Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

12:13 PM - Somewhere in rural Japan

A female teenager with long, wavy inky black hair and nearly black eyes entered an open bedroom doorway. If one looked close enough, they’d be able to see that, while they might appear black from a distance, her irises were actually a deep purple with small flecks of yellow, cyan, and magenta.  Her sclera on the other hand were a shade of purple so light they could easily be mistaken for white.  A plain white t-shirt at least two sizes too big draped over her thin frame, the collar so large it fell off her right shoulder.  Her lower half was covered by a simple pair of black sweatpants, and bare feet completed the look.  From the furrow of her brows to the slight grimace of her lips, concern was written clearly on her face as she glanced around the room until her eyes settled on her target. 

“How long has she been out?” she asked, anxiety clear in her tone. 

The subject of her gaze was another teenage girl, this one with the same inky black hair, only pulled back into a high ponytail.  Unlike the first girl, this one’s eyes could be mistaken for white at first glance.  And while her irises were technically white, they shared the same small flecks of yellow, cyan, and magenta seen in the first's as well as the light purple sclera.  She wore a tight, dark blue V-neck shirt with three-quarter sleeves, a pair of simple skinny jeans, and black lace-up combat boots.  She sat in a chair against the wall opposite the doorway with one leg crossed over the other and her arms crossed over her chest.  

Upon hearing the first girl's question, she heaved an exhausted sigh.  Her head dropped back to rest on the wall behind her and said with little emotion, “We just passed the 28 hour mark.  You know as well as I do that if it reaches 48 she’ll have to be admitted to the hospital again.  Hopefully, she’ll wake up before then.” 

The second then looked to her right at the bed in the corner of the room.  On it, a third teenage girl with short and wavy white hair lay unconscious.  While her body was mostly hidden from view by the covers carefully draped over her, one arm and her spaghetti strap covered shoulders were left free.  Wires traveled from the standing monitor next to her bed to the leads attached to her chest, as well as to a small plastic clip on one of her fingers.  Her heart beat and oxygen levels were both being monitored, the quiet rhythmic beep of the machine a constant in the room.  A bag of fluids connected to an IV in her left arm to keep her from becoming dehydrated.

The first girl let out a sigh, glancing at the sleeping girl before pulling a rolling computer chair out from a desk on the opposite side of the room and spinning it to face the bed.  Slumping down in the chair, she rested her elbows on her knees and plopped her head in her hands.  “It’s going to be a big one this time, isn’t it?”

Despite the words being muffled by the hands covering her face, the second had no trouble understanding her in the small and quiet bedroom.  “Most likely,” she replied.  “We’ll need to be prepared for when she’s up.  How are your energy levels?  You’ve been gone for 4 days.”

The first raised her head, took a deep breath, held it for a moment, and then slowly released.  While a close observer might notice her anxiety in the way she repeatedly clenched and unclenched her hands on her lap, or the tenseness in her posture, her expression was set with a grim determination.  Finally returning her gaze to the second she nodded her head. “I’ll be ready.  I was staying with a friend in an AR, and I haven’t created a PR since our girls’ getaway a few months ago,” she said.  Tacking on, “Which you know I’ve already replenished the energy from that,” as an afterthought.

“Good,” the second nodded, returning her head to resting against the wall behind her and closing her eyes. Maybe now that someone else is here to watch the monitor I can take a little nap…

“What about you?” The first prodded.  “What’s your current cooldown?  Do you need me to hook up the machines in your room as well?”

“No need.” The second waved her hand in the air as if brushing the comment away. “My cooldown was only at Level 4 when she went under.  When she didn’t wake up the same day, I had dad hook up my monitors and reset my cooldown that first night.  I’ve avoided rifting since then in preparation for when she wakes up.”

“Good to know.”  The first smiled.  She’s always been the most responsible one out of the three of us.  “So what have you been doing to pass the time?”

The second lifted her head up to gaze at the first with a dubious expression.  One eyebrow raised as she asked, “Seriously?  I’ve been sitting here monitoring her condition.  And hoping that whatever we end up having to do when she wakes up isn’t impossible for us to manage.  What else would I be doing?  She’s only ever been out this long once before, and we were so young we couldn’t even do anything to help that time.”

The first cringed.  “I remember.”  She shook her head, then put on a shaky smile. “But look at the bright side. We’re old enough now to help…probably…hopefully…” her voice trailed off at the end before shaking her head once more in an effort to dispel her insecurities. “We’ve trained our quirks significantly and have way better control.  Plus, thanks to her, our teamwork is top notch.  We’ll definitely be able to help the Catalyst this time.”

The second slowly nodded and replied, “I hope so…for her sake.  I don’t know if she can take another disappointment like the last one.  She blamed herself for so long afterwards…to some extent, I think she still does...despite the fact that she knows logically it wasn’t her fault.”

The first glanced back to the bed and frowned. “I know.  I just wish there was more we could do while we wait...some way to get started…”

As the conversation died off, they sat in relative silence for several minutes each trapped in their own thoughts.  However, that silence was interrupted when the first suddenly shot upright in her chair. “Wait! Do you know what triggered her vision this time?” 

The second, following her train of thought, disappointedly shook her head. “Unfortunately no.  She wasn’t even out and about when it happened.  I was in my room when I heard a thud sound.  I came in to check on her, and she had collapsed on the floor.  At first I thought maybe her blood sugar was low or something, but once I rolled her over I realized she was in her comatose state.  I called for dad, and he lifted her into bed while I set up the monitor.  When she didn’t wake up by that evening we went ahead with the IV as per family protocol.”

The first simply nodded along.  Oddly enough, the only expression of surprise came when she heard that the girl was in her room when it happened, the rest of the short tale she just seemed to be expecting.  “So in her room…huh…I wonder…” she brought her right hand up to her chin and bit her lip.  Why would her quirk activate when she was alone? That’s never really happened before…except that once when she was little...she generally has to see the Catalyst first... Only a few moments passed before she suddenly shouted, “It couldn’t be!”

Clearly startled, the second actually jumped to her feet.  “What! What couldn’t be?”

The first ignored her completely, rapidly spinning the chair back to face the open laptop on the computer desk.  It was hibernating at this point from inactivity, so she briefly tapped the space bar to wake it up.  The login screen appeared.  “Password…password...” she mumbled… “Oh, I bet it’s…”  She typed in a quick phrase and sure enough the computer unlocked.  “Too easy.  Thank god she’s in our head, right?” she asked, gaze still focused on the screen.

The second approached the desk peering over the first’s shoulder.  “Of course.  Without her in our heads we wouldn’t be able to understand each other as well as we do.”

The first nodded in agreement as she scanned the screen.  Upon quick inspection she found the minimized browser and clicked.  It opened, revealing a video news broadcast from the same day the third collapsed.  The two girls shared a quick look at each other before nodding their heads in silent agreement and pressing play…

The video was from one day ago and opened to an anchorwoman sitting at a newsroom desk.  “That’s right, everyone! The rumors are true! The legendary Hero All Might, Japan’s very own #1, is TEACHING.  And yes, you heard me clearly.  All Might has in fact joined the faculty at U.A., his alma mater, and will be teaching the next generation of up-and-coming heroes.  But what’s it like to have All Might as a teacher?  What wisdom has he already passed down to the students of U.A.?  What’s it like to have such a legendary figure around on a daily basis to look up to and ask for advice?  What is the #1 truly like as a teacher?  That’s what we want to know, and now we go to our field reporter on scene at U.A. to find out.” 

The camera cut to another feed where several reporters could be seen in front of a large pair of gates which the two girls assumed were the entrance gates to U.A., at least if the grand looking building in the background was any indication. The reporters all clambered over each other shoving their microphones into any student’s face that crossed their path and hounding them with questions.  A few camera bulbs flashed, and several other cameras could be seen barely on the edges of the screen.  Some students managed to walk by the crowd completely unfazed, ignoring the reporters all together.  Others stopped to give a quick sound bite without much of a problem before continuing in.  A few though, had a bit more trouble and seemed to be significantly flustered by the many cameras and reporters.  In the end, it was a dark haired, exhausted looking man, some sort of staff member apparently, who came out and told the reporters to leave while the remaining students headed inside. 

As he turned away, the camera feed cut back to the newsroom where the anchorwoman commented, “Well, unfortunately, I guess that’s all we’ll get for now.  But rest assured, the second there is more information we’ll be right on top of it and letting you know as soon as possible.  Now, on to our next segment…”

There the video stopped.  The first girl leaned back in the chair and looked over her shoulder at the second.  “So given what happened, it’s safe to assume this video acted as the trigger.  The question is, who’s the Catalyst?  There’s quite a lot of options overall…the anchorwoman, the reporters, a couple of the camera men were visible, several students, as well as that one teacher at the end.  It could be any of them.”

The second pursed her lips in thought, glanced to the girl in the bed then back to the laptop screen then back to the girl in the bed, before seeming to settle on some conclusion.  Meeting the first’s gaze she declared, “It has to be either one of the students or the teacher.  Neither the anchorwoman nor any of the reporters or camera crew would make sense for how long this coma has lasted.  While they might experience danger of some kind, it would be highly unlikely for it to reach the scale necessary for this level of Insight to be triggered.  Whereas the hero students and teacher may not only be exposed to danger once, but repeatedly over the course of their years training and working as pros.  And given the complex setting in addition to the amount of time she’s been under, there’s likely to be several Influencers on the Catalyst as well...most likely more students and/or teachers at the school.”

“Makes sense.” The first agreed after the second had finished her theory.  “Which means I’ll have to create a larger PR this time to accommodate enough people.  And as usual, they’ll need a way to keep track of the information dumped on them.  So, given it’s a school we’re dealing with…notebooks?”

“Notebooks.” The second nodded.  “And plenty of pens, pencils, and highlighters...the works.”

There was a brief moment of silence before the first snorted and started trying to hold back laughter. 

“What?” the second asked, confused. 

This only made the first’s attempts to hold it in fail as she tried to speak through her giggles…”It’s just…it…it sounds...like we’re going school supply...shopping.”

The second let out a small chuckle of her own before shaking her head and returning to her seat by the wall, allowing the first some time to calm down.   Once the room was quiet again, she simply resituated back into her favorite position of using the wall as a head rest, and said, “Now we wait.”

All that could be heard in the room after that point was quiet breathing and the continued rhythmic beeping of a heart monitor. 

1 Day Later - 9:45 AM - U.A. Campus

It was the day after the villain attack on the USJ, and the school’s campus was closed.  Students were given the day off to process and spend time with their families, while the school faculty and staff went over the details of what happened and what would need to be done in response. 

All faculty but Aizawa, who was still hospitalized, sat in a conference room with Detective Tsukauchi Naomasa.   They discussed the villains captured as well as the unfortunate lack of information on their apparent ringleader Tomura Shigaraki, who had escaped along with the smoke-like villain with the dangerous warping quirk. 

After their discussion, the Detective left and the remaining faculty members began going over possible measures to increase security.  It was especially necessary to figure out how to secure the campus, assuring the safety of all it housed, and figure it out quickly if they wanted to still have the upcoming U.A. Sports Festival as scheduled. 

By the end of the day, plans for upgraded security as well as the Sports Festival were finalized.  The staff as a whole would start implementing the appropriate security measures that afternoon, and the homeroom teachers would announce the upcoming festival to their students the following day. 

They had a lot of work to do to make sure things would go without a hitch, and not a lot of time in which to do it.  The Sports Festival was only 15 days away.  

Chapter Text

10 Days Later - Varo Specialty Hospital, Niigata, Japan

It wasn’t a sudden thing.  Instead, it was more of a gradual transition, a slow ascent out of the darkness that her quirk had layered over her mind.  She kept her eyes closed for a few moments even after she was awake, body tense and instincts flaring, forcing her to double check her surroundings for danger through what means she could before risking alerting anyone to the fact that she was awake.  When all she heard was the rhythmic beep of the monitor and the quiet voice of her father speaking, the tension drained out of her shoulders.  

Her eyes opened fully for a brief second before immediately squinting again.  The bright fluorescent lighting that reflected off the walls (and her pearlescent hair, though she couldn't see it) was not something she was expecting.  Usually, she woke up in her room, with its soft lighting already dimmed to prevent the harsh shock to her retinas.  While she let her eyes adjust, she pushed herself up a bit to evaluate her surroundings.  The usual IV, heart monitor, and oxygen monitor were all hooked up.  Plus this stupid thing… She immediately removed the nasal cannula from where it hooked around her ears to keep the two prongs that had been forcing oxygen into her nostrils in place.  God, I hate those.  So… I’m in the hospital? Huh... this hasn’t happened in a while.  Although, with the craziness I just saw, I guess I really shouldn’t be surprised. 

How long have I been out this time?   She glanced towards where her dad stood in front of the window.  He was on his cellphone, with his back to her, and hadn’t noticed she had woken up yet.  From the bits she could hear, it sounded like work, so she didn’t want to interrupt.  I guess I’m on my own until he’s finished.   Well, it’s not like I can’t get a rough estimate by myself anyway.  The fact that I’m even in the hospital means I’ve been out for more than two days at this point.   

She looked out the window beyond her father and could tell it was already dark outside.  Since my quirk triggered in the morning and it’s evening now, that’s around another 12 hours right there.  No feeding tube.  They usually hook up sis’s at the 7 day mark, which means they would give me one at 14 days… so definitely less than 14.  More than 2 and a half, less than 14.  Still too large of a window.  I need to know where we are in the timeline before we can start planning.   

She resituated, sitting up fully and bringing her hands up to massage her temples, cringing as she did.  Ouch… muscle weakness.  Good to know.  That means more than 5 days for sure, likely more than 7.   So between 5 and 14.

She frowned. That means the incident at the USJ has already happened… so... there’s nothing I can do to change it!  Damn… damn!  Why do I always wake up too late?!  Stupid quirk.  Tears started pooling in her eyes, and she tried to wipe them away before they could pour down her cheeks.  Don’t cry.  Don’t cry.  Remember what mom says.  ‘What’s in the past is in the past, and there’s nothing I can do to change it.  So there's no point in stressing over it.  But I can still use what I know.  And I know more than just the past.  I can still help.  Think about it objectively.  Don’t let the future overwhelm me.’   She took in slow measured breaths to calm herself, placing her hands back on her lap.

With her fingers tightly gripping the hospital blanket, she turned her gaze downward to better focus without the distractions of the room.  Okay...back on track...I can do this.  USJ has passed.  The Sports Festival hasn't happened yet.  I’ve been out for at least five days.  The USJ would’ve happened the day after my quirk activated.  Aizawa would’ve announced the festival two days after that… so... three days after I went unconscious.  Meaning best case scenario, since I've been out for at least 5, we have 12 days left before the Sports Festival.  Not including the Festival day itself, then that's 11 days to prepare ourselves, gather all the players, and warn them of what’s to come. Not bad... definitely doable.  But… if it’s the worst case scenario… the maximum 13 and a half days since my quirk activated… Her hands clenched tighter in the hospital blanket.  That would put us where?  5... no... 4 days until the Festival starts.  Only three days to prepare, gather everyone, and find the necessary tools… there’s no way.  As it is, I’ll be lucky if they even release me from the hospital tomorrow…

She scrunched her eyes tightly closed, trying to hold back the tears again.  She didn’t want to cry. 

“Mana?  Honey?  Are you okay?” Her dad’s calm but concerned voice asked, stopping the dark path her thoughts were following.  

She sighed and looked back towards him.  He was standing at her bedside now. When did he leave the window?  I didn’t even notice he finished his phone call...   She sniffled.  “Yeah.  Yeah Dad, I’m okay.  Just... processing, you know... trying to figure it all out.”

He nodded in understanding.  “I assumed as much.  Just know I’m here for you.  I already texted your sisters, they’ll be here soon.  Unfortunately, your mother is still in China, but we can give her a call later if you want.”

The corners of her lips raised just a bit upwards in a light smile.  “That’d be nice.  Thanks dad.”  She still wasn’t feeling all that confident about the situation, but her dad’s words did help ease the pressure just a little bit.  Sighing, she finally asked the question that had been weighing on her… ”So, how long was I out?”

Her dad’s eyebrows furrowed and lips pursed with his unease, “11 and half days I’m afraid.  It’s a big one huh?”

She visibly cringed at his response and shook her head.  “Not good. Not good at all.  ‘Big one’ is an understatement in this case.”

“How much of an understatement?”  As much as he supported his daughters and was willing to help them when it came to their quirks, he was still worried about the danger it could place them in.  After all, that was one of the main reasons they moved away from the city and into a more rural area to begin with.

“Well, with this one we’re talking possibly saving lives, preventing life altering and career ending injuries for heroes, hopefully stopping several villains, and oh yeah… how can I forget… with any luck we can postpone the collapse of Japan’s hero society as we currently know it.  So yeah… calling it ‘big’ is not even scratching the surface.”

Her dad looked on in stunned silence for a few moments before collapsing into the chair next to the bed.  He repositioned his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose, taking a few deep breaths to collect himself before settling his serious gaze on his daughter, “Okay.  Then we’ll need to come up with a thorough plan.  And from your reaction, I’m assuming we need to do it fast because we don’t have much time before things kick off.  Am I right?”  She nodded.  “Then we’ll need supplies.  I’ll message your sisters again and make sure they bring a few notebooks and pens with them.  In the meantime…”  He pulled his briefcase which had been stashed under the chair onto his lap, opening it long enough to retrieve a small yellow notepad and a mechanical pencil.  Handing them to her, he continued, “Use these.  Start working on the timeline so we can speed through the rundown once your sisters arrive.”

She took the offered items to do as told but hesitated as she put pencil to paper.  Before she could even voice her doubts, her dad was once again out of his chair.  He set his hand on her shoulder to make sure he had her full attention and smiled, “You can do this honey.  I know you can.”  Feeling a little more confident, she got to work, barely listening as he moved away from the bed.  “Good.  I’ll be right back,” he said.  “I’m going to go send that text to your sisters and let the night nurse know you’re finally awake, she’ll want to run your vitals and check on you.”  

As he left the room, she mumbled an “uh-huh” without looking up.  She was already deeply focused on the task at hand.  After all, they had a lot of planning to do and very little time to do it.  She was going to make sure whatever time she had counted. 

The Next Day

It was early in the morning.  The sun had yet to rise, the sky just barely lightened from the dark of night.  Mana wasn’t sure exactly what time it was.  What she did know was that she was exhausted.  They all were.  She and her two older sisters had spent the night planning and figuring out all the details of their next steps. 

Her dad had been there while she gave a general rundown of what she saw, but once it became clear that the plan would require Azumi’s Pocket Reality, he had resigned himself to the fact that there wasn’t much he could do to help the girls beyond bank rolling their efforts and being there to support them emotionally.  As such, around midnight, after the primary plan had been decided, he had headed home to get some sleep, leaving the girls to hammer out the details.  After all, they could always reach him without fail if they needed his help with anything else. 

Azumi had lasted a little over an hour after their dad left.  Mana had told her to go home and get what rest she could before her part in the plan started tomorrow…or rather, later today given the time.  She had refused, wanting to be there in case the other two needed her, and ended up passed out on the lower half of Mana’s hospital bed instead.  Her black hair was fanned out around her head, which was pillowed on Mana’s right thigh.  The rest of her body was curled into a ball, her knees tucked up into the simple blue oversized hoodie she wore.  Mana absentmindedly ran her fingers through her sleeping sister’s hair as she tried to come up with anything they were missing.

The timeline she had written was plainly visible on the bed next to her, in easy reaching distance if she wanted to take a closer look at it.  She technically had all the information in her head, but sometimes it was just easier to see things written out… especially when it came to timelines.  While her quirk allowed her to view future events, the overwhelming amount of sudden new information in her head after waking up made it difficult to just automatically know exactly when things occurred or how much time passed between events.  It was the main reason she had taken to writing timelines as her quirk control improved. The other reason being that, more often than not, she needed the help of her family to prevent whatever tragedy she foresaw, and they didn’t exactly have easy access to the information suddenly bouncing around her brain once she woke up.  That also happens to be the reason the timeline she had finished earlier was sitting to her side rather than on her lap.  This way, her other sister, Itomai, could look at it as necessary without moving from the chair she occupied by Mana’s bedside. 

Despite the fact that Itomai was just as exhausted as her sisters, she still managed to look calm and put together.  Then again, since Itomai seemed to exist in a perpetual state of 'I’m done with this and need a nap' her exhaustion probably just blended in with her usual attitude.  Her leather jacket hung on the back of the chair, and her standard three-quarter sleeves were scrunched up above her elbows.  Her long wavy black hair was pulled up into its usual high ponytail, her brow furrowed in concentration as she stared at the two notebooks open on her lap.  She had a blue pen held between her teeth and a black pen in her hand, a pink highlighter tucked above her left ear, and a standard yellow one tucked above her right.  If it were a less serious situation, Mana would be poking fun at her older sister for her overly serious and studious nature.  As it is though, she couldn’t help but take comfort in the familiar sight and feel of her sister’s concentrated aura. 

On Itomai’s lap sat two planning notebooks.  One was filled with what Azumi needed to accomplish, including a rather detailed list of things she needed to create in Pocket Reality once she activated it.  The other was divided into two sections.  The first was a list of physical supplies Mana and Itomai would need to gather to take into Pocket Reality.  The second was a list of Itomai’s targets as determined by Mana’s vision.  The targets were divided into subgroups based on a combination of importance and location for ease of transport.  Since they had to work around Itomai’s quirk’s Cooldown, they needed to transport as many targets as they could in as few trips as possible.  The less important targets would either be eliminated from the list depending on their status at time of desired transport, or would simply have to be transported later than the others out of necessity. 

It was Itomai’s voice after having removed the pen from her mouth that finally interrupted Mana’s wandering thoughts.  “So… based on the information you told us, I can’t think of anything in the plan we’re missing.  We know where Targets 1 - 33 will be located tomorrow morning. Targets 34 - 39 should be relatively easy to locate since we have approximate information. Targets 39 - 44 will be included if possible, but it is dependent on their surroundings and actions at the time so we’ll have to adjust accordingly. Finally, Targets 45 and 46 should be easy to find and transport but aren’t as necessary to the beginning of Operation Relay Insight.”

“Operation Relay Insight?” Mana parroted.

“Oh,” Itomai seemed to sit up straighter at the question, “Since this is by far the most extensive vision your quirk has supplied, and consequently the most elaborate plan we’ve had to undertake, I figured it deserved a name.  You know? Something to call it rather than just ‘the plan’.”

Mana smiled at her sister’s idea. “I like it.  Accurate and to the point.  It’s a good name.”

After a short silence and another glance over the plans Itomai continued, “I think we’ve done all we can for now.  Did you think of anything else?”

“Nope.  I’m not sure if it’s because of how tired I am or if we actually managed to cover everything, but I can’t think of anything we’re missing.”

Itomai nodded in understanding.  “I get it.  If you think of anything else just let me know.  For now though,” she closed both of the notebooks on her lap, and placed them as well as the timeline and her writing supplies in the black backpack that had been sitting by her feet, “I think it’s time we all got some actual rest.”  She stood up, stretching out her muscles and twisting her torso in a way that made her spine pop.  Then she slung the backpack over her shoulder and grabbed her leather jacket off the chair, draping it over her arm rather than putting it on.  “You need some actual sleep,” she continued. “I realize you’ve been out for 11 and half days, but we both know that quirk triggered coma and restful sleep are not the same thing. So don’t even try arguing.”

Mana put her hands up in surrender.  “Hey, you won’t hear a peep of an argument from me.  You’re preaching to the choir here.”

Seemingly satisfied with her sister’s cooperation, Itomai continued, “You’re 24 hour observation period should be finished this evening.  Let me know as soon as they give you the all clear and you’re ready for a pick up.” Mana nodded in confirmation. “I’ll get a few hours of shut eye, then I’ll borrow Dad’s credit card and pick up all the supplies we need this afternoon.  Once Azumi is up, she’ll get started on the AR search.  Hopefully she finishes today so we can enact Operation Relay Insight tomorrow morning.  If not, we’ll have to adjust the plan to work with the delay.  Then tonight, after I pick you up, you and I will get everything ready for transport.  We should really all turn in early tomorrow night because we’ll need all the energy we can get. Plus, we have an early start, Azumi particularly.”

Mana simply gave her sister an exhausted smile.  “You realize you’re telling me things I already know right.”

Itomai smirked back.  “I know sis.  I know.  I'm just... kind of... running through the plan one more time, for my own sanity.”

“I can understand that.”  Mana redirected her gaze to the sister curled up on her bed.  “I guess it’s time to wake her up then, huh?”

Itomai laughed quietly in response, picturing very clearly what would happen if they didn’t wake her up.  “Considering I doubt she wants to be woken up by a sudden painful faceplant on the floor after I rift…as funny as that would be… I’d agree that it’s probably for the best.”

Mana gently shook her sister’s shoulder to rouse her.  “Mmmm… five more minutes…,” was Azumi’s mumbled response. 

While Mana giggled, Itomai simply sighed in frustration before walking around the end of the bed so she was nearer to her sister.  “No Azumi.  Not five minutes.  Now.” She said seriously. 

“Ughh… you suck.  Fine!  I’m up.”  Rubbing the sleep from her eyes she looked at her two sisters.  “Everything okay?”

“Yeah.  Everything is fine.  The plan is set.  We all need some decent rest though, so you and I are going home.”

Yawning, she let out a quiet “Okay” before getting up to stand at Itomai’s side.  She looped her arm around her sister's and turned her gaze to Mana.  “Sleep well little sis.”

“I will, don’t worry.”

Itomai nodded purposefully in Mana’s direction, and Mana closed her eyes tightly in response.  There was a blinding flash of light in the room, similar to a flash bang but without the accompanying sound, and when Mana opened her eyes, she was alone. 

Chapter Text

Two Days Later - 7:30 A.M. - Aishitomi Household

If you asked Itomai what time it was, she would tell you ‘far too early to be awake’. Yet here she was… at 7:30 A.M., awake and dressed with an empty backpack slung over her shoulder, knocking on her sister’s bedroom door.  As usual, Azumi was reluctant to wake, though given the extensive use of her quirk over the past day and half, as well as what she was expected to do today, Itomai couldn’t really fault her for wanting to get a few extra minutes of shut eye.  Unfortunately, they were on a schedule and didn’t have time to waste.  If she wanted to nap, she could and would do it later in Pocket Reality.  Entering the room, Itomai spotted her sister still asleep in the bed.  Tearing off her cover and opening the blinds she said, “Come on Azumi.  It’s time.  You have just enough time to shower and grab something quick to eat before we need to be at Ground Beta."

Azumi groaned in annoyance, but once she remembered that it wasn’t a normal day, and there was actually a reason she needed to be up, she grumpily complied.  “I hate you,” she mumbled under her breath.

Itomai simply replied, “I love you too Sis.  Now get moving, the clock is ticking.”  She wasn’t worried at all about Azumi’s attitude.  Her sister wasn’t a morning person and would be better once she got some food, and probably coffee.  At least she didn’t have to worry about waking Mana, who was already awake and in the kitchen making toast for the three of them. 

8:00 A.M. - Aishitomi Household

“Ready?” Itomai asked, offering her hand to her sister.

“Ready.” Azumi agreed, gripping the offered hand, holding tight, and closing her eyes. 

With a bright white flash, they were gone.

8:00 A.M. - U.A. Campus - Ground Beta

About 16 seconds later in Ground Beta, there was another less intense flash, similar in brightness to a camera rather than the flash bang level of the first.  The girls were plainly visible as soon as the light dissipated, standing in the same position they had been when they left their home. 

Releasing her sister’s hand, Itomai relaxed.  “We’re here. You can open your eyes now.”

Azumi did so, taking a look around… "Well this facility has certainly seen better days…”

Itomai looked around as well, “I think it’s supposed to be like this?  It's probably for training purposes since not every encounter a hero has will be in an architecturally sound area.”

“Hmm… makes sense.  Still, UA is impressive for having such facilities.  Almost makes me wish we could’ve gone.”

Itomai sighed.  “Now is really not the time to reminisce about our lack of a normal high school experience."

“All right, I get it. I’m going already.” Azumi’s eyes began to glow as she activated her quirk.  The dark purple, nearly black, color of her iris’s overtook the light lavender of her sclera before appearing to overflow like liquid from her eyes and onto her cheeks.  The dark color traveled over her skin and hair like ink, reflecting the light with the same hints of cyan, magenta, and yellow that were in her irises initially.  Once her entire body was encompassed, she smiled at Itomai.  “See you soon.”  And with a small flash of purple she was gone.  Only a pile of clothes, which she had been wearing, remained behind. 

Azumi’s quirk was a rather disturbing thing to witness really.  If one wasn’t used to it, the whole process, especially her completely inked out smile, would seem like something out of a horror movie. And if anybody was ever able to see Itomai’s, they would probably say the same.  Not that anybody ever would see it… at least, not in the same way Itomai could. 

After gathering up Azumi’s clothes and shoving them into her backpack, Itomai rifted back home.  She had to reset her cooldown timer, which meant a short rest was in order.  She laid on the couch, mentally triggering her quirk’s Reset ability, knowing that Mana would wake her in a few minutes so they could begin the Target Acquisition phase of Operation Relay Insight.

8:14 A.M. - Aishitomi Household

Mana and Itomai stood together in their living room.  Mana was wearing Itomai’s no longer empty backpack, while Itomai was carefully keeping track of the time on her watch.  At each of their feet was a lime green plastic storage bin, one slightly larger than the other.  Mana’s eyes were closed.  

“T minus 6” Itomai told her.  They had been standing there since 8:07, and the closer they got to T minus 0 minutes, the more anxious Itomai became.

“Targets 1 through 19 have all arrived.  The problem is the non-target.”

They had talked about the non-target before, when they were still planning.  Initially they had included him amongst the targets, but once various factors became clear, he had been eliminated from the list. Unfortunately, that now meant they had to work around him.  While they would follow through with the plan regardless, it was really best to avoid unnecessary panic if possible.

Two minutes later Mana suddenly smiled.  Opening her eyes, she bent to pick up the small green bin at her feet, and the unexpected movement attracted her sister’s attention.  “We’re good to go,” Mana said cheerfully, situating the container under her left arm. 

Itomai raised a brow in question. “And…”

“As we suspected.  Without adult supervision, he attempted to grope one of the targets and ended up knocked out for his efforts.  He may wake before we’re back though which could pose a problem later…”

Itomai bent down and retrieved her own larger bin.  “We’ll have to keep that in mind, and bring it up with the targets before returning…  God this thing is heavy!”

“It’s a good thing you’re so strong then,” Mana joked as she placed her right hand on her sister’s shoulder.

“Yeah. Yeah. You’re very funny.  Close your eyes and send me both locations' current status.  Oh, and tell Azumi to be ready for the first group of targets.”

Mana did as told, and in response to the images now in her mind, Itomai activated her quirk.  Everything around her seemed to freeze as the white of her irises overtook her sclera before the pearlescent color began overflowing from her eyes like liquid.  Much like Azumi’s quirk, the viscous substance coated her body and reflected the light with the same hints of cyan, yellow, and magenta that were in her iris.  Unlike her sister’s quirk though, Itomai’s continued beyond her body.  It coated her clothes and the bin she was carrying before flowing from her shoulder.  

Mana was as still as their surroundings and could neither see nor feel as Itomai’s quirk traveled from their point of contact to encompass her entire body, clothing, backpack, and finally the small bin under her left arm.  As Itomai felt the Rift finish, she triggered it, and with another bright flash they were gone. 

8:16 A.M. - U.A. Campus – Classroom 1-A

Homeroom hadn’t begun yet, and the students stood around socializing.  Aizawa typically didn’t arrive until 8:24 or 25, which meant they had about five minutes before Iida started chopping the air in front of himself and telling them all to be seated.  At the moment though, he was just pleased that everyone had gotten into the habit of arriving so early.

The girls of the class were grouped around Momo’s desk, Mina and Tooru explaining rather animatedly about some new fashion trend.  

Mineta was unconscious and propped up against a wall not too far from them.  Moments ago he had attempted to grope Tsuyu.  Luckily, Ojiro, who had been quietly talking with a seated Tokoyami, noticed him sneaking up on her from behind.  With a quick, strategically placed thwack of his tail, Mineta was out.  Those who had turned to look at the sudden noise were either scowling at Mineta’s behavior or sending Ojiro looks of approval.  Tsuyu had simply nodded and croaked a quiet “Thank you.”  No one gave a second thought to Mineta’s current state.  After all, this wasn’t an unusual occurrence, and he would inevitably wake up before Aizawa arrived.

Midoriya was seated at his own desk, having a conversation with Iida about the importance and benefits of taking “proper notes” during class.  

Bakugou was reclining in his chair in front of them, arms crossed over his chest and fingers twitching as he tried to suppress the urge to explode Kirishima’s face.  The boy absolutely wouldn’t shut up about how “positively manly” the Sports Festival was going to be, despite Bakugou’s threatening aura and numerous attempts to get him to stop. 

Kaminari and Sero were over by Kaminari’s desk, laughing about something he had pulled up on his phone.  

Aoyama, Satou, Shouji, and Kouda were standing in a rough circle at the front of the classroom.  They were theorizing about what the Sports Festival would be like this year compared to previous ones they had seen on TV.  Well, the first three were; Kouda was mainly listening attentively.

Suddenly, there was a low scale flash of light between Tsuyu and Kirishima’s empty desks.  It was easily dismissible as someone using the flash of their phone camera if any of them had seen it out of the corner of their eye.  As it was, only two students even noticed it.  While he didn’t actually see the flash itself, Tokoyami felt Dark Shadow suddenly cower.  Todoroki however, who had been sitting alone at his desk in the back of the room contemplating the strange similarity between All Might and Midoriya, did see it.  He barely had enough time to narrow his eyes in suspicion before the room froze. 

Itomai stood between the two desks, she and her sister still completely cloaked in her quirk.  She looked around the room at the students frozen in time, quickly counting to make sure all 19 targets were there.  Meanwhile, the white light of the Rift spider webbed out from her feet, crossing in fluid-like threads over the floor.  As she confirmed the final count, the liquid light reached the various students and began traveling up their forms.  The seemingly never-ending flow stopped once all 19 targets were fully ensconced, and the white lines on the ground connecting each one to Itomai remained in place.  With a flash, the classroom was empty of all but one unconscious student.

8:16 A.M. HRT - Pocket Reality - Control Room

Azumi was quite proud of herself.  This was the most extensive Pocket Reality she had ever created.  Not all of the features were her idea, and most of them were born of necessity due to the unfortunate situation they found themselves in, but there was still plenty of her own flair thrown in. 

At present, she sat in an octagonal concrete room she had dubbed the 'Control Room'.  The only feature of the wall directly behind her was a closed wooden door.  Following a clockwise pattern, the next two sides of the octagon both had large open door frames.  The first led to another room that was set up as half lounge and half conference room.  The second led to a large theater.  The next wall featured a large translucent floating computer screen.  It displayed several camera feeds, all different angles for the room beyond it which was deemed Room Alpha.  The next wall was the only one in the room that wasn’t made of concrete.  Instead, it was a floor-to-ceiling single pane, bullet proof, and blast resistant window.  From the window, Azumi had a clear one way view of Room Alpha, with the other side of the pane tinted so that those inside wouldn’t be able to see into the Control Room.  The final three sides of the octagon were also covered by translucent floating screens, with camera feeds for Rooms Beta, Gamma, and Delta respectively.  While Rooms Beta through Delta were only about two thirds the size of Alpha, all of the rooms consisted of concrete walls with 30 foot high ceilings and rubber floors.  Azumi didn’t want any of her guests to feel claustrophobic after all.  Some of them may feel trapped, but since they technically were, there really wasn’t anything she could do about that. 

Twenty minutes had passed in Pocket Reality since she had received Mana’s message about the incoming targets.  While she couldn’t be sure exactly when they would arrive due to the time dilation factor of Izumi’s quirk, it was a safe assumption they would arrive sometime in the next half hour since they hadn’t already.  In the meantime, she sat in a comfortable, extra-large rolling desk chair with her knees tucked up beneath her chin and her hoodie pulled over her legs.  She was entertaining herself with a handheld video game she had seen in an alternate reality, while still keeping an eye on both the window before her as well as the screens monitoring Room Alpha. 

7.8 Minutes PRT Later - Still 8:16 A.M HRT - Pocket Reality – Room Alpha

One second there was a flash of light, gaining Azumi’s immediate attention behind the window and making her put down her game, and the next the room was full of people.  

Yaoyorozu, Todoroki, Tokoyami, Midoriya, Bakugou, and Kaminari suddenly fell to the ground now that their chairs were no longer supporting them.  The other students remained standing in the same relative locations as they were when Izumi activated her quirk.  All of class 1-A was temporarily blinded, and the students quickly began to speak over one another in confusion.

“Ouch."

“Oof.”

“What the fuck!”

“What was that light just now?”

“What happened?”

“Where’d my chair go?”

“Where even are we? This doesn’t feel like the school floor…”

“Ow ow ow! Someone is standing on my hand!”

“Oops! Sorry Momo.”

“Can anyone see? Or are we all equally blind right now?”

“Blind.” “I can’t see.” “Definitely Blind.” “The logical conclusion is that the flash we all saw has temporarily blinded us.”

“What’s going on?”

“Maybe Aizawa-sensei is testing us?”

“Or maybe it’s the USJ all over again…”

“Hey! Watch your elbows!”

