their walls. The only snag they encountered, was that they apparently weren't covered for damages caused by unregistered Quirks, which Izuku technically was.

It was a nasty loophole in their insurance documentation, and Inko feared that she was going to have to pay for both walls to be repaired and repainted, (not to mention all of the commotion it would have caused), but their argument against the hospital apparently lasted until the centre's chairman called their broker, reminded him that they were a paediatric centre, and threatened to cancel all of their existing contracts and recommend that others do the same, if the situation was not properly resolved. Less than a half hour later, he received a return call, which ended without Inko having a hefty bill to pay.

She did, however, donate several new sets of toy blocks to the centre, made of either rubber or foam, which Ren and Sakura received in good humour.

It also made for a funny anecdote for them to share around the coffee carts.

A few days later, when Inko brought Izuku back in for his Quirk registration, the walls had been freshly plastered and painted, without seemingly any traces at all, had it not been for the faintest scent of fresh paint.

Inko had been allowed to take the weekend off to look after Izuku, as had most of the staff who were left unable to use the day care facilities, and she'd spent most of that in a blind panic.

She'd been left no choice but to set up Izuku with a Quirk Determination Exam, which she set up with Doctor Tsubasa.

Doctor Tsubasa was an older gentleman, not much older than her mother, but still a far cry from the generally younger women who ran the day care centre under Sakura's guidance, but Inko had been around long enough to know the difference between a doctor who was too old to practice, (and refusing to retire), and a doctor who remained at his post simply because he enjoyed his work.

They were led through to his office, which had walls lined with posters of Pro Heroes striking various poses, and Izuku was clearly fascinated by them, shaking his body, as his hands and feet did their best to help him mimic the poses.

Doctor Tsubasa chuckled, his bushy moustache twitching as he did, which caused Inko to smile at the sight it made, when paired with his overly large spectacles.

"Right then", he flipped open her son's file, his finger tracing the words as he read them, "let's see what we have here then", he took a quick glance at the information, nodding to himself as he went, "ah, here we are, one Izuku Midoriya, here to see little old me for a Quirk Determination Exam and the subsequent registration paperwork. Male, aged… oh, wow, just two years and ten months", he looked up at her, his eye wide behind the large circles that were his glasses, "an early activator, hmm", as if response Izuku looked up at him, waving his favourite stuffed toy in acknowledgement, "it also lists your occupation here and says that you're a paediatric nurse. Do you work at this hospital?"

Inko nodded, "I do, yes".

"Well, normally I'd say it's a little early for you to come in for a QDE, but chances are you'd know that. Would this, by chance, have anything to do with the recent damage done to the fourth floor?"

Inko's wince was all the response he needed.

"I see… could you tell me what happened?"

"Well, I wasn't there at the time, but according to his day care teachers, he was using the blocks to spell out the word, 'DOGS'-"

"Dogs!" Izuku chimed in, waving his favourite plush toy, Mister Doggo - a bright white plush dog that he'd fallen in love with when Inko had taken him to his first winter festival, and refused to part ways with ever since.

Doctor Tsubasa chuckled, ruffling his green locks, which were identical in colour to hers, and Inko found herself able to relax, "-but another child wanted to use the block that had the letter 'S' on it. He tried taking it. Izuku tried taking it back. They snatched at it, and when he got upset with the other boy, he threw the block away", she sighed, "it went clean through the day care's wall and got stuck in the corridor. Do you know Sora, the maintenance worker?"

Doctor Tsubasa shook his head, "I know the name, but other than that, no".

"Well, he had to call for a hammer and chisel to help him get the block out, it was that well embedded", she ran her hands down her face, "and then day care got rid of all of the blocks. I donated some plush ones though, so…"

"Well, based on your description, we can safely say that your son has a superstrength Quirk of some note - and an uncommonly strong on at that too. Your own Quirk would be?"

"Minikinesis", Inko told him, "I can attract small objects", she moved to grab his pen, reaching out and pulling back, and after a few moments, the pen in his breast pocket began to float over to her open hand in a jerking motion, "it's nothing special, but useful enough on its own, I suppose".

"And the boy's father?"

"I only remember that he could breathe fire", Inko told him, repeating the lie that she'd and her mother had come up with, months ago. Elemental Quirks were a dime a dozen, and while the really powerful ones, like Endeavor's, were rare, there were almost a one hundred percent guarantee that you could walk into a crowded room and find at least a half dozen people who could manipulate the earth, wind, fire or water.

"That's quite the mutation then", he murmured, leaning forwards as he examined the boy, who looked up at him with equal interest, "well, before we start, I just need to check - he's had his shots?"

"All up to date", Inko confirmed, having faked the results herself.

"Right, so, we'll start with his x-rays, and we'll get full body just to make sure that there's no physical mutations we're currently unaware of. We'll take his latest measurements, height, weight and so on, check that he's growing normally, before we run some auditory and visual tests. Everything else can be covered during his general check-ups", he tapped his pen against the file, "and if you like, we could take a blood sample. See how that checks out".

She shook her head nervously, almost frantically, "Oh, no that won't be necessary. No blood please, thank you".

"Are you sure? Other than a small prick, I can assure you that it's quite painless".

"I'm sure".

"Ah… well then, assuming that all comes back as standard then, we can register Izuku's Quirk as superstrength today and that'll be all there is to it. Would you like to get started?"

Inko smiled, relieved, "Yes, thank you".

"Okay then, the last x-rays are in. His height and weight are close to optimal for a baby of his age. So are his eyes, ears, mouth and nose", he punctuated each organ by tapping Izuku's, which made her son giggle, as he sat on the examination table, "he hasn't said much, but we know he can speak, even if he isn't fluent just yet", he chuckled, "is he a loud crier?"

"Oh, no, not really", Inko said, thinking on it for a moment, "I mean, he cries loudly enough to be heard, but even then, once he got what he was looking for, usually my attention, he would always quiet back down quickly enough".

"A naturally quiet baby then", he shook his head, "lucky you".

Inko giggled, tickling Izuku's foot, "I know".

"No issues sleeping or eating?"

"When he was younger, he sounded like he had trouble breathing when he was sleeping".

"When was that?"

"When he was first here- I mean, just after he was born", she swallowed, "for the first few months, he always sounded like he was struggling to breathe properly, but it was a lot worse when he was sleeping", she blinked away a few stray tears that threatened to fall, "I used to stay awake for hours, just listening to him breathe, because if I didn't-"

"You were afraid he'd stop", the doctor finished for her, looking at her with nothing but sympathy, "but there have been no issues recently".

"Nothing after the first, oh I'd say, six months or so, maybe as long as nine".

"I see… well his scans show us nothing to be worried about, but just to be safe", he removed his stethoscope from around his neck, placing the buds into his ears, "Izuku, can you lift your shirt up for me, please?"

"Yes", he confirmed with a deliberate nod, lifting his bright green t-shirt straight up over his head.

"Good man", the doctor replied, before pressing the flat part of it against his back, "and now, can you take a deep breath and hold it for me?"

Izuku took as much air in as he could, "And now, slowly breath out", before he exhaled in one lung gust.

They repeated the exercise, this time with the stethoscope on the other side of his back, before Doctor Tsubasa sat back down, and told Izuku he could pull his shirt back down.

"Okay!"

Turning back to his compute, as the x-rays that they'd been waiting on arrived in his inbox, he took a moment to read the note from the radiographer, before turning back to face Inko once again, "Well, everything sounds perfectly okay, and there's nothing on his x-rays to be worried about, but there was one other thing of note".

"Is something wrong?!"

"No, no, there's nothing wrong, per se", he moved his mouse to double-click on one of the files, opening it fully on the screen, "but they've flagged a small mutation, see this here", he pointed towards the image of Izuku's foot.

"His foot?"

"Specifically his fifth toe", with a few more clicks, he printed off a copy of the image, and turned in his chair to face her and her son fully, "see here", he tapped it a few times with his finger, "this is the fifth toe, also called the outer toe or the little toe, as you can see, Izuku's toe is made up of three phalanx bones: the proximal, middle and distal".

"Three? Shouldn't it be-"

"Two? Yes, it should. You see, we still have no idea what caused the advent of Quirks. Popular theories suggest that we were infected by a mouse virus, while others speculate that we've simply reached the next stage of the human evolution. There are even some people who believe that Quirks came from aliens", he chuckled to himself, as he returned the x-rays to her folder, "simply ludicrous".

"Yes", she chuckled, wincing at how nervous she sounded, "ludicrous".

"Either way", he turned back to face her, "there were several changes to the baseline human body that came with Quirks. There used to be four additional teeth in the back of our mouths that often-caused complications, which were called, 'wisdom teeth'. We also used to have three additional organs: the spleen, the gallbladder and the appendix".

"I think I've heard of that last one".

"I'm surprised by that, not many people bother to study the pre-Quirk human body. Well, anyway, the spleen helped filter blood to aid the immune system, the gallbladder produced bile to aid digestion and the despite my studies of old texts, the appendix's function remains a mystery. The point is, they were all unnecessary, and disappeared in our more ah, streamlined bodies, for lack of a better term".

"And Izuku has them?"

"No, not at all, you see, there was only one additional change".

"The toe", Inko guessed.

"Indeed. The distal and middle phalanges fused together and became a single phalanx. I simply find it odd that Izuku has three phalanges, despite no other change. Were it not for that, I'd tell you that he had a perfectly baseline human body".

"Is that bad?"

"Bad? No, not at all", Doctor Tsubasa chuckled, as he ruffled Izuku's hair one last time, "but to a man such as myself, who has spent his life studying Quirks for a living, I must admit that I do find its presence simply fascinating".

"So, there's nothing wrong with him?"

"Not a single thing", he handed her a copy of his paperwork, "in fact, there are no issues whatsoever. I'd like you to come back and see me on his fourth birthday for a re-examination, or sooner, if you notice any changes, but until then, you can use what I've given you to register his Quirk as, 'Superstrength', and that should cover any issues you may have had with him being unregistered".

"Really? That's everything".

He nodded, "Initial registration usually is. Now, I'm sure that you're aware that most schools ask for you to have your child take an updated QDE before entry?"

"I am".

"Well, that's because Quirks are difficult to diagnose in children. They have difficulty realising what's considered baseline normal, so we ask them more questions and have them take longer tests when they're older. I expect that Izuku will need his overhauling when he's older".

She blinked several times, "What do you mean?"

"While I've listed his Quirk as 'Superstrength', I feel that it's most likely a mutation based on your own. It's most likely an advanced form of telekinesis, so congratulations, I suppose".

"Oh… I hadn't considered the similarity".

"Quite alright, after all, that's what I'm here for", he chuckled, "after that, there's only one question left".

"What's that?"

"Well, Izuku", he reached over to the glass jars he kept on his desk, "would you like a red Endeavor lollipop, or a blue All Might lollipop?"

Izuku bent his head down, as Mister Doggo whispered in his ear, and he nodded in response, "All Might!"

"He loves All Might", Inko said with a sigh, seemingly resigned to forever seeing the man's grinning face in her home.

"A fine choice", Doctor Tsubasa agreed, though, just for a moment, Inko could've sworn that there was a hint of distaste in his eyes, as though he were remembering something that smelled bad, but then, he looked back up at her, and it was gone.

She didn't blame him.

Between Izuku and the children's wards, she saw All Might almost everywhere she went. If she kept a jar with his face on, in her office, she'd be sick of seeing him too.

Of course, registering Izuku's Quirk wasn't the only hurdle they faced.

They'd taken a few days off, Inko from work and Izuku from day care, before returning on a Monday morning. Her shift went as normal, with no complications, but Izuku was noticeably subdued when she went to pick him up. Trudging over to meet her hug, with Mister Doggo trailing in his grip.

"Hi Sweetie", she said, as Izuku let himself be lifted up, settling into her arms, as Sakura made her way over, pausing to chat with another parent for a moment.

"Hi Momma", he replied, but his tone sounded so sad that she knew something had to be wrong.

"Did you have fun at day care?"

He shrugged and said nothing, but clutched Mister Doggo to his chest tightly, as Sakura finally reached them.

She smiled sadly, which bothered Inko more, as she lowered her voice, "I think he was feeling a bit left out".

Izuku shifted in her grasp, but otherwise did nothing, and Inko lowered hers to match, "What do you mean?"

"None of the other children have their Quirks yet, and I think they were a little bit afraid of him", Izuku shifted again, clutching Mister Doggo even more tightly into his chest, "I had to put one in a time out for trying to take the new blocks away from him".

"Oh, Izuku", she murmured, but he turned his face away, "I think we should go visit Grandma", she decided, happy that she had the next two days off, "okay? We can go see Grandma and Sherubi".

He perked up at that, always happy to be able to play with a dog, before lowering himself back down, almost immediately retuning to looking as downtrodden as any two-year-old could manage. Sakura smiled, patting her on the shoulder as they left, and Inko resolved to visit her mother in the morning, hoping that whatever it was, they would both help Izuku get back to normal in the morning.

"Grandma!"

Inko smiled, as Izuku shot across the front of her mother's garden, until she swooped him up, making exaggerated groans as she did, while Sherubi ran around her heels excitedly, jumping up and down, before realising she was there as well, and racing over to run circles around her.

She paused for a moment to scratch behind his ears and rub his belly, before he decided that he'd been greeted properly and returned to the source of all the noise.

She made sure that the car was locked, before following her mother inside, who was busy tickling every inch of Izuku she could get her hands on, to pay her much notice, but she found she didn't much mind. She felt a need to speak with her mother, and while she did feel that it was urgent, Izuku was laughing for the first time since she'd picked him up at day care, and she didn't want to stop that just yet.

Changing her shoes for house slippers, she went upstairs to use the bathroom, and by the time she had come back down the stairs, her mother had already given Izuku a juice box and a biscuit and was now watching him and Mister Doggo run around with Sherubi, using the expanse of fields at the back of the house.

She fixed herself a cup of tea, pouring a fresh one for her mother, before joining her at the door, just watching Izuku and his two favourite dogs run around.

Inko didn't know how long the two of them stood there, watching it happen, but it was long enough for the two of them to finish their tea and set the empty teacups down.

"So, what is it?"

"I'm sorry?"

Ima rolled her eyes, as she turned to face her daughter, "What's bothering you. You usually don't call me randomly and all-but beg to be allowed to come and see me - and by the way, so long as you bring my grandson, you don't need to ask - but nevermind that. Tell me, what happened?"

Inko sighed but truly wasn't surprised that her mother had figured out that something was wrong; not only was it obvious, but she wasn't stupid either.

"His Quirk came in - Izuku's, I mean".

Ima blinked, "Oh".

"Yeah".

"He has a Quirk?"

"He does".

"You're sure?"

"I am".

"But…"

"I know".

"How?"

"I don't know".

"Well… oh".

"Yeah".

They watched Izuku and Sherubi race around for a few moments longer, stood together in silence, before Ima chuckled to herself.

"You should be grateful then. Whoever sent him here was either a complete genius, or extremely lucky".

"I know that I should be grateful", she wringed her hands nervously, "but I'm still worried-"

"Welcome to parenthood", her mother muttered dryly.

"Sorry", she swallowed, "it's just… won't he stand out?"

"Doubtful", Ima shrugged, "what's his Quirk?"

"Apparently, he's really strong. He managed to throw a toy block threw one wall and into another", she sighed, "I had to have them examine him. We registered his Quirk as 'Superstrength', but they know mine and I listed his father as having a firebreathing one-"

"Smart", Ima nodded, "fire Quirks are everywhere".

"-that's what I thought", Inko agreed, "but neither of them lead to superstrength. It's too obviously different. Someone will know something's up".

"Psh", Ima waved away her concerns, "random mutations pop up all the time. I remember fifteen percent of all Quirks being mutations".

"Twelve-point-eight seven percent", Inko corrected.

"And Quirkless are at what? Twenty?"

"Twenty-point-one three, but that's overall. In Izuku's generation, it's now less than nine", she sighed, "and those are the worldwide numbers. A few of the Nordic countries still have numbers that are much higher than the rest of the world, but just in Japan, it's now under three percent in his generation, and that's taking into account rural areas, where the numbers are always a bit higher too. Tokyo reported less than fifty births last year. Yokohama, Osaka and Nagoya each had less than twenty", she shook her head, "Sapporo and Kawasaki both reported none".

"See? Having no Quirk would've made him stand out far more than having one. Even a mutate between generations is easier to explain, because last I checked, no one knows what causes them, unless that's changed?" Inko shook her head, "Whoever chose to send him must have been beyond clever. Even 'genius' is too small a word".

"What do you mean?"

"A body that's at least externally identical to the human body, capable of eating our food, drinking our water, breathing our air and has its own form of a Quirk to go along with it".

"It's not just externally".

"What isn't?"

"His body. All of his bones and organs line up with our as well. Or at least, they look like they do. They took x-rays as part of his QDE, just to see if he had any mutant properties, and when I thought about getting them, I thought, 'that's great', because I could pass any differences off as part of his Quirk, make them list it as a mutation".

"Smart thinking".

"Well, with only a single exception, he has a perfectly baseline human body. Same bone structure, same organ layout".

"Remarkable", Ima mused, "and as I said, simply genius", she turned to face her daughter fully, curiosity played out across her face, "what was the exception?"

"His small toe".

"His toes?"

Inko smiled softly, "Just the one, or two, I suppose. He has three phalanges in his small toes".

Ima blinked several times in succession, "That's it?"

"That's it", Inko confirmed.

"But everything else?"

"Perfectly in line with our own", she shook her head, "sometimes, I wonder if I dreamed up the entire ship. If I hadn't seen it crashing for myself, I don't think I'd believe it".

"It is fascinating", Ima agreed, as she watched Sherubi tackle Izuku, licking his face and covering him in slobber, as the boy erupted into giggles, scratching at the dog's ears and belly, "but it also tells us that whatever physical differences exist between us and the boy can probably only be found on the cellular level".

Inko smiled as she watched her son play, "That makes sense", she mused.

"It also means that it's all on you".

She frowned, "What do you mean?"

"Whoever sent him here, must've known that he would be able to blend in. Yet they sent him here, alone, and other than that thing we've shoved into the old barn, there's nothing about him that screams, 'alien', at you. Either they had no chance to include anything, or they simply didn't want to. There are a few symbols etched within the thing, but unless he was born with knowledge, which I doubt, there's no way he can learn to read them. Unless you decide otherwise, all Izuku will ever know will be us. Whatever he little he can learn about who he is and where he comes from, is all going to be on you".

"Not you?"

Ima shook her head, "No, that's not my place. I'm his grandmother, not his mother. I had my go", she smiled, cupping her daughter's face for a moment, "and I raised a good girl, who became a brilliant woman-".

"Mo-om".

Ima just continued to smile, "You're old enough now to make your own decisions. Your own choices, and I'm sorry, but as scary as it is, being a parent means making choices for your son too".

She looked over to where Izuku and Sherubi were rolling about, getting filthy and covering themselves in mud, "I don't know if I'm ready for that".

"No mother is. Hell, no parent is. All we do is guess, and then we fret and then we worry, and after all that, we realise that all we can do is make it up as we go along. You can ask for advice, take help when its offered or go it alone, but in the end, as the parent, it's all your decision".

"But you'll be here to help?"

"Well, naturally dear".

Chapter Text

A My Hero Academia Story

GREEN SON

VOLUME ONE: LAST SON

Part One: Secret Origin

Chapter Two: Kacchan

Some days, Inko felt as though her nerves would never be able to settle back down again.

It had all started on the day she'd chosen to adopt the alien baby that she'd found in the woods, as her own son. She'd taken one look at the adorable little emerald orbs he had for eyes, each one so similar to her own, and simply fallen in love with him then and there.

There were always horror stories about what the governments of the world did with 'special children', whether they were children with Quirks that were notably strong at birth, Quirks deemed to be dangerous, or simply those they felt that they could one day make use of, 'for the good of their country'.

The Japanese Government was no exception to this.

While no cases had ever actually been proven as being true, (at least, not in Japan anyway), there were far too many rumours abound for her to ever dismiss the idea in its entirety, and the mere sliver of a thought about what they might be willing to do, if they ever discovered that an alien walked among them, made her shiver with fear.

She would have thought that taking the child in - Izuku, she'd named him - would've been the most harrowing part of claiming him, but her nerves never seemed to be allowed long enough to properly rest.

First it had been the act of claiming him for her own.

She'd spent the first few weeks terrified that a group of soldiers would show up on her doorstep, kicking it down, before they came in and took him from her. She'd done everything she could to create a paper trail for her son, one that was as impeccable as she could make it, including moving apartments, faking the idea of having a home birth to register him with a hospital that wasn't local to her new address, and asking her mother to arrange for a retired plastic surgeon friend of hers, to make one last house call to alter his hair colour.

Second, had been the sleepless nights.

There had to be something in the air; something that Earth had that Izuku's homeworld, (wherever that was), simply didn't (or vice versa). She was still learning everything she could about being a mother, and a single mother at that, but she'd set the cot up in the corner of her bedroom, where she could keep him close.

She'd thought that by keeping him close, that he'd be safe, but that hadn't helped when she'd listened to him sleep. Each and every breath he took caused a strain on his tiny little body, making each movement a struggle, a painful intake followed by an exhale of relief, only for the cycle to repeat itself, over and over again, as she wondered if each breath that he managed to take would end up being his last.

Third had been his Quirk.

She'd never have imagined that Izuku would develop a Quirk of his own.

Truth be told, she hadn't really taken the time to consider the idea of a Quirk at all, far too worried by everything else in their lives that could go wrong to focus on that particular fact. The idea of Izuku developing, or as she would have expected, not developing a Quirk of his own was a problem for the future. It was something she could worry about explaining when Izuku reached his fifth birthday without one appearing.

Yet apparently that wasn't a problem she was ever going to have.

Her son had a Quirk, (should she even be calling it a Quirk, if she didn't even know if this was the norm? Was it possible that all of his people had Quirks, the same way humans did? Or maybe they all had the same abilities, each one of them being as strong as her son was and would be? Or maybe it was something that was unique to Izuku, possibly even the reason he had been sent here, cast away from his family?).

Either way, she supposed that it didn't matter. Her son had a Quirk, and it was already apparent that the Quirk was going to make him quite powerful, and there was the strong possibility that it might grow even stronger as he grew older; many other Quirks did, after all.

And just like that, she was worried about her first set of concerns all over again.

Despite the worst of her worries, however, no nameless, faceless government agent in sunglasses and a plain black suit had arrived on her doorstep, so she'd taken the next frightening step in Izuku's development.

Enrolling him in their local pre-school.

"I'm sorry, but it's Midori, isn't it?"

Inko blinked, as she turned to face the newcomer, who like her, also seemed to have her son with her, "Ah, it's Midoriya, actually", she offered a brief bow in greeting, which was quickly returned, "I'm sorry, but have we met?"

"Oh, right, yes, you probably don't remember me", she offered her an apologetic smile, "I mean, you probably see a few hundred people a week. I'm Mitsuki. Mitsuki Bakugo", she pulled forward the small child beside her, who looked to be identical to her in almost every way, "and this is my son, Katsuki. You were his nurse when he went in for his last check-up", she chuckled, confusing her for a moment, "I don't think I've ever seen Kats behave himself so well before. It made quite the impression, let me tell you".

Inko smiled, "Well, I'm glad everything went well", she tried to pull Izuku in front of her, but one hand had a death grip on her trousers, while the other clutched Mister Doggo to his chest, "Izuku, would you like to say hello to Katsuki?"

"Hello", he murmured, still not moving from behind her.

"Come on brat", for a moment, Inko thought she should be concerned at the other woman's harsh choice of words, but the man now stood behind her, a placid-looking gentleman that Inko assumed was her husband, just sighed, with a fond smile on his lips, as he guided the younger boy forwards, which made her think that this might've been a common occurrence.

"Say hello Kats".

"Hello", the boy scuffed one of his shoes against the ground, "can we go now?"

"No, son", the man told the boy, looking amused at his son's sullenness, and based on their non-reactions, Inko assumed that this was also common enough behaviour from him.

"Oh, right, this is my husband Masaru. Masaru, this is Inko Midoriya. She was Katsuki's nurse when I took him in for his last check-up. The on I told you about".

She bowed, as the woman's husband did the same, "It's nice to meet you".

He smiled, still looking completely at ease, "You as well. I remember Mitsuki telling me that one of the nurses managed to make him behave himself for an entire minute", he eyed his son, still amused, who scoffed in response, "you have to tell us how you did it. We're completely hopeless with him".

"Nonsense", she smiled, liking the pair already, "I'm sure Katsuki's a lovely boy, aren't you?"

The boy responding by grumbling, as he continued scuffing his shoe against the ground.

"And this is Izuku", she told him, trying to push him forward, but he was stubbornly keeping one arm hooked around her leg, "go on Sweetie, say 'hello' to the Bakugos".

Slowly, still clutching Mister Doggo in his other arm, Izuku let go of her for a moment, offering a quick bow of his own, as he all-but whispered the word, "Hello", before stepping back behind her.

"He's adorable", Mitsuki whispered to her.

She grinned, "I know", before losing the grin when she look over at the clock hung on the nearby wall, "okay, Izuku, it's time now".

"No", he said, clutching her leg, and she held back the urge to wince at the tightness of his grip, "don't leave".

"Come on now Sweetie, we talked about this".

He gripped her leg tighter, and she sighed, as she did her best to kneel down and pry his hold on her leg loose. His Quirk, thankfully, seemed to wax and wane depending on the day. Sometimes, he would break things by accident, simply by attempting to pick them up; other times, he could drop, throw and squeeze others, but nothing else would happen.

While it was possible that Izuku simply didn't understand how to 'activate' his powers, she had the sneaking suspicion that it was actually all in his head, and control over his superstrength would come with age.

After all, despite the fact that he'd managed to break two walls, two chairs, a table leg and several dishes, as well as tear several towels in half and a tablecloth, somehow, Mister Doggo had managed to remain in perfect health, despite being the one object Izuku kept with him at all times.

Which reminded her.

"Now, Koharu-sensei's going to look after you, just until I come back, okay?"

Izuku shook his head, "No".

Sighing, she managed to pry his grip loose long enough to kneel down in front of him, and plucked Mister Doggo from his hands as well, tucking him into the space between her t-shirt and her cardigan, just out of reach from his ability to grab at it.

"Look at me, Izuku", she waited a moment, until he looked up at her, and she ran her hands over his hair, "trust me. This can be a lot of fun. You can make friends, like Katsuki here, and play and learn".

"Like with Miss Sakura?"

His voice was small, scared even, but she smiled, "Yes, just like with Miss Sakura, and that was fun, wasn't it?"

She paused for a moment, waiting, but eventually he nodded.

"See, now I'll take Mister Doggo with me for safety, and then, when you're all done, we can both come and pick you up, okay?"

He eyed Mister Doggo longingly, but slowly nodded, "Okay".

"Now give me a kiss goodbye".

Izuku flung himself at her, and she didn't hesitate to catch him, letting him hug her for far longer than she normally would've, had it been any other day. Instead, she held him there for a while, as the elder Bakugos attempted to do the same with their son, but who seemed stubbornly against it.

She remembered him from his check-up visit now.

His appearance hadn't stood out to her, but she remembered his attitude now. He'd spent the entire visit staring at the poster of All Might up on the wall, after she'd told him that even All Might had to get his check-ups done too. If it was good enough for All Might, then it was good enough for him, and he hadn't even flinched.

He was a brave kid.

"Now go make friends, okay?"

Little Bakugo shrugged at his mother's suggestion, "'Kay".

"Why don't you go ask Izuku if he'd like to be friends. I bet he'd like to play with you".

"That sounds lovely", Inko agreed, "Izuku, would you like to play with Katsuki?"

Slowly, he nodded, "Okay".

Reluctantly, he pulled back from her, letting her go, but before he could hunch up on himself, she kissed his cheeks, as he squirmed, looking as embarrassed as most of the other children in the room, as their parents did the same to them.

It was hard not to cry.

Izuku, not unlike her, had a very expressive face, always seeming to have every emotion, no matter how minute, clearly visible on his features, and as she left him for his first day of pre-school, she could see all of his anxiety at being left behind, and she worried for a moment that he would start crying, and if he started crying, then she knew that she would start crying too.

"So…", as they left the children behind, Mitsuki sidled up beside her, her husband, Masaru, following dutifully behind her, "if you don't mind, I have a question?"

She eyed her warily, worried about what the unusually forward woman might ask her, "Yes?"

"Is it true that one of the kids in the hospital managed to tear down an entire wall?"

Inko couldn't prevent the groan from escaping her lips, no matter how hard she tried to stop it, "For the love of- no. He didn't tear down a wall, he just put a hole in some of them. Yes, they needed to close the daycare while they fixed it, but I offered to help".

"You offered to…", her voice trailed off, as Mitsuki's eyes widened in realisation, before flicking between Inko and the side, off in the direction of the school, "no… but he's so cute and quiet. He's not even my son, and I wanted to give him a hug. He managed to break walls, as in, more than one?"

Inko couldn't help it, she groaned again, as Mitsuki's hand shot out, taking Inko by hers, as she began marching them off.

"Wait! Where are we going?!"

"We're going to get tea", Mitsuki told her, not bothering to ask for permission, "and then I want to hear all about how that sweet little boy of yours managed to physically destroy a bunch of walls".

"It was only two", she protested.

"Yeah, you're not making this story sound any less interesting", the other woman told her, "now come on, let's get something to drink before I make you spill everything".

"-and I had no idea!"

Masaru, having only grown more amused as the tale went on, raised his eyebrows, even as he lifted his tea to his lips, "None at all?"

"No! I just thought they needed my help with the rest of the children".

"And meanwhile, your son had casually tossed a building block through the wall?"

"Yes!"

"You have to admit", Mitsuki said, setting her own cup down, "it does sound a little odd, especially at that age".

Inko sighed, "Believe me, I know".

"Hell of a Quirk though", Masaru mused, "and so different from yours too".

"Actually, the doctor thought that it might be an advanced form of telekinesis through physical contact, so maybe not so much, but who knows?"

"Cool", Mitsuki grinned, "not every day a Quirk like that pops up".

"Indeed not", Masaru agreed, "if I remember rightly, the old saying is, 'Quirks are bullshit', isn't it?"

For some reason, while she could imagine Mitsuki cussing out an entire squadron of sailors, the sound of the polite and affable Masaru doing the same caused her to giggle, but she managed to compose herself quickly, and found herself asking, "Trust me, you only hear about the good ones. Doctors and nurses, we see far weirder things than you ever get told".

"I'll bet!"

"I can only imagine".

Despite herself, Inko smiled, "What are your Quirks, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Mine's called 'Glycerine', and as you can see", Mitsuki waved a hand in front of her face, "it replaces my sweat with glycerine. For this most part, it just helps constantly moisturise my skin, keeps me looking young-"

"-and beautiful", Masaru interjected.

Mitsuki smiled gently, the softest expression Inko had seen on the other woman's face yet, "I work as a model, so I won't lie say and it doesn't help. Masaru's actually a fashion photographer. That's how we met".

"Cam & Lottie's Fall Collection", Masaru mused, "I remember it well. It was one of my first jobs, and I almost set fire to one of the dresses. If an angel hadn't appeared out of nowhere to help me, I would've been fired for sure".

Inko chuckled, "You set fire to a dress?"

"Almost", he laughed along with her, "my Quirk is 'Acid Sweat', and don't worry, it's very mild, but I was nervous that day, so I kept fidgeting, despite the fact that enough friction can cause the acid to combust, and when it eventually did, a few of the sparks got onto one of the dresses", he shuddered, "thankfully no one noticed before the shoot was over, and even then, they blamed it on heat from the lighting equipment".

"They never knew it was you?"

"No idea", he shrugged, "the second we were done, I all-but ran away. I'm just really glad that girl who helped me, made me stop long enough to give me her number", he reached across the table, threading his fingers with his wife's, "who knows how things would've turned out, if she hadn't".

"That's a lovely story", she told the Bakugos, meaning every word of it. Even sat across the table from them, she could see and feel the love they had for each other.

She wished she had something like that.

"Is there no Mister Midoriya?"

She did her best to smile, and not panic, aware that Mitsuki was looking at her hands, as she held her cup up, examining her fingers for a ring, and shook her head.

"No. I didn't know Izuku's father very long. We weren't even dating and neither of us wanted to stay in contact".

"Does he know?"

"About Izuku?" She shook her head again, "No. I mean, I didn't know until he'd been gone for weeks. I keep an eye out, and if I ever see him again, I'll let him know, but it's just the two of us".

"And you're new here, right?"

"New-ish", she agreed, "I moved here for the job, and liked it enough that we chose to stay. I'm from Endo originally".

"Well that settles it", Mitsuki decided, "you have to let me show you around. I'll help you find all the best spots to get your hair and nails done, and we can go shopping. I've needed to for a while, and retail therapy should always be done with a friend", there was a gleam in Mitsuki's eyes that Inko felt she should be afraid of, "let's hope the brats get along. That way, we can let Masaru babysit while we go out-"

"You do realise that when I'm with Katsuki, it's called parenting, not babysitting, right?"

"-shush dear, and we can enjoy a girls' day out. You should be allowed to have fun too. What do you think?"

"I mean, it does sound nice", she agreed, "but work keeps me pretty busy".

Mitsuki scoffed, "Please, so long as I'm not on a shoot, I'm always able to make myself free, so don't worry about that. You. Me. A girls' day out. What do you say?"

It had quickly become obvious to her that Mitsuki Bakugo was not a woman to be taken lightly, "I think that sounds wonderful".

"Masaru, you're babysitting".

He sighed, "Yes dear".

The first day of pre-school was only a half day, compared to the full day that the others would be, and between worrying about Izuku and chatting with her new friends, Mitsuki and Masaru, Inko found that the wait quickly passed, and before long, the three adults were returning to the school to pick up their sons.

Peeking in, Inko relaxed when she was able to lay eyes on Izuku for the first time in three hours and was happy to find that he was doing okay. He'd calmed down, and was sat beside Katsuki at one of the tiny tables, the two of them seemingly fully engrossed with their colouring in. Izuku had chosen a seat at the edge of the table, and Katsuki had apparently chosen to sit next to him, but there was a gap between him and the next child, as the two boys seemed to be sharing a pot of crayons between the two of them.

"Well, my brat's not trying to kill anyone", Mitsuki mused, turning back to face her husband, "and he's playing with that adorable little boy. We'll call today a win".

Masaru sighed, while Inko couldn't stop herself from giggling, as the two boys traded colours, with Izuku swapping his red crayon for Katsuki's blue one.

"It looks like he made a friend", she said, intending to say it in her head, but instead she said it aloud, and the Bakugos nodded.

"Yes, it looks like they both did".

"Somehow", Mitsuki couldn't help but add under her breath.

They watched them for a few minutes, as the boys sat beside each other and continued to colour in, before Koharu-sensei called for everyone to come and sit together.

They couldn't hear her through the doors, but the children all made their way over to where she was stood, forming a circle around her. She gave them a stern look as she spoke, before the children returned to where they had been, and tidied up, putting their crayons and chairs away, as the few of them who had been drawing and colouring together, picked up their drawings.

Around the room, Inko saw others putting books and toys away, before everyone returned to their place in the circle. Once again, she couldn't hear what she was saying, but she did see her bow, before all of the children copied the motion, and then, one of the teaching assistants opened the doors.

The children grabbed their coats and ran out to greet their parents.

Izuku was no exception, and she braced herself for his grip, as he tackled her legs, hugging her knees. She picked him up, glad to see for herself that he was alright, and hadn't worried too much after she'd left. Apparently, she needn't have worried, because Izuku was grinning when she picked him up, before he gasped.

"Mister Doggo!"

As Izuku swiped his best friend from the pocket of her coat, and immediately launched into the thrilling tale of his day, which was apparently spent drawing pictures of All Might, including the one that he pressed into her hands. As he regaled his stuffed toy, little Katsuki strolled out of the school, and she fought back her chuckle at his childish strut, having apparently decided that he was too cool to run with the other children, before he handed his mother his own picture of All Might.

After admiring it for a moment, she handed it to Masaru, who was made to solemnly promise that he would keep it safe until they got home.

She shared an amused farewell with both Bakugos, promising Mitsuki that they would have their girls' day out, the next time that Inko managed to get a day off from the hospital, before they both nudged their son forwards.

"Go on Kats".

"Be nice. Say goodbye to Izuku".

Inko didn't known that a child that young could look so exasperated, but Katsuki managed it, as he threw his head back, looking and sounding bored, "Goodbye Izuku".

For his part, Izuku didn't seem to be bothered by his new friend's attitude, as he and Mister Doggo waved back frantically, "Bye Kats- bye Katti- Katsi…", Izuku scrunched up his nose in concentration, "Bye Kacchan! I'll see you tomorrow!"

"Don't call me that!"

"Hi Kacchan!"

"Don't call me Kacchan!"

"Bye Kacchan!"

"That's not my name!"

"Now, say goodbye to Izuku and Inko, son".

He huffed, "Goodbye".

"Goodbye Katsuki".

"Bye Kacchan!"

"I said don't call me that!"

"Granmima! Granmima!"

"Whose making all that racket this early in the morning?!"

No doubt worried at being scolded, Inko watched, utterly amused, as Izuku slowed his run down to a brisk walk, and ceased his yelling, as the two of them rounded the side of his grandmother's house, where they found Ima and Sherubi sat out on the back porch together.

Sherubi, no doubt having perked up at the sound of Izuku's voice, immediately bounded over as they approached, his tail wagging behind him, barking his greeting, as he began running circles around them, only pausing when Izuku reached down to scratch his ears, before he rolled onto his back to demand a belly rub.

"Well then", Ima made a show of staring them down, while Inko hung back, content to let her have her fun, "who are you? And why are you here?"

Izuku grinned, showing off all of his pearly white teeth, "It's me Granmima! Momma and I came to visit!"

Ima just shook her head, "The only person who calls me Granmima is Izuku, my grandson".

"That's me!"

"No, it's not".

"Yes, I am!"

Ima sniffed, "You can't be my grandson".

Izuku scowled, "But I am, Granmima, promise".

"I doubt think so, you see", grinning as Izuku looked away, Ima reached over and swept him up, her fingers immediately finding his tummy for a round of tickling, "my grandson's not nearly this tall, but he is ticklish".

Inko couldn't have stopped herself from smiling if she'd tried, not that she did, but who could blame her? Seeing your mother tickling your son senseless, as he squirmed to get away from her, pearls of laughter escaping him with every breath he took.

It didn't last forever, thankfully, no matter how adorable the sight was.

"Alright you two, settle down", she plucked a still giggling Izuku from her mother's grip, idly wondering how her mother managed to still lift him so easily, especially at her age. Even with the use of her Quirk, Izuku wasn't as light as he used to be.

Her boy was growing up so fast.

"Izuku, why don't you tell Grandma about your time at school", she gently bounced him on her lap, as Sherubi trotted back over to them, laying down besides his owner, "and you can tell her all about your new friend".

"Oh, did you make a friend, Sweetie?"

"Yeah! Kacchan!"

Inko smiled, "His names Katsuki. They met on the first day of pre-school, and they've been getting along since", she told her mother, happy to have something good to tell her about Izuku's experiences. Whenever she called her mother for parenting advice, or just to talk about what had been happening, it felt as though she never had anything to say that she could consider, 'positive'. Most of their talks always seemed to be about what had made her worried that week, and what she feared might happen next because of it.

Her son making a friend was a nice change of pace.

"You made a friend, Sweetie?" Izuku nodded his head, and Ima smiled, "well go on then, tell me about him. Is he nice?"

Izuku tilted his head, as he thought about it for a moment, "No".

"Hi Kacchan!"

There was a sigh, one that shouldn't come from the mouth of any child, but Inko recognised it for what it was.

A sigh of defeat.

"Good morning Izuku".

Chapter Text

A My Hero Academia Story

GREEN SON

VOLUME ONE: LAST SON

Part One: Secret Origin

Chapter Three: The Boys

There was nothing special about that day, but when he looked back, Izuku would remember it clearly.

The day everything began to change.

It wasn't a quick change. It wasn't some form of quick strike and instantly, everything was different. It wasn't carried out with speed of a gunshot, but was instead, it was done slowly, one small piece at a time, vanishing and changing, and the one day, he realised that there was very little left.

Still, despite that, he knew exactly when it had started. Izuku would remember the date, even years later.

The year was 2215.

The month was April.

The date was the fifteenth.

And it was a Tuesday.

Kacchan's birthday was next week, and Izuku was excited about it. He was going to be four already and Uncle Masaru and Auntie Mitsuki had been busy planning an All Might themed birthday party for him, and he and all of their friends from class had been invited to it. Momma had helped him pick out Kacchan's birthday present, and they had gone out to the big shops at the weekend to buy it.

It was only April, but the day itself was sunny, more so than usual, and it was particularly warm, which was probably what helped it happen that day.

The day started the same as any other.

"Good morning Izuku".

"Hi Kacchan!"

"Don't call me that!"

He and Kacchan had said hello to each other at the school gates, before going inside with Koharu-sensei. They were learning more numbers today, which was fun. They sat in a circle together and practiced counting, as they played 'pass the ball'. When he'd started school, Momma had made him promise that he'd be careful when he had to move things, and Koharu-sensei said he wasn't allowed to throw it too hard.

He might hurt someone.

He didn't want to anyone.

All Might didn't hurt people, and he was the strongest person ever. If he had to be careful, then Izuku would be too.

When Lia passed them ball to him, and it was his turn to answer, he did, but instead of throwing it, he just handed the ball to Kacchan. They were stood next to each other in the circle, so all he had to do was turn to him and hold out his hand.

"Okay Katsuki, pass the ball to someone else".

Kacchan chose to give the ball to Serin, who was on the opposite side of the circle form them, throwing it as hard as he could, and is the ball left his hands, Izuku's eyes stung. His nose burned at the smell, and he clamped his hands over his ears, the noise piercing his skull, leaving the faintest ringing in its wake.

Blinking away his tears, he saw that others were looking the same way he was, crouched and hunched over, as they also tried to protect their hearing.

Across the room, Serin had been sick. The ball had hit him in the stomach badly, and now he was crying.

What happened, he wondered for a moment, before he turned to face Kacchan, who was still staring at his hands.

He'd thrown the ball, but as he let go, his hand had exploded.

And just like that, everything around them changed.

"Wow!"

"That's so cool!"

"So powerful!"

"That's such a cool Quirk!"

"It's the perfect Quirk for a Pro Hero!"

"-and then Kacchan threw the ball, but his hand went 'BOOM', and", Izuku cheerfully recounted his story to his mom, while she carefully checked his ears, "it was so bright and loud-"

"Yes, Sweetie, I know. Now hold still for a moment", she tilted his head, and checked inside his ear, but frowned at what she saw.

Nothing.

There was nothing wrong with her son.

That shouldn't have been possible.

Human beings had developed more robust bodies in the years since Quirks had become commonplace. The presence of even trace amounts of Quirk factors seemed to increase the body's durability, and that was without counting those who had actual musculoskeletal reinforcements as part of their Quirk.

It seemed as though young Katsuki's body was reinforced to help deal with his Explosion Quirk, with one noticeable improvement being that his eyes and ears had developed in a way that meant they were adapted to survive proximity with constant and repeated exposure to his explosions. He wouldn't have to worry about going blind or deaf simply from using of his Quirk.

When the hospital had been contacted to expect a mass influx of students, who had been in close proximity to an explosion, Inko had felt her heart leap into her throat. The full explanation hadn't done much to soothe her fears, nor the myriad of other worried parents that had convened at the hospital but being able to examine the children had started to put them all back at ease.

