Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Koneko Nekozawa was not having a good day. ‘Although,’ she thought idly as she strolled home, brushing a stray lock of auburn hair out of her eyes, ‘I suppose I can’t exactly call it an awful day either. Sure, work sucked, but I didn’t get fired, at least. And I wasn’t directly involved in any villain attacks today, either.’ Koneko’s mind ran through the list of annoyances she was currently trying to ignore. First, her train had been delayed due to a villain attack, causing her to be late for work. Normally, not the end of the world, but her boss was not happy about a late employee. Given that the train delay had made local news, Koneko had thankfully managed to keep her job, but her paycheck was another story. ‘Okay, yeah, never mind. This day kinda blew,’ Koneko thought, wincing at the thought of her lost money.

‘Still, it could be worse. At least I wasn’t around for that sludge thing this afternoon. From what I saw on the news, that looked nasty. I’m just glad All Might showed up to save the day. Probably gave the kid a good story too. Being saved by All Might’s gotta ease the sting, at least a little.’ Her mind drifted to the other kid she loosely remembered seeing footage of. An image popped into her head, of a short, scared-looking young man, bushy green hair waving in the wind as he charged forward in a futile attempt at assistance. ‘Poor kid,’ she mused, as she looked over at the sunset, a gorgeous vibrant yellow horizon greeting her, dipping into the faintest hint of purple, and she smiled softly to herself. ‘I dunno what an idiot like that was thinking, but at least he made it out okay too.’

Koneko sighed, turning her mind to the list of chores waiting for her and her roommates when she returned to their shared apartment. ‘It’s my turn to cook tonight, I’m pretty sure. Although I feel like Ryusei would probably skin me if I served him up fish one more time.’ She reached up with one hand and scratched at one of the long, pointed ears sticking up off the top of her forehead, a long, extended fingernail flicking at one of her piercings. ‘Nanao likes fish too though. Maybe I’ll do salmon… a nice mirin glaze would probably go well, actually.’

She was quickly drawn out of her reverie by a loud yell from nearby. It sounded young, Koneko thought, her ears twitching as she quickly zeroed in on the sound. She snickered to herself briefly, as she noticed what sounded like the voice cracking a little mid-scream. ‘Definitely a kid then,’ she thought as she stealthily made her way over. ‘Should probably go and check if everything’s okay. I can’t do much myself, but if something’s wrong, I’m sure I can run and grab a hero or something.’

Then the voice spoke, and Koneko froze.

“A-All Might? Where did you come from?”

‘All Might? He’s here? There’s no way,’ Koneko thought, hands instinctively pulling out her phone and unlocking it. ‘What the hell is he still doing in Musutafu? What’s he doing here?’ Moving as quietly as possible, Koneko moved closer and closer, ears pricked up, listening desperately to every word of the conversation.

“HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I stand for JUSTICE, not soundbites!”

‘That…definitely sounds like All Might. Maybe I can get a photo with him or something? Maybe an autograph? No-one will believe me when I say I saw him if I don’t get something .’ Koneko quickly set her phone to record, and peeked around the corner, eyes glinting as she stared across at the pair.

‘Holy shit, it’s actually him. It’s really All Migh- wait…what the fuck just happened? He just…shrank?’

Koneko kept her phone on and recording, listening to every word said between the pair. ‘Wait, I recognise the kid. He’s the guy from earlier today. The one All Might saved. Do they…know each other? He’s not questioning why he just up and shrank like that. Is this even All Might? He saved the kid earlier, so maybe he came to check up on him.’

“Young man, I came to thank you, and also…to discuss your question from earlier.”

‘Okay, these two definitely know each other. I should probably wait before I ask for an autograph or something. If this really is All Might, he sounds…different. A lot more serious than normal. Whatever they’re talking about, it’s probably not something I should interrupt.’ Koneko, however, did not turn her phone off. If this really was All Might, she wanted proof that she’d seen him.

“-I would have been a worthless bystander watching from the crowd.”

“Oh, no. It’s my fault he was there to begin with.”

‘How was it the kid’s fault? Did he accidentally let the villain loose or something? That’d explain why he charged in like an idiot, I guess. Wanting to make up for his mistake.’

“I’m not done. You told me you didn’t have a power. So when I saw this timid, quirkless boy try to save a life, it inspired me to act too.”

‘Ouch. Kid’s quirkless, huh? That’s gotta suck. Being a cat might be kinda annoying at times, but it’s better than nothing, surely? Wait, he ran in like that, without even a quirk? Guess that explains why they couldn’t do him for vigilantism. Don’t know if that makes him braver or stupider.’

“There are stories about every hero. How they became great. Most have one thing in common. Their bodies moved before they had a chance to think. Almost on their own.”

Koneko’s eyes widened as the kid looked down at the ground, a few stray tears landing between his feet. ‘I…think I might have to go with both. Very brave, but definitely very stupid.’ She stared at the scene before her, feeling her eyes mist over slightly, as the young man clutched his chest and sobbed, All Might staring down at him impassively.

“And today, that’s what happened to you.” Koneko felt her hand lightly cover her mouth, a few stray tears of her own falling as she watched the young kid, barely looking a day over 15, fall to the ground, tears streaming freely now. She fixed her gaze on All Might, staring down at the kid, hair swaying slightly in the breeze, as the setting sun shone down on the pair, and her jaw dropped slightly as he spoke.

“Young man. You too, can become a hero.”

‘Whoa. That’s…incredible. Imagine how it must feel to be told that by All Might directly, huh? I mean, I dunno if it’s actually possible for him. I don’t know if I’d feel comfortable having someone running around saving people with no way to defend themselves like that. But having All Might in your corner’s gotta be a pretty good start.’

“I deem you worthy of my power. My quirk is yours to inherit.”

Koneko could practically hear the record scratching, as it felt like the entire world froze around her.

‘Wait…what? Inherited…quirk? That’s not possible.’

“Wait, what do you mean, inherit? Inherit what?”

All Might laughed uproariously, stepping forward, as Koneko mirrored the kid's confusion.

“Listen well, young man. Do you wanna accept my AWESOME power or not?”

A pause for a second, before All Might elaborated, staring down at the kid, still kneeling on the floor. “There are a couple of things you should know about my abilities. Journalists always guess that my quirk is super strength, or some kind of invulnerability. When journalists ask in interviews, I always make a joke and dodge the question.”

‘I…now that I think about it, I don’t think I’ve ever seen All Might actually speak about his quirk before. How would this guy know that so easily…unless he’s really All Might. Holy shit, this could be real.’

“There’s nothing natural about my ability. I wasn’t born with this power. It’s a sacred torch that was passed on to me by someone else.”

“Someone…else,” the kid said, staring up at All Might, confusion oozing from every fibre of his being. “Someone else gave you this quirk? No way”

“Yes way. And you’re next,” All Might said, arms spread wide, head tilted back dramatically. “I can give you my abilities.”

That’s…impossible,’ Koneko thought, checking that her phone was still recording. ‘There’s no way any of this can be true. Holy…shit. I know that anything’s possible with quirks, but transferring them? I’m suddenly reconsidering my theory that this guy’s real. But why would a fake want this kid?”

Koneko listened to the kid babble for a bit, a look of wry amusement crossing her face as she heard him ramble. She bit back a snort when All Might stepped in and yelled, “STOP NERDING OUT! You’ll just have to adjust your reality and accept this new truth. I can transfer my quirk to someone else. And that’s just one facet of my secret abilities.”

Koneko’s eyes widened as the man held his hand out, shining with a dazzling rainbow light, illuminating the pair with its glow. “The true name of my power is One For All.”

“One…For…All.”

“Yes. One person improves the power, then hands it off to another person. It continues to grow as it’s passed along. It is this cultivated power that allows me to save those that are in need of a hero. The truth of my strength.”

‘...It’s true that a simple strength enhancement shouldn’t be enough to make All Might as strong as he is. A quirk that can stockpile strength over time would explain that, especially if he isn’t the first person to wield it. But…there’s no way.’

“I was on a long hunt for a worthy successor. And then…I watched you jump into action as the rest of us stood idly by. You may just be a quirkless fanboy, but you tried to save that kid. You acted like a hero.”

Koneko stood off to the side, safely hidden, staring at the scene in awe. ‘Successor? Was All Might…watching this kid already? Holy shit! Why didn’t he jump in sooner to save the other kid though? Seems pretty callous to just risk someone’s life for a test like that.’

She watched as the young kid before her stood up, and fixed All Might with a determined stare. ‘Whoa, where’d that come from?’ Koneko thought, impressed. ‘He was crying like a baby a second ago, now this. Kid might actually have some steel to him, after all.’

“No reluctance, that’s exactly how I’d figured you’d respond. That’s the kinda drive you’re gonna need if you’re going to be my successor.” All Might looked down at the kid, a confident grin on his face, and Koneko stared him up and down, looking for any sign of pretence or trickery. ‘I…think he’s genuine,’ she thought in amazement. ‘All Might’s in the area, he was at the same crime scene as this kid, and the two already know each other, at least in passing. Only one way to find out though, I guess.’ Stopping the recording on her phone, Koneko quickly opened an app on her phone and began typing a message.

Koneko Nekozawa | @nekogal1

Spotted a man claiming to be All Might in Musutafu today. Doesn’t quite look like him, but has the hair. Could be his quirk bulks him up? Got video footage of him talking to that sludge villain kid from earlier. Seem legit? @Herowatch_JP 

Herowatch Japan | @Herowatch_JP

@nekogal1 That would explain why we rarely see him out of costume…alright, let’s see it. We can verify it for you.

Koneko Nekozawa | @nekogal1

Sure thing. He says some pretty…outrageous stuff in the video, JSYK.

Herowatch Japan | @Herowatch_JP

That…looks like him. Could be a transformation quirk though. And what the hell does he mean by a transferable quirk?

Koneko Nekozawa | @nekogal1

RIGHT!!!! I nearly lost my shit, and I’m still not 100% convinced it’s him.

Koneko quickly closed her messages, opening up Herowatch Japan’s news feed. A few minutes later, after the unlikely pair had split apart, there it was.

Herowatch Japan | @Herowatch_JP

All Might’s quirk revealed‽ @nekogal1 shared footage of AM alongside one of the boys involved in the #Sludgevillain incident earlier, discussing his quirk. Is this really AM? What does he mean by successor? What is One For All? And who’s the kid?

#AllMight #Number1Hero #Herowatch

-----

And just like that, the world that both Toshinori Yagi and Izuku Midoriya went to sleep in was completely different from the one they found themselves waking up to the next day.

Chapter Text

Toshinori awoke the next day, blinking slightly as the early morning light drifted in through the curtains of his hotel room, the quiet hustle and bustle of the city slowly pulling him out of his restful slumber. ‘Man, I’m beat,’ he thought, pulling himself into a sitting position. ‘Yesterday was exhausting. I pushed myself further than I probably should have…no, that’s not true. I did what I had to, and I’d do it again in a heartbeat. A few minutes of my time limit is absolutely worth it if it means saving lives. Plus, if I hadn’t, then I wouldn’t have met my successor. Come to think of it…did I even get his number? Crap. Gotta figure out a way to find out where he lives or something. Maybe Masa can help.’

Toshinori reached slowly over to retrieve his phone, trying to ignore the aches and pains running through his body, as well as the occasional cracking of his spine, before he flinched, as a brand new pain surged through what was left of…well, his left. ‘Well, that’s a new one, I’m pretty sure. Welcome to the party, I guess. Jeez, I really am getting old, huh? Lucky I found the kid when I did…Oh God Dammit, did I get his name? It began with an ‘i’, I’m pretty sure. Izumi? No, I think that’s a girl's name. Izuna? No, pretty sure it had a ‘k’ or something. Izu…ku? Izuku! I think that’s the one. Don’t think I got the surname though. Nice job, Toshinori. Well, I’m sure Masa can help if I give him a partial ID, plus a description.’

Toshinori switched his phone open, and nearly dropped it, his eyes going wide with shock.

‘What the…why do I have so many missed calls? Only a handful of people even have this number, so how do I have 30 missed calls? Nezu…Masa…Dear God, even Torino’s tried to message me. Did…did something happen?’ A look of panic crossed All Might’s face, before it was replaced with sheer bewilderment. ‘W-Wait, this number…it’s not possible.’ Toshinori felt his breath hitch in his throat, and his thumb trembled as he pressed the ‘redial’ button on his phone.

*RING RING*

*RING RING*

“Nighteye here. Make it quick, please. I’m rather busy today.”

Toshinori froze, his breathing ragged and unsteady as his call was answered.

“Mirai…it’s me.”

“Ah…All Might,” Nighteye replied, seemingly displeased at Toshinori’s call, who winced at the disappointment laced through every word. “I didn’t expect you to get back to me so quickly. Tell me, who exactly is Izuku Midoriya?”

Toshinori froze. ‘H-How did he…it hasn’t even been a day.’ Gripping the phone a little tighter, Toshinori’s face hardened. “How do you know that name, Mirai? I didn’t even remember it all.” Toshinori could hear his former sidekick’s eyebrow raise on the other end, even before the clipped, borderline furious response came. “You didn’t even get his name? You promised him the power of One for All, and you didn’t even think to ask him his name? I knew you were reckless, All Might, but this really is too much.”

Toshinori stiffened in his bed, grip on the phone growing even tighter.

“You didn’t answer my question, Mirai,” he all but snarled, his teeth clenching almost as much as his hand.

“I see…you haven’t had the chance to check the news today, have you All Might? I’d advise you to do so immediately. It’s…very revealing. The media can’t publish the boy’s personal information, of course, but his identity is all over social media. The pair of you are in for a busy few days, I’d wager.”

Toshinori switched on the TV silently, quickling turning the volume down so he could still hear Nighteye speak. Then, his jaw dropped, and he stared in horror at the images on the screen before him. ‘Oh…crap.’

“Mirai…we-”

“What were you thinking, All Might? He’s a middle schooler, barely even wet behind the ears. You really chose some child who wouldn’t know what to do with a quirk if it came with an instruction manual? And before you say anything about helping him, I mean an instruction manual that says more than ‘clench your…cheeks and yell really loudly’. Please, enlighten me, what was going through your head when you not only told some random, quirkless child about One for All, but offered it to him?”

Toshinori felt anger begin to bubble in what remained of his stomach, before he carefully pressed it down. “Mirai, now isn’t the time.”

“What could possibly be more important right now than trying to clean up after your latest cockamamie plan?”

And then, Toshinori snapped. Just for a second, but Mirai knew all too well that All Might only ever needed a second to get the job done. “Young Midoriya, that’s what,” All Might shot back, his tone harsh and uncompromising.

Silence met his words for a few seconds, before Toshinori heard Nighteye sigh for a few seconds. “Yes…I suppose you are correct. I apologise, Toshinori. I forgot myself. Of course the child is more important right now. We can always discuss your…decision once he is safe. I should leave you to your detective friend. He’s in the area, I believe, and is probably better equipped than myself to help keep the boy safe. Until later, All Might.”

Nighteye hung up, sounding slightly subdued, but Toshinori was too caught up in his own head to notice, fingers flying across the screen with a speed and ferocity he normally kept for hero work. ‘Although,’ he thought grimly, ‘I suppose Young Midoriya is my professional life now, isn’t he?’

It felt like the phone was answered the instant he pressed the ‘call’ button, and he sighed with relief as he heard one of his oldest friends pick up. “Tsukauchi here. I’m a little busy right now, I’m afraid, so I can’t-”

“Masa, it’s me.”

“I was expecting you to call. Don’t worry, I’m on my way to the kid’s house right now. I’ll send you the address when I get the okay from his parents.”

“Thank God. You’re a lifesaver, Masa.”

-----

On the other end of the line, Naomasa Tsukauchi grinned darkly as he wove his car in and out of the morning traffic, siren howling as he tore down the roads, a look of intense focus on his face. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. You know we’ll have to be talking about this later, right?”

Toshinori sighed, and Tsukauchi eased off the criticism, hearing just how exhausted his old friend sounded. “Yeah…Mirai pretty much said the same thing just before I called you.”

Tsukauchi slammed his foot on the pedal as a car cut him off, the loud screech perfectly mirroring his reaction to All Might’s words. “He actually called you? It’s been…what, five years now?”

“Yeah,” Toshinori replied, his measured tone hiding just how angry he’d almost gotten at his old friend. “Definitely wasn’t expecting to hear from him today. How long until you get to the Midoriyas’?”

“I’ll be there in a few minutes. Kid’ll have police protection by the end of the day if we need it. You have my word.”

“Thanks, Masa. Maybe a bit overzealous, but all it takes right now is one person to try gunning for me through him, and then he’d be dead because of me.”

“No he wouldn’t, Toshinori,” Tsukauchi replied patiently, “it’d be because of the person who took a shot at him, and no-one else. Besides, we’re not going to let that happen. Although…have you considered what doing this might look like? We could try playing it cool, you know? A big show of force might end up just confirming the rumours for everyone.”

All Might paused for a second, Tsukauchi’s words sinking in, before he shook his head. “To be honest, Masa, I haven’t really had time to think of anything since I woke up. And…maybe we could play it cool. But if we got it wrong, and Young Midoriya pays for it with his life, then I’d never forgive myself. It’s not worth risking the life of an innocent kid, or a guilty one, for that matter, because of my mistakes.”

“Yeah,” Tsukauchi agreed, spotting the apartment block in question up ahead. “Yeah, you’re right, of course. Just thought I’d try playing devil's advocate. Didn’t suit me. Besides, I’m nearly there, and I’d hate to have wasted the drive over. I should be able to get some officers outside the door before the media figures out where he lives.”

“Good. Hold down the fort until I arrive, would you?”

Tsukauchi grunted his assent, pulling wildly into a nearby parking spot, throwing himself out of the vehicle, nearly forgetting to lock it in his haste, taking the stairs three at a time until he reached the apartment last registered to the Midoriyas.

-----

Izuku’s morning initially began like any other one. His alarm went off, just like it always did. He stepped into the shower, the same as normal, but it was there, with the stinging sensation of hot water trickling down his back, that he really began to think. Think about what happened yesterday, and what it meant for him.

‘So…yesterday was…something. I mean, meeting All Might, learning about his injury, his time limit and…and his quirk. His transferable quirk. Then there was the whole ‘Sludge Villain’ thing with…Kacchan. Oh god…that was on the news. The whole school probably saw me run in like that. Not that I regret it, or anything. I’d do it again, if I had to. In a heartbeat. But I don’t think they’ll see it the way All Might did. They’ll just see the same weak, worthless Deku as always, being saved because he got in over his head. Just more proof that I’ll never be good enough to be a hero.

And…what if they’re right? What if I’m not good enough? What if All Might changes his mind, or-or he finds someone better?’

Izuku clenched his fist, trying not to let tears fall down his face again. “No,” he said, steadying himself quickly. “Can’t let myself think that way. All Might thinks I can do it, even if nobody else does. I just…need to try believing in him, like I always have. I can do this.”

Izuku quickly finished his shower, an air of fragile confidence about him as he quickly dried off and slipped into his school uniform. It wasn’t until he walked out of his bedroom and made his way to the kitchen that things changed. He turned to face his mother as he entered their small living area, and froze. Inko was seated on the sofa, a cup of coffee held in her trembling hands, and both mother and son stared at the images on the TV in front of them.

There, in hi-definition, was the thin, emaciated form of All Might, hand stretched out and glowing with the same ethereal light as yesterday. Then, the camera shifted, and Izuku’s eyes widened, and he felt the entire world freeze around him.

Sure, the video had been pixelated to protect his identity, but you could still make out Izuku’s wild green hair, the tears streaming down both cheeks, and, most damningly, his voice coming out of the screen, rambling under his breath, in the most recognisable manner possible.

“Oh…crap.”

Izuku’s mother turned to look at him, and Izuku realised, a second too late, that he’d said that out loud.

“Izuku,” his mother started, before trailing off, still staring at the blurred image of her son on-screen. “...what’s going on? What is One for All? And why is All Might offering it to you?”

Izuku, all thoughts of food forgotten, dashed over to the couch, clenching his mothers hands in his. “Mom, don’t freak out. I know it looks crazy, but I promise you, it’s completely true.”

Inko shook her head wildly, tears filling the corner of her eyes. “I…don’t understand, Izuku. Please, just tell me what’s going on.”

Izuku looked around nervously, not quite able to meet the look of worry on his mother’s face. As his eyes wavered, they fell on the TV for a brief moment, which just so happened to be playing an image of him, kneeling on the ground in a random side-street, crying his eyes out. On national television. ‘Okay…I think we have a new winner for the most embarrassing moment of my life.’

“...H-How much do you k-know?”

In a word. Everything. She knew absolutely everything that had transpired between Izuku and All Might after the Sludge Villain had been subdued the previous day. ‘So, if Mom knows everything, then…everyone knows everything. The entire country just saw me crying my eyes out in front of All Might. Wait…the entire country now knows about All Might’s quirk. He’s been keeping that secret since…well, since he got it, I guess. And now it’s out there, because of me. If…if I hadn’t run in yesterday, then All Might’s secret would be safe. It’s all my fault this happened to him! Will he even still want to give it to me after this?’

The next thing Izuku knew, he was kneeling on the floor, lungs failing him, and he clutched his chest, sobbing, in a cruel parallel of the images currently playing on the TV, failing to keep himself under control.

Inko immediately muted the TV, leaning down and embracing her son. “Izuku? Izuku, honey, is everything okay? Baby, just listen to me. Everything’s going to be okay. We’ll figure this out, just breathe for me, alright?”

Izuku took a deep, shuddering breath in, followed by another, and he slowly leant up to look at his mother, tears still filling his eyes. “T-Thanks, Mom. I kinda panicked a little there, huh?”

Inko pulled him up, depositing him gently on the sofa. “Are…Are you okay talking about this, Izuku? We do need to at some point, but if you’re not up for it, it can wait.”

Izuku stared down for a second, tears still dripping down his face, before he shook his head. “No. No…it’s okay. We do need to talk about it. And…and you probably deserve to know what’s going on.”

Inko looked over at him, a little uncertain, before acquiescing. “Okay, Izuku. If you’re sure.” She gestured over to the TV with the remote, un-muting it so they could hear. “So…all of that. It’s real, then?” Izuku nodded wordlessly, and Inko frowned slightly. “How did you know that was really All Might then, and not someone with a transformation quirk?”

Izuku blinked for a few seconds, before a look of clarity replaced the panic that had been on display. “Oh…right. Sorry Mom. I-uh…I kinda forgot. This wasn’t the first time I saw All Might yesterday. The-uh…The Sludge Villain from yesterday? The one that attacked Kacchan? It…It actually attacked me too, pretty shortly before that. It’s okay, really, I’m fine now,” Izuku said hurriedly, as his mother quickly wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a tight embrace, crying buckets into his shoulder. “Honestly, Mom, I’m fine. I promise. All Might saved me, and we-uh…we talked for a bit, I asked him a few questions, and I accidentally learned about his injury.”

“Injury?”

Izuku winced. ‘Crap,’ he thought to himself. ‘That wasn’t really covered in the video, was it?’

“I-uh…I can’t really talk that much about it. I know a little, but it’s not really my story to tell. It’s All Might’s. All I know is, he has an injury, and it's affecting how long he can perform hero work, so he was looking for a successor. And then…he found me. He thinks I can do it, Mom. All Might thinks I can become a hero. And…and not just any hero. He thinks I’m good enough to be his successor.”

Inko’s frowned, her wide, normally friendly face alight with concern, and she held her son tighter. “I’d ask if this is what you want, but…I know you, Izuku. This is all you’ve ever wanted out of life, isn’t it? And I’m not going to be able to stop you either, am I? Even if I tried, you’d find a way to do this, wouldn’t you?”

“Sorry, Mom,” Izuku said, sincerely. “I…I know you’re just worried about me, and that you want to keep me safe. But…I’m going to be a hero. All Might thinks I can do it, and I’m not going to let him down. I’ll do whatever it takes to become a hero that both of you can be proud of.”

Inko smiled down at her son, nodding through her tears. “I’m already proud of you, honey. Prouder than I can ever put into words. I mean, I’m scared for you, of course I am. But I know you’re going to be amazing. Especially if All Might really is in your corner.” Inko’s tears dried slightly, and the smile slowly morphed into a hardened scowl. “However,” she said, her voice firm and uncompromising. “I do have a few conditions. Firstly, I want to know everything. Everything you haven’t told me, and everything that All Might isn’t telling you.”

Izuku opened his mouth in protest, and immediately closed it as his mother fixed him with what can only be described as a look. “Second…we need to figure out what to do about all this,” she said, gesturing towards the TV, at which point, both of them paused to hear the news anchor say, “All Might has yet to respond to our requests for comment, but CCTV footage obtained from the scene during yesterday's Sludge Villain incident clearly shows this same man turning into All Might, before securing the criminal and rescuing both of his victims, including the boy shown in this footage, posted online by a Musutafu local. It’s early days yet, but initial reports would indicate that this man could in fact be All Might, and he has selected this young man, whoever he is, as his successor.”

Izuku’s knees shook, and for a second he felt like he could feel the entire world falling apart around him, before a firm, yet gentle grip from his mother pulled him out of his thoughts, and he looked over at her, smiling softly. “Y-Yeah, you’re right. We probably should try talking to All Might. He’ll know what to..oh you’ve gotta be kidding me.”

“Izuku? What’s wrong?”

“I never got his number. I NEVER GOT HIS NUMBER! Mom, what are we going to do? We don’t have any way to actually contact him, and I still have to finish getting ready for school and have breakfast and then when I get there everyone’s going to know about me and All Might and Kacchan’s going to be furious and-”

Inko tilted her head slightly at the mention of Bakugou, but let it go for now. “Izuku, you are not going to school today. Not until we’ve sorted this out, at least. I’ll call them in a minute and tell them there’s been an emergency. I’m sure they’ll understand, and if not, I’m sure I can make them understand. Now, you go get yourself some breakfast, and I’ll take care of Aldera, and see if I know anyone who can help, okay?”

As Izuku made his way through their living area, heading over to the comfortable little kitchen the two occupied, a loud banging sound came from the hallway as someone knocked on their door. The pair froze, Inko stepping down to the hallway, before Izuku could say or do anything. “Izuku. Kitchen. Now. I’ll handle this.”

Izuku, seeing the steely look in his mothers eyes, wordlessly obeyed, hiding in the kitchen, listening intently on the conversation currently happening between his mother and the locked front door.

“Is this the Midoriya residence?”

“Who’s asking?”

“Ma’am, name is Naomasa Tsukauchi, Detective with the Tokyo Police Department. I have my ID out if you wish to verify before we continue.”

A few seconds of silence, before Izuku heard the chain rattling, and the door opening. “Come in, Detective. How can I help?”

“Are you Inko Midoriya?”

“Yes, I am.”

“And…is your son still here? I need to speak with him.”

Even without being able to see it, Izuku could tell his mother had immediately clammed shut at the mention of his name, and apparently, it was obvious to the detective as well, given the next thing Izuku heard was, “I understand if you don’t want to talk about him, given the news this morning, but it’s vital that I speak with him. All Might himself asked me to come and check on him.”

“I’m afraid I’m going to need some proof of that, Detective, before I tell you anything about Izuku. If you don’t have it, then I must ask you to leave.”