“Shut the fuck up!”

“Everyone. We need to remain calm.”

“Calm! How am I supposed to be calm?!”

“Is everyone physically okay?”

“Yep.” “Yes.” “I’m good.” “Mm-hm.” “Yes.” “Fine.”

“We’re blind, in an unknown location, with possible villains around.  I’m sure we’re all just peachy.”

“Remember everyone, we are UA Students and future heroes, it is vital for us to remain calm under pressure.”

While they were still blinded, Azumi seized the opportunity.  She used the camera displays to zoom in on the arms of two of the students and activated the tertiary feature of her quirk.  Dark purple fluidic rings appeared around their wrists before flattening and expanding to form cuffs about 2 inches wide.  The purple substance hardened and then receded until it disappeared altogether, leaving metallic silver cuffs behind.  The entire process only took a few seconds.  As soon as she finished, she waved her left hand in such a way that caused the floating screen monitoring Room Alpha to shift to the right and cover the window, leaving the wall it was originally on completely unobstructed.  Immediately after, the dark purple substance of her quirk began coating the wall as well.

Meanwhile, though still blind, Bakugou and Todoroki noticed the sudden new weight on their wrists.

“What the hell is with these bullshit bracelets?!”

“Bracelets?” “Huh?” “What are you talking about?” Asked Kirishima, Kaminari, and Jirou respectively.

“I appear to have them as well.” Todoroki said, showing absolutely no emotion.

“What is this shit?! Who put these on?! I’ll kill you!” He tried to set off his usual small scale explosions in order to intimidate whoever could’ve done it, even if he couldn’t see them.  When nothing happened he yelled in shock, “What the fuck!? I can’t use my quirk!”

“Same…” replied Todoroki in his usual calm. “I believe these are quirk cancelling cuffs.”

Multiple choruses of “Really?”, “Oh no!”, and “Not good” went around the room.

“My quirk is still fine,” Kaminari said with low levels of electricity sparking at his fingertips.

Momo produced a small marble in her palm.  “Mine is good as well.  Is anyone else unable to use their quirk?”

“Dark Shadow has temporarily withdrawn, though I can still feel him and am not wearing any cuffs.”

Midoriya mumbled to himself, “So they just took out two of the heavy hitters?” 

Unfortunately Bakugou was standing close enough to hear him.  “Fuck you Deku! Even if I can’t use my quirk, I can still crush whoever did this shit!”

While the blind students tried to figure out their situation, Itomai glanced around the room.  Seeing her sister’s quirk progressing up the wall behind her, she quietly made her way over to it.  Once the wall was completely coated the purple substance seemed to pause for a few seconds before once again disappearing into the floor.  The wall was now completely gone, and Azumi was smiling at her from her chair inside the Control Room.  Itomai simply nodded back before turning her head towards Mana who still stood near the students, “You coming?”

Several of the students tensed at the unknown voice.

Mana smiled at her.  “Nope. I’m good here.”

At the second voice, the students became aware that they were dealing with more than one person, likely female from the sound.  The circumstances of the USJ were running through their minds, and all were assuming they had two villains on their hands.  A few were focused on trying to gather as much information as they could about their captors before their sight returned, namely Midoriya, Momo, Todoroki, Jirou, Shouji, and Bakugou.

“Are you sure?” Itomai asked, clearly concerned and glancing between her younger sister and the loud blonde boy. 

Mana glanced at Bakugou and pursed her lips in thought for a moment before replying.  “Yeah. I’m sure.  They’re hero students.  And I don’t think the rest of them would hurt me without proper cause.”

That threw several of the students for a loop.  One of the villains was worried about them attacking the other?  That just sounded weird… like something wasn't quite right.

Iida felt insulted.  As if the outstanding hero students of UA would do such a thing.

Todoroki had latched onto the phrase 'the rest of them'.  That would mean she thought more than one of us would attack.  Since Bakugou and I are the only ones whose quirks were canceled, then it must be the two of us.  I can see Bakugou attacking without thinking.  But why me? That’s something That Man would do and I am nothing like Him.

Midoriya and Momo however were having similar thoughts.  If they’re worried we would attack them unprovoked, then perhaps/maybe we’re not dealing with villains after all…

“Very well.  Be careful.” Itomai told Mana.

“Always.” Mana happily replied.

She sounds like she’s our age , thought Jirou.

Itomai continued through the opening and into the Control Room before setting down the large bin she carried.  “You may want to close that behind me,” she whispered to Azumi.

“On it.” Azumi said, sending her quirk to recreate the wall.

Both Jirou’s and Shouji’s eyebrows raised in surprise at the third voice. 

The room was quiet for a moment before Asui’s voice broke the tension. “Who are you kero?”

“Oh!” Mana startled at the sudden question.  “I’m Mana Aishitomi, but you all can feel free to just call me Mana.”

“Okay… um… Mana,” Momo continued, “Where are we, and why can’t we see?”

“The ‘where’ is a bit complicated?  In short you’re in Pocket Reality.  It’s kind of like its own little universe I guess.  I’m not really the best at explaining it.”

“Pocket Reality?” “Its own universe?” “You’ve got to be kidding me. We’ve been taken by crazy people!" 

“Hey! We’re not crazy!  Pocket Reality is part of my sister’s quirk.”

Izuku felt his brain go into hyper drive as he heard about such a unique quirk.  What all could this person do?! If they were able to essentially create their own dimension, what are the limits? Can they hold us captive indefinitely? Maybe they are villains… but… she doesn’t act like other villains I've seen…

Bakugou was fed up. “Why are you all just having a normal conversation?! She’s a villain!!!”

“I don’t think she is,” Momo calmly said. 

“I don’t think so either,” Izuku added, though a bit more hesitantly.

It was at this point that the student’s vision started coming back.  The girl before them seemed to be about their age and had pale skin with short and wavy pearlescent white hair. 

From what they could tell, the room they were in was exceptionally large, made of concrete, and didn’t have any obvious doors.  One wall did appear to be made of some sort of black glass though, and a few of the students considered that if they were going to attempt an escape, breaking through it would probably be their best bet.   Before any of them could comment on that fact however, another voice began speaking.  It sounded like it was coming from speakers, but they couldn't see any in the room.  “Yaoyorozu and Midoriya are correct.  We are not villains, and we have no intention of harming you or keeping you here longer than necessary.  We wouldn’t have brought you here at all if it weren’t for certain extenuating circumstances.  That being said… Mana?”

“Yes?”

“Itomai is ready.  She needs you to send her the locations for Targets 20-25.”

“Right.” Mana closed her eyes and activated her quirk.  “Hmm…”  Her brow furrowed at something she was seeing.  After coming to a decision, she sent the location to Itomai, then opened her eyes.  “Itomai, a non-target is in the room as well.  Go ahead and bring him.  It’s better than leaving him there and causing unnecessary panic.”

There was a brief pause then, “Itomai told me to tell you that she agrees.”

"Now that that's finished, where was I? … …" Mana pursed her lips in thought for a moment.  The 1-A students were too shocked at the seemingly normal appearance and demeanor of their abductor to say anything. "Right. Yaoyorozu asked why you were all blind. Well, you were right when you said that the temporary blindness was caused by the bright flash… so you already knew that. What I assume you really want to know is why there was a flash, or rather, what caused it.  The answer to that question would be my other sister's quirk!  She has the ability to travel through what she calls the 'Rift'. This effectively lets her teleport herself and others as well as inanimate objects.  When I was little, she explained to me that because the Rift is made primarily of light, that when she activates her quirk there's always a really, really bright flash when she leaves and a smaller, less bright flash when she gets to wherever she's rifting to.  It can temporarily blind those around her and anyone she takes with her when she leaves. Sorry about that by the way… but there really wasn't any way to warn you.  Our dad's quirk is actually like that too.  He's a retired hero!  Though he wasn't well known or anything… mostly did underground and behind the scenes support work, you know?  His quirk isn't as powerful as Itomai's though.  She can take other people and objects with her, but he can only transport himself.  It's pretty funny actually," she continued with a giggle, lowering her voice to a conspiratorial whisper that was still loud enough to be heard by all the students, "whenever he rifts somewhere his clothes are left behind and he shows up totally naked, just lik-- "

"Mana! Mana. Stop. You're rambling again. Take a breath. I doubt most of them care about dad's past heroics, and I'm sure they have more questions to ask."

A few of the students were stunned as their captor rambled on in a way that reminded them a bit of their green-headed classmate. 

Midoriya, on the other hand, was fascinated to hear about another quirk, especially one so uncommon.  Teleportation or warping quirks were exceptionally rare, and even in his vast knowledge of heroes and villains, the only other one he knew about, and had the misfortune to experience first hand, blonged to that one mist villain at the USJ.  Top it off with getting to hear about a hero he hadn't already heard of, and Midoriya was ready to ask a whole bunch of questions. 

"Oh!" Mana's cheeks lit up pink with her embarrassment.  "I'm so sorry! I tend to ramble when I'm nervous, and Azumi's right. You must have more questions."

Just as Izuku was about to open his mouth, Iida said, "Who exactly is Azumi?"

As Mana went to answer, Azumi's voice interrupted. "I'm the one that created and controls this Pocket Reality. I'm also responsible for the quirk canceling cuffs that Todoroki and the angry one are wearing, and I'm the only person with the ability to remove them."

"Ehhh! Who you calling names!? Take these cuffs off me or I'll kick your ass!"

Jirou, Iida, Momo, and Izuku all shook their heads.  They knew Bakugou's outbursts wouldn't help his situation. Kirishima at least was trying to calm him down. 

Todoroki just rolled his eyes.  "I can understand putting them on Bakugou,"

"Hey!"

"But what need is there to cuff me?"

Mana took over for Azumi to explain. "Well… like you said, Bakugou's quirk has been canceled for obvious reasons."

"Stop talking about me like I'm not here!" These people are seriously starting to piss me off.

Mana completely ignored him. "You're quirk was canceled because thanks to your 'training'," she said, accenting the word as if it was something repulsive, "your reaction time is so quick and your quirk usage so instinctual that if you thought we were villains, I would be frozen in a big block of ice before we even had a chance to explain the situation. And I would definitely like to avoid frostbite and hypothermia, thank you very much."

Several of the students were becoming more and more disturbed by their captors' apparent knowledge.  They had addressed multiple people by name, clearly knew what their quirks were, and somehow were aware of Bakugou's personality and Todoroki's speed with his ice.  Tension in the room rose as most students realized that the girl before them was, without a doubt, more informed than the villains that attacked the USJ. If their captors were in fact villains, then the students were in serious danger. 

Todoroki was even more worried, though his expression remained as cool as ever. She put air quotes around the word training… and the way she said it… it was like it was something disgusting.  Just how MUCH does she know?

"And what exactly is the situation? Why were we brought here?" Midoriya asked. 

"Now that is an excellent question!" Mana said smiling. "The reason you were all brought here is because I need to relay some very important information to you.  This will hopefully help you deal with the League of Villains, and others, the next time they strike.  Plus, with any luck, you'll all become better heroes in the process!"

Momo was confused. "What kind of information do you plan to give us, and where did you get this information? No offense Mana, but if you aren't a villain yourself then I have trouble seeing how you would have access to information on the League of Villains." Certain pieces weren't fitting together and it was making her uneasy. 

"If I had to describe this information I would say… let's see… … it's extensive, distressing, top secret, and lifesaving if used correctly." She held her hand up next to her while she spoke and for each description one of her fingers went up as if counting.  "You are right in thinking that as a normal civilian I wouldn't and honestly shouldn't normally have access to this information.  However, my quirk makes that restriction kind of irrelevant."  She shrugged and let her hand drop to her side once more. 

Izuku was already forming theories in his head.  A quirk that provides lifesaving information and information about villains… plus Azumi asked her about locations and to send them to someone else.  But she didn't appear to do anything other than close her eyes… maybe a mental quirk? If it's a type of telepathy and she happened to overhear one or more of the villains thoughts while they were planning something then that could've given her this information… maybe… "So, what is your quirk?" Midoriya asked, intrigued.

Mana pursed her lips and stared at her feet.  "It's… complicated. … … My quirk's technically a form of future sight.  I can't control when it's primary skill activates though, only the secondary ones."  She looked up at the class once again. "I promise I'll explain it all to you later. But it's a whole long thing, and there are other people we're waiting on who also need this information.  And I'd really rather not go through it over and over again."

"That's… acceptable… I suppose," Momo said.  Though it doesn't make you any less suspicious.

It was then Ochako spoke up. "You said we're waiting on other people?"

"Yep! 29 more people to be exact! 15 are other students and staff from U.A, one is a law enforcement officer, ten are Professional Heroes, and the final three are civilians. We only planned for 28 of them, but adding the extra is necessary to avoid panic. As a member of the U.A. staff though, he shouldn't have a problem keeping what he learns here to himself.  Plus Principal Nedzu probably would've informed him anyway once you all returned." 

The students were relieved to hear that their teachers would arrive soon.  

Momo still had other concerns.  "Three civilians?  Can we trust them with this 'top secret' information?" 

"I understand your concern, and normally you would be right.  These three civilians all have very specific reasons for being here though.  One is a child who couldn't be left unsupervised.  His guardians are some of the heroes we're bringing here, and we refuse to traumatize the boy more than he already has been by making them disappear in front of him.  He won't be given all the information, but for his growth,  and to help him heal from previous trauma, he will be given some of it.  As for what he'll be doing the rest of the time we're here… … well, I'm sure Azumi has some ideas for how to keep him occupied."

"You bet I do!" Azumi's disembodied voice said into the room. 

Mana smirked and shook her head at her sister's enthusiasm. 

"Hey! Don't shake your head at me.  I've been stuck in Pocket Reality for just over 13 days waiting for you all to show up!  I had to come up with something to pass the time or I would've started to go stir crazy." 

"And how many video games did you create this time?"

"Uh… well… rnrnnrjdjjd" she mumbled something indistinctly.

"What was that?" Mana pried, smiling all the while.

"Nine." Azumi admitted reluctantly. 

"And how many would you have made if you had other people to play with during those 13 days?"

"Okay. Okay. You made your point already… Mom." 

At that Mana pursed her lips.  It wasn't her fault she was more level headed than Azumi.  

Before she could say much to defend herself, Azumi continued, "Ooooh, do you think this Kota kid will play some multiplayer games with me? I only generated single player ones since I was here by myself, and I don't need to be there the entire time for the whole Relay Insight thing anyway.  You can just come get me at the key moments!"

Mana just closed her eyes, shook her head, and smiled at how her sister had managed to so easily turn the tables on her, but still she answered the question asked of her.  "I'm not sure to be honest.  His past trauma makes him understandably temperamental and standoffish.  You can always…"

"Oh! Hold that thought. Itomai's back with the next set of targets." Azumi's voice faded out as she turned her complete attention to Room Beta. 

Chapter Text

Pocket Reality - Control Room

The situation was less than ideal and Azumi had to get to work immediately.  Like with the students, she zoomed in on the cameras so she had a clear view of two of the targets' wrists and activated her quirk to create cuffs.  Unfortunately, unlike the students who couldn't see the purple light because they were all blinded, one of the new targets had the benefit of having his eyes closed when transported, meaning he could see just fine.

Pocket Reality - Room Beta

Aizawa was not happy.  Not that he was a cheerful person to begin with…but right now? Right now, he was pissed.  He had fallen asleep on one of the couches in the faculty room.  He wasn't completely asleep of course, just in that half asleep/half awake state that allowed him to rest his mind before a day of dealing with a bunch of problem children.  However, when he noticed a flash behind his eyelids at the same time the couch suddenly disappeared from beneath him (causing his still healing body to be slammed roughly into the ground), he instantly went on high alert.

Opening his eyes and springing to his feet, he saw he was in a concrete room, that was most definitely not the faculty room he had fallen asleep in.  And to top it off, the room had no apparent exits.  His fellow teachers were there also, though they appeared to be looking around in confusion. Most of them had fallen to the floor since their seats had  disappeared.  All Might was in his small form back and to his right.  His eyes were closed,  and he was clutching his side in pain and coughing up a bit of blood at being so suddenly jostled.  Nemuri and Hizashi were both standing off to Shouta's left.  The first was blinking her eyes repeatedly as if trying to clear her vision while the second was rubbing his eyes with his palms.  Vlad and Power Loader were both on the ground. Power Loader was blinking repeatedly like Midnight, while Vlad appeared to have his eyes squinted so tight they were nearly closed as his head rapidly scanned the room.  Ectoplasm was standing to his right, his mouth was wide open and two clones were rapidly forming before him.

We've been teleported to an unknown location and trapped.  It took him mere seconds to evaluate his surroundings and identify the one person that didn't belong.  Rapidly spinning around to face the girl behind him, he sent out his capture gear to trap her in place.  She didn't make any attempt to dodge as her eyes opened wide in surprise, which was good news as far as Aizawa was concerned.  Slow reaction time.  Not expecting my attack.  Likely inexperienced.  Young.  Amateuer villain?  Probably not combat oriented...likely the one that brought us here.  More transportation based like that Kurogiri villain?  Seems to have a solid body though, so should be relatively easy to take down as long as she can't teleport away.   However, he knew better than to underestimate an opponent.  Need to keep in mind the possibility of others.  Is she working with the League?  Need more information… He cancelled her quirk with his own, and maintained his distance.  "Who are you, where are we, and why have you brought us here?"

At his harsh tone as well as his questions, the other blinded teachers all tensed for a fight.  All Might, Vlad King, and Power Loader jumped to their feet, All Might instinctually buffing up in the process, as all the teachers turned to face the direction Aizawa seemed to be speaking towards.  Even if they couldn't see, they could still hear, and with so many of them, they could certainly still put up a fight.

The girl in front of them had her long black wavy hair pulled up into a high ponytail.  She was wearing a pair of black jeans and a dark blue shirt with a black leather jacket over it.  A pair of combat boots completed the look.  She didn't have any weapons as far as Aizawa could tell, but he couldn't be certain that there weren't any concealed somewhere on her person.  

She took a deep breath before looking him straight in the eye and answering. "I'm Itomai Aishitomi.  You are in a quirk-created Pocket Reality.  You were all brought here because my little sister's quirk revealed certain information to her which we felt necessary to relay to you."

Ectoplasm's clones didn't have the same trouble seeing as their creator and had flanked Itomai on either side during the questioning, providing backup in case she managed to escape Eraserhead's capture gear. 

The other teachers' gazes all snapped to where her voice came from. Midnight made a small tear on her sleeve in preparation for her quirk. As soon as her vision came back and she could be sure she wasn't knocking out her allies as well, she would use it.  

The fact that the girl answered his questions immediately was a point in her favor, Aizawa decided.  However, that last answer was far too vague.   

Before he could question her further, she continued.  "I'm sure you have more questions, but for your own health I would advise deactivating your quirk.  From my understanding, your eyes are already damaged enough as is, and we don't wish to be the cause of further harm."  

He only glared harder at her in response, though the actual concern in her tone startled him.  

He was even more surprised as she quickly added, "Feel free to keep me restrained in your gear if that makes you more comfortable.  Between you and Ectoplasm's clones, and my lack of combat training, it's not as if I would have any hope of escaping or fighting back anyway.  Plus my quirk is on Cooldown for at least another 58 seconds, which means even if you weren't canceling my quirk I still couldn't use it yet. Interestingly enough, it's countdown seems to have paused when you canceled it, something that I didn't foresee happening, though I suppose it makes sense.  Anyway, until you deactivate your quirk, my Cooldown won't change at all. We're not villains and don't wish to harm you or anyone else.  We're simply civilians that have some vital information we wanted to get into the right hands.  Hopefully with it, you'll be able to save a couple lives and prevent the imminent end of multiple hero careers." 

Since Midnight was still blinded, she couldn't see as Azumi's quirk began forming cuffs around her wrists.  

Aizawa was too focused on not releasing Itomai and keeping her quirk cancelled to look down at his own.  It wasn't until he felt them solidify and his quirk suddenly shut off, that he glanced down, only to see some sort of dark purple substance receding from a pair of silver cuffs that had materialized out of thin air.  He recognized them immediately as quirk suppressing cuffs, though they were certainly slimmer and more streamlined than the bulky ones heroes and law enforcement used when apprehending villains.  

Midnight's sudden and unnerved "What in the world?" as she felt her wrists drew his attention.  Upon noticing the same pair of cuffs on her, he quickly scanned his fellow colleagues, Ectoplasm's clones doing the same. 

"It appears our captors have somehow placed both Eraserhead and Midnight in quirk canceling cuffs." Ectoplasm informed the rest.

The other heroes, with the exception of Aizawa who already knew as much, tensed in concern.  

Aizawa redirected his intensified but now quirkless glare towards Itomai. "Why?"

It was only one word, but Itomai felt a chill crawl up her spine.  God he's intimidating.   "Midnight is in the cuffs until we can be sure her quirk won't destabilize this Pocket Reality.  You are wearing them for the same reason, in addition to the fact that we are concerned about the strain you using your quirk here will put on your body given your recent injuries.  As I said before, if we can prevent it, we don't want anyone injuring themselves here.  It could have negative repercussions when we finally leave."

"Hey! My vision is coming back yo!" Mic suddenly declared.  

"Mine as well." All Might agreed. 

The rest of the heroes nodded as well, looking around the room to evaluate their surroundings before zeroing their gaze on the girl trapped in Aizawa's capture weapon.

Aizawa was relieved that his fellow heroes could see again and felt the tension drain ever so slightly from his shoulders.  While he certainly wasn't happy about being cuffed, or kidnapped in general, the girl wasn't struggling or attempting to escape his capture weapon.  As an underground hero, Aizwawa had dealt with some of the seedier, more manipulative villains and criminal organizations, and after years of doing so, he had become rather adept at reading people.  The girl before him had not only answered every question he had thrown at her, but had looked him in the eye while doing so.  She seemed… honest .  That was the only way he could think to put it.  Despite their sudden abduction, the girl appeared to earnestly want to deliver whatever this information is that she believed to be so helpful.  

Slowly, Aizawa released her from his gear and crossed his arms in front of himself.

"Eraserhead!" came All Might's voice, booming in shock.

"Shou-" before Mic could even finish his name Aizawa turned his head over his shoulder to glance at him. 

"I believe her." He said seriously.  

Ectoplasm nodded his head in agreement and allowed his clones to begin dissolving, having come to the same conclusion Aizawa had after watching the entire interrogation via his clones' eyes.  

Midnight relaxed her posture and stance, accepting Aizawa's judgement immediately.

Mic stared into Aizawa's eyes for a moment before shrugging his shoulders and stuffing his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket with a big smile.  "Good enough for me!"

Power Loader and Vlad King relaxed as well, though not so much because of Aizawa as it was due to Ectoplasm's reaction.

All Might, however, was hesitant to relax.  He looked at the girl, who was currently still standing in place with one hand on her left shoulder as she rotated her arm, no doubt trying to rid herself of the discomfort of being trapped in Aizawa's capture weapon. She was young...a child in his mind...probably a few years or so older than his successor.  She seemed entirely non-threatening, and he trusted Aizawa's judgement as a fellow hero.  But he knew better than to let his guard down, so despite Aizawa's proclamation, he still didn't let his hero form drop.  It was at that moment another thought occurred to him. This girl had to have seen me transform and yet...the entire time she was answering Aizawa's questions, she didn't mention it or seem surprised in the least.   That leaves three options. Either she didn't notice...which is impossible since she was the one to bring us here...or she was too distracted by and focused on Aizawa to really process the change in my form...again, doubtful since she seems to know about the others and their quirks...or...she already knew .   The last option was both the most logical and most distressing conclusion.  

All Might was behind Itomai in a blink. And just when I thought they were done with the unnecessary but understandable attacks on my person too.  She winced as her small wrists were held together awkwardly behind her back by one of his large hands.  His other hand gripped her shoulder gently but threateningly.  "Ow! Ow. What?! All Might? Why?!" To say she was shocked would be an understatement, and apparently she wasn't the only one.  Present Mic's jaw was hanging open in surprise.  Midnight, Eraserhead, and Vlad King's eyes were all opened noticeably wider than before.  The only expressions she couldn't read were Power Loader's and Ectoplasm's. She craned her neck back to look at All Might's face. 

His gaze was hard as he evaluated the girl's confused expression and lack of violent reaction.  If it weren't for the knowledge she absolutely shouldn't have, I would be tempted to believe the innocent act.  But after the USJ, after seeing that young Shigaraki villain, and after realizing that HE is likely still alive and would absolutely use children in his endeavors, I'm not taking the chance.  

Before he could begin his own interrogation, the clearly worried disembodied voice of a young woman sounded through the room.  "Oh my God! No! Itomai! Are you okay?! Do you want me to…"

"No!" Itomai's distressed voice urgently interrupted as her gaze snapped forward and away from the hero restraining her. "You can't! No cuffs. Not for All Might."

"But-"

"No." Itomai said seriously.  "I'm sure he has a good reason for this, and we can't risk the cuffs.  We have no idea what effect forcing his body out of this form would have.  It could hurt him."

She sounded legitimately concerned for All Might's well being which only confused the hero further.  

Meanwhile, the others were concerned with his seemingly out of character behavior. 

"But Itomai…" the voice protested.

"I said no, Azumi, and I mean it. I'll be fine."

There were a few seconds of silence in which this Azumi person seemed to consider her options. 

"Fine." She declared, clearly reluctant. "But if he harms you, I don't care what you say.  I'll put cuffs on all of them!  Better safe than sorry.  They don't need access to their quirks to learn what they need to." It was said with a sense of finality that had all the teachers tensing. 

Itomai closed her eyes and sighed, knowing that she wouldn't get any better than that from her sister.  Looking back once more at a glaring All Might, she asked the question on everyone's mind, "Why?"

All Might's glare at the girl didn't let up as he tried to figure her out.  His grip on her wrists did marginally lessen at her defense of him, though not enough to release her.  "You knew about my other form.  Before I ever transformed here, in this place, you knew.  No one but the UA faculty and five very specific people know about it.  Four of them would never tell anyone without my express consent, and even then they would likely hesitate to do so.  The other is a villain who, prior to the USJ, I believed to be dead and wouldn't hesitate to share my condition with his minions.  Explain!" 

Her eyes opened wide with realization and concern as he reached the villain part of his speech.  "No! No. Absolutely not! It's not what you think! I swear! We would never work with or for such a despicable being! He's one of the main reasons we brought you here to begin with! To stop him!"

"So what? You're betraying your master?" Asked Ectoplasm critically.  

Itomai's pleading eyes didn't leave All Might's.  "No. That's not it at all.  We really are just civilians. Not villains! Heck, our dad's even a retired hero.  We only know about your form, about Him, about all of you, about the danger coming because of my younger sister's quirk.  It's called Insight.  She has visions...of the past, of the present, and of the future.  But she can't control it or trigger it on her own.  It's activated by a Catalyst. A person in danger. More importantly, it's a person in preventable danger if there is enough forewarning and information given in time.  This was the biggest vision she's ever had.  She was in a coma for almost 12 days because of it! We knew we had to do something ! There's so many bad things that are going to happen. So many! People are going to get hurt! A hero is going to die ! Your secret is going to be revealed to the world way too soon, and you'll have no more time left! We have to show you so you can stop it from happening! You all have to help stop it! It can't be like last time. It can't!" 

The girl was crying hysterically at this point and somehow hadn't even realized that All Might released her half way through her stressed ranting, despite the fact she was now using her hands to frantically wipe the tears from her eyes.  

They were all so focused on her that none of them noticed the wall behind them being coated silently in dark purple before disappearing.  

Azumi couldn't help herself. She knew she was supposed to stay in the Control Room. To monitor everyone and make changes to her Pocket Reality as necessary. To let her sisters handle gathering the targets and explaining the basic who, where, and why to them.  She was supposed to… but she couldn't.  She couldn't stay in that room, sitting behind her screens and watching her sister break down.  Itomai was the strong one.  She was the one who took care of business.  She was calm and level-headed, and it usually took a lot to phase her.  Azumi was the dramatic one of the pair, the chaotic one… the one who's emotions were more up and down and extreme.  Seeing her normally serious sister, her twin, crying hysterically… she couldn't just sit there and watch.  

Aizawa and the other heroes were at a loss as to how to calm the girl. Normally, Midnight would've used her quirk to sedate her, but the cuffs she was wearing made that impossible.

All Might was feeling incredibly guilty for upsetting her so much. The girl was clearly not a villain and had far more weight on her shoulders than he had realized.  Because of the direction he was facing, All Might was the first to notice the new girl sprinting towards them.  

She dashed through the teachers, each one looking at the sudden new arrival in shock and confusion as they braced for an attack.  But instead, the newcomer barreled into Itomai without even a glance at them, and wrapped her arms around her. 

"It's okay MaiMai! I'm here.  Don't cry.  It'll be okay.  We can help this time! It doesn't have to be like before! Mana will be okay! I promise. I promise. Just breathe with me okay? In...2...3...out...2...3…4..."

Itomai mimicked her sister's slow, even breathing until she was able to calm down.  Wiping her eyes one last time, she looked up at Azumi, who seemed on the border of tears herself, and hugged her.  "Thank you Zumi.  I'm sorry I worried you. I'll…I'll be okay. You don't need to worry any more. I'll take care of everything." 

Azumi seemed hesitant, but eventually nodded before looping her arm around Itomai's and moving to stand at her side with her head leaning on Itomai's shoulder.  She would be her sister's silent support. 

Itomai bowed at her waist, pulling Azumi with her.  "I apologize for my outburst… and for making you think you had been captured by some horrible villain. It was not our intention to scare you. Transporting you all here was simply the best way we could relay this information within the limited timeframe we have.  I assure you we would've forewarned you, but going through proper channels would take too much time."

Midnight walked over to the girl and placed her hand on the opposite shoulder of where Azumi was.  "It's okay.  Go ahead and stand up.  Itomai, you said your name was?" The girl nodded as she stood.  "You clearly did what you thought was best.  Now what is this information that's so important?"

Itomai cringed.  "That's...I can't really tell you all of it yet.  You see, you aren't the only ones who need to know in order to fix the future.  I still have other important people to pick up and once they're all here we can tell -"

"Or rather Show ," Azumi interrupted, smiling.

Itomai rolled her eyes at her sister but acquiesced, "We can show you what you need to know." 

"Okay... You said before this has to do with hero careers, saving lives, and the reveal of All Might's true form.  From that, I can only assume this information includes future villain attacks." At the two girls confirming nods, Aizawa continued.  "Is spreading this information to so many people wise? Can they all be trusted not to leak it to the press, or even worse the villains themselves?"  His arms were crossed in front of him and his voice took on the same serious tone he would use when questioning his students' decisions in a hero exercise. 

It was the new girl in their midst that responded.  "All of the people we plan to tell are trustworthy as far as Mana has seen through her quirk, and for the most part they all have a direct part to play in future events.  Only three do not.  One is a young boy who we couldn't leave unsupervised since we plan to bring his guardians here.  You don't need to worry about him though.  He and I are going to have tons of fun playing video games for most of the whole future part.  He'll get to see the past because we truly believe it will be good for him, but he'll only be allowed to view one part of the future. The only other two people who will be viewing everything but don't affect the situation directly, are parents of participants.  We strongly believe they deserve to know, and should have been informed a while ago, of what has been going on in their son's lives." At this she sent a brief scolding look at All Might, one that caused his eyes to open in realization.  

Now that Aizawa could focus on it, the newcomer's voice was easily identifiable as the same one that had been projected into the room earlier threatening to cuff them all.  Despite this, her appearance was anything but threatening.  She had the same black wavy hair as Itomai, only it cascaded loose down her back rather than being restricted in a ponytail.  Aside from the differing eye colors they appear to be nearly identical…probably twins.  She was dressed in a way that could only be described as comfortable, with an oversized light purple hoodie that went down to her mid-thigh and a pair of galaxy print leggings.  She wasn't even wearing shoes, but rather a pair of fluffy dark purple socks.  If it weren't for the earpiece with the small attached microphone she wore, Aizawa would be tempted to believe the girl just woke up.

"Okay. I suppose that is understandable. Who all do you plan to reveal this information to?" Aizawa questioned.  He was starting to get a headache, and he didn't think it would let up anytime soon.

Itomai took over explanations again.  "Those in this room, of course, and some more members of the U.A. Faculty that I still need to go pick up.  Detective Tsukauchi, The Wild Wild Pussy Cats, the heroes Nighteye, Bubble Girl, and Gran Torino...and maybe Ingenium, Fat Gum, and Ryukyu if we get some lucky timing.  I still have to pick up all of them as well, plus the two mothers, the boy, and 5 more UA students. I already picked up 1-A by the way, they're in the other room." At that the teacher's eyes all opened in shock. 

"My class is here?!" Aizawa questioned angrily. 

Itomai was unphased.  Or more accurately, all the emotion had already drained out of her when she broke down, and now she was just too tired to be phased.  "Yes. I picked them up first. And as I just told you, I have a ton more people that I still have to get, and we have a limited time frame to work in so we really need to move this along."

Aizawa glared.  While he believed the girl, he needed to be sure his students were safe.  "Where are they?"

"Yes. Where are the students?" All Might added. 

"Azumi can show you where they are.  You have the option to either observe them from the Control Room or join them.  We weren't sure which you'd prefer since we thought seeing their reactions when put in this situation might give you some lesson ideas.  I would very much appreciate one of you remaining here though."

"Why?" Midnight asked. 

"After the whole All Might grabbing me and Aizawa holding me in his capture gear, I would very much not like to repeat the experience of heroes attacking me.  If at least one of you could remain to set the next batch I bring at ease and explain the situation, then I can more quickly retrieve the rest.  I'll leave it to you all to decide who you think is best." From there she turned towards her sister.  "Tell Mana to send me the locations of the next set so I can get going." 

"Can do!" Giving Itomai's arm one last squeeze, she turned to the teachers.  "I'm Azumi. It's nice to officially meet you! If you could please follow me, I'll show you to the Control Room." She maneuvered her way past the teachers, and into a smaller room through the missing wall, which half of them still hadn't noticed had disappeared behind them.  

Aizawa followed immediately, expecting to see his students.  Ectoplasm and Power Loader did as well, curious what exactly the 'Control Room' entailed.  

Vlad King, Midnight, and Present Mic all looked at each other before Mic shrugged and said, "Plus Ultra?" Midnight and Vlad laughed as all three began walking.  

All Might stuck behind for a moment.

"Aishitomi-san?" 

Itomai looked up at the hero. "Yes?"

"I apologize for frightening you earlier. Without knowing of your sister's quirk, I truly believed the only way for you to have known about my form was through Him."  His tone was repentant.  

"It's okay All Might.  I understand.  It was a completely logical conclusion given the information you had at the time.  I just wish I would've thought of it when we were in the planning phase so I could have set your mind at ease sooner."

"It's fine.  I shouldn't have jumped to such a conclusion and been so rough with you without confirming my suspicions first.  I will strive to do better in the future!"

She could practically hear the 'ting!' as he smiled that signature All Might smile.  "I'm sure you will. There's something else you should know though… something I didn't want to say in front of the others…"

"What is it?" All Might's smile dropped and his guard was up again, thinking maybe this new information had to do with his nemesis. 

"It's about your injury."  All Might's eyes widened and he brought his hand up to his side in response, as she continued.  "We didn't learn about it from my sister's vision.  Well...not this one anyway.  You see...our family has actually known for almost 6 years now...since just after it happened really."

All Might's jaw actually dropped open in shock. These people knew about my secret for that long and never told anyone? "How?"

"Back when that fight happened, you were in the news a lot.  A couple days before that, after a different villain fight you were doing an interview on TV.  My younger sister saw that interview and you acted as the Catalyst to trigger her quirk.  She was only ten at the time, and didn't have anywhere near as much practice or control with her quirk as she does now.  Because of that, what would now only take her three or four days to see at most, took seven.  By the time she woke up and could tell us what she saw, it was too late. You had already been injured and there was nothing we could do.  We were all upset, but our family understood there wasn't anything that could be done about it.  But Mana...she was devastated.  She wouldn't leave her room for weeks, refused meals, and cried constantly.  She thought it was her fault that you got hurt.  It wasn't until quite a while after that, I assume after you got whatever treatment you required, and you were seen doing hero work again that she finally started accepting what had happened.  From that point on she worked as much as she could to get better with her quirk...to hopefully keep it from happening again.  Now that she's older, she understands that it's not her fault, that the only one at fault is that horrible piece of scum villain.  She knows that...logically… but… emotionally? Emotionally, she still feels guilty.  She doesn't say it, but Azumi and I can tell.  So please, please All Might...be careful! I don't think she could take another failure like that.  I'm worried it would break her.  Take the information you learn here to heart, and don't let this opportunity go to waste, for the sake of yourself, all the people you can still help, and for her." 

Pocket Reality - Control Room

"Welcome to my Pocket Reality!" Azumi said proudly, gesturing to the room around her.  Plopping herself back down in her chair, she brought one finger up to her earpiece and turned a small wheel before clicking a button.  "Mana, all is good now. Itomai needs the locations for Targets 26 through 33." Tapping the button once more, she turned off the communication device and resumed talking to the teachers, "This is the Control Room.  From here, I'm able to monitor all of the arrival rooms.  It also serves as the center point of Pocket Reality, and all of the other rooms meet and build off of it."  