Doctor Tsubasa had personally seen to Katsuki and set about registering his Quirk, with Inko's knowledge coming of the regular updates Mitsuki was sending to her phone.

The hospital had sent a pair of plastic surgery residents down to examine the children's ears, helping to determine if anyone had any serious damage. There had been a bit of blood, a lot of ringing and plenty of dizziness, but so far, it seemed as though no one needed to be taken in and prepped for a myringoplasty.

Inko thanked the heavens for small mercies.

She and a few of the other nurses had helped the surgeons with the more pressing exams, but then had taken over for the obviously less serious cases, which thankfully included Izuku.

She'd taken over his exam herself, but she hadn't found anything wrong with him, which just didn't make any sense.

She'd seen the results of her son's incredible strength, and she knew enough about Quirks to know that it stood to reason that there would be some element of enhanced durability to go along with it, to stop big or heavy objects from hurting him, but still, this was something else.

The teachers had said that Izuku was stood next to Katsuki, (to neither her, nor the Bakugo's surprise), and by that, he should've had the worst of it: the loudest part of the bang, the harshest flash of the light, but apparently, Izuku was completely fine. His exam showed no sign of damage, his ears were fine, as were his eyes and he reported no problems with his hearing or his vision either.

Enhanced durability was one thing.

This was something else entirely.

"Nothing?"

She shook her head, "Nothing. Not even a bit of redness from inflammation".

"Pain?"

"No".

"Ringing?"

"No".

"Pus?"

"No".

"Blood?"

"No".

"Earache?"

"No".

She tapped her fingers on her porch railings, as she tried to remember symptoms, "Elevated temperature?"

Inko smiled, even as she shook her head, "As cool as ever".

"Just what kind of power does he have?"

"Some kind of overall body enhancement, I suppose", she leant over, resting her forearms on the railings, "but a lot of those get stronger as the users get older, but that's assuming his body works the same as a normal humans".

"Hmm… and he's already strong", Ima mused, before shrugging, "or at least, he's supposed to be. Not that I've ever seen".

"Honestly, if it wasn't for the one incident with the building block and that one time he lifted my entire sofa above his head, I wouldn't know he had it either".

"Age-related growth, I would assume".

"Probably", she sighed, "it's more common, but static would be easier to deal with".

"Trust me, children are never easy to deal with".

"Oh, believe me Mother, I know".

Stretched out in front of them, the two women watched on in silence as Izuku played with Sherubi, throwing his favourite ball about the garden and letting him fetch it, before turning it into a brief game of tug-of-war, only to start the entire process again.

"He wants to be a hero".

It was the first time she'd ever said the words out loud.

Izuku adored heroes, and he especially loved All Might. He had toys and posters galore, and he and little Katsuki were forever drawings pictures of them all. Even now, at least a half dozen of them were magnetically attached to her refrigerator, and she was quite certain that all of them featured the World's Symbol of Peace and Justice in some form of fashion.

Izuku and Katsuki both idolised the man, and Inko could see why. He was brave, courageous and forthright, and he gave off an air of victory, no matter what he was doing. He was a symbol of the best qualities that mankind had to offer, and had influenced children worldwide into doing their best, going beyond and being 'plus ultra!'.

And Izuku wanted that too.

He wanted to help save people with a fearless smile, and with his strength and apparent durability, Inko knew that he would be a good fit for the profession one day, and the more she realised that fact, the more it terrified her.

Because being a Pro Hero, especially one like All Might meant being exposed.

It meant people, everywhere, not just in Japan, but all around the world having their eyes on you.

And what if… what if someone realised what he was?

They'd come and they'd take her baby away from her.

And she'd be powerless to stop them.

No one, not even All Might himself, had the power to take on the entire world, and when that day came, and if Izuku tried to walk that path, Inko knew that it just might, then she knew she'd lose that fight.

She wouldn't stand a chance.

"Yes, you will", Ima told her, and she winced.

Apparently, she still needed to work on her mumbling habit.

Her mother chuckled, "I haven't heard you do that since you were what, seventeen, eighteen? Since before nursing school anyway. It must really be weighing on you".

"I just- what if they-"

"Let me stop you right there, Sweetie", she knocked their shoulders together, "don't start asking yourself what if when it comes to your children, or you'll never be calm again. Just deal with the facts of the matter. He wants to be a hero. It's dangerous, for more than just the usual reasons in his case. You don't want him to. He has a decade before he begins looking at schools, just let him be a boy, let him live in fantasyland and grow up a little more, before you start trying to turn him into an accountant, or maybe a doctor".

"How about a lawyer?" Inko teased.

"That would work too", Ima agreed, watching as Izuku threw the ball too far and it tumbled under her husband's old truck, "something nice and respectable, at least, with good money. You can get him a nice suit, two-piece, in black or light grey".

"Not blue?"

"Ugh, not with our hair colour".

Izuku scrambled to help Sherubi reach for the ball he'd thrown, but it was apparently too far under the truck for him to reach, and she nudged Inko's attention towards it.

"Hang on a moment, Sweetie. We'll help you get it".

Izuku turned to face them, "It's okay Momma. We got it".

Ima was just about to dispute that fact, not seeing the ball in his hand or Sherubi's mouth, when Izuku moved from his position lying down to crouching, and firmly gripped the front bumper.

For as long as she continued to live, Ima would never forget the sight of her three-year-old grandson lifting the front of her husband's old truck clearly above his head.

"Sherubi", Izuku said, without a hint of strain in his tone, "fetch".

The dog darted in, and after a moment, returned with her favourite blue ball in her mouth, and her tail wagging happily behind her. She dropped the ball, slick with saliva, at Izuku's feet, as he lowered the truck back down to the floor, letting it drop it the last few centimetres.

"Come on Sherubi. Fetch!"

He threw the ball again, and ran with the dog, chasing after it, and he probably needed supervision, but all Ima could focus on was her husband's old truck, which had stopped moving now, and was once again completely stationary.

"So… he's strong".

"Yeah".

"Overall body enhancement though, so he's durable too".

"Yeah".

"How about that".

"Yeah".

"Happy birthday Kacchan!"

A tired sigh, which Inko couldn't help but be amused by, escaped a pair of young lips, as, sharing her grin with Mitsuki over the top of their heads, the Bakugo's welcomed them for Little Katsuki's birthday party, "I told you not to call me that", the birthday boy then offered them a formal bow, which they returned, "please come in".

Izuku helped up the box he'd carried in, wrapped carefully in smiling All Might faces, "We brought you a present!"

Katsuki thanked them both for the present, offering them a formal bow, before offering them both a party hat. Inko politely declined, needing to leave shortly to begin her shift, but Izuku happily took one. The hats were All Might blue, with his red and white diamond symbol around the middle, and naturally, Inko couldn't help but think, were complete with two golden spikes of hair, sticking up from the front of the hat.

Inko left the boys to it for a moment, as Katsuki showed Izuku where he could put his jacket away and took the coffee Mitsuki was already handing her.

"How's he been? With his Quirk?"

The nurse in her was curious. She'd heard tales from nurses of children who panicked when given abilities that had the potential to frighten them, but she had a feeling that Katsuki would prove himself more resilient than most.

"You mean Mister Explosion down there?" She shrugged, even if there was a faint smile on her lips, "Loud, mostly. Well, louder than usual, at any rate. He tried using his Quirk for fun, but we ended that when he tried to make his own toast with it".

Inko grinned, "He didn't".

"Burnt breadcrumbs all over my kitchen", the woman shook her head, "what about you and little 'Zuku, did you enjoy your weekend trip to see your mother?"

"I did, yes, and Izuku's always happy to see Sherubi, if not Grandma herself".

"Well, that's nice. My parents are both gone, and Masaru's live too far away for anything other than a proper trip".

"I remember you saying they lived in Imabetsu, right?"

"Right up north, yeah", she sighed, taking a sip with her coffee, "but never mind that, how was your trip to Grandma's house?"

"Fine, like I said. He likes it up there, Grandma likes seeing him and he'll take any excuse to play with a dog".

Mitsuki smiled, "Apartment too small for a puppy?"

"Banned by the building", Inko told her, "and if we ever move, I just need to make sure that the next one is too, or I'll end up finding myself with a dozen strays living out of my bathtub".

Mitsuki snorted, "I can just imagine him looking up at you, those big expressive eyes while he cuddles them all".

She shook her head, "He'd never let me get rid of them".

"Inko and her hundred dalmatians".

"Izuku and his hundred dalmatians", she corrected, "Inko's not walking and feeding them".

"You don't want to play fetch all day long?" Mitsuki teased.

"Not a chance", she shook her head, before brightening up, "but that does remind me, how would you like to hear the latest tale in my story of the son with superstrength?"

Mitsuki's eyes lit up, "Newer than lifting up your table?"

"My sofa", she corrected.

"Right, right", Mitsuki waved it off, eager for the good gossip, "well come on, tell me already, what did he do now?"

"He played fetch with Sherubi, and after a while, they managed to get the ball to roll underneath by father's old truck".

"I already love where this is going".

"It was pretty far in there, so I told him to wait a minute and we'd help him get it", she shook her head, "all he does is turn back to look at me and go, 'it's okay, we got it', and then, casual as you like, grabs the truck by its front bumper and lifts the entire front half straight up, above his head".

"Ha!" Mitsuki erupted into giggles, "Course he did. Let me guess, they got the ball back and went back to playing, like nothing had happened".

She shrugged, "Yeah, but at least his Grandma finally got to see his Quirk in action".

Inko smiled as her son clambered into his safety seat, taking care to properly buckle himself in under her watchful eye, "Did you have a nice time at the party, Izuku?"

"Yeah", he sat back against his seat, and she dutifully handed over Mister Doggo, who Izuku immediately tucked into his side, and she couldn't help but notice his response was at odds with the upset expression on his face.

"Are you okay, Sweetie?"

"Yeah".

She reached behind her, the fingers of her left-hand toying with the hem of his trousers, "Did something happen? Would you like to talk about it?"

He sighed, "No, Momma".

She wiggled his foot, "Okay, shall we go then?"

"Yes, please".

"Good morning Kacchan!"

"Good morning, Ku".

Inko blinked, as there was a cackle of noise and light, and after a moment, she realised that it had been little Katsuki, using his Quirk in the palm of his hand.

"Stop that", his mother hissed, quickly running some of the wet wipes that her husbanded handed her, over his palms to remove any smoke residue. The smoke was a light whitish grey in colour, instead of a more worrying hue of dark grey and black, wafting up away from his skin, and while the nurse in Inko screamed out for her to pin his hands down and make sure he was safe, the annoyed expression that Mitsuki spouted made her think that the youngest Bakugo had spent the weekend testing out his new ability.

"Long weekend?"

Mitsuki glowered, "You don't know the half of it", she shuddered, "let's just say that burnt breadcrumbs are the least of our concerns".

"That bad?"

"He ruined my favourite tablecloth".

"I'm sorry".

"Masaru's mother gave it to us as an anniversary gift one year".

"Oh?"

"It had a print that was identical to the one we had at our wedding".

"Hmm".

"And now there are burnt handprints right in the middle of it".

She winced.

"So, we've decided to swap to paper ones".

"That sounds sensible".

Mitsuki sighed, pinching the bridge between her nose, while Masaru moved to keep a better eye on the boys, who were now standing with a group of other children.

"I just want to get through today without any issues", she rolled her shoulders, and Inko noted, not for the first time, just how tense she seemed, "he keeps trying to find excuses to get away with using his Quirk, and if he doesn't learn to knock it on the head now-"

"He might never", Inko finished for her, understanding her concerns, "makes me grateful that Izuku's strength seems to come and go. Hopefully, by the time he's old enough to control it properly, he'll be so used to not having it that he won't think to use it".

"If only we were all so lucky".

When he had accidentally thrown a block through the wall at the hospital, Momma had sat down with him, and made him promise to never ever use his strength against other people for fun. Only real Pro Heroes, like All Might, were allowed to use their powers, and then, only against villains, and if All Might wasn't allowed to use his powers against his friends, then he wasn't allowed to, either.

That made sense to him.

"I promise", he'd said, and he'd been very careful since. Just like she asked, he never threw things, or tried to pick up the big things. Koharu-sensei always told him he was doing a good job when he handed people things instead of throwing them, or placing them down gently, and Izuku knew that that was a good thing.

He didn't think Kacchan knew it though.

He kept clapping his hands together and making them go, 'boom', even though other people didn't like it.

Zia had big ears, like a bunny, and it was hurting her. She kept putting her hands over them when she heard the 'boom', but Kacchan just laughed.

"Heroes need to be tough Ku", Kacchan told him, and he nodded, because heroes did need to be tough, "if she wants to be a hero, then she needs to be tougher".

That made sense too, but, "What if she doesn't want to be a hero?"

Kacchan laughed, "Everyone wants to be a hero! Don't you?"

He did… but he didn't want to be mean to Zia either, or anyone else.

"Come on Ku, let's go play heroes - and I'm gonna be All Might!"

Karin hit the floor rolling, as Kacchan took the ball from her, and when she sat up, her glasses were wonky on her face, and she looked sad.

"You need to be faster", Kacchan told her, "heroes need to be fast".

Izuku ran back when he heard Jimu yelling.

They were playing heroes and villains, and it was Jimu's turn to play the hero, while the rest of them went and hid. They'd only been playing for a few minutes when Izuku heard him yelling.

He'd ran back over to make sure that he was okay, only to find him on the floor, while Kacchan stood over him.

"You're cheating!"

Kacchan scoffed, "What kind of hero can't beat the villains".

"I found you - you're out!"

"You didn't beat me though".

"I found you!"

"It doesn't matter if I won though".

"Kacchan", he said, not wanting anyone to fight, "if Jimu found you, you're out".

He scowled, "Whatever. I want to play something else".

"Heroes are always strong, so they always win", Kacchan told him, as Li ran away, "and I'm strong, so I always win".

"You're being mean".

Kacchan stamped his feet, "That kid had a weak Quirk, and he was a wimp, and a crybaby, so I made sure he knew his place!"

Izuku stood up and walked away, as he started looking for his momma.

"Where are you going?"

"I don't want to play anymore. I'm going home".

"Well tell the extra to get out of my way!"

"Stop it! You're being mean!"

"I'm being a hero! What are you doing?"

"I don't want to play with you anymore".

"Kacchan! Stop it!"

The boy in question just scoffed in response, "Get out of the way Ku".

"You're being mean!"

Their moms had taken them to the park, while Uncle Masaru was busy editing his new photographs. Izuku was sitting in the sandbox, when he looked up and saw Bolin running away, because his brother Mako was being picked on by three other boys.

Izuku recognised all three of them from his class, but it was his best friend that stood out from the rest of them. He looked around for his Momma or Aunt Mitsuki, but he couldn't see them anywhere.

And Mako was crying.

"Say sorry!" Kacchan yelled, as he pushed Mako back over, his hands lighting up with the power of his Quirk, as he grabbed at Mako's arms.

Enough was enough.

"That's enough!"

He didn't like shouting, but this time, he needed to. The four other boys turned to look at him as he stomped over and did his best not to trip over his own feet.

"Ku", Kacchan rolled his eyes, "what are you doing?"

"I'm here to help".

"Ha", he turned back to look at Mako, "see, now you have to say sorry".

"I didn't come to help you", he said, looking past him towards Mako, who was clutching his arm, "are you okay?"

Mako nodded slowly, but that was enough for Kacchan, who stepped between them, "Why are you helping him? he deserves it", the boy huffed, "and someone needs to teach him to get off the swings when it's my turn".

"You're acting like a bully, Kacchan, and you need to stop".

"I'm not acting like a bully!"

"Yes, you are", he pointed at Mako, "he's already crying, and I won't let you hurt him anymore".

"You won't let me? Hah!" Kacchan laughed at him, while their other friends nodded along, "You can't stop me. See!"

Kacchan stepped forwards, his hands bright and shining, cackling with his Quirk, as he made to grab Izuku's jacket. Behind him, Tsubasa flapped his big red wings, and Nobunga made his fingers grow as long as his forearms, bending them until they looked like claws.

He ignored the other two, but Kacchan wouldn't let him ignore him. He ran up to him, grabbing him by his jacket, and set off his Quirk.

"Ah!"

It hurt.

His Quirk, Explosion, detonated against his skin. It was hot and felt like he was being pinched a hundred times, at the same time.

"Not so tough now, are ya", Kacchan laughed, as the smoke in front of him cleared, revealing the ruined shirt he was now wearing, and the marks on his favourite jacket. Mister Doggo tumbled out, no longer tucked away in his inner pocket, but before he could collect him, Kacchan snapped him up.

"Pff", Kacchan held him up by his neck, "you're too old for toys", he shrugged, "you should get rid of him".

Then, with Mister Doggo still secure in his grip, Bakugo let loose his Quirk.

Grandma Ima had bought him Mister Doggo, when she told him that she couldn't let him take Sherubi home with him, because he wasn't allowed in the big cities. She'd made him promise to look after Mister Doggo instead, and he had. He'd promised her, and then he'd looked after Mister Doggo; he cleaned him, took him everywhere they went together as a walk and played with him all of the time.

And now?

He sniffed, trying to stop himself from crying like a baby and stood up, ignoring Mako as he ran away to find his brother and father, and all he felt was angry.

He took Mister Doggo from Bakugo's hand.

He reached out, grabbing his wrist and squeezing tightly, until Bakugo let go of Mister Doggo with a gasp. Snatching him from the air, he tucked him safely away inside his jacket, before letting go of his arm to zip himself up properly.

It should've stopped there.

Izuku should've stopped there.

But he was so angry.

His friend was being mean for no reason, and now? Now he had hurt Mister Doggo too.

He waited for Bakugo to stand back up, and when he did, he was angry too.

"Ku", he managed to ground out, "you're fucking DEAD!"

He lashed out, his hand lighting up with am explosive punch, but Izuku decided no more, and as Bakugo stepped forwards, he shoved him in the chest with all of the strength he had and sent him flying backwards.

He breathed out, heavily, his anger dissipating with a sense of satisfaction, as Kacchan flew through the air.

And kept flying.

He hadn't meant to push him that far.

He just kept going.

He went past the sandbox, and the swings, and even the slide. There was a big tree in the park, (there were lots of trees, actually), but this was one of the biggest, with bright pink petals at the top.

And then he slammed into it.

The trunk splintered and shattered, as pink petals rained down around him. The tree creaked, squeaked and groaned, before it gave way to gravity and tipped over.

And then the yelling started.

"What the hell was that?!"

"Oh my god!"

"The tree! The tree!"

"Quick! Get the kids!"

"SOMEONE'S BEEN HURT! CALL ONE-ONE-NINE!"

"Oh my god… that's blood… we need an ambulance!"

"Izuku?!"

"Katsuki?! That's my son! MOVE! KATSUKI! KATSUKI!"

Chapter Text

A My Hero Academia Story

GREEN SON

VOLUME ONE: LAST SON

Part One: Secret Origin

Chapter Four: Deku

"And remember-"

"To be careful, yes Mom, I know", he finished buttoning up his collar, before mumbling under his breath, "you remind me often enough".

"What was that, Sweetie?"

"Nothing Mom".

"That's what I thought", she said dryly, as she stepped around the corner, already wearing her pale blue nurse's scrubs, "are you ready?"

He nodded, "I'm ready".

His mom wore plain white orthopaedic trainers for work, allowing her to walk and run comfortably as needed, while his choice was a bit more fun. Aldera Junior High School mandated its gakuran uniform, but it had no strict guidelines on its student's choice of footwear, which meant that Izuku was allowed to wear his classic Air Might Series XX trainers, in bright red with white lining, without any issues.

"Then let's go".

They both put on their shoes, his mother doubly making sure that she had tightened her laces, knowing that they could become a safety hazard, as they stepped outside and she locked the door behind them, before they headed down the apartment's stairs and towards the car.

It was part of their routine now.

Every morning, they left their small apartment together and piled into his mom's even smaller car, which served to make him feel more and more cramped, the older and taller he got. Mom would drop him off at Aldera Junior High School for his day before she continued onto the hospital. Once school was out, Izuku would take the train up to the hospital and spend a few hours of his time volunteering. They'd eat dinner together in the hospital cafeteria, which thankfully had nice food, before her twelve-hour shift was over and they'd drive home.

It was a nice routine.

There was only a single blight in it, as far as Izuku was concerned.

Aldera Junior High School.

Izuku really didn't like that place.

He'd said he hated it once, but his mother had been insistent that he didn't. Hatred was a 'real emotion', she'd told him, a raw one that ate at you, leaving only pain and anger behind, and if you didn't actually feel it, then you shouldn't say that you did.

Now that he was thirteen, he knew his mom had a point. Hatred and anger could be dangerous, and when you were as strong as Izuku was, you had to be careful.

He'd used his powers against someone angrily once before.

He promised his mom and his Grandmima, (and himself), that he'd never let it happen again.

"Good morning Izuku".

"Good morning".

"Hey man!"

"Hey".

"Hi Izuku".

"Hi Sen".

Izuku smiled as he took his seat in his homeroom class, setting out his notebook and pencils, and setting them down neatly. Homura-sensei gave him a nod in greeting as he sat down, from where he was enjoying his morning coffee at the front of the room.

A few of their other classmates joined them, as the time for morning bell grew closer and closer. Some of them were content to ignore him, while a few others waved in greeting or simply nodded. Izuku liked most of his classmates well enough but given that he spent all of his free time volunteering at the hospital, he couldn't really say that any of them were good friends.

He just didn't know them well enough.

Or rather, he only really knew one of them at all.

With all of the casual force his arms were capable of, Bakugo threw open the door, letting it slam against the adjacent wall, before he wheeled himself inside, with all of the anger his body could muster.

Years ago, he had used to call Bakugo 'Kacchan'. Back then, they'd been friends, best friends, before one day when they had gotten into a children's spat, and after Bakugo had damaged his favourite toy, Izuku had lost his temper. He'd shoved Bakugo with all of the force he could muster, which for him, was quite a lot to consider, and the result had thrown him clear across the park they'd been in. Bakugo had collided with a cherry blossom tree, and as the trunk had shattered on impact, so too had Bakugo's spine.

He'd lost consciousness and blood, (and three of his milk teeth), but the doctor's had managed to stabilise him. They'd done everything they could to save him, and they'd succeeded, but after weeks of rest, recuperation and recovery, it had become clear that while most of Bakugo would be just fine, he would never regain the full use of his legs.

And it was his fault.

Mom had warned him about using his strength.

Grandmima had warned him about using his strength.

Koharu-sensei had warned him about using his strength.

Doctor Tsubasa had warned him against using his strength.

And he hadn't listened.

He'd gotten angry, he'd used his strength, and Bakugo had been the one to pay the price for it.

The police had been called, naturally, after a child was traumatically injured, but there was nothing that could be done about it. The age of criminality in Japan was fourteen, and Izuku had only been four at the time. Even if it hadn't been an accident, he simply wasn't old enough to be charged with a crime, so there was no legal punishment for it.

There'd been a lawsuit, he remembered being mentioned, but he was old enough now to know that it had been a civil lawsuit, and not a criminal one, between the Bakugo Family and his mom, who was legally responsible for him and any actions he took. He didn't know what the outcome was, (his mom had never actually told him about the lawsuit), but he assumed that it hadn't ended well, because what he did know was that they hadn't spoken since.

Before he'd hurt Bakugo that day, their moms had been friends, and good friends at that. He could remember calling Mitsuki and Masaru, 'Auntie' and 'Uncle', and he knew that Bakugo had done the same for his mom, calling her 'Auntie Inko'. He'd spent his time at their house, instead of at the hospital's daycare, during the times when his mom had been looking to picking up extra shifts.

Naturally, that had all changed on the day he'd crippled their son.

Understandably, in his mind, they had no desire to see him or to look after him following the incident, so he'd spent his free time either sitting in the hospital daycare, helping with the daycare as he got older, and then, when he'd gotten old enough to properly assist the staff, earning himself community service hours, which would look good on his application to U.A. in a few years, and which he desperately needed, given that he had no extra-curricular activities that he could list on his forms.

U.A. wasn't just one of the few national hero schools in the world - and only one of two that could be found in Japan - it was considered to be the school to go to. Their entrance requirements were the strictest in all of Japan, and that was just to be given permission to take the exam. They produced internationally ranked Pro Heroes and were responsible for the training of more the one national Number One Pro Hero.

They were considered to have the finest heroics course in the world for a reason.

Their exams were held under secrecy agreements, changing their layout once every four years, and the few people that had attempted to circumvent their agreements had found themselves quickly silenced and prosecuted, as U.A. sought to prevent future leaks by coming down extremely hard on those that spoke out.

Each of the standard subjects required for U.A. had their own individual paper-based exams: Japanese Language, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, English and Ethics. Those exams lasted an hour each, and then, if you scored well enough on those, you would be invited back for the second set of exams a few weeks later.

As a prospective heroics course student, Izuku would have to be invited back to take the heroics exam, which was a practical exam, and only if he managed to score high enough on the exam to score within the top thirty-six standard applicants, would he be offered a place at U.A. in the next year alongside the four students that were admitted on recommendation.

The processes for the students that had been recommended to U.A. by past alumni were supposedly different than U.A.'s usual admissions process, but there was next to no information available about them online. All he could find was a single note in U.A.'s academic policies that stated that their alumni were only permitted to make a single recommendation, with no exceptions, for the duration of their career.

The additional exam for the support courses was also a practical exam, he knew, while the exams for any of U.A.'s standard education courses were additional paper-based exams. The business courses was more in-depth and harder to get into again, as the prospective students had to submit a portfolio of work, and if the competition was particularly fierce, could be called in to defend it.

And he only had two years to prepare himself for it.

If he was serious about gaining admittance into U.A., then he needed to start preparing this year. His school marks were top tier, (he and his mom had both noticed that he seemed to have perfect recall when he focused, which made school a lot easier), and he had his work at the hospital to supplement his application, but if he wanted to pass the practical exam, then he probably needed to find a way to safely train his Quirk too.

There were a few registered Quirk gyms in the city, (seven in total, he knew, he'd checked), but they were expensive, (ridiculously so), and he already knew without asking that his mother couldn't afford to pay for one. Izuku didn't consider himself to have ever been lacking for anything, but he couldn't say that, growing up, money had ever been something that they'd had plenty of.

He'd heard about the cheaper, underground options, but they were not only inherently more dangerous, but they were also illegal, and if he was caught in one, then he could kiss his U.A. dream goodbye before it ever got started.

There were probably a few public places that he could get away with practicing control over his strength, but if he was seen doing so by the police, then they'd put unlicenced public Quirk use of his record and, again, he could say goodbye to U.A. before ever he stepped foot in there.

No… he needed to find some other way of doing things, in a manner that wouldn't get him arrested with a juvenile record.

Besides his potential admission into U.A., if he ever got in trouble with the police, his mother would flip out.

She already worried about him too much as it was.

"-riya… is anyone in there? Midoriya?!"

He blinked and realised that Homura-sensei was calling his name, "I'm sorry Homura-sensei, I must've drifted off for a moment".

"It's rollcall, Midoriya, I know it's probably not the most exciting part of your day but do try and pay attention".

He felt his cheeks flush in embarrassment, "Yes sir, sorry sir, and err… present".

"Thank you. Muna?"

"Present".

"Thank you. Nori?"

With his thanks, Izuku took his lunch tray and looked around for a place to sit. There was a mostly empty table towards the front of the room, so he made his way over and sat on the edge, nodding briefly at his two upperclassmen, who ignored him.

He drank his miso soup down quickly, savouring the taste, before moving onto his salad with shredded chicken. He had just finished the last of it, leaving himself only with an apple and what remained of his bottled milk, when he felt him behind him.

"Move. You're in my spot".

He took a breath, "Hello, Bakugo".

"I said move".

"You're welcome to sit down, wherever you like".

"I like it here. Move".

He bit back the urge to sigh, and simply slid himself over a seat, moving his tray with him, "There you go, Kacchan".

He smiled brightly, knowing how much it would irritate him, while Bakugo's two lackeys, ever present behind him, snickered at the sound of his childhood kenning, which only served to bother him more. Growling, Bakugo's hand snapped out towards the glass bottle of his milk, but Izuku's reaction was faster, and he clamped his hand around the other boy's wrist.

The moment he did, he felt his hands begin to heat up in his grip, while Freaky Fingers and Wings both took a step forwards, looming over his shoulders. The boys had names, but ever since they'd started hanging around with Bakugo, nobody bothered to use them anymore, instead using the same nicknames he did for his lackeys.

He eyed the duo, but neither made to move any further than they already had, while Bakugo wrenched his arm free of his grip, and Izuku moved his tray further from the boy's reach.

"When I said, move", Bakugo leant in, using the admittedly rather impressive strength of his arms to push himself up from his chair, "I meant get off the table, bastard".

He chuckled, "I'm sorry, but is that meant to be an insult. So, I don't have a father, who cares?"

"Apparently your slut of a mother doesn't".

Izuku didn't remember standing up, but a moment later, he was stood over Bakugo, with the collar of his jacket firmly in his grip and the pointed knuckles of his fingers pressing against his windpipe. Freaky Fingers and Wings both took a step backwards, startled by his movement, as the lunchroom fell silent, until you could hear the creaking of Izuku's fist, as his grip tightened.

"Go on then, do it", Bakugo whispered, his amused anger lacing every word he spoke, "if you think you've finally got the balls, take a fucking swing… Deku".

He took a deep breath through his nose, exhaling slowly, audibly, though his mouth, before he loosened his grip, letting Bakugo drop the six inches back into his chair.

"Yeah", Bakugo smirked, "that's what I thought", he scoffed, "wants to be a hero, doesn't even have the balls to throw a fucking punch. Defensive Izuku… all you're good for is standing there and taking a beating", he pushed himself up, trying to draw himself up so that they were eye-to-eye, but scowling when he failed, as Izuku refused to lower himself down to speak to him, "now get off my fucking table".

Gritting his teeth, Izuku moved.

"Where is he?!"

"Bastard can't have gotten far!"

"Come on boys… it's time for Quirk practice!"

"De-ku-uuu… where are you-uuu?!"

Izuku ducked into the nearest classroom, as Bakugo and his usual gang of lackeys passed him by. Freaky Fingers and Wings had apparently been joined by Stretchy Eyes and Beaky, and the fivesome were looking to use him to practice their Quirks on.

Between his durability and his inability to hit them back without potentially killing them, they felt he made for the ideal target, but the desire burned within him, to just strike back.

Just once.

That's all it would take. One solid blow from him to just one of them, and he knew that none of them would ever bother him again.

And yet…

And yet, if he did, he didn't know if he would be able to stop himself from hurting them.

So, instead, he sat down against the empty classroom's wall and waited.

He counted to ten in the comfort of his own mind, taking a breath in between each number, and once he hit ten, he poked his head outside, making sure that the coast was, temporarily, clear.

He'd tried asking the faculty for help before, but none of them wanted to be seen disciplining the kid in the wheelchair, especially with such a powerful Quirk, who had already stated his desire to enter U.A., and smart as he was, Izuku had to admit that Bakugo had a good chance of making it too.

All of which meant that Izuku was on his own.

Thankfully, he just needed to make it outside, to one of the spots that didn't have a camera, without being seen, and then he could be off to meet his mother at the hospital without anyone being any the wiser.

It had been a day just like this one, when he had first discovered his power.

Freaky Fingers and Wings had managed to find him out near the kitchens, and Bakugo had followed, lighting up his palms in anticipation, when Izuku had managed to get away.

He slipped out that same set of doors now, and after checking that none of the school's staff were nearby, tightened the straps of his bag, and tucked his jacket into his trousers.

"Deku!"

"There he is!"

"Hey Deku! Just wait up a minute!"

"Yeah… we just wanna talk!"

He'd fallen for that one before, (more than once, actually), but now? Now he knew better, and simply didn't bother turning back around.

"See you later boys", he called out, before focusing, taking one step forwards, and then… he ran.

Around him, people seemed to slow down, moving at less than a quarter of their normal speed, as Izuku ran past them. Some of them were able to make him out, as he ran towards the train station, but others simply didn't notice, too consumed by their phones and tablets, missing his presence entirely, as he raced past them at a superhuman speed.

Weaving in and out of people, he checked the traffic at the crossings before he raced across the road, double-checking that no one had accidentally stepped out into it, before he crossed through the children's park and ducked in at the side of the station.

He gave himself a quick pat down, making sure that the friction hadn't set fire to his bag, jacket or trousers (again), before slipping his train pass out of his pocket.

"Hi Suro".

"Good afternoon Midoriya", the laid-back operator checked as Izuku scanned his pass, the screen lighting up green, "alright, go on".

He smiled, "I'll see you tomorrow".

"Yeah, yeah, same time, same place, now go on, before you miss your train".

He looked down and saw that his train was pulling into a stop, and immediately took off running at a normal place, down the stairs, "Bye Suro!"

He shook his head, as he turned his attention back to the phone he had hidden beneath his desk, "Crazy kids".

His mom had been a nurse at Shizuoka Medical Centre for as long as Izuku could remember. He'd grown up in the hospital, and in that time, he'd seen his mom go from being a standard apprentice nurse, to a registered nurse, who was helping to supervise her department, to being the Deputy Chief Nurse, helping to coordinate all of the hospital nurses.

He was really proud of her.

He knew that it wasn't easy, being a single mother and working a full-time job, working in twelve hour shifts with barely enough time for a nap squeezed in. He did everything he could to make it easier for her, but he also knew that she worried about him, especially when she couldn't see him. The accident with his Quirk had been nearly eight years ago, but he knew that like him, she remained worried that something like it would happen again.

And that wasn't something he could wave off.

There was no obvious solution.

"Hi Izuku", Mari, the ever-cheerful receptionist greeted him with a happy wave of her orange-skinned hand, "where are you working today?"

"I'm on meal deliveries", he told her, as he signed himself in, "so I'll be up and about for the rest of the afternoon. Busy day?"

She shrugged, "No more so than usual".

"That's good news".

"Yep", she replied cheerfully, popping the 'p' as she spoke, "now get up there. Hungry folks won't feed themselves, you know".

"You just want me to sneak you down some coffee and cake", he teased, and was rewarded with her orange cheeks flushing a brilliant shade of red.

"You're so mean!"

"Even when I bring you down free dessert?"

"Love you!"

Making his way into the changing rooms, he nodded in greeting at the nurses he recognised, while he headed towards his mother's locker. Stowing his backpack inside, he slipped off his school jacket, leaving him only in his white shirt, black trousers and bright red Air Might sneakers. He pulled out the hospital coat that his mom's co-workers had gotten for him as a gag gift, slipping it over his shoulders, before pinning his ID card to his belt and giving him the look of a hospital worker.

He made his way to the hospital kitchen, where he found a cart already waiting for him, with the last meals being piled on top. With a brief thanks, he stepped up behind it and began his day's rounds.

Making his way through the wards, he delivered the meals one tray at a time, always doing his best to take a moment to chat with the children, especially if they weren't with their parents at the time, not wanting any of them to feel lonely. His mother had told him once, that it was the children without regular visitors that she worried about the most. Teenagers were the most likely to tell their parents not to come and visit, but his mom said that it was the ones with parents that showed up every day that seemed to healer better.

And if the parents weren't there, then it was up to the nurses to look after them, and as far as Izuku was concerned, if he was there to help the nurses, then it was up to him as well. In between delivering trays, he asked the kids about their recovery, made sure that they were comfortable, looked over the schoolwork they'd been provided and helped some of the younger ones with their drawings.

He made sure that everyone had at least one drawing pinned to the wall.

When his deliveries were done, he circled back around, this time taking away the trays and leftovers, before he returned them to the kitchens and then went to meet up with his mother for dinner.

She was waiting for him in the cafeteria, nursing a cup of coffee in her hands, but smiled tiredly when she saw him. She rose to meet him, letting him greet her with a kiss to her cheek, before they joined the queue for food.

Izuku had read a lot about enhancement Quirks over the years. It turned out that a lot of them needed rather significant caloric intakes to function properly, and as his own strength had always seemed to come and go randomly, Izuku had once thought he had the same issue, and had spent one long weekend indulging in as many calories as he could physically manage.

It turned out that his Quirk simply needed to grow with his body, and all he had succeeded in doing was making himself feel sick, much to his mother's exasperated amusement.

She'd had a lot of fun telling Grandmima the story too.

It had been a long time since he'd seen her laugh so much.

"Are you okay Sweetie?"

"I'm fine Mom".

"Izuku", she warned, "I know when something's bothering you. Now, come on… spill".

He didn't know why he bothered trying to hide anything from his mother. Not only did she know him better than anyone else, but she also spent most of her time around children, almost all of whom tried to hide something from her at some point.

In short, she could read him like a book.

"I'm just thinking about school", he told her.

"School, huh", she took a sip of her coffee, "did something happen with Katsuki?"

"Nope".

"Uh huh", she said, in a tone that indicated just how little she believed him, "what happened?"

"Nothing", he sighed, "I was just thinking about high school", when she raised an eyebrow, he rushed to add, "I'm serious, I was just thinking about my application to U.A. and my lack of extra-curriculars… spending some of my free time working here helps fill a gap in my application, but I don't really do much", he shrugged, "I was just trying to figure out what else I could do to pad things out".

Hidden behind the rim of her cup, Inko bit her lip, watching Izuku as he tucked into his rice bowl. The discussion about her not wanting Izuku to apply to a heroics course had come up only once before, when Izuku had been younger, and seemingly been ignored by him since.

The closer they got to the time for Izuku to start making his high school applications, the more worried she became. Izuku taking any entrance exam meant exposing himself to the scrutiny of Pro Heroes and the government. Scrutiny meant that there was a risk of his origins being discovered, and if that happened…

She knew that she wouldn't be enough to protect him.

"Well, imagine you had to go and get a normal job", Izuku frowned, "what would you want to be doing?"

"I don't know", he mused, slowly chewing on a piece of his pork, "I like talking with the kids about their Quirks", he began, talking out his reasoning outside of his own head, "it's… fun, making up scenarios about how they could be used, or what you could do with them. I just don't see how to turn that into something though".

"What about something to do with the news?"

He blinked, "What?"

Inko smiled, "You're always reading one of your hero news sites - and I know you read more than one", she told, not bothering to let him contest it, "they must have all sorts of writers and researchers working for them, not to mention the press agents that work at agencies and for major outlets", she watched, as he blinked rapidly, catching up to her understanding, "you could work for one of those".

"We do have a school news site", Izuku mused, "I mean, some of it's just the actual school news: the lunch menu, staff updates, exam dates, but they do run features on local heroes and Quirk exams. I could try volunteering for it".

Her smile grew wider, "That's the spirit".

"Excuse me, Juden-san?"

"Just Juden's fine", he responded, without looking up from his computer screen, "who's asking?"

"Er, it's me - Midoriya, I mean, from class. I wanted to talk to you?"

"Oh", he span around on his chair, "what's up?"

"I want to volunteer".

"Volunteer?"

"For the school news site? The office said I should speak to you?"

"Oh… oh! Sorry, I can't remember the last time someone wanted to volunteer here", he reached up, scratching behind his head, which was topped with shockingly orange hair, "it's not exactly glamourous".

Izuku smiled, "That's okay. To be honest, this was kinda my mom's idea".

"What? Why?"

"Well, I'm going to apply for U.A. at the end of the year and sign up for their entrance exams".

"Cool".

"Yeah, but I was worried about my extra-curriculars. I volunteer at the hospital, but I was worried about it not being enough, so she asked me what kind of thing I'd want to do for a living, if I don't get in. I told her that I like talking about Quirks and how they can be used, and the different Pro Heroes, and then we got to the idea of the press".

Juden nodded, "And the school news site".

"Yep".

"Well, great", he tapped his desk, and Izuku realised that there was a camera set down atop it, and it wasn't the cheap disposable kind. It was one of the really expensive ones, which came with all kinds of different lenses and were usually only ever used by real, serious press photographers, "I could really use the help".

"Is there a lot to do?"

"I mean, not really, but it's not really my thing".

Izuku blinked, "You're on the school news team - you are the school news team - but you don't like doing it?"

"I like the press stuff", he admitted, "but I'm in it for the photography. That's my dream, to be a real Pro Hero News Photographer. To go where the action is and see it all first hand. To help document history. I figured being on the school news team would be a good start, but turns out, it's now just me. Once the others realised that I actually wanted to do this for a career and wouldn't quit, they realised that they could".

"That's awful".

"Yeah, and the worst part is that I hate the writing. I really just want to take the photographs".

"Sounds like you could use a hand".

He grinned, "You any good at the whole writing thing?"

"Top of my class with a near-perfect score".

"You're in!"

"Great", he held out his hand, "Izuku Midoriya. You can use either name", he shrugged, "I don't mind".

He took the hand, "Jimu Juden, but my friends can call me JJ".

"Alright then JJ, where do we need to start?"

ALL MIGHT'S ALDERA RESCUE

Symbol of Peace Saves Student

Written by Izuku Midoriya

Photographs by Jimu Juden

Wednesday 18th April 2225

In a breathtaking display of heroism, the World's Symbol of Peace and Justice, All Might, (Rank: #1, Peak: #1), arrived in our fair city yesterday afternoon, just in time to thwart a villain's desperate attempt to evade justice, and proceeded to not only capture the villain, but also rescue a young boy in distress.

The incident unfolded yesterday afternoon in the bustling streets of Musutafu, as fear threatened to take hold of those nearby. Eyewitnesses reported a terrifying encounter between a formidable villain, referred to as 'the Sludge Villain', (real name unknown), and a young student, who had been caught in his vile grip, (the underage student cannot be named for legal reasons).

But just when hope seemed dim, the resounding cry of "I am here!" shattered the tension and All Might, our Symbol of Peace, descended upon the scene. With his unmatched power and unwavering determination, All Might swiftly sprang into action, unleashing a powerful blow that shattered the villain's grip and saved the young boy.

In the aftermath of the confrontation, Musutafu residents breathed a collective sigh of relief as the villain was quick to surrender, and upon his detainment, All Might was quick to leave the scene, no doubt vanishing in search of the next crisis that required his attention.

Also on scene were the Pro Heroes, Backdraft, (Rank: #161, Peak: #84) and Death Arms, (Rank: #177, Peak: #91), as well as newcomers, Kamui Woods and Mount Lady (Previously Unranked), as well as several sidekicks belonging to the Strongarm Agency.

Reports from the local paediatric trauma centre have informed us that, though they were visibly shaken by the ordeal, the young student in question was able to emerge unharmed thanks to the timely intervention of the world's greatest hero.

Authorities were quick to commend All Might for his swift and decisive action in neutralising the threat posed by the Sludge Villain and preventing the loss of civilian life.

As the sun sets on yet another day in Musutafu, citizens should rest easy, knowing that our beloved Symbol of Peace stands by, ever vigilant, ready to defend our homes against all those who would threaten to do us harm.

"I think this is some of our best work yet".

"Yeah, when I showed it to my mom, she printed out a copy. She sent the link to my grandma and had the printed copy of it framed for me".

"My mom did that too".

"She sent a copy of our article it to my grandma? Huh, I didn't even know they knew each other".

Juden chuckled, knocking their shoulders together, "She had it put in a frame for me, idiot. I told her that I thought it was the best article we've done together, and definitely my favourite one", he shrugged, "so she printed it and had it put in a frame for me, mounted it on card and everything".

"Hey, that's what my mom did!"

"They probably did it together", he let out a content sigh as he looked down at the article again, enjoying seeing his photographs alongside every word Izuku had written, "I don't suppose you know how Bakugo and his pets liked being featured on our school's news site?"

"Well, I haven't spoken to any of them, but I did see them scowling at anyone who so much as looked at them while holding a phone in their hands", he sighed, but unlike Juden's, it lacked any of his contentment, and was instead filled with an annoyed exasperation, "I think they were all just lucky that it was in a hallway with teachers".