“...Of course, Ma’am,” the detective said. ‘What was his name? Tsuka-something,’ Izuku thought, as he eavesdropped on the conversation. “Would you rather I wait outside until All Might arrives? He’ll vouch for me when he does.”

“...how long will All Might take to show up?”

“I’m…honestly not sure, Ma’am. He normally lives in Tokyo, but he may have chosen to lodge here in Musutafu after yesterday. I can call and ask him, if you’d like?”

“No, I don't think so. If you can give me his number, I’ll call him myself,” Inko replied sharply, and Izuku couldn’t help but roll his eyes a little. ‘I get that she’s worried about me, but this seems a bit much.’

The detective rattled off a string of numbers by heart, and then there was silence for a few seconds, before eventually a voice rang out through the phone. “I don’t know who you are or how you got this number, but I’m a little busy right now. Can it wait?”

‘That’s him, that’s All Might.’ Izuku thought from his hiding spot in the kitchen, and he dashed out before he could process what he was doing.

“All Might, it’s me. It’s Izuku Midoriya…you know, from yesterday?”

“Izuku!” His mother snapped at him, a look of frustration on her face. Izuku quickly turned bright red as he realised his mistake, and he turned towards the hallway, where the detective had stayed still while his mother called All Might. Izuku looked over at the detective, and was greeted by a tall, friendly looking man, with short, black hair and eyes, a relaxed smile on his face, and a hand raised in a casual greeting.

“Ahh, young Midoriya, is that you? Thank God you’re alright. But…how did you get this number? Wait, is Masa there? *ahem* I mean, Detective Tsukauchi.”

‘Tsukauchi, that was it!’

“I-uh…y-yeah, he is. You know him then?”

“He’s one of my oldest and most trusted friends these days. I called asking him to keep an eye on you and your parents until I could come over to help clear all this up. Lucky for me, he was already on his way over when I called him.”

Inko stepped in, silencing Izuku with another look. “All Might, my name is Inko Midoriya. I’m Izuku’s mother. I was hoping we could have a little talk, in person, if that’s alright.” It wasn’t a question, and everyone currently listening knew it.

‘Oh…she seems a little mad about something. I don’t know why,’ Izuku thought, looking over at his mother in confusion.

Oh, uh…yes, of course. Whatever you need, Mrs. Midoriya. If you’re okay with Detective Tsukauchi giving me your address, I can be there as fast as my legs can carry me, which, as you can imagine, is pretty fast,” he said, chuckling a little at his own joke.

“I can give it to you myself, All Might,” Inko responded cooly, a look of annoyance on her face.

Izuku could practically hear the wince on the other end, and All Might coughed slightly before responding. “Oh-er, yes, of course, Ma’am. My apologies.”

Inko recited their address, and hung up, All Might thanking her before she did. “Well…All Might definitely seemed to know you, so I suppose that helps. Izuku, could you prepare some tea for our guests while I call your school and explain things to them?”

Izuku nodded and hurried into the kitchen, quickly filling the kettle and fetching some tea. Tsukauchi accompanied him, a keen eye running up and down Izuku’s skinny frame as he did. “I was happy to hear All Might finally chose someone,” the detective said, reaching up to one of the high shelves and pulling down some cups for Izuku. “I’ve been worried for years now he’d never find someone to pass One for All on to. Feels weird talking about this so openly, after keeping it hidden for so long.”

Izuku took the mugs and examined them, before holding them up to his mother, who shook her head feverishly, before pointing to the top-left cupboard, where all the really good china was kept. Izuku rolled his eyes slightly, passing the mugs back to the detective, who laughed slightly, returning them and pulling down some fancier cups.

“Y-Yeah, I guess it must be weird, having a secret like that just…spilled everywhere. I’m really sorry about that.” Tsukauchi shook his head, patting Izuku on the shoulder supportively. “There’s nothing to apologise for, kid. You’re not the one who talked about in a side-street where anyone could be listening, and you’re also not the one who recorded it and posted it online, are you?” The latter question was asked with a teasing grin and a wink, but Izuku still flew into a mild state of panic, waving his arms in front of him wildly.

“N-No, Sir. I promise, that wasn’t me. I’d never do something like that with a secret as big as One for All…o-or any secret for that matter.”

Tsukauchi held up a hand, chuckling to himself as he watched Izuku’s over-reaction. “Relax, Midoriya. I know you didn’t do that. Toshinori’s a good judge of character. If he trusts you, then you’re on the level.”

“T-Toshinori? Is…Is that All Might’s name?”

“...I’m gonna guess Toshinori didn’t really tell you anything about himself, huh?” Izuku shook his head, and Tsukauchi grimaced slightly. “Sounds like him. He’s a good judge of character, sure, but he’s pretty private. We’ve been friends and colleagues for years now, but even I don’t get to see him as much as I’d like. How are you holding up, anyway? I know from experience that One for All’s a lot to wrap your head around. You need any advice?”

“I-uh…I’m still having trouble completely accepting it, you know? Part of me still expects to wake up and just be the same quirkless Izuku I was yesterday, you know?”

Tsukauchi nodded sympathetically as Izuku began pouring three cups of tea. “It was like that for me, too. Not completely the same, since All Might never tried to pass it on to me, but nothing’s ever quite the same after you find out about One for All.”

The pair walked back out into the kitchen, passing Inko a mug, and she nodded towards Tsukauchi gratefully. “I’ll go into it in more detail when your mother’s free, but we’re going to have to come up with some safety procedures for you.” Upon seeing the look of confusion on Izuku’s face, he swiftly elaborated.

“The news might not be able to publish your identity yet, but apparently words spread on social media that you’re the kid who’s going to inherit All Might’s quirk. Not everyone believes it, but enough people are connecting the dots that it’s probably only a matter of time before people start treating it as the new reality. News’ll probably be here soon to try and grab the first exclusive interview, or get something they can use. I’m hoping my co-workers will have arrived by then though. They’ll help keep you safe.”

“O-Okay, but…why do I need police protection? It’s not like I’m all that special or anything. I’m just…some quirkless kid.”

Tsukauchi looked down at him, dismayed slightly. “It doesn’t matter if you’re special or not, kid. Or whether you have a quirk. You’re someone who needs help, and that’s my job. Sure, I might not be able to deadlift buildings like Toshinori can, but I’m still more than capable of helping you out when you need it.”

Izuku looked up at the man, his eyes shining with admiration, and he remembered what All Might had said to him yesterday. ‘You could become a police officer. They get crap because heroes capture most of the villains, but it’s a fine profession.’

‘He really meant it, huh? It…still hurts, remembering what he said yesterday, but…if I could have turned out like Detective Tsukauchi, that wouldn’t have been so bad.’

Izuku smiled, a full, proper smile for the first time that day, and he felt his nerves settle somewhat as he took the first sip of his tea. “I-I guess if you and All Might think I need help, I should probably listen, huh?”

Inko hung up the phone, nearly slamming it against the table as Tsukauchi nodded his assent towards Izuku. “Thanks for making the tea, sweetie. Aldera was…reluctant to mark you as absent, but I managed to convince them. You’ll have to make up the work later, but it’s a small price to pay if it means keeping you safe.”

Tsukauchi cleared his throat, looking a little awkward. “That may not be a problem in the long run, Ma’am. I don’t think I should go into too much detail until All Might arrives, but it’s my professional opinion that your son may be better off outside of the Aldera School System until he starts attending U.A…assuming that’s his goal, of course,” he looked down at Izuku, smiling softly.

Inko was less than enthused with Tsukauchi’s statement, a fact that she displayed with crossed arms and a raised eyebrow. “And these decisions are being made without consulting either myself or Izuku,” she paused, quickly leaning over to her son and whispering, “they didn’t ask you, did they?” Izuku, still ecstatic at the prospect of attending U.A, shook his head absently, and Inko quickly pulled herself back up to full height, which, relative to Tsukauchi, meant she came up to roughly his chest.

“I understand your hesitation, Ma’am,” Tsukauchi replied, ever the consummate professional, “and this was merely my professional suggestion, as opposed to an order. However, your son has just been publicly revealed to be All Might's successor. That puts him under tremendous scrutiny, and quite possibly danger as well. In these circumstances, we try to extract people from unsafe locations or potential sources of danger, at least for a while. Your son could always be placed in online classes to ensure he can attend high school.”

As Inko opened her mouth to reply, a series of loud, booming knocks impacted the front door.

“Sounds like Toshinori’s here,” Tsukauchi said, standing up and dusting himself off. “He always was quite a loud knocker. You two might want to stay back. I’d say it’s still a little early, but it’s possible the media circus has already begun. All Might’s arrival will probably speed it up regardless, so get ready for a hectic few days.” He grinned at Izuku as he walked over to the door. “Welcome to the other half, kid. You’d better get used to it.”

Izuku, at his mothers behest, quickly stepped out of the line of sight of the doorway. Inko, however, stood strong in the centre of the room, fixing the doorway with a pointed stare.

That promptly ended the moment that All Might himself entered her humble apartment. It was that exact moment, the full reality of what was happening sank in, and Inko felt her eyes drift over to where Izuku was standing, just out of sight.

‘This is…real, isn’t it. Part of me still thought this would end up being some kind of hoax. Or…maybe even hoped? Izuku…my baby boy. He’s really going to do it, isn’t he? He’s…he’s going to…inherit All Might’s quirk. He’s going to become a hero, like he always wanted.’

A bevy of emotions surged through Inko as her eyes flicked between her timid, quiet, unstoppable son, and the towering, impassable figure of All Might. Pride filled her heart, pride in the son that had stood up and made the top Hero in all of Japan take notice of him. Fear ran rampant in her brain, the fear of waking up one morning to find her baby boy, lost forever, dead and gone because of the dangerous field he’d chosen for himself. And finally, fury coursed through her veins, as she stared at the face of the man who seemed to have enabled all this, without planning to tell her anything.

The three emotions battled for supremacy, eventually hardening into a cold stare, and a flat, hostile tone of voice. “Hello, All Might. I think we need to talk.”

Chapter Text

“Hello, All Might. I think we need to talk.”

Toshinori stopped dead in the middle of the hallway, his confident smile faltering at Inko’s tone.

‘Dear God, it’s like I’m back with Torino again,’ he thought, as Inko’s eyes locked onto him with laser-like focus. Quickly catching himself, Toshinori stepped forward, his usual bravado back in place once more.

“Ahh, you must be Young Midoriya’s mother. It’s truly a pleasure to meet you. Allow me to introduce myself. I'm-”

Inko raised her eyebrow, and that simple gesture caused All Might to freeze up again, a solitary bead of sweat trickling down his brow. ‘Okay, note for the future, Toshinori. Don’t get on this woman’s bad side...again.’ His eyes flickered over to Detective Tsukauchi, who shrugged his shoulders slightly. ‘I guess I’m on my own then. I’m sure we can find an amicable solution to this situation…right?’ All Might thought desperately.

“No need to introduce yourself, All Might. It's truly an honour to meet you,” Inko replied, glossing over the sudden silence. To Toshinori’s ears, her tone was caught somewhere between sincere and incredibly frustrated, an impression that was only solidified when she followed her greeting up with, “I wish our introduction could have occurred under better circumstances. Please, take a seat.” Toshinori, recognising his compliance was more than just a polite request, wordlessly obeyed, awkwardly taking his assigned seat at the table.

Meanwhile, Izuku, still star-struck at his idol's presence, placed a fresh cup in front of Toshinori, hands shaking the entire time. Tsukauchi quickly sat down on Toshinori’s right, opposite Izuku’s empty chair, leaving Toshinori and Inko staring directly at one another. With ease borne from years of practice, Tsukauchi broke the uncertain silence hovering over the table. “Now that everyone is settled, let us begin. I am Naomasa Tsukauchi, Tokyo PD, here per the request of Toshinori Yagi, Hero name: All Might, to discuss recent events regarding your son, Izuku Midoriya.”

Toshinori started slightly at the use of his name, and Tsukauchi shrugged apologetically at him. “Sorry, All Might. Mrs. Midoriya has some reservations about us right now, and I thought a show of trust would help mend that a little. Besides, given your relationship with her son, I feel like she’ll eventually learn your name anyway.”

All Might considered his words for a second, before conceding the point. “I suppose you’re correct, Tsukauchi. Please accept my apologies, Mrs. Midoriya. I’ve tried to keep my civilian identity a closely guarded secret for many years now. It’s still somewhat of a habit for me to try and keep it hidden. I also should apologise to you, Young Midoriya.” He turned to Izuku and bowed his head slightly. “I should have tried to be a little more upfront about myself yesterday. Habits are hard to break, I’m afraid to say.”

Inko stared at the pair for a second, before sighing slightly. “Apology accepted, All Might. I suppose you are entitled to your own privacy, after all. However,” she said, her eyes narrowing slightly. “As the Detective said, I have some reservations about this arrangement you’ve made with my son.”

“But…But Mom. It’s All Might, and he-he…” Izuku trailed off, stammering nervously.

“And if All Might told you to jump off a bridge, would you do it?” Inko asked, raising an eyebrow at her son. He sighed and shook his head, and Inko flicked her gaze back to All Might. “Good. Now, All Might. Izuku has made it clear he wishes to accept your quirk, and, if I’m being honest, I think he’ll do it no matter what I want. But, there are some details that need to be confirmed before I feel comfortable with all of this.

First, I have to ask. Did you ever plan on telling me about One for All? Or was Izuku just supposed to miraculously develop a quirk one day?”

-----

Inko stared All Might down as he paused for a second, and she could feel some of the anger she’d been harnessing threaten to break free at his lack of response.

Eventually, he spoke, sounding a little shame-faced. “...I did not, Mrs. Midoriya, and for that, you also have my apology. Again, old habits die hard, and keeping One for All a secret is one I’ve had for over three decades now, and in that time, I’ve only told a handful of people. It’s become my default response to talk about it only when I absolutely need to.”

“I am his mother,” Inko snapped, her patience fraying more and more with every second that passed. “I would think that qualifies as important enough for me to need to know about you offering to completely change Izuku’s life like this. You said that this quirk can be transferred, apparently. Did whoever gave it to you not tell your parents?”

“...I didn’t have parents to tell,” All Might said, his tone flat and expressionless. “Sharing the secret of One for All with them was never something I had to think about.” 

Inko fell silent, looking down at her drink a little, guilt quickly overtaking the rage that had been overwhelming her. “I’m…I’m sorry to hear that, All Might. I didn’t-”

All Might held up a hand to silence her. “It’s alright, Mrs. Midoriya. You had no way of knowing, and not knowing doesn’t mean you don’t deserve to be upset at being left in the dark.” He took a deep breath, and Inko watched as All Might briefly struggled with his emotions; grief, sadness and loneliness all flashing across his face in what felt like a microsecond, before his usual grin returned, although she couldn’t help but note that the corners were a little tighter and he now had a slight dullness to his eyes.

“The truth is, the woman who gave me One for All ended up looking after me for several years while she helped train me. If I’m being honest with you, she effectively became my parent. So I never had to tell my parents about inheriting One for All from her,” he said, his empty grin giving way to a crestfallen expression as he stared down at the table. Inko was struck by just how old he looked, all of a sudden. Old and…worn down. “I hope you can forgive a foolish old man his numerous mistakes.”

Inko reached across the table, resting a supporting hand on his arm. “While I’m still not happy you tried to keep this a secret from me, I can understand how it might not have occurred to you. Just, try to make sure you keep both Izuku and myself informed in the future, and we’ll consider the matter settled, okay?”

All Might nodded, and Inko settled back in her chair, still on edge, but feeling noticeably calmer. “Okay then,” she said, smiling at All Might for the first time since he walked in. “Now that we’ve spoken about that, I have one more question I’d like to ask you. How serious is your offer? Because I saw how badly my Izuku’s heart was broken when the doctor told him to give up on his dream. I don’t want him to go through that again.”

All Might looked over at Izuku, nodding at him firmly. “It’s completely serious, Mrs. Midoriya. Your son is an incredible young man, and you should be very proud of him. I know with every fibre of my being that he’s the right person to carry on the legacy of One for All. And I am willing to do whatever it takes to set him on that path.”

Inko scanned him up and down, searching for any trace of insincerity, before she fell against her son, squeezing him tightly. “Thank you, All Might. That means the world. To both of us. Izuku wants to be a hero, more than anything, and all that matters to me is that he’s safe and happy. If…If you can promise me he’ll be okay, then I think that I’m comfortable with you passing your quirk along to my son.” Izuku and All Might both beamed at her, and Inko squeezed her son tightly once more. 

“Of course,” she continued, releasing her red-faced son from her grasp, clearly embarrassed by all the positive attention. “I do still have a few questions. What can we expect to happen to my son once he’s inherited One for All?”

All Might winced slightly, but answered to the best of his ability. “The honest answer is I’m not 100% sure. I can give you a rough idea, but there’s still a lot about One for All I don’t know or understand. However, I have been wielding it for decades now with no ill effects, so I am sure that there’s nothing particularly dangerous about it.

What I can say for sure is that One for All is a stockpiling quirk that grows in power every time it changes hands. I suspect that its power grows as its current wielder does, as well, given my own experience handling it. As such, once I pass it on to Young Midoriya, I expect him to grow even stronger than I was in my prime.”

Izuku nearly dropped his teacup to the table, gripping it firmly at the last second. “Stronger…than…that’s impossible.” Izuku’s eyes widened, until they had almost reached the size of the cup he held in his trembling hands. All Might let loose a small chuckle at his response. “It’s far from impossible, my boy. I’ve been adding my own power to One for All for a very long time now, and, once it becomes yours, you will add your own power to it, achieving new heights I could only have imagined.”

Izuku felt his eyes begin to glisten, and a few small tears escaped, to trickle down his cheeks, and he quickly rubbed his eyes, to try and stop the flow escalating. “My…quirk? It’s…It’s really going to be my quirk? Mom, I’m…I’m going to have a quirk. I’m finally going to have my own quirk.”

The small vestige of resistance that Inko had been subconsciously clinging on to died in that moment, as she saw her son crying with happiness at the thought that he could finally have his own quirk. Tears began to stream down her face, mirroring her sons, and she pulled him close, stroking his hair as he sobbed into her shoulder. “You really are, Izuku. It’s going to be all yours, and no-one can ever take that from you.” A thought occurred to her, and she shot both Tsukauchi and All Might a curious look over Izuku’s head. “How is he going to get it? And can it be taken from him?”

“From what Toshinori’s told me, One for All cannot be taken by force, only given with the consent of the person currently using it. That should help reduce the number of people targeting your son, especially if we keep quiet about the transferral procedure. Which, well…”

“One for All is passed down through the sharing of DNA between the old holder and the new one. In my case, my Master gave me a lock of her hair and told me to swallow it. It was almost…ceremonial, in a way. Far better than the holder before her. Apparently he spat blood into her mouth to pass it along.” Seeing Izuku’s grimace at the thought of someone spitting into his mouth, All Might laughed. “You’re gonna have to get used to the idea of blood, kid, especially if you’re gonna be a Hero. Might not be nice, but it’s part of the job.”

“Alright, that all seems okay so far. What will Izuku need to do in order to inherit One for All?”

Here, All Might grimaced slightly, and Izuku felt a twinge of fear scurry down his spine. “I’m not gonna lie to you, kid, it’s going to be hard. One for All is a huge stockpile of power, and you’ll need to be in way better condition than you are now if you wanna survive the transfer.” Inko’s eyes narrowed to a razor’s point, and she glared at All Might ferociously. “Survive? I thought you said there was nothing dangerous about it?”

All Might quickly held up a placating hand and elaborated. “There’s nothing dangerous about it, provided the wielder is properly prepared to handle it. Right now, your son is not ready. Not physically, at least. Mentally, he’s pretty much perfect. But if I give it to him now, odds are it could kill him. Thankfully, I know I can whip him into shape in time to attend U.A. You do want to attend U.A, right, Young Midoriya?”

Izuku nodded rapidly, and All Might let loose a loud rumble of laughter. “HAHAHAHAHA! Chip off the old block, kid. Proud of ya! It’s not gonna be fun and games getting there though,” he said, his laugh fading as his face tensed up. “You’re gonna need to build some real muscle. And I’m not just talking about light arm workouts. You’ll need to be in similar shape to how I was when I was younger in order to be ready. My plan was to take you down to…I think it’s called Takoba Beach to train? But, with the media spotlight on you, we’re going to need to rework it a little.”

Inko tilted her head for a second, as both her and Izuku stared at All Might in confusion. ‘Takoba…that does sound familiar. But why?’ Inko thought, before the answer hit her.

“Where’s Takoba Beach?” Izuku asked. “I don’t think I’ve heard of it.”

“It’s…it’s a beach close by. It’s like…half an hour from here, maybe? It’s pretty easy to get to.”

I think he might be referring to Dagobah, Izuku. I’d almost forgotten that’s not its real name.” Turning to All Might, Inko quickly explained the mix-up. “When they named the beach, everyone wanted to call it Dagobah, but apparently there were some copyright issues. So the council named it Takoba instead. But, honestly, nobody actually calls it that, since everyone knows what it means anyway.”

“Wait, that Dagobah? But…that place is a dump. Why would you take me there to train?” Izuku asked.

“Well, that’s actually quite simple,” All Might said, grinning at his own cleverness. “Moving all the trash around would help you develop different muscle groups, while also helping instil the true values of heroism in you. Everyone thinks it’s about being flashy or impactful, which has its place, I’ll admit. But more important is about giving back to the community you belong to, in ways both big and small, for the betterment of society. Problem is, that’s not really possible anymore. Too much attention on us. So we’re going to need to come up with something else.”

Inko nodded along with All Might’s words, visibly impressed. ‘He’s a lot different than I was expecting. I mean, I always thought the way he acted on camera was…well, an act. But it’s nice to see proof. He’s a lot more down-to-Earth than I thought he would be.’

-----

Izuku’s eyes shone as he listened to All Might preach the tenets of heroism, and All Might smirked to himself slightly as he monologued. ‘I definitely made the right call when I chose the kid. Can’t believe I almost dismissed him because of something as small as a quirk. Probably gonna have to apologise to him about that one…maybe when his mother isn’t around to hear.’

“So,” Inko said when All Might had finished. “You said we had to start from scratch with training Izuku. Do you have any ideas on how to start?”

“I have a few,” he replied. “Mostly going back to a more conventional regimen, focussing on building muscles across the entire body. We’ll need proper equipment now, though, and thankfully, I know just the place to find it. I was thinking maybe Young Midoriya could accompany me back to Might Tower in Tokyo. I have plenty of resources there, and I know a lot of people who’d be more than happy to help the kid get ready to handle One for All.”

Izuku, who had begun vibrating at the possibility of not only seeing Might Tower, but staying there, quickly deflated when it became clear his mother did not quite share his enthusiasm. “I’m not so sure I’m on board with Izuku moving out at 14, All Might, especially not somewhere as busy as Tokyo.”

Before All Might could respond, the quartet was interrupted by a gentle knocking on the door. 4 pairs of eyes whipped towards the door, All Might and Tsukauchi immediately standing up and making their way over. “Tsukauchi, you hang back and protect the Midoriyas. I’LL HANDLE THIS!” And with that, All Might strolled confidently across the room, throwing the door open dramatically.

What greeted him was a veritable sea of reporters, cameras flashing, voices screaming and microphones waving wildly as All Might made himself known. The two police officers stationed outside quickly stepped forward, forming a barricade between the press and All Might.

“IT’S REALLY ALL MIGHT-”

“ANY COMMENT ON THE FOOTAGE OBTAINED-”

“HOW DO YOU MAKE YOUR HAIR STAY UP LIKE THAT?”

“WHAT IS ONE FOR ALL?”

“IS THE KID REALLY YOUR SUCCESSOR?”

“WHAT DID YOU MEAN WHEN YOU SAID YOUR QUIRK WAS TRANSFERRABLE?”

All Might took a single step forward, positioning himself in the doorway of the Midoriyas’ apartment, shielding them with his bulky frame. “Any appropriate questions will be answered in due time, when the Might Agency has decided upon appropriate steps to take going forward. Until that time, we kindly request that you respect Young Midoriya’s right to privacy.”

The reporters fell silent for a brief instant, stunned by what All Might had said. Or rather, what he hadn’t said. Nowhere in his impromptu statement was a refutation of yesterday’s events, and, as soon as this knowledge was processed, the questions redoubled. ‘Unbelievable,’ All Might thought. ‘Normally, I can have the press eating out of the palm of my hand. Although…I suppose this could be called extenuating circumstances.’

“It seems you’ve found yourself in a rather precarious situation, haven’t you, All Might?” A soft, high-pitched voice called out from All Might’s left. He quickly looked around, eyes widening as they fell on a familiar face, looking up at him with a faint twinkle of amusement.

All Might chuckled to himself, as he took the new guest in. Staring up at him was a small, bipedal, mouselike creature, dressed immaculately in a tailor-made suit and vest, with a jagged scar running down over one beady, dark eye. A relaxed smile greeted All Might as he stared down at one of his few confidants.

“Oh, Nezu, it’s good to see you. What are you doing here?”

‘And thank God that you are.’

“The true nature of your quirk leaks out to the entire world, and you really need to ask what I’m doing here?” Nezu said, his voice as low as possible. “Come now, All Might. I sincerely hope you were taught better than that. Now, if you don’t mind, I would very much like to meet the young man who has captured your interest. So, allow me to handle the press, and then we can turn to matters of actual consequence.”

All Might quickly leant down, holding out a hand, which Nezu quickly climbed on, before stepping onto All Might’s shoulder. With all eyes currently on him, he held up both hands for silence. “Could we please have everyone’s attention,” he said, somewhat redundantly, as all attention was already focussed on him and All Might. When silence had completely fallen over the crowd of reporters, he continued. 

“We understand that you must have a lot of questions you wish to ask. However, I’m sure you can understand that the last 24 hours have thrown both All Might and the Midoriyas into somewhat of a tailspin. As such, we kindly request that you give them time to adjust to yesterday's events, at which point, we will happily hear any questions you wish to ask. We also ask that you specifically respect the young man’s right to privacy, and not hassle him specifically for questions. Thank you.” He tapped one paw on All Might’s head, who, with one last respectful bow to the press, turned on his heel and strolled back into the apartment, Nezu still perched on his shoulder.

Chapter Text

The sound of the door closing drew Izuku’s attention, and he turned his head, his jaw dropping to the table with a loud *THUD*, matching the noise the door made as it slammed shut. Having All Might in his living room was already more than he could handle, but All Might and the principal of his dream school? It took all of Izuku’s self-control just to remain conscious in the combined presence of the two titans (metaphorical though one may be). The struggle intensified when the rodent-like headmaster locked eyes with him, his beady black eyes sparkling with curiosity.

-----

“Ahh, you must be Izuku Midoriya,” Nezu said, as he scampered down All Might’s arm in a manner that somehow managed to appear both professional and dignified, landing comfortably on an empty chair. “It truly is delightful to meet you. Why, I was incredibly surprised when I learned All Might had finally chosen a protégé, and I knew I had to meet you as soon as possible.”

‘For your own safety, if nothing else.’