While the teachers were listening, their gazes were mostly directed elsewhere in the room.  Power Loader was evaluating the floating computer screens.  Eraserhead immediately stepped beyond the girl to stand in front of a floor to ceiling window through which he could see his class standing together facing an unknown girl.  The girl had her back to the window, and he could only assume this was the 'Mana' the other two had spoken of.  He was immensely relieved to find his class unharmed, though a quick scan revealed that both Bakugou and Todoroki wore the same quirk canceling cuffs that encircled his own wrists.  Midnight joined him by the window placing a supportive hand on his shoulder.  Present Mic had wandered just into the theater and was looking around curiously, but was still close enough to hear Azumi.  Neither Vlad King nor Ectoplasm were comfortable taking their eyes off the one person that apparently controlled the Pocket Reality they were trapped in, so for now both remained standing in front of her.  

"The room you all arrived in is Room Beta.  And clearly you've found your students.  That's Room Alpha.  Our younger sister Mana is the girl you see with the white hair and her back to us.  That window is one way by the way.  The other side is completely blacked out, so if you want to observe your students from here for a while before joining them you totally can.  I'll leave that up to you." Eraserhead simply nodded in response. "To your immediate left you'll see the monitors for Room Alpha.  I can use them to get a closer view of anything in the room if you want, for instance if you're looking for particular facial reactions or anything like that.  Zooming in on the arms for example is how I was able to get a detailed enough view to apply the cuffs with my quirk."

It was at this point All Might entered the room.  He was still a bit flabbergasted by what Itomai had told him.  A ten year old girl, who I have never even met , witnessed my fight with All for One and blamed herself for my injury? He really wasn't sure what to think or how to respond.  Which was just as well, since it turned out Itomai didn't expect a response right away, if ever.  Right after she had told him, he hung his head, eyes closed as he tried to process the new information.  He was mentally berating himself for not knowing.  And while he was lost in his thoughts, eyes conveniently closed, Itomai took the opportunity and flashed away to collect her next targets.  He stood there in silence for a couple minutes before finally making his way to join the other teachers and enter the Control Room.  

Azumi waved to him in greeting before continuing with her descriptions.  "In all, there are four arrival rooms: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta.  Alpha is the largest and the only one with the window view from the Control Room.  All the others are monitored by the screens on their corresponding walls...with the exception of Beta right now, since I closed out that screen when I had to rush into the room.  I made all of the rooms quite large with high ceilings to avoid any sense of claustrophobia.  While we are technically kidnapping you and holding you here, I wanted you all under the least amount of stress possible.  The floors in all four rooms are currently made of rubber to provide a softer landing for any arriving targets that may have been sitting when Itomai transports them, or in Eraserhead's case unexpectedly laying down.  I can always change these rooms later on to suit your needs if you want to use them for any other purpose."

"What do you mean?" Power Loader asked.

"With my quirk, I control this entire Pocket Reality.  I can create anything I want in it, with a few restrictions, and alter it as I see fit.  So lets say, after seeing something from the future, you or your students want to go over a particular combat drill or move...I can change the arrival rooms to suit whatever training ground needs you want.  Do you need dummies to punch? I can make them.  Need technological equipment to measure quirk pressure, temperature, strength, etc...I can do that too. When it comes to using your quirks though, there are certain restrictions and rules you'll need to be aware of.  I'll inform everyone of the rules later once all of our guests have arrived."

All of the teachers were a bit stunned at this.  Midnight was the first to say what most of them were thinking, "With all due respect Azumi-san, your quirk sounds ridiculously powerful.  Is there a reason we haven't heard of you before?  Did you never consider becoming a hero?"  

Asumi sighed and shook her head.  "My sisters and I as kids all would've loved to follow in our father's footsteps and become heroes. Unfortunately, while each of our quirks may have incredible power, it became clear early on that the drawbacks and restrictions make them rather incompatible with traditional hero work.  We'll go into them more later as well, but suffice to say that Mana isn't the only one who ends up in a coma on a regular basis."

"That's rather… unfortunate. You and Itomai are not without potential." Eraserhead's voice quietly reverberated off the window he was still looking through.

"Don't get me wrong though! We're more than happy to give a helping hand if you need it, just give us a call.  Itomai's actually currently in training to be a combat medic, since her quirk will allow her to quickly and safely transport injured civilians out of a dangerous area. Don't tell her I told you, but Recovery Girl is totally her favorite hero, and she's super psyched to meet her in person."  Midnight and All Might both smiled at that.

"Anyway, Itomai should be back with the next set of targets soon. Have you all decided which of you would like to greet them?"

"All Might is the obvious choice, since seeing the number one is bound to reassure anyone." Ectoplasm stated.

"I'd be most happy to greet our fellow heroes!" exclaimed All Might with his signature smile plastered on.  To reassure others in tough situations is the responsibility of the Symbol of Peace after all...though I'm not so certain one of them will be happy to see me.

Aizawa rolled his eyes, despite the fact that no one could see him do it.  "Someone go with him. One of us will need to actually explain what's going on, and while All Might's presence might put them at ease, we all know he isn't exactly the best with long explanations."

A comically hurt look appeared on All Might's face as he coughed up a bit of blood in surprise and embarrassment.  Present Mic chuckled, walking up to All Might and slapping a hand on his back. "It's okay big guy! We all know you're still new to this whole teaching thing. You'll get the hang of lectures in no time!" 

"I'll go with All Might." came Vlad King's voice.

"Well that's settled then!  All Might and Vlad King please return to Room Beta where you arrived. I'll be replacing the wall and blocking you in again. I'll remove it later of course, don't worry.  It's just a precaution in case any of the new arrivals lash out unexpectedly.  We can't have them destabilizing Pocket Reality.  Just like you see with the other rooms now, everything will be monitored by the screen in here." She gestured to the communication device hooked to her ear. "And I'll be able to hear everything that happens. Actually…"  Her expression lit up with an obvious idea, and the dark, nearly black purple of her iris bled out to cover her sclera.  

The teachers watched in confusion as some sort of ink-like liquid appeared floating in front of her. A small piece of it separated from the rest before reforming in the shape of the headset she wore.  The liquid seemed to harden before the dark purple color thinned, receded, and then disappeared completely, leaving a perfect headset behind.  The newly formed object dropped into her lap.  This process repeated 5 more times in under a minute, before the color stopped overtaking her sclera and once more occupied only her iris.  At the end, Azumi had six identical headsets piled in her lap.  "So," she asked smiling, "Who else wants to listen in?" 

Present Mic and Power Loader both immediately took one, though Mic had to remove his headphones from one ear to wear it.  

"We'll be fine since we're in the room." Vlad King stated. "Let's go All Might." Both men walked back into Room Beta, Azumi activating her quirk again to rebuild the wall behind them.  

"Anyone else?" She asked, eyes still glowing dark purple along with the wall.  

"I'll take one." Midnight said, retrieving it from Azumi's outstretched hand. 

"I am unable to wear such an object while my hero costume is on," came Ectoplasm's voice.  It went unspoken that he didn't plan on taking it off any time soon. 

"Eraserhead?" 

"I don't particularly need to hear what's happening with the other heroes."

Azumi gave a knowing grin and said in a sing-songy tone, "You can use it to listen to the room your students are in as welllllll."

With an annoyed huff, Aizawa took the device from her hand and affixed it to his ear without any further comment.  

"Okay, well then…" she dropped the extra two headsets into a pocket that draped off the arm of her chair.  "The small wheel on the back acts as a dial.  This lets you select the room you want to listen to or communicate with since they're all on different frequencies. If you want to talk to them just press the button on the side and your voice will be projected into whichever room you're tuned to.  Press the button a second time to turn the mic off."

Both Aizawa and Present Mic turned their dials to Room Alpha where the students were, while Midnight and Power Loader selected Room Beta where All Might and Vlad King were waiting.  As they selected their frequencies, the wall completed and another floating globule of Azumi's quirk appeared in front of it to form a new surveillance screen.

Wheeling her chair over to it, she used a quick hand motion to bring the screen down to her eye level.  "I'll be monitoring this.  You all can feel free to either wait in here with me and the monitors or relax in the Lounge, that's the open doorway directly behind me.  There are couches, playing cards, a couple board games, and the like in there.  Oh Eraserhead?" She sent a quick look at him over her left shoulder. "Did you decide whether you want to join your students or not?" 

"They all seem to be doing fine, and I'm actually surprised at how calm some of them are. For now, I'll just keep an eye on them from here." 

She shrugged and turned back to her monitor.  "Whatever floats your boat! Let me know if you change your mind or if Mana says she needs anything from me." She raised a finger to press the button on her earpiece.  "Mana, I'm going to be occupied monitoring Room Beta while we wait for Itomai, but one of our targets, I'm sure you can guess which, is monitoring Alpha. So if you need me for anything just let him know, and I'll get the message."

"Can do!" came a young cheerful voice in response.  Aizawa was a bit surprised when the girl with short white hair suddenly turned to the blacked out window and waved, apparently at him, before turning back to the students.  Some of them appeared to be unsure and nervous having just now realized the window even existed.  I need to work on environmental awareness more with them.   A few though looked contemplative.  Either they're wondering who is watching them, or they're considering ways to break the window to escape the room.  No doubts on which camp Bakugou falls into.  Yaoyorozu is likely considering who I could be, while Midoriya and Todoroki are a toss up.  Both of them could go either way.  It was then he caught a slight movement to the edge of the group.  While Jiro was still looking at Mana rather than the window, she was slowly extending an ear jack to the wall behind her.  He waited for her to puncture the wall, then asked without the Mic on "Jiro, can you hear me?" Her head snapped in his direction so fast that he was a bit worried for the girl's neck.  As she was opening her mouth to respond though, he stopped her. "Close your mouth." The girl's jaw snapped shut as the surprise on her face made way for a serious expression. "Good. Me and several of the other teachers have also been brought here.  I'm currently observing you all through the window. Do not tell your classmates. I wish to see their behavior and reactions to get an idea for what you all need to work on going forward." She nodded her head in understanding.  "Also, Jiro," he paused long enough for her to tilt her head in question.  "Good job." Her eyes opened wider and a faint blush rose to her cheeks. "You were able to covertly use your quirk to gather information about your environment without your captor noticing.  The way you faked having your attention focused on Mana while you activated your quirk in secret is exactly what I would've done in your situation.  Next time though, try to hide your reactions to what you hear as well.  You whipping your head towards my voice and then staring at me would be a dead giveaway to an actual villain and possibly put you and your comrades in further jeopardy. As it is, your reaction tipped off Shouji as well." Standing a few people away, the eavesdropping boy, who had grown a few more ears after noticing Jiro, stiffened at being caught before he and Jiro looked at each other briefly. "Asui is aware something is going on as well, though she can't hear me."  Jiro looked to the opposite end of the group of students and sure enough Asui was watching her and Shoji both with clear curiosity on her face.  "That being said, your initial instincts and actions once you became aware of the window were good. So, well done. You too Shouji." Both students nodded their head ever so slightly in response before turning their attention back to Mana and the others, Jiro removing her ear jack from the wall in the process. 

Ectoplasm decided to adjourn to the Lounge since he couldn't be of any use in the Control Room, simply leaving a single clone behind to monitor the room (and their captor) in case he did end up being needed. 

Mic joined Aizawa by the window to Alpha, while Power Loader and Midnight watched the screen over Azumi's shoulders. 

Approximately 11 seconds later, they saw a small flash on the monitor, and Itomai appeared with the next group.  

Pocket Reality - Room Beta

All Might and Vlad King blinked briefly to clear the effects of the low level flash from their vision, before focusing on the newcomers.  The five students had all clearly been blinded and were rubbing their eyes, blinking rapidly, or turning their heads swiftly about in confusion and/or fear.  Hound Dog and Recovery Girl were both blinded as well. The former began angrily questioning their situation before devolving into upset growls.  The latter simply rolled her eyes and told him to calm himself while explaining that the blindness was most likely temporary and a result of the bright light they saw. 

"Indeed, Recovery Girl is correct! The blindness will fade soon enough, and in the meantime there is no need to fear! For I am here! And I can see!" The students and Hound Dog visibly relaxed at the familiar voice. 

Recovery Girl only rolled her eyes in response and waved her cane threateningly in the direction of his voice. "Oh hush with that nonsense! Now where are we and what happened?"

Vlad King smirked at the now floundering All Might and placed a hand on the large man's shoulder.  "I think I'll take it from here." All Might's form merely slumped in resignation.

"As All Might said, there is no need to fear. None of us are in immediate danger, and both he and I are not blinded.  You have all been transported via a type of warping quirk to what our hosts call Pocket Reality.  From what we understand, it's essentially a pocket dimension created by a quirk." At this he briefly looked at Itomai who nodded in confirmation of his statement. "All Might, myself, and most of the other teachers, as well as Class 1A's students were all brought here before you, which is why our blindness has already worn off."

Nedzu, who up until now had remained silent, interjected. "Oh ho ho...most interesting.  Though it appears as luck would have it, that I already had my eyes closed when we were warped so my sight is fine as well."  The three students who recognized the voice of the Principal stood up straighter in response.  As Nedzu's gaze went from the two heroes to the unknown young woman standing near them, his smile turned positively vicious. "And what, praytell, do our hosts hope to accomplish by bringing us to this Pocket Reality? Not to mention how they managed to get you all here before us without alerting anyone else in the school…"

Itomai shuddered and swallowed the golf ball of anxiety that suddenly seemed to lodge itself in her throat. She now understood why Mana had warned them about him, and was thankful she had followed her younger sister's advice. After all, there was a reason she transported the principal with his chair and cup of hot tea still in hand. After Mana's warning, she didn't think allowing the tea to spill in the office or for the principal to suddenly fall to the floor were particularly good ideas.  And based on the frightening way his gaze burned into her as he sipped on his tea now, she was clearly right in that assumption. While she was typically the cool and collected one out of her siblings, she couldn't help her nervousness as she responded, bowing deeply.  "My...my apologies Ne….Principal Nedzu sir.  It is my two sisters and I that brought you all here.  We only desire to help.  My younger sister's quirk allows her a form of future sight, and one of your students triggered it when she saw them on the news.  She foresaw a great many upcoming problems and dangers that are a threat to both your students and faculty as well as other heroes and the general stability of hero society in Japan."

"Really now?" came Nedzu's intrigued but skeptical voice as he sipped on his tea.

In the control room, Midnight couldn't help but feel sorry for the girl.  The entire faculty knew that being the subject of the Principal's focus was rarely easy, especially so when he got that look.  

Next to her, Azumi was biting her lip anxiously.  She was concerned for her sister, but at the same time couldn't help but be thankful that it was Itomai doing this part and not her.  

Power Loader in the meantime was confused, concerned, and honestly a bit shocked.  He had expected to see more hero students so the Big 3 weren't that much of a surprise.  Seeing his own support student on the other hand…well... that had him worried, particularly considering exactly which student it was.  Why? Why'd it have to be her? He was already anticipating the inevitable headache when something downright terrifying occurred to him.  His eyes flashed from the pink haired girl on screen to Azumi sitting next to him and back again, several times over.  Dear god, please give me strength. 

Itomai straightened her form, standing once more, but after a brief glance at his intimidating form, she still couldn't bring herself to maintain eye contact.  Despite this, her tone was serious and forthcoming.  "From...from past activations of her quirk, we knew if we didn't take any action that her vision would come to pass exactly as she saw, and it is our greatest desire to not allow that to happen.  While some things may remain unchanged, we've learned through past experience that with enough forewarning and information given to relevant parties some of the tragedy she foresees can be prevented.  In fact, that is one of the caveats of her quirk.  It will only activate if the future of the relevant party or parties is changeable ."

At that, All Might's eyes widened and his hand went to his side.  It...it didn't have to happen?...but...but Nighteye…

At this point, the vision of those who had been blinded was starting to return. Itomai, All Might, Vlad King, and those in the control room were alerted to this fact by the girl with long periwinkle hair as she suddenly exclaimed with a smile, "Awesome! I can see again!" Glancing around she swung her arm over the shoulder of the clearly stressed out boy next to her with the black hair. "You okay Tamaki? Mirio?"

The black haired boy just seemed to curl into himself a bit more as he nodded his head. Meanwhile the tall blond standing on the other side of the black haired boy grinned widely.  "Yes! The blindness was temporary just as Recovery Girl suspected!"

"Of course." Recovery Girl's serious voice came from behind them, redirecting the room's attention towards her.  "Are any of you students hurt?" she asked, looking over each one in turn. 

Mirio shot her a quick thumbs up to show he was fine. Tamaki simply shook his head letting out a quiet "no'' that was easily overpowered by Nejire's enthusiastic "Nope!". 

The purple haired boy who was standing on the other side of the room let out an unemotional "I'm fine" before redirecting his attention back towards the girl who had said she brought them here.  While All Might and Vlad King seemed calm, he still hadn't determined for himself whether or not they were dealing with a villain. What if someone in this place has a quirk similar to my own and is controlling them? As far as he was concerned, just because the two heroes looked fine and didn't have the same glazed over look that his quirk caused didn't mean they weren't brainwashed. It's not out of the realm of possibility that the villain's quirk is more subtle than mine.  His face deepened into a scowl. Brainwashing is a villainous quirk after all.  

The student with the pink hair hadn't even acknowledged Recovery Girl's question. She was sitting cross legged on the floor where she had landed and now that she could see was mumbling to herself with a frantic energy in her eyes.  "A dimension made by a quirk huh? I wonder how large it is? Could it be used for storage? Ooh...I bet I could create a new baby who could do that if I get enough info." Her fingers poked at the floor before she punched it.  "Interesting. A compressed rubber floor. I wonder how thick the layer is? Is it still concrete or dirt underneath?" She brought her hand up to her chin in thought. "If this is it's own dimension and not earth perhaps there's nothing underneath at all? Empty space? Does the dimension exist beyond the floor?..."

Seeing the girl was apparently fine, Recovery Girl was satisfied and returned her attention to the black haired girl in front of them.  "Feel free to continue where you left off."

Itomai blinked briefly before regathering her thoughts.  "Ah...yes...I apologize for the temporary blindness by the way.  If your eyes are open when my quirk is activated it's an unavoidable consequence."  

Recovery Girl nodded in understanding. She had suspected as much after all. 

The clink of a tea cup being set on a saucer brought attention back to Nedzu.  "So, you brought us here because you wish to prevent future tragedy.  You plan to do this by relaying whatever important information your sister saw."

"Correct sir."

"And since clearly this has already been explained to All Might and Vlad King, and presumably the others, I assume the reason you were able to bring all the others here before us without anyone at the school noticing is because time flows differently in this Pocket Reality than it does in our own."

Itomai's eyes opened wider with noticeable shock... though I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised after what Mana told us. 

Meanwhile, the minds of the teachers who had been transported previously were just as surprised. They had no idea.

The expression of the girl with pink hair seemed to take on a manic glee at the sudden news. 

As Itomai opened her mouth to respond, she was interrupted. 

Azumi's happy voice projected into the room, "Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner! I was wondering if anyone would figure it out without us explaining.  Mana was totally right about you, Principal Nedzu sir, and I must say it's an honor to meet someone with an intellect such as yours."

Nedzu seemed unfazed by the sudden voice, while the other newcomers were a bit startled.

Itomai simply rolled her eyes at her sister.  "That's Azumi. One of my sisters. The one whose quirk created Pocket Reality.  And as she said, you are correct Principal Nedzu.  One day in this Pocket Reality is equal to one minute outside of it.  That's also related to the reason I was able to penetrate the school building's security to transport you all here."

"How so?" The vicious gleam in Nedzu's eyes was back. He didn't take well to threats to the security of the school, especially since they had done so much to increase it since the USJ. 

"All of our quirks have various time dilation effects.  When I activate my quirk, time around me essentially freezes.  It doesn't literally stop, just seems like it.  In reality, my body speeds up to 1000 times faster than my surroundings.  This means I was in and out before any security measures were able to detect my presence."

"Fascinating.  We'll have to consider that as we do further security upgrades."

She nodded her head in agreement.  "Speaking of, while I'm sure you've taken precautions in buildings and on main campus against other warping quirks, I would advise doing the same with outdoor training grounds.  So you could all be dropped off on school property easily once we're done, I dropped off Azumi this morning at Ground Beta to create the Pocket Reality.  We were standing there for about 2 and a half minutes without your security system being alerted."

Nedzu's eyes widened as he set down his tea. "Thank you for the information. I'll be sure to address it as soon as we return."

"Understood." She redirected her gaze to the wall behind them. "Azumi, the entrance if you would."

They turned around to watch as a wall was slowly engulfed in what looked like some sort of dark purple liquid. Before their eyes, the liquid covered the wall then stilled for a minute before receding back into the floor revealing another room.  In it, they could see a girl the same height and general appearance as Itomai, with the same black hair but draping down her back.  She had a large smile on her face and some sort of communication device hooked on her right ear. At her sides were Midnight and Power Loader.  In the darkness behind them, Eraserhead and Present Mic could be seen looking through some sort of window. The only light in the room seemed to come from glowing blue screens on the walls.

Nedzu hopped out of his chair, his empty teacup and saucer disappearing to who-knows-where, and led the group into the new room. Hound Dog and Recovery Girl were behind him, followed by the Big 3 and a bouncy Hatsume Mei.  Shinso remained leaning against a wall, appearing disinterested in the whole situation while subtly keeping an eye on Itomai and the two heroes next to her.  

"I'm assuming you'll be leaving to pick up the next group now?" Vlad asked the girl.

"Yes." Itomai nodded her agreement before raising her voice to get her sister's attention. "Azumi!"

The girl looked up from where she was greeting the newcomers and towards her sister. Once she had her attention, Itomai simply brought a finger up and tapped the side of her head.  "Oh, right!" Azumi adjusted her earpiece to tune into Room Alpha before pressing the communication button.  "Mana.  Group 3 has arrived and is getting settled in……...Yeah it went fine.  The Principal is definitely as scary as you said though. No offense sir."  Nedzu just smiled ever so innocently at the girl. "Ah, anyway, Itomai needs the current locations of Group 4."

There was silence for a brief moment before Itomai sent a thumbs up towards her sister to indicate she had what she needed.  

Azumi smiled and spoke again into the device, "Thanks Mana, she's good to go." Then she focused her attention on Itomai once more.  "I know this is the difficult one.  Estimated time?"

Itomai pursed her lips in thought.  "Hmmm….they're pretty spread out...so…at least 10 minutes IRT."

A few seconds later a small calculator appeared in Azumi's hand, courtesy of her quirk. "Let's see…" she tapped away at the buttons before looking back up at her sister and the two heroes. "That's about 14 and a half minutes PRT.  In that case, All Might...Vlad King, would you like to rest and talk with the others while we wait?  There's not much point in you being trapped in the next arrival room for all that time." 

Vlad King shrugged. "Sounds good to me."

All Might simply replied with a thumbs up and his signature smile, and both heroes headed into the Control Room. 

"Shinsou-san," the boy looked up in surprise at Itomai. "I'm not sure if you stayed because you're suspicious of me or if it's because you'd rather avoid the crowd.  If it's the first, then let me put your mind at ease.  I have a teleportation quirk, my sister Azumi…" she gestured to Azumi who was still standing in the doorway, "has the quirk that created this Pocket Reality.  Our younger sister Mana is the only one with a mental quirk, one that lets her see the past, present, and future of a given individual and to a certain extent relay that information to others telepathically. The heroes here are not under any sort of mind manipulation, but feel free to have a look around and judge for yourself.  If the reason you stayed is the latter, then there's no need to worry. Beyond the Control Room is a rather large theater, which should offer plenty of space to let you avoid the others until we get started."

While he had no outward response, Shinsou's mind was reeling. How did she read me that easily!? I don't trust them. But...if there is someone else with a brainwashing quirk here then it's not her at least.

Itomai continued, "Either way, I would advise either closing your eyes or joining the rest if you want to avoid being temporarily blinded by my quirk again."

He shrugged his shoulders with a muttered "Whatever" and headed through the same entry everyone else had passed into. 

Pocket Reality - Control Room

Once he was through, Azumi waved to her sister and raised a temporary barrier of her quirk to keep the flash from blinding anyone that may have been looking.  When she lowered it a few seconds later, her sister was already gone.  

She sighed before turning around and facing those in the control room. Her eyes began glowing once again with the power of her quirk as she created another watch on her right arm. Rolling up the sleeve of her hoodie revealed 3 in total. The first was a vibrant purple, the second white, and the new one was a dark blue.  She set the blue one to the timer setting, entered in 13 minutes, and hit start. 

"Okay then. Where were we?" she asked the room lowering her sleeve to cover the watches once again. 

"Your sister mentioned something about a theater I could sit in…" came Shinsou's tired voice. 

"Right! Straight through that open doorway. Sit wherever you like for now." She pointed to one of the open doorways across the room and he sauntered away without another word.

Chapter Text

Pocket Reality - Control Room

"Eraserhead?" 

At the call of his hero name, Aizawa turned his head towards the girl.

"Are you done observing your students? From what I'm hearing they sound like they're getting bored. They've been in that room around an hour already, and I think Mana's running out of ways to keep them distracted." She ended with a laugh. At the moment, she could hear Mana through her earpiece bombarding them with questions on what it's like to go to a real school with other people.

"I suppose. There's not much more to be learned from their reactions at this point."

A conniving grin appeared on Azumi's face. "True. Unless of course you want to use this opportunity to test them in some way. They've all gotten comfortable in there after all...in an environment they know almost nothing about...and with a complete stranger no less.  Seems like a good time for a surprise combat drill to me…"

Aizawa was surprised at the suggestion, and didn't agree immediately.  It's not a horrible idea, after all it would reinforce the lesson 'always be prepared for anything,' which is vital to the long term survival of any hero. However, he wasn't exactly sold on it either. But...they're still recovering emotionally from the USJ...and I don't want to reinforce any possible trauma. "I don't know…"

Before he could finish voicing his thoughts, the cheery voice of the principal spoke up from behind him. "Oh what an intriguing idea! Did you have something specific in mind?" 

Aizawa's eyes darted over to see Nedzu wearing another maniacal grin. Shit . Knowing when to give up, he simply sighed and shook his head in resignation. 

"Oh I certainly do!" Azumi replied, still smiling. "An exercise in arguably one of the most important skills of combat: Dodging!" As she spoke she activated her quirk causing two floating globules to form in the air on either side of her, as well as at least 10 more in the empty Room Beta behind her.  It only took about 20 seconds for them to become solid spheres before the inky black purple receded to reveal some sort of free floating spherical robot.  They were a little over a foot and a half in diameter, and each one had a small black screen displaying a pixelated green happy face. "I created 15 of these.  Each one is filled with small paintballs, which are replenished as necessary by my quirk, and is capable of firing at a rapid rate in multiple directions at a time.  They'll sting a bit upon impact but won't fire with enough force to leave any lasting bruises or injuries." 

"So you plan on having the problem children dodge paintballs." Eraserhead concluded. Out of the corner of his eye, he couldn't help but notice that Nedzu looked disappointed. 

"Yes. But there's more to it than that. Rule Number 1: No using their quirks. This is both for the sake of training, since according to Mana most of the students are too reliant on them, and for their own safety. For a few of them, using their quirks in Pocket Reality can have harmful consequences once we leave it, so it's best to avoid using them if possible. If any students do use their quirks, they will automatically lose, and I will put quirk cancelling cuffs on them like I have with Broody and Angry."

At that, Present Mic failed to suppress his laughter, trying valiantly to disguise it with a cough. It didn't work. 

Aizawa rolled his eyes at his fellow teacher. "Anything else?"

Azumi nodded. "The base goal is obviously to not get hit. And that's all we'll tell them...you know, 'logical ruses' and all that. In reality, the 15 robots contain 5 different colors of paint, 3 bots per color.  The robots will attempt to target students until they have been hit with all 5 colors.  Once they've been hit with each color, the student will be deemed "out" and the robots will stop targeting them.  Last student or students standing wins.  I'll leave the prize for the winner or winners, or alternately the punishment for the losers, up to your discretion."

Nedzu's smile was back. "So it's not only an exercise in dodging, but also in physical versatility, environmental awareness, perception and logic."

Azumi's smile grew even more. "Finally, someone who understands me! That's exactly it! By not telling them, it challenges them to figure out the true win/loss conditions on their own. Plus, they'll have to figure out and keep track of which of the droids have which color paint, while they're all outwardly identical. And if they manage to figure it out and work together, it's possible that they can destroy some of the droids and we could end up with multiple winners."

"They're allowed to destroy them then?" Aizawa asked.

"Absolutely. As long as they don't use their quirks anything is fair game."

"Hmmm...interesting. That means even the 'losing' students could still work to save the remaining students even after they've been disqualified," Nedzu said happily. 

"An opportunity to show true heroic character!" Azumi ageed. 

"Sounds entertaining at least. I suppose we can try it," Aizawa sighed.

"Yes!" Azumi pumped her fist in the air. "Get going boys! You've got a job to do." 

The two droids let out a series of beeping noises in response before flying to join the others in Room Beta. Azumi then activated her quirk, but instead of rebuilding the usual wall between the Control Room and Beta, she created another floor to ceiling one way window. Once done, she created another earpiece, this one slightly modified in shape so that the principal would be able to use it.  It also had an extra volume adjustment dial to prevent it from damaging his extra-sensitive hearing. 

The wall separating Alpha from Beta was then coated in her quirk, startling several of the students inside. 

Pocket Reality - Room Alpha

"What the fuck is that!?"

"Strange."

"It looks like...ink? Maybe paint?"

"It is the darkness come to take us home."

"What's going on?"

"Mana?"

Mana was looking at the wall in confusion but not fear.  "That's Azumi's quirk. She must be taking down the wall… odd…" The white of her iris broke at angles, and the separated leaves contracted like a camera shutter to completely cover her pupil, startling the few students who were watching since she had previously always closed her eyes when using her quirk. "Azumi? What on earth?" she mumbled to herself…

Suddenly her sister's voice projected into the room, breaking her focus and causing her to deactivate her quirk, her eyes returning to normal once more.

"Attention all 1-A students! I couldn't help but notice that some of you seemed a bit bored.  The fact that we're not a threat to you doesn't mean you should allow yourself to just get comfortable in this kind of situation.  In case you forgot, you've essentially been kidnapped by strangers and held prisoner in a room with no way out for over an hour." The students visibly tensed, with a few taking battle ready stances.  "You shouldn't just let your guard down all willy nilly like that. So here's a special present for you, courtesy of yours truly! A combat trial! The Rules are as follows: NO QUIRK USAGE! If you use your quirk I will put quirk cancelling cuffs on you."

"What about those of us with mutant quirks kero?" asked Asui.

"Good question. If it's a basic unavoidable skill like the fact that you jump higher or the way Ojiro-san uses his tail like an extra arm it's fine.  However if it's an accessory ability, like your tongue or Shouji-san's ability to make extra ears and so forth, then that's a no-go. Other than that we have Rule #2: It's a competition. Last student or students standing wins."

"How do we win?"

"Your hero students. Figure it out. Mana if you would move to the corner and out of the way please." 

Shaking her head in exasperation, Mana walked over to the corner as she asked, "You do know this isn't a video game right?" 

"Of course I do! This is for their own good. They could use the practice. Plus, several of our guests will be evaluating their performance as well."

"Ahh...I see. Good luck everyone! Do your best!" With that Mana was surrounded in a ball of Azumi's quirk before it faded to reveal a transparent spherical energy barrier. "What even?"

"Ah, I stole the idea of that one from Violet. You like it?"

"I'm not gonna run out of air in here right?"

"Of course not!" Azumi sounded affronted, "I would never allow my little sister to suffocate." Mana just rolled her eyes. 

"Well then...without further ado...I present you with this final piece of advice…"

The students tensed in anticipation as they faced the dark purple wall. 

"DODGE!"

Her quirk receded revealing Room Beta and the 15 droids.

"Aww...they're actually kind of cute!" squealed Mina. 

At that, the smiling faces on the droids all simultaneously flickered, turning red and angry.

"You spoke too soon." Jirou commented.

Pocket Reality - Control Room

While Azumi was explaining things to the students, Present Mic had gone to tell those in the Lounge what was happening.  The Big 3 elected to remain in the Lounge, along with Hound Dog, Ectoplasm, and Vlad King, while All Might, Midnight, and Recovery Girl all followed him back into the Control Room.  All Might and Recovery Girl each picked up an ear piece from Azumi's chair, and Midnight showed them how to tune it to Room Alpha. The four arrived back at the windows just as Azumi was claiming she wouldn't allow her sister to suffocate, and took up places standing to the right of Aizawa and Nedzu. 

As the challenge began several small holes opened all around the droids' bodies.  Five of the bots, one for each color grouping (not that the students knew that), flew towards the children and began rapid firing small paintballs from several directions.  The droids were able to fire from multiple openings at a time, and the positioning of the hidden rotating barrels in their spherical bodies meant they could fire from virtually any angle without it being visible who they were targeting until the ammo was already rocketing towards them. The small digital face was strictly for cosmetic purposes and Azumi's own amusement; the droids actually had built in sensors that when combined with their AI allowed them to determine the location and hit status of the students.

With only 5 droids versus the 19 of them, the students were able to dodge most of the paint. A few were doing noticeably better than others and had yet to be hit, namely Ashido, Midoriya, Asui, Todoroki, Yaoyorozu, and Ojiro. Bakugou, Jirou, Hagakure, Aoyama, Tokoyami, and Uraraka had all been hit by one color, while Kaminari, Shouji, and Sero had been hit by two. Bringing up the rear having already been hit by 3 colors was Iida, Kirishima, Kouda, and Satou.  

From his place behind the window, Aizawa observed his class, his brows furrowed in concentration.  The top contenders are doing as I expected, though I'm surprised Midoriya hasn't been hit yet.  I also didn't expect Shouji to be doing this well since the larger framed students are at a disadvantage to begin with in this kind of test.  Kirishima really needs to work on his speed.  And Iida definitely needs to work on his flexibility and maneuverability. He's so stiff he's telegraphing every move he makes...while his quirk makes his moves hard to read because of the speed he needs to be able to fight without it as well…

Azumi looked at her watch. About 7 minutes until I need to prep Gamma, I wonder if they'll last that long?

Triggering her earpiece, she spoke excitedly into the room once more. "Time to kick things up a notch! Wave 2 go!"

5 more droids charged at the students and began firing, focusing on ones not already hit by their given color. 

The level of intensity increased as the students were pushed to dodge faster and keep track of more enemies. Students were leaping over one another, ducking and swaying around the paint-filled bullets, springing off walls, running all over, and, in the case of Mina, even cartwheeling.

In all the chaos, it didn't take long before some of them started making mistakes.  Kaminari and Sero rammed into each other hard enough that both fell to the ground. The droids noticed the unmoving targets and seized the opportunity. Both were immediately pelted with the remaining colors necessary to knock them from the challenge. Then, with their targets 'eliminated', the droids refocused on other students, leaving Kaminari and Sero stunned, still on the floor. 

"And that's 2 down," came Midnight's voice.

"The real question is do they even know they're out of the game." Mic replied. 

On the other side of the window, they saw as Kirishima noticed two of his friends on the floor and shouted at them from across the room, while still dodging a droid of his own. "Yo! You guys alright?"

Kaminari looked back at him with a confused expression. "I think so?"

Sero was just as confused before he shrugged his shoulders with a relieved sigh, "At least they're not shooting at us anymore."

"And that's a point for the Kirishima boy for checking on the possibly injured." commented Recovery Girl.  All Might and Midnight who were standing to either side of her nodded in agreement. 

Nedzu meanwhile had his eyes trained on Midoriya.  The boy was near enough to Sero and Kaminari, as he had been making his way towards the two downed boys before Kirishima shouted at them.  When he heard they weren't being shot at anymore his eyes had briefly shown his surprise before squinting in focus.  He began muttering, and despite his good hearing, the principal wasn't able to catch any of it over the chaos of the room. Meanwhile, the boy was somehow managing to mutter, seemingly lost in his thoughts, and dodge two robots simultaneously. So far, he had only been hit by one color.  Interesting.  

Bakugou then managed to grab all the teachers' attention. He came charging across the room with a droid following closely behind him and a line of paintballs in his wake. The student angrily shouted "Watch it losers!" as he placed his hand on Sero's head, swung his body up and to the side, his legs flying over Kaminari as he vaulted over the two boys, and continued his run. As a result, Sero was hit twice more with paintballs clearly meant for Bakugou.

Recovery Girl made a displeased face and pursed her lips as she continued to watch.

Sero's indignant shout of "Ow! What the hell man?!" went ignored by the explosive blonde.

Meanwhile, a smile broke out over Midoriya's face, and his eyes seemed to sparkle. "That's it!  Kaachan you're a genius!" 

"Shut it nerd!"

Midoriya did a quick tuck and roll to the side as he dodged his own droids before popping up and giving the two boys another quick once over as he ran past them. He nodded his head as he ran, seemingly confirming something to himself as he mumbled "it's gotta be that." Once he reached the center of the room he shouted, trying to be heard by everyone over the room's chaos.  "Everyone! I'm pretty sure Kaminari and Sero lost! There appear to only be 5 colors of paint! I think if you get hit by all 5 colors you lose!" His voice was winded, his body still weaving side to side to avoid the incoming projectiles.

"Really?" "Thanks Midori!" "Good to know." "Thanks" "Great job Deku!" 

"Point for Midoriya," Midnight declared, "for relaying crucial information about the enemy to his comrades." 