Juden grinned, "You obviously missed all of the concern that Yuhi-sensei had for them, when she showed up for Chem. I swear, the effort of not laughing was killing me".

Izuku smiled, but he found it lacked anything. The article was definitely something that belonged on their new site, and it was always good to try and deflate Bakugo's ego a little, but he struggled to see the humour in the situation.

There had been at least six different Pro Heroes on the scene, while three schoolchildren had been held hostage, visibly drowning in sludge and not one of them had made a move to help. Death Arms, two of his sidekicks, Kamui Woods and Mount Lady had done nothing but stand around, while Backdraft had busied himself with crowd control, but even that could have been handled by the police and the fire department.

The group had stood by and watched, unwilling to get themselves involved, until All Might had appeared.

Leaping out of a nearby sewer grate, All Might had swooped in and defeated the Sludge Villain in a single blow, dispersing the excess of his body away, and allowing the police to cuff the body that remained and collect the rest of him in bags for transport.

He'd been at the hospital while it happened, having gotten the last train through before the excitement, but Juden had been quick to relay everything to him over the phone, while his mom drove them home that night.

Juden had found the involvement of Bakugo and two members of his goon squad hilarious, and Izuku would be lying if he didn't admit to the odd chuckle or two at his descriptions, but the very thought of people, whose job it was to save lives, refusing to do so because it was too challenging, bothered him in a way that he didn't know it could.

He couldn't imagine his mom, or any of her colleagues, refusing to treat a child because they found the task too difficult, but just the idea that the heroes could, and would get away with it, without any repercussions, just burned something fierce in his gut.

And he didn't know what to do about it.

Izuku knew that his mom didn't like heroes.

Well, actually, saying that wasn't fair.

It wasn't that his mom didn't like them, it was that she didn't like the celebrity culture that came along with Pro Heroes.

Every day, his mom dealt with sick and injured kids, and having been volunteering at the hospital for years, Izuku knew that a lot of those injuries came from kids fighting and playing pretend at being Pro Heroes. The younger kids followed the older ones, and the older ones took bigger and bigger risks, hitting each other harder, doing more dangerous stunts and gaining more and more serious injuries.

The higher ranked and more popular the Pro Hero was, the more they were emulated, and that was all his mom saw. The more someone acted like All Might on a playground, the more likely they were to jump off something too high or get into a fight against someone, and in the end, they'd break something and end up lying on a bed in the hospital's Emergency Department.

Izuku didn't know he felt about all of it.

He knew that, to a point, his mom was correct. Pro Heroes did cause kids to behave in ways that put them at risk, but at the same time, Izuku couldn't imagine what the world would be like, or even who he'd be, if he hadn't grown up watching the likes of All Might on TV.

He'd grown up seeing All Might pull people out of burning buildings, rushing in to save not just complete strangers, but people who needed his help. He'd seen him catch people who were falling, outrun bullets and even rescue the occasional cat out of a tree.

He'd also seen the many, many articles, news reports, round table discussions and podcasts discussing All Might's power, and the dangers that came with it, including what would happen if All Might had ever lost control. He'd not only seen them debate the pros and cons of All Might's presence, but he'd also seen the way All Might had always refused to answer the question of just how powerful he was.

When he was just three years old, Izuku had been strong enough to lift his grandfather's old truck above his head, and he knew that his body had only grown stronger since. He ate well, being the son of a nurse meant that he was very aware of his daily nutritional requirements, but even with that, he rarely ever set aside dedicated time to exercise, at least, not in any meaningful way, and he spent far more time in front of a computer screen than was advised, yet despite that, he remained in peak health.

He was tall, broad shouldered, and despite his relative lack of exercise, extremely well-toned. His muscles were noticeable, but not bulky and no matter what he did during the day before, or however late he stayed up past his bedtime, whenever he woke up, he did so feeling refreshed.

Unlike his mom, who he'd seen with bags under her eyes as she inhaled her morning coffee, or Juden, who kept a solid supply of Endeavor Energy in both, his bedroom and their school office, Izuku had never felt the need to 'pep' himself up first thing in the morning, or late at night.

All he needed was to feel the sun on his face, and he knew that that felt better to him than any amount of caffeine ever would.

"You okay, pal? That's a lot of words you're saying".

He blinked, not realising that he'd drifted off in his own head and started mumbling, "Oh, sorry".

"No problem", he shrugged, "so there's a huge gaping problem with society as a whole. What else is new?"

"It just feels like we should be doing something about it. You saw the entire thing, so did a street full of people, but all the news is talking about, is how All Might showed up to save the day".

"You could post your article".

"I… already did?"

Juden rolled his eyes, "Not that one. The one you wrote before the principal made you post the All Might one".

"I don't know what you're talking about".

"Please", he scoffed, "I know you, Izuku. You don't yell, you don't lose your temper and you don't complain, but you do use your articles to help work through your feelings", he turned to raise him fully, one eyebrow raised in amusement, "and are you seriously going to look me in the eye and tell me that you didn't write something that's a lot harsher about the Pros involved?"

"I might've… done a rough draft of something", he admitted.

"Then let's post it".

He sighed, "You just want something for Flamebird, don't you?"

"Izuku, my friend, it never hurts to try and reach out to a wider audience when you have a truth to share, and you have a truth to share. One worth hearing, so", he flung and arm around his shoulders, pulling him down until they were face-to-face, "get to giving me the honesty already".

"JJ, has anyone ever told you that you're kind of needy".

"No, but if they did, they'd probably still love me anyway".

"Probably".

DESTRUCTION & DISREGARD

Pro Heroes Fail to Save and Protect

Written by Mr. Justice

Photographs by Mr. Truth

Wednesday 18th April 2225

The city of Musutafu was thrust into chaos yesterday afternoon when a group of Pro Heroes engaged a local D-Rank villain, referred to only as 'the Sludge Villain' (real name unknown). While the villain was ultimately subdued, the incident has only served to cast a light on the Pro Heroes for their handling of the situation.

The confrontation began when the Sludge Villain attacked a group of young boys, including a wheelchair user, taking them as a hostages, and utilising his Quirk to gain some slight control over their movements. Despite an initial rapid response from several Pro Heroes, including Backdraft, (Rank: #161, Peak: #84) and Death Arms, (Rank: #177, Peak: #91), as well as newcomers Kamui Woods and Mount Lady, (currently unranked), their efforts to rescue proved futile and led to significant property damage and civilian panic.

Local eyewitnesses reported seeing multiple heroes failing to restrain the villain with brute force, before largely abandoning their attempts at rescue, in favour of waiting for a more suitable Quirk to arrive, with the delays reportedly responsible for causing millions of Yen in collateral damage to nearby structures, as well as sending many bystanders to the hospital, having sustained injuries as a result of the heroes' lack of action.

The situation reached a critical point when the All Might, (Rank: #1, Peak: #1), arrived on the scene. Using his immense strength, All Might was able to finally disperse the Sludge Villain in moments and rescue the trapped children.

Local resident Haruto Nakamura, a baker whose storefront was damaged during the skirmish, expressed his frustration: "We expect our heroes to protect us, not put us in more danger. The way they handled things was dangerous and could have been avoided with better coordination".

Mister Nakamura's sentiments have been echoed online by many Musutafu residents, who are now calling for a re-evaluation of the strategies employed by Pro Heroes in similar high-stakes situations. Questions have arisen about the preparedness and judgment of the heroes involved, with many asking if their licences should be suspended.

As the dust settles, Musutafu's citizens are left to pick up the pieces, both literally and figuratively, while the Pro Heroes on scene have walked away with seemingly no repercussion. The defeat of the Sludge Villain may be seen as a victory for some, but it has also served as a stark reminder of the critical need for heroes to balance their formidable powers with responsibility and precision

Initial reports out of a local medical centre report that the children were all later released, with only minor injuries and are expected to make a full recovery.

All Might, the Mighty Agency and the Hero Public Safety Commission could not be reached for comment.

"I mean, it's a little less scorched earth than I was expecting, but not too shabby, not too shabby at all".

"To be honest, it was a lot harsher to begin with, but the more I wrote, the more I toned it down".

"Okay… but why?"

"Because I realised that I wasn't being completely fair to them".

"Seriously?"

Izuku nodded, "Seriously. It's easy to cast judgement on people from a distance, or after the fact, but until you've stood where they are and had to make the calls that they needed to make, you can't honestly say what you would've done, let alone what they should've done".

"Izuku, has anyone ever told you that you have a bleeding heart?"

"No, but if they did, they'd probably still love me anyway".

"Probably".

There was a comfortable pause, as the two of them watched, as JJ's fingers clicked 'UPLOAD', and sent Izuku's latest non-high school approved article to the Flamebird homepage, where their two dozen followers might choose to bother reading it.

"You know, it's almost a shame that you didn't include this one on your U.A. application. It might be nice watching them try and defend their alumni".

"To do that, we'd have to take Flamebird public", he glanced at his friend, "are you thinking of doing that?"

"Nah, it'd take half the fun out of it. Besides, if I did that, it might cost me a place at Seijin-"

"You know, U.A. has-"

"-a solid journalism course, but you know as well as I do that it's not as good as the one at Seijin. U.A. spends more time focusing on the hero and support courses than everything else, and that's not what I'm interested in".

"I know".

"You don't need to sound so glum, Mister Justice. They're on the opposite side of the same city. I won't be a million miles away, and besides, I still expect a Flamebird article from you, from time to time".

"Fine, Mister Truth, but I expect a really nice letter from you, to go in with my U.A. application".

"Well, as your boss-"

"Oh, don't even go there".

"-I'll have you know that I've already written one. I just need you to proofread it, print it and give it to me to sign".

Izuku found himself involuntarily raising one of his eyebrows, "Proofread it?"

"Yeah, proofread it", JJ waved him off, "check for any spelling mistakes, add anything you want me to include, take out anything you don't-"

"You want me to write my own letter of recommendation, don't you?"

"Could you do mine while you're at it?"

"You're unbelievable".

"But you love me anyway?"

"Unbelievable".

It had been two years since he'd walked into the miniscule office set aside for the Aldera School News, and in that time, he'd written thirty-nine independent articles for the school's news page, nineteen which had either been turned away, or written independently and uploaded to JJ's Flamebird blog, and he'd contributed to the writing for seventy-six of their weekly school news updates.

He'd also written two letters of recommendation on behalf of the Aldera School News, one to Seijin High School for JJ, and one to the Ultra Academy of Heroics for himself.

And that was where he found himself.

A large blue arch hung above him, framing the entry way, as he looked up at the golden gates of the greatest hero school in the world.

Taking a breath to steady himself, he stepped forwards, crossing the threshold and moved towards the future.

Chapter Text

A My Hero Academia Story

GREEN SON

VOLUME ONE: LAST SON

Part One: Secret Origin

Chapter Five: Izuku Midoriya - Origin

One of the first things I can remember, is my mom being afraid.

I never really knew what of, but I can always remember her having this feeling of anxiety around her. I always wanted to relieve it, but I never knew where it came from.

It took me years to understand her. To understand that she was afraid, but not because of me and what I could do - my oldest fear - but for me. She'd heard the horror stories and the rumours of what happened to individuals that stood out for their powerful Quirks, and when she discovered what I was capable of, she lived in perpetual fear of what could become of me.

Yet, despite all of that, I know that Mom never once considered giving up on me.

She wasn't a perfect mother, I know that, but she did her best and I think that her best was pretty good. She was never cruel, or harsh, and she never wanted to stop us from doing what we loved. She worried about us both, though for very different reasons, but she always tried to find a way to support us, and in the end, I'd like to think that we turned out okay.

Some of her worries were well-founded. In the time that made up my teenage years, a lot of bad things did happen. That doesn't mean that good things didn't happen, but a lot of the worries she'd carried were realised at one point. We got past them too, but I think that just made her worry about my sister all the more.

I can't blame her though, I worried too.

And that was before she was old enough to start dating.

As he was applying to both, the heroics course and their general education department, Izuku was given a priority placement and during U.A.'s designated exam week, he was given one of the Monday exam slots. He made sure to arrive at the check-in time they'd specified and joined the queue for screening, making sure that he had his student ID ready, so that they could verify his identity and give him his examinee number.

He took a moment, stood under their gateway, to catch his breath and appreciate where he was standing, because the day was February Nineteenth, and he hoped it would be the day that everything changed.

Because it was the day of the U.A. Entrance Exam.

And no matter what else happened around the world that day, Izuku was determined that in his little slice of Japan, everything was going to go well.

He handed over his ID card when asked, and after the bored looking administrator took a moment to check his name against their registry, he handed it back with a freshly printed sticker that contained his examinee number and told him to wait for group lambda to be called to enter.

He thanked him for his time, which either went ignored or unheard, (he wasn't sure which), and made his way over to the entrance area, so that he could move when he was called for. He had to slip through gaps as people rushed past him, careful to twist with them, lest someone slam into one of his shoulders and hurt themselves.

Thankfully, he found a relatively isolated spot besides a lamppost, and leant against it, happy to be out of the mass.

He stood for a moment, trying to calm his own nerves, before his phone buzzed in his pocket, and he fished it out,

TRUTH & JUSTICE

Truth

GOOD LUCK!

KICK SOME EXPLOSIVE ASS!

Justice

Thanks!

I don't think that's how
the exam works though.

I haven't signed in yet,
but I'm sure that'll get
me disqualified before
I'm allowed to start.

Truth

Kicking ass is a no go?

Fuck that.

Justice

If I target Bakugo, for
no reason, then yes. They
will probably disqualify
me for 'kicking ass'.

Truth

Hang on…

Who said anything about
targeting Bakugo?

Justice

^ EXPLOSIVE ^ ?

What else could that mean?

Truth

But…

I mean…

He's an asshole?

Justice

I need to go now, they're
calling my group in now.

Wish me luck?

Truth

GOOD LUCK!

AGAIN!

AND KICK ASS!

While she saw students everywhere piling through the main gate, dressed in an abundance of uniform styles, Mitsuki was glad that she didn't have to make Katsuki go through that. He could be considered irritable on his good days, but thankfully, U.A. had arranged for them to be able to use the private car park.

She buzzed in at the gate and was let through almost immediately.

Backing up, she reversed into one of the larger parking spaces near the door, ignoring the grumbling about her parking skills from her backseat driver.

It was times like this that she missed her much smaller sedan.

Usually, she had the smaller car, given that Masaru was more often at home than she was and acted as their son's primary caretaker, but as he needed to work on editing his latest shoot, and she didn't have any work planned until next Thursday, the duty of making sure that Katsuki arrived at U.A. for his entrance exam fell to her.

Putting the minivan into park, she tried not to sigh in relief, now that she was able to stop. She turned to face her son but found that he was already working on the door to get out.

"For the love of- Kat, will you just wait and I'll-"

He yanked the door open, with far more force than was necessary, and all but threw his wheelchair out of the door and used the door to pull himself out and into it, before she'd even managed to get around the side of the car.

"I'm fine", he growled out, "now let's do this shit".

"Kats-"

"Language", a voice cautioned, "but otherwise, that's what we like to hear".

She span around, Katsuki having no bothered to tell her that someone was behind her, finding that there was a man approaching them, and the first thing that she noticed was that he wasn't wearing a shirt.

Short and skinny, she could make out a mess of ginger hair beneath his dumb looking helmet, which she assumed meant that he was one of the Pro Heroes that worked at U.A., or at least, he was someone they'd brought in to help on exam day.

His hands were ridiculously large when compared to his small frame and appeared to be capped in orange L-shaped pieces or armour.

He drew close to them, and she just make out a pair of dull blue eyes behind his helmet, which now that she took a moment for a better look, she felt looked like a digger bucket. Just because she knew what it was though, didn't mean that she didn't think he looked any less stupid.

"Greetings, I'm Higari Maijima with U.A. High, though you might know me better as-"

"The Excavation Hero: Power Loader", her son cut in, identifying him with ease, though even knowing his name, she still only had the vaguest idea of who he was, "you run the U.A. support courses, right?"

He grinned, "Got it in one kid, and you", he held out his hand to shake, "are Katsuki Bakugo, prospective hero course and support course student. I took a look at the designs you submitted, and I gotta say", he gave a once over to the obviously heavily modified wheelchair, which was steel grey in colour, "they were impressive".

Below them, he grunted, while she shook the man's hand, "So… where do we go from here?"

"Right this way ma'am", the Pro Hero told her with a sweep of his arms, before he began leading them inside, "we've got a space reserved for those who need more than the standard designated space. After that, your son will be taken to his heroic's physical exam centre on one of our coaches, all of which are wheelchair accessible. Following that, he'll be escorted back here. You're aware that the practical exam for support won't start until Wednesday?"

"We're already booked in", she confirmed, as her son said nothing, and she knew that he was already hyper-focused on the exam in front of him.

"Excellent, well then, Youngest Bakugo, this is you", he held open the door, which would lead him to his exam station, "and if you'd like to come with me", he told her, "we can set you up in the waiting area with some light refreshment".

"That sounds lovely", she bent down to press a kiss to Katsuki's cheek, ignoring his attempt to pull away, claiming that he was 'too old' for that, before angrily rolling himself inside as she called out, "good luck Kats!"

"I don't need your damn luck!"

"Don't be ungrateful!"

"Just get out of here!"

Returning his phone to his pocket, Izuku nodded to himself, as he walked forwards, through the dozens upon dozens of other students, all of whom were also heading towards their designated entrance points.

When they called out for the 'Lambda' group, he patted himself down, making sure that he still had his trusty backpack, pencil case and wallet, before switching off his phone. He joined the, thankfully much calmer, group that was making their way inside.

He missed the uneven paving stone beneath his feet, nervous as he was, and wasn't able to control his strength to stop it. In another life, he might've tripped and fallen, but as it was, all he did was sheer off the edge of the slab and sent it skittering away from him.

Behind him, a brunette girl had reached out her hand to stop him from falling, having seen his foot hit the edge of the slab, but she brought her hand back to conceal her giggle, as she saw his foot completely destroy that particular piece of uneven flooring.

Whoever the boy was, he was going to be fine.

She saw the amused looks people were giving her, and knew that they were laughing at her forwardness, but she wasn't going to let someone trip over if she could help it. Still, they were inside now, and everyone else was starting to get ready for the most important test of their lives.

It was about time she did the same.

"Time is up! Everyone, place your pens and pencils down! One of our proctors will be by shortly to collect your exam paper. Until then, please remain seated and please refrain from making any noise. Failure to follow directions will result in your immediate disqualification from this exam. Thank you!"

The announcement rang out across the enormous hall that U.A. were hosting their exams in, with the softspoken voice using the PA system to reach everyone. It repeated itself twice, before moving onto English and delivering the exact same message.

While, he waited, Izuku also listened to the same announcement in Mandarin, Spanish, French, Russian, Hindi and Arabic, before it turned back to Japanese and started all over again, for the second time that morning.

While he waited for Ectoplasm, (and wasn't it just so cool that all of the exam proctors were Ectoplasm's clones), to collect his test paper, he double checked that all of his personal details on the front cover were correct and that he hadn't accidentally left any of them blank. Satisfied, he put his pens away and returned to waiting, as he tried not to run over the exam in his head.

He'd known that any test at U.A. wasn't going to be easy, and what he had just done was certainly harder than any other set of exams that he'd taken at Aldera, but despite that, he was quite confident that he'd managed a passing grade, or at least, he had on the standard questions; his answers to the essay questions at the end would be open to interpretation by the marking team.

The General Education exams earlier that morning had been set-up the same way: a series of multiple-choice questions, followed by short sentence responses and then finishing up with a pair of essay-style questions, but now that he'd finished both sets of written exams, all that was left was for him to pass the practical exam.

The most important part of the heroics' exam.

So, there was no pressure.

None whatsoever.

It only took a few minutes for Ectoplasm's clones to finish collecting their exam papers and Izuku could feel himself grinning as he got to watch all thirty-six clones recombine into a single being. The hero spoke into a radio he had clipped to his coat, and moments later, the lights cut out, blanketing the room in darkness, with the sole exception of three spotlights that were now shining onto the stage, all focused on a single position.

Izuku felt his and everyone's attention being drawn to a tall, slim man who strode onto the stage with swagger. His long, blond hair was styled upwards, ending in a curved spike, which he kept alongside a small moustache. He wore a studded, black leather jacket with an upturned collar, alongside a pair of matching leather pants, which he had tucked into a pair of thick, knee-high leather boots. His neck was hidden and protected by a custom-designed directional speaker, which Izuku knew was not only armoured, but was also used to augment the strength of his Quirk. He finished his signature look off by wearing a pair of the HAGE branded headphones, which were undoubtedly provided by his sponsorship deal, as well as a pair of his own branded, orange-tinted rectangular sunglasses.

It was the Voice Hero: Present Mic.

He was so cool! He and JJ loved listening to his radio show on Friday afternoons while they were editing their work for the ASN. It really was crazy that every teacher at U.A. was a former Pro Hero-

"He-hem".

Beside him, a bored looking candidate, whose uniform included a vest and blazer cleared his throat, staring at him in annoyance, and Izuku realised that he had been muttering. His hands flew to his mouth, and he muttered a quick, "Sorry", before pinning his tongue in place with his teeth, and refocusing on the stage.

"WELCOME U.A. CANDIDIATES! THANKS FOR TUNING IN TO ME, YOUR SCHOOL DJ! NOW COME AND LET ME HERE YA… EVERYBODY SAY HEY!"

Nobody responded.

There was an awkward pause, and Izuku found himself glad that he hadn't called out the way he wanted to, his hands still covering his mouth.

"ALRIGHT, KEEPING IT MELLOW, HUH? THAT'S FINE, I GUESS WE'LL SKIP STRAIGHT TO THE MAIN SHOW. LET'S TALK ABOUT HOW THIS PRACTICAL EXAM'S GOING TO GO DOWN, NOW… ARE YOU READY?!"

Once again, nobody responded.

Present Mic didn't seem affected by the lack of response at all though, if anything, Izuku was impressed by the way the man responded by simply moving on as though everything was happening just the way he intended.

"LIKE YOUR APPLICATIONS SAID, TODAY YOU BOYS AND GIRLS WILL BE OUT THERE, CONDUCTING TEN MINUTE MOCK BATTLES IN SUBURBAN SETTINGS. GIRD YOUR LOINS FRIENDS, AFTER WE'RE DONE HERE, YOU'LL HEAD TO YOUR SPECIFIED BATTLE STATIONS, PRINTED ON YOUR EXAM CARDS. SOUND GOOD?!... OKAY!"

For the third time in less than two minutes, Present Mic received no response, as everyone pulled out their exam cards to check where they would be going for their practical exams.

EXAM TICKET

EXAMINEE NUMBER: #2234

EXAM(S): Heroics + General Education

Name: MIDORIYA, Izuku

Quirk: Tactile Telekinesis [E]

Exam Date(s): Monday 19th February 2235 (AM)

Test Location: Battle Centre B

Additional Requirements: n/a

Present Mic gave them all a moment to check their exam tickets, and despite having his details memorised, Izuku was quick to do the same. As they placed them back down, Present Mic switched on his directional speaker and adjusted its settings to allow him to speak to the room without needing to yell.

"Okay, okay, let's check out your targets", the display screen behind him lit up with the sight of four robotic outlines, "there are three types of faux villains in every battle centre. You earn points based on their level of difficulty, so choose your targets wisely", the image switched to a video designed to look like a retro video game version of Present Mic running about, decimating robots with his voice Quirk, "your goal in this exam is to raise your points by using your Quirks to shred these targets like a mid-song guitar solo. But check it", he warned them, his voice taking on a more serious tone, "make sure you're keeping things heroic! Attacking other examinees is a U.A. no-no!"

He wagged his finger at them, and despite the serious tone, Izuku found himself smiling at the sight of it. He was just about to continue, when a hand shot up in the crowd, a few rows behind of where Izuku was sat.

"Excuse me sir, but I have a question!"

Present Mic's grin widened at the attention, "Hit me!"

One of the three spotlights swing around, until it was shining down, onto a blue-haired student wearing glasses, who rose to his feet with one hand raised and the other clutching a piece of paper in his grasp.

"On the printout, you've listed four types of villains, not three. With all due respect, if this is an error then it is shameful. We are exemplary students, so we expect the best from Japan's most notable school! A mistake such as this won't do. Also, you with the mossy hair", his gaze snapped over and Izuku blinked, surprised, when he stared directly at him, "we heard you muttering earlier. Stop it! You're distracting the rest of us! Either take this seriously or leave".

"Sorry", he murmured, ducking his head down when people started to laugh.

"Alright, alright", Present Mic said, raising his hands and silencing the hall, "Examinee number seven-one-one-one, thanks for calling in with your request", he gave him a thumbs-up, "the fourth villain type is worth zero points! This one's just an obstacle to get in your way. There's at least one in every battle centre, and while it's not impossible to beat it, you're on the clock and there's really no point, so I recommend that my listeners ignore it and focus on the ones that'll help you in topping the charts!"

Murmurs broke out across the hall, and Izuku saw more than one person nodding to themselves.

"That's all I got or you today, listeners! Head to your battle centre with a little gift: a sample of our school motto", Present Mic shot everyone a reassuring grin, "As General Napoleon Bonaparte once laid down, 'a true hero is one who overcomes life's misfortunes'. Mmm, now that's one tasty soundbite".

The Voice Hero cocked an eyebrow, leaning against his podium, as his eyes swept the room, and Izuku felt as though he was making eye contact with each and every one of them, "So, are you all ready to go beyond? Let me hear a PLUS ULTRA!"

Present Mic smiled through his fourth bout of silence, "Alright then", he murmured, "GOOD LUCK!" I hope you all practiced hitting more than just the books!"

The blue-haired guy from the exam hall kept sending him looks of contempt as they boarded the same bus. U.A. had provided them with transportation from the exam hall to their battle centres. There were eight battle centres, labelled A to G, and each one had a maximum student limit, so there were multiple exams taking place throughout the afternoon. They had to be broken up into groups and set off at ten-minute intervals, and Izuku was just thankful that he was in the very first group.

He didn't know if he could take the waiting.

He hadn't formed part of the rush to board the school bus, so he'd ended up sat in a seat that was near the front of the bus, which he didn't mind. He didn't use buses enough to have a favourite place to sit, and they weren't like the trains he was used to, where it didn't matter where you were sat, but it was odd to be sat in a section where the seats were facing inwards. He knew that it was designed for anyone that required lifestyle support items, including the likes of a wheelchair, or they simply needed some additional space due to their Quirks.

He just wished that the guy with the blue hair hadn't chosen to take the seat opposite him.

He'd smiled when he sat down, trying to come across as friendly, but he didn't seem interested. If anything, his attempt at politely disarming was met with even more irritation, and when the bus came to a stop a few minutes later, Izuku found that he couldn't get off the bus quickly enough.

He stepped onto an open area with a dirt floor, in front of a large gate, over ten metres tall, with a large letter 'A' printed onto the front and began to stretch. He couldn't remember ever having sore muscles, which he assumed was due to the durability part of his Quirk, but his mom had long since imbued him with all of the knowledge surrounding taking care of your body that he could ever need, and 'just because he'd never needed to stretch before didn't mean that he wouldn't need to do it now'.

He could practically hear her voice in his head.

He was wearing a white t-shirt underneath the new tracksuit she'd bought him as a good luck charm. It was mint green in colour, with a thick white stripe running down the edges of his legs and sleeves. He made to zip up his jacket and double-checked that the laces of his Air Might sneakers were properly tightened. He finished up a set of hip twists when he felt a hand clamp down on his shoulder.

His own hand was on it a second later, clamping the wrist of whoever had grabbed him and squeezing down, careful to just break the grip, without being enough to damage the wrist.

"GAH!"

As he turned around to look into the face of whoever had grabbed him, he did his best not to grimace, as he loosened his grip.

He might not have made a nice impression on the guy with blue hair, but he hadn't meant to hurt him either.

"Are you okay?"

The boy groaned through gritted teeth, "My wrist", he managed to let out, and Izuku could already see that the area beneath his thumb was beginning to bruise. He'd seen enough sprained wrists over the years to know when he was looking at another one.

One that he'd caused.

"Does anyone have any ice? Or can make it?"

A few people shook their heads, but most of them chose to ignore him.

"You both okay there, listeners?"

Present Mic, who was apparently going to be their proctor for the practical portion of the exam, made his way over to the two of them, staring at where Izuku's hand was still gripping the other boy's wrist.

"Looks like a sprained wrist", he told him, "needs ice for the inflammation, a bandage for support and to rest it, the sooner the better".

"First aid kit", the Hero said, holding up a bright red box, before he snapped it open, "I'd step in, but it sounds like you know what you're doing".

"My mom's a nurse", he told him in response, taking the offered icepack, which he place against the other boy's wrist, who let out a hiss of pain, "I grew up learning about this stuff".

"A nurse's son", the other boy managed to say, breathing out, "and yet you injured me?!"

"You grabbed me", he told him, as he started on the bandage, "maybe you shouldn't go around grabbing hold of strangers from behind", he raised one of his eyebrows, "people might get the wrong idea about your intentions".

"I simply wished to speak with you".

"And saying 'excuse me' was too difficult for you?"

"Are you always so-"

"Okay boys, that's enough", Present Mic stepped in, bending down to check on the bandages, "you can go finish your warmup now, if you like. Ida, if you're still planning on taking the exam, would you like a painkiller before you start?"

Izuku took a few steps back, leaving the Pro to it, as the other boy - Ida, apparently - declined the offer of a painkiller, and simply wanted to get started.

Izuku put a bit more distance between them, as Ida started his own stretches, and Izuku did another check of his sneakers and tracksuit. Present Mic climbed back into the tall column that served as his proctor's podium, where he could see them all.

Izuku saw him reaching for a radio, and mentally began to get ready to start. The blue gate in front of them began to swing open, and moments later, revealed an entire cityscape to their gaze.

"AND START!"

Present Mic called down to them, shaking his head when nobody moved, and Izuku blinked, unsure when nobody else moved that he was permitted to, "WHAT ARE YOU ALL WAITING FOR?! THERE ARE NO COUNTDOWNS IN REAL LIFE! GO! GO! GO!"

EXAM TICKET

EXAMINEE NUMBER: #2233

EXAM(S): Heroics

Name: BAKUGO, Katsuki

Quirk: Explosion [H]

Exam Date(s): Monday 19th February 2235 (AM)

Test Location: Battle Centre A

Additional Requirements: Support Equipment (#BK/001) + Wheelchair Access

There were few benefits to being in a wheelchair. When he was four years old, Deku had robbed him of the use of his fucking legs and gotten away with it, scot-free, just because he was a little shit at the time, who hadn't figured out how to control himself.

He hadn't lost quite everything in them; he was actually capable of taking a handful of steps, but that was about it, before his weak little legs would give up on him. Even after a decade of rest, recuperation and physical therapy, that remained all he was capable of.

He'd never again be able to walk unaided, and for the rest of his life, his doctors had all told him that he'd need the use of a wheelchair. His parents had done the usual 'you'll be fine' song and dance routine, but he'd known for years that he wasn't improving.

When he'd moved up to Aldera and they began making him look into career options, every teacher he'd ever had, told him the same damn thing.

"You have a lot of potential Bakugo, but I'm sorry, I just don't see how you can become a hero".

He'd told them all to fuck off.

Wheelchair or no wheelchair, he was still going to become the next number one Pro Hero.

His Quirk didn't even need the use of his legs. In fact, he'd found that being in a wheelchair had actually helped him with his Quirk. He'd built up more arm strength than anyone else in their school, (Deku, Grey Skin and Nutty all had strength Quirks - they didn't fucking count), and that had allowed him to build up to stronger and stronger explosions. He'd bought a disused chair, and after joining the Engineering Club, spent almost all of his spare time in their school labs modifying it with twin car exhausts and fuel tanks.

He'd turned himself into a self-driving tank, built on the back of his own explosive power.

He was going to power himself into that battle centre, kill the villains, gain absolute victory and prove to the world why he was going to surpass All Might and become the greatest Pro Hero of all time.

"Okay everyone, if I could have your attention, please", he glanced upwards, where he found the Pro Hero, Cementoss, was standing ready to proctor their exam, "the practical portion of the U.A. Heroics Course entrance exam will begin in ten, nine, eight, seven", he shook his hands, working up as much of a sweat as possible, "six, five, four", he grit his teeth, feeling the heat build in his hands, "three, two, one, GO!"

Clamping his hands down onto his exhausts, he exploded forwards.

"GO! GO! GO!"

Izuku ran, moving with everything he had, but he was shocked to see that there was someone keeping up with him.

He turned his head, found that was the other boy from earlier - Ida - who was able to match him, pace-for-pace, and step-for-step, as they raced into the battle centre, both of them well ahead of the other examinees. Ida seemed equally as shocked that he was keeping up with his pace, and with a glance, Izuku saw the miniature exhausts that were sticking out of his legs.

Izuku knew of a Pro Hero called Ingenium, who operated out of Tokyo with a Quirk like that, only his exhausts were in his arms. Technically, he was the third Ingenium, having succeeded both his father and grandfather in the role as the leader of their agency.

In fact, wasn't their agency called Idaten?

The newest Ingenium had only taken over a few years ago. He'd spent a few years serving as his father's primary sidekick, before he'd ascended to the mantle of Ingenium himself. He was probably thirty now, if that old, so he couldn't have been this Ida's father, but he could certainly be an older brother or a cousin, possibly even an uncle.

A pair of one-pointers swung out in front of them, and both of them barrelled into them. Ida shifted his body, leading with an engine powered kick, which shattered the robot's torso into pieces around his leg. Keeping his momentum, he used the kick as a stepping stone and kept running as he landed.

Still, seeing him kick through the robot was reassuring.

He cocked his fist back, mindful of his need for control and as he stepped up to the one-pointer, he punched forwards, and was glad to see that even with that little bit of strength, the machine tore like paper around his fist.

He grinned.

As the sounds of his other examinees catching up to him began to reach his ears, he spotted a three-pointer up ahead, already spinning around to face him.

He raced forwards.

He could do this.

"Is it time yet? I still get to push the button this year, right?"

"Yes, Midnight", the Principal of U.A. replied, taking a sip from his tea, "you get to push the button, though not just yet I should think".

"Little over thirty seconds, sir", Power Loader called, his eyes unwavering from the robot control system.

"Thank you… but Ectoplasm has an excellent point, this year's crop is most excellent", he took another sip of his tea, as his toes of one of his glossy white paws tapped at the keyboard in front of him, "we have set up a scenario with an unknown number of adversaries of varying values within unknown locations inside of a previously unknown area. They have limited time to find and defeat them, while covering a vast area. Some people use reconnaissance to plan out their attacks", he brought up several images, including a tall young man with multiple arms, who seemed to be growing additional appendages to aid him, "while others seek to use speed and quickness", the images changed, now showing them the sight of Ingenium's younger brother racing around the arena, "of course, remaining calm under pressure can be the key to success", the images changed yet again, showing off a young woman, whose giant fists were turning robots into scrap, before it changed one more time, to show a boy in green running and punching his way through his robots with ease, before stopping to yank another student out of the way of some rubble, "and of course, there can always be something said for pure power".

The other teachers nodded along as their principal spoke, before he continued, "Of course, it's the students who use a combination of all of these principles that find the truest success".

Midnight leant over the monitors, "I'd say this group of hopefuls looks promising".

"Well, there's still plenty of time before the exam's over", Power Loader chided her, sounding amused, as he flicked open a switchbox to her delight, "besides, the real test's only just about to begin".

Relishing her moment, Midnight's thumb pushed the big red button.

"TWO MINUTES REMAINING!"

Present Mic's voice, aided by the battle centre's placed microphones, rang out across the training area, warning them all of just how much time they had left.

He nodded to himself, doing the math in his head, he was certain that he'd already gained eighty-eight points-

He barrelled into another one-pointer as he turned the corner, accidentally smashing it apart with his shoulder.

-eighty-nine points.

As his shoulder tore apart the fragile metal, the floor beneath his feet started to rumble. For a moment, he thought it was simply the feeling of the debris bouncing off the floor, before spinning on the spot, as she realised that the vibrations he could sense were coming from behind him.

It was the zero-point robot.

And it was enormous.

It looked almost twice the size of the nearest building, towering over the battle centre and casting a shadow so long that it seemed to encompass half of their arena in darkness. Izuku swallowed, aware of some of the other contestants running past him, and as it rested one of its robotic limbs upon a nearby apartment block, Izuku watched on, as the top of the building crumbled into dust.

It was then that he understood the joke.

The zero-pointer had been labelled, '0-P', on Present Mic's display screen, but if you read it differently, then letting them all know that it was, 'OP', was almost amusing in its own way.

Around him, while he contemplated U.A.'s sense of humour, everyone continued to flee away from the obvious danger, but Izuku didn't know what he should be doing. It didn't seem right to let the giant robot wreak havoc, but at the same time, Present Mic had told them that they would all be better off not trying to challenge it, and that it was best to avoid it outright.

So… he should do what his teacher said, right?

If they'd been warned away from it, then surely, U.A. had a reason or reasons, (probably ones relating to safety and liability), to want to keep their prospective students away from it.

So, he best thing he could do was to move out of the area, stay safe, not find a reason to worry his mom, and pick up as many robot stragglers as he could, with what little time he had left available to him.

In response, the giant machine punched the floor, spitting up dust and sending down debris that coated the area, and sent people tumbling down. Keeping his speed to a fast jog, (for a normal person), he scooped up two of his fellow contestants, moving them to safety, before turning back to face the way he'd ran.

Ida ran past him, seemingly surprised to have seen him stop, but Izuku only had eyes for the looming danger.

"Ow!"

His head snapped up, seeking out the source of the pained cry that had reached his ears, and it only took him a moment to find her.

It was a girl, a brunette, dressed in a dark blue tracksuit, and she was trapped beneath some of the broken rubble that had been dislodged, with her leg seemingly pinned beneath a particularly large slab of concrete and rebar.

"Here", he was at her side in an instant, kneeling down, he used his strength to pull the concrete off of her, unseating the smaller pieces atop it and chucking it off to the side.

He put on his best calming smile, the one he saved for the kids who were stuck in hospital beds for something they couldn't control, angry at everything around them, but didn't know how to express it properly, "Are you alright?"

"Yuh", she cleared her throat, staring at him, wide-eyed, "I mean, yes, I think, but there are still some people trapped underneath there!"

The ground shook as the zero-pointer sheared the top off of another building, sending more dust and debris into the atmosphere. Izuku took a look at the building, and he could see that the girl was right. There was no one pinned beneath the rubble, the way she had been, but they were trapped in the building, their exit cut off by large slabs of debris.

"It'll be okay", he told her, noting how she was shifting her weight from her right leg and onto her left, "but you're injured. You should get yourself out of here".

She ignored him, moving to slap her hands against more of the debris, causing it to float from when she made contact, and she began to push it out of the way.

"There are people trapped in there", she told him, pushing the pads of her fingertips together, "and release!"

The debris she'd been floating away from her, crashed to the ground, "They need help!"

"Yeah", Izuku murmured, looking up at the enormous robot, as it drew closer by the second, "they do".

I remember, during the exam, there was a moment, when that giant robot was lumbering towards me and the girl that was trapped under all that rubble, and I didn't know what to do.

I just stared at her.

Should I have hid from it? Ran away? I didn't know, and then, she cried out in pain.

I moved the concrete slab pinning the girl down, and then she could walk, even if her ankle was busted, but she wasn't the only one pinned down. There were other people trapped in the buildings, her Quirk was perfect for manoeuvring the rest of the debris out of the way, and she was determined to help save as many people as possible.

It would've been safer for her to get away from the battle, and the people inside would've been safe from the zero-pointer passing overhead - but she wanted to be certain that it wouldn't hurt them.

She kept trying to help them, even as the giant robot kept coming, and as those people called out for help, I didn't think about what I had to do. I saw that they needed help, and I knew that I was someone who could give it to them.

From there, my body just kind of moved on its own.

Izuku knew that he had power.

He lived with it, every day.

Every day he spent at Aldera was a reminder of just what his power was capable of, if he ever decided to lose control.

He'd read about other people with superstrength and augmentation Quirks. He'd even messaged a few of them, asking them for advice on how they lived with them, and even how they controlled them, but nearly all of them simply made do with not using them.

They simply never activated them.

Izuku… well, he didn't have that luxury.

Some of them struggled to turn their Quirks on.

Izuku couldn't turn his Quirk off.

It was always there, a part of him that couldn't be switched on and off at will. He had over a decade of ever-ongoing practice of using his Quirk, always making sure not to squeeze too hard when he picked up a glass, or grabbed a handle, or shook someone's hand.

And it wasn't just his hands.

The power resided in his arms, in his legs and his feet.

He tried to never kick a door closed, in case he shattered it, or stamp his feet on the ground, lest he break the floor he was standing on.

He had power, power in everything he did, and if wasn't careful with it, people would suffer for it. He had to hold back with everything he did, or people would get hurt.

But right now, none of that mattered.

There were people that needed his help.

That needed his power.

And his body answered the call.

He bent his knees and the concrete ground beneath his feet cracked, shattering apart as he leapt into the air, using every bit of power he could summon from his legs, until, in a single bound, he was higher than the tallest building. The zero-pointer turned to face him, tracking his movement, but its great size had come with the cost of its speed, and Izuku may as well have been a bullet, speeding towards its defenceless chest, with his fist clenched, his right hand cocked back, until the moment he was close enough to strike with all the power of a steaming locomotive.

His fist met the solid steel that the zero-pointer was made out of, but Izuku had swung with more of his strength than he had intended. The metal folded around his fist like tissue paper, the entire front face caving under his touch, as he lifted the machine into the air and sent it flying backwards, smoke rising from the core of its remains, as it crashed back to the ground.

For a moment, Izuku seemed to hang in the air, almost floating, before gravity reasserted itself on his person.

He brought his hands up to protect his eyes, mouth and nose, but braced himself as he fell. He knew that his Quirk came with enhanced durability, but he'd never had a chance to test it by falling.

He didn't like heights.

But then, how did the saying go? There was no time like the present?

The concrete floor grew closer, and Izuku couldn't help himself, he closed his eyes, waiting to feel the impact.

He clenched up, ready for the impact, and then, just as he should've hit the ground, he felt someone slap his arm.

Instantly, he ceased falling, his momentum halted in a single moment, and he looked up into the face of his rescuer.

It was the same girl as before.

She smiled at him, strained, as she brought her fingertips together, "Release!"

She dropped him the last two metres to the ground, and he rolled through with it, tearing one of the knees of his tracksuit pants, but otherwise unharmed. He took note of the concrete slab she was kneeling upon, obviously having used it to manoeuvre in spite of his injured leg.

"Thank you", he murmured.

She smiled in response, but it seemed to take her a great deal of effort, before she turned her head, and emptied the contents of her stomach off to the side.

Despite the general sense of disgust that would usually accompany the smell of fresh vomit, and the worry that came with seeing someone throw up, Izuku couldn't stop himself from laughing at the ridiculousness of it all. The girl turned back to glare at him, but it was half-hearted at best.

"Come on", he reached over, effortlessly plucking her up into a bridal carry, as she wiped her mouth on her sleeve, "let's see if we can find you the nurses' station".

Naturally, JJ loved the story of his rescuer throwing up immediately after saving him.

He'd been so nervous about his application to Seijin, but when Izuku had told him the story about the floating girl who threw up after saving him, he'd gone from worrying about his interview, to loving the story of him punching the giant robot's face in, to falling from his chair, laughing like a madman, when he revealed that not only did he not like heights, but that his last-second rescue had come at the hands of a girl who then taken one look at his face and immediately threw up.