Settling down in the chair, Nezu peered over the edge of the table, his eyes lighting up at the sight of a steaming pot of tea. “Oh, and there’s already tea. Lemongrass, if my nose is to be believed, which it usually is. Exquisite. I do hope it wouldn’t be too much of an imposition if I troubled you for some, would it?” Nezu turned towards Inko, a friendly smile on his face, and she hurriedly grabbed another cup for him.

Once the tea had been poured, Nezu lifted his cup, rotating it in his paws appreciatively, taking in the delicate patterns along the side. “Wonderful presentation, too. I have always had a love for the artistry that a cup of tea represents.” Lifting the cup to his lips, he took a deep swig, closing his eyes in reverence as he drank. “Truly delightful. I compliment you on your impeccable taste, Mrs. Midoriya. Oh, but look at me,” he said, chuckling slightly as he delicately set the cup back down. “I do tend to lose myself somewhat where tea is concerned. Please forgive me.

Now, while I am sure I need not introduce myself, it would be the height of bad manners not to do so, not to mention somewhat arrogant. My name is Nezu, and whatever else I may be, be it a dog, a mouse, or even a bear according to some rather creative individuals, I am the principal of U.A High School. It is in this capacity that I approach you, Izuku Midoriya, with an offer. Or two, if I am to be completely honest.”

Nezu ran his keen eyes over the room quickly, as he took another sip from his cup. Settling on the younger Midoriya’s reaction, he smirked into his cup slightly. ‘I suppose the look of awe is to be expected. From what little I could find about him, Midoriya is a tremendous fan of heroes, so I suppose having both myself and All Might in his dining room like this would be a lot to take in.’

And then, something happened to Nezu that actually managed to catch him off guard. Trembling nervously, Midoriya raised a hand, and Nezu quickly recovered, as he forced himself to suppress a chuckle. “I’m not your teacher yet, Midoriya. You may speak freely around me. After all, your opinion on how we proceed from here is arguably the most important one at this table.” Out of the corner of his eye, Nezu saw the boy’s mother scowl slightly at that, and he inclined his head respectfully in her direction. “Arguably, Mrs. Midoriya. An equally strong case could be made for you claiming that role, after all.” This seemed to mollify her somewhat, and she relaxed back into her chair, a suspicious eye still on Nezu. ‘Protective mother, perhaps overly so. Still, having a loving parent in his corner should do wonders for the boy. Certainly a far cry from what poor Toshinori had to go through.’

Nezu turned back to the young man, gesturing for him to continue, who, with a little stuttering, managed to say. “W-W-Well, I was th-thinking…perhaps you’re an a-albino capybara?”

Before he could help himself, Nezu laughed, a delighted chuckle breaking free at the boy’s deduction. “An interesting guess, I must admit. The albinism was a nice touch, although my eyes would probably be red if that were the case, possibly even pink. Still, further discussion on that particular topic can wait until U.A, I am sure.”

“Detective Tsukauchi mentioned Izuku going to U.A as well. Is…Is that really possible?”

Turning his head to face Mrs. Midoriya, Nezu spoke, taking in the cautious look on her face. “Well,” he started. “The first thing to ask is, does your son wish to attend U.A? Given our reputation and your close proximity to our campus I suspect I know the answer, but, if I may be crude for a moment, you know what they say about making assumptions.”

The wide-eyed gleam coming from the other side of the table was all the answer Nezu needed. “Then that appears to be the first hurdle cleared. Now, if I may be completely frank with you both, your son’s relationship with All Might means that several Hero schools across Japan will probably be offering him unconditional offers to attend, and possibly several from overseas as well. One of the reasons I am here is to beat most of them to the punch. A little underhanded, I admit, but I have learned the importance of striking while the iron is hot.”

‘Not to mention the danger Midoriya now finds himself in. I know of several institutions that would stop at nothing to get their hands on the kind of power he’s going to possess. Having it be known that the boy is affiliated with U.A should help ward off at least some of the threats.’

Reaching into his vest, Nezu pulled out a small, wax-sealed envelope, and passed it along the table. “As a rule, U.A does not give unconditional offers, I am afraid to say, and while I have yet to discuss that with the board, I am less than certain that rule will be waived, even for All Might.”

Midoriya nodded in understanding, and Nezu felt his respect for the boy grow with the next words that left his mouth. “T-That’s alright, Sir. I-uh…I don’t want a free pass like that. I need to prove that I deserve to attend U.A, after all.”

“Then there’s no problem, is there?” Nezu replied, beaming at the young man, his mind quickly scanning the previous statement. ‘Potentially dangerous wording. I’ll have to speak to Toshinori about that. It could just be that the boy has humility, but I suspect that’s not the case, given his history.’

“While U.A does not give unconditional offers like that, we do have a special process for truly exceptional candidates.” Nezu felt a rush of satisfaction flood his diminutive frame as both Midoriyas stared in awe at the letter, realisation beginning to dawn on them. “Izuku Midoriya, it is my sincere pleasure to offer you an invitation to U.A’s recommendation exams,” Nezu said, raising his voice slightly as the two Midoriya’s began to shake one another excitedly, tears flooding out to a truly astonishing degree. ‘Normally a little early for a second shower, but I suppose one can never be too clean,’ Nezu thought in amusement.

Once the deluge of tears had died down somewhat, he continued. “I am afraid this offer does come with some extra conditions that the other recommendation students will not have, given your unique situation. The first of these is that you must actually have inherited One for All by the time the recommendation exam begins. Otherwise, I am afraid to say I do not believe you will be able to compete with the students attending, given your current lack of training. The other is that you must have at least some degree of control over it. It need not be perfect, since you will be adjusting to an entirely new quirk, so I am willing to accept your control being lesser than the rest of your peers, but it must still be present in some capacity. Are these terms acceptable?”

-----

Izuku looked down at the envelope in his hands, clutching it like it was made of solid gold. ‘I…need to have One for All in time for the recommendation exams. I suppose that makes sense. Students who attend those are the best of the best of the best. I’ll never be able to match them without a quirk. So…that just means I need to be ready in time. I don’t have a choice.’

Swallowing his nerves, Izuku looked up at Nezu, and nodded, his eyes hard with the same determination he’d shown All Might yesterday.

Nezu grinned in delight at the look of conviction on display. “Spectacular,” he said, sipping the last of his tea. “Of course, if you are unable to harness the power of One for All in time for the recommended exams, you are still welcome to take the general entrance exams a month later. Given what I have seen of you thus far, I am sure you will do incredibly there, with or without a quirk.” Furrowing his brows, Izuku stared at Nezu, his mind racing. ‘What he’s seen of me? What does he mean? It can’t be anything to do with quirks. So…is there something he’s not telling me about the entrance exams, maybe? I’ll have to check that later.’

While Izuku’s head buzzed with thoughts and theories, Inko looked over at the principal, a look of curiosity on her face. “What’s the second reason? You said you had two reasons to be here. The recommendation exam is one, but what’s the other?”

“The other is even simpler, Mrs. Midoriya,” Nezu said, his arms outstretched in a gesture of openness. “To offer both of you a safe place to stay while your son prepares himself. I imagine a safe place for Izuku- apologies, may I call you Izuku? Referring to both of you as ‘Midoriya’ will get confusing incredibly quickly, I am sure.” Izuku nodded, and Nezu continued as if nothing had happened. “I imagine a safe place for Izuku to stay and train in safety is paramount in all our minds right now, both from people who may wish to harm him, as well as the media, and U.A is well equipped to handle both of these eventualities.”

Tsukauchi coughed slightly, drawing Nezu’s attention for the first time. “To be honest, we’ve been more focussed on the Midoriyas’ security at this point. The media reaction was a lot quicker than anticipated, not to mention more aggressive.”

“Yes, I must admit I agree with you there,” Nezu said, nodding along in understanding. “Even I was surprised by the alacrity of their response. Why, if I was actually the size of a regular person, I may not have been able to reach your front door with how tightly packed they were. Exactly the kind of response U.A is prepared to handle. And that’s before mentioning the extensive list of Pro Heroes we have in our employment, who would be able to protect Izuku should something happen to place him in active danger, or the resources we have at hand, which should prove more than capable to help your son’s physical conditioning in preparation for accepting One for All.”

Inko raised an eyebrow at Nezu cautiously. “Not that we don’t appreciate the offer, but that’s a lot to offer for one person. What does U.A get out of this arrangement?”

Nezu’s smile grew sharp as he looked over at Inko with new respect. “I suppose you could say there is a catch, although I doubt it is the one you are expecting. My reasoning is rather simple, honestly. All Might’s time is nearing its end.” Izuku sat up, a look of indignation on his face, before a raised paw from Nezu stifled him. “I am not disparaging All Might’s accomplishments, or his skill. Far from it. However, All Might is still human at the end of the day, and all humans have their time. All Might is just reaching his. And even if he is, I am certain Toshinori Yagi has a long, storied career ahead of him, doesn’t he?”

Izuku looked between the pair inquisitively, as All Might coughed awkwardly into his fist, Nezu winking at him across the table. Before he could say anything, however, Nezu continued, as if the display had never happened. “So, since All Might’s time is nearing its end, the world will doubtless be looking to fill the power gap left by his inevitable retirement. Having One for All’s next wielder waiting in the wings as soon as possible would go a long way towards reassuring the public.”

Izuku swallowed nervously, and felt his mother’s reassuring arm on his right shoulder. “That’s a lot of pressure to be putting on Izuku. He’s still only 14.”

“I assure you, Mrs. Midoriya, I am speaking strictly in the long term,” Nezu replied, an understanding smile on his face. “Obviously, I wouldn’t suggest Izuku be out on the streets fighting supervillains before graduation, or anything of that nature. I’m sure the world can survive until he has finished his education. However, I believe it would be in everyone’s best interest for Izuku to be as best-prepared as possible, and I am committed to helping him on that journey.

Not to mention that U.A is in an area with which Izuku is intimately familiar, and finds comfortable, which may prove useful for his training once the initial furore inevitably settles to more of a simmer.”

Finishing his cup, Nezu fixed his gaze on the Midoriyas, taking in their reactions. ‘I cannot blame them for having hardly thought of these complications. I imagine Toshinori has had ample time to think through all the nuances of appointing a successor, but it is a bit sudden for these two.’

“I admit, your offer is well thought out,” All Might began, hesitantly. “However, I was hoping to take a more hands-on approach with Young Midoriya’s training. It feels unfair of me to make him my successor, and then pass off all the training duties onto someone else.”

Nezu tapped his paws against the desk, as he quickly ran through the possibilities. “A valid response. It is unlike you to pawn off hard work onto somebody else, and Might Tower would doubtless prove very effective in training Izuku. I still believed the offer was at least worth extending. There is, however, a third response I believe you have not given due consideration.” Nezu’s beady eyes glinted as he fixed his gaze on All Might. “You could always accompany Izuku to U.A and train him there. I imagine some familiarity with the area would do you some good, would it not?”

Nezu spotted Izuku’s hand raise an inch, before quickly lowering, doubtless remembering Nezu’s words from earlier, and he quickly motioned for him to continue. “I-I was wondering earlier, you said something about ‘T-T-Toshinori having a career’,” he began, fumbling All Might’s name slightly, the shock of knowing All Might’s civilian identity apparently getting the better of him for a moment. “And n-now you’re saying knowing the area would be good for him. Is there something you know that we don’t?”

“A great many things, in fact. In this specific instance, however, I know that All Might and I have been in discussions for a while now for him to join U.A as a teacher this coming year. Originally, he planned to continue his hunt for a successor at U.A, but, obviously, that plan is no longer necessary, and now he can spend his energy helping mould the next generation to be even greater than he was.”

-----

Izuku’s eyes widened, knowing then and there that he had to get into U.A. Being trained physically by All Might was one thing, but learning the ins-and-outs of heroics from him was another matter entirely.

“And I will,” All Might began, looking down at Nezu seriously. “However, until I begin teaching there next year, I still have responsibilities in Tokyo that need to be seen to. It will be difficult enough to balance those duties with training Young Midoriya as it is, adding in the commute between Tokyo and Musutafu is extra time I simply cannot spare with my current time limit.”

“Yes, you have mentioned your duties as a Pro previously,” Nezu admitted, drumming his paws against the table slightly. “I still believe you are placing too much of a burden on your shoulders, but I’m sure you don’t need to hear that from me again, now, do you? I do, however, have one very important question I need to ask you.”

Nezu looked down from the head of the table at both All Might and Izuku, who straightened under his gaze slightly. When Nezu spoke, any levity was gone from his voice, and what remained was a serious, straightforward question.

“If the unlikely happens, and Izuku fails to make it into U.A, either through the recommended or general entrance exams, you do understand that you are contractually obligated to stay on with us and teach at U.A, instead of wherever he ends up, yes?”

Izuku looked across the table, eyes locked with his soon-to-be mentor. The fiery green of Izuku’s determined gaze met the indomitable black and blue of All Might’s, and the two turned to Nezu and spoke as one.

“That’s not going to happen!”

A pair of sharp teeth flashed at the pair, as Nezu gave them both a savage grin. “Wonderful! Exactly the answer I was hoping to hear.” Nezu tapped his paws excitedly on the table, his light, easy tone returning in an instant. “You really have found a worthy successor, Toshinori. He definitely shares your spirit, at the very least. Since the pair of you seem so in sync on this matter, I shall leave the matter of U.A’s involvement in Izuku’s training to one side for now, unless something comes up that forces us to re-evaluate.”

“I’m glad decisions are being made on how to keep Izuku safe,” Inko said, sounding slightly miffed. “But it would be nice to be asked my opinion, at least. I know I don’t have much to offer here, but I would still at least like the courtesy of being asked what I think.”

Nezu’s head tilted towards her in apology. “You are of course correct, Mrs. Midoriya. Please, accept our sincerest apologies. As I said earlier, yours and Izuku’s opinions are the most important ones at this table right now, and we have failed to do an effective job at showing that.”

Inko nodded. “Apology accepted. I know I can’t stop Izuku accepting One for All, even if I wanted to, which…I don’t anymore. But for stuff like where we live, or where Izuku attends school? I’d like to think my opinion carries some weight.”

“Of course, Ma’am,” Tsukauchi said, speaking up for the first time in a while. “Nobody here wants to try and tell you what you have to do. All anyone here wants is to keep both you and your son safe, and make you aware of the ways we can do so. You are completely free to just stay here, if you like. Police protection will still be available, no matter what.”

“What kind of danger would Izuku be in if we stayed here? I know All Might must have enemies, but…how dangerous are they?”

All Might paused, choosing each and every word with the utmost care. “There was a time where Young Midoriya’s life would have been in immediate danger. However, that time has long since passed, and the villain in question can’t pose a threat to you or your son anymore.”

“You’re certain?” Inko asked, eyebrows raised.

When All Might responded, his voice had a cold, steely tone to it that neither Midoriya had ever heard before, and they found themselves shivering slightly under his intense glare. “Unless someone’s developed a quirk that can resurrect the dead, then yes, I’m certain. He’ll never lay a finger on you or Young Midoriya.”

“Resurrects…the…” Inko trailed off, stunned at the idea of All Might actually taking a life.

“Yes,” All Might answered, his eyes hard and merciless. “Death happens in the line of duty, from both heroes and villains, as unfortunate as each and every one of them are, with the exception of one particular villain I put an end to 5 years ago.”

Izuku stared at All Might, breath caught in his throat. ‘All Might…had to do that? Is…is that the kind of evil I’m going to have to go up against?’ All of a sudden, everything felt real, in a way Izuku had never expected, and he felt his breath grow sharp and heavy as the surrounding environment seemed to fall out from under him.

Noticing this, All Might reached forward and placed a strong, reassuring grip on Izuku’s shoulder. “I promise you, that’s not something you should ever expect to deal with. Heroes are professionally trained to end conflict using non-lethal means. While deaths in the field do happen, most heroes manage to go their entire career without killing someone. There’s no reason you can’t do the same.”

Izuku took a slow, deep breath in, grounding himself with All Might’s firm grasp and strong, confident tone. “O-Okay…Okay. Sorry, everyone, I just-uh…I guess I freaked out a little.”

“Hey, you don’t need to apologise for anything, alright?” Tsukauchi said, smiling warmly across at Izuku. “Trust me, I get it. It’s not something anyone likes to think about, so having to face that kind of reality for the first time can be a lot to process. It’s perfectly understandable you’d feel overwhelmed for a second.”

The next thing Izuku knew was his mother burying him in an avalanche of hugs, and he quickly found himself unable to focus on the hurried conversation between his mother and All Might. Eventually, she eased up a little, her arm still firmly wrapped around his shoulder as Izuku slowly looked back over at the other three. “How are you feeling now, Izuku?” Nezu asked, sounding more curious than concerned.

“I…I-uh…I’m okay, I guess.”

‘I kinda have to be, don’t I? If they think something’s wrong, what if they decide I’m not good enough for One for All?’

Nezu eyed him sceptically for a few seconds, before nodding slightly, concern still present in his eyes. “We were just describing to your mother the kind of risks you may be exposed to, now your connection to All Might has been revealed. Thankfully, she agrees that as long as the two of you relocate to safety, then there’s nothing that cannot be dealt with.”

“Where the pair of you relocate to is obviously up to you,” Tsukauchi cut in, steepling his hands against the table. “But I believe that it would be best for you both to vacate the Musutafu area until Midoriya attends U.A next year. Would it just be the two of you who need to be relocated, or is there a Mr. Midoriya we need to accommodate?”

“Hisashi works overseas,” Inko said, shaking her head. “I’ll definitely need to be in touch with him about all this, but he tends to leave a lot of the decision making about Izuku’s life up to me. I still do need to let him know what’s going on, but I know he’ll agree with my decision. And, well, my top priority is keeping Izuku safe and happy. So I’ll call Hisashi once we’re done here and let him know what I’ve decided.” Inko turned towards Izuku, a gentle, teasing smile on her face. “I assume you have a preference where you’d like to go, Izuku?” Izuku blushed slightly as he saw the other three adults all match his mother’s expression

“I-uh…I mean, if you’re leaving it up to me…I’dliketogotoTokyoandtrainwithAllMightifthat’sokay?”

“We really gotta work on that confidence of yours, kid,” All Might said, beaming warmly at his young protege. “It’s one thing to know you want something, it’s another to scream it from the rooftops. You’re gonna need both if you’re gonna make it in this business. Now, let’s try that again. Where do you wanna go from here?”

“I…I wanna go to Tokyo and train with All Might!”

“Louder!”

“...I WANNA GO TO TOKYO AND TRAIN WITH ALL MIGHT!”

“HAHAHAHAHA! That’s the spirit, Young Midoriya! I knew you had it in you!”

-----

Nezu smiled behind his paw as he watched the pair amp one another up. ‘I think they’ll both be in good hands, by the looks of things. Toshinori’s been lit with a fire I honestly haven’t seen from him since his accident. The training might be just as good for him as it will for Izuku.’

“Very well, then. I shall leave training Izuku in your more than capable hands, All Might. I was expecting you to need time to make a decision, but I suppose I have underestimated your son, Mrs. Midoriya. Now, under normal circumstances, moving would take time. However, given that Might Tower is already well furnished, and your personal circumstances, I would recommend a more immediate departure. Tomorrow, if possible. All Might and I can try and arrange an emergency press conference, draw the media away from here, and over to U.A. Hopefully some answers will ease the attention.”

Tsukauchi nodded, resting a hand on Inko’s shoulder supportively. “I’ll make sure there are officers standing guard at all times until you move out. And I’ll try to be here personally as often as possible. I’d avoid leaving unless absolutely necessary, and even then, not without an escort.” Inko nodded her thanks, and Nezu pulled a small pocket watch out of his vest, snapping it open. 

“I suspect we have intruded on the Midoriyas enough for today, All Might. You and I have some media to fend off, and a press conference to announce. Izuku’s short and long-term safety has been discussed, as have his future prospects, and the probability of relocation acknowledged. I believe those are all the most pressing matters. Except for one more thing, of course.” Nezu reached into his pockets one more time, and pulled out a matching pair of sleek, professional looking smartphones, passing them over to Izuku and Inko.

“I would advise both of you to carry this on you at all times. These phones were designed especially by myself and Higari-or Power Loader, as you may know him. Right now, it only provides secure lines to myself, All Might and Detective Tsukauchi, however, you are free to use them as regular phones as well. There is also a panic button installed for emergencies that should broadcast your location on the HeroNet, if the absolute worst happens.”

With that, Nezu pulled himself up onto All Might’s outstretched arm, and bowed to both Izuku and Inko once more. “It truly was wonderful to meet the pair of you. I’m sorry our time together couldn’t have been longer. However, time is a precious commodity right now, and All Might and I have a lot of arrangements to make. Thank you for the tea by the way, it was spectacular. Tsukauchi, a pleasure as always. I am hoping to see you soon as well.” With a nod to Tsukauchi, and a hearty farewell from All Might, the duo left, the sound of flashing cameras and excited journalists starting again the instant the door opened.

-----

“Well,” Inko started, her tone weary and exhausted. “I suppose we had better start getting our things packed. I’ll see if I can call Hisashi and explain what’s going on. Detective, would you be so kind as to help Izuku pack?” Izuku blanched at that, the idea of All Might’s best friend rummaging through what could charitably be called a shrine terrifying him. “Oh, no. It’s okay Mom. I can pack by myself. Besides, it sounds like we’ll be leaving in a rush, so I imagine a lot of the bigger stuff will have to wait. I can handle the small things. I’m sure you could use the help out here way more.”

Tsukauchi chuckled, raising an eyebrow slightly. “It’s your call, Mrs. Midoriya,” he said teasingly. “But it sounds to me like your son’s pretty terrified of having a police officer in his room. Maybe there’s some contraband we should be checking for?”

Inko laughed, tapping the back of her hand gently across his chest. “Oh, no. Izuku would never. I know he’s not that sort of boy. Alright, sweetie, you go and pack by yourself,” she smiled indulgently at him. “The Detective and I will take care of the most important things out here once I’ve finished speaking to Hisashi.”

Breathing a sigh of relief, Izuku slipped into his room, blushing with embarrassment at the cavalcade of All Mights that greeted him. He stared up at the biggest poster on his wall, suddenly feeling very small as All Might’s gigantic smile shone down on him. The enormity of the situation struck him again, and Izuku felt his mind begin to spiral. ‘This is goodbye…huh? I’m actually moving out of here…out of Aldera.’  

The thought didn’t sadden him as much as he had expected it would. ‘I’m not going to see Kacchan again. Not until U.A, at least. Assuming I get in. No…I’m going to get in. We both are. I’ll see him there, I know it. People finally believe in me. I can’t let them down. All Might’s giving me his quirk. Tsukauchi’s trying to keep me safe. Nezu’s offered me a shot at the recommendation exams. Normally, there’s only like…eight students who even make it that far. Even Mom thinks I can do it. She’s…giving up everything to give me a chance at becoming a hero.

…

Do I deserve any of it, though?’

Chapter Text

“Thank God, I thought the press would never leave,” Inko said, her hefty frame collapsing onto the sofa in relief, the sound of reporters outside having steadily dwindled as the day wore on. “They were only here for an hour or so, and it feels like I’ve aged a decade. I don’t know how pros can handle them for a living. They seem so aggressive.”

Tsukauchi laughed slightly. “Heroes tend to get training on how to deal with the press, both positive and negative. It’s just bad luck that your son was almost thrown to them before he got any of it. I’m sure All Might will give him a crash course before starting at U.A, if it helps.”

“If today was any indicator on what the next few months are going to be like, I might have to join in,” Inko said, a weary look in her eyes.

“It…might not be a bad idea, Ma’am,” Tsukauchi said, joining her on the sofa. “The press can be…demanding sometimes. And since your son’s a minor, it’s almost guaranteed that they will try to get to him through you.”

Inko sighed, shaking her head slightly. “I’m happy for Izuku, don’t get me wrong. But…all this? It feels…beyond us. I don’t know how either of us are going to manage it. And don’t get me started on what’s going to happen if he gets into U.A. Am I going to come back here again? Will we have to get a new apartment? There’s just so much happening all at once, and I have no idea how I’m supposed to keep up.”

Tsukauchi nodded sympathetically. “It’s definitely a lot being thrown at you both at once. And I’m really sorry about the rush. But there’s no hiding the fact that your son’s about to become a very high-risk individual after the conference tomorrow. It’s important that we get him to a safe location as soon as possible. And, honestly, I don’t think there’s anywhere safer in the world for him than Might Tower. All Might would give his life to keep your son safe, I know it.”

“I don’t want that,” Inko frowned, looking over at Tsukauchi severely. “He’s offered to train my son, and help prepare him to inherit One for All. I don’t want him to die before that happens.”

“I don’t think you have anything to worry about then. There’s only ever been one person who posed a serious threat to All Might, and he’s not exactly in a position to do so anymore.”

“So…All Might really-”

“Yeah.” A cold, terse look spread across Tsukauchi’s face as he glared into the cup of tea Inko had just poured him. “He did. Neither of us liked it, but there was nothing else that could be done.”

Inko swallowed nervously, looking over at the TV, which was still silently broadcasting footage and speculation of yesterday’s events. ‘Izuku…what have you gotten yourself into?’

The pair finished their tea in silence, Inko trying not to let her worries override her happiness for her son, before she stood up. “I should probably start packing some of my essentials. Do you need anything more, Detective?”

Tsuakuchi shook his head. “I appreciate the offer, Ma’am. But I’ll be alright. Plus, I’ll be quite busy as it is. I’m going to be spending most of the day coordinating with the Might Agency, U.A, the police here in Musutafu to organise police protection here, and the ones back in Tokyo, to help arrange for a safe moving company to help pack up your belongings.”

“Well, let me know if you do need anything. I’ll be busy arranging for Izuku’s withdrawal from Aldera, it seems, as well as trying to arrange some kind of schooling for him in Tokyo, and of course, I should try calling Hisashi again to tell him what’s going on. Having him find out through the news just seems so impersonal. I know we don’t really see each other anymore, but he still supports this family, so he at least deserves to know. And then I’ll probably need to talk to Mitsuki, and…and maybe you should ask Izuku if you need anything. He’s supposed to be packing essentials only, so he should have time to help if you need it.”

Having engaged in the age-old parental tradition of foisting chores onto her child, Inko left the detective in peace, both of them chuckling slightly at Izuku’s bad luck.

-----

All Might sat down across from Nezu’s desk at U.A, feeling the swelling of One for All fade away as he shrank back into himself in a puff of smoke. A harsh, wracking cough caused a spray of blood to shoot into his hand, and Nezu passed over a box of tissues. 

“Well now, Toshinori. We seem to have a lot to prepare for, don’t we?”

Toshinori nodded, sitting back in the chair, closing his eyes and relaxing for the first time since checking his phone that morning. “I know, just…I need a minute. I’d hoped this day would never come.”

“And I as well, Toshinori. However, I feel it was inevitable that the secret of One For All would reveal itself. Secrets cannot remain so forever. Even if it was not in your lifetime, One For All would eventually become public knowledge, I am certain.”

Toshinori laughed, the laugh devolving into another cough as a spasm of pain rocked his left side. “I suppose that’s *ahem* one more burden I can try to lift from Young Midoriya’s shoulders then.”