Nedzu was silent but thinking, The boy realized the loss condition faster than any of the other students, even the ones that were eliminated… … … And he's far more adept at dodging than I would expect for someone with so little training… and without using One for All too. I wonder why?

Meanwhile All Might was just beaming inside that his successor was doing so well.  You can do it my boy! Show 'em what you got!

Several of the students began trying to evaluate their own bodies as they continued dodging. 

"Aww man…I've already been hit by 4!" came Hagakure's disappointed whine. She was running out of stamina which was causing her to dodge slower.

In the corner, an anxious Kouda finished counting. His shoulder slumped and his expression became a mix of relief and disappointment. He was out as well.  Slowly, the boy followed the edge of the room before going to stand next to Mana who was still protected by the spherical forcefield. "It's okay Kouda. You'll get 'em next time. I know you'll be an amazing hero, you just need to work on your confidence and non-quirk abilities a bit more. You'll get there!" Her quiet words of encouragement made him blush and smile as he turned to watch the rest of his classmates, Sero and Kaminari joining him a few seconds later.  

Ashido was doing the best out of the class. The girl's speed and flexibility made it hard for the droids to hit her, and she had yet to have any color decorating her person (despite how much she actually liked the neon paint Azumi had chosen). 

Midoriya, Asui, and Todoroki each had one, while Yaoyorozu, Bakugou, Ojiro, and Uraraka were at two. Three colors decorated Jirou, Aoyama, Tokoyami, and Kirishima.  Finally, there was Hagakure, Iida, Satou, and Shouji with four. All in all, the scores so far were pretty evenly spread with the exception of Ashido.

Momo's voice called out over the commotion. "Has anyone seen a single robot fire more than one color?! As far as I can tell they each are only equipped with one color of ammo."

Various responses were shouted rather quickly throughout the room. "Same here!" "Agreed!" "Too many robots! I can't keep track of what is coming from which!" "I've only noticed one color per bot so far too!" "I think you're right Momo!" "I don't know! I haven't been keeping track!" 

It was Iida who spoke up next. "So assuming each bot only fires one color, we all just need to keep track of which robots are loaded with the colors we need to avoid!" 

"Exactly!" Momo shouted. 

"Very good class reps!" interrupted Azumi's voice over the speaker.  "You put it together faster than I expected...so…Good Luck! Wave 3 Go!" The final 5 bots that had been floating off to the side joined the fray.  Azumi checked her watch again, missing as multiple students were hit by the new bots, some just going up one color while Satou and Iida were eliminated as a result. About 2 minutes until prep...might as well start on the wall now. Her quirk activated and without her even looking, encompassed the wall behind her leading to Room Gamma. Returning her attention to Alpha, she saw Iida and Satou walking around the edge of the room headed towards Mana and the other eliminated students. 

"Ah, so we're down two more huh?"

Nedzu, who was standing next to her with a grin, was the one to reply. "Yep. Now there are officially more robots than students. Things are getting more challenging." 

Iida could be seen chopping his arms through the air as he talked to himself about how he needed to improve his speed and dodging when not using his quirk. "Well at least one of them has learned something from this exercise," Azumi mumbled. 

"Most definitely." Eraserhead said, startling her. "And those who don't realize it will be having it drilled into their heads later, I assure you."

Their attention was drawn once again by angry yelling. 

On the other side of the window, it was clear Bakugou was starting to hit his emotional limit. His fingers were twitching as if he was trying to set off explosions, and while he was still dodging, he kept glaring at the students doing better than him anytime he'd run by them. His face was hard set in a scowl, and he began screaming as he suddenly charged towards the far wall. "That's it. I'm done running! And I'm done with this shit!" He ran a few steps up the wall and pushed off, backflipping over the droid pursuing him. Using his momentum, he twisted his body midair while upside down, reached out his hand towards the bot, and threw it full force into the concrete wall. It made a sound of crunching metal as it hit before falling to the ground. It was noticeably dented and scratched, the screen flickering and winking out as Bakugou crouched into his landing. 

"Well done Young Bakugou," All Might said, impressed. 

"That kid's certainly got some fire! Yeah!" Present Mic shouted excitedly. 

When the robot didn't immediately get up and pursue him, a threatening smile that was all teeth broke out on Bakugou's face. "Fuck yeah! I'm gonna take all these stupid robots down!" He turned around and scoped out his possible targets. It didn't take long before he saw a robot firing a color he wasn't already wearing at Mina, and he charged towards it with another scream.

Sure enough, several of the other students had heard Bakugou's exclamation and were now grinning as well. 

"Well it seems the final phase has begun. Now we just need to see who will make it out still standing," Nedzu declared.

"True," Azumi responded in kind. "While the droids are definitely destroyable, it won't be easy to approach without getting hit. Not to mention the only blind spot they have free of barrels is above them."

"Plus the rubberized floor will cushion any downward impact," interrupted none other than Hatsume Mei.  The sudden voice made Azumi jump. Somehow, the support student had managed to walk up on the opposite side of Azumi without her realizing, and her eyes were now glued to the floating droids beyond the window. "Depending on how thick their carapaces are, and how stable or unstable the wiring, the babies may not even be able to be destroyed that way. It'll likely require some extra intense downward force or slamming them into the concrete wall like the loud blonde did."

"Uh… you're… um... right," Azumi continued. "There is at least one student who should be able to easily provide the necessary force to break them, even on the rubber floor.  For the rest, the challenge is going to be getting close enough and high enough without getting hit.  This is also the phase that provides the most opportunity for teamwork, not only amongst those still in the game but also for the eliminated players to-" She was cut off by the alarm on her watch going off.  Moving her sleeve and turning it off, she heaved a sigh. "Well, I guess that's time. Let me know how it turns out."  She turned around and headed into the Lounge where she retrieved Vlad King. Once back in the Control Room, she approached All Might, who had been standing at the opposite end of the viewing windows from her and Hatsume. "All Might sir. It's time. Itomai will be here with the next group soon. If you and Vlad King will please enter Room Gamma, I'll close the wall up behind you like before." 

"Sure thing young Azumi." 

The two joined Vlad King where he was standing by Room Gamma.  Azumi proceeded to use two fingers, one at each corner of the monitoring screen, pulling them together to shrink it enough for the two heroes to pass by and through the entry. Once they were in the room, Azumi activated her quirk to rebuild the wall, and resized the screen before pulling her chair over to sit in front of it.  She swapped the dial on her earpiece to Room Gamma and turned her head to glance over her shoulder at the other teachers. 

"Let me know right away if any of them violate the rules and use their quirks!" 

Midnight nodded and said, "Will do," while Mic shot Azumi a thumbs up without ever turning his head away from the action. 

With that, Azumi settled in to wait for her sister and their new guests. 

"And another student bites the dust." Midnight declared. 

Shouji had attempted to take out his droid, only to be hit in the arm with the last necessary color in the process.  Even so, he at least succeeded in destroying the intended robot.

Meanwhile Asui was taking a page out of Bakugou's book. She used her powerful legs to leap above a bot, did a midair somersault and full power axe kicked the droid to the floor. There was a metallic crunch as the top half of the bot dug into its bottom half, instantly short circuiting it as a small amount of smoke began leaking out of the cracks in its body. She didn't have time to slow down though, immediately hopping to dodge another hail of paintballs from a different droid that was simultaneously firing at both her and Todoroki.

"Ah! She must be the one Azumi was talking about!" Mei squealed.

"Indeed." Nedzu confirmed. "Her quirk, Frog, makes her legs naturally stronger, which allows her to easily reach the height necessary to get in the droid's blind spot."

Hatsume nodded along enthusiastically. "And that strength combined with momentum and the baby's own weight provided the necessary force for it to collapse in on itself upon impact! Poor baby! They could definitely use some upgrades...perhaps…" The girl's speech then devolved into a series of mumbles about different materials, electrical components, stability, and strength.

Nedzu just smiled, happy to have such an enthusiastic and bright support student at UA. Maybe I should give some bonus lectures to the support course...do some creativity exercises...see what kind of beautiful monstrosities the young minds come up with when not under any restrictions. 

In the Lounge, though he wasn't sure why, Power Loader felt an ominous chill run up his spine as he broke out into a cold sweat. 

As the teachers and Hatsume watched, both Hagakure and Aoyama were eliminated from play. Kirishima and Jirou reached four shots, while Bakugou intentionally tanked a shot in order to destroy another droid, joining Tokoyami, Yaoyorozu, and Uraraka at three.  Ojiro had been holding steady at two for a while now, much as Asui stayed at one.  Midoriya and Todoroki each gained a second color, and finally Mina had gotten hit with one.

"They're not doing too bad, all things considered." Midnight said. 

Aizawa rubbed his eyes in exhaustion. "It's definitely clear though that they all have work to do when it comes down to quirkless combat...some more so than others." 

As they were talking, Kirishima was hit by the fifth color necessary, drawing their attention with his loud,  "Aw, man!" 

Disappointed, he began walking towards where the other losing students had gathered. He wasn't even halfway there though when a shout was directed at him from Midoriya.

"Kirishima!" The red head whipped around towards the voice, only to see the greenette running towards him at a pretty decent speed, one of the droids following closely behind. "Give me a boost!"

"Huh?" was all Kirishima got out before Midoriya leapt towards him, and his body acted on instinct. Clutching his hands together in front of his body, Kirishima caught Midoriya's foot as the boy landed and lifted, sending him into the air.  Midoriya's body twisted as he went, his legs coming up and flying around to kick the floating droid.  As a result, the bot was sent careening into the wall with enough force to dent the concrete. Surprisingly it stuck for a few seconds, seemingly wedged, before gravity took it's hold and the robot fell to the ground clearly destroyed. 

"Thanks Kirishima!" Midoriya said as he landed, his eyes darting around making sure none of the other droids were on him yet. "I was having trouble getting the height necessary to destroy it on my own."

"Ah! No problem bro! That kick was super manly!" 

Midoriya smiled brightly before another robot noticed him and broke off from pursuing Mina to head his way. "Welp, gotta run. Thanks again!" 

Meanwhile, in the corner Iida had been watching his friend and finally realized something.  "Wait...we can help?! Is that even allowed?!"

In her protective shield, Mana smiled, having long ago put together the pieces of her sister's challenge. "You know…" She paused intentionally, taking the time to make eye contact with each of the eliminated students.

Once all the students were looking at her the girl continued, "Sometimes a hero isn't suited to battling a particular villain. Their quirks, body type, or differing skills put them at such a disadvantage that winning is near impossible." 

Shouji and Satou nodded in agreement, glancing at each other. Their larger bodies had certainly put them at a disadvantage in this dodging challenge. Several of the others murmured noises of agreement as well.

"However...just because that hero can't 'get the win' doesn't mean they can't support the other heroes that are capable of doing so."

Nedzu smiled behind the glass as he heard the girl's speech. She has a good head on her shoulders. I wonder which school she goes to? Unfortunately, he hadn't had a headset on when Mana was questioning the students earlier, or he would already know the answer.

The losing students one by one began smiling at her as they connected what she said to their current situation. Before they ran off though, her voice took on a more serious and grave tone. "However! I must remind you. While aiding is certainly not against the rules, using your quirks still will be." 

"Aww...but why?! We're already out!" came Denki's petulant voice. 

"Because, my sister created that rule for more than just one reason.  Yes, it helped you work on non-quirk combat skills, which is vital. I mean, your own homeroom teacher has the ability to erase a person's quirk for god sakes! You'd think you all would've already realized how important it is to still be able to fight without it, especially after seeing how he absolutely decimated several of the villains at the USJ who were overconfident and completely reliant on their quirk abilities. I suppose that's beside the point though...what I meant to say is that teaching you a lesson isn't the only reason for the 'no quirks' rule. The main reason is for your own safety. Because of the way Pocket Reality works, if you use certain quirks here, the effects could rebound on you quite harshly once we return to our Home Reality. We don't want any of you to get hurt." 

The students looked at each other as they began to truly understand the seriousness of the situation. Iida walked to the front of the group and bowed deeply before Mana, causing a blush to light up her cheeks in embarrassment. "We thank you very much for telling us. We will all be sure to keep this in mind for the remainder of our time here."

"It's fine. Really..." She waved her hands in an effort to lessen the tension. "It's nothing to thank me for. Besides," a huge smile broke out on her face, "Isn't it about time you guys give your friends a hand?"

Iida's back shot ramrod straight. "Yes! Indeed! We must help our fellow students! Let's go!" The boy turned and ran into the fray, a few of the other students sweat dropping at their class president's behavior before joining him.

Kouda hesitated, staying by where Mana was still trapped in the spherical barrier and pushing his fingers together in front of himself, quickly glancing back and forth between Mana and the other students. 

"Are you okay Kouda?"

"Mmmm...hmmm….yes? It's just...i don't…"

Mana smiled gently at him in understanding. The noise and chaos and violent enthusiasm of his classmates must have been making him nervous, so she gave him an out. "You know...being able to comfort civilians and put them at ease is also an important part of being a hero."

The boy looked up at her in surprise before a clearly relieved and grateful smile spread across his face. He nodded his head to her in agreement before speaking, "I...I suppose you are right.  Are you doing okay Miss Mana?" 

For the rest of the challenge, Mana continued to play the part of distraught bystander while Kouda comforted her. 

Meanwhile, the other eliminated students had run back into the chaos, confusing several of their classmates. 

"What are you all doing?!" Momo yelled, clearly confused. She was certain they had the win/loss conditions figured out, and all of them had already lost. 

Like always, Bakugou was a bit more agressive about it, shoving Kirishima as he screamed, "Fuck off Shittyhair! I'm gonna win this thing! You and the other losers need to get the fuck outta my way!"

Iida blocked a paintball from hitting Midoriya, before swinging his leg up to kick the droid that fired it.  The bot had been hovering just at the height of his chin making the kick easily achievable, and thanks to his engines the bones in his legs were hard enough to disable the bot on impact.  

"Eh!? Iida!? What are you doing?" Midoriya's confusion was written plainly on his face. 

"There is no rule against the losers aiding those still competing! That's why we are here now to support our fellow students!" 

Midoriya smiled brightly. "That's awesome! Thanks everyone!" He yelled, making brief eye contact with a few of his returning classmates. 

With all of the students working together to destroy the droids, and several of the eliminated students using their bodies as shields to physically block the paintballs from hitting those still in the game, it wasn't long before all the droids were defeated. 

The 'dead' bots were scattered around the room.  Most were on the floor near various walls, though a couple had impacted hard enough to be still lodged in the concrete. The rest were scattered throughout the room, mostly collapsed in on themselves courtesy of some hefty axekicks.  Various levels of damage could be seen from dents and dings  to cracked screens and partially crushed bodies.  Some had smoke rising from them, and a couple were busted open enough to be spilling their proverbial paintball guts across the floor.  All were clearly out of commission though, meaning the combat drill was officially over. 

The students stood scattered around the room surveying the wreckage and panting.  Several were still noticeably on alert, waiting for the robots to suddenly fix themselves or for new ones to appear.  

Aizawa had a pleased smirk behind the window. Good. They're keeping their guard up now.  Looks like some of them managed to learn something after all. 

As the room settled into silence Mana started clapping inside her barrier. "That… was… Awesome! You guys are all so cool! Definitely real heroes in the making!" 

Some of them blushed in response, while others like Kaminari, Mina, and Aoyama all attempted to do cool hero poses. A few ignored the girl's praises altogether, particularly the two boys still stuck in quirk cancelling wristcuffs. 

It was then that Aizawa decided to announce his presence to the students via the room's speakers. "You all did…......okay." 

All but two of the students' faces lit up with surprise at their teacher's voice. Several choruses of "Sensei?" sounded in the room.  Some students were looking around for their teacher while others just looked at the empty air, realizing immediately that the voice was being projected.  However, it was Jirou's, Shouji's, Asui's, Midoriya's, Yaoyorozu's, and Todoroki's gazes that immediately snapped towards the original blacked out window.

Aizawa sighed over the speaker. "Yes, it's me. Most of the UA faculty has been brought here. And I've been observing you all since shortly after I arrived, including during this training exercise." 

"You rocked it little listeners!!" Mic shouted into the room. 

"I agree. Several of you did quite well," Midnight added. 

The principal's voice spoke up next, "But it's clear you all still have things you need to work on." 

"I would certainly say so," added Recovery Girl's annoyed voice.

While most of the students didn't know much about the school nurse, they could tell from her tone that she sounded a bit upset about something.  

Midoriya on the other hand visibly cringed, having already heard that tone when she scolded All Might, as well as when she fixed his arm after the Battle Trial against Katsuki.  He wasn't sure what exactly had set her off, since all of the student's seemed to be unharmed, but he knew that he didn't want to be the target of her frustration. That clipboard of hers stings when she whacks you with it.  

Aizawa's voice interrupted the boy's train of thought. "That being said, let's go over the results. Nine of you were eliminated from competition. When we get back to school, I expect a one page essay from each of you explaining what led to your disqualification and how you can improve on this in the future.  As for the so-called 'winners', one at a time, state how many times you have been hit. Starting with Todoroki."

Todoroki who was standing near the far left of the room briefly glanced down at his uniform. "Twice."

From there, they continued one by one until they reached Bakugou on the room's right side. The final scores were as follows: Mina and Asui at one; Todoroki and Midoriya at two; Bakugou, Ojiro, and Uraraka at three; and Jirou, Tokoyami, and Yaoyorozu at four.

"Well done, I suppose." Aizawa's voice commented with little enthusiasm. "Now, Mina and Asui, since you two are in first place, what would you say was the purpose of this challenge? Eliminated contestants keep your mouths shut, since I already heard Mana tell you part of it."

"Dodging!" Mina proudly exclaimed. "If we're going to be good heroes, we need to know how to not get hit and taken out immediately by our opponents."

"And…" Eraserhead prompted the two girls.

"Kero…Azumi mentioned something right before the challenge about how we had gotten too comfortable.  It seems part of the lesson was to teach us to remain on guard, especially when in a foreign and possibly dangerous environment." 

"Correct. The fact that you all let yourselves get so comfortable so quickly is the main reason I agreed to Azumi's challenge in the first place. You all needed to learn a very important lesson. When you're heroes, villains can strike when you least expect it, as they did at the USJ, so always be on your guard and ready to respond. Understand?"

A chorus of "yes, sensei" sounded in the room. 

"Good. Now this exercise was multifaceted. Do any of our survivors care to take a guess at what else it tested?" 

Yaoyorozu and Uraraka raised their hands.

"Uraraka."

"It tested our observational and situational awareness abilities.  While we were dodging we had to keep track of which colors we'd been hit with, which robots were firing colors we hadn't been hit by, plus our other classmates to keep from running into each other."

Kaminari and Sero cringed at the reminder.

Aizawa smiled behind the glass. "Correct. And some of you definitely need to work more on your situational awareness.  Yaoyorozu."

The class rep stood straight as she spoke. "This exercise tested our deductive reasoning." 

"Explain." Aizawa pressed after seeing some of the classes questioning looks. 

"Going into the challenge we were given very little information, basically just 'don't get hit'. As the exercise continued we were forced to deduce the win/loss condition, the distribution of paint colors in robots, that the robots themselves could be destroyed, and, towards the end, how the eliminated students were still allowed to help." 

"Very good. But there's still one important facet to this exercise that you're missing."

Yaoyorozu pursed her lips in frustration while several of the eliminated students raised their hands. 

"I am well aware that Mana told you the last purpose. I want to know if any of our so-called winners are able to figure it out without help."

The raised hands lowered and the students who had managed to survive had a mixture of expressions from confusion to shame to focus.  

After a moment of silence, Midoriya hesitantly raised his hand. 

"Midoriya."

The boy flinched as his name was called. With his head down, eyes staring at his feet, he lowered his hand and quietly said "quirkless."

"What was that?" The teachers could barely hear him through their headsets, and most of the class seemed to be in the same boat. Bakugou, who was standing a few people away from him, scowled at the green haired boy. 

Midoriya spoke louder, though his voice still sounded shaky and distressed, something Aizawa couldn't pinpoint a cause for. "Quirkless.  We had to do the exercise without using our quirks.  The last facet was to show us that we still need to be able to survive and, if possible, fight while quirkless." 

Bakugou scoffed and mumbled "stupid Deku" under his breath. 

Aizawa continued on from behind the window.  "That's right Midoriya. While I have yet to hear about any, there's always the possibility that there could be villains out there with quirks like mine. And there is guaranteed to be plenty of instances where you'll be up against a villain or a situation where your quirk is rendered essentially useless. In that situation, you're going to need to know how to dodge, escape, fight if necessary, but above all survive .  You need to strengthen your skills to the point where, at the very least, even without your quirk you can keep yourself from getting killed."

"Well said, Eraserhead." Azumi's voice interjected from behind him, slightly startling the pro...not that he'd ever admit it. She returned to her position on the left side of the window next to Principal Nedzu. "I do believe with that lesson things will go even better than we hoped. Don't you think Mana?" 

Their attention turned to the girl in the corner, who wore a suspiciously teary eyed smile.  Azumi's quirk was already halfway up her protective barrier, but she nodded her agreement at the window before her head disappeared behind it. A few seconds later Azumi's quirk was receding and they could clearly see the girl wiping her eyes. "Logically, I knew this class would be good, but I was still worried. I feel so relieved now."

Azumi smiled gently and said, "I know what you mean Sis." Before turning her attention to the students' teacher, "Now then Eraserhead, what do you say to meeting the students in the theater? I know there's at least one hero here now that's excited to meet them." 

Aizawa could see the excitement and anticipation spread amongst the students as they started chatting with each other about what they suspected was going to happen and who Azumi might be talking about.  However, he didn't pay it any mind as he was currently distracted by the heavy arm suddenly slung over his shoulder.  He scowled at the intruder into his personal space, while they started speaking with an answering grin in their voice, loud enough to be heard by the students through their homeroom teacher's microphone, "You bet I am! Can't wait to see what kind of class Shouta hasn't expelled. Not to mention, I finally get to meet all my little brother's cute friends!" 

Iida's back shot ramrod straight as he looked at the window in shock. "Tensei?!"

Azumi began leading the other teachers into the theater while Aizawa sighed, turning off and removing his headset. "Tensei really? You're far too relaxed. I just finished lecturing my students on the importance of not letting your guard down in an unknown environment. You're a pro for God's sake, you should already know this." 

Iida Tensei, otherwise known as the pro hero Ingenium, simply waved away Aizawa's concern.  "Meh, no need to worry Mr. Serious Sensei. The Wild Wild Pussycats were brought here at the same time as me. Apparently this entire Pocket Reality is within the range of Ragdoll's quirk. The only people here are U.A. students and faculty, heroes, Tsukauchi, and the three sisters that brought us all here...oh...and the little kid that was with the Pussycats."

"Ah. Well, I suppose that's good at least." Aizawa shrugged off Tensei's arm as they followed the rest of the teachers into the Theater.  

Chapter Text

Pocket Reality - Theater

The Theater was huge.  At the front of the room was a raised large screen, much like in any movie theater. However, blocking the very bottom of the screen was a stage about 4 feet tall and 10 feet wide with steps leading up to it.  From there to the back, the room was divided in half by a walkway dimly illuminated by the small lights running along each side of it.  There were 6 rows of seating with each row being raised a couple feet above the one before it so as to not cause any viewing problems.  Rather than traditional theater seating, there was a combination of comfortable looking couches and reclining chairs. The first row had two full size couches. The second and third each had two love seats and a recliner towards the center aisle.  The fourth and sixth had two recliners with a full size couch between them, while the fifth had six reclining chairs only.  All of this arrangement was mirrored on the other side of the center aisle.  Finally, in the back of the room behind the last row was a large open space.

They entered through the doorway from the  Control Room at the back left of the Theater. A few tables were set up along the back wall to the right.  On one of them, Aizawa noticed the same two green storage bins he had seen in a corner of the Control Room when they first arrived.  Since he was preoccupied with his students he wasn't surprised that they had been moved without him realizing.  Once everyone was in the room, he walked over to where he saw Azumi and Itomai standing in the back right corner.  All Might and Principal Nedzu were there with them, though the former seemed more nervous than usual. He was sweating a bit and kept glancing over his shoulder towards the front of the room where the newly arrived heroes were clustered.  Ignoring the Number 1's discomfort, Aizawa took his place at the principal's side while they watched Azumi's quirk take over a section of the wall.  Meanwhile the other heroes stood clustered in groups throughout the front and back of the theater chatting. 

When Azumi's quirk faded, the wall was gone revealing the students of 1-A plus Mana standing in Room Alpha. 

"Welcome to the Theater!" Azumi spoke over the group. 

"Behave," was the only addition Azaiwa made as he glared a warning at his students. 

The usual chorus of "Yes Sensei!" sounded before they devolved into whispers amongst themselves as they filed into the room.  

Once all the students were clustered in the back of the theater Azumi clapped her hands to grab their attention. As they all looked at her, she addressed them. "Please wait here. Mana, Itomai, it's time for some proper introductions." 

The three sisters made their way through the standing crowd and to the front of the room.  Once on the stage, Azumi used her quirk to manifest three microphones.  She gave her own a couple taps with her fingers to test that they were working, which simultaneously gained the attention of everyone in the room. "Cool. Look's like we're up and running. Now that I have your attention, let's get started. As you can see there's plenty of seating available, and you can feel free to choose whichever type you find most comfortable. I do ask however that students please sit on the right side of the room, all adults please sit on the left.  Kota, you can feel free to remain with your Aunt of course.  And don't worry, you won't have to sit through all this anyway if you don't feel like it. I've got a whole bunch of video games in the other room to keep you and me entertained while they're stuck dealing with the boring hero stuff." At that she gave the young boy a wink.  

Said boy just rolled his eyes and scoffed before following Mandalay and her team to a row with a couple love seats and a chair. He took the chair at the end and crossed his arms, still scowling. Stupid heroes. They think they're so important. This entire thing is all stupid and pointless.

Once everyone was situated, Azumi resumed talking.  "Now as you all know, we brought you here to show you the future. But since everyone's arrival conversations differed slightly, I thought it would be best to go over everything one more time. Get it all out in the open and answer any questions you may have. First thing's first though… introductions. I might as well get the ball rolling since I'm the one already talking." She glanced at each sister on either side of her to see if they were okay with her going first.  On her left, Itomai simply shrugged while, on her right, Mana shot her a smile and a thumbs up. 

Looking back out at the crowd she began. "My name is Aishitomi Azumi. I'm eighteen and Itomai's younger twin." She put her finger to her chin in thought…"Then again… with my quirk… I think I'm older than you now yeah?" She looked briefly at her sister for confirmation. Itomai simply stared at her with an expression that clearly read 'Seriously? This is what you're going with?'. Thankfully, the look was unamused enough to jog Azumi's thoughts back on track.  "Right. Not important. Anyway, we're the daughters of Aishitomi Hitomi and Aishitomi Hikaru.  Our mom Hitomi is a historian, and our dad Hikaru is a retired hero, pro designation: Flash Step.  He now works in the corporate world as a consultant for conflict resolution and communication.  I think it's totally boring." Itomai elbowed her in the side. "Ow! What!? It is! Anyway, my quirk is a combination and mutation of our parents' quirks.  It's called Alternate Reality or AR for short.  It allows me to teleport myself into realities or universes where I don't otherwise exist.  This means no parallel universes.  Rather, think of it like this… in our reality we have books, tv shows, movies, etcetera. In each of these there is a world that we consider "fictional".  However all of these worlds DO exist as Alternate Realities and in them, our world may be simply the subject of a book or movie… or not even be known at all.  A different subset of my quirk allows me to transport myself to a reality of my own creation and mold it to my will.  That is the Pocket Reality you all are in now.  While in it, I can create any construct I want as long as it's not a living organism, and I'm aware of it's prior existence in any of the Alternate Realities I've visited.  On the plus side, I don't need to know how an object works to recreate it, so that gives me a pretty wide range to do whatever the hell I want. Down side, I don't have the power to bring anything or anyone from our own reality with me to Pocket Reality, and I can't use any other powers or quirks that aren't my own while here because I can't alter my DNA to give them to me… which is totally lame.  Seriously, earth bending the walls away would've been so much cooler looking than using my quirk to remove th--" Another elbow in her side courtesy of Itomai shut down her rant.  "Aaaanyway… I guess that's it for me. Sis?" She turned her head to her left. 

Itomai nodded and brought her microphone to her face before flicking the small switch to turn it on. "I'm Aishitomi Itomai. Eighteen years old. Azumi's older twin. I'm currently training to be a combat field medic. My quirk is the same as our father's, just a bit stronger. It's called Rift.  It allows me to teleport anywhere that I have seen before as long as I hold a stable mental image of the destination in my mind. Unlike our dad who can only transport himself, I can transport up to 20 objects, living or otherwise, including myself.  I teleport through what is essentially a Rift in space. Because the Rift is composed mostly of light, this causes a blinding flash whenever I leave and a small flash upon arrival, as most of you experienced. I can rift as many times as I want as long as my quirk remains active, picking up objects as I desire along the way. However, if I want to stop transporting or drop off anything, or anyone, I have to deactivate my quirk, which automatically triggers a Cooldown period. I cannot rift again until the Cooldown is finished, and each Cooldown is twice the length of the one before it.  Furthermore, in order for the Cooldown timer to reset, I have to activate a different part of my quirk that forces my body into a coma for the amount of time equal to the sum of all my Cooldowns up to that point. That is all."  She leaned forward to look around Azumi's body at their younger sister. "Your turn Mana."

"Oh, okay!" Mana smiled at the crowd and brought up her microphone.  "I'm Aishitomi Mana and I'm 15 years old.  It's very nice to meet you all, and though I wish it was under better circumstances, I still hope we can all get along.  As you must have figured out, I'm the youngest child.  My quirk is called Insight, and it's a variation of our mother's quirk.  While hers lets her see the past of anyone living or dead, mine allows me to see a living person's past, present, and future.  Unlike her, I can't activate it at will. Instead, my quirk is triggered by a person called a Catalyst. When I see them, my quirk activates and causes me to lose consciousness.  From that point on, I go into a coma state for as long as it takes my mind to view, process, and incorporate whatever information Insight acquires.  Once I wake up, the secondary features of my quirk come into play. These are the abilities I can control.  First, I can mentally replay any part of the vision I saw while asleep.  Second, I can telepathically see what any person relatively important to my vision of the future is doing in the present, as long as they have had or will have some sort of positive influence on the Catalyst.  Third, I can form a telepathic link with the Catalyst that allows me to share what I've seen with them in the form of short projected video-like clips into their mind.  Apparently if a person is a Catalyst repeatedly, this link and my ability to see their present can become permanent as has been the case with my sisters.  Unfortunately, all three secondary abilities physically blind me while they're in use.  The quirk counselor said it was something about my mind only being able to process so many things at a time… so to compensate, my quirk kind of shuts off a large part of my perception of the world around me." 

Here, she paused to take a moment and looked to her sisters for support.  Azumi grabbed hold of her hand with an understanding gaze, while Itomai mouthed an 'It's okay. You got this.'

Taking a deep breath, Mana continued speaking, but she was no longer smiling.  "After many years we discovered that the Catalysts of my quirk all have one thing in common. They all will experience some sort of danger, injury, tragedy, etc. in the future. However, the key to this is that my quirk won't trigger for just any old negative future.  If it did, I would likely be in a coma more often than I was awake.  Instead, it's only activated by Catalysts who's dangerous futures are preventable .  My quirk then supplies me with enough information about the past, present, and future to stop whatever negative outcome I see from occurring.  However, I've learned the hard way that there are limitations .  The greater the tragedy, the more information necessary to be able to stop it, the longer the vision is, and… well… my brain takes time to process all that information.  The more there is, the longer time I spend in a coma.  Sometimes… " Her hand squeezed hard around Azumi's as an anguished and haunted expression came over her face.  "… … sometimes I take too long.  Sometimes I wake up too late, and there's nothing I can do.  Sometimes there's nothing I can do even when I do wake up on time." She paused, took a few calming breaths, and shook her head, trying to will the tears to not fall.  "I've realized, the information I get has to go to the right people… people that can actually make a difference and cause change.  After all, most people won't listen to a random seven year old telling them not to go to the grocery store because 'something bad' will happen." She let out a pained sigh. "Even so, I've learned that when all the information is considered appropriately and put into the right hands, disaster really can be prevented, and the future really can change for the better." At the end of her speech, her smile was small, barely there but noticeably hopeful.  

In the crowd, Nighteye was fuming at the utter nonsense the girl was spewing. I know better than anyone, the future cannot be changed.  Despite his initial curiosity over a quirk so similar to his own, his patience was wearing thin as this farce continued.  Bubblegirl, already knowing his view on the matter, was glancing nervously back and forth between her boss and the girls on stage.  Sure enough, as the girl finished her speech, he stood up rather angrily, the sudden motion drawing the attention of those in the room.

The youngest of the three girls winced and seemed to defensively curl in on herself as if anticipating his response.  The twins on the other hand stiffened and shot rather pointed glares at him.  

Before he could get a word out, Itomai brought up her microphone and hissed, "Don't. Say. A Word ." Her voice was deadly serious and surprisingly authoritative, making Nighteye hesitate just long enough for her to continue. "You having a similar quirk does not give you the right to judge what hers is or is not capable of.  Just because she can do something you can't or won't is not a reason to take your frustrations and failures out on her.  To be honest, from what Mana saw, Azumi and I already knew you would be a problem.  And while you were on the list, know that I hesitated in bringing you here until the very last moment."

Mana gasped in shock, but Itomai continued steadfastly in her tirade. She had thought a lot about this since that evening Mana woke up in the hospital. 

"The only reason I agreed to bring you here in the first place was because of a certain big case you're working on...one involving an illegal drug and a rather villainous 'family' if you can even call them that." Nighteye's eyes opened wider in surprise, immediately knowing which case she was talking about. "Even with all that, I would've left you behind, confident in the ability of the other heroes we brought here to coordinate with you on the case.  However, what you are unaware of, is that there also happens to be a little girl involved in that case. One that is currently being held captive and tortured daily for her quirk." Several of the heroes and students in the room gasped in shock and concern, others had glares at the possible unknown threat who would be torturing a child.  

"I still would've left your stubborn ass behind."

Azumi's head whipped quickly towards her twin.  Itomai rarely ever cursed.  It was part of her more serious nature combined with her training to work around the wounded without scaring them.  When she did… well… she was usually completely pissed… or… Oh. Azumi smirked at her sudden realization before returning her glare to the dumbfounded standing hero.  Itomai had gone full mama bear mode and that...well, that was something Azumi could get behind.

"The fact is: You're not the one Mana saw saving this little girl in the future. The Catalyst did.  Despite you repeatedly telling him it was impossible...that he would fail and die if he tried. Nothing you said mattered.  The odds of failure didn't matter. Someone needed help. And he ran in." Itomai shrugged as if this was completely normal and expected.  "It's what he does. And I'm confident he can do so again with the help of the heroes and future heroes here, with or without your aid."

Two of the heroes in the room had their jaws dropped in disbelief. The first was Bubble Girl who never imagined she would see someone essentially scolding her boss as if he was a disobedient and rebellious child, let alone a random teenager.  The second was All Might who suddenly had a very good idea of just who the Catalyst was.  After all, as far as he was aware, only two people in the room fit that description, and if they had been talking about him, he doubted all of the students would be here.  

Meanwhile Aizawa's brow was furrowed in concentration.  The fact that 1-A was brought here already suggests that the Catalyst is one of my students.  Based on their behavior at the USJ, I'm aware of at least four of them that would run in against prior advice and bad odds.  But as far as doing it repeatedly… enough that it would be considered a defining character trait and predictable behavior...that knocks it down to two. The fact that it happens 'whenever someone needs help'... that only leaves one.  He sighed to himself and muttered a short exhausted "Problem child" that was barely heard by Mic sitting next to him.  At the same time though, he couldn't help but feel a touch of pride knowing one of his students would save a child from a truly horrible situation. 

Not realizing the awareness she had created, Itomai never paused.  "The only reason I did settle on bringing you here is because your life happens to be one of the ones we're trying to save."

The look of stunned realization on Nighteye's and Bubblegirl's faces was enough that Itomai paused for a brief moment to let the full impact of her statement register with the hero.  Calming her protective rage to a simmer, she stared unblinking at Nighteye trying to impress the seriousness of her resolve into him as she finished. "However, regardless of the circumstances we find ourselves in, I will absolutely NOT stand by and allow my sister to be scolded, demeaned, or emotionally bullied for something that is out of her control. Especially by someone that is Supposed To Be a damn Hero."  Each word was emphasized to drive home her point of just how disappointing she found his behavior.  "If you do so, I will gladly accept the extra coma time it will add for me to teleport you and Bubblegirl back to our Home Reality.  And don't worry," her voice took on a slightly more dangerous tone.  "You won't be burdened by your mistake, regrets, or worries about your impending death." Several in the room tensed at what appeared to be a clear threat. Itomai rolled her eyes at them, though she could understand where they were coming from, and redirected her attention to the room at large.  "Oh don't overreact. I'm a medic in training… as in 'do no harm'.  I have no plans to hurt him, even if I do have to take him back.  We simply have precautions in place in case anyone was revealed to be untrustworthy while in Pocket Reality.  Azumi's ability to create technology from other universes at a whim can be incredibly useful, and it allows for multiple ways to wipe your memory of ever being brought here at all." She sent a meaningful glance back at Nighteye before ignoring him altogether. "It's one of the main reasons we were confident we could let so many of you in on the information we had to offer to begin with.  We have a back up plan if things go south." 