Still, his story had succeeded in getting his friend's mind off of his upcoming entrance interview, so Izuku decided to count it as a success.

The day of the interview came and went, and despite JJ's nerves, Izuku knew that despite what his friend thought of his interview skills, he'd passed with ease. JJ loved heroes, photography and getting to the truth, and any journalism programme in the country would be lucky to have him.

When his offer letter had come in two weeks ago, he'd been vindicated.

Jimu Juden would be starting as a First-Year student in Seijin High School's General Education Department, with a focus on studying photography and journalism. He'd already sent off his own acceptance letter, ordered his uniform and then spent two days walking around with an enormous grin on his face.

Izuku was happy for him, but every day that passed without Izuku hearing from U.A., he felt his nervousness increase. It wasn't that he thought he'd done badly, but the waiting was killing him. Still, the waiting didn't mean that he wasn't allowed to slack off from the rest of his life.

His mom flicked on the lights as she led the way into their apartment, and Izuku slipped out of his Air Mights and into his slippers, while his mom checked their mail. He moved into the kitchen and poured himself a glass of water, setting a second on aside for his mother.

"Izuku! It's here!"

There was a bump, and a second later, he was back in the hallway, where he found his mother on her knees, having seemingly slipped on her way in.

"Mom! What's wr- wr-", he stuttered off, as he saw the envelope she held in her hands.

Bright white with a red wax seal.

"There here!" His mom told him, half-yelling, "Your test results! From U.A.!"

A red seal that had the U.A. logo clearly embossed in the centre.

His mouth was dry, and he took a deep breath to steady himself, before helping his mother up from the floor.

"Oh…", he said, as he took the letter from her trembling hands, noting the weight of it, hoping that was a good sign, before he turned to face her, seeing her look every inch as nervous as he felt, "I should probably open this".

His mother made them both tea.

He'd drank his water, gulping it down greedily, but that hadn't helped him in calming down, if anything, it made him feel more nervous, so his mother told him that a nice cup of calming tea would do the trick.

The letter sat on their coffee table, right in front of his face with the wax seal facing upwards.

It took everything he had not to tear into it.

Or to run anyway.

Whichever impulse came first.

"Here you go, Sweetie", his mother handed him a cup of green tea, and he took a moment to simply enjoy its presence; the warmth against his fingers, the faint steam in his face, the subtle scent that reached his nose. All of them were welcome for the respite they granted, but not even a soothing sip of the best tea his mother had ever made was enough to calm his nerves.

"Okay", he said, speaking more to himself than to his mother, even as she nodded along, "I can do this, all I have to do is open the letter. That's it. It's not like my entire future could be dictated by its contents or define the entire course of my life. It's just a letter… from Japan's premier high school… possibly the world's premier high school… the school that has less than a nought-point-three acceptance rate… oh god, why did I even-"

"Izuku", his mother reached out to touch his shoulder, "you're spiralling… why don't you start with opening the letter and we'll go from there?"

"Right", he nodded, "right".

And with that last bit of reassurance, he tore open the letter.

There were a few papers inside, and he took hold of them, but what surprised him was the holo-disc that slipped out.

Holo-discs weren't exactly new technology, but Izuku wouldn't have described them as being common either, so it was shocking to see a miniature one slip out of his letter and land on the coffee table, where it immediately, lit up with the image of a white-furred creature that Izuku instantly recognised.

"It's me! The one who could be a mouse or a dog or a bear, though the only important thing is… I'm Nezu, the Principal of U.A.! Greetings Izuku Midoriya. I am here to deliver your test results".

The Principled Hero: Nezu

An animal of unknown origins who had developed a Quirk and been ruthlessly experimented on. He'd fought his way to freedom and was now recognised not only as a Pro Hero, but as one of the most talented and experienced educators in the world.

And for the last seven years, the Principal of the Ultra Academy for Heroics.

"Now, your written examination scores are as follows… Japanese Language: ninety-eight percent. Mathematics: one hundred percent. Science: ninety-seven percent. Social Studies: ninety-three percent. English: ninety-one percent. Ethics: ninety-six percent. With a score of five hundred and seventy-five out of a possible six hundred, you are also this year's highest scoring entrant for the standard written exams, with an average score of ninety-five-point-eight-three. Congratulations Izuku Midoriya, with these results, you have been accepted into the U.A. Programme for General Education".

"However, you also signed up to take the Heroics Course entrance examination. You passed the additional written examination, and with a total of eighty-nine villain points, you have also managed to destroy enough robots to pass the physical exam and have made it into U.A.'s Heroics Programme… but that's not all, for you see, this entrance exam features a secret panel, one which awards additional points to those who go out of their way to assist their fellow examinees, for what sort of heroics school would we be, if we did not recognise those individuals who risked scoring lower than they could to aid their fellow man and for that reason, our panel of judges has also awarded you… seventy-five rescue points. Mister Midoriya, I can confirm that with a final total score of one hundred and sixty-four, you have also claimed first place in heroics entrance exam, and the placement is yours to choose! We look forward to seeing you this coming school year. Congratulations once again, and welcome… for this is your hero academia!"

There were more words that followed, this time delivered by a mass recording that provided Izuku and Inko with the knowledge they would need to accept U.A.'s offer for a place in the new school year. The papers that had come with the holo-disc were information sheets, covering everything an incoming student should know before arriving at U.A. for their first day.

Izuku hung onto every word.

Inko said nothing as the recordings played, or as her son read through the paperwork, or busied himself with texting his friend from the school news site, knowing that he would want to know the outcome as soon as Izuku himself did.

Her son abandoned his place beside her to pace, trying to work off his own nervous energy, which she knew had been building ever since he'd taken the exams in the first place.

"Izuku", she did her best to swallow down her nerves, which threatened to overwhelm her, but she knew that this couldn't wait any longer, "could you come and sit with me please?"

If Izuku was going to do this, then he needed to do it with all of the information she had, not just part of it.

Her mother had encouraged her to tell him when he'd started at Aldera, but she'd held off, not wanting to potentially spoil everything around him. He'd been too young in her opinion. It hadn't mattered then, she'd told herself, not for attending junior high school, but this was more than that now.

This mattered now.

"Sure mom", she heard the noise of her taps turning on, "sorry, I just felt like I needed another glass of water. Would you like me to get you anything?"

"No thank you, Sweetie", suddenly, her mouth felt dry, her tongue was sandpaper in her mouth, and yet, she knew that no amount of water in the world would be able to fix it, "but please, come sit down. I need to talk to you".

Walking back around the counter, he took a seat beside her on the sofa, "Is everything okay?"

"Izuku", she began, taking a deep breath to prepare herself for what she had to say, "I'm so proud of you".

He smiled, "Thanks Mom".

She smiled back, but it felt sad on her face, "You're well on your way to becoming a man now. You're capable of making adult decisions, and you deserve to have the information you need to make those decisions clearly", she swallowed, "so with that said, there's something that I feel we need to talk about".

Instantly, Izuku was back on his feet, "Look, Mom, I already had the talk with Doctor Kato, like three years ago. I know that I'm starting high school now, but please, trust me when I say that I didn't forget any of it, okay. I mean, I haven't used any of it, but still, I have a great memory, remember and I can-"

"Not that talk", she cut in, and despite knowing that there was nothing shameful about sex or puberty, she still felt her own cheeks burn red with faint embarrassment, "no, it's- there's something else we need to talk about".

"Oh", with his own embarrassment, Inko felt that Izuku's red freckled face and green hair made look like an overgrown strawberry, and he was every bit as adorable to her now, as he had been ten years ago, but she knew better than to say it aloud, as he sat back down beside her, "what is it?"

She reached out, and took his hands in hers, "Izuku, there's something I need to tell you. Something that I should've told you years ago".

Chapter Text

A My Hero Academia Story

GREEN SON

VOLUME ONE: LAST SON

Part Two: Birthright

Chapter One: Admittance

"It's just… I'm so sorry Izuku… but you're not exactly from around here".

His mother made for a nice speech, plenty of words and phrases that were designed to soften the blow she was landing against him. There were metaphors and euphemisms designed to make her words easier for him to digest, but nothing could make up for the pain that came with the truths she was telling him.

He wasn't her son.

Everything he thought he knew was a lie.

Izuku had never had cause to doubt his mother in his life. She was a kind, caring woman, who cared for, and was cared for by, most of the people around her. She was a career paediatric nurse, who spent all of her days looking after the health and wellbeing of children, almost all of whom were worse off than her own son, who she had never failed to make feel loved.

But that wasn't the truth, was it?

Because Izuku wasn't even her son.

The car they were in came to a stop.

Izuku looked up, out of the passenger-side window, and found that Gr- Ima was already stood on the front porch, waiting for them to arrive.

She was older now, than he could remember from the days of his childhood, the grey and bright green colours of her hair having largely faded away, until now, where it was mostly white, with the odd pale green and grey streak. There were even days when she needed to use a cane to help herself move around, and with its use, came the constant need to hunch over slightly, making her appear to be shorter than he remembered, but despite all of that, the sharpness of her gaze remained, and Izuku knew well enough that her mind was as intact as ever.

She wouldn't be meeting them out here if it wasn't.

"Hey kiddo", she called out to him, as he moved towards her house, unsure of what to say, "she finally decided to tell you then? Everything?"

He swallowed, nodded, and managed to murmur, "Yeah".

"It was time", Inko added, her smile, tense and brittle, as she followed him up the small path.

"Alright then, come on", stepping off her porch, she left the cane behind, "we all know what you came here to see. Go grab a spade. You'll need it".

"What? Why?"

"For digging", she told him, looking as though she wished she had her cane back in hand for a moment, so she could whack his shins with it, ignoring the fact that it might break around him, "what else would you use a spade for?"

She shook her head, as she continued to walk back inside, "Now, you need to go out back, halfway between those two fallen trees. You're the young and strong one. You're doing the digging. You can stop when you hit something metallic".

"Katsuki Bakugo and Izuku Midoriya, please report to the Principal's Office. Thank you".

Looking up at the ceiling, Izuku wondered what the call was for. He couldn't remember ever being called into the Principal's Office before, save that one time he'd been shoved from behind, into a group of lockers, which had crumpled underneath him and also collapsed part of the wall and the classroom behind them.

Principal Shimura had stared him down the entire time, his eyes focused, and simply waited for an explanation. His eyes alone sent a faint shiver down his spine. Izuku had never actually been able to learn exactly what the Principal's Quirk was, but he wouldn't have been surprised if it was the ability to make people afraid of him.

Izuku felt nervous every time he so much as looked at the man.

Still, Izuku wasn't one to ignore a request from the Principal's Office, so with permission from Homura-sensei, he packed up his things and made his way to the front of the school, steadily ignoring the aggressive wheelchair movements behind him.

The receptionist waved them straight through to the Principal's Office, where he took a seat in front of the intimidating man, while Bakugo wheeled himself in, and Izuku couldn't help but note how he didn't intentionally bump into his desk the way he usually did.

Maybe he feared him too.

The Principal himself, who seemingly wore the same plain grey suit, white shirt and red and white striped every day of the week, was sat in his spartan office, decorated with a wooden desk, taupe walls and off-grey carpet. The lone decoration in the room was a small bonsai plant that sat upon the windowsill furthest away from the door, and if the school's rumour mill was to be believed, had been a gift from his deceased husband, who he supposedly kept it in memory of.

"When I receive a call", Principal Shimura began, his tone laced with an undercurrent of anger, "direct to my office that two of my school's own students have been accepted into U.A., the premier institute in all of Japan, and both of them with impressive scores at that, I would expect that my next move would be to call them both in here, so that I may congratulate them on their relative successes, and yet, having now received the full story of what has happened, gentlemen", he leant forwards, resting his head on steepled fingers, "I must confess that I find myself disappointed".

"Wh-", Izuku cleared his throat, "why is that sir?"

"Because of you, Izuku Midoriya".

OFFER OF ADMITTANCE

Wednesday 28th February 2235

Dear Mr. Midoriya,

I am pleased to advise you that the Admissions Committee has approved your application to the Ultra Academy of Heroics (U.A.) for the coming school year. We look forward to welcoming you to the U.A. Community.

As you may be aware, you have completed the requirements to attend multiple programmes within U.A.'s remit and are therefore required to make a course selection prior to your joining us. Please use the acceptance slip below to indicate your choice, which is to be returned to us, no later than Friday 8th March 2235.

Additional course details, including uniform and equipment requirements have been included within this offer letter.

Should you have any questions about your offer, please feel free to contact our offices by phone at: (+81) 54 758 7858 (Ext: #721), or via email at:  Admittance -at- UltraAcademy .co .jp

We look forward to seeing you for the coming year.

Yours sincerely,

Nezu
Principal

Student: MIDORIYA, Izuku

Quirk: Tactile Telekinesis [E]

Dear U.A. Admissions,

I, the above stated student would like to accept / decline the placement offered to me at U.A. for the coming school year. Please find attached my signed confirmation of acceptance and I look forward to seeing you on April 1st.

PROGRAMME ADMITTED TO:

Course for Heroics [ ]

Department for General Education [ ]

Please indicate your course selection by placing an 'X' in the appropriate box.

Name of Parent/Guardian:

Signed:

Date:

Included with the placement offer sent to him by U.A., was a complete breakdown of the basic supplies needed for each of the courses, be it heroics, general education, support or business. It covered the basics, including pens, pencils and lined paper notebooks, to the uniform requirements and the few school uniform retailers that sold the authentic U.A. uniforms.

A student at U.A. needed three different uniforms: the standard uniform, which was used as their everyday uniform; the gym uniform, which was a tracksuit that had a long-sleeved and short-sleeved option to choose from; and then there was the swimsuit uniform, which was a pair of trunks for the boys or a bodysuit for the girls.

They could have ordered online for delivery, but with everything that had happened, his mom had wanted to make a day out of it, so they caught an early morning train and got off in the middle of Tokyo.

They had Takoyaki for breakfast, simply because they could. Izuku used his saved-up allowance to get himself the latest All Might figurine from the ProCo Line, which featured him wearing his Golden Age costume, but with puckered facial features from the fallout of the Vinegar Riverbank Incident. Inko picked up a collection of magazines for her own amusement, which Izuku knew from experience would make their way onto the coffee table of the nurses' lounge of Shizuoka at some point.

Modo, the official retailer of U.A. uniforms, wasn't the grand store that Izuku was expecting. He had envisioned a modern building of glass and concrete and steel, filled to the brim with dozens of people running about, always busy.

Instead, Modo was a tiny store, easy to miss, tucked as it was, between two much taller buildings on either side of it, with a wooden shopfront and only four workers. It was a small, quiet place, and when they stepped inside, the staff were quick to meet them in person, and welcome them warmly, happy to be of service.

Izuku didn't know what to say to them, as they directed him to stand on an empty footstool, so that they could begin measuring him for his uniform, while his mother simply chose one of the seats near the window, happy to wait for him to be finished.

They started with getting the swimsuit, which was just a pair of thigh-length swimming trunks, and it was easy enough to pick out, once one of the shop assistants had quickly measured his waistline for him. Dark blue in colour, the only marking feature was the U.A. standard white stripe running down the seams, with a thinner pair of red stripes running along each side of the thicker white one.

From there, they grabbed him his gym uniform to go with it, which was just a loose shirt and matching pair of trousers, in the same shade of dark blue as his new swimming trunks, with white vertical lines going up the legs and across the shoulders, that formed the letters 'U' and 'A'. There was also a second variation, which Izuku assumed was designed for the colder weather months, which swapped the standard shirt out for a long-sleeved version with a higher collar.

He picked the short-sleeved version, never having been bothered by the cold before, instead of the one designed to help him in cold weather. He saw his mother twitch as he made his decision, and he knew without asking that she was worried about his choice of gear, as she so often was, and chose to ignore the way his heart clenched in his chest at the sight, tight and choking, and so much worse now that he could understand just why she worried as much as she did.

Why he now feels like worrying so much.

He'd always thought that, for a nurse, she seemed to worry about him so much more than she needed to, but now? Now he can understand all of her fears all too well. Everything he has ever come into contact with, or ever will, is an unknown for just how exactly he'll react to it. Every new material, or food, or sound or scent could be dangerous to him in ways that humans just don't need to consider, and just because he's been fine so far, doesn't mean that he'll be fine tomorrow.

Who's to say that the flu he could catch from not wearing the winter gym uniform won't be enough to kill him. Just because the cold had never bothered him before, or because he's never been sick a day in his life, doesn't mean that the trend will continue.

What if tomorrow, he decides to try some new type of food or drink for the first time in his life, only for him to find that he's from a species that is deathly allergic to it and that normal epinephrin doesn't work on him, and even if it could, the needle can't pierce his skin, and then he dies.

Suddenly, his mother's ever-present stress makes all the more sense.

Why would she take him in, if this is how it's made her live her life?

(He knows why, but if he stands there and thinks about it for too long, he's quite certain that they'll both end up in tears).

Moving onto the standard uniform, it's been a while since he had to buy new clothes, so the assistant had him stand on a stool, while they busied themselves with taking all of his measurements.

The one constant between U.A. and Aldera is the long-sleeve, button-up white shirt, which Izuku can be thankful for. There's a comforting familiarity in the plain white cotton, and the only difference were the straps on the shoulders, which is minor enough to be almost completely unnoticeable during his fitting. He opts for the trousers instead of a skirt, having always felt more comfortable with his legs covered, and unlike the sensible grey he was expecting, or the black of Aldera, the trousers of U.A.'s standard uniform are a darkened shade of something caught somewhere between blue and green. Still, despite being as unfashionable as he was, even he could recognise that they paired well with the grey jacket that had highlights in the same shade of dark teal. The red necktie, which he had no idea how to go about fastening, stood out against the muted background colours, when he draped it over his shoulder.

He didn't mind admitting it.

The uniform looked good on him.

"Oh, Sweetie", his mom cooed, earning her a round of giggles from the shop assistants, when his face blushed all the way out to the tips of his hair, "you look so handsome".

"Thanks mom", he murmured, while the assistant who had taken most of the measurements began to bring his new uniform over in bags, placing them at her feet.

"There is one more thing", he told them, chirping his words with his obvious squirrel mutation, "you'll need to buy a set of epaulettes as well, one set for the shirt and another for the blazer. We can also provide spares if you wish, you just need to let us know which set you need".

He presented Izuku with a wooden box, and inside the glass display case contained within, Izuku could see that there were four set of epaulettes, four for the shirt and four for the jacket. Both sets were the same shade of blue green as the uniform highlights, with golden markings, but the ones for the jacket were slightly wider and longer, which matched the shoulder straps that Izuku had seen.

Pro Heroes were civil servants, not unlike the military or the police force, so U.A. students wore epaulettes to remind themselves of this. They also had the added benefit of letting everyone know which course you were attending, with each course have different allotments for activities and different studios available to them, simply with a quick glance at your shoulders.

The markings were designed to look like you simply had buttons on your jacket's shoulders, with the Hero Course having one button, centred to the top of each shoulder, closest to the neck, whereas the Support Course wore two buttons beside each other, at the edge of the shoulder, nearer the arm. The Management and Business Course wore three buttons in a vertical line, filling the entire gap. General Studies wore two buttons, not unlike the Support Course, but they wore them at the opposite ends, as opposed to beside each other, leaving a button-wide gap between them.

"Set one, please", Izuku told him, as he carefully removed the clothing he'd been trying on, "and one set each should do it".

"Not a problem", he told him, another assistant already retrieving them, "and one last thing, the U.A. uniform does come with a standard set of shoes. Now, I must inform you that while it isn't mandatory and students are allowed to choose their own footwear, it is highly recommended".

"Oh, okay".

"Is that a 'yes'?"

"Erm, I don't-", he turned back, to look at his mom, but she just smiled.

"It's up to you, Sweetie".

He looked down at his favourite pair of Air Mights, which were bright red, and while they were comfortable and great to look at, they didn't exactly lend themselves to him going about his day without standing out.

"Can you do a standard pair of size twenty-eights?"

"Certainly sir".

They watched him dig.

Inko and Ima retreated to her back porch, where they stood, watched and waited, as Izuku busied himself with digging up part of her back yard, his actions almost mechanically consistent: spade in, foot down, fling out, repeat. There was a reasonable distance between her porch and the part of the yard that she'd buried the spaceship in, far enough away from the house that with her aged eyes, she could barely make out his movements, but she felt that Izuku would appreciate the space, and before long, it began to look as though he was sinking into the ground with all the dirt he was moving.

And it gave Inko a place to freak out without bothering him.

Inko then refused to move, watching her son work, while Ima busied herself making tea. As the kettle boiled on her stovetop, she considered her next move carefully, before deciding to make the tea more Irish than English.

She added a generous dose of whiskey to both cups, before pressing it into her daughter's hands, all-but forcing her to take a sip.

"He's barely said a word to me since I told him".

Her voice was barely audible, even in the quiet of the day, "Less than four days ago now, you told him he was an alien from another planet, that his spaceship's buried out in the back of my yard, and that was on top of telling him he was adopted. It's only been three days. Give him some time to adjust".

"I know you're right", she buried her head in her hands, "but I just want him to talk to me. He's been so quiet since I told him the truth and I don't think he's been speaking to his friends either".

"Inko", she began, in a time that was as comforting as it was patronising, "you've upended his life. Everything he thought he knew about himself was based on what he now perceives to be a lie. He needs time to come to terms with that, and I'm sorry Dear, but that's not something that happens overnight".

"I know that".

"Yes, well all of your experience with this sort of thing will come through the hospital - and that only covers what it's like for normal human adoptees", she shuddered, "I can't even imagine what's going through his head right now".

"A part of me always knew that this day would come", Inko told her, gulping down most of her tea, "I guess, I always hoped that I'd never have to tell him", she hunched in on herself, drawing her salmon cardigan closer to her body, and Ima knew that it was out of shame, not from the late morning breeze, "I never wanted him to doubt who he was".

"Everyone doubts who they are. Thinking that you know who you are, getting it wrong and then figuring yourself out is all part of growing up. You were never going to be able to keep him from that".

"I know that", she repeated though gritted teeth, "I do, I know it, I just-"

"Want to keep him safe? Protect him from everything?"

"Yes!"

Ima chuckled, "Then I'm sorry Sweetie, but you're setting yourself up for a lifetime of disappointment. Children grow up. They run into danger, and they don't think about the consequences. Risks are just those things that get in their way. You can't expect him to feel like he's part of the world if you won't let him learn how to walk through it alone".

"He's my baby", she mourned, but her mother just chuckled.

"He'll always be your baby", she told her, "trust me, that feeling never goes away".

Inko just sighed, leaving the two of them in silence, and Ima took the opportunity to fill her half-empty teacup up with more whiskey, while Inko rested her arms on the porch fence.

"Speaking of things that haven't gone away-"

"Not again Girl", Ima groaned, "I told you, I'm fine".

"You're not fine, you're-"

"Dying? Yes, I know. I'm sixty-nine years old already. I'll be seventy in just a few short weeks. Either way you look at it, I don't have much time left".

"Oh, Mother".

"Stop your whining, I'm the one dying, and you don't hear me complaining about it".

"Are there options we can take?"

"What's this 'we'? I'm the one who's sick".

"Mother".

"Oh, relax already. I started hormone therapy a few days ago".

"Is it working?"

She sighed, cursing the fact that she'd raised such a kind and caring daughter, who would, no doubt, refuse to drop the subject until she was satisfied that all of her questions had been answered, and then proceeded to raise her son to be the same way.

"I'm sleeping easier", she admitted, "the days are more tolerable, but I get tired more easily and the coughing is constant, no matter what I do".

"I wish you'd come and stay with me and Izuku".

"Izuku and I", she corrected, "and no thank you".

"Mom-"

"I'm paying for a private service to check on me daily, and besides, if I'm dying, I want to do it here, in my home. The home I built with my husband, where we raised our daughter… where I met my grandson for the first time. If this is to happen, I want it to happen here", she smiled, looking out to where Izuku seemed to have slowed down, "this is where I belong".

Inko sighed once again, "If you're sure".

"I am".

There was nothing more to say after that, and the two women simply stood together, watching on as Izuku continued to dig. They finished their teas, complete with additional whiskey and otherwise enjoyed the warm weather, before a shout from Izuku interrupted their sense of calm.

It was hard to make out what he was saying but given the way he was holding his shovel in the air, they both knew what it had to be.

He'd finished his digging.

He'd found it.

Izuku was glad he'd given himself extra time to get to class for his first day.

He'd awoken that morning, an hour earlier than usual, but once he'd acknowledged that he was awake, and remembered what day it was, he'd realised that it would be next to impossible to get back to sleep.

It was the first day of the new school year.

He sent off a good morning text to JJ, before he went to the bathroom to wash, floss, brush his teeth and make his usual attempt at combing back his mess of hair. It seemed that his friend was in the same state he was, having sent three responses by the time Izuku got back into his room.

He joined his mother for breakfast, still texting JJ as he ate his mom's attempt at American pancakes and drank a glass of milk. She seemed as jittery as he felt, and in more than one instance, he was worried that she was about to drop her coffee mug.

She slipped into her hospital scrubs, while he went to do the same with his U.A. uniform. He was glad he'd gone and got the uniform in person, rather than just ordering online, because he couldn't help but give himself a once over in the mirror.

He didn't consider himself a vain person, but well… he had to admit it.

He looked good.

Izuku had never had to worry about his health. Not only did he have a nurse for a mom, who was as health conscious as could be, but it had always looked to Izuku like he'd won something of a genetic lottery.

His body appeared baseline human, with no visible mutations that would cause him to stand out or give any who saw him pause. He was tall for his age, without appearing to be a giant, and despite the fact that most of his exercise came from walking, or the occasional jog away from Bakugo and his ilk, he had a pair of broad shoulders and solid muscles all over his body, which never seemed to atrophy, or need regular exercise to upkeep.

Growing up, a part of him assumed that his Quirk simply kept his body in perfect health, but now he wondered if this was just what every member of whatever species he was, was supposed to look like.

It was possible that Izuku was even small for his age.

He had no way of knowing.

Still, he liked the way he made the uniform look.

The shirt and blazer were stretched across his broad frame, while the trousers hung perfectly down to just above his feet. He'd managed to use enough gel to slick his hair back, and when he added the black leather belt and the red silk tie, he thought he looked like a young professional.

"You look so handsome", his mother told him, as she handed him his new yellow backpack, and they headed for the door.

Despite everything, he smiled, "Thanks mom", while they put on their shoes. He was sad to leave his Air Mights behind, having worn them to Aldera every day since he'd started, but he could also see that the plain brown shoes that he'd spent a few hours hand polishing did look better with the uniform than his favourite pair of red sneakers would have.

They were also much less inconspicuous.

For the first time since he could remember, his mom didn't drop him off at school. U.A. was too far away for her to make the commute every day, so instead, she dropped him off at the train station, choosing to let him get the earlier train.

He was glad she did.

Normally, he used his Quirk, (could he even still call it a Quirk now?), to get to the train station ahead of everyone else. Between that, his mom dropping him off in the mornings, and the time they came home, Izuku realised that he had never had to travel on public transport during rush hour.

Everyone was so pushy.

People kept speedwalking past him, and cramming themselves into his personal space, as they seemed to be desperate to get where they were going.

It probably didn't help that he had very little idea where he was going.

He'd only made the journey to U.A. once before, and the morning's mass of bodies was throwing him off. By the time he finally arrived at the main gate, which his signing in papers and joined the admissions queue to receive his student card, he'd lost almost half of the extra hour he'd given himself that morning.

From there, he'd had to find his way towards his new homeroom class, which was foolish, because he had to do that before orientation, when he hadn't been shown the way around yet. The second and third-year students were given the morning of their first day off, so that the new kids could familiarise themselves with the grounds, but that meant that there was no one Izuku could ask to help show him the way.

And everyone else was in the same boat he was.

By the time he found his homeroom class, at the end of a corridor, that had his homeroom letters for the year stencilled onto the wall besides the enormous door, he'd used up nearly every second of extra time that he'd allowed for.

He was really glad that he'd been too nervous to sleep.

Opening the door, he took a breath to calm his nerves, before stepping inside to a veritable cacophony of noise. He did his best to ignore them, as he found his place using the seating plan that was displayed on the board. He placed his bag at the foot of his chair and pulled out a plain notepad and black ballpoint pen.

It was only a matter of moments before the digital clock on the wall above the door changed its display to read, '08:30', and the door opened one more time and the room fell silent in an instant, as their homeroom teacher stepped inside.

Izuku swallowed nervously, as Principal Shimura stared down at him, over his steepled fingers and fought back the urge to squirm in his seat, "I'm sorry, sir".

"You're sorry, are you? Well, that's good to know".

There was a small cross-shaped scar on the principal's chin, and Izuku chose to focus on that, doing everything he could not to meet the man's eyes.

"I would have thought, that after all of the investment that Aldera Junior High School has made into your development and future growth, that you would have chosen to repay this investment by delivering nothing but your finest work. Now, U.A. has provided me with copies of your exam results".

"They did?"

Principal Shimura ignored him, "Now, Young Bakugo, impressive scores across the board. You had some of the highest scores for the heroics examination, and your exam results for the U.A. Support Course were also impressive. Impressive enough that despite your physical deformity, you've accepted a place in their Heroics Course, with an allowance for studying support equipment.

Bakugo simply growled in response, earning him a raised eyebrow from the Principal, while Izuku couldn't help but feel impressed.

"Just like the Excavation Hero: Power Loader!"

They both ignored him, which suited him and his nerves just fine, but it was still an impressive accomplishment. It was hard to remember sometimes, but despite Bakugo's demeanour, he was rather intelligent.

"And you Mister Midoriya", the Principal continued, as though he hadn't been interrupted at all, "made for some impressive scores with your results, setting records in the general education exams and then proceeding to take the first-place spot in the heroics exam", he flicked his gaze upwards, and found the principal was staring directly into his eyes.

Bakugo growled again, baring his teeth at Izuku, while the Principal ignored him this time.

"Ah, thank you sir".

"But perhaps you'd like to tell me exactly why, when I spoke to them, U.A. told me that you hadn't chosen your spot there?"

"I'm sorry sir, but… I made a different decision".

"Good morning, little listeners! It's your boy, the Voice Present Mic and I'm here to announce that I am your new homeroom teacher, YEAH!"

His yell shook the windows, making them all feel nervous, but the man just grinned, "You can call me Yamada-sensei, Present Mic-sensei, Mic-sensei or even just Present Mic, I don't mind, but what's important is that orientation begins in fifteen minutes, so all that's left is to take registration and allow me to welcome you all to your first year as students of the Ultra Academy's Department for General Education. Welcome to Class 1-C!"

Student: MIDORIYA, Izuku

Quirk: Tactile Telekinesis [E]

Dear U.A. Admissions,

I, the above stated student would like to accept / decline the placement offered to me at U.A. for the coming school year. Please find attached my signed confirmation of acceptance and I look forward to seeing you on April 1st.

PROGRAMME ADMITTED TO:

Course for Heroics [ ]

Department for General Education [X]

Please indicate your course selection by placing an 'X' in the appropriate box.

Name of Parent/Guardian: Inko Midoriya

Signature: I. Midoriya

Date: 2235/03/05

Chapter Text

A My Hero Academia Story

GREEN SON

VOLUME ONE: LAST SON

Part Two: Birthright

Chapter Two: The Ship

"It's just… I'm so sorry Izuku… but you're not exactly from around here".

Izuku frowned, wondering why on Earth his mother looked so worried when she was speaking about things he already knew, as he took in the way she was wringing her hands together nervously, her back hunched over, as she looked up at him from where she was sat on the sofa, "I know?"

He chuckled, setting the papers in his hands down, as he took his seat back, sitting beside her, as she continued to look worried, "You do?"

"Yeah? I mean, you told me the story years ago", he replied, smiling at the memory of it, "you were driving down to Endo after a shift at one of the old hospitals that you used to work at. You weren't expecting it so soon, so I ended up being born at Grandma's house during the night", his smile turned sad as he remembered the details of the story, "Sherubi was there too".

"Well, that's not exactly what happened", Inko said, moving on from wringing her hands to picking at one of her nailbeds, and seeing her nerves, he felt a twinge of worry set in, even as he took her hands in his, prying her fingers away before they had the chance to leave the rest of her fingers torn and bloody, "the truth is, Izuku, you might have been kind of…", she swallowed, "adopted".

He stood up immediately, dropping her hands, "That's not funny".

Inko winced, "I know, and I'm sorry, Sweetie, but… if you're going to do this, you need to know-"

"-know what? That I'm adopted? Look at me", she turned her gaze to find his, and he barely registered the fact that she was crying, as he gestured towards his own face, "my hair, my eyes, I mean, apart from our height, I look just like you".

"Our eyes aren't the same", she told him softly, "we just both happen to have green, and-", her voice hitched, "and your hair's supposed to be black. We had it altered slightly, when you were a baby. We added green highlights-"

"What?! How?!"

She moved to shrug, but stopped before finishing the motion, hanging her head, "There was a retired plastic surgeon that-"

"And who's we?!"

"Me and Grandma".

"Grandma and I", he corrected without thinking.

"Right", she nodded, afraid of upsetting him any more than she had to, "she was with me at the time. She was with me after I, err, I mean when you-"

"What? When you picked me up?"

"More like… when I found you".

"You found me?"

She nodded again, looking back up at him, "In a field".

"And what, I was just left there? Sitting out in the open? Where were my parents?"

Inko sighed, "I think they're dead", she told him, as she rose to her feet and crossed their apartment on shaking legs, until she reached the shelf besides the kitchen, upon which she kept her old cookbooks, and picked out the bright red one that Izuku never touched; that they'd never even used.

The very same one that she had once told him, she'd picked up from the hospital giftshop after he was born.

He guessed that that little story was a lie too.

Placing the book flat on the counter, she flipped it open, and Izuku could see the big chunk that had been carved out of the book, leaving a hole where the recipes should lie. His mother didn't hesitate before pulling out a small slab, which shined silver under their apartment's lights. She held it gently, away from her, and carried it back over to him with something almost akin to reverence, as she held it out to him.

Matching her gentle grip as best he could, he laid it flat on the palm of his hand.

Seemingly made of solid silver, there were small black symbols engraved onto the surface of it. It was no larger than a big bar of chocolate, but the jagged tips made it look as though it had been designed to plug into some sort of machine, but he couldn't imagine what type though. Izuku knew he wasn't an expert of every piece of technology in the world, but it didn't look like any piece of hardware he'd ever seen before.

"I think that your parents - your real parents - I think they left this with you", she told him, her voice little more than a whisper.

"Wha-", he cleared his throat, "what does it say?"

"I don't know", she told him, staring at the slab as though its mere presence offended her, "but those markings don't match anything I've been able to find. Japanese. Chinese. Korean. Russian. Latin. Greek. Egyptian. Norse. Hindi. Sumerian. I even spent time checking it against ancient drawing styles like aboriginal and Native American pictographs. I couldn't find a single match", she swallowed, "as far as I can tell, those symbols don't match any written language that's ever been used throughout Earth's history".

"Great, so what? I was abandoned with a metal sheet of drawings, but the drawings are meaningless".

"No, Sweetie, I don't think the problem is that they can't be found throughout history, I just don't think they can be found throughout Earth's history".

For a moment, the two of them sat there, simply staring at each other, before Izuku burst out laughing, "You think I'm an alien", he chuckled again, "well, in that case, where's my spaceship? Did you leave it in that field?"

Inko tried to smile, but she could feel how brittle it was, "Actually, I buried it at Grandma's House".

After her talk with Izuku, after the 'big reveal', as she had already taken to calling it inside of her own mind, Inko hadn't been able to find sleep. She'd tried - she'd washed, changed and gone to bed - and insisted that Izuku do the same, but she'd spent the entire night awake and alert, tossing and turning, and based on his appearance, so too had Izuku. He hadn't bothered with dressing yet, still wearing his pyjamas, and when she told him that she was going to call Aldera and have them declare him sick for the day, he hadn't even bothered with shrugging.

"Okay".

"I still have to go in for my shift though".

He nodded in acknowledgement as she looked over at him, still sat on their sofa, slowly turning over the slab in his hands, as he stared down at it, intensely, "Are you going to be okay by yourself?"

"I'm fine".

"Call me though, if you need anything, okay?"

"Okay".

When she came home that evening, exhausted from working a ten-hour shift, she found that Izuku was still sat there, still clad in his pyjamas, just sitting on the sofa, silver slab in hand, staring down at it, as he slowly turned it over and over, examining every inch.

If not for that, she was certain that he hadn't moved a muscle.

Izuku wanted to say something, he did, but the problem was… he didn't know what.

He had a million questions he wanted answers to, but he had no idea where to start.

Who was he? Where did he come from? What was he? Why was he here?

And more importantly… why had she never told him before now?

Every time he tried to speak with his mother, (or was that supposed to be someone else now? Was he supposed to call her Inko now?), he found the words drying up in his throat before they managed to leave his mouth. He'd tried to write them down, but found that he couldn't keep his hands from shaking, leaving his text jagged and unreadable.

He felt stuck in place.

He'd just nodded when she spoke.

It was all he felt capable of doing.

Apparently, without him realising, the week had given way to Saturday, when she told him that she had a few days off, and they were going to Grandma's house.

Still feeling lost for words, he didn't have it in him to argue with her. He just nodded and went to put on his favourite jacket and sneakers, before following to the car, settling into place in the passenger seat beside her.

As they drove, she fiddled with the radio controls constantly, flicking between local music channels, national news and a few Pro Hero podcasts, but he could tell that she wasn't listening, nodding at random intervals, trying to give the illusion that she was paying attention, as she traversed through the countryside roads. She tried to speak to him once or twice, but he was paying as much attention as she was, and her words went over his head, not registering in his mind, until she had already given up and returned to letting the mindless drone of the radio wash over them.

He shook his head, as her words played out in his mind, in an endless loop.

"-your real parents-"

But that wasn't the truth, was it?

He wasn't her son.

"-your real parents-"

Apparently, he was just some kid she'd picked up in a field. She'd found him one morning, and decided, 'fuck it, I'll keep him', and then basically kidnapped him. For all she knew, he had family out there looking for him, and she'd never bothered to report him as missing. She thought he was an alien, but Quirks were weird and wide, and the markings on the slab could just be random scribbles. They didn't need to have any meaning.

That made far more sense than her ridiculous alien theory.

His moth- Inko, was a lovely woman. She was kind and caring; the sort of woman who spent her life looking after other people and not bothering to take care of herself. He been inspired by her for his entire life, but not once, in all that time, had he ever thought of her as a liar.

"-your real parents-"

Parents didn't tell their children everything. Some things were just too big for the minds of children to comprehend and were best left until later in life. Izuku knew that, just like every other child on the planet, (the planet - and what a joke that word was, if what she'd told him was at all true), he'd had been given those same stories to be raised on, but despite that, Izuku was firm in his belief that his mother - Inko - had never lied to him.

And now he knew better.

"-your real parents-"

He barely registered the fact that they had arrived at Gran- Ima's home, only noticing when Inko moved to unbuckle her seatbelt; something she never did while the vehicle was in motion. He did his best to blink his mind clear, as he took in the sight of the Midoriya home, finding that Ima was stood on the porch, leaning against her walking cane, already waiting for them.

Every time they came to visit, he couldn't help but think that she looked older. It wasn't some gradual change as late, rather, it felt as though she was unwinding before his eyes. She was thinner, bonier; her hair of green and grey had now given way to almost a complete head of vibrant white, yet her gaze remained as sharp as ever, and her mind was just as fierce.

Still, he remembered to do the polite thing, and moved to greet her, even as she stepped off the porch, leaving her cane behind for a moment, as she tilted his head up from where he was pointedly staring at the ground, forcing their eyes to meet,

"Hey kiddo", she called out softly, as they all drew closer together, "she finally decided to tell you then? Everything?"

He swallowed down the lump in his throat, his mouth was dry again, "Yeah".

"It was time", Inko added from where she was stood behind him.

"Alright then, come on", snatching her cane up from where she'd left it behind, she moved to walk around the house, leading them to the vast expanse of land that she called her back garden, "we all know what you came here to see. Go grab a spade", she flicked her hand out in the direction of the garden shed, "you'll need it".

"What?" He tilted his head in confusion, "Why?"

"For digging", Ima told him, using that familiar tone that told him that she felt whoever he was speaking to was - at the very least - acting like an idiot, "what else would you use a spade for?"

"Erm…"

"What?"

"Nothing", he murmured.

"You thought I was going to dig that thing up? I'm an old woman", she snapped, and Izuku found himself straightening up on instinct, "you think because you've been told the truth that you deserve special treatment?"

"What?" Izuku shook his head, too afraid to be surprised at finding his voice, "No! Of course not!"

"Good", she shook he head at him, "young man thinks that the old woman will do the manual labour for him, utterly shameless", Izuku held back the urge to fidget as she glared at him, before her gaze turned back to the field in front of them, "now go on, right over there", she used her cane to point, "halfway between those two fallen trees. You can stop digging when you find yourself hitting something big and metallic. Come and get us when you're done".

Digging in the spot he been told to dig wasn't a difficult form of exercise, and it was made even easier by the superstrength that was granted to him by his (Quirk? Alien biology? Magic?) abilities, but it was repetitive.

And dull.

And slow.

A lot of people he knew - especially those at his school - didn't realise that superspeed wasn't always helpful. The last time he'd tried using it on something like this, he'd just ended up flinging muck everywhere at high velocity, making a mess of it all and just leaving him with a lot of cleaning to do.

As dull as it was, sometimes slower was indeed safer.

Thankfully, he didn't get tired, which meant he didn't need to bother trying to pace himself. After stripping off his jacket, leaving him in one of his All Might branded t-shirts, he knew that he could just move on repeat until he was finished.

Shovel in. Push down. Pull out. Toss aside. Repeat.

Honestly, the worst part of it was the boredom.

Moving at a normal speed meant that he was digging a hole, of an unknown depth, by moving a single shovel's worth of dirt at a time.

Shovel in. Push down. Pull out. Toss aside. Repeat.

If he'd realised what he was going to be doing before he'd left the apartment, he would've planned ahead and brought along his headphones.

Shovel in. Push down. Pull out. Toss aside. Repeat.

For all he knew, he was already nearly two metres down and getting to the bottom of where he was could him take the rest of the weekend-

CLANG!

He winced from the noise, as the tip of the shovel met its underground opponent, clanging against each other, before making an awful noise as their metallic components slid against each other, aided by his own strength and offending his ears. He yanked the shovel back in an instant, the noise dying out, before, cautiously, he tapped down with the shovel several times, getting a sharp metallic clanging sound in response each time, and then he nodded to himself, satisfied that he'd managed to reach whatever they wanted him to find.

He should probably let them know.

He gave out a generic yell, raising his shovel in the air, and after a moment, he saw the two of them begin to make their way over to him, moving slowly so that his Grandm- so that Ima, was able to remain comfortable. For the most part, he felt as though age had been kind to her, but on their last few visits, he'd started noticed that in addition to her weight loss, she was also moving slower than he was used to seeing.

He didn't expect for a woman in her late seventies, even with the power of modern medicine, to be swift and spry, but now it appeared as though she was struggling with even some of her most basic acts.

While they crossed the expanse of the field, Izuku busied himself with flinging away the topmost layer of dirt that was still covering the ship, and though the movements remained as regular as they had all morning, each new pass of the shovel felt heavier and heavier, as slowly but surely, he revealed more of the buried mass of silver-grey metal that he was now standing above.

It looked like an egg. It was larger and silver than any he'd ever seen, but it was definitely egg-shaped, or at least, the part he could see was.