“After putting so many more onto him, I suppose it’s only right of you to try and minimise it,” Nezu said, a hint of amusement in his tone.

“I…what are you saying, Nezu? Was I…was I wrong to give Young Midoriya my power? You seemed so positive towards him when you met him earlier? Was all that a lie?”

Nezu quickly held up a silencing paw, a serious look on his face. “Not at all, Toshinori. I think you have found the perfect successor in Izuku. Both from my own judgement of the boy, and from my trust in you. If you believe him to be the one to carry on your title, then that is what he is. No, my problem lies in your lack of situational awareness. I know you are smarter than this catastrophe, Toshinori. How on Earth could you have been so reckless as to let somebody record you like this?”

“I…You’re right, of course. I got over-excited at the possibility of finding my successor after all this time. I should have been more careful. It won’t happen again.”

Nezu shook his head, the look of understanding on his face tinged with disappointment. “Well, I’m glad to hear you’re taking your mistake to heart, at least. I suppose I cannot fault you for being a little over-zealous, either. I was similarly excited when I heard you had found your successor, even if I had to learn about it through the toxic quagmire that is social media. Still, you must be more careful in the future, Toshinori. Izuku’s life is about to be completely up-turned because of your inattentiveness. You cannot allow such behaviour to continue while you are training him to inherit your Quirk.”

Toshinori nodded, suitably chastened. Seeing this, Nezu sat back a little, pouring the tea that had just finished brewing. “Here you are, Toshinori. Green tea, with a hint of ginger. Hopefully your stomach finds it suitable.” He leant over to his desk, and pulled out a pad of paper. “It might be less high-tech, but I always found making plans on a notepad far more relaxing than a computer. Not to mention, you can’t hack a piece of paper.”

Toshinori chuckled slightly, cracking his neck slightly as he sat forward. “So, I suppose the very first step is to prepare for tomorrow’s conference? What the media will say and such?”

“Correct,” Nezu said, nodding. “The announcement of a press conference, especially one so soon, should help draw some of the attention away from the Midoriyas. But on top of that, we need to figure out the kind of response we can expect, as well as how we are going to react to it, and what kind of information we can afford to keep secret.”

“This might go without saying, but we need to keep my injury a secret as much as we can. I don’t know how much of it is in the video, I’ve honestly not had a chance to see it in full yet, but the evildoers of the world cannot be allowed to know about my time limit, or my fading powers.”

Nezu nodded, pen scribbling across the notepad. “Agreed. I would also try to avoid talking about One for All’s transferable nature as much as possible. Questions will be asked, so I would advise you to confirm it exists, but state that the methods of transference are confidential. If the world at large knows how to transfer One for All, then that would put Midoriya in even greater danger from any number of people wishing to take the power for themselves.”

“Anything about All for One should be off the table as well.”

“Again, I would agree. That man is best left to be forgotten by history. What about the previous holders of One for All? Should we discuss them?”

“I don’t know a lot about most of them, if I’m being honest. Nana never talked about her predecessor much, and I have no idea who held it before him.”

“Well then,” Nezu said, chuckling into his tea. “I suppose we can afford to be honest about that particular line of questioning, since the truth is we know very little.”

“Nezu, I’m not…entirely sure I’m comfortable lying to the press. I’ve always tried to keep on good terms with them, and I worry about how lying to them could impact that. Especially if they’re going to be digging into my personal life as much as I suspect they are.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t dare suggest outright lying to them,” Nezu replied, a mischievous twinkle in his eye. “However, I feel no qualms about suggesting we…mislead them somewhat. Apparently that is an area in which you have plenty of experience.”

All Might remembered his words from yesterday, and grimaced. ‘When people ask in interviews, I always make a joke and dodge the question.’

“I…suppose it is a bit too late to try and claim 100% honesty, isn’t it?”

“Oh yes. That went out the window the moment the media latched onto that footage, I’m afraid. Still, I suspect you are correct, and total honesty is going to be important from here on, with the exception of this one last misdirection.”

Toshinori raised an eyebrow sceptically. “Just one? You better not be going soft on me in your old age there, Nezu.”

Nezu’s eyes darkened slightly, and All Might quickly felt a shiver crawl up his spine. “Maybe I should invite you to the Kitchen, and Bearbrumm and I can make you consume those foolhardy words of yours.” All Might coughed into his hand, a look of terror on his face. “Oh, no, there’s no need to do that at all, Nezu. I-uh…I apologise for my words just now. I was trying to lighten the mood somewhat.”

“As was I, Toshinori,” Nezu shot back, smiling once more. “Fear not, you have yet to do anything warranting Bearbumm’s attention…for now.” Toshinor sagged back into his chair in relief, and Nezu continued his talk, as if the interruption had never occurred. “The one thing I’d say we try to actively mislead the press on is where Izuku will be staying. I’m not saying we state he is at U.A outright, but the fact that the conference is being held here, alongside a statement saying that we are working with the Musutafu police department and the Might Agency to determine how to ensure Izuku’s safety should lead most of the media to believe he is being accommodated here, instead of at Might Tower.”

“And…you think that will work?”

“For a while, I suspect. As I said, nothing stays secret forever, but if we are careful with our word choices, we should be able to provide Izuku enough time to ease into life at Might Tower, and possibly for the spotlight on him to at least dim somewhat. I would recommend you make your PR representative aware of this information as soon as possible.”

“I’ll call and let her know after I meet with the other teachers. Speaking of, what about my role as a teacher here? Should we announce that tomorrow as well? It might be a good way to take a little more heat off Young Midoriya.”

Nezu looked up at him, baring his fangs in an impressed smirk. “That’s rather a good idea, Toshinori. I had not considered that. Well done. I think ending the conference on that note will definitely give people something else to talk about.” Toshinori smiled to himself. The thrill of getting approval like that from Nezu never wore off, no matter how old you got. 

“Are we expecting any problems with your choice of Izuku as your successor?”

“Possibly some pushback about rewarding Young Midoriya’s actions on the day,” All Might admitted, somewhat sheepishly. “While he was brave, I’d imagine seeing that kind of behaviour rewarded like this might lead to a string of copycats throwing themselves into danger.”

“Yes, that’s a good point. I’d say you should draft a statement reiterating the importance of leaving hero work to the pros, and not emulating Izuku’s actions. Any more?”

“Maybe some fringe nutcases implying Young Midoriya is less than worthy due to his being Quirkless…but I can handle those by myself.”

“Are you sure, Toshinori?”

“Like you said, I’ve thrust a world of burdens onto that boy’s shoulders through my negligence already. If I can ease his burden, then I should. Besides,” he grinned ruefully, “so many of my secrets have already been exposed to the world. What’s one more?”

Nezu smiled at him, his eyes full of pride and warmth. “I suppose you are correct All Might. Very well then. As well as drafting your statement about Izuku’s actions yesterday, I would also like you to go around familiarising yourself with your soon-to-be co-workers. It’s probably important they be made aware of tomorrow’s conference, as well as any decisions we have made that they need to be involved in.”

Toshinori nodded, and stood up to take his leave, bowing to Nezu as he did. The rodent-like figure of U.A’s principal watched him leave, an indulgent smile on his face. ‘It seems my assumption earlier was correct. He feels so much more like the man I met all those years ago than he did even two months back. I’m glad. Having All Might go into teaching with the attitude he possessed back then may have ended up backfiring. Granted, I had contingencies for that, but now it seems I need not rely on them.’

-----

Toshinori left Nezu’s office, sheaf of papers in hand, and strolled amiably around U.A, reminiscing on old sights as he hunted down the faculty lounge. ‘I remember where it was when I was here, but well…that was a long time ago, to put it mildly.’ He did his best to ignore the whispers and pointed fingers following him through the halls, as current hero students stared in disbelief and awe. 

“Is that really him? But…he looks so…”

“Is that what’s going to happen to us?”

“Did he really give that kid his power? How is that even possible?”

The murmured voices followed Toshinori across the school, until eventually one student worked up the courage to start walking next to him, holding out an arm. “Hey there! You look a little lost. You need a hand getting somewhere?”

All Might looked down at the student offering him support, and took in the student before him. His mouth twitched slightly in amusement as he took in the young man’s hairstyle, a similar shade of blonde to his own, even pointed up at the front, albeit in a quiff instead of All Might’s trademark ‘V’. Toshinori made note of the boy’s muscular frame, and he found the twitch transforming into a full-blown smile as he examined the young hero-in-training.

‘I guess I shouldn’t be surprised I ran into him. Doubly so to have him offering me help, given what I’ve heard.’

“Thank you. That would be much appreciated, Young Togata.”

“Oh, hey, wow,” the blonde said, beaming up at Toshinori. “You know who I am! Man, that’s pretty hard to wrap my head around, you know? I mean, I’m really flattered, don’t get me wrong. I just know I’m not all that impressive yet or anything, so it’s pretty surprising that you know who I am.”

Toshinori smiled, a withered, bony hand resting on Togata’s muscular shoulders, and he stared into a pair of radiant blue eyes, similar to his own. “We might not stay in touch a lot these days, but whenever we have, Mirai would always talk my ear off about Mirio Togata. I’d recognise you anywhere at this point.”

Togata’s grin grew even wider, and he thrust an eager fist into the air. “I knew it! I knew Sir liked me. Kinda had to place a lot of it on guesswork, if I’m being honest. He can be pretty stern a lot of the time…I mean, when he’s not cracking jokes, of course. Still, if he talks about me a lot, then I guess I’m doing something right. Anyway, where ya headed? Sorry I got distracted. Just…All Might, you know?” He gestured up and down Toshinori’s figure in awe, and Toshinori couldn’t help but chuckle at his enthusiasm. 

“I’m heading to the faculty lounge. I was in the area with Nezu, and he asked if I could pass on a message for him. Things are pretty busy right now, as you can imagine.”

“Yeah, I heard all about it on the news this morning. Is it true? Can you really just…give your Quirk away like that?”

“I can’t really talk about this a lot until tomorrow, I’m afraid. Nezu and I have announced a conference to discuss this morning’s news.”

“Oh, right, yeah. Secret, duh. Shoulda figured that.”

The pair walked in silence for a minute, before Togata spoke up, sounding somewhat subdued. “So…why does Sir Nighteye like me so much then? I mean, I’m happy he does and all, but honestly, my Quirk’s nothing special. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve gotten a lot better with it, especially with all his help. But I’d figure he’d talk about some of my classmates first. They’re the ones with the really impressive Quirks. Hey, maybe I can introduce you to some of them?”

“It’s unlikely, I’m afraid. Most of my day will be taken up by meetings, after all. But, if I have the time, I’ll see if I can make something happen,” Toshinori said, laughing at Togata’s enthusiasm. “As for why Mirai likes you? Well, from what he’s told me, he likes your spirit. Says you remind him of me when we first met. Besides, you saw the news this morning. I’m pretty sure Young Midoriya didn’t have an impressive Quirk when he rushed in to help the other kid, and he still managed to make a difference.”

“Haha, yeah! That’s true. I did see the footage. Quirks don’t mean anything without the spirit to use them, then. Is that what you’re saying?”

“Precisely. And Mirai sees that same kind of spirit in you that I see in Young Midoriya.”

Togata thanked him, and the pair resumed walking in silence, until Toshinori found himself outside the faculty lounge. ‘This…I can see Nezu’s office just down there. Don’t tell me I took one wrong turn and ended up spending half an hour on what should have been a minute’s walk. U.A really has changed, huh?’

“Thank you for the assistance, Young Togata. It was delightful to finally meet you face-to-face.”

“It’s not a problem, Sir. I’m just doing my job. And I had a biology test I really wasn’t ready for, but if I say All Might wanted to speak with me, I’m sure the teacher will let it slide.”

Toshinori let out a deep, guttural laugh that swiftly devolved into a series of coughs. “Of course they will,” he said, when the coughing subsided. “I’ll be sure to tell anyone who asks that I specifically asked to meet you, as well. Have a nice day, young man.”

Leaving Togata to make his way back to class, Toshinori slipped into the faculty lounge, a plain, nondescript room with a handful of sofas spread out. As he entered the room, four faces turned to look at him, and stared as Toshinori gently closed the door behind him, a different expression on each face.  The awkward silence caused by Toshinori’s entrance was broken as a tall, exhausted looking man lying on the sofa, wrapped in what appeared to be…a yellow sleeping bag? Toshinori tilted his head slightly, before the figure sat up, fixing him with an intense glare. “All Might. This is the faculty lounge. Pretty sure you’re not faculty. Can we help you?”

“W-Well, not faculty yet…exactly. But Nezu sent me here to meet my future co-workers, and to pass on a message to you all. You’re…Aizawa, right? Shota Aizawa? We’ve met before…like this, I mean.” The three other occupants all started at the word ‘co-workers’, but the dark-haired individual held up a hand to silence them, his eyes never leaving Toshinori’s.

Aizawa sat up now, pulling himself out of the sleeping bag. “Toshinori Yagi. Right. Tsukauchi introduced us. I suppose he knew who you really were, huh?”

“I-uh…yes, yes he did. Masa found out who I really was shortly before that business with the Sky Egg Bombing.”

“Hmm,” Aizawa said, noncommittally. “So, how long have you been like this then?” He asked, waving a hand up and down All Might’s body.

“About 5 years now.”

“Old age is catching up to you, it seems. I suppose it was inevitable, especially when you overwork yourself like you do. Symbol of Peace or not, time waits for no-one. Is that why you’re settling down then?”

“Well…among other reasons. I’d initially been looking for a successor, but then, well, yesterday happened and-”

“Right. Izuku Midoriya,” Aizawa said, his eyes narrowing at the mention of Izuku’s name. “Figures you’d choose somebody even more reckless than yourself. At least you have some way to protect yourself. From what I saw, the kid had nothing. No plan, no backup, no real strength to defend himself with. Of course you’d reward that kind of behaviour.”

Toshinori’s fists clenched, and he took a step forward. “Young Midoriya has the most important thing any young hero needs.”

Aizawa raised an eyebrow at this, a cynical smirk on his face. “And that would be?”

“Spirit. Everything else can be taught, moulded into greatness, but it all means nothing without the drive to do what’s right, no matter the cost.”

“Yes, how admirable,” Aizawa shot back, eyes narrowing even further. “Jumping into an already catastrophic situation and making everything worse for everyone involved. And now…now we’re going to have copycats. You do realise that, don’t you?”

Toshinori nodded, and the look of obvious frustration on Aizawa’s face seemed to temper a little. Just a little, though. “I do. Nezu and I spoke in our meeting this morning about that possibility, and that we have a duty to make sure nobody else gets injured trying to recreate Young Midoriya’s actions, as brave as they were.”

“Well…at least you figured out that much,” Aizawa said acidly, getting up and making his way over to the door. “Excuse me. I need to go have a talk with Nezu about this mess you’ve thrown us all into.” Without another word, he slipped past All Might and out the door, slamming it shut behind him. ‘Well…I get the feeling that could have gone better.’

Toshinori sighed, rubbing the back of his head as his eyes flickered over to the other three occupants. “Sorry about all this,” he started, before another tall blonde cut him off, and Toshinori found himself admiring the large, spiked hairdo adorning his head. “Heyyy, no worries, All Might. Sho’s just kinda…grumpy like that a lot of the time. He’ll come around once he gets it outta his system. More importantly,” his voice dropped slightly, a sympathetic tone in his voice. “How’re you holding up? You’ve always been a pretty private guy, so havin’ your secrets spilled like that’s gotta be a major buzzkill.”

Toshinori sat down at the now vacated couch, placing the stack of papers on the coffee table between the two sofas. “Yeah, it was…certainly something to wake up to this morning, that’s for sure. It’s good to see you again, Present Mic. And you too, Midnight.” Toshinori nodded to the two familiar occupants of the room, both of whom beamed back at him. 

“It’s wonderful to see you again, All Might,” Midnight said, brushing some of her raven-coloured tresses back out of her eyes, taking in Toshinori’s current appearance from behind her trademark red mask. “Although, I admit, you’ve seen better days. You’re looking a bit peaky. Could probably stand to get some food in you. It should be lunchtime soon, maybe you’ll allow me to treat you to a meal, a nice drink or two, see where things go from there,” she said, winking suggestively at him.

Mic quickly stepped in, placing a hand over her mouth. “Don’t worry about her, man, she’s like this with everyone. Think it’s her way of saying ‘hi’. So…what exactly happened to make all…this?” he asked, gesturing at Toshinori’s slim, haggard frame. Toshinori sighed, and began running through the events of five years ago, detailing his injury, the time limit, and his hunt for a successor.

When he was done, the room was silent as the grave, and both Midnight and Present Mic were staring at him in horror.

“That’s…a lot to take in,” Mic said, his usual gusto completely absent.

“Yeah…I think my brain’s too fried to make any innuendo’s out of this,” Midnight replied, her voice faint and distant.

The third occupant, who had been silent up until now, crossed his arms and spoke, in a gruff, no-nonsense manner. “I can see why you’d want this kept to yourself. Don’t worry, U.A knows how to keep a secret or two. I assume that’s part of why you’re meeting with Nezu, then?” Toshinori looked over, taking in the stranger. He was tall, although not as tall as Toshinori was, and very, very muscled. Again, not as much as All Might, but definitely packing a lot more bulk than the average hero. A pair of dark red eyes flickered up and down Toshinori’s withered frame, frowning at the number one Hero’s emaciated form, a pair of sharp, pointed fangs sticking out the corners of his mouth.

“Yeah, we’re holding a press conference here tomorrow, so Nezu wanted me to come here and prepare with him, make sure nobody catches me off-guard again, and meet my future coworkers.” The frown lightened up as the gigantic hero let out a small bark of laughter. “Maybe a little late for the first one, but better late than never.” Toshinori laughed along with him, before reaching out his hand. “Yeah, a lot of tomorrow will be trying to run some damage control. I don’t think we’ve been formally introduced. Toshinori Yagi, pleased to meet you.”

The giant nodded, his spiky grey hair falling forward over his eyes. “Sekijiro Kan, better known as Vlad King. Most people here just call me Kan or Vlad, though.” Toshinori’s eyes widened in recognition, and his mouth quickly followed suit. “Ahhh, so you’re Vlad King. We’ve not met before, but I’ve heard of you. Your work tracking down the Sanguine Rose kidnappers was impressive.” Vlad grinned, his canines flashing a little as they caught the light. “Yeah, that was a tough one. Spent weeks tracking those scumbags to their little cabin in the woods. Glad to know it didn’t go unnoticed.”

Midnight cackled at this, and Toshinori saw the colour drain from Vlad’s face very quickly. “Are you going to tell him what happened when you busted down the door? Or shall I?”

A brief flash of terror rose on Vlad’s face, and he quickly cut in. “Midnight, please, can we be professional about-”

“NOPE!” Midnight interrupted, a giant, sadistic grin on her face. “So, way Vlad says it, at least when you slip him one too many mimosas, he spent weeks tracking down these kidnappers, and when he walked in on them, well…the lady they’d kidnapped was right in the middle of-”

“Alright, fine. I’ll tell the story. Just…please, don’t finish that sentence. I don’t need you embellishing it,” Vlad snapped, baring his fangs at her and growling a little. “So, like Midnight said, I spent weeks tracking down these kidnapping bastards, and when I found their base, I kicked the door down, only to find, well…all the kidnappers unconscious on the floor, tied up and ready to be arrested.

“How the Hell did that happen?” Toshinori asked, his eyes narrowing in confusion.

Vlad paused reluctantly for a second, before his eyes flickered over to Midnight, her catlike grin fixed on him, and he sighed. “According to interviews with the victim, she successfully seduced all three of her kidnappers at the same time, subdued them, and then freed herself. Woman was nearly ready to walk out the door when I kicked it down. Nearly broke her nose doing it, too. Career highlight, and the victim pretty much managed to handle it herself.”

Toshinori let out a splutter that slowly turned into a full-blown belly laugh, with Midnight joining him, and even Mic eventually letting out a few chuckles. Although from him, a few chuckles still nearly shattered the windows. Vlad rolled his eyes, leaning back against the wall and frowning. “Are you done behaving like children, or can you finally start acting your age?” Even as he said it, he looked over at his coworkers and Toshinori affectionately, shaking his head slightly.

Eventually, the laughter died down, and Midnight fixed her eyes on Vlad, licking her lips dangerously. “Oh, Vlad. If you’re that keen on me acting my age, maybe I can show you a few tricks that you can only get with exp-I WILL WHIP YOU, YOU BLOODSUCKING PUNK-ASS BITCH!” Midnight’s attempt at flirtation was quickly cut off as Vlad, sighing, pulled out a small spray bottle and pointed it at Midnight, squeezing the nozzle. Midnight spluttered as a stream of mist shot out, spraying her across the face.

“I-uh…is that safe?” Toshinori asked, watching in confusion, and possibly mild horror, as the scene played out before him.

“Oh, that? Yeah, that’s just normal. You’ll get one when you start teaching here, which, by the way, I know nobody said anything yet, but holy shit, you’re gonna be teaching here? But yeah, all the teachers have one for when she pushes her luck too much. It’s just water, nothing dangerous. Helps keep her in line. It was Sho’s idea, really. He likes cats too much to use it on them, but Nem’s fair game.” Present Mic explained through small chortles as Midnight leapt off their shared sofa, hissing angrily at Vlad, flogger in hand and pointed threateningly at him.

“Is…that really the best solution to this? I’m sure if we sat down and talked with her, this situation could be resolved amicably.”

“Maybe, but this is way more fun for all of us,” Mic shrugged, before leaning in and trying to whisper into Toshinori’s ear. “Don’t tell anyone I said this, but she agrees. Beats telling her when she’s pushed it too far.”

Midnight quickly fixed the two with a glare, as she slammed back down onto the sofa next to Mic, shaking her head slightly. Toshinori couldn’t help but compare her to a very feisty cat, and he bit his lip to stop himself from smiling. 

“Okay, now that you’re done fooling around, can we get down to business?” Vlad asked, sitting on the sofa next to All Might. “So, you’re planning to join U.A next year, and you want to meet some of your co-workers, as well as organise this conference you and Nezu are having tomorrow, right?” Toshinori nodded, and he continued. “So, are you just here to make sure we know what’s going on tomorrow? Are we joining the conference, or is this just a heads-up?”

“Mostly just a heads-up, so you don’t get confused tomorrow seeing a swarm of reporters outside the front gates.”

The three teachers nod, all business for a change, and All Might sits forward slightly. “Outside of that, you already know about my injury, the time limit, and that I’ll be joining you next year on the teaching staff. I don’t think there’s anything else?”

Vlad King skimmed the papers in front of them briefly, biting his lip as he scanned them. “Doesn’t seem that way. Let’s see…injury…time limit…top secret…blah blah blah, more of Nezu’s rambling. Ahh, here we go. The kid.” Both Midnight and Present Mic perked up at this, matching grins on their faces. “Glad that got your attention,” Vlad snarked, rolling his eyes in their direction. “Izuku Midoriya, training at Might Tower to handle One for All, before attending the recommendation exams. Insinuate, but don’t outright say, that he’s staying here at U.A to train to accept All Might’s power.” He raised an eyebrow at this. “You know that won’t last, right?”

“We know. It’s a stop-gap, designed to give Midoriya some breathing room while he settles into Tokyo. The media will definitely send some people to Might Tower, but most of the focus will be on U.A, if it works.”

Vlad nodded. “Not a bad idea, for such short notice. Alright. We can help with that, if you need to. Maybe Mic gets overheard asking if the kid’ll be moving here? Can you handle that?”

Mic nodded, flashing a thumbs-up. “You got it, Vlad. Sho’ll probably love to help me pull a fast one on the media, so leave it to us.”

Vlad nodded, placing the papers in front of Toshinori. “This all seems fine then. I’ll let the other teachers know what’s going on.” With that, Vlad stood up, dusting off his blood-red outfit. “I should start organising with Cementoss and PL to get set up for tomorrow. See you guys after lunch?” Mic and Midnight both raised a hand in farewell, and Toshinori bowed his head respectfully.

The instant he left, Midnight was on him, leaning forward eagerly, her eyes shining. “Alright, All Might. I’ve been denied my fun long enough. Tell me about the kid. I wanna know everything.” All Might found himself stammering slightly under her inquisitive gaze, and he knew, instinctively, that his answer would be unsatisfying. “W-Well, I-uh…I don’t know him that well, if I’m being honest. Yesterday was the first time I’d met him.”

“You’re kidding,” Midnight said, a look of astonishment on her face. “You only met him yesterday, and you offered him your power? Hell of a first impression he must’ve made on you.”

“Honestly…my first impression of him was less than stellar. He seemed like a timid, nervous child, beaten down by the entire world. It wasn’t until that Sludge Villain had captured someone else that I saw the real him. He was…incredible. I know what it looked like on camera, but, even without a plan, he did amazingly. He closed the gap on a far superior opponent with nothing more than his school bag, brains and raw determination, where even a group of seasoned pro heroes couldn’t.”

Mic chuckled slightly. “Yeah, I saw the footage. Bet those guys have egg on their faces right now, huh? Apparently the little guy caught an earful from some of them for being reckless.”

“Well, I mean, they weren’t wrong,” Midnight said, leaning back and sulking slightly, having been denied her daily dose of gossip. “Honestly, I think Sho has a point. It was pretty foolish of him. Sure, normally that kind of confidence has its appeal, but there’s a limit.”

“...I know,” Toshinori said, looking down slightly. “I admit, I wasn’t thinking at the time. I probably could have gone about it better.”

“Still, it was really sweet of you to offer him that. If he really did grow up without a Quirk, it must have meant the world to him to have a chance at one.” Midnight smiled warmly over at Toshinori, who found himself relaxing against the sofa some more.

“Plus, if nothing else, the chance to get trained by All Might’s gotta be like…a dream come true for most kids. So there’s that.” Mic’s eyes flashed for a second behind his sunglasses, and he very slowly began directing the conversation. “So, what’s gonna happen with the kid’s education?” he asked, feigning nonchalance.

“His mother and I were thinking of accelerated learning. We…haven’t really put the specifics into place yet, but we’re hoping to get him a more flexible timetable, with plenty of time to prepare.”

“Well, if the kid needs a hand with his English, I could probably spare an hour or two helping him out on the weekends or something,” Mic said, checking his nails idly. “Little tutoring might help him get ready faster, you know? I’m sure Nezu won’t object.” Midnight shot him an annoyed glare, before she quickly leant forward, flashing All Might with a sultry grin. “Well, I mean if it’s on the table, I’d be happy to lend my support. Mic might be a rather Cunning Linguist ,” she winked, ignoring the groan of disgust from next to her, “but I definitely know a thing or two about image. The kid could probably use a PR crash course, by the looks of him. Maybe a makeover, too. His hair’s a mess. You should probably consider giving him a bit of a trim. I reckon he’d look good with an undercut. The girls will be all over him…or boys, I guess. Well, whatever he’s into, he’ll be irresistible by the time I’m done with him.”

“I…well…I mean, that’s very nice of you to offer, but…I don’t…I mean-” Toshinori fell silent, and Midnight threw back her head and all but screeched with laughter at his nerves. “Yeah, that was way funnier than I thought it’d be. Relax All Might, I’m not gonna do anything to traumatise the kid. But I reckon he could use some help from someone who’s used to courting controversy, and who else does that better than me?”