While many were disturbed and intimidated at the thought of having their minds so easily played with, several of the heroes couldn't help but internally agree with the wisdom in the girls' decision.  A few of them had been highly concerned with the amount of people that would be allowed classified intel, as the more people who know the higher the possibility of a leak.  The girls' plan was a decent, though not flawless, guard against that.  It was certainly impressive for teenagers who hadn't had any hero training as far as they were aware, and a certain white and furry individual's approving grin said as much.

The room was silent for a moment as everyone digested the information.  A few minutes later, Nighteye spoke up, barely getting the words out through his clenched jaw.  "Understood. I will withhold my judgment and personal opinions until I am fully aware of the situation."  He wasn't happy about it, but he was willing to keep his trap shut for the time they spent here if it got him closer to taking down the Shie Hassaikai. As for his apparent future death… well… if fate determined it would happen, then it would happen regardless.  So there wasn't much point in worrying about it when he had bigger issues on his plate.  

Azumi however saw his apparent concession for what it truly was: a bid to buy time to get what he wanted.  As he was now, there wasn't any way his opinion would or could change, and that was simply unacceptable.  She glared, and as Nighteye and Bubblegirl settled back in their seats, a very Nedzu-like grin came over her face… one that was more threatening and a promise of possible danger than it was reassuring.  

Several U.A. teachers shuddered when they not only noticed the grin, but recognized why it was so familiar.  Meanwhile, the principal himself was some combination of excited and pleased at the prospect. 

"You know, Nighteye," the girl began casually causing the annoyed hero to look at her. "While my sister is the one who eventually decided to bring you here, she wasn't the only one that had a problem with your presence." Both of her sister's looked at her. The younger in surprise, the older merely raising an eyebrow wondering where she was going with this.  After all, Itomai recognized her twin's smile and tone of voice… and it generally didn't bode well for whoever was on the other end.  

"As she said at the beginning, Itomai and I both knew you would be a problem .  And while neither of us are happy with how you think of and would inevitably treat our sister if we didn't speak up, that's far from the only issue I have with you."  

The hero's brow furrowed in confusion at the venom in the girl's tone.  Next to him, Bubble Girl's head tipped to the side in wonder about why these girls seemed to dislike her boss so much, while across the room Mirio was getting more agitated about seeing his mentor be targeted like this.  While the teen kind of understood the other girl wanting to protect her sister from Nighteye's negative opinion, what was happening now seemed to be something else entirely. 

"You see…" Azumi continued waving her hand slightly and switching her venomous tone out for one more casual, as if she was simply talking about something she had read in the news and not about to rip into the hero.  However, her grin said otherwise. "You're entire attitude is what I have a problem with.  Your reaction to Mana's quirk is simply symptomatic of your overall poor personality which is quite frankly, disappointingly unheroic." 

A few shocked and confused gasps sounded through the theater, though most remained silent. 

Sero and Kaminari let out a quiet chuckle as Mina let out a hiss and whispered "burrrn".

Mirio's hands clenched in anger. 

"While you are arguably one of the more intelligent heroes out there, something I would normally appreciate, you're also incredibly arrogant.  You're so focused on what you want to accomplish that you lose sight of the bigger picture, which could, quite frankly, put people in danger."  She redirected her gaze completely on the stunned hero and leveled him with a glare, her tone turning angry again.  "And what's Worse," she hissed, "is that you use that intelligence to straight up manipulate other people to accomplish your own goals, apparently either uncaring of or simply unwilling to see the consequences.  You mentored a kid not because you wanted to help him achieve his own noble and heroic aspirations, but rather to fill a position he has no knowledge of.  One that could paint a deadly target on his back."  Nighteye's expression for once showed his shock. 

Mirio looked from the girl to his mentor in surprise and confusion while his two friends looked at him in concern.  

Nedzu's eye twitched imperceptibly.  While he was aware of Nighteye's general personality and tendencies, the man was undeniably effective.  However, if what the girl is saying is true, I'll certainly have to keep a closer eye on him in the future. I can't allow any of the students under my care to be put at risk.

Undeterred by any of this, Azumi continued.  "Not to mention the fact that said position ISN'T even yours to give or offer in the first place.  And yet, somehow, you arrogantly believe you have a right to determine who fills it." 

In the back, All Might's jaw dropped again while Gran Torino just crossed his arms and nodded in approval of the girl's words.

Nighteye on the other hand was quickly transitioning from shock back to annoyance and anger.  However, as much as he wanted to tell the girl off, that he was only doing what was clearly necessary for Toshinori and the One for All legacy, he was forced to clench his jaw in silence to maintain the secret. 

"Learn this and take it to heart Nighteye, there's a difference between caring and controlling.  Right now on a scale of innocent child to the undying evil that shall not be named, you're dangerously close to the level of flaming pile of garbage that is Endeavor."

For the first time since entering U.A., Todoroki's stoic expression disappeared as his jaw dropped.  He couldn't even begin to process that someone actually had the guts to call his father what he was, but deep in his soul something was rejoicing.  

Several people's faces were confused at why she called the number two hero a flaming pile of garbage, however Aizawa smirked and Nedzu's eyes shone with utter glee.

"Re-evaluate your priorities, and remember why you actually wanted to be a hero in the first place." Azumi's eyes and voice softened minutely as she finished, "As much as you piss me off, there's still a chance for you if you actually learn something while you're here. So do us all a favor and take it."  

Once it was over, the theater was filled with an awkward silence.  

After a few minutes, Azumi coughed into her other hand trying to dispel the former tension. "Oookaay… now that that whole… hmmm… mess... is dealt with… I'll continue.  You all now know who we are and about our quirks.  Now for why exactly you're here, how this whole thing is going to go down, some ground rules and important details." 

The audience ridded themselves of their thoughts on the strange Nighteye situation and refocused their attention on the situation at hand as Azumi spoke.  It was time to get down to business.  

"The day before the USJ attack, Mana saw the Catalyst on a news broadcast." Instantly several people put two and two together remembering the day of the media break in at U.A.  "Her quirk triggered and she fell into a coma.  Normally when our quirks put us in comatose states, we remain at home, hooked up to heart monitors and i.v. fluids.  However there is a house rule for our safety: if anyone is out for 72 hours, then they are hospitalized for the remaining duration of the quirk induced coma until they wake up.  Mana was completely unconscious and unresponsive for 11 and a half days."

Gasps sounded around the room, gazes flashing back and forth between Azumi and the younger sister at her side. Recovery Girl was holding a hand to her rapidly beating heart and looking at all three of the girls in concern.  It's not often people have such severe health drawbacks to their quirks.  And for these girls to have the home equipment and training necessary for dealing with i.v.'s and heart monitors at such a young age, plus that house rule… their quirks must send them into comatose states often enough for it to seem normal… which it's absolutely not. Prolonged comatose states aren't good for the body.  Normally, the longer someone remains in one the less likely it is that they would wake up, and typically, the body begins to waste away during that time due to the lack of nutrients and exercise.

After a brief pause Azumi continued.  "Just to be clear, this has never happened before.  Previously the longest she had been out was for around 6 days.  The fact that this was nearly double that time meant we all knew, before she even woke up, that what she had seen was going to be incredibly serious and dangerous. And it was going to be all hands on deck to help however we could.  Then, when she finally did wake up, she told us everything she saw. We spent hours and hours going over it and coming up with the plan that led us to bring you all here.  As I'm sure you've already figured out, the Catalyst is amongst you all.  The rest of you were brought here not only because you had some sort of significant influence on the catalyst in the past, present, or future either directly or indirectly, but because we believed you could truly help remedy the various disasters Mana foresaw.  We brought you into Pocket Reality in particular for a couple reasons.  First and foremost, we're in a time crunch before bad shit starts going down, and it would take far too long to go through proper channels to reach you all, and that's assuming our messages were even able to reach you in the first place without getting stopped or thrown out for being the rantings of crazy people.  Second, going through proper channels would leave a paper trail that could put us and you all at risk if someone did take what we said seriously and ended up leaking it to the villains or press.  Third, Mana only has a strong enough telepathic link to share what she saw with the Catalyst, but to actually affect serious change, this information needs to go to all of you.  Fourth, Pocket Reality allows me to create anything that I'm aware exists in another reality.  And I'm sure you all remember me telling you how in the other realities I have access to, we may exist as book, movie, TV etc. characters.  Well, once she told me who the Catalyst was and we formed a plan, I spent the next two days surfing through Alternate Realities until I found a shareable source of media with the Catalyst's story as the subject.  I then confirmed that the plot matched what Mana saw while I was still in that Reality before leaving and returning home where Mana and Itomai had been getting the physical preparations finished.  While here, I can share with you the past, present, and future that Mana saw in the form of the anime I found, hence the giant theater you find yourselves in."

Excited murmurs traveled around some of the students, while some of the teachers and heroes sighed in exasperation.  Nighteye was suspiciously silent.

After the noise in the crowd died down, Azumi continued. "Now, are there any questions about who we are or why you're all here?"

Kota's petulant voice shouted from the crowd as he stood in his chair, "Yeah! You said that I wouldn't have to stick around for all this lame hero stuff, so do I have to sit through this anime too?"

Azumi smiled bright at the kid. "You only have to watch the beginning of it, so the past, and then a little part of the future that you're in.  We think it may do you some good. Outside of that, you can hang out in my room and play whatever video game you can think of that doesn't require internet access or online matchmaking, since I can't exactly connect to our Home Reality's wifi from here.  Plus, with me, you get endless battery life so the game won't die on you.  I can recreate any system you want too.  And since I don't need to be in here for the entire future viewing thing either, I'm all for some multiplayer versus games. That is, If YOU think you're up for the challenge!"  As she finished talking she raised her hand to point at the boy, "So tell me Kota...do you think you can beat me?!"

Kota smirked, "Oh! You're on, old lady! I'll crush you!" 

Mandalay couldn't help but smile. It had been a while since she saw her nephew this fired up about anything other than his newfound hatred of heroes. 

"You wish little man! I'm a video game master! Mua ha ha ha ha hagh..ugh...ow!..."

Her evil laughter was interrupted by dual elbows in her sides, one from each sister.

After a brief coughing fit and rubbing at her left side where her twin definitely had less mercy than her younger sister, she resumed speaking. "Yeah, yeah. I get it. I'm sorry I got carried away I guess. Where were we? Questions right? Yeah… anyone else have questions on why you're here or about us?"

Recovery Girl stood from her chair and cleared her throat before saying, "I must admit, I'm concerned for the health of you girls. Mana and Itomai already told us how and why they enter a quirk induced comatosis, but Azumi, I couldn't help but notice you seemed to include yourself in that category as well without actually mentioning why."

"Did I not?" She glanced at her sister's for confirmation and they both shook their heads in the negative. "Oh, well I actually enter it the least often out of the three of us… but probably for the longest average timespan.  You see, my body ages at the rate of whatever reality I'm in, and my ability to stay in other realities has limits and consequences.  I've improved my quirk to the point where I can spend about 5 days in any given Alternate Reality without drawbacks.  Any time I remain there beyond that however, will be time I have to spend in a coma once I return to Home Reality.  So, for example, if I spend two weeks hanging out with friends I've made in an Alternate Reality, I would be comatose for 9 days after returning home. Unlike Itomai, who can choose when to mentally trigger her coma to reset her Cooldown, I drop the second I reenter Home Reality.  And when I create a Pocket Reality, the consequences are even stricter.  As soon as I leave it, I will enter a comatose state for an amount of time equal to the time I spend here." She glanced at the purple watch on her arm, "Which at this point is just over 13 days and counting." 

Gasps sounded from most of the teachers and heroes as she continued. 

"Speaking of, I was going to talk to you later, but might as well get it out of the way now. I'm probably going to need your help. I created Pocket Reality from an Anchor Point in Ground Beta on U.A.'s campus.  Which means when I dissolve pocket reality, that's where I, and anything and anyone from Home Reality still in Pocket Reality at that time, will reappear.  When that happens, I'll immediately collapse unconscious as the coma hits.  So if you could...you know...move me to the infirmary until Itomai can rift me to the hospital, that would be awesome." 

"Of course!" Recovery Girl said seriously.  "But darling, I understand that this particular situation may have called for it, but I hope in general you don't create Pocket Realities often. The toll it has on your body is too severe."

"Oh don't worry. I don't. At least...not anymore. When I was younger and couldn't fully control it I would create one whenever I was upset and felt like hiding away from the world…needless to say it freaked mom and dad out quite a bit when my quirk manifested and I vanished for the first time only to reappear completely unconscious minutes later." She laughed lightly to herself at the memory as Itomai shook her head with a barely there smile in fond exasperation.

Recovery Girl nodded satisfied with her answers for now and sat back down. 

"Any more questions?" Azumi asked.

Midoriya hesitantly raised his hand and Azumi nodded at him to go ahead. He stuttered a bit as his nerves got the best of him at being the focus of attention for so many people, not to mention how half of them were real pro heroes.  "I-I've been wondering about this f-for a while now.  I u-und-derstand fund-damentally why you brought us all here.  But won't there be some sort of p-p-panic with all of us dis-sappearing at once?"

"Ah!" Azumi's eyes lit up. "Very good question Midoriya, and one that transitions perfectly into what I planned to talk about next."  She cleared her throat before taking on what was a very stereotypical teacher-like lecture tone. "Welcome to Pocket Reality 101.  Today we will be learning all about… you guessed it… the ins and outs of Pocket Reality.  Lesson 1: Things you should know about Pocket Reality in general. I created it, I control it, I'm the only one who can dismiss it.  In it, I can recreate almost anything that I know exists in any Alternate Reality or our Home Reality, but the things I create here will cease to exist the second Pocket Reality is dissolved.  Pocket Reality does NOT follow the normal flow of time.  Instead, one day here equates to one minute in our Home Reality.  Meaning we can get a massive amount of information to you all much faster and without causing unnecessary panic as long as no witnesses see Itomai bringing you here.  That's why we weren't certain if we'd be able to bring all the heroes we wanted. If they were currently saving civilians, fighting with a villain, or with multiple teammates we weren't sure about, then we needed to leave them behind.  This ended up being the situation with both Ryukyu and FatGum. So, we'll be relying on the rest of you pros to relay the relevant important information to them on time."  

Midoriya nodded his head in understanding as she continued. 

"On to Lesson 2: Consequences of Pocket Reality.  As I said before, I will end up in a coma for the amount of time I have Pocket Reality active.  There are also consequences for others brought here since it's time flow is different.  When you leave here you will be hit with a rather awful headache.  Because your body ages at the rate of our Home Reality, while you're here your cells development rate has slowed substantially.  You won't get hungry or thirsty or need to use the bathroom here because only seconds have passed for your bodies.  Your minds on the other hand are being forced to absorb information at what only appears to be a normal rate.  Once we return to home reality however, this causes a bit of bounceback, as your brain registers you just forced a day or more's worth of information into your memory in the span of a minute. Hence the killer headache.  The duration and severity of the headache will vary from person to person depending on how good their brain is at integrating new information in general.  I suspect Principal Nedzu's and Ragdoll's will last a few minutes at most with their quirks to help them, while others may be stuck with it for an hour or more. Unfortunately this is unavoidable.  However, we did think ahead and brought plenty of standard headache medication for everybody to take once we return.  It won't completely get rid of the headache, but it should dull the pain a little.  And finally Lesson 3: Rules of Pocket Reality.  Rule number One: Don't try me. If you attempt to harm me or my sister's you will be restrained, put in quirk cancelling cuffs, and have your memory wiped before Itomai returns you to Home Reality.  If I think your quirk usage puts others or yourself at risk, I will put the cuffs on you for the duration of your stay here. If I think you may destabilize Pocket Reality by affecting my own quirk I will put cuffs on you, as some of you already know...speaking of…" Her eyes glowed dark purple as her quirk activated.  A minute later she sighed and spoke into the microphone once more. "There you go. I figure you three are no longer a threat now that you understand the situation.  Now back to the rules.  Rule number 2: Try not to use your quirks unless absolutely necessary. This is for your own safety as much as it is for everyone else's.  Because of the time dilation, it's possible that some quirks may experience a backlash from overuse when we leave.  For example, quirks that require a fuel source can be used without limit while in Pocket Reality because your cells are processing slower and haven't registered that they're out of that fuel. When you return home all that quirk use will hit you at once, rebounding as if you used your quirk for a full day or more in the span of a minute without replenishing that fuel at all. This can lead to quirk exhaustion and whatever other unique complications that means for you and your quirk." Several people in the room winced at that, understanding just how severe those consequences could be.

In his head, Midoriya was already forming theories.  That means Yaoyorozu's quirk would rebound on her for sure.  So would Iida's probably. Wait! Does that mean I can use One for All here and my bones won't break until we get back?!  I mean… it's probably not a good idea to risk it, but it's still interesting to think about... I wonder if Kaminari's full discharge would still overload him or if the effects of that would be delayed too… 

Once they had time to digest the serious implications of using their quirks Azumi continued. "I'll trust the judgment of the adults in this matter. So if any of the teachers or heroes," she glanced meaningfully at Ragdoll who nodded her head, "tell me you're pushing it, your quirk will be suppressed for the remainder of your time here.  And finally Rule 3: I reserve the right to add more rules as necessary. I will take the teachers' input into consideration with regards to this matter. Please don't make it necessary." 

As Azumi finished, Itomai brought up her mic, "Any more questions?" 

Thankfully there weren't any, and they could quickly move on to the last part of their planned introduction. Itomai continued where her sister had left off, "Before we get started we're going to go over a bit more about what you're going to see here and how it's going to work.  Like Azumi said earlier, you will be watching Mana's vision of the past, present, and future in the form of an anime.  Because it's an anime, you can expect anime-like things to happen. For example, the show is grouped into episodes and has multiple seasons.  There is an intro and outro to each episode as well as little previews at the end of some episodes. We will watch the opening and closing at the beginning and end of each season, skipping it for the other episodes. We will be skipping any and all previews, period.  Because it was meant to be aired weekly in its own reality, you can expect some recapping to happen. Of course it can get annoying, but it's unavoidable so we'll all just have to deal with it. Other anime effects will happen from time to time as well, like floating flowers and sparkles, floating speech, day dream imagination bubbles and the like.  You will be shown the inner thoughts of some of the characters, particularly those of the protagonist, or rather the Catalyst in our case.  However, they won't be alone; others' thoughts will sometimes be heard as well.  This next bit is probably the most important.  Because it shows the past as well as the present, some serious secrets and things you would rather keep private may be revealed." A few people in the room began to panic internally.  "Prepare yourself and try not to jump to judgment of other people's lives.  I assure you, if we didn't think it was for the best, we wouldn't show it. But Mana's quirk reveals the information it does for a reason… … … It's precisely because learning from the past can help change the future that we deem it necessary." Itomai glanced meaningfully at All Might. 

She didn't look long enough for most to notice, but it was enough that All Might, Midoriya, who was already looking for some indication that One for All or the Number 1's true condition might be revealed, Aizawa, Nedzu, Gran Torino, and Nighteye all noticed and understood the implication.  All Might's secret wouldn't be as much of a secret after today. 

Itomai closed her eyes and sighed. "As far as how this is all going to go down, we'll be watching the show in this theater.  We'll watch anywhere from 1 to 3 episodes at a time, with 15 minute to 30 minute breaks in between sets.  If we remain on schedule we should finish 32 episodes while we're here, putting us about 75% of the way through Season 2.  We don't plan on dumping all the information on you in one sitting. It simply wouldn't be feasible to keep everyone here that long and expect no one back in Home Reality to notice.  To make up for this, we plan to actually schedule a time to get together with you all for the next round of viewings.  When that is will be determined hopefully before we leave here." Itomai let her microphone hand drop back to her side and motioned for Mana to continue. 

Nodding in the affirmative, Mana brought her microphone up once more. "There is one other important fact you need to realize as we finish up here.  My quirk only shows me the Catalyst and the things that occur around him from his point of view.  This anime from what Azumi learned, follows the same path as my vision but may reveal even more about the villains than my quirk did or can.  Because it's an anime focused on the life of the Catalyst and the world around him, it's natural that the other significant characters both positive and negative will be more fleshed out than my one sided visions can show.  This means we have the opportunity to learn about the villains secrets and possible weaknesses as well.  While I can't confirm all of the villain information is accurate, I suggest assuming it is until we're proven otherwise. So while it's probably needless to say, keep your eyes peeled for details that could help catch them or take them down." 

With that, the room erupted into a controlled chaos. People stayed in their seats but were talking amongst each other about the possibilities and impact of what they would soon see. 

Itomai took this time to leave the stage and the Theater altogether.  Azumi sat down on the stage with her legs dangling off the front, while Mana got down and headed to the back of the room. Once in the back, she began unpacking the two green storage bins and laying various items on the table, drawing the attention of the heroes and students closest to her. 

After watching her for a brief moment, Nedzu got up out of his seat and joined her, glancing curiously at the items she removed.  "Since most of these appear to be notebooks and writing utensils, I assume Itomai transported these bins from Home Reality?" 

Mana nodded her head and smiled down at the principal. "Yep. We knew you all would need to be able to write things down on something you could take with you to aid in your planning and any future changes you want to make… … Plus, we knew the Catalyst would probably go a bit stir crazy without a notebook to write his analysis in anyway," she added giggling. 

Nedzu broke out in a toothy grin. "Interesting! And quite clever of you girls to bring all of this from home for us to use." 

"I suppose. We really just tried to cover every need, and while Azumi can make a lot, the fact that it disappears would make any notebooks or writing implements she made useless for taking information back home.  Planning, buying, and packing all this stuff is mostly what Itomai and I were doing while Azumi looked for the anime… that and going over every possible question we thought you might have about being brought here so that we could give you adequate answers."

"Naturally. You three had quite a mission to undertake, and you approached it with a logical amount of preparation and planning before taking action. You've done well."

Mana's smile lit up her entire face in her joy.  She really respected the principal both for his intelligence and his ferocity.  To hear him say they did well meant a LOT. "Thank you so much Principal Nedzu! That really means a lot to me!" 

He nodded his head in understanding before gaining that manipulative glint in his eye.  "So Mana-san, I couldn't help but notice that when talking about yourselves none of you mentioned where you went or are attending school?" 

Mana's face lit up with a blush. "Oh, sorry sir. I suppose none of us thought to mention it because it's not that interesting? We've all done online homeschooling up to this point.  There wasn't really much of an alternative when I can drop into a coma at any given moment and remain so for unpredictable lengths of time.  With Itomai and Azumi it's not as unpredictable, but they would still end up out of school for days at a time which would make graduation near impossible. With the online lessons on the other hand, we're able to go at our own pace.  Azumi even graduated two years early because she finished her coursework so fast.  Despite her kind of over-the-top personality, she's really intelligent and catches onto things quickly.  For now, she's taking a break from school while she 'figures out what she wants to do with her life'. Dad says the problem is that she doesn't feel challenged enough by anything.  Personally, I just think she's bored." Mana shrugged. She didn't notice, but Nedzu's grin grew a bit larger and the sparkle in his eye was a bit brighter.

"And Itomai-san? How's her schooling going?"

"Quite well. She was able to get a headstart since she graduated early from high school too. Only one year early though, so not quite as fast as Azumi.  Her medical training program has been a mix of online and in-person training so it's been… different. But she enjoys it, so I think it's a good kind of different.  She's already finished her emergency medical training and been certified as an EMT.  Now she's going through the optional post-certificate program to become a licensed combat medic so she can help injured civilians, heroes, sidekicks, etc. in ongoing battle situations. Once she finishes, she said she plans on getting a job with a hospital, but she's still toying with the idea of taking night classes to go for her Nursing degree at the same time."  

"Interesting. Does she already have a job lined up for when she's finished her program?" 

Mana shook her head, "I don't think so."

"Really? That is a shame."

Nedzu was still smiling as he responded and his tone led Mana to believe he didn't actually think it was a bad thing that her sister hadn't already lined up a job.  However, she didn't have time to call him on it as the two were close enough to the door and could already hear an angry woman yelling from beyond the Control Room.  

"Uh-oh…" Mana mumbled.  "I totally lost track of time." Quickly she spun around and shouted over the conversations of the Theater at her sister.  "Azumi!"

Azumi's head snapped up in surprise.

"We forgot about Itomai! Room Delta needs to be opened!" 

Azumi's eyes opened wider before she pushed herself off the stage and landed in a crouch before sprinting out of the room. 

Mana and the principal followed her out.  

Pocket Reality - Control Room

As they entered the control room, Azumi used a quick hand motion to swipe the screen out of the way and to the side. Her quirk was already active and coating the wall behind it.  Through the thick concrete wall they could make out the same sound of a woman yelling, though they couldn't quite tell what was being said.  On the monitor Azumi had shoved out of the way, they could see Itomai standing in a corner cringing, while a short green haired woman attempted to calm down a raging blonde.  They could then see Itomai speaking as she gestured to the wall behind them as it was coated in the inky looking material that was Azumi's quirk.  Both of the women looked at said wall, and the blonde began to slowly calm down. 

Nedzu's eyes opened ever slightly wider at the clear resemblance of the two women to two of Aizawa's students. "I assume one of their son's is the Catalyst then." Mana simply nodded, eyes focused on the monitor.  Nedzu's brow wrinkled in concern. With One For All taken into consideration, then the Catalyst must be Midoriya then.   "Will they be joining us for the entire viewing or just part of it? I wouldn't want them to be put in danger by any of this knowledge."

Mana glanced down at the principal before looking at the wall that was now coming down.  "They will be here for this session at the very least. Whether or not they wish to see the rest is up to them, but it will be their decision. Both of their son's are in significant danger and they deserve to know."

"It's about time!" the blonde yelled, interrupting Nedzu's chance to say anything more as the wall finally vanished. "Who's running this show anyway?!" She threw both arms out to the side in apparent exasperation, her body partially blocking that of the nervous greenette behind her.  

A quiet "Micchan!" came from the shorter woman as she used her hands to pull the blonde's arms back down to her sides. 

Mana stepped up clearing her throat, hoping to grab the woman's attention and perhaps calm her.  She bowed at the waste as she began. "Excuse me. I'm sorry Mrs. Bakugou, Ms. Midoriya, for interrupting your morning tea.  My sisters and I brought you here, along with several heroes and hero students, because my quirk activated and showed me a troubling vision of the future.  Aside from the nephew of the hero Mandalay who is too young to be left unattended, you two are the only civilians who were brought here."

The blonde had one eyebrow cocked up in curiosity, while the greenette let out a quiet "oh my". 

Standing once more Mana continued. "You see, my quirk is activated at random when I see a person called a Catalyst.  I then am forced unconscious and into a coma while my quirk shows me visions of the Catalyst's past, present, and future.  It only activates if the Catalyst is in some form of preventable or avoidable danger, so my goal in bringing everyone here is to show you all what I saw and formulate a plan to change the future for the better." 

"Oh dear, that must be awful!" the shorter declared, "Just suddenly losing consciousness at any given time and being forced to see such awful things.  I can only imagine how worried it must make your parents. Are you okay dear?" 

The obvious concern and care in her tone brought a small smile to Mana's face.  Leave it to a Midoriya to be worried for the sake of a stranger when they should be concerned for themselves. "I'm fine Ms. Midoriya. Thank you for asking. My family has become accustomed to it and have procedures in place should anything happen." 

The blonde interrupted at this point. "So I assume if we're the only civilians here and you mentioned bringing students, that this must have something to do with one or both of our boys." 

Mana winced at the strict voice.  "That is unfortunately correct Mrs. Bakugou." A tick that Mana didn't notice appeared on the blonde's brow.  "Though no one else has been told yet, Izuku is in fact the Catalyst."

"Izukkun?!" The quiet exclamation came as the green brought her hands up to cover her mouth, as if stopping the name from reaching the air would somehow make it less true.

Mana nodded and tried to project a comforting aura toward the distressed mother.  "I'm afraid so, but don't get too upset. Even though he was the focus of my vision he came out alive and well at the end.  He'll have a few more injuries under his belt than he does now, but he's a great hero in the making for sure!"

Izuku's mother couldn't help but smile at that.  After sniffling a few times to bring her emotions under control, and hopefully prevent the waterworks, she asked, "but I thought you said the Catalyst in your visions is in danger?"

Mana took a deep breath in and tried her best to explain.  "They are.  And he will be.  Others around him will be hurt, an Era will end, hero careers will end, and a hero will die." 

A gasp and a hiss came from each mother respectively.  

Mana continued resolutely, "That's why we're here. To prevent all that."  

"But what can we do?" Izuku's mom asked.

Mana smiled. "While you have been invited here and your suggestions will be taken into consideration, you aren't expected to do anything if you don't want to.  That's why we brought so many heroes and heroes in training here. You're here because both of your sons have gone through some things in the past that need to be and will be brought to light… some of which neither of you are aware of.  And while you may have your suspicions of certain things, this will show you the full extent of what occured while your children were growing up, something you absolutely need to be aware of.  There was also something that was wrongfully kept from you specifically, Ms. Midoriya, something that as Izuku's mother you had every right to know." 

The gasp from the greenette was mirrored by the woman at her side, as the blonde threw a comforting and protective arm over her shoulder. 

Unnoticed by the group, Nedzu's eyes narrowed.  He knew exactly what Mana was referring to.  I was unaware that Midoriya's mother wasn't informed of him becoming Toshinori's successor. That's going to be a problem I'm sure, not to mention the possible legal ramifications since the boy is still a minor.   

Despite how disturbed the two moms were, Mana pushed through. "Add to this, the fact that both of your sons will be in exceptional danger in the future, and I thought you deserved to be here… for it to be your choice on whether or not you want to know. I wouldn't accept it if anybody tried to convince me otherwise." 

At that the blonde smiled. "Good girl! You made the right choice in bringing us here. We're their parents, and we have every right to know what's going on in their lives!" 

"Thank you Mrs. Bakugou!" 

The blond scowled and waved her right hand in front of her, "Ugh...enough with that Mrs. Bakugou crap already. It makes me feel old.  Just call me Mitsuki." 

"Oh! Um, okay Mitsuki.  I'm Mana by the way.  That…," she motioned to the more casually dressed dark haired girl at her side, "is Azumi." 

Azumi waved and smiled brightly at the women before picking up where her sister left off, pointing at the other black haired girl behind the two women, "And standing behind you, right there, is my twin Itomai. She's obviously the one that brought you here, which I assume she already explained to you how her quirk works. We're Mana's older sisters. It's nice to meet you." 

"Same here." Mitsuki replied.

"I suppose… if everyone else is on a first name basis, then you can call me Inko as well.  It's nice to meet you girls," spoke the hesitant voice of the smaller woman.

"And you as well, Inko." Mana bowed her head slightly, a small smile on her face.  While she kept it inside, the girl was incredibly happy to be on a first name basis with the woman that her vision had shown to be such a caring person.

Nedzu cleared his throat, grabbing their attention. "I'm Principal Nedzu of U.A. It's a pleasure to meet the mothers of two of our hero students.  However, perhaps it's time to return to the Theater and get things started."

"Oh, right!" Mana exclaimed. "Follow us." As the group began walking towards the Theater door Mana finished explaining. "For various reasons which I can explain later if you need me to, we'll be watching what I saw in my visions in the form of an anime.  Because of where the anime came from, it may have information in it that I'm not even aware of yet.  And I suggest you try to prepare yourselves mentally, because it's likely to show some hard moments in the past… particularly for you Inko." 

"I understand." The woman agreed as they all walked through the door.

Pocket Reality - Theater  

The Theater was filled with chatter, students and heroes alike speculating about what the future could hold and who the Catalyst may be. 

Only the back row of heroes consisting of All Might, sitting in the aisle side reclining chair, Midnight, Mic, and Aizawa, who was sitting between the previous two on the couch against his own wishes, noticed the newcomers.

All Might noticed the immediate resemblance of the green haired woman to his protégé and coughed in shock.  

Aizawa on the other hand wasn't surprised in the least. He simply stood and left his seat to approach the two ladies. "Ms. Bakugou and Ms. Midoriya I assume...it's nice to meet you. I'm Aizawa Shouta, your sons' homeroom teacher." 

"Ah, Eraserhead! My son has told me so much about you. Thank you so much for fighting so hard to protect Izuku and the rest of the students during the USJ."  Inko's voice was earnest as she bowed slightly.

It was… strange … having someone thank him, Aizawa decided.  He was so used to underground hero work, where the public was none-the-wiser, that receiving recognition for his work from anyone other than his colleagues or the police just felt… off.  "No need to thank me, Ms. Midoriya. It's my job as a hero and a teacher, and I promise you I will always do my utmost to protect the children."

She smiled at the hero as she straightened her back once more.  "Truth be told, you had Izukkun quite inspired. He was writing in his notebooks and mumbling about different moves and tactics for several days after the attack.  I'm pretty sure I heard your hero name mentioned repeatedly along with the phrase 'so cool'."  The mother lifted her fingers to her mouth and let out a light giggle at the memories of her son.  

Aizawa couldn't help but smile at that, though he hid it expertly in the folds of his capture scarf. 

Mitsuki let out a laugh as she slung her arm over the shorter woman's shoulders once more. "Ha! That sounds like Izu alright."

Aizawa's eyebrow raised slightly at the apparently jovial blonde. Their relationship is so different compared to their sons'.  The boys clearly grew up together, so what happened? Midoriya has said before that they're childhood friends, but something just doesn't seem quite right… Most childhood friends aren't that… confrontational.  I thought that maybe their parents didn't like each other and encouraged their kids in the same manner, but clearly that's not the source of their problem. 

While no one was paying attention, Itomai,  who had entered the room last, walked over to the back table and placed the stack of notebooks she had been carrying in the smaller of the two green bins before closing the lid. Once done, she returned to the group and cleared her throat, "I believe it's about time to get started.  Ladies, I think it would be best for you to remain unnoticed by your sons for now.  It shouldn't be for long, but this way you will get to see how they act when not in your presence.  It's my belief that once they know you're both here they may begin censoring themselves to try and make the situation look better than it is to avoid upsetting you… which won't do anyone any good, and will just make it harder to fix the problem in the end.  For the same reason, while you will definitely see some shocking things, I request that you please try to remain quiet and not bring attention to yourselves until it's time.  If you were to get too loud, I'm sure your sons would recognize your voices immediately." 

"Tch. Whatever. I'll just wait to annoy the brat later," Mitsuki said with a shrug and a grin.

"I… I suppose," Inko agreed. "If you really think it's necessary. Though I will get to talk to Izukkun soon right?"

"Of course.  It's my understanding that the first three Episodes will be about things leading up to Izuku's UA entrance exam.  We will have a break after the first two and you may talk with him, and anyone else you wish to, then. We'll also introduce you two to the rest of the Theater then as well.  In the meantime I truly am sorry for the inconvenience."

"I suppose there's no helping it," Inko sighed. "If we're supposed to be hidden, then where should we sit?" Inko asked, looking at the sporadically filled theater in question.  

Itomai was happy to answer. "Well, since we want you two to remain unnoticed by your sons, how about sitting in the last row of the student section on the right, it's empty anyway, and they're less likely to look all the way behind themselves then they are at the area where their teachers are sitting.  After the first break you can decide whether you want to remain there or move to the adult side on the left of the theater."

The two women nodded and headed over to the empty couch in the last aisle of the student section before getting comfortable.

"Well then," Azumi took the lead, "Eraserhead, Principal Nedzu if you would please take your seats." 

Chapter Text

Pocket Reality - Theater

Aizawa and Nedzu headed to their seats while the three sisters made their way to the front of the room.  Mana and Itomai took seats on the far left couch in the first aisle, leaving a spot open for their sister, while Azumi once more ascended the stage at the front of the room.  Azumi picked up her microphone from where she had dropped it and gave it a quick tap to get everyone's attention.  Once the theater settled and everyone was looking at her, she began to speak, "It's time to begin.  Here's how it's going to work. We'll be watching the first two episodes and then we'll have about a 30 minute gap before we begin again. This covers most of the Catalyst's past prior to the beginning of this school year.  Pay attention and try not to jump to conclusions.   Some major secrets will be revealed so be respectful, and try to be understanding. If you can't understand, then try to keep quiet or ask questions during the break. But if you can't be respectful, keep your thoughts to yourself. Period. And if you can't, I'll remind you that I do have the ability to silence you whether you like it or not." 

Her threat was accented by a harsh glare, causing many in the audience to shudder at the reminder of the power she currently held over them.  

"Several of the scenes may be shocking, try your best to keep quiet and keep watching.  We can pause to address things when absolutely necessary, but for the most part save your questions for the break.  We will have a brief open discussion slash Q&A after each group of episodes we watch and before the break.  And again I'll stress this, try and hold your questions until then. We have a schedule to keep, and 32 episodes to get through in the time we're here.  Now… without further ado…" Azumi activated her quirk and coated the stage as she walked down the attached steps at the side and headed to her seat.  As soon as it was finished being coated, it vanished completely so as to no longer block the bottom of the screen.  

While the girl was getting settled, Nedzu looked behind him and to his left. "Aizawa, there's something I've been wondering for a while now." The exhausted teacher acknowledged the statement and waited for the principal to continue. "There are 20 students in each hero class. Where is 1-A's last student? Mineta I believe is his name."