Or maybe it was pod shaped.

Was he a pod person? Had he stolen some innocent child's body while he was out there? Was there a real couple now missing their son, because he'd killed him and stolen-

"Well, what are you waiting for?"

"Huh?"

"Stop wasting time", Ima barked at him, as he blinked away his blurred vision, and fought to take a few deep breaths, "use that ridiculous strength of yours and pick it up. You can put it in your Grandpa's old workshop", she swivelled around, pointing at it with her cane, "I already told your mom to move his old truck out. It should fit in there", she shrugged, "well, unless it's grown or some other weird shit-"

"Mother".

"Your boy's a teenager, girl. If he's never heard someone say the word 'shit' before, I'll eat one of my old fucking hats, now", she turned her gaze on him, ignoring her daughter's sigh of disappointment at her use of profanity, "get a move on, and do it quickly. You never know when some nosy busybody's going to show up and try taking a peek at what you're doing".

He couldn't stop his arms from shaking.

The ship wasn't heavy.

But it was real.

Well, if he took a moment to think about it, Izuku would say that the ship probably was heavy, but he also had superstrength, so as far as he was concerned, it was all relative. He doubted that any baseline human would've been capable of moving it. Inko had already told him on the drive over that she and Ima had both needed to push their Quirks to their limits, and that was barely enough for them to be able to lift it far enough to get it onto the back of the truck.

Inko opened the workshop door for him, letting the large block of wood swing out as wide as it would go, before hastening to shut it behind them, as he did his best not to drop the ship in his eagerness to be rid of it from his grip.

He didn't want it anywhere near him.

He placed it down gently, letting it go in the middle of his grandpa's old shed, which seemed ridiculously large for one man, had he not been known to spend most of his time outside, tinkering with electronics, ranging from his own truck and work van, to include that time he'd managed to 'fix' his wife's hairdryer, so that it began blowing hot air out of its back, instead if its front.

He'd also been banned from working on any more of their household appliances after that.

Well, that and the exploding microwave incident.

Izuku never had gotten the details of just exactly what had happened that day out of either woman; all knew for certain was that it had led to a lifetime ban on his grandfather being allowed to do home repair works, and only being allowed to use his workshop to work on his stories.

Still, he couldn't find it in him to complain. Now that there was no truck being stored inside, there was plenty of room for them to place his ship, where it couldn't be seen with outside eyes.

"So… what now?"

The two women shared a glance with each other, before Inko tentatively spoke, unsure of her own words, "I think we were hoping that you would know what to do".

"So… I just found out that I'm apparently an alien, which I had no idea about, but you think that operating a spaceship is genetic?"

"They're obviously an advanced society", Ima pointed out, clearly amused, "for all we know, they have a way of making it so that the information is hardwired in there somewhere".

"Right", he rolled his eyes, "and I also speak all of their planet's languages and ours, and I also happen to enjoy making some of their signature dishes. They do this particularly nice sauce, it's somewhere between an American-style barbecue and a sweet and smoky chilli sauce. I just never thought to mention it to you before now".

"Don't you sass me, Boy".

He didn't flinch at Ima's tone, but it was a near thing, "Yes, ma'am".

"-Tt-", she clicked her teeth in response, and Izuku took that as his permission to continue.

"But seriously, what do we do now?"

"Well…", Inko mused, "when you were a baby, it opened and closed on its own. We couldn't find any buttons, so we assumed that it was automatically responding to you".

"I guess that makes sense, but I just carried it across your field. If it was going to react to me, it would've done so by now, wouldn't it".

"I… suppose so".

The three of them stood there for a few moments, forming an awkward triangle filled with an even more awkward silence. Izuku didn't know what to do, and neither of the adults knew what to say.

"I think I'm going to get some air", Izuku settled on, moving towards the door and refusing to look back at the mass of metal that was behind him, "clear my head", he shrugged, even as he walked away, "maybe I'll come up with something. Who knows?"

Inko perked up, "We could all-"

"I'd rather be alone", Izuku said, cutting her off, "I'll be back later".

They watched Izuku leave, not bothering to take his jacket with him, which Inko knew had his mobile in one of its breast pockets. She didn't doubt that he would be safe, his 'Quirk' after all, seemed to render him immune to what she would consider 'normal' damage.

Izuku's skin seemed to be largely impervious to damage of all forms, which they were all grateful for. For Izuku, it seemed to mean that he didn't have to worry about contracting acne or developing zits, (and no matter the teenager, Inko had seen enough patients to know skincare was something they all worried about), while for Inko and Ima, it meant that their boy would be safe, no matter where he was.

It also meant that Inko no longer had to fake his medical records, not only because his body seemed to be able to live on Earth without issue, but because no needle could even pierce his skin.

Now that he was older, she didn't need to fake more vaccination shots, when he simply couldn't have them to begin with.

That didn't mean she didn't worry. She'd been worrying his entire life, and ever since the day of his ninth birthday, when that thing had appeared, she'd realised that she was never going to be able to stop worrying, but more importantly, it was her job to keep him safe, and as far away from danger for as long as possible.

Realising that she was starting to cry, she reached up, drawing a handkerchief from her pocket to dab at them, "You should go after him".

"There's no point. He's not talking to me".

"No point? He's your son, what more of a point do you need? If he doesn't want to talk with you, then don't ask him to. Talk to him. Talk at him, if you have to, but remind him that you're here, and encourage him to come back".

Her eyes flew open, "You think he's leaving!"

"I meant to the ship", her mother rolled her eyes at her, "I think he needs to open it and see inside. So, get him to come back and open it. He's probably the only one who can".

"But he-"

"Didn't want it to open", Ima cut across her, "think about it, girl. The baby wanted to be found, so the ship opened. You were safe, so the baby wanted to stay with you, and so the ship closed. You couldn't put him back him. Right now, it knows that Izuku doesn't actually want to see what's inside, so…?"

"It won't open", Inko concluded.

"Good, you understand that much then, now go and talk to him".

"Right", Inko said, as she nodded to herself, preparing himself to go after him, "I'll go and do that".

"And while you're there", she said softly, knowing that her daughter wouldn't hear her, as she walked away, "try and remember that he's still your son".

"Hi Grandpa".

Kneeling down, Izuku brushed a handful of stray leaves and dust from the Midoriya Family's resting plot, his gaze lingering on the small plaque that held his grandfather's name below the haka.

KOSEI MIDORIYA
17th October 2149 - 10th July 2209

Beneath the ground, Izuku knew that he would find the small urn that held the cremated remains of Inko's father, and one day, it'd do the same for Ima, Inko and even himself.

If he was lucky, his children too.

Actually, could he even have kids?

Was he… human-compatible?

He sighed, after all, there was really only one way of knowing, and he didn't even want to consider that right now.

He had enough to deal with as it was.

"I'm sorry it's been so long since my last visit", he continued, talking to a man who could never respond, "I don't always remember to come down here, whenever we're here to visit. Sorry again… it's just… I don't know what to do", he confessed, "I mean, it's all ridiculous! Aliens! It's just, I don't even, argh", he grit his teeth, "it's not fair!"

He shook his head, "It's never been fair! I get a strong Quirk, but I can't turn it off. I can't be injured, but I'm not allowed to fight back", he could feel his anger starting to build up steam now, "I just completely smashed the hardest entrance exam for the best heroics school in the world, and I know that she won't even let me join!"

He sighed, his shoulders sagging, as the fight that he'd built out drained out of him, "It's not fair, I… I just want to help people".

It wasn't fair.

But he was also smart enough to know that it wasn't all her fault either.

She was afraid.

But honestly, so was he.

What was he supposed to do now? 'Aliens are real' was a mind-boggling idea all on its own, but the fact that he was one of them was just…

He didn't know what to do.

And he told Grandpa as much.

He wasn't exactly expecting a response, so when someone whispered, "I know you do", he felt he shouldn't feel too ashamed of the jerky way, in which he leapt away from the grave.

And despite what she would tease him with later, he did not scream.

It was a… manly yelp… of manliness.

Like a war cry for use against ghosts.

"M-", he cleared his throat, as Inko moved closer to him, until she was stood beside him, looking down at her family plot, where her father now rested, "how long where you there?"

He winced at the pitch of his voice, but if his mother noticed, she didn't comment on it, instead, she laid the single flower she'd brought with her - a purple primrose, if his memory was correct, which he also recalled being told were his grandpa's favourites - at the front of the memorial stone.

"Not very long", she told him, still not looking back at him, "just enough to hear what you said at the end-"

"I-"

"-and you're right".

He blinked, confused, "I… I am?"

She smiled bitterly, "Of course you are. It's not fair. It's never been fair to you. The nightmares I used to have of what would happen if anyone ever discovered who you are and where you came from, and then, despite all that", she turned to face him, smiling brightly, and Izuku could feel his heart sit heavy in his throat, "I got to watch you grow up, and grow into a man who wants to do everything he can to help the people around him, no matter what it is they need", she sniffed, her eyes going back to the grave, "your grandfather was like that too. Always going out of his way to help people. He bought that old truck to help out your grandmother. He drove her when she needed to make home visits, you know? He helped her go to the people who couldn't go to the hospital, or even just to her", she shrugged, "there weren't that many people who couldn't make the trip, and those that couldn't had family or friends that could've helped out, but he didn't want them to be too inconvenienced, so he bought a truck. Your grandma said he was mad, but he just smiled whenever she did and promised that we'd use it for a family trip one day".

"So that's why she never got rid of it".

"No, it was his promise to her. The only one he never managed to fulfil, but it was done just because he wanted to help people".

"That's all I want", he told her, his frustration bubbling back up for a moment, "I can help people - a lot of people", he looked down at his hands, capable of lifting loads heavier than most men could dream of, even in a world of Quirks, "what else am I supposed to do with these powers? What else are they for?"

"I really don't know", Inko told him, her tone soft and bordering on the edge of tears, "I don't, and I wish I did, but I don't, but Izuku, baby", her tone turned cautious, warning him, "if people ever learned what you were, I don't know what they'd do to you".

"I wouldn't tell them!"

"But they might find out anyway", she countered, "if you do this, they'll look into you, Izuku. They always do. They'll look into your life, your background, everything. One day, the world may find out what you are, and on that day, everything changes".

"You don't know that!"

"What have I always told you: the truth will-"

"-always come into light", he finished dutifully, "it's only ever a matter of how and when".

Inko reached over, and with a single finger, she tilted his head up to meet her gaze, "And Izuku, the truth is, you're the answer, to the question of are we alone in the universe. Izuku", she leaned up, and he bent down, lowering himself so that she could press a kiss into his hair, the way she had used to when he was a child, "your being here changes the answer to what it means to be human".

Ima had given up her few, rather rare instances of smoking when she'd first fallen pregnant with Inko. As a nurse, she felt it was a disgusting habit for a pregnant woman to indulge in, (admittedly, it wasn't much better for those who were neither pregnant, nor women), and it often proved itself to be an expensive habit too, so she'd decided to break it. She hadn't missed it once; not since giving it up all those years ago, but right now?

Now, she could use a nice cigar and a stiff drink.

Izuku knew.

It was about time for that to be true, and she'd always known that one day, this day would come, but still…

Izuku knew.

Even if Inko hadn't called ahead to tell her, she would've known the second she'd laid eyes on him. Her beautiful grandson, who had a smile like sunshine had all-but fallen out of her daughter's car, looking as if he was carrying the weight of the world on his broad shoulders.

Or two worlds, she supposed.

They still didn't know where he came from.

She thought that she would be ready for this, knowing that one day it would come, but even know, she felt a sense of unease about it all. They were opening a can of worms here, only they had no idea what they were actually going to find inside.

And a nice, long drag or slow, savoured sip would've taken the edge off of it all so nicely.

It was a shame she'd gotten rid of it all.

There might've still been a case or two of Kosei's favourite cheap and nasty beer tucked safely away in his workshop - the really bad crap that he saved for when he was stuck on an article with no idea of where to go next - but while she was thirsty, she wasn't feeling desperate.

She had some standards after all.

At least, she did for the moment.

Depending on how this visit with Izuku went, she might find herself lowering them.

Right now, all she wanted was a strong pot of coffee.

Laced with an even stronger liquor.

But for the moment, the coffee would do.

It would be great for warming her bones. The date meant that they were already in the spring, but even with the bright and burgeoning sunlight, the temperature still made her decidedly feel like it was the middle of winter.

The smart thing to do was wait inside, where it was warm, preferably with her central heating on and a nice blanket to cover her legs, instead of standing out on her front porch with just her cardigan for cover.

She missed having Sherubi to wind his way around her legs and cover them, like one long warm and fluffy legwarmer, before he would inevitably abandon her to go and play with the much more energetic teenager. She could remember very clearly not wanting a dog when Kosei had brought him home, a rescue pet that he'd found on the streets and taken a liking to, but she'd fallen in love with the furry little bugger and now that he was gone, she found herself missing him every day.

She really was going soft in her old age.

"Ima! It's good to see you!"

She held back her sigh. She'd apparently gone too soft, if people walking down her street were starting to think she was friendly enough to be considered approachable.

She made a note to fix that perception of her.

"Good afternoon, Hayashi".

"I've been telling you to call me Hikaru for years, Ms Midoriya, alas, I'm sure that one of these days, you'll finally give in to my wish".

"Don't hold your breath", she muttered under her own, as she looked up to find her nearest neighbour, Hikaru Hayashi, laughing to himself, as he carried on walking down the long road that connected their neighbourhood, even as distant as the homes were, they were still a community, and they'd grown up around each other's families.

Hayashi was now a former member of the Japan Ground Force. She didn't know if he'd retired, been kicked out, our just finished up his time in service, and quite frankly, she really didn't care. The Hayashi Family had been in Endo for at least as long as the Midoriya Family had, if not even longer, but while she could say that she still had a daughter and a grandson to pass on her family name to, the Hayashi Family was now down to its last living member. The family had a long and storied history of proud military service, going back to long before the Dawn of Quirks, but it seemed that after his younger brother had died in service, Hikaru had lost all desire to remain with their military, and with his parents then passing away just a few months later, Hikaru had quickly become the last of the Hayashi.

As far as Ima knew, he'd never married or had children of his own, and given that he was older than Inko and, if she remembered correctly, almost nearing fifty years old, it was starting to seem unlikely that he ever would.

She could remember a time when he'd been flirty with Inko, and the gossip of their neighbourhood had been all for two of the oldest families in the area finally coming together, but that had been not long after Izuku was 'born', and she didn't know if it was the fact that there was a baby involved, or he had figured out that Inko and he wouldn't be a good fit, but Hikaru had stepped back before Ima had found herself forced to sit him down and tell him to stay the hell away from her daughter.

She didn't know what it was, but something just off about that man. He set her old teeth on edge.

When his time in service had ended, he'd taken a private security consultant position, which should have led him to being seen in and around Endo more often, but instead, he'd show up for a few days at a time, and then have to take another work trip to another country, before returning home to start the process all over again.

If he were a married man, she would've assumed that he was having an affair, but he wasn't, so she saw no need for secrecy, and instead, she was left wondering why a man needed to vanish so often for so long when he had a job that seemed designed to allow him to work remotely.

It all added up to Ima getting this feeling that something was wrong with him.

On the days he was home, he'd show up in the dead of night, and the next day, she'd find him making his way past her house during one of his ridiculous daylong walks, and no matter what else was going on, he always made the time to stop and politely say hello.

That should've been the mark of a good neighbour, but she always felt as though he was looking for more information from her than she was giving him, and it certainly didn't stop her from still feeling that something was wrong with him.

She could clearly remember the day though, fifteen years ago, when he'd stopped to let her know that he'd discovered signs that there had been a strange accident out in the deep forest, near the highway. He had no way of knowing that there had been a spaceship there, just a day before, and yet, it had still felt more like an interrogation than a courtesy call. She'd nodded and promised to keep an eye out, all while doing her best to not quiver at the secret that was tucked away in her spare bedroom, safely ensconced in his mother's old crib.

She wondered what Izuku would've looked like, had he been discovered by that man instead of Inko.

Well, for one, he'd probably be dressed as badly.

He still dressed as though he was in the military, only now, he'd traded camouflage for a single shade of the colour black: black combat boots, black combat trousers, black turtleneck sweater and a black coat, which he topped with a black beanie hat.

The man had the same skin tone and hair colour as that bunny hero woman that Izuku had posters of, (the same posters that he didn't know both she and Inko knew about), but unlike her, he'd washed all of his vibrancy out and covered up his pretty hair.

She couldn't remember exactly what his Quirk was, only that it had something to do with his sight, (or his aim?), but it was the reason that instead of a normal pair of eyeballs, his were a bright shade of solid red, with only black pinpricks for pupils, without a single shade of white to be seen.

Izuku would probably remember, if she cared enough to ask him about it. He'd always been fascinated by Quirks and various ways that they'd interact with the human body. So much so that she'd often wondered if he would abandon his childish love for heroics and instead choose to pursue a career in medicine. He was kind, caring and endlessly fascinated by them, and she knew that he would make for an excellent diagnostician, or perhaps, even a surgeon.

Calm and steady were key requirements for the job, and she often felt Izuku exemplified them perfectly, yet his passion for his childhood desires remained.

It was a waste of talent, if you asked her.

Not that she'd ever tell him that.

She was his grandmother. First and foremost, her job was to support him in what he was doing, and in what he wanted to be doing. It was Inko's job to set him straight, if she felt otherwise.

She felt her body shiver; the afternoon sun doing nothing to help her ward off the air's chill, but just as the moment came when she finally decided to head inside and warm up, she saw the two of them, as they slowly made their way back towards the house.

Hopefully, it was time.

"I just-", Izuku dabbed at his lips with his tongue, finding them to be incredibly dry, as his mother's words hung in the air, "I just want to know why you want me to hide? People can be good".

Inko shook her head, "One person can be good, Izuku, that's easy - it's even common - but people? People can easily be led about, and they can be controlled even more easily than that. People are easy to fool, and manipulate, and people fear what they don't understand", she pulled him into a hug, and he let her, tucking her head under his chin, as he realised for the first time, how much taller than her, he now was, "do you remember when you used your, ah Quirk, for the first time? How those other children were around you? Izuku, they were terrified of what you were, of what you could do, and their parents, the adults? They weren't any better".

Her voice was muffled against his chest, but he could hear her clearly; the anguish and fear in her voice, and Izuku couldn't help but wonder why in the name of everything, Inko had ever thought that looking after the alien baby would lead to anything different.

Why would she do that to herself? Willingly!

And like that, the answer hit him with the speed of a bullet and the power of a locomotive.

Because she was his mother.

And she loved him.

He finally reached up, fastening his grip around her, as they stood beside the resting place of the Midoriya Family, and for a moment, it was as if all of his mother's ancestors - his ancestors - were smiling down upon them.

Yet, as they stood there, he couldn't stop the doubt that lingered in his head, "What if they were right to be afraid of me?"

"They weren't".

"We don't know where I came from, or why I was sent here. I could be some sort of advanced agent, lying in wait to launch an attack".

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Inko smiled, recalling a time when she'd had a very similar conversation with her own mother, "You're not".

"But I could-"

"Izuku", she warned him, using that tone that had never failed to stop him from talking over her, even when he was lost in his own head, "conquering armies don't send babies as advanced guards, and even if they did, they wouldn't wait fifteen years to do something about it, so, let me ask you this: do you want to hurt people?"

"Do I want to hurt-? No!"

"Then don't".

"Don't?"

"Don't".

"Just like that?"

She smiled broader, and he could feel it against his chest, right above where his heart rested, "Just like that".

He wasn't sure how long they stood there for, but the doubt, which had been steadily building in his chest since he'd first touched the tip of his shovel to the contraption hidden in the barn, refused to leave him be, and it gnawed at him, until he felt the words leave his lips, each syllable barely a whisper hidden in the wind.

"I'm afraid".

Saying it aloud felt like failure.

Ever since he could remember, he'd been untouchable; unbreakable. All throughout elementary school and junior high, he'd heard his teachers call him, "The Boy with Steel for Skin", so confident they were in his ability to remain uninjured, that they'd assumed nothing would ever bother him, even it wasn't physical, and came in the form of school hazing or Bakugo's relentless attempts at bullying.

And somewhere, along the way, he'd started to believe it too.

He was too strong for them to injure, too fast for them to touch, and quite frankly, he was too smart for them to outwit.

A wiser man would've taken his experiences and prepared himself for life beyond the confines of Aldera Junior High School, but Izuku had instead taken it all as a sign that he was without fear, only to now find out that that wasn't true at all.

Because he was terrified.

Terrified of what came next. Terrified of his mother being in danger; of his grandmother being in danger. Terrified of what it all meant.

He was terrified, not just of what he was, but of what he might be.

"Good", Inko said, and Izuku felt the skin on his face flush bright red in embarrassment, as he realised that he mumbled every word aloud, his lips right above her ears having allowed her to hear every word.

"Mo-"

"You'd be a fool not to at least be concerned about some of it", she told him, not bothering to let him get another word in edgewise, "and like I said, the choice in all this is yours, but…"

"But?"

"But if you really want some answers, Sweetie. There's only once place I know of that you're going to find them".

The ship was still in the workshop when they returned.

That shouldn't have been surprising, after all, Izuku was still able to see the giant hole he'd dug in his grandmother's back garden to reach it, but a part of him had hoped that by the time he returned, it would've vanished, and he'd never have to worry about it again.

Yet, there it still was.

Sleek and smooth, it looked like a silver egg, which was presumably the pod that had carried him to Earth, encased within a pentagonal structure, which Izuku assumed was to help with propulsion and flight.

He didn't know anything about spaceship design, but that just made sense in his mind.

The entire thing was smooth in appearance, with no visible seams or openings, but deep down, a part of him knew that what his mother had told him was right.

The answers he needed were tucked away somewhere inside.

He just needed to get to them.

He didn't know what he was doing. He didn't know how any of this worked. He didn't even know if he actually wanted to be doing it.

He just knew that he needed to.

"You don't need to do this, Sweetie", his mom said softly from behind him, before squeezing his shoulder, "I know what we said, but it's waited this long. It can wait a little longer".

Turning his head, he did his best to smile, even though it felt more like a grimace, and based on their reactions, his mother and grandmother thought so too, "It's okay Mom. I think… I think that I need to see this".

She squeezed his shoulder tightly once more, before letting her hand fall away, as, slowly, he reached out, resting his hand on the side of the pod, focusing his mind on his need to see what was held within.

The cold metal warmed, pulsing against the palm of his hand, until a single seam appeared at the top of the pod. It was barely an opening big enough to be seen, but already, it blanketed the inside of his grandpa's old workshop in a warm, bright light, before the sides began to retract, sliding away to reveal the ship's interior.

For the first time since he'd arrived on planet Earth, almost fifteen years ago, Izuku's ship was open.

Chapter Text

A My Hero Academia Story

GREEN SON

VOLUME ONE: LAST SON

Part Two: Birthright

Chapter Three: The Crystal

It was the brightest light that Izuku had ever seen.

Beside him, he saw both his mother and grandmother cover their eyes, hissing and wincing, as if they were in pain, and though a small part of him understood that a bright light spreading out from the confines of the ship might not have been pleasant for their senses, Izuku couldn't help but feel differently about, as it washed over his skin.

For him, it almost seemed to radiate a sense of peace.

For them, it was harsh and sharp, painful enough to turn away and cover their eyes, and yet all Izuku could feel was its warmth.

He breathed in deeply, as he waited for the canopy to finish lowering itself, and he found that despite the brightness of the light, he simply couldn't tear his eyes away from it.

It just felt right.

It felt like home.

The humming noise being emitted by the ship quieted, as the canopy finished its descent, leaving the pod open, and Izuku finally let out the breath that he didn't realise he'd been holding in. It was with a shaky inhale that, for the first time he could ever remember, Izuku found himself looking inside of the vessel that had once carried him to Earth.

Carried him straight into Inko's arms.

This was the vessel that had decided the course of his entire life.

The hairs on his arms rose up, allowing him to see them standing on end for the first time he could ever remember happening, as he slowly inched closer to the open pod.

He didn't know if the ship could tell that he was nearby, or if it was simply a matter of timing, but as he grew closer, growing more and more determined to see what it held within, the harsh light began to fade, no longer a brilliantly harsh, softening until it was just bright enough to light up the area around itself, leaving the rest of his grandfather's old workshop to return to being illuminated by the small overhead lights.

Izuku barely noticed the change.

For Inko and Ima, it made a great deal of difference, as it once again allowed them to make use of their eyes without wincing, but Izuku's entire focus was being taken up by the ship's open canopy, his feet taking him closer, until he was finally capable of seeing what was contained within.

The half-spherical shape of the canopy extended all the way to the inside, with the pod that Izuku had once flown in forming a perfect sphere. The entire thing seemed to be made of the same silver-grey material as the rest of the ship, only the inside had a series of glowing symbols being displayed, softly rotating around the interior. They were not quite golden, but it was a shade of yellow close enough to be called as much.

He had no idea what they meant, as his eyes rolled over them, as they continued to slowly spin in a circle, before blinking when he realised that he'd seen several of the symbols before.

They were identical to the ones on the metallic slab that his mother had already shown him. The topmost line of the interior used the same symbols as the slab, in the exact same order. It made sense, he supposed, knowing that she'd taken the slab from the ship on the days she'd found him, but know he wondered what they meant.

Given that they'd been used twice, he knew that whatever message they held had to be important.

"Ci ti u es tas Kal El de Kryp ton, ni a in fa na fi lo, ni-"

The three of them flinched in harmony, taking a step backwards in surprise, as Izuku's ship revealed that it was no longer content to just display the symbols contained within, but was now also broadcasting a speech to go along with them.

Izuku wasn't a betting man, but if he were, then he'd be willing to wager that the speech now being broadcast to them, correlated to the symbols that were being displayed on the inside.

"-a las ta es pe ro. Bon vo lu pro tek ti lin kaj sa vi lin-"

Behind him, he heard his mother speak, her voice a hushed whisper, "What… what's it saying?"

"-de mal bo no. Ni es tos kun vi, Kal El, dum ci uj ta goj-"

He swallowed, the noise audible in the small space; his own voice as murmur as he answered her, "There are symbols on the inside. They match the ones on the slab you showed me. I think this is what they say".

"-de vi a vi vo. Sur ci ti u tri a pla ne do de ci ti u ste lo-"

"Really?"

She couldn't keep the surprise out of her tone, the two women moving closer to him, as they peered over the top of canopy, wanting to catch a glimpse for themselves.

"-Sol, vi est os di o in ter ho moj. Il I es tas mi sa ra so. Re-"

"Fascinating", his grandmother mused, also whispering, though she sounded much less nervous than her daughter and grandson, "they sent you with a recorded message, but it's that you can't immediately comprehend", she said, her head flicking towards him as she spoke, "maybe they thought we would be able to".

"-gu il in per for to, mi a fi lo. Ti ku sas vi a gran de co".

There was a pause as the broadcast stopped, but it only lasted a moment before it continued, and Izuku realised that was starting up again from the beginning and told his guardians as much. They continued to listen for a few moments longer, Izuku feeling unsure what he was supposed to be doing, before Ima shook her head, her expression telling them both that she was already annoyed by the sounds she was hearing.

"Right then, Izuku tell that thing to shut up and then shut itself. We three can then talk about this like civilised people", she turned around, already making her way back to the house, tapping the ground with her cane with every step she took, "Inko, come. You can make the tea".

"Yes, mother".

The two older women left Izuku behind, as they began to make their way back to the house. Izuku still didn't know why the ship's technology seemed to work on thought, and he had to think that even if he found a way of learning how it worked, the process of understanding it would take years, but for now, he was content with simply knowing that it would.

Resting his hand on the metallic shell, he wondered if he could ask the ship to stop the broadcast, right before the message stopped playing, and the interior lights switched themselves off, leaving only the plain material of the ship to be seen in the relatively dim lights, hanging from the workshop's ceiling.

It was only when the lights switched over that Izuku was finally able to notice the small, shining blue object that was nestled into the bottom of the pod.

It looked like a diamond.

Or at least, it looked like the kind of diamond that he might've drawn as a child.

It was five-sided, but longer at the point than a traditional pentagon would be. It was a shining blue colour, rather than having the clear cut of a normal diamond, in addition to being almost flat, and not just in appearance, but as Izuku plucked it free of its slot, he realised that it barely had any depth to it, being thinner than any of his fingers.

The material felt like a crystal, rough and delicate at the same time, and light seemed to shimmer as it passed through it, but unnaturally so, given the low amount of light that was in the workshop to begin with.

Still… it was an alien crystal.

Tossing a loose sheet, which he assumed had been used for maintenance over the ship, he heard the sound of the canopy closing over, as he turned away, following after his mother and grandmother.

Despite everything else that he had felt over the course of the last week, (had it really not even been a full week yet?), and all of the things he'd discovered about himself recently, he had to admit that holding an alien crystal in his hands was pretty cool.

"So… what am we supposed to do now?"

Izuku's voice broke the silence in the room, but only for a moment, as neither of the women in his life knew what to say to their youngest family member. By unspoken agreement, (and Ima's demand for tea), they'd all chosen to settle within the kitchen, sitting at the dining table together, before he'd shown them the crystal he'd seen at the bottom of his pod, and his mom had served them both the tea she'd prepared. There had been a few murmurs shared between then, but after that, they'd all lapsed into an uneasy silence.

While it was still fresh in his mind, he'd taken a few moments with his phone to type out the message that the ship had been broadcasting, or at least, he'd tried to write out each syllable as best he could, having no idea what each word actually was, or even where each one stopped and started.

But beyond that, Izuku didn't know what was supposed to come next.

A part of him understood his mother and grandmother's reasoning that they'd thought he would simply understand how to use the ship when the time came, after all, it wasn't as though anyone had been sent along to teach him, and the technology was obviously very advanced, but it was ridiculous to think that knowing how to pilot a spaceship was something that just appeared in your mind.

It would have been nice if everything had just slotted into place in his head. That there was some way of simply downloading the information he wanted directly into his brain, but as far as he knew, that was impossible.

Instead, all Izuku had to understand where he came from was an audio recording that he couldn't understand, a bright blue crystal that he didn't know what to do with and more questions that he didn't have any answers to.

He still didn't know where he came from.

Or why he had been sent here.

"Maybe we're supposed to do something particular with it", his mother offered, "I know that, in ancient times, people used to use crystals for healing. Maybe it's meant to be used for some kind of healing, in case you ever got injured".

"Didn't those old civilisations use them in jewellery? Amulets and rings and stuff", Izuku mused, "maybe it's just meant as some kind of good luck charm. I suppose it could just be decorative", he turned to face his mother more fully, "and why do you know about ancient civilisations?"

Inko smiled, "I read about a lot of them when I was looking into those symbols. Some things stuck, I guess", she shrugged, "and they did use a lot of crystals and gemstones them for decorations".

"It's not a decoration", Ima cut in, and though he hadn't been lucking at her in the moment, Izuku knew that the older woman was putting all of her effort into not rolling her eyes at them, before she turned to meet his gaze with her own, "whoever it was that sent you here - and I'm assuming that it was at least one of your biological parents - they planned everything out perfectly. They picked a world where you could eat the food, drink the water and breath the air without issues", she ignored the way Inko fidgeted at that last part, fully remembering how much it had sounded like Izuku couldn't breathe the air when he was still a baby, "and they could have put anything they wanted to in that pod with you. They chose to place that crystal inside. Trust me, it does something - something important - we just don't know what that is yet".

"You don't think it could just be something superstitious?"

"It's not impossible", Ima agreed, before shaking her head at Inko's idea, "but no, I don't. Otherwise, why not add more things inside, if that's the case? Whoever these people were, they were advanced enough to create a spaceship that doesn't need a pilot. Who's to say that that crystal isn't more than it appears to be".

"So… what do you think I should do with it?"

"For now? Nothing".

"What?"

This time, she didn't bother trying not to roll her eyes at him, "Let me ask you this, what do you think you should do?"

"I, err, I don't…"

"Should you run around like some sort of headless chicken, doing dumber and dumber activities with that thing to see what it does? Say it is used for healing, what are you going to do to check it? Injure yourself? Find a way to put your life in danger?"

"No", Inko interjected, "he won't be"

"I won't", he agreed.

"Right now, the smartest thing to do is to wait and see", Ima told them, using that same tone she always had that brokered no argument from either of them, "we don't know what this thing is, or what it does. Maybe time will tell. Maybe one of us will have a brainwave on what to do. Maybe you're right, and it doesn't actually do anything at all, but for now, short of running around like a bunch of crazed lunatics, there's nothing to do".

"I think you're right", Inko agreed, smiling softly at him, "come on Sweetie, let it rest, for now, at least".

"Okay Mom", he agreed, setting the crystal down on the table, "for now".

"For now", Ima echoed.

When you had a superpowered son, you got used to taking extra precautions.

Izuku had wrapped the crystal up in one of her mother's old handtowels, before placing it in his backpack, where he felt it would be safest, and then he'd followed their instructions and went to bed, too worn out by the day to argue with them.

Inko wasn't going to pretend to know anything about crystals, (or strange alien rocks, as it were), but it seemed safe enough to store that way. Izuku had taken his backpack with him, perhaps worried about it being too far away from him, or wanting to try and study it in secret, but it was only when she and her mother were certain that Izuku had actually fallen asleep that they met on the porch decking, bundled up in coats and a blanket between them and being warmed by a thermos of fresh tea.

"You really don't have any idea what the crystal could be used for?"

Inko wasted no time in breaking the silence of the night, leaving her mother to sigh at her impatience.

"I already gave you several ideas of what the crystal could be used for. As I remember it, you had a few of your own as well".

"I know", she replied, her voice quiet, even in the hush of the night, "but crystals could be used for healing-"

"Don't", Ima said, her tone one of warning, "even think about it".

"-but, Mother, it could-"

"Inko, I am an old woman", she told her daughter, cutting off whatever else she was about to say, "I am sixty-nine years old. My parents are dead. I've outlived my husband. Even Sherubi's gone now-"

"-but if-"

"-and I've lived long enough to know that the only surprise left for me in this life is when it's going to end".

"-but if this crystal could heal you, then why won't you even consider-"

"Inko Midoriya", she snapped, and on instinct, Inko felt her teeth clack together as she slammed her mouth closed, "you. Are. A. Nurse", she said, emphasising each individual word, "act like it. You know full well that death is an inevitability. I already told you: I'm old. Whether it's to my cancer or something else that comes along, I don't have that much time left before I wander off this mortal coil-"

"Mom".

"-and if by some miracle that that crystal is meant to be some kind of healing… thing, emergency or otherwise, then there's no way in hell that I'm going to take it away from my grandson".

Inko opened her mouth, trying to prepare a retort on her lips, only to find that she had nothing to say, and after a moment of standing there with her mouth wide open, before she slowly began to close it, until her lips were pressed tightly together in a thin line.

She wanted her mom to be healthy, of course she did, but she also didn't want to take away something that could one day save Izuku's life.

She sighed, resting her hands on the handrail, her head dropping in what felt like defeat, as beside her, her mother huffed, but she could hear the amusement in her breath.

"It just… it just doesn't feel fair".

"I know, but that's life sweetie. Some days are good, some days are bad. Some days you find out you have cancer, but on others, you find an alien baby in a field. It's all a bit of a mixed bag".

She didn't know if it was the excitement of the day, her exhaustion and the compounded stress of the last few days finally catching up with her or both, but there was absolutely no reason for anyone to hear that sentence and then begin laughing as hard as she did.

Though he didn't know her reasons; whether it was simply because she wanted to spend more time at Grandma's house, she missed spending time with her mom, or even just because she found Endo was more peaceful than Musutafu, Izuku hadn't objected to his mom telling him that they were going to spend the rest of the day at Grandma's house even if it meant making the drive home later that day.

Endo was in the Chiba Prefecture, just north of Nago and Masaki. The drive took at least three hours on a nice, clear day, but if his mom wanted to wait until later in the evening, or even possibly the night, then he wasn't going to be the one to tell her, 'No'.

He loved being out in the smaller village. Musutafu wasn't a megacity, it certainly wasn't the size of Tokyo, or even large enough to be considered on par with Yokohama and Osaka, but it was still a city; built using concrete and steel, filled with millions of people, with cars and buses everywhere.

Izuku loved where he had grown up, he did, but Endo, on the other hand, was surrounded by forest, and there was something about being in the outdoors like that, which had always served to make him feel at ease.

Walking outside, the bright sun shining down on his face, Izuku felt more at ease there than he did when he was surrounded by tall buildings and skyscrapers. Thanks to his Quirk, (or should he be calling them something else now that he didn't know he was human? Powers? Abilities?), he never really felt cold, he noticed when the temperature changed, but Izuku found that he remained personally unaffected, which meant that he could enjoy the feeling of the wind in his hair, without shivering from the cold.

His mother and grandmother had hunkered down together in the kitchen, and they were reviewing a few sets of very official looking paperwork when he'd last seen them. He'd left them there, as they scrambled to cover the papers from his view, grabbing his jacket and beginning to walk up one of the gravel paths.

He'd been hearing the story of his birth for years, and now he knew the actual story of his arrival, which meant he had a pretty good idea of exactly where it was that he had landed. It took him an hour to make his way down on foot, and he missed the company that Sherubi would have offered him when he was a kid, running about, playing fetch, always seeming to match his boundless energy, but it seemed quicker than it was, before he looked out onto the field he'd touched down in.

There'd been reports of a meteor shower on the day he'd arrived, and while it was likely that they'd mostly burnt up on entry into the Earth's atmosphere, some of them must've landed somewhere on the planet. He wondered where they'd came from. Had they always been on course to hit Earth, or had his ship managed to pull them along its course?

It could be fun to find out.

He didn't really have a plan for what he was going to do, now that he'd laid eyes on the spot. He'd wanted to see it to satisfy his sense of curiosity about the place, but now, he didn't know what to do, other than look out at the field.

It was green.

It was filled with grass.

And that was about it.

It had been well over a decade since he'd arrived, so he shouldn't have been surprised that any evidence of what had once been here was gone, having lost itself to time and the elements, but he couldn't help the faintest pangs of disappointment that resonated within him, as he took in the sight of the barren field.

"At least it looks nice".

"Nature always does".

"WHAT THE-"

Izuku leapt around, his head snapping out to find the source of the voice, only to find his grandmother's neighbour walking up towards him, his lips stretched out in an amused grin.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you quite so much", he told him, the clear amusement in his eyes and on his face, belying his apologetic words, as he drew level with him, "how are you Midoriya Number Three?"

"Good morning, Mister Hayashi. I'm doing fine", he told him, ignoring his racing heartbeat, "thank you and how are you?"

"Don't worry about that and don't look so glum, chum", the older man told him, "and do tell, what brings you all the way out here?"

"Err… the field, I guess. I just wanted to see it".

"Oh?"

"Yeah, that's all…"

"Right", Hayashi said, walking past him for the moment, "your Grandma finally told you, then?"

"Wha-", he felt his heart leap up into his throat, "you know?"

"Of course", he said, his tone filled with delight, "I'm the one who found them out here, years ago?"

He swallowed, frowning, "Found them?"

"The meteor pieces", he told him, turning around, a matching frown on his face, "what did you think I meant?"

"Oh, not that", his mind scrambled to come up with something else, "it's just… this is where mom went into labour with me. I guess I thought I should see it".

"Oh", for a moment, Hayashi looked generally put out, "sorry".

"Don't be, I mean, meteors are pretty cool".

He grinned, the near fifty-year-old man looking more like a boy of fifteen when he did, "Right?! One of them landed here years ago, and I was the one who found it. I spent a few days poking around before the government came in and tried to clean it all up as best they could, but I still remember it happening", he shrugged, "it would've been back when you were a baby though".

"Still cool though".

"Want me to show you exactly where it all came down?"

Izuku smiled, "Yes, please".

Izuku couldn't say that he knew Hikaru Hayashi well. Other than the rare moments growing up where he'd passed them as they were arriving or leaving his grandmother's home and had greeted each other, Izuku couldn't say that they'd interacted at all.

They walked in silence, which was a tad uncomfortable for both of them, but he knew the area well, guiding Izuku over to the point that Izuku knew marked where he had landed on the planet.

Hayashi seemed happy enough to guide him, and would have finished, if Izuku hadn't started feeling sick.

He'd never been sick before, but this is what he imagined it felt like.

Hayashi had left his side momentarily, leaving their amiable companionship to venture off the path and grab a cool looking stone he'd spotted, one that he thought looked particularly nice, perfect for his rock collection, but by the time he'd returned to his side, only moments had passed, but Izuku had become nauseous and felt that he was about to vomit.

He'd never done that before either.

"Shit, kid, you don't look so good".

"Ugh".

"Come on", he slung his arm over his shoulders, practically carrying him away from the field, "let's get you back to your grandmother's".

Ima knew that she and Inko needed to tell Izuku about her cancer at some point, but the boy had a lot on his plate at the moment, and she didn't want to add to it. In a very short space of time, Izuku had taken and passed the hardest high school entrance exam in all of Asia, taking first place twice over, in what she felt was an incredibly impressive performance. After that, he'd discovered that he was adopted. After that, he'd discovered that he was an alien.

There was only so much that your mind could take before you snapped.

And she was very worried that he was approaching that point.

She still had plenty of time left before she wandered off the mortal coil, and hopefully, her hormone therapy should help her gain a bit of extra time, so she felt comfortable in waiting, and though they hadn't discussed it yet, she knew that Inko felt the same.

She'd just sat down to show Inko the paperwork she'd been given, explaining her treatment plans when Izuku had stuck his head into the kitchen, letting them know that he was headed out for a walk to clear his head. When Inko had scrambled to cover the papers, ignoring the fact that they could be explained away as two nurses, one current and one retired, talking about patient treatment procedures, Izuku had very graciously taken one look at the table and chosen to ignore what was going on.

He'd seemed to be doing well, certainly better than he had when he'd arrived, which was why it was so surprising when she saw him outside of her house, one of his arms slung around Hayashi.

"Inko", she snapped, her head gesturing towards the front window, "look".

"IZUKU!"

She had already opened the door by the time Ima had managed to stand.

By the time Ima had managed to gather her walking stick and cross the floor of her house, Hayashi had brought Izuku inside and laid him out on the couch, only for Inko to (not-so) gently brush him aside, and was already working herself up into a panicked frenzy.

Ima shook her head; a nurse should never panic like that. Admittedly, she'd never treated her own daughter when she was working, but still, her point stood.

"What happened?"

She aimed her question straight at Hayashi, ignoring Inko's panicked mutterings to Izuku, who was pale and shaky, and looked nothing like the bright young man she was used to seeing. She couldn't remember Izuku ever getting as much as the sniffles, not even a tickle in his throat. She'd always chalked that fact up to the idea of him being unaffected by Earth's viruses and bacteria.

Apparently, that wasn't the case.

Not if the way he was struggling for every breath he was trying to take in was any indication.

"Not sure", Hayashi said with a shrug, which had her eyeing him up, looking for the oddity that was tickling the back of her mind, that feeling she got of something being 'off' about Hayashi finding its ways back to the forefront of her mind, just like it did every time she saw him, "we were walking up on the old field - the one beside the expressway - he said his mom told him about going into labour besides where the meteors came down", he shrugged, "that couldn't have been more than a few days apart, actually, and he said he went out to see the place".

She frowned, "And then…?"

"And then he started feeling sick, keeled over and I brought him here. Figured you two would want to know he was being sick".

"We do", she murmured, her gaze lowering to where Inko was whispering to Izuku, trying to soothe him, worried by the pained grimace on his face, "thank you", she added on, "for bringing him back".

"Course, no problem. You need me to move him for you?"