“Honestly, All Might, Nem has a point,” Mic continued, stepping in as the pair quickly tag-teamed All Might’s resilience. “The kid’s gonna be under a lot of scrutiny, and Nem’s one of the best in the business at dealing with that kinda stuff. Besides, with training him physically, and your own Hero work, and earning a teaching licence, assuming you don’t already have it, you’ve probably got enough on your plate as is. You gotta learn to delegate, man.”

Toshinori scratched his chin, thinking their offer over. “I admit, I am still working on earning my teaching licence. I have my degree in sports nutrition, and I’m a qualified personal trainer, but teaching is another matter. I’ve been working on it part-time for a few years, to balance it with my work, but it’s slow going.

As for Young Midoriya’s physical development, well, I know of at least one other person who’s going to end up assisting, no matter what I say. But I can speak to him, and his mother, of course, and see if she thinks some extra help would be good for him.”

Mic and Midnight cheered, and Toshinori found himself laughing along with them. ‘They’re not so bad, actually. Aizawa doesn’t seem to like me very much, but you never can please everyone. Young Midoriya and I will have to just prove him wrong.’

Toshinori listened to the pair gossip for a while, slowly filling out some of Nezu’s forms, until the pair eventually fell silent. Shortly after, Midnight, true to her word, dragged Toshinori along to the cafeteria for a quick meal. It was the last luxury Toshinori experienced that day, as the rest of his time passed in a whirlwind of phone calls, emails and polite invitations, as Toshinori contacted various media organisations, security firms, and local police departments to arrange the next day’s conference, as well as one brief call to his now very irate secretary. Eventually, exhausted from the day’s exertion, Toshinori stumbled through the now empty halls of U.A, collapsing fully-clothed onto the bed Nezu had lent him, snoring soundly before he even hit the pillow.

Chapter Text

Toshinori let out a deep, nervous sigh as he heard the murmur of reporters from around the corner, and his fingers found themselves fiddling with his tie anxiously. He deliberately steadied his breathing, and tapped into the power of One for All. Stiffening, Toshinori felt the dwindling embers of his power course through his veins. His muscles tensed before expanding, abandoning the guise of Toshinori Yagi, the powerful, overwhelming visage of All Might replacing him, a confident grin on his face.

“Well, All Might,” Nezu began, sipping from his cup of tea, seemingly nonchalant about the whole affair, “are you ready to face the music?” He deposited his cup on a small table next to him, before clambering up to his familiar perch on All Might’s shoulder.

“Yes, I am,” All Might responded, his voice full of false confidence. “Let’s just hope that things go smoothly.”

“Indeed. Hope for a piano, prepare for a fortissimo.”

All Might chuckled as he strode out into the small room the press had been permitted access to, Nezu resting on his shoulder. Immediately, the room fell silent, save for the flashes of cameras, and the low humming of recording devices.

Once All Might reached the podium in the middle, he cleared his throat, and began. “Before we begin, I would like to thank you all for attending this conference on such short notice. The events of the last few days required a swift response, and we greatly appreciate your assistance in this matter.” Taking a deep breath, steeling himself for the barrage of questions, All Might opened his mouth and spoke. “I called you here today to answer any questions that you may have concerning the nature of my Quirk, as well as its…complexities, to the best of my ability.”

A reporter threw his hand up, shaved head shining brightly in the reflection of the spotlights,  and All Might almost let out a huge sigh of relief. ‘Okay, it looks like the press have managed to compose themselves a little better since yesterday. I imagine the time to adjust to their new reality has helped somewhat.’

“All Might, Kenji Kong, Musutafu Shimbun. First question, pretty simple. The video…is it real? Is that actually you?”

All Might chuckled, nodding respectfully at the reporter. “Thank you for your question, Mr. Kong. Yes, the footage obtained yesterday is real.” Hushed whispers fell over the room, and All Might waited patiently for them to subside. “That form is how I appear when I am not currently using my Quirk. I find it’s quite handy when it comes to keeping my personal life exactly that. Or at least, it was, until this foolish old man forgot that cell phones were a thing,” he said, laughing at his own gaffe. A few chuckles met his self-deprecation, but most of the people present remained attentive, focusing intently on All Might.

The next reporter threw his hand in the air, and All Might called on him. “All Might, Akira Yoshida, Coruscant Times. Speaking of, how exactly does your Quirk work? You’ve been rather evasive on the topic in the past.”

“I have been, and given what I said a few days ago, I’m sure you can understand why I was reluctant to go into detail about my quirk. I didn’t wish to outright lie to the media, but couldn’t discuss my Quirk in great detail without betraying a long-kept secret. However, since that secret is now out, I might as well be as forthcoming as possible. As I stated to Young Midoriya, the true name of my Quirk is One For All.”

Pens scratched across paper, and cameras flashed as everyone tried to be the first to officially report on the true identity of All Might’s Quirk, a secret that had been hidden from the public for decades now. “Now, there are still parts of it I plan to be keeping confidential, both for my own privacy as much as my future successors, but the basic nature of One For All is it acts as an enhancement Quirk that powers up my whole body, as well as a power stockpiler, that grows in strength both over time and when it is passed down from one person to another.”

The room exploded at this statement. It’s one thing to hear a leaked recording of how it works, but an official statement was entirely different. Almost as one, the small crowd of reporters stand up, yelling and waving their hands in the air.

“Everyone, please, control yourselves, I will get to you…*AHEM!*” All Might bellowed, after a few seconds of trying unsuccessfully to calm the crowd down. “Everyone, please. Stay calm and have some patience. I assure you, I shall hear all your questions in due time. Now, as I was saying. One for All is a power enhancer that can be transferred from one person to another, growing stronger over time. There are some aspects of it I have left untouched, but that has been done for Young Midoriya’s safety and privacy, so hopefully you will respect that as much as possible.”

A new reporter throws an elongated red hand into the air, and All Might points towards him. “Izumi Yasunari, CYN Daily. How many other people have held this Quirk before you? When did it first appear, and how long has it been stockpiling power for?”

“One for All has existed since the dawn of Quirks, way back during the first generation of Quirked individuals. I am the 8th person to wield this sacred power, and Young Midoriya, the 9th.”

“Can you tell us anything about the other people who held this Quirk?” Yasunari asked.

“Honestly, my knowledge of a lot of my predecessors is limited. I only know directly of my Master, the woman who gave One for All to me. The rest of them have been mostly lost to time.”

A new face raised his hand this time, and All Might called on him, grimacing to himself. “Heyyy, All Might. Long time no see. Taneo Tokuda, Juzo News, but you knew that already. Got a few questions for ya, hope you don’t mind?”

“Of course not, Tokuda. Please, go ahead.”

Tokuda grinned. “Alright then, All Might. First question. What’s up with this whole ‘transferable Quirk’ bit? Seems like we’re kinda glossing over how that works?”

“I am. While One for All being transferable is unfortunately public knowledge at this point, I would like to keep how it’s transferred a secret, in order to protect any and all future wielders of its power. All I will say is that the transferral process is completely harmless, and will not endanger Young Midoriya in any capacity, provided he is sufficiently trained to handle it.”

“Sufficiently trained? What’s that mean?” Tokuda asked, his eyes narrowing sharply.

“As I said earlier, One for All is a stockpiling quirk that grows more powerful over time. It has also been storing that power for 200 years now. That much power requires a body in peak physical condition in order to use it safely, at least until the body acclimates to its presence. Young Midoriya has everything I am looking for in a successor spiritually, but his physicality could probably do with some work.” A few more of the reporters chuckled, remembering the footage of the skinny, timid child practically tripping over his own feet as he raced into the crime scene two days ago.

A new reporter raised her hand, introducing herself as Kogaku Hakodate, one long, lens-shaped eye focussing on All Might as it clicked repeatedly. “Speaking of Midoriya, I had a quick question about him, if that’s alright? Could you explain a little more why you picked him as your successor?”

Looking across at the press, All Might noticed a few of them tense up, pens poised and looks of hunger on her faces. ‘Yeah, I suppose that makes sense. If there was any question that’d cause problems for most people, this is probably it.’

“I would, but first, I would like to clarify something. While I do not regret my reasons for choosing Young Midoriya to inherit One for All, time to reflect and discuss things with my fellow pros here at U.A has helped me realise just how much danger he placed himself in. Young Midoriya is lucky to have survived his encounter with villainy two days ago, and, while his actions were very brave, they also stand as evidence for the inherent dangers present in Hero work, and why said actions should be left up to trained professionals.”

“You mean the same professionals who stood by and watched, waiting for someone with a ‘better suited quirk’?” Tokuda heckled from the crowd of reporters, causing a few titters from the crowd of reporters, and the tension in the room to ease somewhat.

All Might held back a chuckle, his ever-present smile fading a little. “The Heroes on scene yesterday believed their efforts were better spent trying to prevent any further collateral, while biding their time to make a better plan to secure the boy safely. Young Midoriya’s presence merely accelerated the plans in place.” 

‘I know I said honesty was best from here on, but I don’t feel comfortable throwing my fellow Heroes under the bus. Even if their actions two days ago were sub-standard, there are better ways to push them to improve.’

Tokuda quickly fell silent, a knowing smirk on his face as he eyed All Might up and down. “As for why I picked Young Midoriya as my successor,” All Might continued, as if Tokuda had never spoken, “well, he helped remind me of something I was long in danger of forgetting. I would like everyone watching this at home to ask themselves the following. ‘What is it that makes someone a hero?’ Take a few seconds and think about it.”

After a few seconds of silence, All Might continued. “Young Midoriya understands the answer to that question better than most, I would say. He believes that a hero doesn’t need a big, flashy quirk in order to make a difference. As he showed two days ago, it might not even require one at all. Indeed, he’d originally planned to attempt the U.A entrance exam whether he had a Quirk or not. Because a Quirk is not the defining trait of a Hero. All that is needed is the desire to do good, not out of any want for money or fame, but purely because it’s the right thing to do. When the situation called for it, he acted, without allowing his fear or hesitation to get the better of him. And that is real courage. Not the absence of fear, but acting in spite of that fear.”

A new voice spoke up now, and All Might’s eyes flickered in recognition as a striking figure stood up from the crowd, pitch-black eyes glittering dangerously as she tossed a few loose strands of lilac hair over her light blue shoulder. “All Might,” she began, speaking in soft, honeyed tones, directly into her microphone. “Chitose Kizuki, executive director of Shoowaysha Publishing. Just hoping for clarification on one point, if that’s alright?”

From his position up on the podium, Nezu’s lips twitched almost imperceptibly. ‘Ahh yes, here she comes. This one will be trouble, if left unchecked. All Might may have a good reputation amongst the press, but I fear he has never had to actively deal with Chitose Kizuki before.’

“You said just now that Midoriya might not even require a Quirk to be a hero, and in the video posted online, you described him as a ‘timid, Quirkless boy’. So, for the record, Izuku Midoriya doesn’t have a power of his own, then?”

“That’s correct. Young Midoriya is one of that 20% who is born without a Quirk all their own. I would advise you all not to underestimate him because of that, as I did. Whether he has a Quirk or not is irrelevant to him being a worthy successor.”

“Of course, All Might. I wouldn’t dare say otherwise. I can’t help but wonder, however, how One for All would react with Midoriya, given his status. If it does enhance its wielder, wouldn’t it be better going towards somebody who already has something to enhance to begin with? After all, One for All could cause all kinds of unfortunate side effects for the poor boy. Or, what if it didn’t do anything for him after inheriting this power? If I grew up powerless like he did, I’m fairly certain I’d be crushed if I was offered an opportunity like this that ended up not doing anything for me. And all the while, somebody who already has powers and training could be using One for All to its maximum potential faster than he could.”

“Maybe they could,” All Might said, shrugging Kizuki’s words off. “One for All could make possibly even the weakest Quirk into a towering pillar of strength. However, I would rather choose my successor based on merit, rather than the strength of their Quirk.”

“But if it’s merit you’re looking for, surely there are plenty of candidates out there who possess the same attributes Izuku Midoriya did, and would benefit more directly from the enhancement effect of One for All. You could have the best of both worlds this way,” Kizuki said, pressing forward, the dangerous look in her eyes growing ever so slightly sharper.

All Might scowled for a moment, before slowly pressing the lid back down on his rising frustration. “The idea of choosing my successor based on Quirk status, even partially, reminds me far too much of Quirk Marriages for my comfort.” Kizuku reeled back from this statement, feeling the momentum she had been slowly building up bleed away as soon as All Might spoke. “Besides,” he continued, “you may not know how One for All interacts with Quirkless people, Miss Kizuki. But speaking as someone with first-hand experience in the matter, Young Midoriya will be perfectly fine.”

What little noise the room was making died as All Might made his declaration, and with it what was left of Kizuki’s questioning. Her mouth snapped shut as she put the pieces together, and Yoshida quickly stepped in, asking for clarification. “All Might, are you saying that you were Quirkless before receiving One for All?”

“Yes, I am. Like Young Midoriya, I wasn’t born with a Quirk, and only obtained one after inheriting the incredible power of One for All. So I know for a fact that One for All is capable of working with somebody who is Quirkless.” With that, any arguments against Izuku Midoriya inheriting One for All fell completely silent. At least for the moment.

‘A little heavy-handed, I must admit,’ Nezu thought, as he stared blankly down at Kizuki, her eyes radiating with something close to malice. ‘But undeniably effective. The comparison to Quirk Marriages definitely proved to be the mot juste.’

Eventually, one of the reporters spoke up, asking, “Is he here, then? He hasn’t been seen since the video footage was posted. Does he have any statements he wishes to make?”

All Might shook his head firmly. “My apologies, but Young Midoriya will not be attending this conference today. He’s currently under police protection until arrangements for his safety have been finalised.”

Tokuda raised his hand again lackadaisically, asking, “What made you look for a successor anyway? Are you retiring or something?” The room stiffened, and All Might shook his head, chuckling in amusement. “No, no, nothing like that. I intend to keep up Hero work for as long as I am capable. However, I’m not getting any younger, and I thought it was time I started trying to find somebody to help carry on my legacy after I was gone. I spent the last 5 years searching for a successor, until I found Izuku Midoriya just two short days ago, and knew my search had finally reached its end.”

“What’s going to happen to him then? Is he staying in Musutafu, or will you be taking him under your wing directly?” A voice called out from the crowd, someone who had yet to speak up.

Nezu stepped in, climbing down from All Might’s shoulder to answer the question. “U.A has teamed up with the Might Agency and the Musutafu police department to arrange for safe accommodation for Midoriya while he prepares to inherit One for All, prior to his attendance at the U.A recommendation exams.”

Kizuki stiffened, eyes narrowing as she scanned Nezu’s statement, and Tokuda called out from the crowd, “He’s attending the exams? Figured All Might’s hand-picked successor would be gettin’ a free pass into U.A, to be honest.”

Nezu chuckled, shaking his head. “U.A does not give free passes, Mr. Tokuda. Even our recommendation students have to undergo their own specialised assessment in order to prove themselves ready to attend U.A. Besides, Midoriya stated he would have turned it down anyway. He has proven himself adamant on earning his position at U.A.”

Tokuda let out a small ‘hmm’ as he considered Nezu’s words, before flickering his eyes back to All Might. “You said your Quirk grows stronger over time, as it’s passed down. Does this mean the kid's gonna be stronger than you are when he gets it?”

All Might nodded, and several of the reporters raised their eyebrows in astonishment. “It’s one of the first things my predecessor told me about One for All. It grows stronger as it continues to get passed on. In his prime, Midoriya should possess greater strength than I did.”

“So, if he’s gonna be stronger than you, how’s he gonna get trained? Are you gonna take some time off Hero work? ‘Cos it’s a long commute between U.A and Tokyo, even for you, All Might.”

Kizuki spoke up for the first time since being rebuffed by All Might earlier, shooting Nezu a confident glare. “They never said where he was staying.” Her voice was fairly quiet, but it rang throughout the room with an iron-clad conviction. “You’ve said U.A is teaming up with the Might Agency to keep him safe, but you never specifically told us where he was going to be. Given All Might’s recently revealed predilection towards misdirecting the press, I can’t help but think he’s leading us by the nose to think that Midoriya is being kept here instead of the Might Agency.”

“Really?” a voice from the crowd responded. “I heard Present Mic talking this morning about how they need to keep the kid safe while he’s here. What’s that about then?”

“Classic misdirection,” Kizuki says, smirking. “It’s a completely true statement if Midoriya attends U.A, and exactly the kind of thing Nezu would want you to overhear. They’ve never said on the record where he is, so until then, it’s just as likely he’s staying at Might Tower, or even somewhere completely different.”

Nezu laughed, his paws coming together in a small show of applause. “Excellently argued, Miss Kizuki. Maybe I should reach out to see if you can come and teach some of my students a class on critical analysis. It is a position I believe you would be well served in. However, I am afraid I can neither confirm nor deny any of your accusations. Izuku Midoriya's safety is of the utmost importance to all of us, and we intend to keep him safe from any who would wish to do him harm. So I am sorry to say his location will remain classified.”

‘I admit,’ Nezu thought, ‘I knew the ruse would not last forever, but I had not anticipated Ms. Kizuki picking up on it so swiftly. I knew she was sharp, but even so, I’m somewhat impressed. I’ll have to remind my staff not to underestimate her in future.’

Tokuda repeated his question from earlier, and All Might looked down at Nezu, nodding. “While any actions taken prior to the next year at U.A are classified, there is one small bit of information All Might and I are allowed to share with you today. The two of us have been trying to arrange this for several years now, and I am delighted to say our efforts have finally borne fruit. Starting next year, All Might has agreed to join U.A as the newest member of the Heroics department.” The press began clamoruing at this latest bit of news, pens dancing across pads of paper, and Nezu was forced to hold up his paws for silence.

“Originally,” All Might continued, “I had planned to attend U.A as a teacher to continue my hunt for a successor capable of carrying on my legacy. However, since I have made my decision to entrust my power to Young Midoriya, I shall merely be acting as a teacher for U.A, offering my decades of experience and wisdom for any and all students to learn from, not just my successor.”

“Forgive me, All Might,” Kizuki said, her tone sharp and indignant, “but I thought we were told Midoriya’s attendance was not guaranteed. Do you just have that much confidence in the boy to master your power quickly enough that he can compete with prodigies who have been training with their abilities all their lives?” 

“Young Midoriya’s attendance at U.A is not guaranteed, but make no mistake. He will be attending there next year,” All Might said, in a tone as hard and powerful as his biceps. “As for mastering his Quirk, I have devised a plan for him to follow, supervised by myself when time permits, and some trusted associates. This will get him ready in time to attend U.A next year.” 

Kizuki narrowed her eyes once more, reading between the lines as much as possible. ‘Still no mention of how often All Might could make time for the little whelp. Trying to keep his location a secret as long as possible, while pretending not to be ready to teach the kid at the drop of a hat. I’d bet anything the kid’ll go to Might Tower. That will make getting to him…difficult, but not impossible.’ She opted not to say anything however, recognizing the risk any further pushback against Midoriya might bring to her and her employers. 

The rest of the conference passed by with relatively little issue, save for a few tricky questions about Izuku’s schooling and the raised risk of vigilantism brought about by his actions, although All Might’s statement from earlier had helped mollify all but the worst of his detractors. Their questions mostly answered, the media departed, headlines already flying across Japan as the rest of the country was left to process all the new information gleaned about All Might’s Quirk.

Chapter Text

Shoto Todoroki stared at the TV screen, his eyes wide with shock as the images played out on the screen before him. ‘...It’s true,’ he thought, as he compared the massive, overwhelming presence of All Might with the thin, emaciated man everyone had seen yesterday. ‘He’s…choosing a successor?’ Shoto felt his eyes narrow, as he remembered the other person who had made headlines yesterday. ‘Izuku Midoriya? He doesn’t seem like much. And he’s supposed to be stronger than All Might? What a joke. At least this makes my goal a lot easier.’ Shoto glared at the screen, the temperature cooling around him rapidly as he swept a few wayward strands of red hair out of the way of his left eye, hand lightly brushing over the scar that covered a significant portion of his face.

“SHOTO!” The gruff voice of Shoto’s father bellowed from across the house. “TRAINING ROOM, NOW!” Growling slightly, Shoto stood up, slamming his finger on the ‘off’ button on the remote angrily. ‘I guess father won’t see it that way,’ Shoto thought as he made his way over to where the voice had called from. Entering the room, Shoto scowled at his father, his mis-matched eyes carrying a look of intense loathing. 

“Shoto,” his father began, his voice stern. “I take it you’ve seen the news?”

Shoto simply nodded, not dignifying his father with a verbal response. 

“Good. Then you understand that training is going to have to…intensify?”

Shoto bit back a snarl, remembering what happened the last time somebody expressed their pleasure (or lack thereof), at his fathers training. “I understand, father,” he spat out.

“Then let’s begin,” Enji Todoroki said, pulling himself off the ground, now towering over his son as flames flickered across his face, settling back into his signature, flaming beard. “If what All Might said is accurate, his brat’s going to be even stronger than him with that damned transferrable quirk of his. So that means you’re going to need to train harder than ever before if you’re going to finally surpass them. We have until the recommendation exams to really whip you into shape,” Enji said, cracking his knuckles and smirking down at his son. ‘Maybe the Midoriya brat will finally light an actual fire under you,’ he thought. ‘Rid you of this foolish rebellion of yours.’

Shoto moved swiftly, a wall of ice rising up to intercept his father’s opening swing, but he failed to stop the quick, brutal knee to the stomach that immediately followed it. He doubled over, a few droplets of blood spraying to the floor as he gasped for breath, and his father snorted derisively. “Pathetic. Is that really all you can do, Shoto? Nine years you’ve been training and you still can’t even dodge that? Maybe if you took this seriously, you wouldn’t be in this situation.”

“I…won’t…use…your…fire,” Shoto spluttered out between deep, wracking breaths. 

“That’s no longer a luxury you can afford, Shoto. No matter where he came from, this Midoriya is going to surpass you unless you use your full power. Now. Stand up and Do. It. Again!” 

Shoto pulled himself up, his resolve hardening like the wall of ice that stood between him and his father, and he let loose a frustrated yell as he slammed a foot into the ground, ice bursting out all around the point of impact. ‘I’ll beat him, all of them, with just her ice. I’ll prove I never needed him or his damned Quirk, not for anything.’ As Shoto sparred with his father, alternating between dodging blows, and being caught by them, he kept focus on one single target, the new obstacle that had sprung up overnight in his path to defying his father.

Izuku Midoriya.

-----

“I would like everyone watching this to ask themselves the following. ‘What is it that makes someone a hero’?”

Eijiro Kirishima looked up from his desk, a forlorn look in his eyes, ignoring the hushed whispers and jealous muttering of his classmates as they listened to All Might’s words. ‘It means they’re not scared, right? They step in when other people need it, because they’re not cowards. That’s obvious. Maybe…maybe I’m not cut out for this after all?’

Eijiro felt the memories of a few days ago force their way up to the surface of his mind, and he clenched his trembling fists, holding back tears through sheer force of will as he remembered the terrified looks on his classmates’ faces. ‘I could have stepped in to help. I should have stepped in to help. Like that Midoriya kid. Like All Might. I bet they weren’t scared.’

“When the situation called for it, he acted, without allowing his fear or hesitation to get the better of him. And that is real courage. Not the absence of fear, but acting in spite of that fear.”

Eijiro’s eyes widened, and he stared up at the interview currently playing on the monitor, jaw dropping slightly. “Acting…in spite of…” he trailed off, thinking about the footage obtained of Midoriya’s grand entrance. Really thinking about it, for the first time, with fresh eyes, and a new perspective.

‘Yeah…actually, the kid looked terrified as hell, but…he stepped in anyway. Not ‘cos he wasn’t scared, but because he had to. Just like she did…’

A new memory popped into Eijiro’s mind, now. A girl with pink skin and pitch-black eyes collapsed onto the floor, crying her eyes out, the two girls he’d failed to protect thanking her for saving them. ‘She must have been scared too, right? And she still managed to do something about it. Her name was Mina, they said? Mina Ashido?

I need to find her.’

-----

“Hey, you’re Ashido, aren’t you? You got a second?”

Mina Ashido looked up, scanning the newcomer up and down. A pair of bright red eyes stared back at her questioningly, and she shrugged, standing up and stepping away from her lunch table. “Yeah, course I do. You’re Kirishima, right? From Class 2? What’s up?” 

Kirishima led her away from her friends silently, over to a quiet, empty space underneath one of the trees. “I-uh…I wanted to ask you something.”

As a few petals fell into her bright pink hair, Mina couldn’t stop the very small eye-roll that met his words. ‘Oh great, another one of these. Alright Mina, let him down easy. Poor guy looks terrified.’

“Look, Kirishima,” she began, gently. “I’m super flattered, but I don’t really know you that well, you know? If you wanna be friends, that sounds great, but I’m not really looking for a relationship right now. I’m sorry.”

Then, Kirishima did something that surprised Mina. His eyes widened, and he instantly began panicking. “WHAT? I mean, don’t get me wrong, you seem like…really cool and all, but that’s not what I wanted to ask you.”

“It’s not?” Now Mina was confused. Normally if a guy pulled her away like this, it was for some half-baked declaration of love that generally ended badly. For them, at least.

“No, I promise. I-uh, I wanted to talk about what happened a couple of days ago, you know? With that tall guy?”

Mina shivered subconsciously as she remembered the figure towering over her, dust and rubble falling on her head as he effortlessly tore holes through the concrete above her with his bare hands. “Y-Yeah, sure. I-uh, don’t really like thinking about it, but I guess I owe you one for assuming like that, huh?” Mina punctuated her sentence with a teasing wink, desperately trying to move away from the previous topic.

Kirishima laughed, and Mina grinned to herself. ‘That’s more like it. Guy seems really gloomy. If he really just wants to talk about that, I guess I can hear him out, at least a little.’

Kirishima took a deep, calming breath, and then asked her a simple question. “Were you scared?”

Mina’s brow wrinkled in confusion. “What do you mean, ‘was I scared?’”

“When you helped those two girls out, you know? Were you scared?”

Mina laughed, shaking her head slightly. “You big dummy, of course I was scared. I was terrified. You did see me collapse as soon as he left, right?”

Kirishima rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. “Yeah…I guess I did. I just didn’t really think about it properly, you know?”

“Clearly,” Mina replied, raising an eyebrow at him, before continuing in a softer tone. “Honestly, it was horrifying. But it had to be done, you know?”

“...just like him, huh?”

Mina tilted her head quizzically at Kirishima for a second, before snapping her fingers. “So that’s what this is about? That successor thing, right? What’s his name again? Mido-something?”

“Y-Yeah, that’s the one. All Might said that real courage is being scared, and acting anyway. It just…made me think of you, and I wanted to check and see.”

Mina grinned, but this time, there was a teasing edge to it. “Awww, that’s sweet. You think of me often, do ya?” Kirishima blushed, and Mina burst out laughing at him. “Sorry, couldn’t resist. You made that way too easy. Anyway, yeah, I guess he’s right. Why?”

Kirishima clenched his fists, looking away from Mina, guilt written across his face. “I just…I tried to step in, but I couldn’t. My body froze, and I couldn’t move like I wanted to.”