Eraserhead sighed and shook his head, but didn't seem surprised. "The students asked Mana the same question while I was observing them earlier.  All she told them was that 'for reasons I'm sure you can understand, we decided to exclude him from this'."

"Well that's concerning." Midnight chimed in from his left. 

"Indeed. What's worse is that none of the students seemed surprised. Several even seemed relieved."

Nedzu's face took on a hard expression. "We'll be delving into the details of that situation later."

His tone left no room for argument, not that Aizawa had any intention to disagree, "Already planned on it."

Throughout the theater there were a few whispers here and there, but overall it was mostly silent, people lost in their thoughts and wondering what was to come. Most were curious, several were excited, and some were anxious, while a couple were brooding over why they had to sit through all this in the first place.  

No one was more anxious though than Izuku Midoriya.  The green haired boy sat on the couch closest to the aisle in the front row of the student's side.  He was squeezed between his two friends, Uraraka and Iida, and was fidgeting nonstop, his right leg bouncing, hand clenching and unclenching, and his eyes darting anxiously back and forth between the screen, his friends next to him, All Might far behind and to his left and the girls on the far left of the first row who brought them here.  His mind wouldn't stop racing. What if they show All Might's true form?! Everyone will know! Oh god...she practically guaranteed to show it with all that talk about secrets and the way she looked at All Might!... That's the biggest secret there is! Oh God. What if they show the secret of One for All?! I'm so dead… so so dead… please don't let me be the Catalyst… everyone's going to hate me… they're going to kick me out of U.A. for lying about having a quirk… what am I going to do?"

"Are you okay Deku?," Uraraka asked, interrupting his emotional spiral. "You look like you're freaking out…" The girl's eyes shone with concern as she looked at her clearly anxious friend. 

Izuku startled, his whole body tensing at her question.  Looking at her, he saw the worry in her eyes. She's worried. I shouldn't make her worry about me.  He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly and trying to force his muscles to relax. "I'm… I'm okay Uraraka." He plastered on a wobbly smile in an attempt to be reassuring, "I'm just nervous about what we might see."

The brunette nodded in understanding. "Yeah, I know what you mean. Who knows what awful things the villains are going to do after the USJ.  But at least this way, we'll be able to do something about it. We can stop them!" She brought her hand up in front of her and clenched it into a fist filled with pure determination. 

This time Izuku's smile was real, if a bit smaller than usual. But, he found her determination was contagious, and they nodded at each other before directing their gaze at the screen. We have people to save. I won't let this opportunity go to waste.

After settling in with her sisters, Azumi allowed a few minutes for the theater to quiet down. Once it was mostly silent, she brought a remote out of her hoodie pocket and pressed Play. It's finally beginning.

As the show began playing, silence reigned over the theater. 

It opened on a very young Midoriya Izuku defending a crying child from an angry, young Bakugou Katsuki, and subsequently getting beat up for the effort.  An older Izuku's voice narrated, declaring this incident as the moment he came to the harsh realization that not all men are created equal… that some are simply more powerful than others.

The anime's opening began to play, showing clips of the USJ, a bunch of notebooks, the teachers and students fighting, Bakugou and Midoriya growing older and fighting each other, and finally All Might's and Izuku's overlayed fists. 

As the show resumed the older Izuku's voice explained about the emergence of quirks and heroism as a profession, while on screen he was seen in a middle school uniform fanboying and taking notes at a villain fight with Kamui Woods, Death Arms, Mount Lady, and Backdraft.  Then the narrating Midoriya's voice pointed out the details of heroism as a career and how success was affected by the hero's public image.  

The scene changed to a middle school classroom, and a teacher threw a stack of papers in the air as if they were pointless, all but one student setting off their quirks in excitement.  A now teen Katsuki then stood on his desk and declared his intent to go to U.A.. He flaunted his academic and quirk prowess and overall superiority over his peers, and spoke of his self-proclaimed destiny to surpass All Might, all while brushing off his classmates and declaring them extras.  The teacher all but agreed with the blonde's proclamations before drawing the class's attention to the quiet green haired boy a couple rows back, pointing out that he planned on applying to U.A. as well.  The rest of the class laughed at the mortified boy and the apparent absurdity of a quirkless person even applying to the school.  Then the angry blonde catapulted himself towards the shrinking Izuku, blowing up his desk and threatening him while the latter tried to defend himself with meek and anxious words about rule technicalities and his desire to at least try.  The teacher did next to nothing to stop Bakugou until it was time to resume the lesson, as if his behavior and the situation occurring were completely normal.

The scene changed again to focus on a city street.  A villain that appeared to be made of some sort of slime fleeing from a crime scene.  Then, an emaciated blonde man stepped out of the shop and appeared to suddenly grow muscle from nowhere before the crowd heard All Might's voice declare, 'I am here'.  

Time skipped ahead, and they're back in the classroom. Izuku is gathering his things to leave, thinking about taking more notes when he gets home.  However, Bakugou suddenly stole his notebook, making fun of Deku and exploding it with his quirk, all before tossing it out the window.  Then, once again, Katsuki threatened Izuku against applying for U.A., using his quirk on the terrified boy's shoulder for emphasis.  The situation finally appears to end before Bakugou grabs Izuku's attention one last time as he leaves the room.  The blonde then tells him to 'jump off the roof and pray for a quirk in your next life'... that it's the only way Izuku will have a chance at being a hero. 

When a shocked Izuku turns around to possibly say something, Katsuki's palms crackle with an obvious threat, and Izuku backs down immediately in fear.  

There's a few brief seconds of shocked silence, and then the Theater erupts into chaos, nobody noticing as Azumi pauses the show with the screen still on Izuku's terrified form.

Some people are still rendered silent in shock.  All Might is one of them.  

Some have their hands held over their mouths as if to keep the words from having ever been said. Yaoyorozu, Amajiki, Aoyama, Kouda, Mandalay, Ragdoll, Bubble Girl, and Present Mic are amongst them.  

Others, like Todoroki, Shinso, Ojiro, Jirou, Shouji, Tiger, and Ingenium are silent and stewing in their rage, unsure what to do.  For reasons he doesn't quite understand, a thin layer of frost begins to creep up Todoroki's arm as he tries to keep his quirk under control.

In the front aisle Izuku is crying silently, nearly hyperventilating, his face hidden in his knees as he curls himself into a protective ball where he sits on the couch.  

In the back of the room, Inko is crying as well, both hands covering her face to muffle her sobs as she tries to make as little noise as possible. Next to her, Mitsuki is filled with a combination of rage, shame, and regret.  She grits her teeth so hard her jaw aches in an effort to keep silent.  Meanwhile, her hands hover over her crying best friend without actually touching, hesitating and unsure if she was even still allowed to comfort Inko in this situation. 

Several students shout at Bakugou condemning his behavior and in a few cases his personality as a whole, declaring it unheroic and/or villainous. Bakugou just screams back at them. 

The teachers quietly discuss what can be done.  While they all agree that something should and needs to be done, several are unsure how much they can do when the incident happened before the boy was enrolled at U.A.  Nedzu remains silent as he listens and observes, but most of his teeth are still in view in a basic animalistic sign of aggression, and if anyone bothered to look, they'd see small claw marks in the arms of the leather chair.  Hound Dog's speech is dipping in and out throughout the discussion, shifting repeatedly between growls and the human language.

When a standing Uraraka suddenly screams at Bakugou, "How awful can you be!? What if he would've done it!?", it grabs all the theater's attention. 

"Tch! It's not as if the nerd would've actually done anything! Don't be stupid! Right Deku!?" Bakugou shouts back.  

The room quiets as they all look at the teen, and Izuku's head snaps up at the sudden oppressive silence. His eyes are red rimmed and panicky, but he's not actively crying anymore. 

"Right!?" the blonde shouts, crossing his arms confidently. "Tell them I'm right!"

Izuku looks over his shoulder towards the teachers, blatant fear in his eyes as he glances between All Might and Aizawa and the doorway to the Control Room, the closest escape route. Won't work. Can't go far enough. And I'd have to get past everyone to get there.  Safer staying put. The look lasts only a couple seconds before his head is buried once more in his knees.  His arms tighten around his legs, as he tries to make his presence even smaller. Stop looking… need to be less noticeable… less of a target . He doesn't say anything to the blonde's statement.  He doesn't deny it, and it's clear by his body language to some in the room that he can't.

All of Uraraka's anger leaves her in a rush as she sits down once more next to her friend, focusing instead on trying to comfort him. I can destroy Bakugou later.

All Might clutches his shirt right above where his heart would be.  The number one still hasn't been able to bring himself to utter a word, but his thoughts are spiraling quickly. 

As for Bakugou, he hesitates. What? The blonde goes uncharacteristically silent, but his posture remains tense and aggressive. There's no way he would've actually done it!... Right?... Right! Yeah. No way! They're all just overreacting and getting upset over nothing. The nerd's just being a cry baby like always! No reason to make a huge deal over it. 

The other angry students turn furious glares back on the blonde, and the yelling begins again.  

Predictably, it's Aizawa that puts a stop to it.  The man stands from his seat on the couch and shouts at his class, "Enough!" 

Instantly, all the students' gazes but two snap towards him. The greenette's face remains hidden, while the blonde for some reason can't seem to take his eyes off Izuku's curly hair.  

Bakugou's mind is spinning and he's both angry and confused, which just ends up making him more angry. Stupid Deku! This is all your fault. Just tell them you wouldn't have jumped stupid! Even you're not that fucking dumb.  

With the theaters' eyes on him Aizawa continued, "Clearly this is a serious problem, and it is a situation that will be dealt with accordingly. However, we are here for a purpose, and we need to continue watching the show.  Myself and the other U.A. faculty will discuss this matter over the break and decide how to proceed. For now, you all need to sit back down, shut up, and watch the show as it resumes. This event has already proven what the Aishitomi sisters said about serious situations and secrets being revealed, and we all need to remember and respect the rules that they presented us with."  

A few students were more hesitant than others, but all of them eventually returned to their seats. Aizawa nodded before making eye contact with the three girls in the corner and sitting down himself.  As he crossed his arms in front of his chest, the screen began playing once more. 

The show resumed, and Midoriya retrieved his damaged notebook from a koi pond. 

It wasn’t long before the scene changed again, reverting back in time to a young Izuku begging his mom to watch a video.  It was revealed to be All Might's debut video, and the small greenette eagerly declared how cool the number one hero was along with his desire to be just like him. 

The scene changed again and suddenly a doctor was nonchalantly telling the boy to give up, sending him into shock.  Izuku's mother expressed her concern about her son's quirk not manifesting yet and described her and her husband's quirks. Then the doctor explained that apparently Izuku had an extra joint in his pinky toe, meaning he would never develop a quirk.

Time flashed forward to later that night and the anime showed a devastated Izuku watching All Might's debut again. He asked his mother if he could be a hero. Unable or unwilling to answer, she collapsed to her knees, crying and apologizing repeatedly, seemingly just as devastated as her son.  Then older Izuku's voice was narrating again, sounding upset and expressing his discontent with her answer. 

In the back of the theater, Inko clutched her hand to her chest and began crying all over again. I'm sorry Izuku! I'm so sorry! I'm such a bad mother. I just couldn't say what you wanted me to. I'm so sorry! I wish I could take it back! But… I'm sorry… I'm sorry… 

The show skipped forward in time once more, back to that same day in middle school. On screen, Izuku reminded himself to not listen to what other people think.  He walked under an overpass, imitating All Might's laugh to lift his spirits, before slime began creeping up from a sewer grate behind him.  The slime attacked and the boy was engulfed by the same villain they had seen earlier.  The villain even called the boy his hero as he tried to suffocate him in an apparent attempt to take over Midoriya's body.  He almost succeeded, Midoriya beginning to lose consciousness as he asphyxiated on sludge. Suddenly, the sewer grate exploded upwards and All Might appeared, saving Izuku by dissipating the villain's viscous body with the wind pressure from one of his signature smash attacks. That was the final straw, as the boy passed out from the lack of oxygen.  

In his seat, Bakugou's hands dug into leather, and he knew his quirk would've been activating if it weren't for the silver cuffs on his wrists.

The scene changed slightly as All Might woke Midoriya up via repeated light slaps to the cheek.  Together, they watched as the kid freaked out, backing away, and All Might apologized for getting Izuku 'caught up in his heroing', revealing the villain now stuffed in a couple plastic soda bottles which he then shoved in his pockets.  Izuku then panicked, wanting to ask for an autograph, only to be filled with overwhelming gratitude at finding the number one hero's autograph already in his notebook, immediately declaring it would become a family heirloom passed down through the generations. As All Might made to leave though, the greenette suddenly grabbed onto the man's leg like a koala as the pro leapt into the air.  All Might tried to shake the boy off until Izuku pointed out to him that he would die from the fall if he let go. 

When they first saw the kid on screen fawning over the number one, Present Mic and Midnight both quietly laughed as they heard Aizawa muttered "problem child" into his scarf.

Then as the two on screen took off into the air and All Might tried to make the boy let go, several students laughed as well.  

In the back corner however, present day All Might shook as he sensed a wave of killing intent and saw Gran Torino holding up his cane threateningly.  Luckily for the hero, his sensei was currently unable to reach him with their current seating arrangement, and so was the intimidating glare he could feel Recovery Girl sending his way.  He already knew he'd be hearing it from both of them later, and if the show continued like he suspected, it would only get worse.  He was too focused on his fear of the two older heroes to even register Aizawa all but facepalming at his stupidity as he muttered how All Might was an idiot. 

On screen, All Might landed on a roof, and expressed how he had to go because he was 'out of time'.  Behind him, Izuku's demeanor changed as he flashed back to all the worst moments of his life… his brain reminding him of all the voices telling him he couldn't do it, that he was nothing but a useless, quirkless Deku. He internally agreed that the voices may be right, but then ended up asking All Might his question anyway. Could he be a hero without a quirk?  That actually caused All Might to stop as he turned to glance back at the boy.  Then older Izuku's voice broke in, narrating over the scene, saying that this meeting with All Might, this miracle, would change his fate. 

As the ending played, everyone in the theater began to relax a bit as some tension left the room, to be replaced mostly by a mixture of confusion and concern.  

They didn't really have time to discuss it though as Azumi skipped through the 'next time' preview at the end of the episode and paused just as the new episode started playing.  She quickly stood, picking up her microphone from earlier and, after flipping the switch to turn it on once again, tapped once to get everyone's attention.  "Now I know that was a lot for some of you to take in.  We know you're probably a mixture of upset, confused, concerned, and who knows what else, and probably have a ton of questions you want to ask.  Just hold off for now.  Most questions will be answered in the course of the show, and if you have any more, then I'll remind you that that's what the Q&A is for.  For now, just hold it in and try to remember what you want to ask or talk about when that time comes."  At the various expressions of agreement from the crowd, she turned off the microphone, resumed sitting down, and pressed Play once again.

The second episode began with a recap of Izuku's dark memories before he once again asked All Might if he could be a hero without a quirk.  When All Might confirms the kid's question by asking it back at him, Izuku proceeds to explain his tragic life story… that of a bullied quirkless kid who no one believes in, but who still wants more than anything to save people with a smile.  The boy then becomes so lost in his thoughts and memories that he doesn't notice what's happening in front of him.  Not ten feet away, All Might, the number one hero, begins to struggle and curse in his mind as his body starts letting off what appears to be steam.  The fog engulfs the hero's form before dissipating to reveal the emaciated blonde man they had seen leaving the grocery store in the previous episode. It's at this moment that Midoriya finally raises his head to look at the hero. 

Gasps of confusion, much like the on-screen Izuku's, sound through the theater, though notably the majority of them come from the students' side.  

In the back of the room, All Might visibly cringes. I hope the students aren't too disappointed that I'm not the hero I once was.

The opening begins to play, but it's skipped by Azumi, and the room is shown a new scene.  The sludge villain is seen, still trapped in the soda bottle, in an alleyway of Tatooin Shopping District. Middle school Bakugou and his two followers enter the alleyway where the blonde kicks a soda bottle, unknowingly releasing the villain from his plastic prison. His followers then suggested going to an arcade near a location where they can find plenty of 'prey', and Bakugou screams at them that he can't risk something like that going on his record.  This doesn't last long as the two cronies point out the encroaching villain who then sets his sights on Bakugou as his next target. 

The scene changes, and once again the focus is on All Might and Midoriya on the roof.  A shocked and confused Midoriya screams in denial of the person in front of him being the real All Might, and All Might compares his situation to guys flexing at a pool as blood ejects from his mouth with every cough.  All Might tells Izuku not to tell anyone about what he's just learned or even write about it online, before proceeding to show him an injury so large it encompasses almost half the hero's torso.  The hero explains how he came to be that way through an unpublicized fight with a villain, and how the current state of his body limits the amount of time he can be a hero each day.  He then deals Izuku another mental blow when he explains that his signature smile is not fearless at all. It's meant to show the strength of heroes and to trick his own fear.  But the blows don't stop and it's one after another, as on screen All Might tells Izuku that he can't be a hero without power.

It's the second time the crowd sees the same kind of shock and disbelief on on-screen Izuku's face.  It's the same look he had when the doctor first told him he was quirkless and would have to give up.  It's only the second time in Izuku's life that his own mother has seen that look, and she had hoped to never see it again.  Inko's not sure what to think, she has too many emotions bouncing through her head and heart, but in her lap her hands clench into tight fists.  

Across the aisle, All Might's hands clench in much the same manner as he bows his head in shame, remembering how he initially rejected his successor. 

Meanwhile, several of the adults, including Recovery Girl, Gran Torino, Hound Dog, Midnight, Eraserhead, Present Mic, Ragdoll, Mandalay, and Ingenium, stare at him either on or off screen with expressions of either shock, anger, disappointment, or some mixture of the three.

All eyes but All Might's snap back to the screen as on it the hero continues talking, telling the young boy to become something like a police officer or fireman if he wants to help.  As he leaves the kid on the roof though, a couple of the teachers lose focus. 

Aizawa actually stands from his seat, his capture scarf floating menacingly around him.  Several of the teachers in the back turn their gazes to him hearing his movement.  He doesn't spare a single glance for the hero that incited his rage, but rather ignores him completely as he steps in front of Mic and bends down, placing his head between Nedzu and Tsukauchi's chairs as he glares at the principal.  It is of little surprise to the 1-A homeroom teacher that Nedzu is wearing a similarly pissed expression.  While his animal body doesn't particularly allow him to glare in the same way humans would, Aizawa has worked with him long enough to recognize the glint in his eyes and the slight baring of his fangs.  Despite the expression, his voice is completely level as he tells the teacher, "I assure you, it will be addressed Eraser." Aizawa stares for a few seconds more, before relaxing his glare and turning to go back to his seat.  When his capture scarf 'accidentally' smacks the blonde hero upside the head on his way back, no one comments.  Gran Torino only grins, a cruel smile on his face full of promise, as he stares at his former student, who can only shudder in response. 

As they resume watching, on screen All Might's notices his empty pockets as an explosion rings in the distance.  Midoriya hears it and briefly wonders what hero will be at the scene, before stopping.  

The scene changes to show Death Arms and two other heroes at the shopping center where Bakugou is trapped in the villain's body, fire all around them and buildings burning. Death Arms tries to attack but it's proved ineffective.  Meanwhile, Bakugou fights back, setting off multiple large explosions.  The slime villain cries out in glee at having found such a powerful body to use, while Mount Lady arrives, unable to reach them due to her large size, and Kamui Woods sprints past, rescuing several people from the fires while declaring himself 'not good with explosions'.  Backdraft is revealed to apparently have his hands full with putting out the fires that Bakugou's quirk has started.  All six of the pro heroes present at the event decide they are unable to help and the best option is to 'wait for someone with a more suitable quirk' to defeat the villain and rescue the blonde.  

In their seats, several of the pro heroes clench their jaws and their fists and glare in anger at the screen.  

At this point Aizawa's nails are actually starting to dig into his palm, and it's only the sudden presence of wetness that makes him startle and look down to realize that two of the crescent moon shaped indentations have started bleeding.  He wipes his hand on the pants of his hero costume and continues watching the show regardless. 

On screen, an emaciated All Might arrives at the scene and begins to berate himself in his mind.  

The scene changes again, and a depressed Midoriya is seen walking down the street looking through his analysis notebook. In his head he thinks about how he knew the truth all along and was just refusing to acknowledge reality, before realizing he has walked to the scene of the villain attack out of habit without even noticing.  He briefly tries to convince himself to go home until he realizes that it's the same villain that attacked him earlier and comes to the conclusion that it must've fallen out of All Might's pockets when he grabbed onto the hero's leg, making this attack his fault.  

As the crowd points out that it's a junior high student being held hostage and begin questioning how the villain got away from All Might earlier, both All Might and Midoriya begin to blame themselves. Their thoughts as each of them blame themselves over and over seem to echo.  

Then Izuku sees Bakugou's scared eyes and that's all it takes. The screen flashes and those in the theater stare in shock as the boy drops his notebook and charges forward.  On screen, All Might and the heroes present are in similar states of shock as they yell for the boy to stop.  Midoriya's thoughts reveal he has no idea why he's doing what he's doing or what he's going to do to help before his mind flashes to his journal entry on Kamui Woods, and he chucks his backpack at the villain's face.  When his pencil case slides out and pokes the villain in the eye, the slime flinches and allows Bakugou a brief moment to breathe again.  As he reaches the villain, Bakugou screams at the greenette asking what he's doing there, and Midoriya reveals he has no idea.  

The older Izuku narrating reveals that there were probably several reasons behind why he did what he did, before the one on screen says that he simply couldn't sit still when it looked like Katsuki was asking for help.  This inspires All Might to act, and the slime villain goes to crush Izuku but is stopped by the number one.  With blood dripping from his mouth, his eyes glow a familiar neon green as he grabs Bakugou and smashes the villain away with air pressure so strong it causes a vortex that changes the weather.  

Time flashes forward to a bit after the villain is defeated. All Might deals with the media while Izuku is scolded by the heroes and Bakugou is praised for his strong quirk and offered a position as a sidekick in the future.  

The scene changes again to reveal Izuku walking home.  He's confronted by an angry Bakugou who tells him that he didn't need his help, that Izuku didn't do anything, and Bakugou doesn't owe him anything.  Izuku seems to take this in stride as his thoughts return to giving up on his dream and reminding himself to focus on a 'realistic future'.

Then All Might appears again, surprising Izuku that he was able to get away from the media so quickly, and his form deflates once more.  The hero then thanks Izuku for being the one to inspire him to act and reminding him of what it means to be a hero.  He explains that most top heroes first moved before they could think, and Izuku breaks down in tears and collapses to his knees.  Izuku remembers his mother's apologies, and the narrator reveals his hidden desire of what he really wanted and needed her to tell him back then.  All Might fulfills his desire at long last and tells the boy that he can be a hero.  

Over the scene of Izuku and All Might, the future version of Midoriya narrates again, saying that dreams can become reality before dropping the bombshell that this is the story of how he became the greatest hero.  

The room erupts into chaos once more as the first few notes of the ending song start playing before the screen pauses again, not that many were paying attention at that point.  

Bakugou was once again standing and screaming out his anger that the whole thing was clearly "complete bullshit" since he was going to be the number one hero, not Deku.

Izuku was one of the few people still staring at the paused screen, his face frozen in disbelief. For a brief moment his internal monologue had actually stopped, his brain simply failing to process such a statement. 

Uraraka and Iida were both smiling on either side of him and expressing their congratulations.  

Several other students were debating back and forth on if they thought Izuku could really make number one, while several more were silent or thinking about other things, like the fact that the current top hero was apparently in poor health and only capable of 3 hours of hero work a day. 

Inko was in the back of the room crying once more, while Mitsuki rubbed her back and held her hand with a small grin on her face, happy for the future of her nephew.  The boy's poor mother on the other hand was completely overwhelmed by everything her son had apparently gone through without her even knowing, and feeling immensely guilty for not supporting him in his dream.  

All Might was wearing a proud smile as he stared at the back of his protégé's head. I knew I made the right choice .  

Nighteye, on the other hand, was scowling, knowing that this was the boy Toshinori must have chosen to give One For All to instead of Mirio.  

"Greatest hero, huh?" Midnight commented before turning to her friend with a grin on her face. "Congratulations Eraser. You must be so proud." 

Present Mic snickered on the other end of the couch before joining in. "Oh yes Sho. Congrats! It must be quite the honor to have taught the greatest hero."

Sandwiched as he was between the two, there was no escape so he just closed his eyes and sighed before bringing his hands up to massage his temples.  "Even if he does become the so-called greatest hero it is illogical to claim his future accomplishments as my own. Plus we're literally here watching this in order to change the future. There's no way of knowing if what we change will also change that outcome as well." He sighed again, and his tone got more serious as he opened his eyes, "More importantly, the problem child is still a problem child. He can't control his quirk and is nowhere near ready to be a pro yet.  He's dangerously self-sacrificing and likely needs significant therapy given what we've seen.  It seems that at this point in the timeline he's still quirkless… which means his quirk manifested at some point between the Sludge Villain Incident and the U.A. entrance exams.  If I remember correctly, that sludge incident was roughly 11 months ago or so, meaning he's had his quirk for less than a year. It's no wonder he doesn't know how to control it. It said in his file his quirk manifested late, but I didn't realize it was that late. I mean, I've never even heard of one appearing that late outside of some really rare ones with really weird and specific activation conditions. Why didn't he say anything? He'll need additional lessons to help him catch up with the rest of the class at the very least."  He heaved another sigh before dropping his hands and leaning his head on the back of the couch closing his eyes.  "We have so much work to do.  And that's not even mentioning the whole Bakugou problem and whatever other issues we're going to-"

He didn't get a chance to finish as Azumi brought attention to herself by tapping on her microphone. She was once again standing on a small quirk created platform in front of the screen.  "So, time for the Q&A.  If you have a question, raise your hand."  Instantly and predictably, almost every student's hand shot up.  "Yeah, I kind of figured that would be the case.  Put your hands back down and let's get what I'm sure are some of the obvious ones out of the way.  First, was that whole thing about All Might's injury, time limit, and emaciated form true?  Yes. Yes it was." She then looked to the hero in question. "All Might if you would? Honestly, it'd be better if we wasted less of your time anyway. Not much point in maintaining that form when everyone knows and there's no danger." 

The number one tensed briefly before sighing and nodding to himself with determination. I just hope the students aren't too disappointed.  He stood up and his body began to hiss as the steam engulfed him before disappearing to reveal his smaller form.  "I assure you all.  It is still me.  Aside from young Midoriya, the UA staff were all already aware of my condition as well as Detective Tsukauchi here and Sir Nighteye.  That being said, this is top secret classified information, and I expect you to treat it accordingly.  No talking about it once we return to school where others could overhear or with others who don't already know.  It would be dangerous if villains somehow learned of this, not only for me but for everyone else that they would inevitably attack once they knew my time was up for the day." The looks of startled realization on several of the students' faces told him he had made his point, so he sat down.  

Azumi cleared her throat to regain everyone's attention, "Now I assume that was the first big question.  The second I'm guessing is about Midoriya's quirk, and lack thereof in what you've seen of his past.  My understanding from Mana's vision is that he was in fact diagnosed quirkless at the age of 4, and his quirk didn't manifest itself until the day of the U.A. entrance exam." Noises of disbelief sounded throughout the room from both the student and teacher/hero sections.  "Is this correct Midoriya?"

The boy looked at her, his expression completely terrified and begging for an escape.  

"I'm sorry. I know you don't want to talk about it, and I'm not going to make you explain the details.  How your quirk manifested will be revealed through the show anyway," his eyes opened even wider in concern but she continued.  "All I need is a yes or no answer.  Was what I just told everyone true?" 

After a brief moment of silence, his voice squeaked out a "yes" before he brought his knees up to his chest and hid his face once again. 

"Well, there you have it.  Now, if you have any other questions you're free to raise your hand."

Several students' hands raised, though it was significantly less than before.  Azumi gestured to the middle of the group while saying "Mina, you first." 

The pink girl had a look of distress on her face.  "Why did the heroes yell at Midori for saving Bakugou?" 

Kirishima chimed in immediately, "Yeah, what he did was super manly!" 

Azumi sighed, "They scolded him for several reasons.  Number one because he was a civilian that rushed into a villain fight.  Two, he was an untrained junior high student rushing into a villain fight.  Three, under most circumstances, this behavior in general is going to be discouraged because it gets people killed, and they don't want other people that saw him run in making the same mistake or him doing it again… … not that it'll stop him.  Rushing in to help others seems to just be a part of who broccoli boy is.  Though with any luck, your classes at U.A. will end up helping all of you with thinking a bit more before you rush in.  But I suppose that's beside the point... Where was I?... Right, the stupid heroes that yelled at him.  So continuing on to reason number four of why they scolded him, it's my belief that they were a bit jealous and pissed off."

Izuku's head snapped up so fast you'd think he'd given himself whiplash, while several other students and heroes looked to Azumi in surprise and confusion. 

"Again this reason is just my own opinion, but think about it.  A junior high student ran in through literal fire and did something six pro heroes didn't.  He gave the angry blonde a chance to breathe so he didn't suffocate, while they all stood around and, with the exception of Backdraft and Kamui Woods, did next to nothing while waiting for someone with 'a more suitable quirk'." She raised her hands and made air quotations over the last bit. 

"Plus he did that without even using a quirk.  It's honestly completely stupid that they were waiting around to begin with.  Heroes are trained and paid to risk their lives to protect the public. It's literally in the job description. And yet at the first sign of a poor quirk match up, they're like, 'whelp, guess I just have to hang back and watch now.'  I mean if any of those heroes had actually used their brain a bit more, they could've found ways to help.  Death Arms didn't have to defeat the villain to be able to buy Bakugou time. He could've used his quirk to reach in and pull Bakugou out even if he couldn't defeat the villain in the process.  It was Midoriya's analysis on Kamui Woods tactics that gave him the idea to throw his backpack to make him flinch, and Kamui could've done the same thing. If he stayed up high he could avoid the explosions while extending his branches to target the villain's vulnerable eyes, which also would've bought the blonde more time or, depending on how bad the injury was, possibly made the villain drop him altogether.  Once Bakugou was removed, that would remove the source of the fires, and Backdraft could've targeted the villain with his water, diluting the sludge and possibly weakening the villain.  So yeah, honestly, after seeing that, those heroes have me disappointed and I suggest you all work hard to think beyond your quirks and what's obvious in battle.  Strategy is important. Learn it. Love it. Use it. And. Be. Better."

The reactions to her impromptu rant were mixed.  Several of the heroes looked on in a mixture of approval and surprise.  Nedzu was downright gleeful and was secretly making several future plans in his head.  

Her sisters watched in a sort of fond exasperation, used to her random rants by now.  

Kota was grinning.  He was starting to look forward to playing video games with her later. If she's willing to trash talk shitty heroes straight to the faces of a bunch of other heroes then she might not be too bad. But… why is Auntie smiling?? She always gets upset when I say bad stuff about heroes at home. Not fair. 

The hero students were mostly a mixture of confused, surprised, and contemplative.  Though a spiky haired blonde was noticeably pissed, and the fluffy green haired one was currently looking at her in something akin to awe.  

After a few moments of silence, she cleared her throat.  "So… next question?" 

Everyone was apparently still too lost in their thoughts to come up with one or remember what they wanted to ask before, so no one raised their hand. 

"None? Cool. Now, before we go on break there's a couple people you all need to be aware of.  Just before we started the anime, our two civilians arrived.  Ladies, if you would stand please…," she requested looking towards the back of the room.  All eyes in the room turned to look at the two women as they stood side by side in front of the couch.  The shorter one's eyes were red and puffy from crying, and the blonde stood next to her in a protective manner with her arms crossed.

Azumi continued talking, though most everyone remained staring at the women. "As I'm sure most of you've realized, the two civilians joining us for the viewing are Midoriya's and Bakugou's moms.  Considering several significant events happen to and around their sons, we believed they deserved to know the truth of everything.  Especially considering they, by all rights, should've been made aware of certain things already." 

"Sup brats," Mitsuki's rough voice broke in as she looked over all the children.  

"Micchan!" Inko scolded before smiling kindly at the others in the theater. "Hello everyone. We're thankful we could be invited here, and we assure you no confidential information will go beyond us.  While we're here, we'll be in your care." She finished with another small smile and bowed ever so slightly.  

"Tch." Mitsuki said with a grin, draping an arm around her friend's shoulder. "No need to be so uptight Kocchan. We were invited after all.  And it's a damn good thing we were! Those girls were right.  There's shit we definitely needed to know."  Her tone dipped down as she scowled at her son. "We're definitely going to be addressing some problems brat, so be prepared." 

Katsuki was about to tell off his old hag.  He even stood up out of his chair, whirled around, and opened his mouth to do just that, but then he saw the way his Auntie Inko's face fell before she hid her face in his mom's side.  He didn't miss the way her eyes had gone glassy as if she was about to cry again either.  It was for that reason, and that reason only, that Katsuki did what no one expected.  He shut his mouth, nodded once in agreement, and sat his ass back down. 

Izuku was still in his seat, and, much like his mother, on the edge of tears.  He saw how red and puffy her eyes were. I… I made her cry.  Again.  She knows the truth now… some of it at least.  She heard what Kacchan said… that he suicide baited me. Oh god, the sludge villain! Now she knows how I almost died. I mean, she knew I was there when Kacchan was attacked since it was on the news, but not that I almost died right before that. She's totally going to freak out! And she heard my thoughts too! Everytime I kept thinking about how I wish she would've said yes… that must've made her feel so bad. I'm so sorry mom! I didn't mean to make you cry! You're an amazing mom! It's my fault for being so selfish. I can't believe I made her cry again! I feel so bad. At least… at least the show didn't show all of it... If it had, the situation would be so much worse .   As he stared, he was torn between wanting to hug her and being afraid of what she'd say.  Either way, it definitely wasn't a conversation he wanted to have in front of everyone here. So for now, he stayed in his seat and just watched as Auntie Mitsuki comforted his mom.  

The two women returned to their seats, and as they did, Azumi brought everyone's attention back to the front of the room, "Okay, now that that's finished it's time for the break. This one is going to be longer than most of the other breaks, because there's a lot that the teachers will need to discuss and decide how to address going forward.  Tentatively, I'm going to estimate an hour at least.  We'll let you all know if it will be longer than that.  Feel free to relax and chat amongst yourselves, get up, and stretch your legs as you need to.  I ask that most of you try and remain in the theater though unless called for.  The U.A. staff, Mana, and myself will be having a meeting in the lounge during this time.  Itomai will remain here to keep an eye on things.  So if you need anything or have any questions, ask her and she'll come get me if necessary.  That being said,'' she brought up her arm and triggered a timer on one of her watches, "Let the break begin." 

The girl walked off stage, turned off her microphone and tossed it on the couch where she had been sitting, then collected Mana and the two U.A. teachers who had been sitting in the front row, Power Loader and Ectoplasm, before heading towards the back of the room.  The other teachers and staff stood as she approached.  "First thing's first," she said once she was in hearing range.  "That table," she waved her arm gesturing to the table set up on the back wall, "is full of notebooks and writing utensils.  Itomai and Mana brought them here from Home Reality so you can take notes of things that happen and what changes you want to make.  We anticipate that it's going to be a lot over the course of your stay here, so in order to remember it all you may want to grab one.  Use it if you want, or don't, it's up to you, but once you've got it head to the Lounge."  With that, her, Mana, and unsurprisingly Nedzu walked through the door while the rest headed to the table. 

As the two girls and the principal walked to the Lounge, Azumi glanced towards the short creature on her right.  "So I was right then, an eidetic memory is a feature of High Spec."

The principal grinned.  "Quite astute! Indeed.  An eidetic memory is one of the many facets of my quirk, though unfortunately, it means I'm also unable to forget things I'd rather not remember." 

The girl merely nodded in empathetic understanding.  "I know what you mean. I actually have a photographic memory.  It's a feature of my quirk to make it easier to return to alternate realities I've been to already, and to make it easier to create things in Pocket Reality.  There are definitely things I wish I could forget but can't.  To be honest I'm thankful it's not eidetic.  I can only imagine how bad it is to remember every negative thing you've ever heard as well." 

Pocket Reality - Lounge

As they walked into the room she took a seat near the head of the conference table, gesturing for Mana to sit to her left while Nedzu took the seat at the head of the table to her right.  He was glancing curiously at the set of two buttons in the arm of the chair.  Noticing the direction of his gaze the girl resumed speaking.  "Ah, I expected you would be the one running the meetings, so I took the liberty of making that chair hydraulic.  The buttons control the height so you can better see over the table."  

The principal grinned and raised the chair up to its ideal height before once more turning his attention on the two girls as the other teachers began to trickle in and take their seats.  

Seeing she had his attention Azumi continued, "This conference table should be plenty big enough to fit all the adults invited and then some.  The room is also soundproof, and once everyone's in, I'll be creating a soundproof door so that all discussions had in this room won't be overheard by those outside of it.  If the room needs any additions or alterations you can think of just let me know.  Oh! And I almost forgot, there's a tea set on the shelf by the couches with every kind of tea I could think of in the box on the shelf below. But if there's any others you'd like just let me know. Since it was created in Pocket Reality, it won't really contribute to your body nutrition-wise and will disappear from it all together once you leave here, but I figured the routine of drinking tea itself could be soothing either way." 

Nedzu gave her a soft thankful smile before hopping down from his seat and going to retrieve said tea set.  