"No, no, we'll be fine", she told him, "you can go now".

"Are you sure? I can still-"

"I'm sure", she told him, ushering him to the door, "we'll be fine".

"Well, okay… if you don't-"

"We don't and thank you".

She shut the door in his face.

She ignored Inko's fussing for the moment, instead focusing on the sight through her front window. She watched as Hayashi made his way back towards his ridiculously sized car, and it was only when she saw him drive away that Ima felt herself relax.

Even now - especially now that Izuku had fallen ill in his presence - despite them having been neighbours for most of her life, Ima still felt that something was just plain off with that man.

She didn't like him.

While she'd made sure that Hayashi was leaving them alone, Inko had busied herself tending to Izuku. First, she stripped him of his jacket, leaving his arms bare and covered his lap with a blanket. She'd also moved him, until he was lying down on the couch, facing the large windows of her front room, and then, Ima watched on as she crossed the room and pulled her curtains open, as wide as they could go.

For a moment, she wondered if she was looking to lay her eyes on Hayashi, but he was already gone, instead Inko pulled her blinds up, letting as much natural light into the room as possible. Ima knew as well as her daughter that rest required a dark and cool room, so she really had no idea why she was opening the room up, unless she thought he had a Vitamin D deficiency.

"Do you want me to get him some milk?"

Inko nodded, not looking away from her son, who Ima had to admit, was already looking better than he had a few moments before, "Yes please, thank you".

"Alright then", she murmured, "I'll go and get that".

She didn't keep much milk in the house, and she used even less of it, so giving the last of what she had in her fridge to Izuku wasn't even a question she needed to ask herself, pouring it into a glass without a second thought and tossing in a straw. In the minute it took her to retrieve his drink, Izuku had already stopped sweating, and was already seeming much more comfortable.

"Here", she said, passing Inko the glass, who carefully placed the straw up against his lips. After a moment, she heard him drinking, so she assumed he was even more on his way to feeling fine and found her gaze now drifting to Inko.

"He has a Vitamin D deficiency?"

"What?" She blinked, several times, replaying the question in her head, "Vitamin D? No", she shook her head, "why do you think that?"

She gestured towards the window, "What was that all for then?"

She shrugged, turning away from her, "I just thought he'd prefer it".

"Really?"

Inko turned to look up at her, nodding, her hands settled in her lap and offered her a smile, "Yes, really".

"Okay".

Satisfied, Inko turned away from her, missing the way Ima was now frowning.

Ever since Inko had been a teenager, Ima had known when she was lying. She had the habit of playing with the nailbed of her left thumb when doing so, and Ima had never bothered letting her know about her tell. As a nurse, it wasn't a factor that had to be considered, simply because her job often needed her to have or hold things in her hands, but the habit had remained, and Ima knew what it meant.

Inko had opened those curtains and window blinds for a reason.

"I just thought he'd prefer it".

And for some reason, she wasn't telling her why.

It had been lunchtime when Hayashi had dropped Izuku off at their house and it wasn't until dinnertime that he had started to rouse from his slumber.

Ima had been sat in her favourite chair opposite him, while Inko was preparing soup for them all. He groaned, not for the first time that afternoon, before slowly sitting up, his hair even messier than usual, trying to blink away the bleariness from his eyes.

"Good afternoon, sunshine".

"Huh?"

He brought a hand up to his face, wiping at his eyes, before a voice laced with exhaustion managed to ask, "What happened?"

"We were hoping you could tell us".

"I don't really-"

"IZUKU!"

Before he could say anything further, he found himself with two armfuls of upset mother that he needed to placate.

"I was so worried about you".

"I'm fine, mom, really".

Without saying anything, Ima left the pair of them alone in her sitting room, as she took up the task of watching over the soup. Thankfully, it didn't take long to finish, and she ordered them to join her at the kitchen table, where Izuku seemed perfectly capable, even if he wasn't eating with his usual gusto.

For a while, there was only the soft clink of soup spoons against porcelain bowls, as the three of them savoured their meal, and while it was a comfortable sort of silence, it lasted only long enough for Ima to decide to break it, "So", she began, in between sips, "what happened out there?"

He shrugged, "I don't know".

"Izuku", she warned, but the boy waved her off before she could go any further.

"I really don't. One moment we're walking up the path, the next I just felt awful", he visibly shuddered and Inko didn't hesitate to reach for his hand, "there was just this wrongness about everything. It hurt and then I couldn't feel my arms and my legs, and then I think I passed out".

"You think?"

He shrugged, "The next thing I remember is waking up here, right beside your beautiful face".

"Oh, don't even try pulling that crap with me boy".

"Sorry ma'am".

"But", Inko squeezed his hand tightly, "you're feeling better now though, right?"

"I feel fine", he told her, "honest", he added, when she looked like she didn't believe him, "I feel normal. I just don't know why I felt bad earlier".

And judging by the looks on their faces, neither did they.

Izuku took advantage of the gap in conversation to make a start on eating his soup, and after a few more moments of hesitation, he was glad to see his mother and grandmother join him. He knew from experience that his mom forgot to eat when she was particularly worried about something, and he also knew exactly who she'd inherited that particular behaviour from; seeing them eat the soup was the only indication he'd get that they'd eaten at all.

As hungry as he was, he wasn't surprised to have finished before them, even with having been given a slightly bigger portion. His mother seemed to be enjoying it, but Grandma was taking her time, barely touching it.

She looked exhausted.

He really had worried her, hadn't he?

"Gen-Ed".

"Hmm?"

"I'm sorry".

"Gen-Ed", Izuku repeated, "at U.A., they offered me a place in their General Education course. It's too late in the school year to start applying anywhere else, but if I take their course this year, I can take the exam and transfer to Seijin next year. A year at U.A. with good grades will still look good on my future resume and this way, JJ and I can go through their media and journalism classes together".

"What about your heroics-"

"Can you not go and study medicine instead"?

"Mother".

"Being a surgeon pays very well and the boy's usually good under pressure", Ima sniffed, "steady hands too. He'd make a fine surgeon".

"He doesn't want to be a surgeon".

"Lawyers are also very well paid and well respected".

"That part wasn't the point", Inko bemoaned, before turning her attention back to her son, "Izuku, they offered you a place in their heroics course. That's been your dream ever since you were old enough to know who All Might is".

"I know", he murmured, staring down at his empty bowl, "but heroes - especially heroes who can do what I do - live their lives in the spotlight. Everything about them isn't just a matter of public record, it's public knowledge. Their childhoods are the answers to trivia nights and passkeys to forums and watch lists. You can find out everything you could ever want to know about them in a matter of minutes. If I do that, I might as well draw an arrow pointing to my childhood saying, 'LOOK HERE' and asking people to look into it", he shook his head, "we can't have that".

"Sweetie-"

"It's not just me at risk, Mom, it's you and Grandma and then, Grandpa and Sherubi and everyone else we've ever met. I just - I can't - be the reason everything we've ever known gets blown up".

"I…", Inko swallowed down what she wanted to say. Ever since the day when Izuku's ninth birthday had been… interrupted, Inko felt she had no choice but to resign herself to see Izuku entering the field of heroics. That she had no choice but to see her baby get hurt; that she would see him cry and bleed in a field where not everyone made it home to their mothers safely.

But if this was it, if this was her chance to see Izuku away from that life and into something (anything) else, where he could not only still indulge in his boyhood dreams, but also be safe doing so, didn't she have the right to take it?

As his mother, the one person in the universe who was supposed to protect him above all others, didn't she have the obligation to do so?

Even if it meant steering him away from his dream?

She didn't know.

"I… think it sounds like an excellent idea", she heard herself say, the words feeling like sand on her tongue, "and I know JJ would love to see you in Seijin as well".

"Yeah", Izuku said, smiling, but even across the table, Inko could see the tightening in his face, as his smile, usually so vibrant, failed to meet his eyes, as he settled her nerves by agreeing to spend his life doing something that wasn't what he had spent his entire life dreaming about, "it sounds good, Mom".

She was a horrible mother.

Chapter Text

A My Hero Academia Story

GREEN SON

VOLUME ONE: LAST SON

Part Two: Birthright

Chapter Four: The First Day

"Good morning, please feel free to be seated, and then once everyone's here, we may start".

Nezu was a simple being, or at least, he felt he was. He enjoyed good tea, good tobacco and having enough private grooming time to ensure that his fur remained as luxurious as possible, despite everyone else's insistence that he wear 'people' clothing.

The secret to his particularly glossy coat was keratin, which sadly meant that his human colleagues would be forever unable to match his luscious sheen, even if they didn't insist on covering themselves up.

At least Midnight made sure her own choices were the same shade of colour as her skin tone, or that they covered as little as herself up as possible. Pro Hero costumes might have served additional purposes, usually combat support, but everyone else - all of the normal people - insisted on using such bland choices as skin covering.

They could all at least try and wear something more interesting than the same thing that everyone else was wearing.

As one of the world's premier minds, specialising in Quirk analysis and criminal investigation, in addition to his duties as a licenced Pro Hero and the Principal of the Ultra Academy of Heroics - the world's premier heroics institution, he was pleased to say - Nezu had amassed quite the fortune, which meant that he could order personalised teas, tobacco and all of the customised silken suits he could wear on his animalistic frame.

(Was he a bear, a dog or a mouse? Nobody knew for certain, well except for himself of course, and he certainly was not going to share such personal information freely).

But what mattered right now, was that he was the Principal!

Though he struggled to understand them on an active level, Nezu had made an extensive study of human behaviour, including biology, biochemistry, psychology and sexuality over the years he had been alive, but it always left him feeling mildly confused when the staff he employed - all of whom he considered to have intelligence beyond what he felt was a base requirement necessary to work as part of his faculty - continued to insist on starting each and every new academic year with the same argument, forcing him to serve as their referee.

Still, at least they sat down when he told them to.

They also ate and slept when he told them too, but the fact that they insisted on arguing meant that there was still something slightly off with his training methods. The fact that he currently had a reasonably consistent overturn was not helping matters, but he was yet to create a way to command their personal lives.

Mixing in the new with the old often made pets more difficult to train appropriately, yet he persisted, knowing that it would one day prove itself a useful tool in his arsenal.

Around the rectangular table that took up the majority of the space his faculty meeting room, Nezu gazed out and made eye contact with each member of his staff: Present Mic smiled back at him, as did Midnight, while they forced the ever exhausted, but still alert Eraser Head to sit between them, who returned his gaze with a curt nod.

Eraser Head would be one of the homeroom teachers for the incoming new first-year heroics students, teaching Class 1-A. His counterpart for Class 1-B was to be Vlad King, who had taken the seat opposite him, also taking a moment to greet him with a polite nod. He was flanked by Cementoss and Snipe, the former of whom raised a hand in greeting, while the latter tipped his cowboy hat.

Even off-duty, his love for western culture remained as part of his 'get-up'.

Recovery Girl took the seat that was directly opposite to himself, and unlike the others, she did not bother with a greeting, having already explained to him in the past - seventeen times now - why these annual meetings were a waste of her time. She filled out the side farthest from him with Hound Dog, Thirteen, Power Loader and Lunch Rush, while the seat to his immediate right was filled by Ectoplasm, his vice principal.

All that left was the seat to his immediate left, which was unfortunately empty.

Nezu considered himself an educator first, and a Pro Hero second.

And he did not abide tardiness.

"He's late", Eraser Head said, glaring at the empty space, as though he possessed the power to manifest their missing colleague though sheer irritation.

"Yes", Nezu replied, as he poured himself a cup of tea, "I noticed".

"So…", Present Mic began, peering around the room, "what do we do?"

Nezu smiled, as he brought his teacup to his lips, "Naturally, we wait for a moment".

"Okay, but for how long do we-"

Vlad King was cut off when the door to the room opened, and the emaciated form of a tall, blond man stepped inside, doing his best to discretely slip in without being seen, which was ruined when every head instantly snapped up to face him.

"Ah", he reached behind his head, scratching at the lion's mane that he called his hair, "I appear to be running just a tad late", he admitted, before bowing to them, "please accept my apologies".

"All Might", Nezu chided, as the man took his place in the remaining seat beside him, "you will be responsible for the wellbeing of school children in just a few short weeks. You must not let this tardiness become a habit before the school year even starts".

"I know, I know", he waved off their concerns, as he settled into his seat, "but there was a four-car pile-up, and then a young woman's purse was stolen-"

"There are several other heroes active in the local area", Nezu reminded him, "some of them were even trained here. Surely at least one of them was up to handling it".

"Well, it's just - I was already there, Principal and it just made sense for me to-"

"You really must learn to let others handle these things. You are wasting what little time you have left".

"I know that sir", the blond behemoth stammered out, gaining several amused smirks from around the room, as he cowered in the face of such a small creature, "and might I say that your fur is looking especially glossy today".

"Thank you", his tail wagged behind him, "the secret is keratin, without it, I am afraid that you base humans are simply incapable of obtaining a coat this shiny".

"Well, it looks particularly good today".

"Oh, for the love of", Eraser Head mumbled, "can we get on with this already? I'd like to be able to get a decent nap in before I go on patrol".

"Certainly", Nezu agreed, and everyone sat up straighter, as he tapped away at the holographic keyboard that appeared in front of his paws, "now then, everyone, we're here to decide on the class placements for our incoming first-year heroic course students. I believe we should begin with this year's four recommendation students, so then, let us commence the discussion with this year's fifth-place student, Mister Juzo Honenuki".

Midnight frowned, "Fifth place?"

Nezu hummed, "Yes, it appears that our first-place student, one Yoarashi Inasa, turned down our offer of placement. I have been reliably informed that he will number among the incoming First Year student body at Shiketsu High School for Heroics", Nezu frowned, "it is quite the oddity actually".

"First place turning down a place at U.A., yeah we can tell".

A few of them chuckled at Vlad King's comment, the man himself smirking, but Nezu just shook his head.

"Oh, no, it is more than just that. I simply find it odd that our first-place recommendation student and first place heroics student have both turned down their offers to join our heroics course".

"So… they'll both be going to Shiketsu then? Or I assume they will", Snipe drawled, while a few of the others scoffed, pride in their own hallowed halls on full display, "that's quite the boon for our rivals then".

"Yoarashi Inasa will be attending Shiketsu, yes, but the first-place scorer from the standard exams will be entering our Department for General Education. He has already been assigned to Class 1-C".

There was a moment's pause, as that information sank in, and as he wondered which one of them would break the silence first, he took the opportunity to enjoy more of his tea.

Being the loudest member of his team, he was happy that Yamada didn't disappoint, leaping to his feet, as everyone else continued to deal with the information they'd been given.

"WHAT?!"

"But… he passed the Heroics exams, but then said that he wanted to go into Gen-Ed?"

"Indeed, his forms said as much. As did his uniform purchases".

"Is it possible-"

"I even arranged for my secretary to contact his home, just so that we could be certain that there had not been some misunderstanding with the holographic message I sent to him, but yes, Izuku Midoriya has turned down our offer to join the Heroics Course and will be joining us as a member of our Department for General Education".

"Do we know whose choice this is?"

He turned his head to meet Aizawa's tired gaze, "What do you mean?"

"Is it his choice or someone else's? His wouldn't be the first parents to refuse to let their children attend the Heroics Course. They could be worried about the inherent element of danger involved".

"Unknown at this time".

"It might be rare, but it's not unheard of for Recommendation Students to go elsewhere. Inasa is surprising, but not the first individual to have chosen Shiketsu over us, but I honestly can't say that I've ever heard of the standard first-place heroics student refusing his placement offer before though", Thirteen pointed out, "how well did he actually do?"

"Well, as you should all know, this year marks our fourth year running this particular examination layout-"

"The Robo-Inferno!"

"Yes… thank you, Yamada, and what I can tell you about his performance is that Izuku Midoriya has broken the record set by Nejire Hado two years ago. He achieved a score of eighty-nine villain points and seventy-five rescue points for a total score of one hundred and sixty-four, which far surpasses the score of one hundred and three set by Miss Hado".

As he spoke, he brought up a few clips their cameras had captured of Mister Midoriya's performance, ending with his rather impressive defeat of the zero-pointer.

All Might let out a low whistle, "Now that's what I call a SMASH-ingly good effort".

He chuckled at his own joke, joined by a few of the others, while the rest were too engrossed in the imagery to care.

"If this is the parents' choice, is it worth paying them a visit", Kan asked, "and seeing if, perhaps, we can't convince them to change their minds?"

Recovery Girl frowned, "Are you suggesting that we coerce this boy's parents into-"

"No, no, not at all", he rushed to refute her, "I'm just saying that if this is a simple matter of concern over his safety, then surely, we can offer them some form of reassurance that we will look after their child. We are the number one heroics institute in Japan for a reason".

"While I cannot speak to full contents of the conversation itself, my secretary reliably informs me that they did speak with Missus Midoriya herself. She confirmed that this was her son's decision".

"Oh", the Blood Hero wrinkled his nose, "well, I guess that's that then".

"Right", Aizawa nodded, "because parents never lie to us about their kids".

"Even if she did, it doesn't matter", Ken Ishiyama, also known as the Concrete Hero: Cementoss, and before today, the newest member of his faculty pointed out, always so mindful of his students' wellbeing, "he's a minor and she's the parent, his legal guardian, responsible for doing what she thinks is best for his wellbeing. Her say is the only one that matters here".

"Indeed", Nezu agreed, determined to get his discussion back on track before his employees could return to their bickering, "now if we could all return to the reason for our meeting. I believe we were about to discuss young Honenuki and his pending class placement".

"Right, sorry".

There were murmured apologies, as everyone settled back down, and thankfully, Nezu managed to return everyone back to the task in front of them.

He really needed to stop letting them do this every year and just start assigning the classes himself.

"Good morning, little listeners! It's your boy, the Voice Hero: Present Mic and I'm here to announce that I am your new homeroom teacher, YEAH!"

Hizashi grinned as he entered the room, taking in the sights and sounds of his new homeroom class. Despite his former reservations about taking the post at his age, he'd really come to love his job as a teacher, and while being the school's English teacher was nice enough, he'd found that the real fun part of his job was in being a homeroom teacher.

Every year he got a new batch of kids to look after, and it was always more fun seeing and helping them grow than just teaching them English.

Almost twenty pairs of nervous eyes darted to the windows as he called out his typical greeting, his yell seeming to shake the glass within the windowpanes, but he just kept up his grin. He knew exactly how much force they could handle before he was at risk of damaging them, but they wouldn't know that.

It was good to keep them on their toes.

He did notice that one of the girls had placed her hands over her ears when he'd yelled, as relatively quiet as he was, and he made a note to keep an eye on her. While it was possible that he'd just startled her, it was just as possible that she had sensitive hearing, or even a Quirk that enhanced it.

He also couldn't help but notice that the only other student who hadn't stared at the windows was Izuku Midoriya. Mister First Place himself apparently wasn't concerned with the windows shaking, but Hizashi had seen the awkward way his jawline had twitched when he'd yelled, so he wasn't quite as immune to the noise as he appeared to be.

His Quirk, Tactile Telekinesis, apparently applied a constant telekinetic force to his body, enhancing its abilities far beyond normal human levels. He'd seen what it did to his physical strength and speed, and if that applied to his senses as well, then Midoriya could have some pretty impressive hearing.

He took up his customary position at the front of the classroom, his desk having been built just tall enough for him to casually rest against it, as he took command of everyone's attention, "You can all call me Yamada-sensei, Present Mic-sensei, Mic-sensei or hell, even just Present Mic will do, I don't mind, but what's important right now is that orientation begins in fifteen minutes, so we'll need to take a quick registration and then get going, but before all of that, please allow me to welcome you all to your first year as students of the Ultra Academy's Department for General Education. Welcome to Class 1-C!"

He spread his arms wide as he finished, awaiting their applause, knowing that it probably wasn't coming, "Wow, tough crowd", and then he shrugged, "eh, I'll train you guys up to it. It'll be fun… right then, registration first and then onto orientation, so… Agoyamato?"

"Present".

"Asa?"

"Present".

As his new homeroom teacher went down his list of names, taking a pause in between each name to take sight of each student's face, Izuku used his time to make sure that his new notebooks and pens were ready to be used. He made sure that his name and student ID number were written within the cover, and then discretely patted the inside pocket of his jacket, making sure that everything was as it should be.

He had no idea how fragile his new crystal was, but he hadn't felt comfortable leaving it at home.

He didn't know what it did or what it was for, but something told him that he needed to be the one to use it.

And right now, his instincts were all he had to guide him.

Well, instinct and a recorded speech that he had no way of understanding.

"Midoriya?"

"Present".

He looked up as he spoke, gaining a thumbs up from Present Mic, and as he did, he also saw another student to his left; a boy with purple hair, snap his gaze around to face him, his eyes narrowing thinly when the two of them made contact. Izuku flicked his head up in greeting, trying to offer him a polite smile, only for him to scoff and turn back to face the front of the classroom.

"Shinso?"

"Present".

Well, at least he had a name to go with his face.

"Okay then, listeners", Present Mic smiled at them all, "you can all feel free to leave your things here, but right now, we've got orientation to get to, so if you could all take collect the school guidebooks that are on the inside of your desks, then step into the corridor and form a single file line, I can show you the way".

Izuku retrieved his guidebook, finding it exactly where it was supposed to be, and he wasted no time joining the others in lining up outside. He found himself standing behind Shinso, the same guy who'd scoffed at him earlier, and when he saw that Izuku was standing behind him, he gave him a once over with his eyes, before rolling them and turning away with a huff.

Izuku seriously wanted to know what was up him.

Behind him, a few of the other students chuckled at his behaviour, and when he turned to look at them, they snickered, no doubt finding the entire thing hilarious. He shrugged, earning a few more giggles, before turning back, giving his attention to Present Mic when he joined them.

"All right then guys", Present Mic stepped outside, as the last of them emptied the classroom, "to orientat-"

'BOOM!'

Coming from somewhere outside, there was the sound of an explosion sounded, and more than one of his classmates flinched as a result. One of them, a girl with what appeared to be a mesh cover over her ears actually clamped her hands over her ears, as she dropped to the floor, yelping in pain.

While the others seemed confused by what had happened, Izuku had recognised that noise.

Bakugo.

Wherever he was, something had just been exploded.

Hopefully that noise would mean that he wouldn't have to put up with Bakugo during orientation.

Maybe he'd get lucky, and the Heroics Department would be on an entirely different timetable, and the two of them wouldn't have to interact at all.

In fact, if he was lucky enough, maybe Bakugo would no longer be a student of U.A., and that explosion was his last one.

He already knew that that last option wouldn't happen, at least, not on the first day, but there was no rule that said a man couldn't dream.

The only way Izuku could describe the main building of the Ultra Academy was ridiculous.

In addition to being absolutely enormous; it had been built as a set of four interconnected towers. Each tower had exactly fifteen floors and was connected to each other by a series of glass enclosed bridges, which could be accessed on the eighth floor, making it so that no matter which direction you chose to look at U.A. from, it would always look like a rather large letter 'H'.

A giant 'H' for all of the world to see, just in case they managed to forget that U.A. was the place that made heroes.

The first tower was the Education Tower. It had the standard classrooms for all of U.A.'s lessons, including the spaces used for all of their homeroom classes. Every lesson for the Department of General Education was conducted within its walls, as well as the standard lectures that the Heroics Department had to undertake. As well as classrooms, it also had smaller rooms for group work and independent study, the school's library, a handful of computer labs of various sizes and most importantly, the student cafeteria was on the eighth floor.

While their actual orientation would be used to inform them of everything they needed to know, Present Mic also kept up a running commentary as he led them through the building. The second and third towers were used to the Support Course and Business Course students, and were filled with a plethora of workshops, studios, offices and mock locations for study and training, while the fourth tower was the Administrative Tower, and it was there that was their destination.

In addition to being the school's public access building, the Administrative Tower hosted the various offices for the school's staff members, including meeting rooms and their private cafeteria, the school's emergency assembly points, locker rooms, (U.A. apparently also served a legal Pro Hero Agency for the staff members who worked there), the upper floors contained small apartments for those on staff who wanted them, and the ground floor held their current destination: the assembly hall.

Unlike in his old school, where they had all knelt on the floor in straight lines, U.A.'s assembly hall had a decidedly more western design to it, and consisted on rows of foldout chairs, each row raised several centimetres above the row in front of the one before, until there was a gentle slope of chairs looking down onto the main stage, where several members of staff were already waiting for them. Along the side of the room, there were also several extra-large chairs, which he assumed were for those born with Heteromorphic Quirks that left them too physically large to fit into a standard chair.

Each class apparently had a designated row, so being in Class C, they were told to sit in the third row. Most of the other rows were already filled up, with Classes B, E, F, G, H and K already seated. It didn't take long for Classes D and I to show up either, shuffling in almost at the same time, and then all that remained was for Class A to show up and fill in the front row.

Yet they never arrived.

Instead, Principal Nezu rose to his feet, standing behind the small podium set up for speakers, as the small square of stage he was stood on rose out of the ground, elevating him, until his face was level with the microphone that had been set up for a human of average height.

"That is much better", he spoke into the microphone, his voice chipper as he raised one of his paws in greeting, "and good morning. Welcome, new first year students, to the Ultra Academy for Heroics!"

There were a few murmured replies from his fellow students, though Izuku made sure that he wasn't one of the ones speaking, instead choosing to keep his mouth firmly closed.

The last thing he wanted was to draw the attention of every Pro Hero in the school onto himself.

It was already bad enough that they might have been able to recognise him from the Entrance Exam last month. He had no way of knowing just who among the staff might have seen it.

"My name is Nezu", the small being continued, still sounded relaxed, completely unaware of the thoughts and worries plaguing Izuku's mind, "and am I a bear, a dog or a mouse? Who knows, because what matters right now is that I am the Principal!"

There were a few snickers from the crowd, but apparently the Principal wasn't expecting much of a response, because he simply chose to continue with his speech, "Now, behind me are my fellow members of faculty, who I will introduce to you momentarily, but before we get to that, first let me properly welcome you all to the Ultra Academy for Heroics, where we aim to guide and shape the future of society, today".

Izuku found himself straightening up as the Principal spoke, and a quick glance down the line told him that he wasn't the only person to do so. The diminutive being, (creature?), that was the Principal had barely started with his speech, but there was something about its contents that had him hanging on every word.

He'd wanted to be a student of U.A. his entire life.

He wasn't going to ignore a single thing that was said today.

"The Ultra Academy for Heroics", Nezu continued, his tone still perfectly pleasant, "was founded with the core belief that those of us with the ability to impact society have the responsibility to do so in a way that leads to the betterment of all of its people", he told them, letting that settle for a moment, before he continued, "and here, we, the faculty, will endeavour to do everything within the full range our powers, skills and abilities to help you to realise your full potential. Some of you are here to actively study and enter the field of heroics. Some of you are here to become the next shining stars of the support industry. Some of you are here to become the next great business magnate. Some of you are here for different reasons entirely. Some of you may not even know why you are here yet, but what unites us all, is the fact that we are members of the most prestigious high school in all of Asia. We are all here to go beyond".

"Plus Ultra", Izuku murmured, happy when he realised that he hadn't been the only person to do so.

Nezu smiled, nodding once, "Yes. Plus Ultra. You will find that our resources and facilities are the finest in the world, and with our guidance, your time and a great deal of effort from all of us, we hope to see you become first class members of society. Now, if you could please pay attention, each of the staff members will take a moment to introduce themselves to you. Afterwards, we will explain the layout of the campus, as well as any security measures that come with each particular building, before a brief outline of the upcoming school year will take us to lunchtime. Now, please allow me to introduce the Vice Principal of the Ultra Academy for Heroics, Juzo Surima, also known as the Integer Hero: Ectoplasm".

Ectoplasm was a nice enough speaker, Izuku supposed. He wasn't particularly compelling, but he had a nice voice to listen to, and in all fairness to the man, taking everyone through the basic U.A. security measures they were expected to remember wasn't the most interesting of subjects, even if it was one of the most important. When he was finished, everyone clapped politely, as the Vice Principal and mathematics teacher retook his seat, only for him to be replaced by Power Loader.

Power Loader talked them through the school's facilities, before Midnight spoke about the resources for student health and wellness.

Recovery Girl introduced herself and Hound Dog as the school nurse and guidance counsellor, while Present Mic talked to everyone about their weekly schedule and how U.A. took a non-traditional approach, which focused on practical experience and how they operated a system of constant evaluation, instead of sticking to the classroom with a single set of exams.

Vlad King outlined the school events for the year, highlighting the time they'd have dedicated to internships over the summer, while the vaunted U.A. Sports & Culture Festival would take place in October. Their final exams for the year would take place in January.

Thirteen gave them all a brief, but rather harsh lecture about the standards of behaviours expected from students at U.A., before she reminded them all that while the nature of U..A meant they had free use of their Quirks while on campus, this was a trust for their students that would be closely monitored and, if necessary, it could and would be revoked. She also made sure to remind everyone that it did not grant them the right to use them anywhere that wasn't a part of the official U.A. campus.

Lunch Rush briefly introduced himself as the person responsible for running the cafeterias, who would be happy to accommodate any of their dietary requirements, before Cementoss spoke about the extra-curricular activities that were available at U.A., and Izuku was slightly surprised when he informed Class 1-B that, as they were students of the Heroics Course, they were prohibited from joining any of them, instead they were expected to devote all of their time to the Heroics Course and its extensive training regimen.

Snipe, the final member of staff present at the assembly, gave them all a quick rundown of the basic, non-specialised curriculum that everyone would have to complete, but promised them all that their teachers would go more in depth with them during their first lessons, and once he was finished, he handed the microphone back to Principal Nezu, who allowed his platform to raise him back into the air once again.

"Thank you, everyone, for your attention so far. I have doubt that you are all as hungry as you appear to be, so before I release you all for lunch and then this afternoon's classes, I have just one more thing that I would like to say".

Clearing his throat, the Principal reached for the microphone, ensuring that it was perfectly positioned in front of his mouth, (Izuku didn't know if he should think of it as his mouth or his maw), and lowered the tone of his voice, sounding, just for a moment, to be much more serious than he already had, "Each and every one of you sitting here today has already proven something extraordinary - that you have the potential to be great. You have studied hard, trained hard and pushed yourselves beyond the rest of your peers to earn a place at this school, but make no mistake: this is just the beginning of your journey. You are not just students - you are the future. The future of this country. The future of this world. You will become the leaders, the guides and the protectors for your generation, and the inspirations for those that follow after. What you accomplish and achieve here at U.A. has the potential to not just transform your life, but all of the lives around you, but the choice is yours… so ask yourselves, are you up to it?"

The assembly hall fell completely silent, no one wanting to make a sound. For a moment, the atmosphere felt ominous, but the Principal just grinned, showing off his teeth, "Welcome to the Ultra Academy for Heroics everyone, where we will see what you are made of. Now, please, enjoy your lunch".

Just like Principal Nezu had asked them to, Izuku found that he did actually enjoy his lunch, (for once), as he sat at a table with some of his new classmates, and they began the awkward task of eating their lunch while trying to make friends with a group of strangers.

Not for the first time in his life, Izuku was glad to have spent as much of his free time in the hospital as he had, because one of the things that never changed, was the influx of new patients, all of whom you had to meet for the first time.

As it turned out, the girl with the mesh over her ears was Choga Asa, and her Quirk, Hemp, made it so that she could create the hemp at will, and she had it over her ears because she had sensitive hearing. The hemp didn't block out the sounds around her, but it did help her to manage them.

They were sharing their table with Tsutsutaka Agoyamato and Chikuchi Togeike.

Izuku didn't want to judge people before he got to know them, but Togeike seemed like she was used to being in charge. She had her eyes set into a stern expression, and it looked harsher because of how thin they were, but she hadn't said anything mean to anyone, or about anyone, that Izuku had heard and she seemed happy to talk the three of them, while enjoying her sandwich. Her Quirk was called Water Bullets, and it allowed her to control water, forming it into the shape of small spikes, or 'bullets', as she called them, and then fire them.

Agoyamato appeared to be as tall as Izuku was, but he had a very pronounced jaw and wore his dark blue hair in the shape of a pompadour. He was quiet while he was sat with them, and Izuku wasn't sure if he was shy, or just not interested in talking much. He did perk up when Izuku revealed that he had a Quirk similar to Agoyamato's. His was called, Big Brawn, and it granted him superstrength, though he seemed put out when Izuku admitted that in addition to having superstrength, he also had superspeed to go along with it.

Before he'd admitted that last part, Togeike had been trying to convince the two of them to arm wrestle and determine who was the, "super-strongest", but she settled down when she saw how put-out Agoyamato had looked when Izuku admitted that his Quirk had more than one facet.

Thankfully, she turned the topic of their conversation away from their Quirks and towards their families.

That worked for him.

He was always happy to talk about his mom.

Agoyamato didn't have much to say about his, but Asa told them about her mom, who had the Butterfly Quirk, while Togeike told them how both of her dads worked in logistics for the HPSC.

"I love them, I do", she told them, "but I always wanted to do more, you know?"

"Yeah", he agreed, as the others nodded, "my mom's a nurse. She's always helping people, it's just-"

"It's not the same".

"No", he agreed, glad that, for once, somebody actually seemed to understand what he meant, "it's not".

Classroom seating at U.A. was done alphabetically, so while Agoyomato and Asa were sat next to each other in class, Izuku and Togeike were neither, sat near them, or beside each other. Their first afternoon classes were used to talk them through course outlines and served as a chance for their teachers to say 'hello' and introduce themselves. Rather than just the standard classes for the first day, each teacher took a half hour in each classroom, rather than taking up most of the week, and to Izuku's delight, not only did each and every one of them show up to class in their Pro Hero costumes, they all also signed his autograph notebook, (and everyone else's), but for once, as the bell rang, signalling the end of their first day, Izuku found that he hadn't eagerly been counting the seconds until he could escape and get away to the hospital or the school's newsroom.

Asa and Agoyamato were both being picked up, but like him, Togeike was taking the train, and they agreed to walk to the station together.

"Midoriya?"

Izuku span around when he heard his name to find that it was Shinso, the boy with the lavender hair that they also shared their classes with.

"Yes", he nodded, "it's Shinso, isn't it?" He stuck out his hand, "It's nice to meet you".

"Yeah, whatever", he shrugged, ignoring his hand, "but I wanted to check - it is Midoriya, right? I didn't mishear it earlier?"

He nodded again, "You didn't, I am Midoriya", he waited a moment, but when Shinso said nothing, he pulled his hand back and asked, "can I help you with something?"

"Midoriya…", he murmured, his eyes narrowing in what he was certain looked like anger, and Izuku wondered if they'd met before, as Togeike took a step closer to him, "I need to know, is it Izuku Midoriya?"

"Yeah…", he told him, wondering where the conversation was going as he confirmed the boy's question, "that's me".

"Of course it is", the other boy spat, his upset look turning into one of sheer rage.

Growling like an animal, Shinso pushed past him, storming off in anger, and with a practiced ease, Izuku let himself be moved to the side, rather than letting him bounce off of his shoulder and possibly injure something, as Shinso marched his way through the front gates of U.A. and out of sight, hunched over and not bothering to look back.

Togeike placed a hand on his arm, "Are you alright?"

Izuku knew he had a great memory, but he couldn't recall ever having seen Shinso at the hospital before. He didn't remember any patient that had shared his family name, nor had he attended Aldera Junior High School. As far as Izuku was aware, the two of them had never met before this morning.

"Yeah… it's just…"

"It's just what?"

He turned to face her, her expression showing her to be as confused as he was, "I wonder what on Earth I did to upset him?"

Chapter Text

A My Hero Academia Story

GREEN SON

VOLUME ONE: LAST SON

Part Two: Birthright

Chapter Five: Exchange

"So does this guy belong in the asshole category, or after all these years, have we finally discovered the one?"

"I feel that I should be afraid to ask what you mean by, 'the one'?"

"The one! The first person you've ever not become friends with!"

Izuku rolled his eyes, "JJ, I'm not friends with a lot of people. You should know this. You went to school with a lot of them. I wasn't exactly Mister Popular".

"Yeah, but that was different. Everyone there liked you, they just didn't show it because they were afraid of Asshole Number One and his group of hangers-on. Think of like this-"

"Must I?"

"Aldera was basically split into two groups: people who liked Izuku Midoriya and thought of him as a friend, or Assholes, and yes, that's with a capital 'A' by the way", Izuku might not have had his eyes on JJ, but he didn't need to see him to know that he was grinning; he could feel his amusement through the phone, "and nobody belonged to both categories. You didn't make friends with the Assholes. They didn't want to make friends with you. Everyone else liked you".

"I don't know what to say to that".

"You don't need to say anything", they might have been speaking over the phone, but Izuku could still see JJ shrugging his shoulders as he spoke, casually unconcerned with insulting their old classmates, "but come on though, you've been at U.A. for a whole week now and this guy has done nothing but try and glare a hole through your skull. Right?"

Izuku sighed, "Yeah".

"So, fuck him then. I mean, everyone else you've talked about sounds pretty cool, so make nice with them and fuck the Asshole".

"Phrasing".

"My phrasing is hilarious", JJ agreed.

"That's not what I meant and-"

"My point is", JJ continued, cutting him off, "don't waste time worrying about this one guy - not on the day when you're getting your big semester assignment, so focus on that instead, relax, remember not to replace me as your best friend, and then go knock it out of the park, same as you always do. Then you can transfer to Seijin next year".

"You'll always be my best friend, you know".

"Yeah, well, I better be".

"This is the part where you're supposed to tell me that I'm your best friend".

"Yeah, it's just - I mean, new school, you know? There could be a better option out there".

"I've changed my mind. I'm replacing you the first chance I get".

He heard JJ chuckle, "Sure you will".

Stepping into shadow, Izuku looked up to find that the giant archway that led into the U.A. grounds was almost directly overhead, "Alright, I'm at the gates now, so I've gotta get to class. We'll meet up soon though, right?"

"You know it", JJ confirmed, "and hey, Izuku?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm serious, don't let this guy get you down. You made it into U.A. - the hardest school in Japan to get into. Don't let this Shinny kid-"

"Shinso", he corrected.

"Whatever - don't let this Shinso ruin it for you - you're better than that".

"I won't", he said, "and JJ?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks".

"Anytime".

Smiling as he stepped over the threshold and entered into the campus, Izuku admitted to himself that JJ was right.

All he needed to do was take his friend's advice, put Shinso out of his mind. Ignore the angry glaring from across the classroom, or the cafeteria, or the labs, or the street that one time they'd bumped into each other on the way in.

If he did that, then surely nothing would be able to ruin his day.

Hizashi was well aware that he had a reputation as a bit of an airhead.

Between his loud voice, his incredible sense of rockstar fashion, the amazing hairstyle he rocked and his love of the art of professional showmanship, the Voice Hero: Present Mic was designed to be as 'in your face' as possible. His specialty in the field was tactical co-ordination, which was essentially Pro Hero code for, "he's the only one loud enough for everyone to hear what he's saying, so let's all do what he says".

But that specialty also meant that he was observant.

You had to be, in order to direct people, and do it well enough to be allowed to keep doing it.

Izuku Midoriya, his perfect little powerhouse, was almost exactly what he seemed to be: the perfect student. Always present and on-time, his uniform pressed and correct, while turning in every piece of work assigned to him with near perfect English, (the other teachers had said much the same of him in their classes as well), and if that was all he did, then Hizashi would've mentally listed him as one of the finest students he'd ever had the privilege of teaching and then moved onto the rest of the class.

Except for one thing.

Midoriya was nervous.

And it wasn't just something that he'd spotted once or twice, but in fact, the kid always seemed a little twitchy, looking slightly worried every time he noticed that he had laid his eyes on him.

While it was true that he, and the other teachers, were interested in discovering just why someone would take the Heroics Entrance Exam - every child's dream exam - and not only pass, but earn first place, just to turn it down. Kan had mentioned that it could have been his parents' idea, but he didn't exactly seem put out over the fact that he was here and not attending the hero course.

Of course, it was just possible that Midoriya was simply a nervous kid, but again, Hizashi honestly couldn't see why. He was smart, friendly, tall enough to be considered impressive without being considered overly imposing. While he tried not to think about his students' appearances at all, it wouldn't be unreasonable for any of the guys or girls, or even those of as yet unspecified genders, to think of him as being handsome. His Quirk was good; it clearly made him strong - and it had no obvious drawbacks, if any at all - and then, most importantly in Hizashi's opinion, was the fact that Izuku Midoriya was simply a nice person.

In a world where heroes were part of the everyday, somehow, genuinely nice people were still rarer than kings.

Hizashi was a Pro Hero. He worked for a school that created Pro Heroes. He probably shouldn't think the way he did, but he couldn't help it.

With all his experience, he'd met a lot of people with powerful Quirks who turned out to just be complete and utter jerks because of it, yet despite the obvious power of his Quirk, Izuku Midoriya was polite, well-mannered and in just a single week, he'd proven himself quick to help out his fellow classmates, no matter what their problems where. He had no medical issues listed and there was nothing in his file that indicated a history of bullying or abuse; in fact, the only gaps Hizashi could find in his past was the lack of his father's name on his birth certificate and the mention of a lawsuit when he was younger.

Neither of which were, as far as he could see, grounds for someone to be so nervous, so the question of why Midoriya was so damn twitchy remained?

Hizashi honestly couldn't say.

The other thing he'd noticed in his classroom, however, was the glaring.

Now, Midoriya wasn't the one doing the glaring, but he was the one who was being glared at.

By Hitoshi Shinso.

Shinso was something of an outlier in his class.

Like everyone else had, he'd filled in an application to U.A., sat the exams, been scored and then placed into his class, only unlike the rest of his class, (with the sole exception of Midoriya), he'd also applied to take the entrance exam for the Department of Heroics. The big difference though, was that Midoriya had passed the heroics exam and instead chosen to accept the position he was offered in Gen-Ed, while Shinso simply hadn't managed to achieve a score that was high enough to pass. Four villain points and zero rescue points had left him with a total score of four - he hadn't even managed to hit double digits, far below the minimum threshold for passing.

Shinso had accepted the placement he'd been offered to join their Department of General Education, but Hizashi could see the fire that was burning behind his eyes.

Despite the setback, Shinso still wanted to become a Pro Hero.

While it was possible to gain a Pro Hero licence without having attended a dedicated heroics course and simply pay to take the exam on your own, it was a much harder route to take, especially when it came to understanding the scenarios that you could - and would - be tested on. If you wanted to take that route, then U.A. was still probably the best school you could list as having attended, even if it was for non-heroics, but after a few days in class, Hizashi had managed to come up with another theory for why Shinso had chosen to still attend U.A., instead of trying to earn a place in another school.

U.A.'s annual Sports and Culture Festival.

It wasn't a rule that U.A. went out of their way to advertise, but they had a longstanding tradition, dating back to the school's founding, that if a First-Year student from one of the other courses put on an impressive display during the Sports Festival competition, then that individual could be offered either a transfer or a dual course placement.

If Shinso was set on becoming a Pro Hero and attending U.A., then it was possible that he'd taken a gamble on himself to succeed, and if that was indeed the case, then Hizashi would admit that he was impressed. It had been quite a number of years since they'd last seen someone transfer over. He only knew of one person who'd managed it while he'd been a teacher, and even then, they hadn't been able to catch up with the missing workload and had needed to start the Hero Course over again.

Honestly, the only person he knew who made the transfer, and made then themselves into a real Pro Hero without falling behind, was his best friend.

In fact, now that he thought about it…

Neither of his boys might have been in the Heroics Course, yet he couldn't help but be reminded of another pair of students that had attended U.A. in the past. One bright and welcoming to everyone, the other one a dark loner who thought the bright and sunny was "irritating" and "being irrational".