Mina sat down at the roots of the tree, patting the ground next to her. “Sounds like you need a pep talk, so might as well get comfortable, huh? Well, as much as we can when you’re leaning against a tree. Seriously, how do people do this? It sucks.”

Chuckling slightly, Kirishima sat down next to her, wiping a few errant tears out of his eyes. “Y-Yeah, it’s pretty rough. The grass is nice and soft though.” He lay back on the grass next to her, and the pair stared up at the clouds for a moment, before Mina spoke.

“You know, there’s nothing wrong with freezing up like that. Everyone’s scared sometimes. And sometimes…sometimes it just gets the better of you. Nothing to be ashamed of.”

“Yeah, but…I wanna be a hero, you know? One who helps people, who makes it so they never need to be afraid. How am I supposed to do that if I freeze up anytime something goes wrong?”

“You don’t,” Mina said, shrugging her shoulders. “You wanna stop freezing up, then you gotta work on it. I’m not saying it’ll be easy, but it’s something you just gotta deal with.”

“Do you think I can?” Kirishima asked, a hint of doubt bleeding into his voice.

Mina looked down at him, an easy grin on her face. “Hell yeah I do! You wanna improve yourself, and that’s the most important part. And hey, I did say I was cool with being friends, so maybe I can help you?”

“I-are you serious?”

“We’re friends now, aren’t we? And friends help each other. So, I’m gonna help you.”

Kirishima fell silent, staring up at the clouds in comfortable silence, and he thought over the words from an old Crimson Riot interview he’d rewatched last night, letting them sink in fully.

‘Yes, I’m frightened when I fight a villain, knowing it could end in my death. But there’s something I fear more. 

The look on someone’s face as they die. That’s far worse.

You want to know what chivalry means to me? It means living a life of no regrets.’

“I think I get it now,” he said, out loud. 

“Get what?”

“Nothing important. Just…thinking out loud, I guess. People like Crimson Riot, like All Might, his successor, like…you. You’re all amazing. And I’m not ever gonna let myself fall behind again. No matter what it takes.”

Mina stared across at him, her pitch-black eyes gleaming with pride as she shot a thumbs-up in his direction. “That’s the spirit! Never give up, man. No regrets, no looking back. You’re not happy with how you are, then change it. You got this, Kirishima!”

“...Eijiro. Call me Eijiro. Or Ei, if you want.”

“Sure thing, but you gotta call me Mina in exchange, got that?” Mina said, grinning down at him.

He grinned back, his eyes burning with a new resolve.

‘Just you wait,’ Kirishima thought. ‘I’m gonna catch up with you, Mina. With all of you. Get ready, world. Eijiro Kirishima’s coming, and he’s not gonna let anything stop him. Never again.’

-----

“Wow, well there go Tokage’s chances of joining, huh?”

“Haha, yeah, with All Might’s successor shooting for a recommendation slot, no way they’re gonna let some dumb gyaru skank in.”

Setsuna Tokage rolled her eyes, flipping off the two guys who were currently stage-whispering over All Might’s interview. “Remind me how your U.A applications went again?” When neither boy responded, Setsuna grinned at them cruelly. “Yeah, that’s what I thought. So you can both suck my dick.”

The two boys turned away, whispering a no-doubt creative litany of insults about Setsuna, returning their attention to the interview currently playing across the entire country. Setsuna scowled at the back of their heads, before looking down at her heavily made-up reflection in her trusty pocket mirror. ‘And I was having such a nice day, too. Not like I get to pull this look off for much longer, so I was hoping to enjoy myself. Until those pricks opened their fuckin’ mouths. Worst part is…it’s not like they’re wrong. I can split myself, whoop-de-do. Not gonna mean anything next to a guy who’s about to become stronger than All Might.Still, I suppose there’s the regular exam, at least.’

“Hey…Setsi, you okay?”

Setsuna snapped out of her funk, looking over in the direction of the voice, a bitter smile growing on her pitch-black lips as she saw her best friend looking over at her, her blue eyes radiating concern.

“Yeah, I’m fine Itsi…thanks, though,” Setsuna replied, her voice sounding hollow even to her. She still didn’t quite understand how her and Itsuka Kendo had been friends for as long as they had, but Setsuna would never complain about it. Not seriously, at any rate.

“Hey, ignore those morons,” Itsuka said, a hand resting on her shoulder. “There are four recommendation slots for U.A, remember?” 

Setsuna nodded. 

“Right, so even if he’s a shoo-in, which I kinda doubt, there’s still three slots left for you to take. There’s no way you’re not gonna get one of them, okay? Do you really wanna be the one to make those two idiots right?”

Setsuna shook her head, her cheer slowly restoring. “You’re right! Fuck that noise. I’m gonna get the U.A recommendation, and I’m gonna staple it to their goddamn foreheads.”

“Atta girl!” Itsuka said, slapping her on the back. “Besides, I think you can handle him. You did see the video, didn’t you? Boy’s got guts in spades, but he needs to hit the gym if he wants a shot at U.A.”

One of the boys snorted, shaking his head. “Please, he’s gonna get All Might’s Quirk. Dude won’t need to do shit and he’ll be fine.”

“Lucky bastard,” his friend continued angrily. “All he did was be in the right place at the right time. If I’d been there, that’d be me for sure.”

Itsuka rolled her eyes, and Setsuna snarled at them. “Please. If it’d have been you, you’d have cried and run away like a fuckin’ pussy.”

“Setsi, language,” her friend chided. “You might not be wrong, but you’re not helping anything by talking like that.”

A savage grin crossed Setsuna’s face, and she glared over at her friend. “Who said I was tryin’ to help? Not my fault if some people can’t handle the truth.”

The boys stood up, towering over Setsuna, who looked over at them and let loose an obviously fake yawn, stretching her hands above her head. “What’s up? You guys tryin’ to seem all big and scary? ‘Cos it ain’t workin’. You look like you’re tryin’ to hold in a shit.”

Itsuka laughed before she could stop herself, throwing a hand up just in time to hide the worst of it. The taller of the two boys lurched forward, his eyes blazing with fury. “You think you're real fuckin' smart, don't you?"

"Compared to you? Yeah I…you know what, I changed my mind. Arguing with you feels like picking on that kid who sits in the back eating paste all day. There's no sport in that. I'd rather mess with someone who can actually fight back."

"Yeah, I doubt that," he replied, smirking down at her. "You know who loses if I actually start fighting back?" He asked, cracking his knuckles. "With your reputation, it might even be enough to sink your U.A application. So you sure you wanna keep mouthing off?"

For the first time that day, a flicker of uncertainty showed on Setsuna’s face, and the taller boy stepped closer, moving in for the kill. “That’s what I thought. I’m sure you can think of way better uses for that big mouth of yours than starting fights you can’t-”

*WHAM*

The boy never got a chance to finish his sentence, as Itsuka’s hand slammed down onto the desk, rapidly growing in size until it covered the entire surface, the sound reverberating throughout the room

Itsuka pulled herself out of her seat, storming over to him, even as the teacher began raising his voice. “You wanna try finishing that sentence?” she asked in a low growl, her tone oozing with barely-restrained menace. He shook his head wordlessly, and she grinned triumphantly. “That’s what I thought. Now walk away, and we can pretend this never happened. Got it?”

The boy turned and walked away, a look of terror on his stricken face. Itsuka sat back down next to Setsuna, who looked up at her with admiration. “You-you just…”

“I just put an asshole in his place, Setsi. No big deal,” Itsuka said, smiling brightly at her friend. 

“Yeah, but, you know you’re not allowed to use your quirk like that! What if they give you detention, or put this on your record or something? You might not get a shot at U.A either, or any hero school!”

Itsuka shrugged. “I’m not worried. If anyone tries anything, I’ll just tell them what he was gonna say, and I’ll probably get away with a slap on the wrist. Or hey, maybe Miruko will be so impressed she’ll give me her quirk,” she said, winking at Setsuna, before her face immediately became serious again. “Besides, you’re my best friend, and nobody talks to my friends like that.”

Itsuka paused, shrinking her hand back down, glaring angrily at the desk. “More importantly, I wasn’t gonna let you take a swing at him. You do that, and there’s no way you’ll get to that recommendation exam. And you’re not just gonna make it, you’re gonna win the whole damn thing. Got it?” Itsuka said, glaring across at Setsuna, who nodded meekly. 

“Yeah…of course I am.”

“That’s my girl. I do want something in return though. Give that Midoriya a smack around the head for me, okay? Someone needs to tell him he’s an idiot for charging in like that, and nobody does that better than you.”

Setsuna shook her head, grinning back and winking. “Please. You talk a big game, but I know your type, and I'd bet actual money there's a body pillow on its way to your house right now with his face on it."

Setsuna’s grin widened as her friend shot her a half-hearted glare, before letting off a deep sigh. “Yeah, okay, maybe it was kinda cool of him to save that kid,” she conceded, tossing her ginger ponytail over one shoulder. “But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t really careless either. So, you make sure he knows that, okay?”

Setsuna nodded in agreement, and Itsuka quickly pulled her in for a tight squeeze, before returning to her studies, biting her lip as she struggled her way through algebra. Setsuna took one last glance over at the T.V, which was re-re-playing footage of All Might’s successor, and Setsuna shook her head.

‘Sorry, little man. Itsi’s right, you seem nice, and I guess you’re kinda cute…if you’re into dumb little weenies like she is. But she’s always had my back, even when nobody else has, and I’m not ever going to let her down. So I’m afraid I’m gonna have to kick your ass.’

-----

Inasa Yoarashi was currently vibrating in the slightly-too-small seat, one of his bulky legs tapping against the ground at tremendous speed. He was one of the few people who hadn’t seen anything about All Might’s successor, until he came into school the morning of the press conference All Might had hastily put together, and found the entire student body talking about one person.

Izuku Midoriya.

Inasa grinned wildly as he listened to All Might talk at said conference. ‘Scared but still moving, huh? AMAZING! What passion! What fiery determination! And he’s going to be attending the recommended exams too? This is going to be INCREDIBLE! I can’t wait to see him in action.’

Pulling up his phone as the interview finished, Inasa quickly found himself hunting down footage of the Sludge incident, unaware that it was playing on the T.V screen in front of him. Inasa shoved in his headphones, and watched the footage obtained from the scene.

And he marvelled.

‘That…was…AWESOME!’ Inasa thought as he watched this tiny, green-haired kid charge in. ‘He’s everything I’d expect from All Might’s successor. Look at him move! He’s perfect! And this is without a quirk! What’s he going to be like when he has one?’ Inasa replayed the footage, watching Midoriya’s reckless charge with open admiration, laughing openly to himself as his classmates stared at him in confusion. ‘I have to meet him. And All Might’s going to be teaching at U.A? There’s no way I can pass up an opportunity like that!’

Inasa sat back in his chair, grinning maniacally as he looked into his bag, where he still carried his invitation to the U.A recommendation exam. ‘I was never turning this down, but now I’m even more determined than ever. If All Might’s gonna be there, I gotta step my game up. Push myself even harder than before. Show them what it really means to Go Beyond. 

PLUS!

ULTRA!

…Definitely not as good as saying it out loud. Just gives me one more thing to look forward to.’

-----

Rikido Sato tugged on the neck of his shirt nervously as he watched the conference play out. “Man, All Might’s successor’s gonna be at U.A next year? And All Might himself’s gonna be teaching there? I feel like the bar just got raised, big time. Maybe I should just aim lower, be realistic, y’know?”

Out of the corner of his eye, Rikido saw one of his friends shake his head, before reaching over and patting his back supportively. “No way, man. You know what I’d give to have a strength Quirk? You’ll make it, for sure. Who gives a damn if All Might’s successor is gonna be there. Look at him. Kid’s a nervous wreck. You can take him, no problem.”

Rikido laughed awkwardly, running a hand through his pointed brown hair. “I mean…maybe. But like, what happens after a few years, when he gets some actual experience under his belt. How am I supposed to keep up then?”

“Why are you askin’ me? Do I look like I have an intelligence Quirk? But you’ll think of something. Don’t let the little guy scare you.”

Rikido leant back in his chair, sighing to himself. ‘I guess he’s right,’ he thought glumly. ‘But still. All Might’s hand picked successor? How am I supposed to match up to that kinda strength? How are any of us?’

-----

“Hey, did you hear? All Might’s successor’s gonna be attending U.A next year, and All Might’s gonna be teaching the heroics course himself.”

“What? No way! Seriously? That’s awesome.”

“I know, right. Between those two, other hero schools don’t stand a chance. All eyes are gonna be on U.A’s heroics department next year, that’s for sure.”

A pair of vivid, yellow eyes flicked up at this, and an eager grin spread across the face of a young girl, sitting by herself at the back, fiddling with a pair of bright red goggles.

‘All eyes on U.A, huh? And the heroics department too? Hmmm…gonna have to recalculate a little, then.’

A hand came up and swept a pair of long, pink curls to one side, the other one tapping idly on the desk, the goggles having been thrown to one side. Mei Hatsume began cackling to herself as she pulled out some long-abandoned sketches, analysing them thoroughly. ‘Never actually thought I’d bring back Project Orthax. Still, needs must, and if I wanna get Hatsume Industries off the ground, I gotta get my name out there. And who better to show off my wonderful babies than their adoring mommy?’

Mei kept grinning, zoning out, ignoring the rest of the world around her, as she pulled out some sketches from when she was 10, modifying and upgrading them. ‘I got 8 months to get these babies battle-ready. Should be a piece of cake. Although I will need metal. Lots of it. And somewhere people won’t complain about stuff going missing. Then practice. And forms to fill out, certifications to get. And…ugh, safety procedures to read up on. Plus the forms to bring my own equipment into the entrance exam. 

It’s hard work being brilliant sometimes.’

-----

“-safe accommodation for Midoriya while he prepares to inherit One for All, prior to his attendance at the U.A recommendation exams.”

Ochako Uraraka sighed, looking down at her hands sadly, staring at the small pink pads that rested on the tips of her fingers. ‘All Might’s successor, huh? Getting to U.A just got a lot harder.’ She looked over at the screen in her run-down classroom, flinching slightly as she remembered some of All Might’s words from earlier.

‘All that is needed is the desire to do good, not out of any want for money or fame, but purely because it’s the right thing to do.’

Ochako shook her head, trying desperately to push the negative thoughts away. ‘It’s…it’s not like that. I’m not doing this for me. I don’t care about being famous, I don’t even want the money for myself. Just because I’m trying to get paid, that doesn’t make me any less worthy of calling myself a hero.

Does it?’

The melancholic look on her face slowly hardened to one of raw determination, and she clenched her fist, her eyes narrowing. ‘No. It doesn’t matter. I’m sure he’d understand. And even if he doesn’t, who cares? I have to get into U.A…it’s my best chance at making it big. I can’t let myself be slowed down like that. I have to pass that exam. I have to become a hero, so I can pay my parents back for everything they’ve sacrificed for me.’  

Her resolve found, Ochako looked out the window, a confident grin on her face. ‘Alright, U.A. Here I come. And I can’t let anything slow me down. No fears, no doubts. Nothing.’

-----

“Man, look at the little shrimp. What the hell was he thinking, rushing in like that?”

“I dunno, but it apparently paid off for him.”

“It’s bullshit, is what it is. Dude’s a Quirkless loser, and he’s being fuckin’ praised for stepping in like a moron? Fuck that. That should be one of us up there. Or literally anyone else.”

“...Well, nearly anyone else, anyway.”

From her position at the bag of the classroom, a shy, timid young girl looked up from her high school application form, swallowing nervously as she felt three sets of eyes staring at her scornfully. Brushing her long, brown hair out of her eyes, Kinoko Komori found herself swallowing nervously as she stared back at the three guys currently talking. “I-I-uh…Can I…help y-you?”

“Depends. Can you do anything with that shitty Quirk of yours other than make mushrooms?”

“I-uh…n-no,” Kinoko replied, quickly looking back down at her desk.

“Then no, you can’t fuckin’ do anything. You know what, guys, I take it back,” the leader said. “That Quirkless kid up there’s still a better pick than her. At least he did something. All she does is sit at the back there mumbling to herself like a fuckin’ creep. And she thinks she can be a hero with that stupid Quirk? Get a reality check, Komori.”

Kinoko bit her lip, holding back tears as her classmate verbally tore into her. “W-What are you t-talking about?”

The trio stared at her, the look of scorn slowly transitioning to confusion. “You’re…you’re joking right?” Kinoko shook her head. “Holy shit, you really don’t know,” the leader said, his eyes widening. “It’s only the biggest news of like…the decade, maybe?” He gestured over to the screen, where All Might could be viewed speaking in front of a crowd of reporters, U.A’s principal standing on his shoulder. “All Might, number one Hero? Probably best in the world. You at least know who he is, right?” When Kinoko nodded, he continued, his animosity shifting targets away from Kinoko towards the screen. “Yeah, so, turns out his Quirk's transferable, and he picked some Quirkless kid to get it from him, just because he stepped in to stop some other kid from getting splatted or some shit.”

Kinoko heard a few bitter grumbles from around her, and she surveyed her classmates closely. Most of them had jealous, angry looks on their faces, and Kinoko quickly shrank in on herself ‘Don’t draw any more attention to yourself, Kinoko. Just stay quiet and maybe they’ll forget you’re here.’ After a few seconds, she stared back up at the T.V, watching, an awestruck impression in her light brown eyes, carefully hidden behind her fringe. ‘He…really did all that? Without a Quirk? And he…he was going to try and get into U.A like that?’

Kinoko looked down at her application form, fidgeting nervously as she stared down at it. ‘If…if he was going to try, even without a Quirk, then maybe...maybe I can too. Maybe I can be brave like him.' Trembling nervously, Kinoko put pen to paper and wrote down ‘U.A High School’ in the number one spot on her application form.

-----

“Did you know?”

David Shield looked up from his work, to find his daughter standing over him, her face radiating multiple conflicting emotions. Anger, disappointment, betrayal, and slowly overwhelming all of them, devastated sadness.

“Know? Melissa, I have no idea what you’re talking about?”

Melissa Shield looked down at him, and David could spot a few tears welling up in her bright blue eyes. “About Uncle Might? About his Quirk?”

David blinked a few times, a quizzical expression on his face. The few traces of anger on his daughter’s face faded, and she rushed in, wrapping her arms around David tightly.

“Uncle…Uncle Might’s Quirk,” she said, between wracked sobs. “It’s…it’s transferable.”

‘It's what?’ David thought incredulously. ‘There’s never been any proof of a transferable Quirk before. That’s…that’s impossible. There’s so many potential ramifications. So many tests I could run on…no, David. Focus. Crying daughter. More important right now.’

“Transferable?” he asked, testing the waters slightly. ‘Toshi…what have you done this time?’

“Y-Yeah, it...it can be transferred from one person to another, apparently. It was all over the news.” A trace of annoyance showed on Melissa’s face, and she put her own feelings aside for the brief instant it took to scold her father. “Papa, when did you last take a break?”

“Sorry, ‘Lissa,” David said, rubbing the back of his head and laughing awkwardly. “I was trying to work on something for Toshi, to help him with his Quirk, but, well…I hit a bit of a snag.”

Melissa’s mouth thinned, and she crossed her arms slightly, tears spilling down her cheeks at the mention of All Might’s name. ‘What exactly happened to make her like this? She loves Toshi.’

“Melissa-” David began, before his daughter cut him off once more.

“Is…is there something wrong with me?” she asked, looking down at the floor as tears fell freely. “He…Uncle Might. His Quirk can be transferred from one person to another. He’s been…he’s been looking for a successor for years now, somebody he felt was good enough to succeed him. And…yesterday he found someone to give it to.”

David’s brows furrowed, and he frowned as realisation slowly dawned on him. ‘I see. So that’s what this is about.’

Melissa continued, pulling herself into her father’s chest and sobbing into his shoulder. “H-He ch-chose somebody else who’s Quirkless. S-So I know it’s not that. So…what was wrong with me? B-Being a hero like Uncle Might was…well, it was something I used to dream of. Was…Was I just not good enough for him?”

David embraced his daughter, squeezing her tighter than he ever had. “Honey…I’m sure Toshi thought he had a good reason for not giving it to you. You stopped being interested in being a hero years ago, remember? Maybe he just didn’t want to force you into it.”

“It’s…it’s not just that,” Melissa said as she wiped away her tears. “I…I could have had a Quirk, Papa. All this time, Uncle Might could have given me a Quirk, made me…made me just like everyone else. And he didn’t. And…I don’t know what to think about it anymore. I’m…I’m happy doing what I’m doing, please don’t get me wrong. But…I just can’t help but wonder if there’s something more I could have done. To prove myself to him, to be helping people directly too.”

And now, understanding dawned on David’s face, as he realised what Melissa’s real problem was. “I…I’m sorry, ‘Lissa. Neither of us realised how much not having a Quirk affected you.”

Melissa looked up at him, and her eyes flashed with annoyance. “Papa, having a Quirk meant everything to me. It didn’t even have to be a particularly impressive one, as long as it was there. I thought I was okay without one, but…knowing that Uncle Might could have fixed it at any point? That changes things. And now he never will. That was my last chance to fit in, and it’s gone.”

David bit his lip, running over his response carefully. “I…Melissa, I could always try talking to-”

“No!” Melissa responded firmly, her blue eyes shining with an icy determination. “Please, don’t do that. Like I said, Uncle Might’s successor, he’s Quirkless too. I…I couldn’t take that from him. I’d never be able to live with myself knowing that making myself fit in came from literally taking the opportunity from someone else who needs it just as much. Please don’t try to talk to him about that.”

David nodded, stroking a hand through his daughter’s blonde hair. “Of course, darling. Whatever you need. Can…Can I do anything to help?”

Melissa looked up at him. “I think…I think I want to meet him. His successor, I mean. I haven’t met many Quirkless people, and…even if he’s going to have one soon, it’d be nice to talk to somebody who gets it. So…can you talk to Uncle Might about that for me? I…I don’t think I want to see him right now.” 

David’s heart broke at the look on Melissa’s face. “Sure thing, sweetheart. I’ll call Toshi later today and have a word with him. See if you and the kid can meet up, or talk over the phone or something. What’s his name, actually? I should probably learn it if I’m going to talk to Toshi about him.”

Melissa wiped away the last remnant of her tears, a soft smile on her face again. “His name’s Izuku. Izuku Midoriya.”

-----

“HEYYYY! KOICHI! KOICHIIIIII!”

Koichi’s eyes snapped open, and he pulled himself off the bed he had been taking a nap in. Looking over to the source of the noise, he pulled himself over to the door, opening it, focusing his large brown eyes on his oldest friend as she stormed into his bedroom

“Jeez. I was knocking for like…5 minutes. Don’t you know it’s rude to keep a lady waiting?”

“Haha, yeah,” Koichi laughed anxiously as his girlfriend glowered down at him. “Sorry about that Kazuho. I-uh…I was having a bit of a sleep-in. I was out pretty late last night.

Kazuho shook her head, her pink bunches waving slightly as she smiled softly at him. “Wild night out with Ingenium, huh?”

“Something like that,” Koichi said, rubbing the back of his head nervously. “Anyway, what’s up? I thought you were supposed to be out patrolling right now?”

“Ehh, it was pretty quiet out there, so Uwabami told me to take the day off. Got a performance coming up, so I wanna make sure I’m ready to go. Which reminds me,” she said, jabbing Koichi’s chest with her finger. “You missed my last concert, Koichi.”

“I…yeah, sorry Kazu. Ingenium called me in for a sudden patrol.”

Kazuho pouted up at him, crossing her arms in mock annoyance. “Fine, I suppose I’ll forgive you, this time. But you’d better show up to my next one. You know I perform better when you’re there!”

“Yeah, I know. I'll be there." Koichi smiled down at her, patting her affectionately on the head. "So," he asked, seemingly oblivious to the way she leant into his tough. "What happened that made you need to burst in like that?"

“You mean you didn’t hear? It’s all anyone’s talking about. Uwabami was having conniptions trying to arrange a meeting with the kid.”

‘Kid?’ Koichi thought, before the events of the last few days popped into his sleep-addled brain. “Right, the thing with All Might, you mean? And that green kid. What’s his name again?”

“Izuku,” Kazuho exclaimed, practically jumping up and down with excitement. “Izuku Midoriya! I couldn’t believe it when I heard about it. They just finished the conference.”

“Oh?” Koichi said, tilting his head slightly. “Anything interesting?”

“Not a lot we didn’t already know, I guess. But it was cool to see it said on the record.”

“Yeah, I can imagine. The kid must be pretty happy. Takes a lot of nerve to run in like he did.”

“Yeah,” Kazuho said fondly, gazing up at Koichi. “Just some dumb kid, trying his best to help someone, even if he really shouldn’t be. I wonder why you relate so much, huh?”

Koichi laughed, running a hand through his short-cropped brown hair. “Yeah, I suppose that makes sense. Reminds you of me, huh?”

“You know it,” Kazuho responded. “You reckon we should give the kid a few pointers on how to do the whole ‘vigilante’ thing the proper way?”

Koichi shook his head. “Real subtle, Kazu. But you can't hide anything from these eyes. I’ll ask Ingenium if he knows a way to get in touch with him for you. Never hurts to make the boss happy, huh?”

Kazuho jumped up and down again, crushing Koichi in her tight grip. “YESSSSS! Thanks Ichi! You really are number one, you know that? Let me know what Ingenium says, okay?” She let go, bouncing out of the room, using her quirk to gain a little extra height.

Koichi laughed, looking out the window, taking in what, to Koichi, was a beautiful view of Naruhata in front of him. “Izuku Midoriya, huh? Good for him. Seems like a brave kid. Lotta pressure though. I hope he’s up to it. I bet a lot of kids his age are pretty mad he got chosen instead of them though.”

-----

To say that the last few days had been somewhat trying for Katsuki Bakugou would be an insult to the concept of bad days. The last few days had been disastrous for him. Bakugou snarled as he sat in an uncomfortable chair in his classroom. First, there were the events of two days ago, where Deku had ruined Katsuki’s grand declaration by daring to want to attend U.A alongside him. As if that worthless, Quirkless loser could ever stand next to someone as powerful as him. ‘Of course, I thought I’d shown the nerd where he belonged,’ Bakugou thought venomously. ‘Guess I didn’t fucking try hard enough.’

Then, there had been the events surrounding the Sludge Villain. Katsuki shuddered as he remembered the feeling of slime pouring down his throat, the feeling of being crushed under the sheer mass of gelatinous ooze swarming over his body. And then, he happened.

Deku.

That damn fucking nerd had ruined things for Katsuki, as always. Instead of bursting out with a grand show of force, or holding back a villain so strong that only All Might himself could take it down, Deku had been the first to charge in, putting himself in Katsuki’s way again. And why?

‘Kacchan, I couldn’t just stand there and watch you die!’

Deku thought he needed help . Just like back when they were kids. That damn, useless bastard had been the one to step in and save him. ‘Tch,’ Bakugou thought. ‘Damn nerd didn’t do a fuckin’ thing. He bought me a second before the real hero got involved, that’s all.’

And if that had been the end of the story, that would have been fine. A small stumble on Katsuki’s route to becoming Number One. A minor setback, fitting for a worthless pebble like Deku.