Azumi briefly watched him go before turning toward Mana. "You ready for this? It's about to truly begin." 

Mana grabbed her sister's hand and nodded her head, her eyes shining with a mix of determination and nervousness.  "Yeah.  It may be uncomfortable, but this is the first real step toward a better future.  It's time to make some changes."

Azumi smiled in agreement.  The two only waited a few more minutes for the rest of the teachers to join them at the table before the older activated her quirk and created the soundproof door as planned.  The room quieted significantly as the ambient noise from the theater was blocked out.

Nedzu returned to the table, cup of tea in hand, and hopped back into his chair before clapping his paws together.  "Now," he said, gathering everyone's attention. "First order of business: the Bakugou bullying Midoriya problem.  The floor is open for discussion."

"The kid needs to be punished," Vlad King declared.

"I concur," Ectoplasm continued. "The trouble is how exactly.  Normally suicide baiting would be an expellable if not prosecutable offense, but because it happened before the kid ever attended U.A., we can't treat it the same as we normally would. Once we return home, there will be no evidence of his crime beyond what is in our memory."  

"Unfortunately, I agree.  As much as I disapprove of the boy's atrocious behavior, we can't treat this case the same as others," Aizawa stated with a scowl on his face.  "That being said, while I won't deny the kid has obvious skill and potential for heroics, he can't become a hero as he is now.  I refuse to allow it.  The kid has severe anger management problems as well as what appears to be some sort of weird superiority-inferiority complex.  It makes his aggressive behavior unpredictable  and a risk to both his classmates and himself, not to mention the public once he goes pro.  The kid needs mandatory therapy as part of his punishment, and as a requirement for his continued attendance of my class, if not of U.A. as a whole."  

Hound Dog started marking something in his notebook as he spoke up, "Leave that to me.  Mandatory sessions three times a week for the first few weeks, then decreasing in frequency according to his progress.  I'll take a look at my schedule when we get back to make the appointments and we'll get the kid's rage under control in no time."

"That still leaves the matter of his actual punishment though," added Midnight. "The kid was absolutely horrible and apparently, if that teacher's behavior and his mother's shock was any indication, never faced any sort of consequences for his bullying." 

"You're right," Mana spoke up, and the faculties' eyes trained on her.  "While the anime only showed key points, my quirk showed me almost every minute of Midoriya's past that he remembers."  She looked down at the table, lost in her thoughts as she continued.  "The bullying started almost immediately after the boy was diagnosed quirkless. I assume his mom informed the school to have it put on his records, just as every parent has to when their child's quirk arrives… or doesn't… …"  

The teachers listened as the white of her irises broke at angles and the leaves contracted like the shutter of a camera to cover her pupil.  

Her quirk activated, replaying selected pieces of her vision in her mind. "The information must have made its way to Izuku's teacher, because a few days later she announced it to the whole class, asking them to 'Be careful not to accidentally hurt him because unlike the rest of you, Midriya doesn't have a quirk.'  I honestly think that particular teacher meant well and was just worried about children with no quirk control accidentally hurting him, but ultimately, her intentions don't matter. The damage was done, and from that point on everything changed.  Bakugou got mad and accused Midoriya of lying when he said they could be hero partners when they were older.  He told Midoriya that he would be 'too weak to be a hero without a quirk'. Their relationship grew more and more strained as other kids and adults alike began regularly mocking Midoriya. It wasn't long before the blonde joined in, and one day he noticed that the Kanji of Izuku's name could be read as 'Deku'.  He said that the name was 'perfect' since Izuku was quirkless and would therefore always be 'useless'.  As far as Bakugou was concerned, Deku was Midoriya's new name, and the other students followed suit. Even some of the teachers would call him Deku instead of Midoriya."  

At that, a few of the teachers wore surprised and angry expressions, though with her quirk active Mana had no way of knowing.  

Blinded to the outside world, she continued to relay what she watched in her head.  "The name calling got worse, and within a year of his diagnosis the bullying escalated to physical violence.  At first, it was only when Midoriya tried to stop the other boys from doing something, as you saw when he defended the other crying child on the playground.  But as they got older, it continued to escalate to the point that it wouldn't take anything from Midoriya to set the blonde off.  Anytime Bakugou was having a bad day, Midoriya became his punching bag. And more often than not, since he was popular, the blonde's various followers would join in."  

Midnight and All Might were now wearing noticeably displeased expressions, while Mic looked like he was ready to cry.  

"What's worse is that the teachers never did anything to stop it, even when they saw it happening."

"What?" Aizawa asked through clenched teeth.  Most of the other teachers were in similar mixed states of anger and shock.

"It's unfortunately true." Mana frowned and looked toward the direction of Eraserhead's voice with her pupiless eyes.  "When they didn't see it happen, and Midoriya was still young, he would sometimes try and tell the teachers… ask them to make the other kids stop.  Inevitably, he was always dismissed in one way or another and told some excuse for the other kids' behavior. That it was just the other boys 'being a bit too rough'. That 'the only reason you got hurt so much is because you're quirkless… if they did those same things to a kid with a quirk they wouldn't even be hurt'.  And those were considered the positive responses." She heard Midnight sucked in a gasp of air and a clink as Nedzu set down his tea cup. "Other teachers would yell at him and accuse him of 'making trouble' or starting the fight, of 'disrupting class' and 'provoking the other students'. Worse yet, there were some who just said he was lying about the whole thing all together to seek attention or trying to put blame on the other boys when clearly Midoriya's 'pathetic self must have just fallen and hit a door'.  Some of them would send him to the principal, or for detention, or call his mom to tell her that her son was 'starting fights and becoming a delinquent' and that he would have to 'clean up his act or risk being suspended or expelled'.  And that was just in elementary school."  

Again she couldn't see it, but she could tell by the tense atmosphere that the teachers were disturbed by this news.  "By the time he was nine, Midoriya stopped trying.  He no longer went to the teachers because they wouldn't help him anyway.  They were too busy praising Bakugou's strong quirk and telling him what a bright future he had ahead of him instead.  Meanwhile, Midoriya started getting good at self-treating and hiding his injuries, all while smiling through the pain and tears.  He wanted to keep smiling no matter what, just like his hero All Might."  

At the opposite end of the table from Nedzu, All Might hung his head in guilt.  I had no idea he suffered so much. 

Mana didn't stop, "On the rare occasions he didn't manage to hide an injury and his mom would notice, he'd brush it off as an accident or him being a clutz and banging into a desk or something.  He started using all those things the teachers had told him over the years as a source of inspiration for the excuses he gave his mom. Any burns he couldn't hide or treat himself were explained away as Bakugou accidentally losing control of his quirk while they were playing, or hanging out, or once they got older 'sparring'.  From what I saw, neither of their mothers had any idea what was actually going on between them, and Midoriya did his best to keep it that way.  He didn't want to upset his mom or his aunt.  And he wouldn't risk ruining their relationship all because of him."

Mana took a deep breath in an effort to emotionally prepare herself for the next part before she continued with the story. "Once he entered Aldera Junior High, things got worse.  The teachers there didn't just ignore Bakugou's behavior like the previous ones."

At this, a scowl managed to show up on her own face as tears started to pool in her eyes, setting off warning bells in the teachers' minds.  They knew they weren't going to like what they were about to hear.  

"Some of Aldera's teachers actively encouraged it."  Her tone clearly showed how completely disgusted she was. "They'd commend Bakugou and the others on 'putting the quirkless mutt in his place' or comment on how it 'served him right for how disruptive he was in class'.  They'd walk by as Midoriya was getting beaten up in the hall or outside school and actually smile in approval at his bullies before continuing on their way.  As long as it wasn't taking up actual class time, they were more than fine with it."

The tears she had been holding back began to fall as she thought about the green haired boy.  "You have to realize something.  My quirk doesn't work like a movie.  I don't watch things happen to the Catalyst from an outsider's perspective.  My quirk shows me their past, present, and future from their point of view… thoughts, emotions, and physical pain included.  That's why I know… I know it was his first year of middle school when Midoriya began to believe what they were saying about him.  He started to internalize it, and while he tried to fight against it, tried to believe there was at least a chance no matter how small, there's only so much a person can do to resist when they're being told the same thing day after day for years."

She took a second to collect herself before continuing, "In middle school the students got worse too.  Walking in to find insults and hatred written over his desk in pen or marker was a regular occurrence.  Contrary to what you might think, Bakugou wasn't the first one to tell him to kill himself… … far from it.  What you saw was just the first and only time someone that Midoriya truly cared about had done so."  She paused for another minute to gather her thoughts again and prepare herself as the teachers looked on in worry.  "He was actually 11 the first time he was suicide baited by another student, and 12 the first time a spider lily showed up on his desk at school. Neither instance would be the last time."

"Middle school was also when Midoriya began to truly fear… … not only Bakugou, but the other students and teachers as well.  He existed in pretty much a constant state of fear… his emotions ranging from moderate anxiety to terror at any given moment.  The only times he wasn't afraid was when he was at home with his mom or had his head buried in one of his analysis notebooks." Her expression took on a haunted quality, that was only enhanced by her white eyes.  "He had legitimate reason to fear too.  As they got older, the other kids' quirks got stronger.  Bakugou's explosions got larger and hotter, and the blonde was able to fine tune his control to the point that he could usually choose when and where to cause significant damage.  As much as Midoriya was and is still desperate to be Bakugou's friend, to get back the relationship they had before the diagnosis, he was also afraid that if he set the blonde off to the point of cracking that control, that Bakugou may accidentally kill him."  

All Might sucked in a breath that quickly  turned into a coughing spell as he remembered the Battle Trial of their first heroics lesson.  

Mana waited for him to regain his composure before talking again, "Midoriya also knew the only thing holding the blonde back from doing more damage was his concern about it affecting his 'perfect heroic record'.  That's not to say Bakugou didn't do some serious damage with that quirk of his though.  While they might not be obvious, Midoriya has plenty of shiny burn scars from injuries he treated himself, all because he didn't want to worry his mom or get Bakugou in trouble.  Though from what I saw and what I've learned from Itomai, I'm pretty sure that a few of those were at least 2nd degree and should've warranted a hospital visit. Honestly, with how bad they were it's kind of weird that they didn't scar worse." 

"That poor child," Recovery Girl couldn't help but say out loud.  "It's no wonder he's already been in my office twice.  Aside from the obvious cause being his quirk, it finally makes sense why he seems to have no regard for his own physical well being." 

Aizawa thought back to the Apprehension test and how he had to stop the boy from breaking his arm just to throw a ball on the first day.  With everything Mana was telling them, he was finally getting several of the puzzle pieces he had been missing.  And while some were still a mystery, like how, when, and why he manifested his quirk so late, the picture of the problem child wasn't a pretty one and his mental health was becoming a significant cause for concern.

"That's true." Mana replied to Recovery Girl.  "Because he's grown to understand physical pain as something normal, not only does he have a much higher pain tolerance than he should, but the threat of it in the face of something he sees as important rarely makes him hesitate… if it even registers as a threat at all.  However, you should know that not every outcome from the bullying was actually bad.  Because Midoriya had learned how to truly fear, he changed… both positively and negatively.  He got quieter and more introverted as he closed himself off.  He started mumbling his thoughts and observations instead of trying to talk to others about them.  He started flinching at loud noises or sudden movements towards him, and he has a really hard time trusting or talking to teachers."  

Several of the teachers frowned thinking about how the boy was always so hesitant to raise his hand in class, how he never asked for anything and always seemed to avoid talking to them unless absolutely necessary, despite his apparent fanaticism over heroes.

Mana, having no way of knowing what the teachers were thinking while she was blinded by her quirk, never stopped talking, "But Midoriya also improved in different ways.  He became faster.  Faster at thinking and faster at writing.  Faster at running and better at dodging.  He got better at hiding too when necessary. But above all, I think he got better at reading people. He notices people's body language whether he acknowledges it or not, and can almost instantly identify when someone's angry or upset about something, even if they're trying to hide it.  He internalizes every bit of information he observes and subconsciously uses it to predict everyone's behavior based on both their own previous actions as well as the actions of others either in similar situations or with similar personalities.  The more time he spends around someone, the better he gets at anticipating what they'll do in a given situation.  This was true of my visions of the future too. It appears to be a skill he only gets better at."

As Mana wiped the last few tears from her cheeks, she began to feel a sense of exhaustion set in.  She wasn't sure exactly when she started crying, but she wasn’t surprised by it either. Letting her quirk recede and looking up at the somber faces of the U.A. staff, she forced herself to continue, "As horrible as Bakugou was, a large part of who Midoriya is now and the hero he will become is due to their tumultuous relationship.  Bakugou needs to face the consequences of his actions, but you also need to keep in mind that those same actions are ones that were either ignored or encouraged by every authority figure who knew about them up until this point, either because they agreed with what he did or because they didn't want to jeopardize the future career of a kid with such a 'perfect quirk for heroics' for the sake of some quirkless kid. I'm just a teenager myself so I honestly have no idea how to deal with this kind of situation, but I do know that if you just kick Bakugou out of the hero course it'll end up hurting them both, not to mention creating more risks down the line when the villains come into play later."  

She then looked directly to Aizawa.  "Believe it or not, Bakugou's temperament is already getting better than it used to be.  And while some of that change was because of the Sludge Villain Incident, I think the main reason is because for the first time in his life, he's around people he respects.  He's learned how strong some of the other kids are and is having to adjust to the fact that he might not be the strongest in the class right now, something that up to this point has been inconceivable.  What matters more than that though, is that he has you as a teacher Eraserhead.  I saw through Midoriya's eyes.  I watched Bakugou change.  The way he acts around you is nothing like how he acted around previous teachers.  The only thing keeping him in line back then was the desire to keep a 'perfect record'.  Now, for the first time, he has a teacher who he actually respects to some extent.  While I doubt he respects your quirk since he's always focused on those with the most physical power, he does respect the authority you hold.  He seems to acknowledge the fact that you won't put up with anyone half-assing it or goofing off and what's more… he honestly likes that.  He has never liked and never will like having things handed to him.  Midoriya realized years ago that Bakugou's willing to work for it because he needs to feel like he actually deserves it, and if he doesn't, then he tends to lose himself to his rage and lashes out.  You not only make him work for everything Aizawa-sensei, but you expect him to do his best or suffer the consequences.  That's more than any other teacher has done so far, and I can't think of another teacher that would be more suited than you to bring him to the right path… to actually make him into the hero Midoriya always knew he could be." 

"So that settles that. Bakugou will definitely be staying in 1A then." Nedzu declared. 

"Ugh... Agreed, I guess." Aizawa muttered and nodded, turning away from the girl and towards the principal.  "But changes will need to be made, and there's still the matter of the punishment to be dealt with.  First though, when we get back I'm definitely going to change up the seating arrangement. Bakugou and Midoriya need to be placed on opposite sides of the room to help keep peace, and for Midoriya to hopefully feel a bit more safe." He opened his notebook and marked it down so he wouldn't forget, along with a few more ideas and notes of who else to move around to help the class better themselves.  Move Kaminari further away from Mina and Sero so he can focus more in class.  Maybe by Yaoyorozu?  Needs to be up front though so the other teachers can notice when he's getting distracted right away.  Move someone social but not overwhelming next to Kouda to help him open up.  Uraraka would be good, but she also might be too much… Midoriya maybe?  Definitely needs to be away from Bakugou though…

While Aizawa was jotting down notes, the rest continued to discuss. 

"The question is what to do as punishment though.  What will be effective? I highly doubt something like detention will work, and we can't suspend the boy because a punishment like that would only backfire, since the kid has virtually no understanding of why what he did was wrong in the first place," Midnight said.

Quickly Mic added, "He'd likely end up pushing the blame for his suspension on Midoriya making the whole situation worse."

"Extra assignments won't help either." Ectoplasm stated. "He would probably just take it as a challenge to his ability rather than a punishment for past crimes."

"I have an idea if you're interested." Azumi said nonchalantly now that her sister had calmed down and was resting her head against her upper arm.  

"What are you thinking Azumi-san?"  Nedzu asked curiously.  

"Well, to be honest, I've been thinking about it for a while now.  We've known the kid would need to face some sort of consequences ever since Mana woke up and told us about her vision.  On my second day in Pocket Reality, it occured to me.  What are the two things that matter most to Bakugou right now?" Then holding up her fingers one at a time she listed, "Power and Being a Hero." She let her arm drop back to the table as she grinned.  "Take those two things away, even temporarily, and the kid will hopefully think twice before behaving the same way again.  The power part is easy, just get the kid to wear a pair of quirk canceling cuffs as long as he's at school.  On second thought… you may want to require them outside of school too, just to make sure he doesn't get all pissed off and attack Midoriya on the weekend or anything."

"Hmm… not a bad idea." Vlad King considered. "But there is one major problem."

Azumi looked at him with a curious tilt of her head. 

"That technology doesn't exist."

"What?! Really? I thought for sure the cops or heroes had something like that around for when normal cuffs couldn't hold the big baddies… well... at least we should still be able to work around that." 

"How so?" Midnight asked.

"Ah! I get it!" Power Loader exclaimed with some excitement. "Azumi's quirk is already working as proof of concept, showing us that the technology is possible right?"

"Exactly!" Azumi said happily. "My quirk only pulls from pre-existing technology in a given universe.  Though this is the first time I'm aware of that the finished product didn't already exist in the universe I pulled from, the fact that I was able to create it in Pocket Reality at all means that they're possible to make in Home Reality, you just need the right pieces to do so."

"Isn't it possible that you pulled material to make them from another universe though?" Nezu asked. 

"No. Or rather, not any material that doesn't exist across multiple universes including our own.  When I create something in Pocket Reality, I have to have an image of what I want to make in my mind as well as an intent of what Reality to pull from.  I can only pull from one Reality at a time when creating things. So anything made as a result must be put together using technology from the selected universe. As long as it's possible, my quirk will create it for me.  If it's not possible with the tech from one universe my quirk kind of stalls out and causes a sharp feedback pain in my head to alert me to stop trying. If I keep trying… the pain doesn't stop and there are… consequences." 

Recovery Girl looked concerned but the girl never paused. "When that happens, I either have the option to give up or try again while pulling from a different Reality. The important part though is that when making the quirk canceling cuffs, I thought they already existed in Home Reality so that's the one I pulled from. It's totally possible to make them back home!"

"Interesting." Nezu sipped his tea already contemplating the possible ramifications and uses of such a technology. It'll have to be well protected and kept hidden. It may be able to help better protect the school against warping quirks though. I'll have to discuss it with Maijima later once he's figured out how it functions. 

Ectoplasm spoke up then, bringing the meeting back into focus, "That's all well and good. But having Bakugou wear them outside of school may still be an issue.  Aside from the fact that the general public might end up mistaking him for an escaped villain or criminal if they see him wearing handcuffs, there's the danger of an actual villain noticing a UA student who's quirk is powerful enough to warrant being restrained.  It could make him a target for an attack or kidnapping." 

A few of the more observant people at the table including Aizawa and Nedzu immediately noticed how both of the girls flinched at that and were instantly concerned.

Though Nedzu elected to ignore his worry to focus on the current discussion, "There's also the matter of the school's reputation and how the press would inevitably respond if they found out we were forcing a student to wear handcuffs, let alone cutting off the quirk of said student, even more so since he's in the hero course."

"All valid concerns," Azumi declared before smiling again. "But ones that are easy to work around.  As long as the cuffs function to cancel his quirk, there's no reason they have to look like traditional cuffs.  I mean, look at the ones I placed on him, Todoroki, Eraserhead, and Midnight earlier.  Standard cuffs are a few centimeters thicker, travel further up the arm, and are typically linked by a bar to keep the hands restrained.  Since our goal isn't to restrain him but instead solely to cancel his quirk, they don't need to be that bulky and obvious.  Not to mention I'm pretty sure Power Loader, or even that pink haired student of his, could find a way to disguise them.  Make them look like vambraces or cover them in a durable fabric so they look like sweat bands… do whatever as long as they look more like a fashion choice to anyone outside the know rather than the cuffs they actually are." 

Power Loader lifted his hand to the chin of his mask in thought as the others in the room looked at him.  "Hmm… … it should be doable.  We'll need to secure a proper pair of cuffs from the police that I can work from and modify, to speed up the process.  It'd take a few days, but I'm sure I could streamline them down." Azumi nodded her head eagerly in response.  "Disguising them shouldn't be too difficult either. I could easily finish that part during one of my students' free periods.  As for Hatsume… she needs to stay as far away from this as possible.  The girl is a technological genius, but has zero control over herself when it comes to what she makes.  If she thinks of something, regardless of what it is or the ramifications, she tries to build it and leaves chaos in her wake.  As far as she's concerned, it's just another 'baby' to make or improve, and every explosion is a sign of progress.  If she had access to the technology to suppress quirks," he shook in his seat as an ominous chill raced up his spine, "I'm honestly scared of what she could do with it."

Nedzu's grin widened. He had already thought the pink haired student's observations were impressive when they watched Azumi's paintball combat trial earlier, and Power Loader's words just solidified his interest. Making his decision he clapped his paws together, "How wonderful to know we have such a promising student in our support course this year! I shall have to come and introduce myself to your class sometime soon Maijima.  Maybe have a special week where I join in on your lab sessions!" 

Multiple teachers looked to the principal in fear, though none could quite match the suddenly pale complexion and terrified expression of Power Loader himself. Nedzu just smiled.

"And because I don't have the energy to think about that inevitable disaster," Aizawa deadpanned, "back to the Bakugou problem. We'll make him wear the cuffs in and out of school for an extended period of time.  As for how long, I think it should be determined by his progress with Hound Dog and when he can be trusted to not trigger his quirk in response to just anything that annoys him."

"It's fine with me. I'll send you and Nedzu weekly reports on his progress," Hound Dog agreed, causing Nedzu to nod in response.

"That takes care of his power obsession, but we still need a way to temporarily remove his ability to be a hero. Ideas?" Aizawa asked the rest of the room.

"Ban him from competing in the Sports Festival," Recovery Girl suggested.  After everything she had seen and heard, she could care less if the boy ever became a hero.  She already wasn't fond of him to begin with since he went so overboard and could've killed another student during Toshinori's first lesson.  And from what she had been told, the boy showed no remorse for his actions that day beyond his own loss.  As a hero, he'd probably end up injuring civilian bystanders and his fellow heroes more than he saved them.  From her point of view as a nurse, the boy was a menace and she had no desire to see whatever injuries his opponents and year mates would end up with as a result during the Festival. 

"Unfortunately, we can't do that." Nedzu chimed in. "Not only did Bakugou get first place in the hero exam, but he is also a skilled student.  The goal is to make him lose his potential hero career temporarily in order for him to learn from his mistakes.  If we were to ban him from the Sports Festival, it could impact his career permanently and hinder his development long term.  It would also very likely backfire and cause him to think the school and faculty are treating him unfairly, pushing the blame onto us, or worse Midoriya, instead of seeing this as the result of his own actions." 

"I agree." Mana whispered, eyes still closed as she leaned on her sister.  "Bakugou wouldn't take it well. Plus, banning him from the festival could seriously change the outcome of future events to the point where they become impossible to predict.  This will in turn cause my quirk to activate again to show me the new future, and make almost everything we're trying to do here pointless.  Not to mention, there's no way of knowing whether or not I would wake up from the second coma soon enough to actually stop whatever new will happen."

"Bakugou's attendance in the sports festival makes that much of a difference?" Vlad King asked curiously.  

Mana opened her eyes and looked around the room at all the various teachers before responding, "Very much so.  His attendance, placement, and live broadcasted behavior is directly linked to the next major attack from the League of Villains.  Which in turn directly leads to another battle and the end of All Might's hero career." 

Shocked gasps sounded all around the room as All Might clutched his side. The hero quickly shot Mana a questioning look and asked, "Is it Him?"

"Yes." She said seriously. 

All Might looked down at the table.  He had initially thought All for One was dead, but after the events at the USJ, he became uncertain.  He wanted to believe that his gut was wrong.  That his greatest enemy was no longer alive.  That he hadn't put young Midoriya's life at risk by giving him One for All and making him a target for the monster. But everything he learned after coming to this place only confirmed what he had already suspected.   All for One is still alive, and he's coming. I have to keep Midoriya out of the villain's path. I swear, I'll defeat that monster once and for all so he doesn't have to. 

"And you won't be the only hero to go down." Mana's quiet voice broke into his thoughts, and All Might looked back up in surprise and confusion.  "Before he fights you, he captures Ragdoll."  

"Does she…"

"He takes it, but she survives.  The problem is her quirk's capabilities.  Search let's her monitor up to 100 people at a time, and shows both their location and weaknesses."

"Shit," All Might's curse was enough to break the other teachers' silence.  

"Exactly." Mana said with a shudder. "If we're going to prevent that, we need to be able to predict the events that lead up to it.  Which means that Bakugou must compete."

"Wait, wait, wait! Slow Down. What's going on!?" Present Mic yelled.  

"I was wondering the same thing." Vlad King declared. 

Recovery Girl just let out a frustrated sigh and shook her head, "This has gone on long enough Toshinori.  Assuming what Mana says is true, and there's no reason to doubt that it is, then they'll all find out anyway.  Personally, I thought keeping it a secret from them was stupid to begin with, especially Aizawa.  He's the boy's teacher for god sakes. Him not knowing what to expect or be on the lookout for only puts Midoriya at more risk, and since the boy seems to take after you and run into danger without thinking, it's only going to be more of a problem in the future."

"So you know what they're talking about then?" Midnight asked.

"To some extent yes," Recovery Girl agreed.  "Since I'm the one in charge of keeping an eye on All Might's current health, and worked on his surgeries and recovery when he first ended up injured, it has let me keep apprised somewhat of the general situation.  I might not know all the details, but I know enough to help when it's needed.  I also know enough to realize that maintaining the secret past this point is pointless at best and actively destructive at worst.  So are you going to tell them on your own Toshinori?... … Or do you want me to drag Sorahiko in here to make you?" 

All Might who had been silent up until this point, trying in vain to come up with ways to dodge their questions, coughed up blood at the threat.  "No! No! You don't need to get Sensei! I'll tell them!" 

Aizawa couldn't help but smirk into his scarf at seeing the number one so rattled by his former teacher.  He had met the pro briefly before they started the show, and he seemed a bit disillusioned and grouchy but with a good sense of reason… not too different from himself really if he swapped out the short man's 'grouchy' for his own 'exhausted'.  As antisocial as Aizawa usually was, if this was the kind of impact Gran Torino had on All Might, then he certainly wouldn't mind getting to know the old man better.  All amusement aside though, he was pissed off.  It was clear from Recovery Girl's comments that either in a case of arrogance or stupidity All Might had intentionally concealed vital information about one of his students.  He already knew Midoriya was the blonde's favorite, and now he was finally going to find out why.  "Oh please do tell All Might.  I would love to finally hear exactly what you've been hiding all this time… what you've hidden that has apparently put at least one of my students in danger."  His tone was borderline sadistic, much the same as the one used with his class when he threatened them with expulsion during their Quirk Apprehension Test.  If the hero really did endanger his students, then he would enjoy watching him squirm. 

"I… I… I didn't mean… Young Midoriya wasn't… this wasn't supposed to… I thought he was…" All Might stumbled over himself, his hands held up in front of him, as he tried to defend his actions without revealing any secret information.  

When all Aizawa did was raise an eyebrow as if to say 'seriously?', the blonde finally dropped his hands and composed himself enough to really talk. "I'm not sure where to start to be honest.  I had hoped this knowledge would remain secret and die with me and the few others who knew, but it appears that is no longer an option.  Before I begin, you should know that what I'm about to tell you is top secret.  Including myself, only eight people alive know the story, and I'm the only one who knows all of it.  Young Midoriya is only currently aware of half of it, while Nedzu and Recovery Girl have been made aware of most of the story but are missing key details.  Detective Tsukauchi and Sensei are similarly aware of half the information, though it's the opposite half of Young Midoriya."

Unnoticed in his seat, Nedzu wore a sly smirk.  He found it rather amusing that somehow the blonde truly believed he didn't know everything already.  It's almost like he forgot what my quirk is… hehe… 

"While we already agreed that everything we learn here is to remain secret amongst ourselves, it is of utmost importance that this be kept secret above all else."

Aizawa plopped his elbows onto the table and used his fingers to rub his temples.   This needless delay is illogical.  We're Pro Heroes for God's sake. "We get it already. Just get to the point." It's not as if we can't evaluate for ourselves the importance of confidentiality in a given situation. 

"Okay," All Might agreed, clenching his hands into fists.  "You are all already aware of my current medical condition and ability to only perform hero work for three hours a day… well, only about an hour now.  You also know that I received this injury during a battle with a villain 5 years ago, one that was intentionally kept out of public view.  That villain's name is All for One.  Up until this point, I believed he was dead.  Or more specifically, I thought I had mortally wounded him in that battle.  Unfortunately, he apparently survived.  I l started to suspect as much after the events of the USJ, given the way the Nomu was created with multiple quirks for the specific purpose of killing me.  The fact that the two villains seemed aware of my weakened state made me even more suspicious.  Still… I hoped I was wrong… that I was just being paranoid.  But thanks to young Mana, I now know for sure that All for One is still alive, and he won't stop coming for me until one of us is taken out."

"So we just need to be prepared to fight All for One then." Vlad King declared.  

All Might's voice was resigned as he said, "You don't understand.  All for One is not a typical villain.  He is far more powerful than any other villain currently alive or dead."

Aizawa's serious tone came through, "What do you mean?"

"All for One has been alive since the beginning of quirks." Gasps were heard from several of the teachers as looks of confusion appeared on their faces.  "He is a first generation quirk user.  His real name has been lost to time, and now he is known only by the name of his quirk, All for One, which has the ability to steal the quirks of others."

"What!"

"That's not possible!"

"No way!"

"I assure you, it's true.  Once he steals a quirk he can either keep it and use it as his own or pass it on to another person.  The Nomu from the USJ was most likely given it's multiple quirks directly from All for One.  However, forcing a quirk onto an individual is not an easy process.  It's my understanding that more often than not the person receiving the new quirk would die.  Tsukauchi and I talked it over after the attack.  We decided that if All For One was still alive, that forcing multiple quirks onto the Nomu may be the reason why it's not capable of thinking on its own… the brain damage probably makes independent action impossible, though we're still waiting on the results of the medical evaluation and testing to know for sure.  Over time, the monster has stolen hundreds if not thousands of quirks, and has killed far more people in the process.  We believe that at some point he must've stolen some sort of immortality or anti-aging quirk, and that's what's allowed him to live for so long.  We also have no way of knowing just how many quirks he is currently able to use, or what their abilities may be."

"So if someone so powerful exists, then why haven't we heard of him before?" Mic asked.

"Luckily, he tends to prefer staying hidden, plotting and carrying out his plans by using pawns rather than dirtying his hands himself.  Also, evidence of his appearances is intentionally hidden from the general public. If the people learned of a villain of his caliber operating unchecked and remaining undefeated for hundreds of years it would've caused mass panic.  People would lose faith in the ability of heroes to protect them… not to mention the rapid spread of inherent fear caused by people knowing their quirks could be permanently taken away if they were ever attacked by him… and the dangerous effects knowledge of that type of quirk ability would have on society in general.  If people knew quirks could be removed or transferred they may end up trying to replicate the process on their own which could and would have disastrous consequences.  It would be the quirk wars all over again." 

"Makes sense, horrifying though it might be. But what does this all have to do with Midoriya?" Midnight asked curiously.  

"Ah, yes… well… that's where the truth of my quirk comes in." All Might hesitated for a moment, still unsure, before forcing himself to continue.  "As you know, what exactly my quirk is has been a long debated topic amongst the media and general public.  The truth is… I was not born with this quirk."

"What?"

"Then did All for One…?"

"No. No. Definitely not." All Might waved his hand side to side in the air to reject the suggestion. "I received my quirk in high school from my master, another hero.  She died fighting All for One a couple weeks later.  Like All for One, my quirk has also been around since the dawn of quirks.  Master was the seventh holder of this quirk, and I'm the eighth.  It has been passed down from wielder to wielder for one purpose alone, to defeat All for One.  Until my fight, no one had been able to succeed, and most died trying.  I thought I was the one.  I thought I killed him, and it was finally over.  But… it turns out… I failed as well."

Aizawa had a brief expression of realization come over his face before he hardened it into his signature simultaneously displeased and disappointed one.  He finally had the last puzzle piece he needed to put together what had been bothering him since the beginning of the year… and now he was thoroughly ticked off.  "So let me get this straight.  Your quirk has been passed down through several generations, and you are the eighth person to have it." 

All Might nodded in the affirmative. 

"Five years ago, you fought the immortal villain All for One and won, believing him to be dead, but got critically injured in the process."

He nodded again. 

"Because your time to perform hero work each day was limited, you joined as a teacher at UA." 

Another nod. 

"Then about 11 months ago, you met Midoriya who at that point was quirkless."

Another nod.

"You then stupidly told him he couldn't be a hero without a quirk before leaving him on a fucking roof." Yeah… Aizawa was still really pissed about that and was sure to be bringing up those issues again, but first he had to confirm something. 

All Might startled and hesitated, "Well yes, but at the time I didn't know about Young Midoriya's moral strength and courage and…"

"Shut up." Aizawa hissed at the emaciated hero, causing him to snap his jaw shut. "I'm not done.  After seeing how the boy ran in to save Bakugou during the Sludge Villain Incident, you realized that he had the heart of a hero.  You then decided he could be one if he had your quirk. Am I right?" 

"Uh…" All Might's eyes were flashing around to different members of the table in nervousness. He couldn't bring himself to meet the more intimidating teacher's gaze. "Yes?"

"Is that a question? You should be able to give a simple yes or no answer All Might.  Did you give Midoriya your quirk?" 

All Might's slow swallow was audible in the otherwise silent room, before he nodded his head.  For some reason this feels like a trap...   "Yes. I passed my quirk onto Young Midoriya. He is my chosen successor." 

Aizawa's glare only grew harsher. "You are an idiot." 

"What?! I'm sorry Eraserhead, but you are mistaken. I made a wonderful decision when I chose Young..."

"This isn't about Midoriya's potential or suitability, you dolt!  Of course the boy can be a great hero.  With his sharp mind, proper training, and some decent support gear, there's a small chance he could've even been a hero even without your quirk… something you don't seem to realize, which is a whole issue in and of itself.  But we can deal with that can of worms later.  Right now I want to focus on the problem of you giving a quirk, one that apparently comes with a fucking built-in possibly immortal arch enemy, to a 14 year old kid who's never had any kind of experience using a quirk in his life, and then leaving him to figure it out practically on his own with virtually no active support system in place!  You may be the top ranking pro hero All Might, but when it comes to teaching and dealing with kids, it's become painfully clear you have no idea what the fuck your doing and it's downright dangerous." At the blonde's flabbergasted silence, Aizawa turned his gaze towards Nedzu. "And you!" 

"Yes?" Nedzu asked with a smile, not fazed in the least by the teacher's anger. 

"You knew about this the entire time didn't you?"

"Of course.  One of the main reasons All Might decided to work here was to scout potential successors for his quirk. It was quite unexpected when he ended up choosing someone before the school year even started though." 

"And you approved all this secrecy nonsense?!" Aizawa was beyond frustrated. He knew for a fact that Nedzu was smarter than that. 

"Absolutely not.  While not everything needed to be known, it was my opinion that you should at least be made aware of the boy's quirkless history and the circumstances surrounding his new quirk and how recently it appeared."

"So why didn't you make us aware?"

"Due to a previously agreed upon confidentiality clause when we were first discussing All Might's employment, I was unable to tell you without his permission."

Aizawa cocked an eyebrow, now that didn't sound anything like the viciously brilliant boss he had come to know and respect. "And you let that stop you?... With a student's safety at risk?" 

Nedzu's impartial smile turned into a smirk. "Of course not Aizawa. You know me better than that. When I first found out about Midoriya, I suggested to All Might that we inform the other teachers.  He declined, believing it too dangerous." At that, the principal sent a brief glare at the hero.  "While I understood his hesitancy since he had no way of knowing yet if you all could be trusted with the information, I thought it was ignorant.  After seeing Midoriya in the entrance exams, I again expressed my concerns.  All Might assured me he would be able to guide the boy into using the quirk in a non-damaging way.  At that point, we revised our agreement. If Midoriya was unable to use his quirk without regularly breaking his bones by the end of internships, I would inform all the teachers about when he manifested his quirk, if not about the transfer of power itself.  In the meantime, I planned to continue to try and convince All Might that hiding the information was only detrimental and even slowing the boy's progress in the long run.  However, when the USJ attack occurred, I had to shift focus to the safety of all the students of U.A. as a whole and increasing campus security. Unfortunately, this also eliminated any time for opportunities to alleviate All Might of his stubborn ignorance."

All Might remained silent, his thoughts spinning.  He couldn't tell if he was insulted, confused, wrong, right, or some mixture of all of the above. 

Eraserhead sighed, slouching into his seat.  "Now that at least makes a bit more sense.  Though it still would've been more logical to just tell us all this from the beginning.  Either way, the situation is what it is, and now it needs to be dealt with.  Given what we know now, both about his behavior prior to the school year and since, as well as the disaster that was 1-A's first heroics class, I recommend that All Might be put on probation."

That made the hero sit up straighter in his chair. "What!?"