Midoriya and Shinso…

Yamada and Aizawa…

He and Shota hadn't had the best of starts to their relationship, what with him being the Class Representative for the very same class that Sho had decided to make his targets. He'd been angry, desperate to prove himself and be granted permission to enter the U.A. Heroics Department and he knew that he had represented everything that Sho had wanted. Even after he'd made it in, it hadn't been easy back for him, especially in those first few days, but now?

Now they were best friends.

They had been best friends for over fifteen years and Hizashi wouldn't trade his relationship with "Mister Grumpy" for anything in the world. Shota put a front up to the world as being a mean-spirited, tight-fisted grouch of a Pro Hero, too bitter for most people to stomach, but Hizashi knew him better. He'd seen the truth of his friend's kindness and the depths of his compassion.

There wasn't a better man he knew of than Shota Aizawa.

He was honoured to call him his best friend, and to be called the same in return, and right now, he can't help but think that if he allowed Shinso and Midoriya to avoid each other, or worse, allow a sense of hostility to grow between them, then he'd not only be doing them a disservice as their teacher, but that he'd also be robbing them both of the chance to have a friendship that could go on to help define their entire lives.

Surely, you'd have to consider him a villain if he attempted to do that, wouldn't you?

He certainly thought so.

Luckily, he already had the perfect solution.

Exams and assignments at U.A. were carried out completely at the discretion of the teacher. The sole exception was the final exams for the Third-Year students, as they were set by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology for their regular class, while in the Heroics Department, their final exam was their Professional Heroics Licencing Examination, carried out by the Hero Public Safety Commission, (which in turn, was held to the standards set out by Japan's inclusion as a member of the World Heroes Association).

Hizashi had unilateral control over all of the exams and assignments for the English Language course, which was a good thing, in his opinion, because he felt he also had a duty to teach his students the value of teamwork. They were going to have a single written exam at the end of the year, for their final semester exam, but other than that, almost every assignment he'd planned out for them was going to be done either in a team, or with a partner.

If he extended the duration to the entire semester… he'd have to make his grading harsher… but if he added in regular check-ins, then everyone would have to do the work. He'd help everyone form at least one friendship, and if he picked the pairings and just so happened to put the two boys together…

He'd give himself fifty-fifty odds that they'd either go on to become best friends, or they'd decide to declare that they were each other's arch enemy.

He'd take those odds.

"Hero profiles", he announced to the class, enjoying the way they perked up. While he was teaching, he usually only spoke to his classes in English, but for giving them their semester assignment, he'd swapped back to Japanese, just to make sure that everyone got all of the information they needed, "you have all semester to complete the assignment, before you have to had in your reports and then make a presentation to the rest of the class".

He grinned at the way everyone groaned in unison, hoping it didn't make him look too much like your stereotypical sadist teacher, "Yes, presentation included, and yes, before you all ask, they have to be done in English".

He tried not to smile when they all groaned again, after all, (and despite what Aizawa believed), there was such a thing as revelling too much in your students' suffering.

"Okay, details are on the board. Make sure you get the key dates written down. Your check-ins with me will also be used to help determine your final grades. Your reports are to be submitted in paper format. Design, formatting and visual presentation will all be taken into account. Your verbal reports will be graded based on its content, as well as how well you and your partner are able to share that content with the rest of the class".

They broke out into excited murmurs, no doubt happy that he had just halved each of their workloads, before he clapped his hands, the noise instantly quieting them down, as he retook control of their attention, "Now, given that we're all new here, and this is your first big assignment, I've gone ahead and assigned you all a partner - and no - there will be no changing or swapping. You don't really know each other well enough, and you and your partner will have twelve weeks to decide on a Pro Hero of your own choice and then write the report. Are there any questions before I read out the list of pairings?"

He waited for a few beats, but when no one said anything, and a few of them even shook their heads, he reached for his tablet, which he had set down on the desk behind him, "Alright then… Agoyamato!"

"Yes sir!"

"You're now partnered with Toegike. Together, you're now Team One!"

"Sir!"

"Yes, sensei!

"Okay then… next up Asa!"

"Yes sir!"

"Team Two. You're partnered with…"

When two of his friends had been partnered up with each other, he'd felt a little disappointed that one of them wasn't paired with him, but mostly, he'd felt happy for them. At that point, he'd hoped to be put together with Asa, only for her to then immediately have been partnered with one of the other guys.

As Mic-sensei had gone further and further down his list of teams, a sense of dread had settled into his stomach, as his possible choices of partner were whittled down to two people he didn't really know and the sole person in class that he didn't want to be partnered up with.

The guys who seemed to hate his guts, for reasons that were still unknown to him.

"Midoriya", Izuku straightened up when he finally heard his name called out, "for this assignment, you're going to be Team Nine. Your partner is Shinso".

He tried not to whine, as he grit his teeth, his jaw clenched tightly as he looked up into his teacher's smiling face and nodded once, "Understood sensei".

He took everything back he'd said earlier that morning.

JJ's advice sucked.

His friends all shot him sympathetic looks at lunchtime, but thankfully, they weren't saying anything, as Izuku did his best not to break anything on the table by accidentally gripping it too tightly.

He and his mom had been keeping track, and he was happy to note that he hadn't done it at home for over three years, but it was starting to feel as though today was going to be that sort of day.

Slowly, he took a breath, and tried to let his frustration go.

Before it got somebody hurt.

Or worse.

But despite trying to swallow his frustration, he couldn't help but wonder why, of the nineteen other people in the classroom, did Yamada-sensei choose to pair him up with Shinso?

He didn't even know what he'd done to upset the other guy, but he'd done nothing but try and glare a hole through his head since the very first time they'd spoken to each other.

Still… his mom had always told him that the people you thought of as enemies were just people you hadn't been able to make friends with yet.

If she were here, he already knew what she'd say to him.

She'd be telling him to try and get along with Shinso, and if he wanted to get a good grade in Present Mic's class, (and what prospective journalism student didn't want to get a good grade in their English classes?), then he and Shinso would need to find a way to work together.

He was pulled from his internal musing when Agoyamato nudged his shoulder, "Huh?"

He flicked his head towards the cafeteria entrance, pointing with the tip of his pompadour, "And here comes Eyebags".

"Don't call him that", Izuku muttered, as he spotted Shinso leaving the line with his lunch tray and starting to look for somewhere to sit. Izuku raised his hand in a brief wave, grabbing his attention, before gesturing to one of the empty seats on their table.

Shinso's head twitched when he saw them, his eyes immediately flickering downwards, as he noted the empty seat at their table that he was being offered. He took a few steps towards them, before setting his tray down at the end of a different table. The table's other occupants looked up for a moment, before going back to their conversation, as Shinso opened his milk and took a long sip, while staring at him.

After a moment, he stood up and Izuku was glad to see that he'd changed his mind, only for him to swap which side of the table he was using, so that he was sitting with his back to them.

"What a dick".

"Togeike", he warned.

"Oh, tell me I'm wrong".

"Maybe he's just-"

"An ass?" Agoyamato offered.

"Rude?" A much politer Asa offered.

"Maybe", Izuku cut in, "he's just struggling to make friends".

"The guy literally looked at you, ignored your offer and turned his back on you".

Izuku decided to try again, "Maybe he's having a bad day?"

"You're in for a long semester".

Izuku sighed.

She was probably right.

"Shinso, do you have a minute?"

The boy brushed past him, heading towards the buses, "No, sorry, running late".

"Before classes start, can we-"

"I have to use the bathroom".

"Shinso, I think we both have this period free-"

"I have a tutoring session to get to".

"-I have some time this weekend, could we-"

"Can't. Busy".

"That's all he said? 'Can't. Busy'? He didn't even try to come up with an excuse?"

"They might not be excuses. He really could be busy".

Togeike scowled, "Even you don't believe that".

"I'm busy a lot", he pointed out.

"Yeah", Agoyamato agreed, "but you intern at a hospital-"

"Volunteer".

"Whatever, like there's any actual difference, but you-"

Asa looked up in thought, "Actually, what is the difference between being an intern and being a volunteer?"

"Oh, well hospital interns have to have some schooling, so-"

Togeike's scowl shifted to a grin, "I'm guessing that hospital interns get paid, don't they?"

"Minimum wage", he confirmed.

"And you?"

"I volunteer".

"So, nothing?"

"No, like I said, I'm volunteering".

"That's the most you thing that I've heard all week".

"What does that even mean?"

"If we could get back to my point", Agoyamato interrupted, "now, as I said, you intern-"

"Volunteer".

"FINE, whatever, you volunteer", he said, stressing out each syllable, "at a hospital. What's his excuse?"

"Maybe he interns with a veterinarian", Izuku offered, "or feeds the homeless. He could be handing out flyers to help raise support for anti-Quirk discrimination groups".

"Would it kill you to let us insult him on your behalf?"

"There's no need for it", he told them, "and we're going to have to work together, so insulting him would just be kinda", he shrugged, "counterproductive, I guess".

"You know, it's annoying for someone to be this placid".

"I'm just trying to be nice".

"I know", Togeike bemoaned, "that's the annoying part. You're genuinely trying to be nice".

"Yeah, and that asshole keeps blowing him off".

"See, Agoyamato gets it".

"Midoriya, Shinso", Present Mic called their names from his seat, the front of the class, "stay a moment. Everyone else, you can go".

Izuku's friends shot him sympathetic looks as they left the classroom behind. He knew Togeike would wait outside for him, for a few minutes, so that they could walk to the train station together, but Asa and Agoyamato were quick to escape for another day.

It had been over a week since they'd been given their English assignment, and Present Mic had decided that he wanted to do a preliminary check-in with everyone, just to make sure that everyone had gotten off to a good start and understood their own parts in the assignment.

When Present Mic had given them the last slot for the day, Izuku had wanted to find time to speak with Shinso before class, or even at lunchtime, but Shinso had only arrived mere seconds before their first class had started and no matter where he looked, Izuku hadn't been able to find him at lunchtime.

If he didn't know any better, Izuku would have assumed that Shinso was avoiding him.

He packed up his things quickly, before moving to stand in front of Yamada-sensei's desk, waiting for Shinso to join him. He took a few moments longer, before slinking over, leaning back to rest against one of the desks at the front.

"Gentlemen", their sensei smiled at them, as he put the tablet he'd been using for their class away, "I know we're not very far into our first semester, but I thought we should have a quick look at your plans", he gave them a half-shrug, "make sure that everything's off to a good start. Now, which Pro Hero are you looking at?"

Izuku cleared his throat, "Well, we haven't-"

"Eraser Head", Shinso cut in, "we're doing our profile on Eraser Head".

Yamada-sensei grinned, his smile seeming to stretch from ear to ear, "Eraser Head? That's great!"

"It is?" Izuku murmured, but it went unheard as Present Mic congratulated them on their choice.

"Right then", their sensei was still grinning as they continued to talk, "so you've chosen an Underground Hero. Tricky", he admitted, still smiling, "but far from impossible. You know where to start, right? Background, current work, Quirk, skills, abilities, et cetera?"

"Yes", Shinso nodded, once, "we've started breaking it down, so we can get the information we need".

"Well, that's great", he told them, his gaze switching between them both, "Midoriya, which part are you looking at?"

"Err", he swallowed, "I'm look at his background and current work. Shinso was looking at his Quirk and a breakdown of his other skills and stuff".

"So, the work's split, that's good", he nodded to himself, "just need to make sure you guys check in with each other and meet up regularly - the profile's got to have a consistent flow to it, you know?"

"Makes sense", Shinso admitted through gritted teeth.

"Right then, next steps, we'll have another catch-up in a few weeks. I'll let you guys know when. I'll want to know how often you guys have met up, how much dirt you've dug up and I'll want to know what your design ideas are".

Shinso blinked, "Design ideas?"

"There are points being given for design, formatting and visual presentation", Izuku reminded him.

"Right…"

Present Mic clapped his hands together, "That's right, in a world of heroes, visuals matter. I'll even give you guys bonus points if either of you manages to get a new photograph of Eraser Head. You can use ones off the internet, but you only get bonus points for a new one. Understand?"

"Sure".

"Yes, sensei".

"Alright then", he waved his hands towards the door, "go on, get out of here. It's a nice day, so don't waste the rest of it inside, and I'll see you both tomorrow".

"Okay".

"Bye sensei!"

"Goodbye boys!"

With the classroom door shut behind them, Shinso didn't manage to make it two steps before he found Izuku's hand clamped around his bicep. He yanked his arm away on instinct, only for his shoulder to protest in pain.

Despite his best attempt, his arm hadn't managed to move so much as a centimetre.

"So, we agreed to do a profile on Eraser Head, did we? Funny", Izuku told him, "because I don't remember having that particular conversation".

Shinso rolled his eyes, "Whatever. You don't need to do anything with it anyway".

He frowned, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I'm doing the profile. Eraser Head's my favourite hero. I'll handle it. I'll just stick your name on it when it's done, you don't-"

"Not a chance".

Shinso blinked, "What?"

"There's no way I'm letting you do the profile".

"What? I just-"

"I'm looking to transfer to Seijin next year. I want to get into their journalism course. To do that, I need to pass English, and I need to pass it well. I'm not letting you just do whatever you want when it's my future at stake here. I already gave up my spot in heroics, I'm not giving this up as well".

Shinso's lips pulled back, his nose scrunching up in anger, "Gave up? You just gave up your spot? You weren't forced to do it? What the hell's wrong with you?!"

Seeing how tense Shinso had gotten, Izuku chose to release his arm, in case he tried to jerk away again and accidentally dislocate his shoulder, "I don't see why my choice is any of your business. I chose journalism, that's all you need to know".

Shinso shook his head, "You got first place in the entrance exam. You have a Quirk that lets you act like All Might. Then you just throw it all away".

"There's more paths in life than just becoming a Pro Hero".

"Right", Shinso scoffed, "because journalism sounds so much more worthwhile".

"Journalism is how people learn the truth", Izuku stepped forward, bringing them face-to-face, and while Shinso was taller than most of the kids in their class, Izuku was slightly amused to find that he was taller again, "and the truth matters-"

"Oh, for the-"

"No", he snapped, "you don't get to butt in like that. Not when you walked up to Present Mic and had no qualms about making a liar out of me".

"I didn't tell you to lie".

"No, you just made it so I either had to cover you, or blow both of us up, because you couldn't be bothered sitting down with me to do the work", Izuku took a breath, trying to regain control of his temper, realising that he'd clenched his hand into a fist, "and you want me to trust that you'll do the work when you can't even be bothered to just sit down with me for a few minutes and come up with a plan".

"And I'm supposed to trust your work ethic, when you quit the Hero Course".

"I didn't quit", Izuku corrected, "I just chose a different path - my own path. You should try it sometime".

"I did", Shinso pushed himself up, forcing them to stand nose-to-nose, "I chose Heroics".

"Then why are you in Gen-Ed?"

He scowled, "None of your business".

"What was your score on the entrance exam?"

"None of your business".

"Why come to U.A. instead of another school?"

"None. Of. Your. Business".

Each word was punctuated with gritted teeth, before Shinso pulled himself backwards, returning to his usual slouch, though now Izuku could see how forced it was.

"I'm free this Sunday", Izuku told him, proud of how level he managed to keep his voice, "would you like to start our assignment?"

"-Tt-"

"Or I could go talk to Yamada-sensei about the communication issues we've been having".

"Fine", Shinso ground out, "where?"

"Are you local? We could do it at my apartment".

Shinso sighed, "I can get the train in", he told him through gritted teeth.

"Great. Give me your number and I can text you my address".

"Fantastic".

She never thought that she could be so nervous to see him.

Yet here she was.

She was late.

She should have arrived in Japan over a week ago, but there were apparently visa issues to contend with when you were a permanent resident of a self-governed artificial island with no real government or legal residential status, in addition to a whole host of other issues.

They were up against the one foe that not even All Might, with all of his prodigious talent and overwhelming power, was capable of vanquishing:

Bureaucracy.

She'd had to wait on clearances and background checks, and while the name of All Might had likely sped the process up considerably, it hadn't managed to eliminate it altogether.

Still, at least he'd sent his private jet to pick her up.

Her dad was staying on I-Island. Even if he'd wanted to come with her, he was still under contract and would be for another four years. While she was in Japan, Uncle Might would be her legal guardian, at least until she turned eighteen in a few months.

Still, she was late.

She was supposed to have arrived in time for the new school year, but the paperwork meant that she was arriving a week late and that meant by the time she joined her class for the first time on Monday morning, they would already have had two weeks to settle in with each other and form bonds.

She would be the outsider from the moment she stepped foot inside the classroom.

It wasn't enough that she was late. She was also going to be two years older than the rest of her classmates, a foreigner in Japan, (an American at that), and worst of all, she was going to be new to using her Quirk, when everyone would have grown up using theirs.

Her Quirk… that she technically didn't have yet.

She'd followed Uncle Might's training plan perfectly. Her dad had even consulted I-Island's top fitness and nutrition experts to be certain that his plan was the best plan it could be, and the results spoke for themselves.

She had muscles!

Her body had real, visual musculature.

She was nowhere near being as big as Uncle Might, or even Aunt Cathy, but her biceps popped when she flexed, she could see the changes in her thighs, and when she lifted her shirt, you could see abdominal muscles that were so well defined that you could count them individually.

She had abs!

Given that the only school courses on U.A. were for the support specialists who, like her, preferred spending their time soldering to sunbathing, she was certain that she was the only girl on I-Island in her own age group who'd had them.

She might've been the only student on I-Island who had them.

But she knew that wouldn't be the case when she started walked into her first class on Monday.

When Uncle Might had offered her the chance to live her dream and become a Pro Hero, she'd never considered that the most nervous she'd be about the entire process would be when she had to start school.

It sounded silly when you thought about it, but she couldn't stop the sense of nervousness that was starting to permeate her entire being.

It was illogical, and she knew she had nothing to worry about, but until tonight came when Uncle Might officially passed on his Quirk, and then when she walked into her classroom for the first time, she knew they wouldn't go away, even though she knew she had nothing to fear.

She was Melissa Shield, and tonight?

Tonight, she would become the official successor to Uncle Might.

Tonight, she started on her path to becoming the world's greatest hero.

Tonight, she became the Ninth Bearer of One For All.

"Eat this!"

She blinked, "What?"

Chapter Text

A My Hero Academia Story

GREEN SON

VOLUME ONE: LAST SON

Part Two: Birthright

Chapter Six: Arrivals

Shinso honestly couldn't say for certain what he had expected Midoriya's house to look like, but for one thing, he had expected to find an actual house.

Instead, he'd gotten out of his taxi and found himself looking up at an apartment building - and not a very nice one at that. It wasn't at a point where he would consider it dilapidated, but it was far from being considered as the nicest of places.

His own home, which had the advantage of being an actual house, was much nicer to look at from the exterior, and he had no doubts that the same would be true for the interior.

The Midoriya Family lived at #77, or it would be more accurate to say that they lived in #77, he supposed, which was on the third floor, and given the state of the building, Shinso wasn't surprised to find that the elevator was out of order, which was how he found himself walking up three flights of stairs, which was three flights of stairs too many, as far as he was concerned, and all of this was just so that he could meet up with the most annoying guy at school.

He could've asked Midoriya to meet up somewhere that was in the middle of where their respective homes were; there had to be a café or coffee shop somewhere in the area, or he could have just decided that they were going to use his house as their workspace and made Midoriya come to him, but if he'd done that, he would've either had to have dealt with other people while he was working, or worse, he would have had to invite Midoriya into his personal space.

That was a solid no - on both counts.

Instead, he found himself walking up the stairs.

Annoyed at having had to walk so far, before finding the right apartment and knocking twice. They didn't have a doorbell, and the roughness of their wooden door left his knuckles stinging, before it was pulled open to reveal Midoriya waiting for him.

"Hi Shinso", he said, with a bright smile that was as annoying as it was obviously manufactured, "did you find the place okay?"

"Yeah".

"Great! Please, come in, take your shoes off, there are guest slippers just there", he pointed out the several pairs of plain white slippers that were stacked neatly behind the door, "and make yourself at home".

Shinso shook his head, as Midoriya retreated to wherever he had popped up from.

This place looked to be as far from his home as he could imagine.

Kicking off his trainers and swapping them for the pair of cheap and disposable slippers left by the door, he also took a moment to remove his jacket, placing it alongside the two coats and spare jacket, which he assumed belonged to Midoriya and his parents, which were already hanging beside the door. The coats were similar, though one was noticeably longer than the other; both plain black in colour, rough and scratchy to the touch, which told him how little they had likely cost, but the insides were padded, capable of keeping whoever wore them warm.

Practical, he had to admit, even if they weren't particularly nice.

On the other hand, the jacket was of much nicer quality than the coats. Where they were unbranded, the jacket came from the 'Mighty Legacy' line of All Might merchandise that had been released to commemorate the hero's thirtieth anniversary, and was designed to mimic his Bronze Age costume, being black in colour with red detailing. He'd knew of a few kids in junior high school who'd owned them, and a quick check of the label told him that the jacket was a legitimate one, which surprised him. While they weren't collectors' items, at least as far as Shinso knew, they were still actively selling the line, they also couldn't be considered cheap either.

"Shinso, hey would you", Izuku's head popped around the corner, "oh, that's my jacket. Do you like it?"

He shrugged, "It's alright, I guess. It's one of the Mighty Legacy ones, right?"

"Right", Izuku grinned, looking thrilled that he'd recognised it, "the one based on his Bronze Age outfit. Grandma gave it to me last Christmas".

"Cool".

"Are you a fan?"

"A fan?"

"Yeah - a fan of All Might?"

Shinso shrugged again, "He's alright, I guess".

"But you prefer Eraser Head".

The way he said it, Shinso didn't think that Midoriya was asking him a question. Shinso was pretty sure that he'd already mentioned Eraser Head being his favourite Pro Hero, even though he was one of the Underground, but he doubted that someone like Midoriya would bother remembering that, so he nodded.

"Yeah".

"You know, he does a lot of local patrols around here", Izuku continued, seeming to be completely unbothered by the apathy in Shinso's tone, "we could try going out to look for him at some point, try and get some photographs of him in action".

"Maybe", the fight to not roll his eyes was real, taking every ounce of Shinso's willpower to hold it back.

Eraser Head wasn't just a Pro Hero. He wasn't even just a normal Underground Pro Hero; he was the Underground Pro Hero. Shinso had been trying to track his career for years now, and he knew that Eraser Head was next to impossible to plan for. He was an ambush predator, who varied up his routine without set patterns, took out the villains before they knew what was happening to them, and then disappeared before he could be captured on any kind of camera. On the rare occasions that villains claimed to have avoided the initial attack, they quicky found themselves rendered useless with their Quirk erased and made for easy pickings.

But sure Midoriya, the eye roll was getting even harder to contain, the more he thought about it, we'll just go and take a quick photo. If we left now, maybe we could be back in time for dinner.

He forced himself to cough back a scoff as well.

People with Quirks like Midoriya's never even bothered to consider that other people might have skills they didn't. He could already see him thinking that his Quirk would take care of everything, and all he had to do was go looking for a real Pro Hero and then he'd probably find him in under an hour.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine", he said on reflex.

"Oh, are you sure? Your cough sounded weird, so if you're-"

"I said, 'I'm fine', already".

"Right! Sorry. Do you want something to drink? I can get you a glass of water, or some milk, if you'd prefer that. I like milk, but my mom says that tea can work really well for-"

"Midoriya", he cut the other boy off before he could start offering to show he around the place, small as it was, "let's just get started".

"Alright".

"You're wrong".

Izuku bit back the urge to groan, "No, I'm not. If you look at the data that can be pulled from them, then-"

"You're looking at blogs, hero watch sites and online chat boards, not police reports or HeroNet messages".

"Even criminals have a right to privacy. Police reports aren't accessible to the general public and to even gain access to the HeroNet, you need to have a Pro Hero Licence. We are not police officers, nor are we Pro Heroes".

"-Tt-", Shinso clicked his teeth, "we could probably ask a Third Year to look up some of them for us".

"Third Years only have provisional licences. They don't get full ones until just before they graduate".

"So, the ones who just got them?"

"They were all members of last year's graduating class", Izuku confirmed.

"So, we've got nothing".

"No, we have the data".

"It's not data".

"Yes, it is".

"No, it isn't".

"Well, what would you call it".

"A bunch of stuff you pulled together from a bunch of different places".

"I'm now curious as to what exactly you think data is?"

"You know what I mean".

"I really don't".

"It means you're wrong".

"No, it doesn't. If you try actually looking at what people are saying, then the sources clearly tell us-"

Shinso shook his head, "That's not how his Quirk works".

"Maybe it's not", Izuku conceded, "but the accounts clearly-"

"The same accounts that think he wears a pair of goggles", Shinso cut in, not bothering to not roll his eyes this time, "when 'sources'", he made a pair of finger quotes around the last word, "will tell you that most vision-based Quirks don't work through glass or plastic of any kind, let alone thick lenses".

"Most", Izuku pointed out, "is not all. It's not unreasonable for us to read the accounts and then assume that Eraser Head's Quirk can work through a pair of lenses".

"The odds of that are what, one in a hundred?"

"Officially, I think it's one in ninety-nine".

"Like that even matters".

Izuku frowned, "Of course it matters. It's the truth".

"Why do you keep bringing that up like that, like it matters somehow?"

"Why wouldn't the truth matter?"

Shinso scoffed, "You do know that everyone in the world - literally everyone - lies at some point?"

"And that makes it so much more important that we always do our best to tell the truth".

"You sound like you grew up listening to those All Might public service announcements".

"Well, if the alternative is sounding like you, scoffing and rolling my eyes every time somebody says something I don't like", Izuku shrugged, "then I think I'll take it".

"I don't sound like that".

"It's quite literally all you've done since you got here".

"Well, if you'd-"

"You also keep telling me how Eraser Head is some untraceable Pro Hero that no one knows anything about, but then you also seem to think that you're some sort of expert on Eraser Head", Izuku looked away from his laptop, which he'd relocated from its stand in his bedroom to the dining table, to stare at Shinso directly, "so tell me, have you ever actually seen Eraser Head?"

"I don't see what that has to do with-"

"It's a simple question: have you, or have you not, ever seen Eraser Head in person?"

He saw the curl in Shinso's lip, "No".

"Do you know Eraser Head personally?"

"No".

"Do you even know anyone who knows Eraser Head?"

"Y-"

"And Yamada-sensei doesn't count".

"No", Shinso managed to get out between grinding teeth.

"So, what you're telling me is that you know even less about Eraser Head than the people on these blogs - these same blogs that you've decided that you don't like for reasons that you refuse to actually say - but then you expect me to treat you're some kind of expert witness".

Shinso scoffed once again, before flushing bright red when Izuku raised an eyebrow in response, having just proved the very point he'd tried to dispute. He turned away from him, Izuku returning his gaze to his computer screen, before he muttered something under his breath that would have been too quiet for normal human ears to pick up.

Izuku didn't bother looking back at him, as he updated his notes, "And just so you know, the physical enhancement aspect of my Quirk improves my senses too. I have fantastic hearing".

"Just… write the damn report".

Just as Izuku had expected it might, spending almost an entire day with Shinso left him feeling drained, and by the time his mom arrived home after her shift, Izuku's patience had long since given up. He and Shinso had agreed to finish for the day, the other boy was quick to leave and as much as Izuku liked the idea of what their English assignment was asking for, (it was, after all, essentially a journalistic report), he simply had no desire to continue with what he already knew was going to be his most tiring submission for the semester.

Possibly his most tiring submission for the entire year.

Instead, he returned his laptop to its place within his bedroom and swapped it out for his notebook. Unlike the notebooks he used for school, which were numbered, titled and colour-coded to their subject and teacher, his new one was plain black and had no given number or title.

This one had no description whatsoever, and all it had inside…

Was a bunch of gibberish.

Gibberish that he was desperately trying to make sense of.

He'd stopped for a half hour, taking a break from staring at the page, as he heated up dinner (after making sure that there was enough for his mom), before taking a look at what he had available to him.

"Ci ti u es tas Kal El de Kryp ton", he murmured to himself, the words clumsy on his tongue, as he sounded out each syllable, trying to parse some sort of meaning from them, or even form the beginnings of a sentence. They'd been recorded by what sounded like some type of machine, leaving the words with a flat cadence, which meant that even with just the first ten syllables, he had no way of knowing if he was looking at ten words or just one.

The first word could be 'Ci', 'Citi' or 'Citiu', and he wouldn't be able to tell. For all he knew, the first single word of the message could be, 'Citiuestaskaleldekrypton'.

Even if, by some miracle, he managed to separate the syllables into each individual word, he'd still have no way of translating the words from whatever language they were in, into Japanese.

He threw his pen down in frustration, "I just don't know enough".

"What don't you know enough about?"

"Mom!"

He would forever deny how high-pitched his voice had reached that day, "I didn't hear you come in".

Her lips quirked up into an amused smile, "Clearly", she flicked her head towards the notebook in front of him, "is that your assignment? Is your friend still here?"

"What? Oh, no, that's just something I was trying out, and Shinso left already".

"Did you offer him something to eat?"

"I offered him a drink when he got here, but when we decided we were finished, he didn't stay long enough for me to offer him anything else".

"Hmm", she hummed, "Ci ti u es tas, these are the words from when you found your crystal", she frowned, "are you trying to translate this?"

He sat back, his frustration evident on his face, "For now, I'm just trying to form it into words. I don't even know how I could translate it".

"You couldn't", she told him simply.

"Thanks for that encouragement, mom. I now feel so much better".

"I'm sorry Izuku, but without any kind of reference point, you have no way of knowing what any of it is supposed to mean", her eyes glanced down the page, "some of this looks like Latin".

He sat up, "It does?"

"Yeah", she said, her voice quiet, "you've got 'es tas', which sounds like 'estas'. I think it means 'is' or 'are'. I only really know some of the medical terms though".

"It's something though".

She sighed, "Izuku, even if the words are the same, and by some universal miracle, they have the same meaning, you still wouldn't have a sentence structure, grammar or even any understanding of their culture".

"Right…"

"And I'll also tell you that there are over fifty Latin-based languages, so your options will probably be pretty varied".

"So, what you're saying is, I still have nothing".

"I'm sorry Sweetie", she told him, rubbing his back, the way she had when he was a child, "I know it's not what you wanted to hear".

"No", he murmured, "it really wasn't".

When Izuku boarded the train for his morning commute, Togeike was, as he expected, already on board and the two of them jammed themselves in together, as he did his best to use his broader shoulders to try and keep some distance between them and everyone else.

It didn't take long for them to reach Padwan Station, where they met up with Agoyamato and Asa, who were already there when they arrived, standing on the opposite side of the road, casually chatting with each other, while waiting for them. The four of them exchanged casual greetings, talking about their weekends, as they made their way towards U.A. for another day of lectures and classwork.

It had started out just like any other day.

Which was what made it so surprising when they turned the corner to find a sea of television reporters camping outside the school's main entrance.

"What the hell?"

"The fuck is this?"

"Language", he chided Agoyamato and Togeike, while Asa looked at the assembly with wide eyes, "and I have no idea", he added, answering their questions.

They drew closer, Izuku and Agoyamato using their height to try and spot a pathway through the reporters, but all they could see were people, cameras and microphones, as well as some of their fellow students that seemed to be grouped up against the fence.

"They're blocking the entrance", Asa pointed out, "are they allowed to do that?"

"As long as they're not impeding the flow of traffic, it's up to the police to decide if they're causing a public nuisance or not", Izuku told them, having looked into it after a rare occasion when a group of reporters had set up outside of the hospital when a child had had a bad accident, "other than that, I think the only thing they have to worry about is if someone needs help and they block the way, then there's a whole mess of criminal and civil stuff they have to worry about".

By now, the three students who had been boxed in and seemed to be surrounded had been joined by a handful of others, and from the shape of their body language, they looked uncomfortable.

"I don't want to walk through that", Asa told them, and the others murmured in agreement, while Izuku tried to look for another path. Even if he and Agoyamato tried to simply barge their way through, they ran the risk of injuring one of them, and in his case, since it seemed that his powers were entirely biological in nature and he presumed that he didn't have Quirk Factors that allowed him to turn them off, he could hit someone too hard and be arrested for illegal Quirk use.

No, what they needed was a way to move everyone out of their way, without using physical force. The obvious solution was to convince them to move themselves, but Izuku didn't think that they'd be inclined to. He of all students knew that reporters were naturally nosy people, who weren't supposed to take no for an answer and usually went out of their way to try and force answers out of people.

It would take an actual emergency to convince them to do that.

An actual emergency…

He turned to look at the others. Agoyamato was too big to be moved comfortably, but Asa and Togeike were much shorter.

Sensing his eyes on her, Togeike frowned, "What?"

He smiled, "Do you think you can pretend to faint convincingly?"

"Do I think I can what?"

"GET OUT OF THE WAY!"

"WE NEED RECOVERY GIRL!"

"Move!"

She'd known that Asa had the quietest voice of their little group, but Togeike couldn't help but notice that while neither Midoriya nor Agoyamato had a problem yelling at the crowd to move out of the way, even Asa's attempts at shouting at them came off as subdued as the placid girl.

She let her head loll enough to hide her laughter in Midoriya's surprisingly beefy shoulder. He was tall, broad and had a superstrength Quirk, so him being able to lift her with ease made sense, but she was surprised by the nice layer of compact muscle that he had beneath his shirt.

And now she was wondering what he looked like with his shirt off.

She was willing to bet that he had visible muscles to go with the feeling.

Very nice ones.

"I SAID MOVE!"

"MOVE IT PEOPLE!"

"Get out of the way please!"

She couldn't open her eyes to look, but Midoriya's dumb plan seemed to be working, because she hadn't been knocked into anyone yet and she was still moving forwards. She kept her head turned away and tried not to laugh, as Midoriya thanked people for moving in between yelling at them and heard the 'bleep' of U.A.'s security system, as it registered her student ID card, and then everyone else's.

The rapid set of 'bleeps' meant that quite a few of them had crossed the threshold together, and it wasn't hard to imagine that some of the other students had used their clever distraction to slip in behind them.

"Huh", she heard Agoyamato say from beside her, "we made it".

"I can't believe that worked", Asa added, as they stepped inside of the main building.

"Not bad, little listeners", despite her best attempts, she tightened up, twitching in Midoriya's arms when she heard her homeroom teacher's voice

"So, I'm guessing that Miss Togeike isn't in need my services".

"Ah", she said, as she rolled her head around to find that not only was the school nurse standing with her homeroom teacher, but so was Hound Dog, their guidance counsellor, "I mean, uh, I suddenly feel a lot better?"

The school nurse was unimpressed, her voice entirely flat, as she shook her head and deadpanned, "Oh my. What a miraculous recovery".

"For the record", Hound Dog growled, but she couldn't tell if it was from anger, or if that was just the way he spoke, he'd sounded pretty angry during their orientation, but had otherwise been fine, "we don't approve of you faking a medical emergency".

"But it was pretty clever though-"

"Yamada", Recovery Girl warned.

"-look, all I'm saying is that U.A. does have a drama club. You guys should consider signing up", he held his hands up in surrender, "but yeah, other than that, faking medical emergencies is bad guys. We'll make sure the press is gone after today, so I don't want to hear about you guys doing this again, okay?"

"Yes, sensei!"

"Right!"

"Okay".

"You got it".

"Oh, and Midoriya?"

"Yes, sensei?"

Present Mic grinned, tilting his head forwards and letting his glasses slide down his nose, until he was looking over the top of them, before running his eyes over them with a wink.

"You can probably put Togeike down now".

"Good morning class!"

"Good morning Yamada-sensei!"

Stood at the front of the classroom, Present Mic grinned as his class chanted back at him. There was something oddly fulfilling about a roomful of people chanting back at you, which was why he made sure to do it every morning. It was fun for him and had the delightful side effect of making sure that he had everyone's attention, which he was certainly about to need.

After all, it was a big day for his class.

"Right then", he clapped his hands together, making sure that everyone's attention remained on him, "now, I know we all had a bit of excitement getting in this morning. Please rest assured that the press will not be back tomorrow, even if I have to go out and personally remove them", he took a moment to let them nod along, seeing more than one relieved face among them, before he added, "and if you were among the group that managed to sneak in with Midoriya and Togeike's little performance earlier, then you can take a moment to thank them at lunchtime".

The class broke out into hushed whispers, some of them grinning while most of them looked curious, and he knew that some interesting rumours would abound before lunch arrived.

"Onto business", he exclaimed, momentarily silencing them once again, as he rubbed his hands together, "we have a class task to get through this morning and it's a big one. One that could decide the course of your entire future at U.A., so let's get serious for a moment", he let that hang a moment, letting the anticipation build, "you need to elect your Class Representative!"

"Cool!"

"Oh, is that all?"

"That's so normal".

"You mean, that's so lame".

"Well, when you're all done talking", as he spoke, they quieted back down, "get on with the electing".

"Err", Togeike raised her hand, "Yamada-sensei?"

"Yeah?"

"How do we elect them?"

"That's completely up to you guys. I'm not getting involved. You have until the end of the period to make a decision. Good luck!"

True to his word, the moment he was finished speaking, Present Mic pulled out his laptop and sat back at his desk, tapping away, while the class tried to sort out a system for selecting their class representative. Some of the students had simply called for it to be them, while others were listing the reasons against them, and then others were trying to agree on forming a system but were yet to agree on anything. Some of them just wanted to know what Midoriya and Togeike had done that morning, and Agoyamato was leaving Asa with a scarlet face with every second he told of her involvement in the plan.

In short, Present Mic was continuing to ignore them while the class devolved into chaos.

Togeike was trying to corral them into something resembling order, while quite a few of the boys were happy to use their free time to talk about this morning, instead of actually doing what Present Mic-sensei had asked of them.

"Enough!"

His mom was the Deputy Chief Nurse at a good children's hospital, and with that came the need to make her quite oft loud and somewhat argumentative colleagues stop fighting and do what they were told.

"It's like dealing with children", she'd told him once, laughing it off when he'd asked about it.

The trick, she'd told him, was to talk loudly enough to be heard - without yelling at anyone - and then speak as if you already know the answer.

Admittedly, his attempts weren't perfect. His first word had been a bit of a yell, but everyone had gone quiet and were now looking directly at him, so Izuku was willing to count that as a win.

"We need to elect a Class Representative", he reminded them "now, I suggest that we propose candidates and then vote on those few. We haven't been together as a class for very long yet, but we should know enough about each other to manage that much", as he spoke, he made sure to move his head, making eye contact with everyone he was able to - his mom had told him that was an important thing to remember when speaking with people - he let his head stop, as he finished speaking, "now, does anyone want to say anything else, or would anyone like to nominate a candidate?"

Agoyamato shot to his feet, "I nominate Midoriya!"

"Wait, what are you-"

Togeike was quick to join him, "Seconded!"

As a teacher, Hizashi knew that it was his job to guide his students. To lead them on their journey of growth and self-discovery throughout some of the most important years of their lives. He had to be a guiding light of comfort and reliability, so that they would know that they could depend on him when the time came that they needed him.

It was a shame that laughing at Midoriya's misfortune would only serve to undermine his entire image.

Midoriya didn't like being the centre of attention - that much was obvious to anyone who'd ever interacted with him - but he had a way of stepping up when he was needed that made people look to him for leadership. He'd done it during their first few classes, helping out those who were struggling; he'd done it this morning, when he'd managed to help people get around the press blockading U.A.'s main entrance; and now, he'd done it during the vote for Class Representative, which meant that people had naturally voted for him, even though he hadn't wanted them to.

He could see it in his eyes when he'd congratulated him on winning the election. Midoriya didn't want to do the job they were asking of him, but because they'd actually voted for him, he wasn't going to let them down.

Democracy at its finest.

If only that was how they elected their actual officials, then he felt the world would be a much better place.

Togeike had ended up being nominated too, even if she'd lost the second vote, so it wasn't surprising that Midoriya had named her as his Deputy Class Representative, and when he'd given him the list of roles that needed fulfilling, Midoriya had been as quick as he'd expected to ask Agoyamato and Asa to join them as the Attendance Manager and Communication Liaison. They still needed a Class Treasurer, and personally, Hizashi thought that Shinso would be a good fit for it, but that would be up to Midoriya to decide.

They'd had their first review with him on Friday, just before he'd sent them home for the weekend and it had not gone well.

It hadn't been as bad as it could have been, but it was clear that those two were far from being on the same page.

He doubted that they were even reading from the same book.

They'd obviously not planned out a single thing, and even though they had plenty of time to come together, Shinso had instead made up their assignment on the spot and instantly assigned them roles within it. Midoriya could have called him out on it there and then, and if he had, he would have split them up as partners, but Midoriya had surprised him by covering for Shinso.

And on the very slim chance that they'd managed to sneak one by him, they were busted the moment he heard their little spat in the corridor.

Seriously, he knew teenagers were supposed to be dumb, but they could have walked more than five steps away to start their argument, especially if they didn't want him knowing about it.

He hadn't even needed to open his door to hear them.

Midoriya wanting to transfer to Seijin next year was a surprise, but became understandable when he heard him talk, brief as it was, about journalism and his search for the truth. He could admire that about him, the desire to choose his own path to walk, that drive to hunt for the truth in a world where black and white had given way to what felt like nothing but ever-increasing shades of grey.

He was going to tell the others about Midoriya's desire to study journalism at their staff meeting at the end of the day. Hopefully, it would help the others understand why he hadn't joined the hero course, even though he'd been handed a golden ticket.

While Hizashi could understand the idea of taking your own path, he had to admit that personally, he found the idea of anyone Midoriya's age not wanting to become a Pro Hero to be a little bizarre - and he wasn't the only member of staff who felt that way. Some of them had been paying particularly close attention to him, as if they could mentally draw out his reasoning, without ever actually asking him anything.

They didn't have any journalism courses at U.A., or at least, none that were especially dedicated to the art. As a school, they focused directly on training Pro Heroes and their more immediate supplemental courses: agency management, advertising and especially the design and manufacturing of support equipment. Journalism and reporting of any kind simply didn't have a space in the school, meaning that other schools, such as Seijin, had to fill the void.

It was natural that an aspiring journalism student would want to transfer to Seijin, which he knew was one of the best schools for studying journalism, but it begged the question of why Midoriya had applied to U.A. in the first place, if he never intended to join the heroics course.

Midoriya seemed like a pretty straightforward kid, but maybe there was more to him than meets the eye.

If he really did decide to leave U.A. at the end of the year, then he already knew that he'd miss the kid. He was definitely one of the good ones, but at the same time, he couldn't wait to see how he'd develop as a journalist.

No one in the HPSC would be safe from him and his pen.

There was a difference between real journalism, the kind that Izuku wanted to one day be a part of, and the glory hunting TV reporting that had been camped outside of the U.A. gates that morning. One apparently involved shoving cameras into the faces of legal minors, while the other involved the ability to not act monstrously while searching for genuine news to report.

Present Mic had promised their class that the media outside would be removed today, but the way they had all acted towards his fellow students had left a bad taste in Izuku's mouth. Beyond what felt like harassment of his peers, they'd also parked on the sidewalk, their vans and equipment taking up most of the available space, before blocking off the main entrance and could have potentially caused an injury.

Thankfully, they'd gotten out of the way when he, Asa and Agoyamato had yelled at them, using Togeike to help fake an emergency and they'd gotten out of the way, but even still…

"It never should have come to that".

"We know", Togeike responded, not looking at him as she opened her bottle of water.

"You've said it three times", Agoyamato added, as he cut apart some of his beef katsu.

"Since lunch started", Asa murmured, before she bit into one of her lettuce wraps.

"Yeah, well… really?"