But that hadn’t been the end of it.

Katsuki’s fists closed, veins throbbing from the tight grip, and he felt sparks begin to pop in his palms as he glared in manic fury at the now silent TV, teeth grinding angrily. The next day, Katsuki had woken up to the news that All Might had been looking for a successor.

All Might. The Hero. The one that every kid looked up to and wanted to be like.

Was looking for a successor.

And he had chosen Deku.

‘WHY?’ Katsuki had screamed to himself. ‘WHAT DOES THAT FUCKING WORTHLESS NOBODY HAVE THAT I DON’T?’

Katsuki replayed the events of two days ago in his mind, over and over. ‘If Deku hadn’t been there. If he hadn’t stepped in and ruined EVERYTHING.

Then All Might would have chosen me. He would have seen how amazing I am for fighting that bastard off until he got there, and then chosen me to succeed him.

Instead…Deku ruined it. Just like he ruins everything.’

And somehow. That still hadn’t been the worst of it. No, the worst of it had come when Katsuki had returned to school, and how Aldera had changed practically overnight. He was still regarded as powerful, sure. But all of a sudden, he was no longer the overwhelming, unstoppable force he had been. Now, he was frail. Vulnerable. Weak.

Worthless.

And now? Now, Deku was the one everyone was talking about, in hushed whispers that mocked Katsuki everywhere he went.

“There’s no way it’s true, right?”

“But then, where is he?”

“Oh man, is Deku about to become like…the next top Hero or something?”

“You know…he’s actually kinda cute, in like, a…noodly sort of way.”

“I guess it was pretty cool of him to step in and rescue Bakugou like that.”

“Yeah, especially when you consider what happened between them yesterday.”

The whole damn day had been like that, as the mutters seemingly grew louder and louder, growing in intensity as soon as people realised that Deku wasn’t coming in that day, lending further credence to the rumours.

And then, there was the conference. The. Damn. Fucking. Conference. Even before it started, things were going wrong for Katsuki, with his homeroom teacher walking in, looking almost shell-shocked, and clearing his throat. 

“I just have one announcement to make, before we sit down to watch All Might’s press conference,” he had said, sounding completely absent. “While I don’t know the full specifics, Midoriya’s mother has pulled him out of the Aldera School system for her son's safety.”

Katsuki’s face had burned with humiliation at that, and he glared down at his desk as the room broke out into whispers around him. ‘He ran from me. He fucking ran away, thinking I couldn’t handle myself. As if that damned Deku being here was going to put us all in danger.’

And then, the conference had begun, and Katsuki’s conga line of humiliation had grown into a full-blown ticker-tape parade. First, All Might confirmed his Quirk was transferable, and he had decided to give it to Deku. Not Katsuki. Not even someone with an actual Quirk. But he decided to give it to Deku . Then, he learned that Deku was going to become stronger than All Might. Not through any hard work, or skill, or show of strength. He was just going to be given that power. All of a sudden, someone who had been a worthless pebble for Katsuki’s entire life started transforming into a seemingly-insurmountable mountain. 

And Katsuki hated it. He felt his grip over his self-control grow looser and looser as the conference drew on, as he was assaulted with revelation after revelation. Where his classmates looked similarly stunned, with a few looking jealous, and more than a handful apprehensive, Katsuki grew closer and closer to uncontrollable fury. What the fuck does he mean, acting in spite of fear? Fear’s for idiots who don’t get how the real world works.’

Then, came what was probably the biggest blow to Katsuki’s worldview he’d ever experienced. All Might used to be Quirkless. All Might used to be Quirkless. Japan’s top Hero had once been a weak, Quirkless loser. Just like Deku was now. 

The next thing Katsuki knew, smoke was wafting from his palms, and his desk lay in splinters, shattered along with his worldview. Glaring bloody murder at anyone who tried to say anything, Katsuki sat back down in front of the broken remnants of his desk. Then the teacher spoke up, and said something that made Bakugou’s blood boil. 

“Well, since Midoriya’s not going to be in anymore, you’ll have to take his desk, Bakugou.”

The teacher tried to make him sit in Deku’s spot. Katsuki stayed in his seat and crossed his arms defiantly, staring daggers at the teacher over the ruined splinters of his desk, daring anyone to comment further. After a few seconds of silence, the teacher sighed, turning his back on Katsuki and watching the rest of All Might's announcement.

Katsuki glowered at the screen, grinding his teeth together as he felt his future erode from under him. And then, because the world wasn’t done ruining his entire life yet, came the last straw. One final kick in the pants, one last humiliation it had to throw his way, and Katsuki snapped. 

Deku was taking U.A’s recommendation exams. As soon as that statement left the rodent's mouth, Katsuki felt his perfectly crafted backstory shatter into pieces, and with it, the last, lingering thread of his self-control. Before he knew what he was doing, Katsuki was out the door, storming down the hallways and out of Aldera Junior High, moving at top-speed towards Deku’s apartment.

Chapter Text

“Like Young Midoriya, I wasn’t born with a Quirk, and only obtained one after inheriting the awesome power of One for All.”

With the press of a button, the recording paused, and the room's five occupants stared over in abject disgust at the static image of All Might staring down at them. At the head of the table, a tall, middle-aged man leant back in his chair, glowering at All Might, as a series of dark splotches slowly spread across his face. 

“Was he lying?” The man asked, dark eyes scanning his compatriots. “Curious, thoughts? Could All Might have been lying to protect the throwback?”

The aforementioned Curious swivelled her chair, grabbing the remote and rewinding, her long, blue fingers fiddling with the remote as she watched the playback of All Might carefully. “I think he’s sincere, Lord Re-Destro. After that debacle of a conference, I watched some of All Might’s previous press footage, and recognised none of his usual tells.”

Re-Destro took a deep, steadying breath, as the markings spread further across his face. “So the statements he made to you during that conference were accurate, you believe? All Might, Japan’s representative when it comes to our Meta Abilities, is just another remnant of a bygone era?”

“I believe so, Lord Re-Destro,” Curious replied in a furious tone, her pitch-black eyes narrowed towards the image of All Might.

*WHAM*

Turning towards the noise, Re-Destro saw that one of the other occupants had slammed a fist onto the table, a pair of gleaming blue eyes glowing with fury from inside a blue, fur-lined parka. “And he’s just announced his desire to give his Meta Ability to another one of his kind. Lord Re-Destro, this…this INSULT cannot be allowed to stand!”

Re-Destro held up a hand to silence the man, speaking in a deceptively calm tone of voice. “At ease, Geten. I agree with you, of course. This disgrace to Meta Abilities cannot be allowed to stand. They make us who we are, allow each and every one of us to define ourselves in this society of Metahumans. The idea that Meta Abilities can be transferred like this is…unconscionable. I would be willing to overlook this travesty if it were used on the worthy, but, if Curious’ questioning was accurate, the last few holders of this One for All have been blinded by this false sense of equality between Metas and Non-Metas, like All Might and this…Midoriya. And now he has it,” Re-Destro spat furiously, an extra helping of venom as Midoriya’s name left his lips, “he’s going to pick more Non-Metas to hold this power, until the most powerful Meta Ability in existence will always be in the hands of those who were born without one.” The markings spread further and further across Re-Destro’s face, until the vast majority of his face was covered in a mass of dark, bruise-like markings.

“Can I kill him?” Geten asked, his voice low and furious.

The markings faded as Re-Destro took a deep breath in, and when he next spoke, he had regained some measure of control over himself. “Not yet,” he replied, silencing Geten with a look, before he could speak up in protest. “Eventually, yes, you may dispose of him however you see fit. But for the moment, I believe we can use him to our advantage.”

One of the two remaining occupants spoke up for the first time, peering over at Re-Destro from behind the rim of his purple glasses, toying with a single strand of black hair that hung over his face. “And how do you want the Hearts & Minds party to respond, Lord Re-Destro? Shall we stand in opposition to the child? Or stay our hand until the time is right?”

Turning towards his comrade, Re-Destro shook his head. “This requires a careful hand, Trumpet. We must be careful with how Midoriya is handled. Skeptic,” he said, turning towards the last member of the table, who looked up from his laptop when his name was called, a pair of dull grey eyes peeking out from behind an overly-long black fringe. “Start some online chatter about the child, from new locations this time. We cannot risk this being connected with any of our other dealings. The Meta Liberation Army is not yet ready to deal with All Might.”

“As you command, Lord Re-Destro,” Skeptic said dutifully. “What would you like the message to be?”

“I want you to spread anything you can find about Izuku Midoriya. History of bullying, signs of aggression, lower intelligence, any kind of behaviour that can be used to make people doubt him.

Try emphasising the danger of developing a Meta Ability so late in life, especially one as powerful as All Might’s. People scare easily, and if we can make them believe that Izuku Midoriya will be a danger to himself or people around him, public outcry may force All Might to reconsider his actions. Consider the power to change the weather in the hands of something like a monkey, for example. And make sure that any discussions come across as concern, instead of active hostility. The boy will hopefully have enough of that in the coming months.”

“Once that narrative has been established,” Re-Destro continued, turning towards Trumpet, “then, and only then, can the Hearts & Minds Party start discussing it. Make sure the public is aware these thoughts did not come from you. Skeptic, make sure Curious’ questioning goes viral as well. She laid a solid groundwork for the danger Midoriya could possess, so play on that. Focus on the idea that One for All would be better in the hands of somebody who already possesses a Meta Ability.”

“Yes, Lord Re-Destro,” Trumpet and Skeptic echoed, in unison, and they both began pulling out various devices, tapping away, planning intensely. Curious spoke up now, a hint of, well, curiosity in her tone. “What about you, Lord Re-Destro. You said ‘not yet’ to Geten’s desire to eliminate the boy. What do you have planned for him?”

Re-Destro grinned, a shrewd, calculating, expression on his face. “That’s quite simple, my dear Curious. Two days ago, Izuku Midoriya was a nobody. Another relic of an inferior version of humanity. Now? Now he’s rapidly becoming a household name, elevated to the upper echelons of society. All because of ‘his’ Meta Ability. Living proof of the idea that Meta Abilities define us and our value to society. We can use that. Behind the scenes, I wish to foster resentment and doubt towards the brat, of course. Publicly, however, we need to make him…amenable to our way of thinking, and ensure that the public knows everything special about him comes from what he has been given.”

“And when that’s done?” Geten asked eagerly.

“Then?” Re-Destro responded, the calculating smile growing cruel and sadistic. “Then, we tear his world out from underneath him and give his quirk to one more deserving of it. After that…well, the boy will have served his purpose. What you do to him is of no consequence to me.”

-----

‘What is it that makes someone a hero, huh?’ A long, dried-out tongue ran along a pair of scarred, worn lips, a sadistic grin on its owner's face. ‘The desire to do good, not out of any want for money and fame.’ Manic laughter spilled from the man’s lips as he stood on the rooftop, eyeing a brightly coloured figure below him, his vision narrowing. ‘I knew it. I knew I was right. Even All Might himself agrees with me.’

Chizome Akaguro leapt down from the rooftops, landing behind the costumed woman, knife drawn, and he crept up behind her, a quick cut on the Hero’s arm sealing her fate. “Pro Hero Shaddoll. Quirk: Psychokinesis. Can control certain objects with movements of her fingers. Not much good for you if you can’t move, is it?” Chizome’s tongue dragged along the end of the knife, swallowing a single drop of blood.

And with that, Shaddoll’s fate was sealed, and she fell, paralysed in place, staring up at Chizome, terror in her eyes.

“Y-You’re…”

“I am judge, jury and executioner. Here to redeem the name of Hero from pretenders like you.”

“B-But…you c-can’t…why can’t I-”

“For the sake of his future, you must perish here, and hope something better will bloom from your remains.”

“His? Who the hell are you-”

Chizome pulled the long, jagged katana out from its scabbard, holding it to Shaddoll’s throat. “The Successor,” he replied, a look of deranged reverence in his eyes. “If he is to inherit All Might’s mantle, there must still be a Hero system when the time comes for him to claim it. Scum like you put that at risk. Since the rest of the world is unwilling to do what needs to be done, I shall take matters into my own hands. Goodbye, Shaddoll. May your death bring about a better society for all.”

The blade fell, and with it, so did Shaddoll, the life leaving her eyes as rapidly as the blood flooding out of her slit throat. Chizome stared down at her corpse for a second, ignoring the crimson liquid pooling around his feet, before shaking his head and disappearing into the evening twilight.

-----

A young man sat back on his barstool, a hate-filled glare occupying his face as he scowled over at the T.V screen. “All Might!” He spat, venom dripping from every word before a relaxed, calming tone spoke from behind the bar, a pair of yellow eyes narrowing at him slightly.

“Calm yourself, Tomura Shigaraki,” the voice said, black smoke billowing out around the eyes as they fixed their gaze on Tomura. “I know Sensei has deep pockets, but even so, we can only afford to replace our equipment so many times.”

Tomura scratched his neck, tearing open barely-healed scars as he snarled over at the screen. “Listen to him, Kurogiri,” he said, a hint of a high-pitched whine seeping in as he shot back at the bartender, “standing up there, spreading his arrogant ideas to the rest of the world like he’s some miracle cure instead of just another failure. It just makes me wanna-” the scratching stopped alongside Tomura’s harsh, rasping voice, as his eyes snapped over to a nearby barstool. Kurogiri moved a second too slowly, the black, misty portal appearing in front of Tomura just after all five fingers made contact with the barstool, which flew across the room, dissolving into dust the instant before it made contact with the T.V. Tomura snapped, whirling his furious gaze over to Kurogiri. “Kurogiri, what do you think you’re doing, trying to stop me? Sensei said if something makes me mad, I can destroy it. So why are you griefing me like that?”

“I understand your feelings, Tomura Shigaraki,” Kurogiri replied as he dug deep into what little remained of his near-endless patience. “However, we must not be hasty. All Might’s time will come, alongside his new protege.”

Then, a screen in the corner flickered to life, and a new voice spoke from it, both Kurogiri and Tomura turning to face it. “Kurogiri is correct. The blonde fool’s time is approaching, as well as his apprentice.”

Tomura stared at the T.V in reverence, his earlier tantrum forgotten. “Sensei! You made it! And you’ve heard about the news, it seems.”

The voice on the other end chuckled. “I have indeed. It never hurts to be kept apprised of your enemy’s movements, Tomura. A lesson I am pleased to see you are learning. How like that oaf, too, being recorded like that. It would be almost funny if it wasn’t so pathetic.”

“I can have him right, Sensei? The kid? Midoriya? I can kill him, right in front of All Might? Watch as his hope crumbles to dust in front of him, like everyone he’s ever failed to save.” Tomura leant forward on his stool as he ranted, manic excitement shining in his eyes. “I must be ready by now, right, Sensei? The kid’s just logged in for the first time, while I’m already on a New Game+. There’s no way he can match me.”

“Patience, Tomura,” Sensei said, chuckling slightly at his own ward’s deranged glee. “We could kill him easily, I admit. But what would doing so actually accomplish? All Might would still have One for All, and now he’d know we existed. What's more, killing the boy now would draw All Might's ire onto us, and given how the fool still thinks he killed me, I would like to avoid that wherever possible.

No, Tomura, our time would be better spent monitoring the child for any sign of weakness. Killing him would be immensely satisfying, true, but that satisfaction would prove fleeting. Speaking from experience, Tomura, there are far more satisfying ways to hurt All Might than by killing his loved ones, especially if you are willing to be…creative.”

“Creative? I don’t understand, Sensei.”

“That’s alright, Tomura. You’re learning, after all. Let’s consider this a thought exercise for now. A chance for you to develop your skills. Why would we not simply kill the Midoriya child now?”

Tomura leant back against the bar, tapping a finger on its surface as he stared up to the ceiling, mind lost in thought. “Because…once All Might gives Midoriya One for All, we can kill both of them at once! All Might’s still too strong to kill now, but if we wait until he’s lost his power, then he’s an easy target. And, even with One for All, the boy should be easier to kill than All Might, since he doesn’t know what he’s doing.” Tomura’s eyes widened as the answer revealed itself to him, and he leant forward, a manic grin on his face. “And if we kill them both, then there’s no more Symbol of Peace propping up this worthless society of heroes. Kill them, and this whole stupid farce comes crashing to the ground.” Tomura turned towards the screen, eagerly awaiting his teacher’s praise. “Did I do it, Sensei? Am I right?”

There was a pause for a few seconds, before Sensei spoke, Tomura’s face flattening a little as he heard the unspoken rebuke in his teacher’s words. “That’s…not quite what I had in mind, Tomura,” he began, his displeasure masked by a dry tone. “But I suppose it’s a worthwhile start. You’re still too focussed on removing pieces from play all together, when there are far more entertaining fates that can await Izuku Midoriya than just killing him. Besides, even after passing One for All along, All Might will still have access to his own dwindling stockpile for a while longer. I’m afraid he will still be a formidable opponent.”

Tomura paused, thinking for a second, before he snapped his fingers together. “Of course! We turn the boy into one of our Noumu. Imagine the look of despair on All Might’s face when we take his hand-trained successor and turn him into one of our mindless monsters, hand-crafted to kill his former teacher!”

“Now that is a much better idea, Tomura,” Sensei replied warmly, his former disappointment all but gone. “Well done. Still not the perfect solution I had envisioned, but a definite improvement.”

“Then…what’s the answer, Sensei? If we aren’t killing him, and aren’t making him a Noumu, what do we do to him?”

“Let me ask you another question, Tomura. Which of these two scenarios would you say is worse? Taking a hopeful, intelligent, strong-willed young man with a bright future ahead of him, and forcibly turning him into a monster. Or-”

“Or convincing him to become one on his own,” Tomura breathed, as his Sensei’s true plan finally unveiled itself. “We need to recruit him. Make him see with his own eyes that this trash society doesn’t deserve to exist.”

“Precisely, Tomura,” Sensei beamed from the TV screen. “Well done. I knew you could do it if you applied yourself.”

“Except…Sensei, if the brat was chosen by All Might, then he’d never willingly side with us. He’s way too lawful good for that.”

“Never say never, Tomura. There’s a way around everything. And in this case, that way lies in the boy’s personal history. Izuku Midoriya grew up without a Quirk, in a society that is very, very unfriendly to those without one. I struggle to fathom him not resenting the world to some degree for the way he has doubtless been treated. Anger will be the key to corrupting the boy, channelling it to our ends and ensuring it stays pointed in the proper direction. 

With guidance, training, and, admittedly, some selective misinformation during the boy’s early days, I am sure Izuku Midoriya could be a powerful asset for you and your league. But first,” Sensei paused, allowing the tension to build up as his pupil stared at the screen. “He must obtain One for All. We will not truly know whether he has it or not until he starts attending U.A. Until then we wait, we watch, and most importantly, we plan.”

“...you’re right, Sensei,” Tomura said slowly as he pieced together the plan. “Let someone else help the brat with his level grinding, then we can reap all the rewards.” 

On the other end of the screen, the villain known only as All for One grinned to himself. ‘Well well well, you’ve made a rather foolish error, haven’t you, All Might? Other than leaving me alive, that is. And you’ve finally decided to pass my foolish brother's power on, too. I look forward to seeing how Izuku Midoriya matches up to my successor. Which will prove more powerful, the indomitable will of 9 generations of One for All, or the perfectly groomed hatred of Tomura Shigaraki?’ 

-----

Sayaka Tanaka leant back in her chair, All Might’s press conference playing on loop for the 15th time that day as she rubbed her temples, the inane suggestions and pointless mewlings of her fellow board members grating on both her ears and patience.

“And how, exactly,” one of the gentlemen surrounding her said accusingly, “did it escape our notice that All Might’s Quirk was transferable? Did he lie on his Quirk assessment form? Because if so, that’s grounds to have him arrested, and figure out how to take this One for All for ourselves.”

Sayaka looked over at the man scathingly, shaking her head. “That thought had already occurred to me, funnily enough. Unfortunately, All Might’s Quirk is listed as redacted, even to me. I can-.”

“And how the HELL did that happen?” another voice yelled at her from across the table. Sayaka met him with a stony glare, and her assailant quickly fell silent.

“My predecessor took it upon himself to seal the file, according to our records, at All Might’s personal request. I can file to have it unsealed, so we can learn the full details provided about One for All, and see if the method of transferral is included there. However, unsealing All Might’s file requires permission from the man himself, and I imagine he would fight us in court on that front, and even if they ruled in our favour, Izuku Midoriya would likely already be in possession of One for All by then.”

Sayaka swore internally as her fellow trustees fell silent, bemoaning her predecessor for allowing things to get to this point. ‘That man was head of the HPSC, and had nearly every Pro Hero in Japan at his beck and call, one way or another. Yet for some reason he kowtows to the one Hero who resisted his control, and seals his file.’

Sayaka shook her head as memories of the man’s untimely demise surfaced, the shot that ended his life still ringing in her ears.

“So, how do we get our hands on it? Can we take it from the kid somehow when he gets it?”

Sayaka shook her head reluctantly. “According to the background check I’ve had running on him, the kid's clean. His school’s staying silent about him, which is…suspicious, but otherwise, nothing major.”

The sole other woman in the room spoke up, glaring harshly at Sayaka. “So, what’s your plan on obtaining One for All for the HPSC? The kind of power All Might claims it possesses cannot be left in the hands of a free agent like it has been. Japan would be better served with it in the hands of a hero directly under our employ.” A few murmurs of assent met her declaration, and Sayaka strongly resisted the urge to roll her eyes. ‘What an enlightening idea,’ she thought sarcastically. ‘Truly, I never would have thought of it. I am so glad I have people like you helping me run this place.’

“Well,” one of the newer members began. “If we can’t take the Quirk directly, can we try taking the kid? Offer him an accelerated training program? Most kids would jump at that opportunity.” The murmurs grew a little louder and more supportive of this plan. Even Sayaka had to admit that it wasn’t a bad idea. She drummed her fingers on the table, the sound ringing out across the now silent room, as everyone waited for Sayaka’s opinion before forming a solid one of their own. ‘Cowards,’ Sayaka thought to herself, before dismissing the young man’s idea.

“I doubt that would work. All Might said the kid was going to try for U.A even without a Quirk. Someone who’s that hell-bent on getting in there probably won’t listen to any offers we make. Let’s call that a backup plan, for if nothing else works.”

“Well, what about conscription?” One of the older voices said. “If we claim special circumstances due to his Quirk, could we get our hands on him by force?”

“That could work,” Sayaka muttered approvingly. “It’s definitely worth workshopping further. There’s a few small problems I can spot already though. Nezu and All Might are in the boy’s corner. Any attempts to force him into service would be met with fierce opposition from them, especially taking his age into account. Then we’d still have to navigate the public response, not just to pressing a child into service, but to Izuku Midoriya in general. There’s already some very loud calls about a Quirkless child inheriting All Might’s power. Having him work for the HPSC would just draw their anger towards us.”

“Well, could we exploit those attitudes? Put public pressure on the kid to give up his claim to One for All?”

“It’s possible,” Sayaka admitted, before shaking her head dismissively. “But the people calling for Midoriya’s head are a vocal minority. Loud enough we need to take them into account, but not numerous enough to be worth relying on for support. And besides, publicly discriminating against the boy like that isn’t something we can be seen to be supporting, in any capacity.”

“Well,” a new voice said tentatively. “What if he just…disappeared?”

The rest of the room stiffened, eyes flickering over to the President. “Like I said,” she explained, a thin veneer of patience coating her words. “The boy has both Nezu and All Might in his corner. We make him disappear, and they will find out. And getting into a public fight with All Might and U.A is not a position we want to be in, even if we win.”

“Well what’s your idea then?” the woman from earlier shot at Sayaka. “Because so far you’ve shot down plenty of perfectly viable ideas, but haven’t offered anything yourself.”

“I’ve acknowledged maybe two half-decent concepts, and dismissed a load of rubbish, you mean,” Sayaka shot back, before sinking back into her chair, mulling over various plots and schemes in her head, each one more underhanded than the last. Eventually, frustration began to take over, and she mentally cursed her predecessor for putting them in this situation.

‘That old bastard knew about all this, and made sure we’d never find out. I guess he owed All Might a favour or something. But he’s made our lives a lot harder because of it. He definitely never told me about it, and I don’t think he ever actually shared anything with anyone else, or let them get close enough to find out on their own.

…

Unless…it’s a long shot. A very long shot. She probably knows nothing. But it’s worth at least looking into. She was basically his attack dog for several years, so he might have let something slip, or she saw something she wasn’t meant to.’

Sayaka leant forward, her decision made. “Here’s how we’re going to handle this. I want eyes on the kid 24/7. If he does anything we can use against him, and I mean anything, I want to know about it. Failing that, once he’s in the system, we’ll try and recruit him. Have Hawks try and get his hands on the kid once he starts U.A, see if he gives anything up. Until then, however, I’m going to go speak with Nagant. See if she can shed any light on this case.” The rest of the room stiffened at the mention of Nagant’s name, and Sayaka strode confidently out of the room, eyes blazing.

-----

The sound of the hard, plastic door sliding open alerted Kaina to her guest, and she opened her eyes, tilting her shaved head towards the door as much as possible, flinching as the thick, metal collar connecting her to the floor chafed against her neck. Seeing who had entered her cell, her eyes narrowed, and a thin smirk crossed her lips. 

“Well, this is a surprise. You’ll forgive me if I don’t get up. I’m a little incapacitated right now. Have been for years, no thanks to you.” Kaina tossed her head in the direction of her arms, as much as she was capable of in the solid leather binder holding them together towards the ceiling, far away from any potential visitors.

“I’m impressed you managed to maintain your sense of humour, Nagant. Especially given your situation. Most people probably would have broken long ago.”

“You and I both know I was broken long before I was sent here,” Kaina replied bitterly, dropping her eyes back down to the floor, staring at the same spot she had been before the president walked in.

“Yes, I believe we do. That’s why I’m here, actually. I thought you might be able to help me with a little problem I’ve been having.”

A faint glimmer of hope appeared in Kaina’s eyes, which she forcibly snuffed out. ‘Just don’t, Kaina. You know this isn’t going to go anywhere. Don’t let her get your hopes up. Good things don’t just happen. Not to people like you.”

“You see,” Tanaka continued, staring down at Nagant, forcibly knelt on the floor in front of her. “I’d like to pick my predecessor’s brains about some information he seems to have kept from the rest of the HPSC. Unfortunately, I can’t really do that. Hard to pick brains when they’ve been splattered all over the wall, after all.”

“And you think I’ll know something about this?” Nagant said, her voice hollow.

“There were only two people the old fool trusted enough to share anything with, and they’re both in this room,” Tanaka shot back, her face impassive. “I don’t know anything, so I thought maybe I could jog your memory somehow.”

The same glimmer of hope sparked again in Kaina’s eyes, this time slightly stronger, before she screwed them shut, desperately trying to will it out of existence. “If I had any information worth sharing, what would be in it for me?”

“Well, that depends on what you know, and how much you’re willing to share. Let’s start simple. Do you know anything about a little something called One for All?”

Kaina’s eyes shot open, as her head snapped up towards the President, a look of shock on her face. “Well, it seems that name does ring a bell,” Tanaka replied, a predatory grin on her face. “I believe we may be able to do business after all.” She strolled over, reaching down and lifting Kaina up by the chin, her grin growing spiteful as Kaina winced in pain. “Tell me, Lady Nagant. How would you like to leave this cell, and be a free woman again?”