Aizawa just looked at him deadpan as he explained.  "While U.A. offers a lot of freedom to us in how we each choose to teach our students, it's clear that you don't have the experience or knowledge necessary at this point to be teaching on your own.  I suggested that you be put on probation.  You'll still be allowed to teach heroics, but another teacher will have to assist you to make sure nothing goes wrong.  You'll also have to get your lesson plans approved in advance rather than having free reign like the rest of the teachers."

"But I…"

"Motion approved." Nedzu cut off. "In addition to these restrictions, you'll be required to take supplemental teaching lessons until the end of the year, with a focus on quirk counseling and child psychology.  This way you won't make the same mistakes again."

"I suppose I have no choice but to agree, do I?"

"Correct." Nedzu nodded, once more sipping on his tea. 

All Might sighed and looked at his hands. "Okay. But I still don't get what I did that was so wrong.  I mean, I know I should've called off Bakugou and Midoriya's fight in the Battle Trial before things got so out of hand, and I haven't been successful in getting young Midoriya to control One for All, but I'm not sure how that warrants putting me on probation."

Nedzu just smiled at him sympathetically.  "While both of those are certainly concerning and things you need to work on, the main reason for this outcome is the behavior we saw when you were on that roof with Midoriya." 

All Might wore a look of confusion.  "I get that for some reason Eraserhead disagrees with what I said, but…"

Once again he was interrupted by class 1-A's teacher.  "Correct.  You were wrong when you told the problem child he couldn't be a hero without a quirk, but that's not why I suggested probation.  The bigger issue is what could've occurred as a result of your actions."

"What do you mean?" The blonde asked.

"Children and teenagers are different from adults All Might… not just physically, but mentally.  You can't always talk to them the same way you would talk to an adult civilian or fellow pro hero. Their minds are still developing and are therefore more impressionable. Their hormones and given stage of brain development can make them more impulsive and emotional as well.  As future heroes, we train them to overcome that and to think like a hero would.  So by the time they are in their second or third year, you can treat them pretty much the same as any adult and expect them to behave accordingly.  But you first encountered Midoriya as a civilian child, not a hero student.  Not only that, but the kid had just been the lone victim of a villain attack.  He was already in a heightened emotional and possibly traumatized state to begin with.  You never should've left him alone at all. I understand you were worried about your time limit, but at the very least you should've taken him with you and dropped him off at the police station along with the bottled villain.  Then they could've arranged for his guardian to pick him up."

At this point Recovery Girl piped in, "What you should've done was make sure the boy got a medical eval.  You just rescued him from almost drowning in sludge that you had just chased through the sewer! God only knows what kind of harmful bacteria and microbes were present in and on that villain that were then forced into the boy's body.  He could have contracted a fatal infection.  Not to mention the fact that the boy fell unconscious! You're the number one pro hero Toshinori! You should know that it's standard procedure for any civilians that have been knocked out to be sent to a medic for evaluation, regardless of if it's for a few minutes or a few hours.  I know you don't normally deal with it, since there are other heroes or officers on the scene to handle that for you while you sprint off to fight another villain, but it's inexcusable that you would completely neglect the welfare of a civilian just because you didn't follow through.  You're a hero Toshinori.  Act like it.  As it is, I'm insisting that your probation include a refresher course with me and Sorahiko on how to deal with civilians. You've gotten too big for your britches young man."

All Might just stared at the woman in open-mouthed fear, too terrified at the moment to register Nedzu's cheerful "Approved" from the opposite end of the table.

"She's right." Aizawa said, continuing from where he left off.  "You failed to properly check on the victim of the villain you defeated, which is unacceptable.  However, what you did after that on the roof was even worse.  First you told the kid he couldn't be a hero without a quirk. Which is simply wrong.  Then after doing so, you proceeded to leave said kid ALONE on a fucking ROOF.  Again, kids are impressionable All Might.  Most can be easily manipulated or swayed by the right words or circumstances.  This combined with the fact that they're more prone to uncontrollable bouts of emotion, makes what you did absolutely dangerous , and in more ways than one.  Let's start with the obvious… that you just crushed a kid's dreams for his future.  The fact that you were clearly the boy's favorite hero and telling him he was essentially hopeless made the situation even worse.  By doing it in such a seemingly blunt and uncaring way and then simply leaving him there, you provided ample fuel to propel the boy easily into depression.  Add to this the fact that the boy told you he was quirkless, and you should've already known that his life wasn't easy… that he was likely already suffering from some sort of psychological trauma at the very least, and you would need to be careful with what you said and how you said it.  If you knew anything about modern child psychology, you would already be aware of the damage a condition that isolating could do, and probably already had done, to the boy.  To be blunt, we're all very lucky that Midoriya didn't jump after you left him alone."

All Might sucked in a breath through his teeth and brought his hand up to clench his t-shirt over his heart. I had no idea… Young Midoriya… he could have…. I'm so sorry… so so sorry… I'm such a pathetic hero… I didn't know anything… such a fool…

Aizawa gave the hero a moment to digest the severity of his actions that day before continuing, "And that was only one possible outcome.  Like I said a minute ago, children's minds are impressionable and can be swayed by words and circumstances.  You crushed the kid's dreams and left him alone on a roof, and this was after he had almost died in a villain attack.  Psychologically, if what you said didn't sway him toward self-hatred and depression, it's quite likely it could've turned towards disillusionment and anger instead.  It might have taken some time, but it's quite probable that his anger would eventually turn outwards with a focus on the ones who crushed his dreams… on his bullies… and on you… and by extension, all those who failed to stop them.  The boy could've ended up with a hatred of heroes driving him down a path of vigilantism if we were lucky, or villainy if we weren't.  Now, recall that the boy was aware of your injury and current time restriction, and imagine that information used by him as a villain, or spread out to all the villains to use against you.  Not only would you end up dead, but hero society would likely collapse as the public found out the truth that was hidden from them and lose trust in heroes as a whole. After all, if they couldn't trust the Symbol of Peace, who could they trust?  How could they possibly rely on any of the rest of us after that?" 

"And all this doesn't even take into account the massive threat Midoriya would become on his own if he were to turn into a villain.  The boy is quite intelligent and has apparently been analyzing heroes for years.  His background of being psychologically and physically abused by his peers and authority figures also makes him hyper observant of anyone he deems a threat.  Combine these two things together and you have the potential for a villain mastermind.  He could become the most dangerous kind of villain, one that would easily be able to plan effective strategies to defeat whatever heroes showed up, and assuming something didn't go to plan, would likely be able to come up with an effective back up plan on the fly… and that's assuming he didn't already have one or more back-up plans ready to begin with.  Now, imagine if your arch nemesis All for One found him while he was still young and impressionable but after this switch to a villainous mindset had happened, and just how horrible that would turn out."

All Might's face wasn't the only one showing clear fear at the prospect.  

A few moments later, the timer on Azumi's watch went off, breaking the tension and startling both Mana and Present Mic.  Looking at her watch, Azumi simply turned it off and sighed.  "Okay, that's the one hour mark people.  I'm gonna set it for 30 more minutes, but we really need to get this show on the road. You've relayed everything you needed to about Midoriya and Bakugou, right Mana?"

"Mmhm." Her sister nodded, not really up to talking at the moment.

Azumi simply smiled and patted the younger on the head, "Then you go on back to the Theater, and let Itomai and the rest know we'll be another half hour at most.  If Maimai hasn't already, go ahead and let the other students and heroes know to grab themselves some notebooks too if they want. I'm sure having one will put Broccoli's mind at ease, but if you need anything you know where I am.  Oh… I almost forgot, on day three I created a stockpile of pillows and blankets.  They're folded and stacked up in the corner of my bedroom.  Take some of the kids to help you bring them into the theater.  Everyone can use them as they please to get comfortable and settled in for future episodes.  You may want to consider taking a nap too until we start up again. You've been using your quirk a lot today."

"Mmm… okay," Mana said.  She let out a yawn, and stretched her arms up above her head before getting up and leaving the room while Azumi reset the timer on her watch.

"Well then…" she continued, her gaze dancing between the various faculty in the room before settling on Nedzu, "Now that All Might's probation has been decided on and the whole situation with his quirk, Midoriya, and All for One explained, can we get back to what this meeting is actually supposed to be about? Bakugou's punishment? You all still haven't decided on a way to temporarily take away his opportunity to be a hero…"

Nedzu shot a cunning smile at the girl, "And I assume from your phrasing you have a suggestion?"

Azumi's face simply reflected the same smile right back at the principal. "Of course. Like I said, I've had days to think about it since I've been stuck in Pocket Reality. I've come up with two options, whether you take either, both, or neither is of course your decision."

"Very well. What are they?" Nedzu asked, taking a sip of his tea. 

"Option 1: Bakugou isn't allowed to choose his own internship despite whatever offers he may receive.  Instead, he takes an internship with one of the U.A. Faculty who can keep an eye on him and make sure he's behaving himself.  This 'punishment', if you want to call it that, would serve multiple purposes. One, like I said, it makes it easy to keep an eye on him. Two, it'll allow him to continue to attend his therapy appointments with Hound Dog during the week of his internship. Three, since you've already decided to approve the quirk suppressing cuffs, it will prevent having to explain their presence to whatever hero agency he would've interned with otherwise.  Which is something that, if you did have to explain it, would raise questions about Bakugou's long term suitability to be a hero and U.A.'s competence as a hero training school.  If he interned at another hero agency the cuffs presence would also likely be leaked by some random sidekick or employee at said agency.  Which would, in turn, create a huge media scandal and further complicate matters both in general and with regards to the future's predictability, since such a large scandal would undoubtedly impact the way the villains choose to make their next move."

"That's logical enough." Aizawa agreed. 

"But won't preventing him from interning with a more active hero agency hurt his career long term?" Power Loader asked concerned.

Azumi just laughed. "No no. You don't have to worry about that.  From what I understand, he doesn't really take anything useful away from the internship he would've picked himself anyway.  Mana said something about a poor match up and wasting the entire week trying to get his hair under control.  Honestly, he has a higher chance of learning something useful from one of you than he does from his own pick, if only because of Bakugou's own personal values and what he is and isn't willing to listen to." 

"I believe that. Give the boy to me, I'll be sure to properly whip him into shape," Midnight said, bringing her whip up in front of her and running her fingers over it for emphasis.

Aizawa rolled his eyes while Mic let out a chuckle. 

Azumi just shrugged, "I don't really care which one of you takes him, as long as it's not Eraser."

"And why is that?" He asked, cocking a brow in curiosity. "Your sister said earlier that I was particularly suited to teaching Bakugou."

Azumi grinned at him as if he had just walked into a trap. "Oh you are. But you're going to be busy with a different student… one that is going to take quite a bit of effort because he has a bit of catching up to do in order to transfer into your class."

"Transfer? Who-" 

Eraserhead was quickly cut off by the smiling principal, "Ah, so that's why Shinso was brought here. And given Mineta's absence, I assume he'll be taking his place in 1-A?"

Azumi smirked and winked at the rodent hybrid, "Got it in one. And you'll see why later on when we watch the sports festival. Though, whether or not you switch him out for Mineta or add him is up to you."

"I look forward to it. It isn't often that a student is able to transfer into the hero course after all." Setting his tea down and clapping his paws together, he continued, "That being said, we need to get back to the matter at hand.  Bakugou.  I assume we're all in agreement on Azumi's first option of having Bakugou intern with one of us at U.A.?" 

A chorus of various sounds of agreement sounded throughout the room. 

"Very well. We'll deal with the particulars of who he's interning with later since we're short on time at the moment.  Azumi, I believe you mentioned earlier that you had two ideas.  What is the second?"

"Yes. Option 2: The timeless teenage punishment... grounding." 

Powerloader couldn't help letting out a snort as he tried to suppress his laugh, earning himself a disapproving head tilt from Ectoplasm.  

Azumi continued undeterred, "Ground him from actively participating in Foundational Heroics exercises.  He could still attend the classes to observe and learn, but wouldn't be allowed to participate himself because, at the moment, he can't be trusted to not harm his classmates. Or if you want to frame it in the lense of professional heroics, he doesn't have enough control over his emotions to not accidentally or purposefully cause massive amounts of collateral damage to innocent bystanders, his fellow hero comrades, and the surrounding environment.  What good is a hero that takes down the villain when they just end up destroying everything the villain was threatening in the first place?"

"Well said young Azumi!" All Might chimed, "It's important for those with immense power to use it wisely.  If I didn't restrain myself, I'd accidentally level buildings every time I fought. Hahaha!"

While All Might laughed, Eraserhead just rolled his eyes.  "You still cause an excessive amount of property damage.  Regardless, I'm fine with making Bakugou sit out.  Given his personality, it should be effective motivation to not repeat the behavior that got him to that point.  The question is, for how long? It needs to be long enough to have an impact and give him time to learn restraint, but not so long that it permanently puts him behind his peers."

"A week?" Mic suggested.

Aizawa shook his head. "Not long enough. The boy would just stew in his anger for the first week and take it all out on his classmates the next."

"Go in phases," came Hound Dog's gruff voice.  "Think of it like adopting a feral cat.  If you just thrust it into a new environment, it's going to lash out in either fear, aggression, or a combination of the two.  Instead you transition gradually until they're comfortable and behaving the way any other cat would.  In Bakugou's case, I suggest the first week and a half be restricted to observation and non-active participation only.  If you're having a theoretical lesson with lecture and discussion, he can participate, but if it's a practical lesson he's stuck watching from the sidelines.  Then we transition to the next phase, where we test his emotional control and see if he's starting to learn his lesson.  He'll be allowed to participate in active lessons, but still be required to wear the quirk suppressors… meaning he'll be doing the class activities quirkless.  Hopefully when combined with his therapy sessions this will help him see that just because someone is quirkless it doesn't mean they're useless… that as long as they put in the work, quirkless people have potential as well." 

He looked at the notes he had taken so far and tapped a pen to his lower jaw in thought, "Phase two should last at least a week and a half as well.  Whether it lasts longer than that will depend on his progress during our sessions.  Once I think he's ready, we can move onto the final phase.  He'll be allowed to participate in hero classes regularly again using his quirk, but not allowed any support gear that strengthens or amplifies his explosions.  I don't know much about the boy's gear myself beyond that clip it showed in the show's opening, so I'm not sure about the purpose or full capabilities of those grenade gauntlets.  Maijima?" Hound Dog turned his head to make eye contact with the support hero.  "Could you look over the boy's gear and have any necessary changes made by the time we start Phase 3?"

Power Loader sighed and cracked his knuckles in front of him before picking up his pen and jotting it down in his own notebook.  "Shouldn't be a problem.  I'll add it to the ever-growing list.  Stripped down modifications… support, no enhancement.  Anything else?"

Hound Dog shook his head. "That'll do for now.  As for Bakugou, the duration of Phase 3 will be determined by his own actions and progress.  Consider it a probationary period.  He's using his quirk under supervision. If he uses it irresponsibly, he'll be knocked back to Phase 2.  If he does well, shows he can be trusted with his quirk usage, and makes enough progress in his therapy, then his punishment will end.  He'll be allowed his normal support gear during classes, and he won't have to wear the quirk suppressing cuffs anymore."

"That's reasonable. Any objections?" Nedzu asked the room.

After a brief moment of quiet, Aizawa spoke up.  "Make the minimum time limit for Phase 3 two weeks. We're working against a decade of previous teachers and society as a whole reinforcing his negative behaviors. I want to be sure he can be consistently trusted and not risk him biding his time for a week because he knows freedom is just around the corner.  For that matter, I propose that the minimum time limit for the second and third phases remain secret from Bakugou.  If he thinks the punishment is indefinite and solely dependent on his progress, then logically he's likely to work harder instead of just waiting it out."

Nedzu clapped his paws together bringing the room's attention back to him,  "Okay, the minimum time for Phase 3 will be two weeks. Does anyone else have any other changes or comments?"  At the room's silence he continued, "Very well then.  Bakugou's punishment is as follows.  Once we return home and Maijima can make them, Bakugou will be required to wear specially designed, quirk cancelling wrist bands.  He will be required to wear these in and out of school for the duration of his punishment.  He will be allowed to participate and use his quirk in the Sports Festival, but is required to wear the cuffs in between the rounds in which he is participating."  

"Following the Festival, he will intern with a member of the UA faculty who is yet to be determined.  He will also begin his therapy sessions with Hound Dog then, starting at 3 days a week and decreasing in frequency as progress is made.  Hound Dog will send weekly reports of said progress to both Aizawa and myself.  When classes resume after internship week, the Fundamental Heroics restrictions will kick in.  Phase 1 will last the first week and a half, during which Bakugou's restricted to observation or inactive participation only.  After that, Phase 2 will last a week and a half,  at minimum, and Bakugou will be allowed to participate in class exercises quirkless while still wearing the bracers.  Finally Phase 3 will last a minimum of 2 weeks, during which Bakugou can participate and is allowed to use his quirk as well as a stripped down, non-enhancing version of his support gear.  This makes the minimum length of Heroics class restrictions 5 weeks.  However, this time can be extended by lengthening Phases 2 and/or 3 depending on Bakugou's behavior and progress.  Further, the minimum time frames of phase 2 and 3 will be kept secret from Bakugou. Once he completes Phase 3, his punishment will end, and the quirk canceling cuffs will be removed."

"However, he will be required to continue his therapy sessions with Hound Dog for the duration of his first year at minimum.  Bakugou's and his guardian's cooperation with this punishment will be required for his continued attendance at U.A.  If he refuses to comply, he will be transferred to General Education or expelled, and his record will be corrected to reflect his previous behavior, which will prevent him from attending any other hero school.  If any of you notice any problems with his behavior during the punishment, warn him once, and if he repeats send him immediately to Hound Dog who will notify both Aizawa and myself.  If you have given him a warning in your class, pass that information along to the next teacher taking over so that they know that he's already received his warning for the day.  We can and should expect setbacks. In fact, during Phase 1, consider it to be one warning allowed for morning classes, then the timer will 'reset' at lunch and he'll be allowed another warning for afternoon classes. Once we reach phase two,  it will be only one warning allowed per day before he's sent to Hound Dog. Like I said we can expect setbacks.  So don't be surprised when it happens, but still be ready to address it.  Are there any questions?" 

Those gathered around the table shook their heads in the negative. 

"Good. Bakugou's punishment has been decided. I will set up a meeting with him and his parents before the Sports Festival to inform them of the school's decision regarding his behavior and obtain their legal agreement to use the quirk suppressing cuffs.  I will also make arrangements regarding All Might's teaching probation details.  Is there anything else we need to address at this time that can't wait for the next break?" 

"This may be stating the obvious, but Midoriya needs therapy as well," Midnight said. "That kid's background is full of trauma, and considering what Mana told us, his mental and emotional health definitely need to be made a priority." 

"It's already on my list." Hound Dog declared. "Two appointments per week, starting after the Sports Festival, with frequency increasing or decreasing as he needs it." 

Aizawa, Recovery Girl, Nedzu, and Azumi all nodded their heads in approval, while All Might stared despairingly at the table.

"With that decided, consider this meeting adjourned." The principal turned to look at the girl to his left.  "Azumi, how are we doing on time?" 

She looked at her watch.  "Not bad… finished with about 12 and a half minutes to spare.  Grab your notebooks or leave them in here, up to you, but let's head back to the Theater."

Hound Dog and Eraserhead were the only ones to grab their notebooks as the group made their way out of the Lounge.  

The second they opened the sound proof door though, they were greeted with the sound of rambunctious cheering.

"What the hell?" Azumi asked, surprised. 

The looks of confusion on the teachers' faces showed them to be in a similar boat, even if they had the self control not to voice it. 

Pocket Reality - Theater

As they walked into the Theater the situation became more clear, if still surprising.  The students had the two green storage bins off the table, stacking the notebooks and writing supplies neatly on top, and had pulled said table away from the wall.  Surrounding the table were two pairs of people arm wrestling using the table as their platform, while various groups cheered around each of them.

"Problem children. All of them." Aizawa murmured before looking around the room until his eyes settled on one of his students standing near the closest end of the table.  "Yaoyorozu!"

Upon hearing her name, the dark haired girl looked up and walked towards her teacher, "Yes Sensei?"

"What's going on here?"

"Ah… yes… well… where to start? When Mana asked for help getting the blankets, Kirishima, Iida, and Mirio-senpai went with her.  Apparently while they were gone, Mana mentioned how physically strong Midoriya is.  According to Iida, this got both Kirishima and Mirio excited, and they wanted to test how strong he really was for themselves.  Once they got back, they brought it up to everyone else, and since we're not supposed to use our quirks in Pocket Reality, Sero came up with the idea of an arm wrestling competition."

"I… see… and out of curiosity, what were the results?"

"Midoriya managed to beat everyone aside from Shouji, Sero, and Hatsume-san from the support course.  Though after all was said and done, he and I theorized that Sero's win was made possible in part due to the leverage his elbows create rather than pure strength.  Shouji actually ended up needing to use two of his arms to win, and Hatsume-san's win came as a surprise to pretty much everyone but the girl herself.  Oh, Ingenium also gave it a shot and won against Midoriya as well.  Actually, Midoriya thought our leverage theory might apply to him as well, considering his engines are in his elbows.  Other than that, pretty much all of the U.A. students participated.  Bakugo refused. Though honestly, Kirishima was the only one to really try and convince him.  Kouda, Tamaki-senpai, and the purple haired boy, who seemed reluctant to talk to any of us at all and wouldn't tell us his name, also chose not to participate.  After Midoriya had gone against everyone, they decided to hold an impromptu tournament to see who was strongest amongst the defeated students. It's currently down to the final 4. The winners of these two matches will go against one another to decide the winner of the tournament."

The teachers watched as on one side of the table Mirio stood side by side with Negire as they arm wrestled Satou and Kirishima across from them.  

Sero, Kaminari, and Mina all stood cheering on Kirishima, while Shouji, Ojiro, and Aoyama cheered on Satou.  Most of the girls including Asui, Uraraka, and Hagakure had taken to rooting for the last girl remaining in the competition, Negire, while Iida, Izuku, and Ingenium supported Mirio.  Tamaki stood quietly between his two classmates, eyes nervously bouncing back and forth between them as if he was unsure who to root for.  

Elsewhere in the room, Bakugo could be seen brooding in his seat with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face.  Two rows behind him, Tokoyami, Kouda, and Shinso all remained in their seats.  Sinso was reclined in his chair with a pillow under his head and a purple blanket cocooned around him, though the furrow between his brows suggested he wasn't actually sleeping.  Kouda and Tokoyami were also in their respective seats having a quiet conversation, Tokoyami notably having draped a black blanket around himself like a cape while Kouda hugged a pillow to his chest.  

Todoroki stood by himself near the entrance to Room Alpha, his back leaning on the wall and eyes quietly observing the chaos in front of him.  

Hatsume was sitting cross legged on the stage at the front of the room, a paintball droid corpse in her lap and broken parts strewn around her.  Jiro was leaning against the front of the stage watching the girl work and chatting occasionally.  Mandalay's nephew Kota was similarly seated next to the pink haired support student, legs dangling off the platform and watching Hatsume tinker while occasionally glaring at the arm wrestling students.  

Standing not too far away to the left of the stage, Itomai was caught up in a conversation with the Wild Wild Pussycats, Inko Midoriya, and Mitsuki Bakugou.  Pixie Bob was gesturing animatedly about something, and Itomai was actually blushing.  

Over by the teacher's, Azumi grinned. She couldn't wait to find out what that was about.

Nighteye and Bubblegirl were watching the teachers from their own respective seats, having stopped their previous conversation when they heard them enter the room.  

When his gaze had lingered too long for Azumi's liking, she activated her quirk to cover her eyes with the deep purple liquid and glared.  Nighteye visibly startled before sending a brief glare of his own back then turning around.  Azumi grinned, clearly pleased, and let her quirk recede.

Meanwhile Nedzu, who had seen the whole interaction, smiled in amusement. At the gruff chuckle from Gran Torino from where he was sitting, it became clear that the principal hadn't been the only one to notice.  

After a brief concerned glance at a distressed All Might, Gran returned his attention to the conversation he had been having with Detective Tsukauchi.  Both men were still seated in their original spots. 

Noticing the absence of her younger sibling, Azumi broke off from the group and headed over towards Itomai to see if Mana had taken her advice about the nap she suggested earlier.  

Aizawa sighed, too tired to deal with the situation.  "Mic, Midnight, you think you can deal with them? I don't have the energy." 

"We got it!" Mic said shooting finger guns at his friend before walking towards the arm wrestling chaos with Midnight and Yaoyorozu. 

Aizawa gave a thankful smile at his friends' backs, carefully hidden beneath his scarf,  before returning to his seat.  

The other teachers all followed Aizawa's lead, with the exception of Power Loader who went to the front of the room to try and corral his own student… and double check that she wasn't on the verge of exploding anything.  The fact that she was using what appeared to be a piece of shrapnel as a makeshift screwdriver already had him nervous enough.

Chapter Text

Hey everyone,

Thank you all for being loyal followers of this fic. And I want you to know that I don't plan on abandoning it, but...it's hard.

As some of you may know from a past author's note, my mother suffered a severe traumatic brain injury back at the beginning of 2021. I wrote the first couple chapters of this story when she was in ICU and the hospital for the first 17 days and I wasn't allowed to go see her because though she was asymptomatic she had tested covid positive and isolation protocols at hospitals were super strict back then. (Isolation was anywhere between 17-20 days). For the first week and half of that my mother was unresponsive and in a coma. I began writing this story as a much needed distraction from the hell that was my life. Eventually she woke up and was released from the ICU and into a long term acute care facility before being transferred to a skilled nursing facility.

My mother, my rock, the woman who had kept me sane through all of my mental and emotional health problems, who knew and understood like no one else close to me because she had gone through the exact same thing and more when she was my age. She was my best friend, the person who I would gladly lay down my life for and loved more than anything in the world, and after injury she didn't know who I was. She knew she knew me, but didn't know I was her daughter or my name. But...but that was okay. Because if I had to become her friend all over again, start fresh from a blank slate, I would. It didn't matter to me that she didn't remember how to talk, and was slowly relearning words, that she could no longer walk and got confused easily. She's my mom. And I'd be by her side as often as I was physically able to be.

Her path to recovery, like most brain injuries, was long and winding, filled with hills and valleys and incredibly unpredictable. She developed a seizure disorder and ended up having hallucinations and delusions. But she also eventually regained her ability to speak (thanks to speech therapy) and remembered who I was, most of the time. Unfortunately she wasn't cognitively able or ready to participate in physical therapy yet (they tried many times). The only things she was able to understand when we tried was that it hurt and was uncomfortable. She didn't have the processing ability to understand the benefits that it would allow her to walk on her own again with a walker (and it 100% would have. The pt's said that she had the most potential of anyone in the entire facility and absolutely had the physical strength that if she was able to participate and put effort into it would probably be up and walking again in 2-3 weeks).

All of my free time over 2021 was pretty much devoted to visiting her. To spending time with her and trying to help her exercise her mind in anyway I could think of, or just talking to her, or sitting in companionable silence by her bedside when she was too tired and needed to sleep. It was around this time (August 2021) that I was looking for apartments. I needed to get the hell out of the house I had lived in with my parents for my own sanity. My dad is not an easy person to live with, the only reason I hadn't moved out before was because I couldn't abandon my mother to be stuck dealing with him alone. However, after a couple months her inability to participate in physical therapy meant that the insurance company viewed her as "maintaining status", as in no-longer improving or going to improve (which is stupid because she was absolultely getting better cognitively progress was just very very slow), so she had to be transferred out of skilled nursing and into a nursing home.

It was then (about November) that I started to break. Up until that point, I had been handling everything. I made all trips to hospital whenever she was admitted randomly for feeding tube problems, pneumonia, seizures, CSF fluid pooling in her brain, needing to get the missing half of her skull put back in, etc. I was the one that talked to all of her doctors, made any medical decisions, filled out any paperwork, made them aware of her extensive medical history (which was already a damn textbook of information before the accident...seriously they do not put enough space on hospital/doctor admit forms for prior medical conditions, or family history). I wad also handling the entire thing financially. Managing a gofundme, trying to pay off the medical bills in a way that would keep collectors off the phone and hopefully keep my mother and father out of bankruptcy. It was when the skilled nursing home called me to tell me that not only did they need a check for $10k by the end of the week, and that they were basically going to kick her out because she wasn't making enough progress that I finally broke. I was having another panic attack and my thoughts were going to very dark places that I had managed to keep away from (thanks to my mom and fuck ton of therapy and medication) for about 6 years. In the middle of my mind and will to live fracturing into a gazillion little pieces I managed to call my Aunt. Who left work and came to find me. She talked me through everything and explained to me that it wasn't my responsibility to keep my dad from going bankrupt. That it was his responsibility to deal with the financial stuff and he should've been the one to step up and take care of it from the get go. So she has a talk with my dad and he actually did end up taking over the financial stuff to my relief (with the exception of the gofundme which I had to shut down as we were going to need to start looking for qualifying for medicaid for the nursing home). I still handled all mom's medical stuff since dad doesn't really understand or remember all of the details where as I do, and it's a skill I've mastered to point where anytime I'm the designated family member by the hospital bedside I always get the questions "Are you a nurse?" Or "What field of medicine are you in?" Then, when I tell them "I'm not, but that I have taken a lot of classes for it (back when I was originally planning to be a pediatrician then redirected to child psychologist) until unfortunately my mental health took a turn for worse and basically made it impossible for me to be in a classroom setting anymore", I usually get the responses of "That's unfortunate. You would make a great nurse." Or that I should look into online nursing schools. ...God that was a tangent that got off track. The point is that from that point forward I was only in charge of anything on the medical side of mom's recovery.

Mom was moved to the nursing home where she took a bit of a downturn before slowly getting better again. Just before Christmas, I got lucky. My boss (I work full time at a small family owned Italian grocery store, which means I was considered "essential" and working all through covid and my mom's recovery with the exception of the 17 days in ICU and any other of the times she was hospitalized) manages several apartments in the area and one opened up and would be ready at the end of January. I looked at it, said 'Yes. Yes. Please! Thank you so much!", and started furnishing it February 1st and moved in on the 15th. Living there and on my own had and continues to be incredibly good for my mental health.

And at the end of February, around my mother's birthday I got another phenomenal gift. Some sort of important synapses in mom's brain must have healed, because MOM was THERE. Her cognition suddenly increased, her memory and awareness improved, and her personality was back. She was pissed because the doc at the nursing home mentioned she had a stroke, but wouldn't tell her what kind. In her words as she vented to me, "There are several different kinds of stroke. I think it's important for me to know and understand what kind I had so I know what to expect when it comes to my health and healing down the road. At the very least you as my daughter should be told everything that's going on and all the details." And I cried. My mom was BACK, the same one who was always insistent on understanding the intracies and details of any medical condition she or someone she loves had and who, when I was a kid, would read random things to me from medical encyclopedias we had on the bookshelf (not because she was in a medical profession, she wasn't...she didn't even graduate from highschool but dropped out and got her GED so she could get a job to help support her struggling family...rather she had them because she was facinated by the human body and brain and always had a desire to learn and know more). When I finally stopped crying, her of course comforting me, I told her that I did know all the detials of her "stroke", and that if she wanted I could tell them to her. She agreed eagerly and so I told her everything that had happpened from accident when I first found her at the bottom of the stairs to present. Every nitty gritty detail, including how I had told her this before (in an effort to explain things like why she wasn't allowed to get out of bed on her own) but it had never stuck because up until this point she had experienced short term memory problems (and long term in some cases). When I mentioned how she had been having hallucinations and delusions, she even had the presence of thought to agree with me that she had been having quite a bit of delirium and described to me how she had been talking to a hallucination of two of her former bosses when midway into the conversation she realized "something wasn't quite right and they just faded away". She also talked about how she had trouble distinguishing what was real and not and was trying, but didn't feel comfortable asking the nursing home staff because they looked at her like she was crazy. I was overjoyed. Not only was her personality suddenly back, and her higher thought processes (understanding cause and effect, and long term consequences) back, but her hallucinations and delusions were improving to if she was starting to be able to tell or at least question when something wasn't real. I encouraged her to ask the nurses anyway and just ignore their opinion, and if they really look at her oddly just explain to them that she's trying to determine whether something is real or a hallucination so she knows whether to ignore it or not. I then did a physical evaluation and was surprised to see that over the course of a week her left arm (which she had only been able to lift maybe 4 or five inches off the bed) had regrained quite a bit of strength and she was now able to lift it about a foot and a half off the bed. Her grip strength was improving too and she seemed to cognitively understand and remember what physical therapy was and said she was willing to do it. I started her off with hand and arm exercises to do in bed while I would research possible physical therapy options and then sat back and simply talked. Caught her up with things going on in my life, about the apartment and how I was still trying to furnish it. How I had a bed, dresser, kitchen table and not much else. She mentioned seeing lovesac commercials on TV as something I'd like for a couch, and I told her how I had already looked into them and they were supposed to be super comfy but they were way out of my price range. To which mom pulled a mom and made me tear up again because she did something so very her, and said "It's your first apartment. It may take some creative financing and we may have to scrimp in other areas but if you really want it I'm sure I can figure something out." Before she winked at me. She fucking winked at me and smiled a smile that was just so very mom that I broke down cried again before telling her how much I loved her before I had to leave for the night (it was way past visiting hours at this point, but like hell would anybody have been able to kick me out before then).

So things were looking up. Mom's cognition and strength (she was able to lift her arm above her head!) and short term memory continued to improve throughout the last week of February and first couple weeks of March, the everything went to hell again. She had a breakthrough seizure (what they call a seizure that happens when a person has been seizure free for a significant period of time, usually because they're being controlled by medications) that sent her to ER. Then just after she had been moved to a hospital room she had another seizure (thankfully I was at her bedside and noticed the early signs). The second one lasted so long and wasn't stopping with medication so she had to be rushed to ICU. It lasted an hour (55 minutes to be exact). When she came out her post-ictal state a day and a half later all her progress was gone. She couldn't move her left side again, didn't know who I was or where she was and the hallucinations/delusions were back in full swing. Once she was deemed stable she was moved back to nursing home, however she was loaded right back onto the transport ambulance when she started vomiting randomly. She was readmitted back to the hospital where it was a few days before the probably finally got bad enough that they were able to see it. She had an infection that had been hiding from CT scans and growing in the dead bone of her replaced skull where her immune system couldn't reach/fight. It grew to push on and cover part of her brain and was tracking down her cheek (which is what caused them to do an MRI and find it). I was told that if she didn't get emergency treatment she would die probably within the week as she was becoming increasingly less responsive. I agreed to the emergency surgery.

The surgery was successful and mom was eventually discharged with IV antibiotics that had to be administered by the nursing home, but cognitively and personality wise she never came back. Around mother's day I went in to tell her the good news (even if she couldn't understand it) that her most recent scans and blood work showed the infection all clear and she could come off the antibiotics as scheduled. But then I saw her face. I could read the message in her eyes. we'd always been able to communicate silently with each other. Just a series of looks back at forth were enough for a secret conversation if dad was around or when one of us didn't feel like talking outloud. For the couple minutes that mom was awake when I walked into the room, she told me without words that she was done. That she was tired of fighting and just wanted to sleep. I told her it was okay, that I understood, that I love her no matter what and always would and then I went and sat down in the seat and quietly sobbed while she slept. Later that week she was sent to the ER twice with random bouts of vomiting that they could find no apparent cause for. Two days later she vomited again and ended up aspirating. I gave them permission to intubate her as long as they followed the DNR that I had had set up after the emergency brain surgery for the infection. Three days later I (with my dad's agreement), had to make the call to remove the intubation. She shockingly was breathing on her own but was still unresponsive, completely unaware, and fading and was put on hospice. They didn't expecg her to make it through the nect couple days. However she was stronger even at that point than anyone anticipated and held on long enough that the hospital basically told us that she would need to be discharged (because it was taking her too long to die). I couldn't stand the thought of her dying in the nursing home (especially since only one person could be with her at a time and only during visiting hours meaning I would have to leave at night and she might end up dieing alone), and my parents house wasn't a feasible option (hoarding level problems that have gotten significantly worse since my mom's accident), so she was discharged and moved to my apartment.

At my apartment she held on for another week, until she passed away on May 20th. It's still not real to me most of the time. And for the most part I try to distract myself from it and not sit quietly with my thoughts too much. When I do I start to spiral and it's not good. So I'm pushing forward. I'm trying to live my life by the motto "what would mom do?", trying to live in a way that would make her smile and happy to see the person I've become, that I'm slowly turning into. Some days are more of a struggle than others, and honestly fanfic is a great distraction (especially since I can't seem to watch many TV shows or movies without thinking about what she would like to watch, what we watched/binged together, or having a character do something motherly that reminds me of her and leads to me crying until I'm exhausted).

So yeah, this fic is officially on a temporary hiatus. I do plan on finishing it, and actually am trying to write it when motivation hits me, but it's hard. Especially Inko. So much of what I plan to turn Inko into and her and Izuku's interactions is based on my mom and the things she did for me. And while I could do the opposite and turn it into an abusive/neglectful Inko fic and have less trouble writing that emotionally than writing a mother who actually cares, I don't want to. I want to stay true to that vision I initially had when my mom's accident first happened and I needed the distraction. I want to finish writing the story she smiled at as I was reading it to her in the hospital and skilled nursing facility (even if at times she did't understand what was going on). I will finish it. It's just going to take time.