"Uh huh", Togeike murmured around the mouth of her water bottle.

"I mean", Agoyamato shrugged, "you can keep complaining about it, but it's done now".

"I know, it's just, urgh", he jabbed at the cutlet on his plate with a bit too much force, and all four of them winced at the shrieking noise of metal scraping across ceramics. For a moment, he feared that he'd broken the plate but let out a quiet sigh when he realised that it was still intact.

His record of unbroken crockery remained.

For now, at least.

As he brought a piece of the cutlet up to his mouth, he missed the look of concern his friends shared, as they gestured with their eyebrows, until Togeike relented.

"So, Midoriya…", she began, trying to sound as casually non-interested as she could manage, "how was your weekend?"

"Good?"

"Right, right… so…", she tried to trail off and leave it there, but the way Agoyamato was jerking his head told her that she wouldn't be able to get away with that and she decided to just go for it, "how was working with Shinso?"

"Fine".

Togeike frowned, "Is that all you have to say".

"Yeah, 'fine' pretty much sums it up".

"So, he wasn't an ass".

"Oh, no, he was definitely an ass", Izuku confirmed for her, "but I was expecting that, so it was fine".

Agoyamato scowled, "What did he do?"

"He seems to think that his opinion counts as fact. He wants to be considered as an expert on our chosen Pro Hero without ever having seen or met the guy, and on top of that, he also thinks we'd be better off if I just let him write the paper and took his score".

"But it's an English paper", Asa pointed out, looking confused, "and you want to be a journalist, don't you?"

"Oh, yes".

Togeike grinned, "And did you make him realise that?"

"Oh, yes".

"Great!"

They all shared a laugh at that, as Izuku absently turned his head, searching out Shinso's face. He found him, sitting alone at the end of someone else's table again, staring directly at him. Izuku raised a hand in greeting, only for Shinso to turn his face away, determined to ignore him.

Shinso very clearly didn't understand why he had chosen not to join the heroics course, or why he wanted to focus on something 'mundane' like journalism, instead of the more 'exciting' world of Pro Heroism, but Izuku felt like there was more to his dislike of him than just that.

He tried to (half-heartedly) disguise his thoughts about his and his mom's home, but Izuku had good eyes and better reflexes; he saw the disdain on his face. For all he knew, Shinso lived in a mansion, while he and his mom barely scraped by in a two-bedroom apartment, but that didn't mean that they had a bad life.

And the way Shinso had eyed everything, acting as though it was all beneath him?

He didn't like that at all.

It was one thing to think badly of him. He was fine with that. He'd never been popular, and he didn't ever expect that to change, but thinking badly about his mom?

His mom gave her life to working with sick and dying children. She wasn't a doctor, who had their praises sung every time they made a tiny incision; she was a nurse. She changed their clothes, sheets and bedpans. She was the one who carried out the tests. She wiped away sweat, drool and other bodily fluids that he didn't want to think about. Every second of spare time that she had went to those kids, and Shinso had walked into her home and then had the nerve to think badly about her?

Oh, hell no.

As far as he was concerned, there was a line and Shinso was in danger of crossing it.

"Just ignore him".

"Hmm?"

He turned to face Togeike, having missed what she'd said while locked in his own head.

"Shinso. Just ignore him when you're here. Meet up, do your assignment and then leave. You can't force him to not be an asshole".

"Doesn't mean I have to be one in return though".

"You know, saying crap like that is why we voted for you to be Class Rep".

He groaned, covering his head with his hands, "Why did you guys do that? I don't want to be in charge. I am in no way to qualified to be your Class Rep".

"Dude", Agoyamato shook his head, "you are literally the best choice. You're smart, you're always on time. You keep offering everyone in class help. If we can' trust a guy like that to be the Class Rep, then we really shouldn't have one at all".

"You're nice", Asa said, looking away when Izuku turned to look at her, "even when other people are being rude. That's good".

"I get that from my mom".

"You're also a momma's boy", Togeike added, "I don't know if that's good or bad. I just felt like pointing it out".

"Gee, thanks, I-"

Anything else he could add was cut off when the school bell began ringing.

"Warning! Level Three Security Breach! All students evacuate the building in an orderly fashion! Warning! Level Three Security Breach! All students evacuate the building in an orderly fashion! Warning! Level Three-"

"Huh!"

"What the-!"

"Level Three means the U.A. Barrier's been breached", Izuku said, even as he rose to join the others, intending to walk out with them to their assembly point, but before they managed to take a second step, Asa was knocked over and sent tumbling to the floor.

The students of U.A. were panicking.

They were cramming in, crashing into each other and as the door created a bottleneck, if they didn't stop soon, then people were going to be crushed, injured and if the worst happened?

Dead.

"Stop freaking out!"

A kid with bright red hair tried to yell everyone down, but went ignored, as the crowd managed to pull him down. People were being jammed into the walls, and some had ducked under the tables for cover. They needed to-

"AH!"

That was Asa.

Izuku mentally slapped himself: if this really was an emergency, then he needed to focus.

Asa hadn't managed to get back to her feet. She was pinned to the floor and rather than helping her, people were quite literally walking over her body.

Enough was enough.

He stepped forwards, his strength and invulnerable skin meant that people bounced off of him, instead of bouncing him around, and with what he hoped was a gentle tap, he shoved the people around Asa, sending them stumbling into their friends, before scooping her up and setting her back on her feet.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah", she gasped out, but the way she held her right foot up from the floor, told him how that was feeling.

The reprieve didn't last long, before more students rushed to fill the gap that he had created, "There", Izuku said, as he pulled the others towards him, "let's try and get next to the window".

"Right".

By his own admission, Agoyamato wasn't as invulnerable as Izuku himself was, but there was an element of it that inherently came with having a superstrength Quirk. The two of them formed a wall, forcing students to go around them, as they led Togeike and Asa to the windows.

"Our heroes" Togeike snarked, as she slipped under Asa's arm, helping to take the weight off of her injured leg.

They were close when a few others ducked in front of them, using the shield created by their bodies to help keep themselves safe.

"Sorry about this".

"Don't mind us".

"Thanks for the save".

Agoyamato took the spot beside everyone, while Izuku turned until his back was to the crowd. He could feel people bumping into him, but they bounced off of his back and shoulders, while he remained unmoved.

"Nice Quirk", one of the newcomers told him.

"Thanks".

She was on the smaller side, with purple hair and it took him a moment to realise that what he thought were cables for a pair of earphones were in fact, her extended earlobes, which tapered off into a pair of audio jacks. It didn't look like much of a Quirk, but he knew better than to judge someone on their appearance and given that the epaulettes on her jacket marked her as a hero course student, Izuku was willing to bet that there was more to her than that.

"Midoriya", his gaze snapped up to meet Agoyamato's, who used his broad jawline to gesture out towards the window, "look. It's the reporters from outside".

Anger flared through him for a brief moment. The morning's press hadn't just harassed the students - the still underage students - on their way into campus, but now they had broken into the school, not only trespassing but also triggering U.A.'s defences, starting a panic and getting Asa hurt.

And he didn't doubt that she was the only one injured.

They needed to find a way to calm everyone down and stop them from panicking. They needed to find a way to be heard over the noise of the crowd.

Heard.

He turned back to the girl with purple hair, "Hi, my name's Izuku Midoriya. It's very nice to meet you. Please tell me that you have a sound Quirk".

"Ugh, what- no", she shook her head, then shrugged, "I mean, kind of, but I can only plug in and hear things".

"You can't broadcast anything? Send sound out?"

"No".

"Dammit", he muttered, "we need to-"

"Excuse me?"

There were three other students that had joined them, ducking in with his and Agoyamato's human shield wall. The girl with the purple hair was one, a perfumed blond boy, who was currently pressing himself into the corner, and the latest speaker, another girl, who was taller than her friends, and Izuku wasn't trying to look, but it was hard not to notice that she was more developed than purple hair.

"Oh, yes- what are you doing?"

The girls snickered, as he and Agoyamato turned away, while the taller girl hiked her skirt up, revealing the pair of shorts she was wearing beneath her skirt, which she then hiked up, exposing the skin of one of her thighs, before it began to sparkle with colours.

His question of what she was doing with her hiked skirt was answered when, from the glow of her skin, she reached down and handed him a megaphone.

"Would this help?"

"Did you just make this?"

"Yes", she nodded, smiling brightly, "my Quirk allows me to create any material I know the make-up of from my body's fat cells".

"That's amazing! Do you know if-"

"Midoriya", Agoyamato snapped, the strain of forcing people back evident in his voice, "not now. Stop this first. Talk about her Quirk later".

"Oh, right, sorry!"

He fumbled with the controls for a moment, before straightening up and hitting the switch to power it up, "Please, excuse me".

The girl blinked, "Not at all".

"He-hem", he cleared his throat, as he turned around to face what was quickly becoming a mob, "May I have your attention please… there is no need to panic… now, everyone, please CALM DOWN".

Slowly, but thankfully, people were listening to him and already, the chaos of the cafeteria was starting to calm down.

"Everyone, there is no intruder. The press have pushed their way in past the gates. The teachers are already handling the situation. Please calm down and WALK to your assembly point. I repeat, there is NO INTRUDER. Please proceed to your class's assembly point at a WALK. Thank you".

His words had the desired effect, and everyone seemed to calm down once the sense of group panic wore off. Slowly, but surely, everyone began to continue their journey towards the school's assembly points, but they were doing so at a more casual walk. Some people were limping, or clutching injured body parts, but they were moving peacefully, and for that, Izuku was glad.

"Nice work, class rep!"

"See! We told you - that was totally class rep material!"

"Oh, laugh it up", he told them, as he turned back to face them, his eyes moving to Asa's limp, "are you alright?"

She tried for a reassuring smile, but it came out more as a grimace, "I'll be fine. I'm worried about Agoyamato's back though".

"Nah, it's probably nothing a good night's sleep won't fix".

"You're both going to see the nurse", he told them, "and no, that's not up for debate".

"I want a new Class Rep".

"Tough. It's what you get for being the one who nominated me".

"And I'm regretting it already".

The three newcomers chuckled at that, and Izuku realised, as he handed back the megaphone, that none of them had introduced themselves yet.

"Ah, my apologies, but it's nice to meet you all properly now. I'm Izuku Midoriya, the Class Rep for Class 1-C. This is my friend and Deputy Class Rep, Chikuchi Togeike-"

"Hey".

"-our friend, Tsutsutaka Agoyamato-"

"Hi".

"-and our other friend, Choga Asa".

"Hello".

"It's nice to meet you all", the taller girl spoke, "I'm actually the Deputy Class Representative for Class 1-A. My name's Momo Yaoyorozu. These are my friends", she smiled as she said that, which made Izuku think that she didn't get a chance to say it a lot, "Kyoka Jiro".

The girl with the purple hair, who he now had a name for, raised two fingers in greeting, "Yo".

"And this", the blond boy wearing the nice perfume stepped out of the corner that he'd jammed himself into, "is Yuga Aoyama".

He dipped his head in greeting, "Bonjour".

"Bonjour", Midoriya replied, "ça va?"

Aoyama's eyes lit up, "Ça va bien, merci! Et vous?"

"Ça va bien, aussi".

"Is that… French?"

Midoriya nodded in answer to Togeike's question, "Yes, it is. I picked some of it up at the hospital".

"My father is the French Ambassador to Japan", Aoyama told them, "French is the language of my family, but because of his job, I grew up speaking both languages", he turned to face Midoriya, his eyes lighting up once again, "but I never thought anyone else here would speak Française. Your accent is very good as well!"

"Thank you. I've never spoken with another person before. It's always been videos and music in the hospital".

"Well", Aoyama told him, as their group joined the others, beginning to head outside, "personally, I think you sounded super".

Nezu was not accustomed to feeling threatened in what he considered his home territory.

He'd sent most of his staff away to oversee the evacuated classes, taking a post-lunchtime registration, before guiding them back inside. Hound Dog and a team were sweeping the school, in case there were any intruders that they didn't know about, while Recovery Girl and her team were already hard at work overseeing treatment of the injuries caused from the day's break-in.

He'd also sent Present Mic away to handle the still-present media, and he'd taken Eraser Head with him for additional security, as in between answering the questions posed by the press's new arrivals, they were detaining those who had broken in, so that the police could arrest them when they arrived and then Nezu would be able to see to it that they were appropriately charged and prosecuted to the fullest extent that the law would permit.

Nobody was going to harass children, break into his school, cause injuries to his students and then get away with it.

Not while he had anything to say about it.

The police had already blocked off the road in front of the school, preventing anyone else from taking advantage of the break in their security to sneak in.

As he approached the gate which served at the main entry point for the U.A. Barrier, flanked by Cementoss and Power Loader, with All Might's decompressed fall walking behind them in a suit that was far too large for his reduced frame, he finally caught sight of the damage.

Even from a distance, it was clear that what had been done to the gate was irreparable, but it was only once they drew close enough for a more in-depth examination, that he realised the full extent of what had transpired. The gate hadn't just been destroyed by force, or even simply broken into electronically.

No, the clumps of metal particles told him that the gate had been decayed. Someone had disintegrated parts of it, leaving behind a mass of useless metal pieces, which had kept no one from entering and worse of all?

Nezu had no idea who could be behind it.

He was a superintelligent mammal with perfect recall, and not even he knew of a Quirk with such immediate potential for destruction.

"Only a Quirk could have done this", Power Loader murmured, "this isn't the work of any machine".

"And it would have to be a powerful Quirk at that", Cementoss added, "to work so quickly, before anyone realised what was happening".

All Might's tone was curious, but laced with his own doubts, "Could it have been a member of the press?"

"I'm having all of their identities and registered Quirks confirmed against the HPSC and WHA databases", Nezu told them, "but it's unlikely that this was their handiwork".

"A new villain then", All Might concluded.

"Yes, and now they've proved that they can infiltrate our school", Nezu reigned in his urge to growl, "but now we need to find out if this was simply a show of force… or a declaration of things that are about to come".

Chapter Text

A My Hero Academia Story

GREEN SON

VOLUME ONE: LAST SON

Part Two: Birthright

Chapter Seven: Melissa Shield - Origin

Melissa Shield didn't have a Quirk.

Or at least, Melissa never had a Quirk before.

Despite that minor fact, she'd assumed that when she woke up in the morning, she'd somehow be able to feel it. She'd thought that she'd be able to sense the change within herself or feel the new Quirk factors she had floating around in her system.

She thought that she'd feel different.

Instead, when she woke up to start her day, she found that she felt the same as she did every other day.

She tried to settle her nerves with a warm shower, hoping that the water would help to calm her tense muscles and soothe her tightly wound nerves, but nothing came of it, save for a ripple of gooseflesh appearing when she stepped back into the cooler air of her bedroom.

Sitting at her new vanity, she took her time with blow-drying her hair, before proceeding to spend far longer than she usually did on brushing it. While she'd made the decision to wear her hair up into a ponytail as part of her costume, with her bangs swept backwards, she didn't want to do spend time doing that every morning for school, so she'd decided to continue wearing it the same way she had while studying at the I-Island Academy, with her hair hanging loose and her bangs swept sideways across her forehead.

She'd also decided to wear her contact lenses instead of her glasses while in costume, but only when in costume. Not only did she not want to have to wear her contacts every day, but given how nervous she was feeling, she didn't trust her hands with putting them in safely.

Quite frankly, she didn't trust herself not to accidentally stab out one of her eyes.

When she was all done, she took a moment to look herself over in the mirror. There'd been no school uniform on I-Island, so that was a change, but otherwise, she looked the part of Melissa Shield, your average everyday American schoolgirl. Looking at her, there was no reason to believe that she was now in possession of one of the greatest secrets of the modern age.

The secret of One For All.

All she looked like was someone desperate to make a good first impression on her new teachers and classmates.

First impressions were important, she knew, and she also knew that the one she made today would be more important than any other. Not only was she joining her class after everyone else had, but she was going to be older than everyone else at that. Combine that with her being All Might's niece and the daughter of his first sidekick turned personal support equipment engineer, and she knew that expectations for her would be sky high.

And even that was without anyone knowing about the truth about her Quirk.

One For All.

Her Quirk.

Her uncle's Quirk.

The Quirk which had belonged to his master before him, and six other great heroes before her, which had been around since the dawn of the Quirk Era, had now been entrusted to her: Melissa Shield.

She was starting her journey with more than one legacy to live up to.

Around the world, most hero hopefuls started their hero's journey without a legacy weighing down upon them. Some people, children of successful heroes, felt a burden to live up to, but that was only with one set of expectation.

Melissa?

She had three.

Her dad and Uncle Might had both insisted that she had nothing to prove to them, but she knew better than that. They could be polite to her, but once she became even slightly recognised - once it became known that she was entering the field of heroics - everyone would have some form of expectation for her.

But, 'no pressure', her dad kept insisting whenever she brought it up.

When her stomach grumbled, she determined that she'd sat wallowing in her room for long enough, so picking up her school tie as she moved, she headed off towards the kitchen, following the scent of fresh food.

"Good morning, Melissa! I AM HERE, making you breakfast like a good uncle and legal guardian!"

"Good morning, Uncle Might", she greeted him, not bothering to hide her smile at the sight of him wearing his bright yellow chef's apron, emblazoned with the phrase, 'ALL HAVE EATEN… THE MIGTY SURVIVED'. He'd had help from the top nutritional experts of I-Island to help design and develop a meal plan to maximise Melissa's physical growth. Right now, he was folding shredded spinach, tomatoes and onions into her morning omelette, while she poured herself a glass of milk and retrieved one of Uncle Might's meal replacement shakes for him.

By the time she'd returned from his incredibly large fridge with their drinks, he was plating up the omelette for her.

"Eat up! After this… onto school! We can't be late for your first day!"

"Right!"

She beamed as she ate her eggs, her uncle's enthusiasm was infectious, and she tried her best not to look to excited. Despite her nerves pressing on her, she knew that this was it! She was finally starting to walk her own path towards becoming a Pro Hero, just like she had always dreamed of!

Today was the day!

Melissa had been worried that the presence of All Might might have led to them getting mobbed on their way into U.A., and she knew from the hero news that Uncle Might had already gotten into the habit of carrying out some light heroics during his morning commute, but today, he was forgoing all of his usual efforts, instead, he was determined only to see that she not only arrived at U.A. on time, but that he didn't overdo it himself, now that he had successfully passed on his Quirk.

He'd put on his tan suit, which looked good when worn by All Might, but ridiculously sized on the skinny frame of Toshinori Yagi, and led her to his favourite truck, which he was politely driving along with the traffic, rather than just buffing up and leaping his way across the city, or speeding down the centre of the highway in Hercules.

He'd told her that he planned to enjoy a relaxed morning drive into school with her, but she couldn't help but notice the speed and force that he'd used to hit the dial on his truck's radio, changing it from the local news to country music when a report of a minor villain attack came in. He'd forced a smile onto his face, as convincing as any she'd ever seen before, but she could still see the lines of tension in his frame and how the grip he had on his steering wheel had turned his knuckles white.

She made a mental note to get her driving licence, the very moment she turned eighteen. She knew how to drive, but no one on I-Island bothered with licences, so she hadn't bothered getting one. She'd fix that when she could, but Japanese law meant that she had to be eighteen first.

Uncle Might still looked tense when they arrived at U.A., bypassing the main gate entirely and using the private car park at the back of the school, reserved for the members of the faculty. As they pulled in, they found Principal Nezu was already waiting for them, alongside a man she'd never met before, but from a picture supplied to her father, she knew to be Shota Aizawa, her new homeroom teacher, who also operated under the alias, Eraser Head, where he was considered to be one of Japan's top underground Pro Heroes, if not the underground hero.

She knew that he didn't know the secret of One For All, but Nezu had insisted that with his Quirk, Erasure, he would be her ideal teacher, because not only was he incredibly experienced as both, a teacher and a hero, but also because he'd be able to cancel out any power issues she might have, simply by looking at her.

"Good morning All Might and hello to you too, Miss Shield", Nezu started, offering them a brief bow, which they returned, "and please allow me to be the first to welcome you to the Ultra Academy for Heroics, where we will see what you are made of. We look forward to having you walk our halls".

"Good morning, sir!"

"The pleasure's all mine, Principal Nezu".

"Of course, and this is Shota Aizawa, or as he prefers to be known, the Pro Hero, Eraser Head. He will also serve as your homeroom teacher while you are among us".

"Hello", he said curtly, not even bothering to look at All Might, as his gaze remained locked onto Melissa, "if you'll excuse us, we should get going. Classes start soon".

"Of course", Nezu said, waving him away, "Miss Shield, if you please follow Eraser Head, he can show you were to get settled in. All Might, I would like a word with you in my office, so if you could follow me?"

"Ah, of course, sir", he replied, as his gaze swung away and around to the city, "it's just-"

"You heard about the assault over the radio, I assume?"

"Yes, sir".

"Then I commend you for putting Miss Shield's welfare first. Kamui Woods and Mount Lady put a stop to that other business several minutes ago. There was some minor property damage, but all of the involved parties are now safe, and all of the stolen valuables were recovered".

"Well, that's excellent news, I suppose".

"Yes, I rather thought so too".

If Eraser Head was this… sullen all of the time, then Melissa knew that she was going to be in for a long three years. He was grim, seemed to be somewhat exhausted and had a perpetual frown on his face, which only seemed to tighten every time he glanced her way.

He came to a stop outside one of the large doors that were standard at U.A., and she was quick to stop the large letters '1-A' carved and coloured into the wall. He glanced her way again, before straightening up, as if resolving himself away from something.

"Have I done something wrong, sensei?"

The question left her lips before she even registered saying it, but as she did, she saw the way Aizawa-sensei's hands tightened and his frown deepened, before, turning to face her, he exhaled deeply.

"Fine, I won't lie to you: your very presence in my classroom bothers me".

"I'm sorry?"

"The day before the new school term starts, I get a call from the Principal telling me that you, Miss Shield, will be joining my class. You were a Third-Year student at the I-Island Institute, studying to become a support equipment engineer, like your father, but now you'll be restarting your high school career in order to study heroics because you've discovered that you're a late bloomer with some kind of power stockpiling Quirk. Even if I ignore the obvious implications of you having a Quirk like that", she bit her tongue not to snap at him - she knew exactly what the implication he was thinking of were and she was sick of hearing them, "you still have not passed any entrance exam to gain a place at this school. You were not nominated for the Recommendation Exams, nor did you bother to take the general Entrance Exams alongside every other student present - not just in my classroom - but in every other classroom in this school".

"That's not-"

"Your entire presence here hinges on your connections to All Might and David Shield. You've yet to pass a single exam. You didn't even arrive in time for the start of the school year, so you weren't here for the Quirk Determination Exam I carried out with my class. You missed the battle Trials designed to test your knowledge of combat and how you'd perform under pressure. You've obviously decided that you were too good to take night classes or join a college-level heroics programme next year, and instead, you've taken a spot away from someone who would have earned it; and if all of that wasn't bad enough, you've also got zero experience in using your Quirk. Public use may be largely banned worldwide, but all of my other students have at least been able to access their Quirks for the last ten years. Tell me, have you ever used yours?"

She swallowed, "No, Aizawa-sensei".

"And all of that, Miss Shield, is my problem with you. Specifically, my problem is that you are now my problem. All Might may have been enough to get you in here, but let me be clear, if you fail to keep up, I will cut you and drop you from this programme without a second thought. Am I understood?"

"You're crystal clear, sir".

"Good. Seat fifteen".

She blinked, "I'm sorry?"

He sighed, "Seat fifteen. It's in the third row at the back of the room. That's where you'll be sitting".

"Oh, right, of course! I'm s-"

"I suggest you settle in before class starts. I assure you that my tolerance for tardiness is as low as my tolerance for every other form of disruption. I suggest you remember that as well".

"R- right!"

She was the first student to arrive, and with that, she was also guaranteed to be seen by every other student who arrived. Some of the other students had normal appearances, but she was used to exotic and sometimes, downright bizarre appearances. The pink skin, raven's head and enormous tail of some of her new classmates only managed to faze her as much as the bright red hair or rounded elbows of the others.

Really, once you'd seen and spoken to someone with a Quirk like the Titanic Hero: Godzillo, everything else seemed to pale in comparison. Most people looked at him as the epitome of a having a terrifying mutant appearance, which was a shame, she thought, because Tanaka was a lovely human being who delighted in being able to entertain the children that visited I-Island.

When they'd arrived at the classroom, Aizawa-sensei had left her to set herself up at her desk, while he had retreated beneath his, pulling what she was almost certain was a bright yellow sleeping bag from one of his desk drawers. She hadn't seen him in the almost half hour since, and if it wasn't for the fact that he appeared the very moment the bell rang, she might've been able to forget that he was there at all.

She didn't have to worry about taking a seat, but her classmates scrambled into theirs with a speed that she found to be quite impressive.

"Six seconds", Aizawa noted, "much better than your first day", he took a glance around the room, locking eyes with her and she knew that the next words were for her benefit, much more than anyone else's, "but there's still plenty of room for improvement. Remember, when you're in the field, every moment counts. Every second you waste could cost someone their life".

She swallowed, nodding once, and when she did, he let his eyes move on, taking in the rest of the class, "Now, we have two pieces of business to get through this morning, first, as I'm sure you've all noticed, we have a new student with us today", he turned back to face her, "stand up and introduce yourself".

"Hello everyone", rising to her feet, she offered everyone a bow, "my name is Melissa Shield. I'm seventeen and my Quirk is called, 'Super-Power'. It boosts all of my physical abilities and grows stronger over time. It took a few years for it to grow strong enough for me to use, so I'm still training and getting used to it. Please take care of me".

"Are you related to David Shield?!"

She hadn't expected to be asked questions, and she didn't she who had asked her, but she nodded anyways, "Yes, he's my father".

"Do you know All Might?!"

"Uncle Might? I mean, yes, he's my dad's best friend. I've known him my whole life".

"Wait-"

"Wouldn't-"

"Doesn't that-"

"Is that-"

"-see, she's All Might's-"

"-some experience-"

"-is that why All-"

"Enough", everyone's mouths snapped shut with a single word and Melissa decided that she was immediately grateful for her new sensei's presence, "you can all badger her with your ridiculous questions, after I'm finished".

She was then immediately less grateful.

"Now, let's get down to business. Your task this morning will help decide your futures here at U.A.", around the room, everyone Melissa could see tensed up, looking nervous and she grew nervous too, wondering just what she was going to be in for on her first day, as Aizawa-sensei looked out at them, his expression as utterly bored as his tone of voice, "you all need to choose a Class Representative".

That sounded like a normal school activity.

But why on Earth did everyone look so relieved?

What were they expecting - some kind of insane test, just two weeks into the semester?

She was raising her hand to ask how the Class Reps were chosen, when the rest of the class exploded into noise.

"Pick me guys! I wanna be Class Rep!"

"I'll take it!"

"Yeah, you're gonna need me!"

"Someone with style would be best!"

"I'm totally the right pick!"

"I'm your only choice!"

"Silence everyone! Please!"

Melissa had been one of the few not trying to talk over everyone else, but she still turned her head when the tall boy at the front with blue hair stood up, raising his hand and manage to raise his voice over everyone else's without resorting to yelling.

"The Class Representative's duty is to lead others and that's not just something 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".

Melissa thought that an election was the obvious choice to make regarding the selection process for choosing your Class Representative, and even if she barely knew her classmates, she immediately knew which one of them was getting her vote.

"Is this really the best idea?"

"We've only known each other a few days, how will we know who we can trust?"

"Besides, most people will just vote for themselves".

"True", the boy admitted, "most people will vote for themselves, but that just means that whoever receives multiple votes must truly be the most suitable person for the job. It's the best way, right sir?"

She looked over to the front of the room, blinking, when she saw that Eraser Head had managed to slip his entire body into a bright yellow sleeping bag without anyone noticing, and was shuffling his way under his desk, "Do whatever you want", he told them, as his body disappeared from their line of sight, "just make a decision before my nap's over".

"Thank you for your trust!"

Melissa had expected her first day to involve a lot of catching up on her schoolwork. Time dedicated to studying lessons plans and syllabi and doing everything she could to catch up on the weeks she'd missed. That they were even having an election for a Class Representative was a surprise, but never in her wildest imagination did she consider herself to have a shot at winning it.

When the class had all called out and volunteered, she kept her voice to herself, not thinking any of them would think to trust her, and yet the results on the board spoke for themselves:

SHIELD: 9

YAOYOROZU: 3

ASUI: 2

BAKUGO: 2

AOYAMA: 1

IDA: 1

KAMINARI: 1

MINETA: 1

How had she won the election?

"All Might's niece - I can get behind that!"

"She'll have some experience!"

"She looks like she knows what she's doing".

She didn't know anyone here! Why would they think that she was a suitable class leader?

"Alright, Shield, you're now the Class Rep. Yaoyorozu's the Deputy. Any questions?"

"Only one of you fuckers voted for me?!"

"Bakugo, drop the language or you'll find yourself serving a suspension".

He sat back in his wheelchair, resting his fast on his fist, "Whatever".

"Shield, Yaoyorozu, come see me at the end of the day and I'll give you the stuff you need. As hero students, you'll probably miss most of the meetings, but there's one on Friday after school".

"Right!"

"Of course, Aizawa-sensei".

"Right then, one last note for you all. Next Friday is going to be your first trip to our disaster and rescue training facility. You should now all have access to the school's portal - again, Shield, come and see me at the end of the day - so make sure to check your permissions and if your legal guardians haven't signed off on your ability to attend, you're going to be stuck here, running drills with me until your bodies give up or I get bored", he shrugged, "whichever comes first".

The entire class seemed to shiver, and Melissa was really starting to wonder what on Earth her dad and Uncle Might had signed her up for.

"The exercises will also be another chance for you all to field test your costumes. Some of them have already been adjusted following the feedback you provided after your combat training exercise. Costumes aren't mandatory; your P.E. kits are an acceptable substitute, but if I were you, I want to field test my costume them every chance I get, but like I said, the choice is yours. Are there any questions so far?"

Nobody moved.

"Good. Your first class is in eleven minutes", Aizawa disappeared beneath his desk, "keep the noise down until then".

Taking a deep, slow breath, Momo smoothed out the imaginary lines of her skirt.

Second place.

She could easily imagine the disappointment on her father's face.

SHIELD: 9

Her mother would give her the soft shake of her head from side-to-side.

YAOYOROZU: 3

All her life, she'd been granted the finest of luxuries. Her grandfather had been a modest man, who had built up a modest wealth by the time of his death. Her father had spent his life turning that modest sum into a value that made him one of the wealthiest men in the world. Where they had struggled, Momo had only ever known the finer things in life, and she knew enough to know that that was the driving reason behind her desire to prove herself.

She'd only managed to place third in the Recommendation Exams, but then she'd reached first place in their first day Quirk Apprehension Test and then won her trial during their combat assessment and she'd made sure that she'd given All Might and her classmates appropriate feedback on every one of the other battle trials.

She was the obvious choice for Class Representative.

From the moment she had first voiced her desire to become a Pro Hero to her parents, they had done nothing but be supportive of her dreams. She knew her father would prefer to see her follow in his footsteps and begin learning how to take control of the Yaoyorozu Investment Network for when he retired, rather than follow in her mother's and enter the world of Pro Heroics. He couldn't be too upset, given that mother had been working as a Pro Hero when they met, so he'd instead hired the best tutors available: general studies were a must, but her parents had then added physical training, advanced chemistry, advanced physics, as well as lessons on strategy, karate, jujitsu and the bo staff.

If she was going to do this, then she was going to be the best. If she wasn't even going to try, then why was she even bothering to try.

She should have been the Class Representative.

Instead, she was now the Vice Representative.

Could this day get any worse?

When the school's alarm bell activated during their lunch break, Momo realised that, yes, the day could - and in fact, had - gotten worse.

"Shield. Bakugo", Aizawa took a moment to pause as the school bell rang, "stay put. Everyone else, get to lunch".

She made sure that her things were placed neatly away inside her desk, as everyone else piled out of the classroom rather quickly. She'd only been with her new class for less than four hours, and she knew that she would be trying to understand each of their personalities for a few more days yet, but the easiest two to understand were - by and far –Aizawa, who tolerated no nonsense and seemed to hate life, or at least, hate the living, and the Bakugo kid she was being told to wait with, who had managed to establish himself as hyper-aggressive and as having the largest ego, in just half a day's worth of lessons.

You weren't supposed to think badly of the disabled. Her father had once told her that they had tough lives and often became tough in response, hiding their sensitive sides, so she promised herself not to judge him too harshly.

When Yaoyorozu, her new Vice Rep, who was the last to vacate the room had departed, Aizawa summoned her to the front of the classroom with a flick of his fingers. Bakugo, who spent his time in class seated in his wheelchair with a foldable desk over his lap, not bothering to swap it out for a normal desk and chair, was already at the front of the room, and she took the desk beside him.

All she knew about the boy who had been sat in it earlier, was that his name was Ida, he was tall, wore glasses, had blue hair and he had been the one that had set up the voting process for choosing the Class Representative.

After all, it was why she had voted for him.

"Right", Aizawa folded his hands in front of his face, before continuing to speak without preamble, "starting this week, you'll both be attending additional classes with Power Loader as part of your dual course placements. Shield, you have a placement test first to determine which class you're learning from. Very few people bother with both classes, so I'll warn you - the workload is intense, and I'll be making no allowances made for your performance. If you fall behind, you get dropped. If you fail the exams, you get dropped. If Power Loader determines you to be unsafe in the lab-"

"We get dropped?" Melissa guessed.

"Good, you're starting to get how this works".

"Won't be a problem for me", Bakugo scoffed, "Blondie over there just needs to learn to keep up".

"Blondie", Aizawa raised an eyebrow, "has two years' experience at the world's most prestigious institute for support equipment. Your Quirk alone is enough to make you a liability in a lab setting. Save the attitude for when we know you can back it up".

"-Tt-", if it was possible to kick your feet up and lean back in a wheelchair, Melissa would've expected Bakugo to do it, "whatever. I'll be running the damn lab soon enough".

"Uh huh".

From there, Aizawa handed them over the course packs, including the syllabus for the year, and made sure to check that they'd both been issued with the correct timetables. Beyond that, it was clear that he wanted to be as 'hands off' as possible and already considered them to be Power Loader's problem.

"Will that be all, Aizawa-sensei?"

"Yes, Miss Shield, that-"

"Warning! Level Three Security Breach! All students evacuate the building in an orderly fashion! Warning! Level Three Security Breach! All students evacuate the building in an orderly fashion! Warning! Level Three-"

She frowned, "What does-"

"Villains", Bakugo breathed, what she saw as his usual anger being replaced by what appeared to be a look of intense desire. She had assumed that his Quirk had something to do with him being in the wheelchair, but then his hands started popping with miniature explosions and she decided to rethink her theory.

How on Earth had he ended up in the wheelchair then?

And why would he still try to become a Pro Hero - universally considered to be the world's most dangerous profession - with such an obvious physical handicap?

"Stay here", Aizawa told them, as he moved for the door.

She nodded, "Yes, sensei".

"But-"

Her teacher turned back, his flicking upwards and his eyes flashing red, as he locked his gaze with Bakugo's and Melissa got her very first look at his Erasure Quirk, "Stay here".

"Fine", he grumbled, muttering something that she thought was particularly rude under his breath, but by the time he was finished, Eraser Head was already.

"So… if I'm the Class Rep, that means I have to pick others to be on the-"

"Not interested".

"But you could-"

"Not interested".

"Are you sure?"

"Look, Blondie-"

"My name's Melissa".

"I don't care. I'm also not interested in settling for some dumb admin position. You wanna know about your new classmates, right?"

"Yeah?"

"Then there are exactly three things - and only three things - that you need to know about me: one, the name's Katsuki Bakugo. Two, my Quirk is Explosion. My body sweats out a compound similar to nitro-glycerine and I can detonate it with my hands. And Three, I'm number one. I'm the next Number One Pro Hero. I'll be the next World Number One Pro Hero and when they start comparing me to All Might, they'll still think that I'm number one. I don't settle for anything less than the best. I don't care if it's the billboard charts, I don't care if it's the class ranking and I don't care if it's a damn class election, if I'm not the best then I don't care about the rest. You got that?"

"Right…", she didn't know if she should admire him for being insanely dedicated or be worried that he was insanely delusional, "well, I'll make sure to remember that".

"You do that".

As it turned out, the warning had turned out to be a false alarm, but it had resulted in a widespread panic in the cafeteria, and while Melissa had been safe and sound in her classroom, some of her new classmates had been caught up in a stampede.

Apparently, the Class Rep for Class 1-C, one of the General Education courses, had used a megaphone given to him by Yaoyorozu to put a stop to the panic before sending everyone outside. Yaoyorozu, Jiro and Aoyama had all told the class how impressive and in charge he had been, and Melissa was looking forward to meeting him during the first student council meeting on Friday.

Or at least, she had been looking forward to meeting him, until Aizawa told the class that the student council meeting, as well as all of the school's other extra-curricular activities, had been cancelled while the school carried out repair works to the main gate and assessed the rest of the U.A. barrier systems.

Aizawa-sensei had also been very blunt in informing her and Yaoyorozu that while there would be a regular student council meeting set up, as students in the heroics course, they'd most likely be too busy to attend most of them.

He'd also informed them - and the rest of their class - that they were expected to devote one hundred percent of their effort to training in heroics and weren't permitted to join in with any of the school's extra-curricular activities. Melissa had already known that fact, having looked it up several weeks ago, before she'd been informed that she'd be allowed to continue her lessons in support equipment, and she also knew that it was a U.A. rule and not just one of the rules devised by Aizawa that seemed to be designed to put the absolute fear of him into each and every one of his students.

When she brought up his demeanour after her first day, Uncle Might had waved her concerns away, and she couldn't help but think that he appeared to be slightly intimidated by her new homeroom teacher as well.

U.A. was full of surprises - and not just in their staffing choices.

She was surprised by how much book learning the heroics course had. Uncle Might had told her that almost all of the theory work took place at the beginning of the year, before they progressed to a mostly physical approach after their summer break, which she supposed made some sense, allowing them to maximise their growth in both areas, instead of splitting their focus between training and coursework.

She'd missed the first day's Quirk Determination Exam, as well as the Battle Trials, and even after joining Class 1-A, she didn't immediately get a chance to use her new Quirk.

She did get the chance to know her classmates though.

Her Deputy Class Representative, Momo Yaoyorozu, she discovered was related to the same Yaoyorozu Investment Network that she'd heard of on I-Island. They had 'interests' on the island, and while Melissa didn't know what those interests were, the fact that she had even heard of them meant that they probably held a lot of sway with some of the more important people that her dad had to deal with.

She didn't know if that was good or bad.

When it came to filling in the role on the class council, Tenya Ida, who was the same boy she'd voted for to become Class Representative, had volunteered to join them as their Attendance Manager, and he seemed to be a good guy. He was a little strict, but he was diligent and hardworking, and Melissa liked that about him.

He'd brought a friend with him, and Ochako Uraraka became their Class Treasurer. She was much more laid back than his somewhat uptight personality, which Melissa thought was a good thing, because Ida seemed like he needed someone to help him relax. She was good with a budget though, and Melissa thought she was a perfect fit for the team.

Kyoka Jiro had come along with Yaoyorozu to their first meeting and agreed to become their Communication Liaison. She was good with technology, easily capable of helping everyone stay up-to-date and communicate freely and had great taste in music, which Melissa thought were great qualities to have.

She also really wanted to know how her Quirk worked - she could plug herself into cellphones and anything else with an earphone jack. That was by far the most interesting Quirk in the class. Yaoyorozu's Quirk was one of the most versatile Quirks that Melissa had ever heard of, but despite that, it was the question of how Jiro's interfacing happened that she really wanted answers to.

Still, she knew from experience that they had to be friends before she could ask questions like that.

Strangers didn't like it when you asked them personal questions.

She just had to remember to be polite when the time came.

Truthfully, there wasn't much work for her to do as Class Representative, and even less for the other positions. All of the heroics' activities were fully funded by the school, they weren't permitted to join in with extra-curricular activities, Aizawa made sure that everyone was listening to him whenever he said anything and as for attendance?

No one would dare be late, let alone miss his class entirely. He'd promised them that they'd regret ever wasting his time, and Melissa believed him.

Eraser Head was a lot of things, but she already knew that a liar wasn't one of them.

Their workload was as intense as he'd described, and while she was used to an intense workload from her time at the I-Island Institute, there she had been studying support equipment engineering, something she was not only naturally gifted at, but something that she had grown up around.

She had no such inclination with heroics.

Still, she did her best, and admittedly, she was a genius, so as she reached the end of her second week at U.A., she was starting to feel that she had caught up to her peers, at least, on a theoretical level.

When she arrived alongside everyone else to their homeroom on Friday, she found an uncharacteristically awake Eraser Head sat at his desk waiting for them and as the last person to arrive, Kaminari, slipped in and took his seat, Aizawa pressed a button on the underside of his desk.

On the wall beside his desk, a series of four panels opened, sliding out of the wall and revealing twenty thick, steel briefcases, each one stamped with large, bright green numbers. She found herself holding her breath alongside her classmates and her eyes immediately focused on the one she knew belonged to her:

15

"These last few weeks, we've studied the theory behind the basics of rescue work, including order of operations, triage and emergency reactions. Today, you're going to try putting it into practice. You can choose between your costume or your P.E. unform, but you now have fifteen minutes to get changed and assemble in the main car park. Class Reps, I want everyone ready to board a bus by the time I get there. You got that?"

"Yes, sensei!"

"Of course, sensei!"

Melissa nodded, Yaoyorozu doing the same behind her, as Aizawa returned to looking at whatever was on his desk.

For a moment, nobody moved, unsure of what exactly they were supposed to do, as their sensei picked up a pen and began marking something down on the papers in front of him, before glancing at his watch.

"You now have fourteen minutes and thirty seconds left".

Then they knew exactly what they were supposed to do.

They ran.

In a dingy, poorly lit bar, a small television screen crackled to life, as two of the bar's occupants straightened up, giving it their full attention.

"Sensei?"

"Did you get what you needed from the brat, Tomura?"

Tomura Shigaraki nodded, his pale blue hair flopping with the motion, "Yes, sensei".

"And are you happy with the information he gave you? With the little changes you've made to your plan?"

Others would have taken sensei's tone as mocking, but Tomura knew better. Sensei wanted him to consider every little adjustment he'd made and be certain that it was the best thing for his plan's success. He nodded again, despite being aware that he couldn't be seen through the monitor, even as a muted shout drew his attention to the floor, where his own small army had gathered downstairs, "I am, sensei".

"And did the good doctor give you what you needed?"

He turned around, licking his lips, as he looked towards the back wall of the bar, where his choice of weapons stood still, unmoving and half-cloaked in shadow, as they awaited his commands to fulfil their roles in his plan, "he did, sensei".

"Then, you may depart whenever you're ready".

He couldn't stop himself from smiling, "Thank you, sensei".

"And Tomura?"

"Yes, sensei?"

"Good luck".

"Thank you, sensei", the screen cut out and rising to his feet, he swallowed what liquid remained in his glass of water, before turning to his bartender, "Kurogiri, give the word. We move out in five minutes".

"Yes, Tomura Shigaraki".

His smile became a grin, as he imagined how today would play out. After his defeat of All Might, he would have avenged sensei's honour, and the chaos, death and destruction that resulted from it would give rise to the new Age of Villains, with sensei restored to his place at the top of the pyramid and Tomura as his heir. After he was finished, his League of Villains would go down in history as the greatest threat that Pro Heroes around the world had ever faced and he would be the one to make it all happen.

This was what he had been created for and now? It was time for him to take his place in history.

Today was the day!