Kaina’s eyes shot open at that, her vision growing misty and her voice cracking slightly as she remembered the last time she felt the outside world. “I…you…there’s no way you can-”

“Come now, Nagant, don’t play the fool. It doesn’t suit you. You and I both know I’m capable of letting you walk out of here a free woman if I wish it. The only question is, do you have anything worth your freedom?”

“...What do you want?”

“One for All. We know it can be transferred, but what we don’t know is how. Is there any light you could shed on this subject, Nagant?”

“...Possibly. But, why now? What’s changed? And how did you find out about One for All? That file should have been sealed.”

Tanaka smiled, and Kaina felt the grip on her chin tighten. “All Might chose someone to inherit his quirk. And very publicly, too. So we can’t just claim the child for ourselves as easily as we have done previously. But, if we can learn about how the quirk is transmitted, we can still obtain that power for ourselves, with or without the boy.”

Kaina flinched as memories of her time in the HPSC began playing on loop in her mind. Nights spent bathed in blood, either her own or her targets flashed through her mind as she considered the offer being dangled in front of her. ‘Can…Can I really do that to someone else? Subject another person to what they put me through? Trade my own freedom for someone else’s?

…

Don’t kid yourself Kaina. You know exactly what you are. And what you’re capable of. 

An opportunity like this? To be able to feel the sun on my back again, or my feet against the pavement, even just for a single day. To feel the cool breeze blow through my hair…assuming these bastards allow me to grow it back.

Yeah, I’ll do whatever I have to, if it means getting to see the outside world just one more time.’

Kaina dropped back to the floor as she was released from Tanaka’s iron grip, and she sighed in defeat, her voice flat and empty. “One for All requires consent from the person passing it along. The only way to get it is to make the current holder want to give it up. As long as All Might still has the Quirk, you’ll never be able to get it from him. And if he’s chosen a successor, then the kid's likely just as stubborn as All Might is.”

Kaina felt the president staring down at her, and she determinedly kept her gaze on the floor. “Your best legitimate threat would be an extended legal campaign against All Might, claiming a Quirk like his is too powerful to be left in the hands of a free agent. However, given All Might’s popularity and reputation, that is unlikely to succeed.”

“And if I were interested in less than legitimate means, Nagant?”

Kaina’s mind sharpened, long abandoned skills resurfacing as if she were still in the Commission’s employ. “Blackmail,” she said, after a few seconds' pause. “If you can find some dirt on the kid, you can control him that way. But he’ll need to be under constant surveillance for that to happen.”

Tanaka smiled, and all of a sudden, Kaina found her face pressed against the floor, her arms free for the first time in months. “Very good, Nagant. It’s nice to know you haven’t lost your touch. Hawks is too publicly known to use for this mission, but luckily for me, I happen to know a highly trained operative who nobody will miss.” Kaina felt her muscles scream in pain as she was hoisted off the ground, before a rough burlap sack was thrown over her head. “Come along, Lady Nagant. You have a new target, and it’s high time we put you back to work.”

Kaina felt herself dragged through the halls of Tartarus, crushing the twinge of guilt she felt mercilessly, before it grew too overwhelming. ‘Sorry, kid,’ she thought bitterly as she was roughly thrown into the boot of Tanaka’s personal vehicle. ‘But at the end of the day, it’s you or me.’

-----

“Unbelievable,” Kai Chisaki snarled towards the television as he watched All Might’s press conference. “It’s spreading. The sickness that is Quirks was bad enough already, but a transferable one? That’s too dangerous to be allowed to exist.”

Kai’s fists clenched angrily, and he glared up at the screen with golden eyes, a scowl hidden behind his long, bird-shaped mask. “This Quirk is the most horrifying thing I’ve ever witnessed. A plague that can spread its contagion at the desire of its holder, infecting the world around it with its very essence. It must be stopped before it can claim any more victims.”

Looking over at the footage of a green-haired child running headlong into danger, Kai shook his head in disappointment. “All Might was already a lost cause, but if I’d learned earlier, maybe I could have saved this child from his own delusions. He’s so blinded by this sad, sick world's obsession with quirks, that he’s willing to impurify himself.

“Still,” he paused the screen, looking over at the footage one last time. “The boy doesn’t have it yet. And he can hardly be blamed for his foolishness. He is just a child, after all. I suppose he isn’t beyond saving quite yet, even from himself, if need be.” With that declaration, Kai Chisaki stood up from his chair, staring down at the image of Izuku Midoriya with a cold, implacable determination. “I promise you, even if I fail to save you, I will make sure that One for All never manages to harm another living soul.” 

Kai turned towards his assistant, a pair of white surgical gloves sliding off his hands and into the pocket of his dark green jacket. “Chronostasis, fetch me Eri,” Overhaul demanded, as he strode across to his laboratory, determination in every step. “We need to speed up testing and production. Our hand has been forced, and we have even less time to finish the procedure than we thought.”

-----

Izuku was hurriedly loading boxes with his mother and Detective Tsukauchi when it happened. The pair had left him alone for just a moment, boxes in hand as they loaded the truck, when a hand grabbed him, and pulled him roughly into a nearby alley. Turning around, Izuku stared into a pair of blood-red eyes, narrowed venomously as a snarl left the throat of his long-time tormentor. 

“Deku.”

“H-Hey…Kacchan. I-uh…are…are you o-okay?”

“Do you have any idea what you’ve done to me?” Bakugou said, his voice low and dangerous.

“I-uh…I s-saved you from the-”

*BOOM*

A small explosion went off next to Izuku’s head, and he flinched reflexively, his ears ringing.

“You. Ruined. Everything.”

“I-uh…how did I-”

*BOOM*

Another explosion.

“You don’t get to talk right now, Deku,” Bakugou hissed, a hand gripping Izuku’s neck slightly, shoving him against the wall, spare hand held up to his face, sparks popping dangerously. “You ruined everything. I was supposed to be the only person from that shithole of a school to make it into U.A.”

“B-But Kacchan, y-you w-will be the only-”

Izuku felt himself cut off as Bakugou slammed him into the wall. “You think anyone’s going to fucking care about me graduating from there after this? You’re only leaving to save your fucking skin. The school, the history books, they’re all going to talk about how you went there too. I spent years working on crafting the perfect backstory, and now it’s up in flames. All because you refused to know your place and stay the worthless pebble you are.”

Izuku flinched as the sparks intensified for a brief second, and Bakugou’s fury died down for a second, replaced with a look of eerie calm. “Give it to me.”

“W-What?”

“One for All. You don’t deserve it. Give it to me.”

Izuku’s jaw dropped, stunned by Bakugou’s demand.

“K-Kacchan, I c-can’t-”

“Deku,” Bakugou said, his flat voice forcing Izuku into terrified silence. “If you don’t give it to me, right. Fucking. Now. I’m going to kill you. Nod if you understand me.”

“I c-can’t give it to you, Kacchan.”

“Why the fuck not?”

“...I d-don’t have it yet.” Izuku screwed his eyes shut, gathering as much of his courage as he could muster. “And…and even if I did…I…IWOULDN’TGIVEITTOYOU!”

Bakugou’s free hand dropped to one side, and he stepped back, a look of stunned fury on his face. “Deku…you bastard! ”

The two stared at one another silently for a few seconds, before Bakugou’s eyes widened, his usual arrogant smirk appearing. He relaxed his grip on Izuku’s neck, arms dropping by his sides, as he shook his head slightly. “Whatever. It’s not like any of this matters anyway. You don't even have One for All yet. I don’t have anything to worry about.”

“W-What do y-you mean, Kacchan?”

“What I mean is, this is just a temporary setback on my journey to become the best.” He turned away, fragile confidence slowly being pieced back together. “Enjoy your 15 minutes of fame, Deku,” he called over his shoulder. “Because eventually, All Might will realise just how worthless you really are, and he’ll start looking for a successor who actually deserves his power. And then he’s going to find me.” And with that, Izuku watched Bakugou walk away, his confidence restored.

Izuku silently made his way over to the moving truck, now fully loaded, and stared out the window for the entire journey, watching everything he’d ever known fade off into the distance, his mind buzzing the entire time.

‘Maybe Kacchan’s right. I’ve been a worthless ‘Deku’ my whole life. What if All Might starts thinking the same? What happens if he changes his mind about me? What do I do then?

…

I can’t let that happen to me. I have to prove myself worthy of All Might’s power. Whatever it takes, I need to do this. I can’t go back to just being Deku. Not again.’

Chapter Text

“That’s…a lot of reporters,” Inko said as she stared out the tinted windows of their nondescript moving truck, Detective Tsukauchi discreetly pulling the three of them into a side-alley.

“Yeah, the misdirection didn’t work out like they’d hoped,” Tsukauchi responded. Seeing the look of concern on Inko’s face, he hastily reassured her, saying, “they still don’t know for certain where you’re both being held, but this is one of the most likely locations. Press’ll probably be hanging around Might Agency for a week or two.” Tsukauchi shook his head in frustration. “Damn nuisance is what it is. But, nothing we can really do about it. The lower floors of Might Tower are open to the public, so we can’t stop them, sadly.”

Tsukauchi stopped the truck in front of a plain looking garage door, and pressed a button on his phone. With the slow creaking of an entrance that hadn’t been used in a very long time, the door rose, and Tsukauchi carefully pulled the three of them into one of Might Tower’s back entrances. “Small mercy, I know, but at least none of them managed to spot us. Are you doing okay, Izuku?” Tsukauchi asked, his eyes flicking up to the rear-view mirror, a grin forming as he saw Izuku’s face pressed against the window, smiling hugely. Tsukauchi let out a small sigh of relief. The kid had been pretty subdued on the journey over, but it seemed that the chance to see All Might’s agency in person was overriding everything else.

In spite of her own nerves, Inko let loose a small chuckle at her son's obvious excitement. “It seems like he’s handling it better than I am, honestly.” Inko slowly pulled herself out of the vehicle, spine cracking slightly from the long trip. Looking around the shoddy garage, Inko couldn’t help but feel somewhat underwhelmed. ‘Given he’s the number one Hero, I was honestly expecting a bit…more. I know it’s only his garage, but look at this. It’s so dirty. Has anyone even been here in the last few years? And that’s before looking at what’s in here. Oh, I do hope Izuku won’t find any of this too upsetting. I mean, there’s no pole to slide down or an All Might supercomputer. Not even a Might-mobile. I still remember him daydreaming about riding shotgun with All Might when he was a kid.’

Inko was pulled out of her thoughts by a loud shout of joy, and, as she turned to face her son, she stopped dead as her eyes took in what had to be the ugliest car she’d ever seen. ‘I suppose the yellow makes sense,’ she thought in a failed attempt at charity, ‘it is his colour scheme, after all. But it’s just so ugly. And the All Might hood ornament is a little…tacky.’ Inko walked around the car, taking in every inch of it, from the two front doors to the zero back ones, from the comically long hood to the oversized boot. ‘Wow,’ she thought as she walked around the gigantic trunk, ‘I think this thing might have a larger backside than I do.’

“OH MY GOD IT’S THE MIGHT-MOBILE,” Izuku yelled, eyes shining with delight.

‘I’m sorry, this is the Might-Mobile? But…But it’s so ugly? I swear, I’ll never understand rich people. Although…this would explain why he prefers to jump everywhere. ’

Tsukauchi couldn’t help but laugh at the look of bewilderment and disgust on Inko’s face, and he shook his head lightly. “Hideous, isn’t it? I never understood why Toshi insisted on this old thing, but he always said ‘Masa, the AMC Pacer is a classic piece of Americana’ or something like that,” Tsukauchi responded, displaying what Inko felt was a passable imitation of All Might. “Come on, we should get you two secured ASAP. I’ll have someone fetch your belongings later.”

Still staring at the car in horror, Inko blindly reached out, grasping Izuku’s shoulder, practically dragging him away from the crime against the automotive industry. Izuku pouted slightly, but allowed himself to be dragged away, settling for scanning the room eagerly, examining every piece of All Might’s history tucked away in the garage.

“HOLY WHOA! MOM, LOOK, IT’S THE AIR MIGHT! I thought it crashed and burned during the Woodstick Incident. They must have patched it up!” Inko reluctantly looked over at what she expected to be another terrifying mode of transport for All Might. Needless to say, she was not disappointed as she stared in rising horror at a deflated hot air balloon draped carelessly over its basket, a lone, soulless eye staring out at the pair of them from the shadows. Inko shuddered to herself, quickly leading both her and Izuku away from the terrifying dirigible.

What felt like a picosecond later, Izuku was gone, Inko looking around for him wildly, before his yell of, “HEY MOM,” alerted her to his location. Inko tracked the voice expertly, assisted by the loud yelling of, “MOM, I FOUND THE SUB-MIGHT-RINE! THIS HASN’T BEEN SEEN SINCE THE FIGHT WITH THADDEUS JOYCE! I THOUGHT IT WAS DECOMMISSIONED!”

Swiftly moving up behind her son, Inko placed him in a firmer grip. “Come on, Izuku. Detective Tsukauchi wants to get us to safety as soon as possible. I’m sure All Might would love to show you around some-JESUS CHRIST WHAT IS THAT?”

-----

“JESUS CHRIST WHAT IS THAT?”

As soon as Tsukauchi heard the scream ring out through the desolate garage, he whirled around, sprinting over to them, hand reaching into his holster. As soon as he reached the Midoriyas, he let out a deep sigh of relief, relaxing the tight grip on his sidearm as he saw what had scared Inko so.

Towering over the three of them was a gigantic, yellow submarine, its narrow, cigar-like shape mostly covered by a tarpaulin. Poking out from under the cover was a gigantic, terrifying grin as a distorted version of All Might’s face had been painted onto the front of the submarine. A pair of dead, lifeless eyes stared down at the three of them as Inko clutched her heart with one hand, the other one pulling her son protectively behind her. Izuku had reached out from behind his mothers protective cover, running a hand reverentially over the hull of the submarine, gazing up at it with wonder in his eyes. Tsukauchi approached, resting a supportive hand on Inko’s shoulder. “Are you alright, Ma’am?” he asked, gently leading them both away from the submarine. Inko nodded silently, turning her head and staring in horror at the grinning face looming over her. “Y-Yeah, I just…I think if I take my eyes off that thing, it’s probably going to eat me.”

Tsukauchi tried not to laugh at that. He really did. But naturally, he failed, and he held his hand up to cover his snickering. “Yeah. Toshi has made some…questionable decisions during his career. Comes of being active for 30 years. Part of me is amazed he hasn’t gotten rid of this thing yet. I know he’s the sentimental sort, but this is a bit much.” 

‘I swear,’ Tsukauchi thought to himself as he led the Midoriyas over to the elevator, Izuku still whipping his head around hard enough that Tsukauchi considered it a miracle he hadn’t snapped his neck. ‘Toshi really needs to give this place a clean-out sometime soon. Hey, maybe now he has to spend time watching over Midoriya, he’ll find time to get rid of some of this junk…or make the kid get rid of it for him. Probably safer than the beach at least.’

The trio reached the elevator without further incident, arriving at the elevator door, which had a mass of cardboard boxes heaped in front of it. “I’m guessing this entrance doesn’t get used much?” Inko asked, a hint of amusement in her voice as Tsukauchi started moving boxes out of the way, before turning to her son. “Izuku, why don’t you help Detective Tsukauchi move some of those out of the way?”

“Not really,” Tsukauchi responded, as Izuku started moving some of the boxes from around the bottom out of the way. “Most visitors these days come on official business, so there’s not much of a reason to sneak them around the back. I think it’s been…two years, maybe?” He pressed the button to call the elevator, and stood back, waiting patiently for it to arrive.

Once the elevator had arrived, Inko entered, idly noting the single button on the display. ‘I suppose this is a direct elevator to the Might Agency then. If I remember from the last time I took Izuku here, that’s on…the 50th floor, maybe?’

The tinny sound of elevator music met her ears, and Inko frowned, tilting her head as the elevator rose. Seeing Izuku bouncing up and down in awe, Inko listened to the music more carefully, before realisation hit her, and a disbelieving laugh slipped out her throat. “Is this-” she began to ask incredulously.

“Yeah,” Tsukauchi replied, hand pressed against his face. “It’s a branding thing apparently. Only elevators for the Might Agency specifically play it. All the regular elevators get the normal stuff.”

Izuku was staring up at the speaker, a mixture of awe and frustration on his face. “THERE’S A MUZAK RENDITION OF ALL MIGHT’S THEME? How did I not know this? I thought I knew every version of this song out there?”

“Like I said,” Tsukauchi explained, laughing softly at the boy’s reaction. “Only elevators to All Might’s agency play this. You’ve just never been allowed in one before.” Leaning in to Inko, he whispered conspiratorially, “I think your son might be the first person to actually enjoy it. I don’t even know if Toshi likes this version. I think that’s why he always arrives on the rooftop. Saves his ears.”

Inko giggled behind her hand at Tsukauchi’s remark, while Izuku stared up at the pair, scandalised. “But…it’s All Might’s theme! I mean, sure, it’s one of the weaker renditions of it I’ve heard and IcanimaginegrowingtiredofhavingtolistentothisonloopeverydaybutSTILL-”

Much to Inko’s relief, Izuku’s passionate defence of elevator music (or at least All Might’s elevator music) was halted as the elevator slowed to a stop. With a recorded declaration of “I AM HERE,” the doors slid open, revealing to the three occupants the entrance to the Might Agency, their home for the next year.

-----

Izuku’s eyes widened as the elevator doors opened, revealing the reception of the Might Agency. An awestruck expression planted itself firmly on his face as he gazed out of the enormous glass windows towering over him, eyes soaking in every inch of the immaculate view of the Tokyo skyline, and he stepped forward, pressing his nose up against the glass.

Or rather, he tried to. Before he could even make it three steps, Izuku felt a hand land on his shoulder, and the firm yet gentle grip of Detective Tsukauchi led him back to his mother. “That’ll have to wait, I’m afraid,” Tsukauchi said, a hint of apology in his tone. “The glass should be one-way, but I’d rather not risk any prying eyes. You’ll get the full tour when things die down. Now c’mon, we should let you and your mother get settled in.”

The trio crossed past the small handful of elevators, into an immaculately tidy reception area, and Izuku noticed the receptionist’s attention flicker over to them, sharp brown eyes widening in recognition from behind a pair of circular spectacles, and he spotted her hands brush through her light-brown hair, tucking a few wayward strands behind pointed ears, making herself a little more professional looking as Tsukauchi approached. “Detective Tsukauchi,” she said in a smooth Germanic accent, as the three approached her desk. “We weren’t expecting you for at least another hour. Was the traffic alright then?”

“Better than expected, Tell,” Tsukauchi replied, nodding to the brunette respectfully. “Hope it’s not a problem that we arrived early?” The receptionist, or Eleanor, as Izuku would come to know her, shook her head bluntly, and Tsukauchi quickly stopped to one side, introducing everyone. “Izuku, Mrs. Midoriya, this is Eleanor Tell, chief receptionist for the Might Agency.”

“More like only receptionist, Detective,” Eleanor interrupted firmly, a soft glower shot at Tsukauchi as she corrected him. “I’m rather good at my job, and it’s a point of pride for me that All Might has never needed to hire anyone else to assist me.” She swivelled on her chair to face Inko and Izuku directly, her face growing warm and welcoming. “It’s wonderful to meet both of you. As Tsukauchi said, my name is Eleanor Tell, and I’ve worked for All Might for three years now.” 

The ghost of a smile flew across her lips as she stared down at Izuku. “And you have nothing to fear from me. Despite my name I’m rather good at keeping secrets, so I should be able to assist in keeping your presence here quiet, although if that nuisance Uwabami calls me one more time, I swear…” Eleanor snapped her jaw shut, her eyes glazing over before she snapped back to attention, shooting a harsh glare down at one of the phones. A few seconds later, the phone began to ring, its shrill tone echoing throughout the deserted room, and Eleanor exploded.

“Mother fucker ! Excuse me for a second please Detective. Kiss should be down in a second to show you three around, and I’ll join you as soon as I am done committing serpenticide.” Taking a deep, calming breath, Eleanor turned back to the phone, her snarl replaced by the fakest-sounding voice Izuku had ever heard. “Hello, Uwabami, delightful to hear from you. No, I’m afraid there’s still nothing new about Midoriya I can share with you, but I assure you, as soon as there’s any information to pass along, you’ll be the first person I tell.” With a very visible roll of the eyes, Eleanor waved them all away, and Izuku found himself following Tsukauchi up a set of finely polished wooden stairs.

Before Izuku’s foot had even hit the third stair, a loud squeal of delight met his ears, immediately followed by Eleanor shouting from behind him, Izuku starting as he turned to face the tall, slender receptionist. “KISS! What part of low profile eludes you? Behave, or I shall banish you to the sofa again!”

Turning back to face the rest of them, Izuku stopped and stared at the gorgeous behemoth of a woman standing over him, arms outstretched. Before he knew what was happening, he felt himself caught in a bone-crushing grip as he was yanked into an oversized pink sweater, face pressed against numerous rolls of fat, the breath squeezed out of his lungs. 

“YOU’RE HERE! AND SO EARLY TOO!” The giant woman squealed, before leaning in and planting her enormous lips on Izuku’s forehead. “Hi! I’m Annabell Kiss, All Might’s PR Lady, as well as lots of other things. You can just call me Kiss though. Everyone does. 10 years in Japan and I’m still not used to it.” blushing madly from the kiss, Izuku looked up, stammering out a greeting as a pair of enormous pink lips beamed down at him. “I-I’m…uh, I-” Izuku stuttered as he stared up at the attractive young woman, still pressed against her ample stomach.

“Alright, Kiss. That’s enough. You can let go of Midoriya now. You’re making him uncomfortable,” Eleanor said as she approached them. Kiss’ bright blue eyes widened, and Izuku immediately felt himself released from her overwhelming grip, falling back into his mother’s waiting arms, who raised her eyebrows at Kiss, clearly unimpressed. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry! I’ve always just been kind of a hugger, especially when meeting new people. Is he okay?” Kiss asked Inko, panic flashing across her face. Inko waved a hand in front of Izuku’s face, before relaxing slightly as his eyes flashed in recognition, and he stammered out a small greeting. “He seems to be okay. Just…maybe don’t hug him so tight next time. Izuku’s not the most physically affectionate person.”

Kiss nodded rapidly, before offering a hand out to Inko. “Of course, Ma’am. I’m really sorry about that. I’ve just been very excited to meet your son ever since Mr. Might told us about him.” 

“And by that, she means ever since we heard about him on the news yesterday,” Eleanor said, more than a hint of acid in her tone. “All Might deigned not to tell us about you himself until after the news had already broken. Yesterday was not a fun day for me.” Eleanor paused for a second, eyes misting over again, before turning to Izuku, pointing an accusing finger at him. “That is not your fault, and you need not apologise either.” Izuku, who had recovered from Kiss’ crushing grip just enough to hear Eleanor’s last few sentences, closed his mouth, having been about to do exactly that. “And before you ask, yes it is, no I am not, and only 6 seconds. Come along now, Kiss and I should probably get you to your rooms.”

Izuku’s questions died on the tip of his tongue, marvelling at Tell as she led them through the empty agency. ‘That’s so cool! I’ve never heard of another precognitive Quirk apart from Sir Nighteye. Even if it is only six seconds, that’s still an incredibly powerful ability. I’m surprised she decided to be just a receptionist. With a skill like that, she could have done nearly anything.’ Izuku looked over at Eleanor once more, before his eyes narrowed as he noticed the lack of people. 

“Nobody else is in right now,” Tell said, replying to the unasked question. “We try to run a fairly tight ship at the Might Agency in general, so there’s not a lot of us here. And right now, it’s just Kiss and myself. All Might gave everyone a few days off, until we can get you properly secured. It seems a little paranoid if you ask me, but I suppose a transferable Quirk merits some caution.” Eleanor tilted her head slightly, and this time Izuku noticed the slight misting of her brown eyes before she quickly changed topics. 

‘That must be her Quirk in action,’ Izuku thought. ‘Can she still see when she’s using it, I wonder. And does it only affect her sight, or are all her senses impaired?’

Izuku jumped slightly as a finger tapped delicately on his shoulder, and he turned slightly to see Eleanor staring down at him patiently. “O-Oh, sorry, did you ask something? I-uh…I got a little distracted. Sorry,” he mumbled, looking down at his shoes, cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

“That’s quite alright,” Eleanor replied smoothly. “I was just asking your mother how much the pair of you know about Might Tower. She said you’d probably be the person to ask about that. From what she tells me, you’re rather a large Hero fan, aren’t you?”

“Y-Yeah, I mean…I guess I am, kinda,” Izuku replied, the temperature in his cheeks rising.

“So why don’t you tell me what you know, and I can fill any gaps in as we go?”

Izuku walked alongside Kiss for a few seconds as she led the four of them through the hallways of the Might Agency, gathering his thoughts. “Well,” he began, after about ten seconds of silence. “First thing is, the Might Agency isn’t the entire tower. Only the top…five floors or so? I remember All Might said in an interview that he values his privacy, and he decided the best way to do that was to buy the entire building. Once he’d done that, he realised how expensive it was, and how little space he actually uses, so he decided to use the top part for his agency, and the bottom half for various brand deals and business arrangements. The Agency itself has strictly controlled access, so I don’t really know anything beyond the reception and on-site living.”

Oblivious to the look of surprise on both Eleanor and Kiss’ face, Izuku continued his rambling explanation, his hands fidgeting as he dredged up long-archived information about Might Tower. “As a result, the bottom two-thirds of the tower are colloquially called ‘Mall Might’, since a lot of the businesses that occupy space here are different groups or organisations that All Might has worked with over the years. Gyms, both regular and quirk-based, fast-food restaurants, restaurant restaurants, clothing stores, sporting goods, meeting rooms, game stores, coffee shops, banks, a handful of stores that just want real estate in Might Tower, some charity shops. I remember All Might saying once that charities don’t pay rent for space in the tower, which is nice, because otherwise I suspect a lot of them could never afford space here.

The specialist Quirk gym on floor 50 is supposed to be one of the best in Japan too. Apparently All Might built and paid for that one out of pocket. I always wanted to visit it myself, but by the time we could afford entry, I was diagnosed as quirkless, and I wasn’t sure it was worth the price anymore. Although…I guess soon enough I will be able to, huh?

Anyway, that’s sort of what I remember about Might Tower. It’s an interesting system, honestly. The Agency being on the top few floors makes it harder for any photographers to see anything incriminating-”

“Not to mention the one-way glass,” Eleanor said, eyeing them up with a new level of understanding. “Given his other form, they make a lot more sense now.”

“Oh yeah, Tsukauchi mentioned those earlier! Yeah, those would add an extra layer of privacy. It’s good for the businesses down below, too, since not only do they get to associate themselves with All Might, but their stores here are also technically covered by the Might Agency’s security systems.”

“And the elevators?” Eleanor prompted, an impressed smile on her face.

“Well, Tsukauchi said that elevators for Might Tower specifically play a special version of All Might’s theme, so I assume that those are the only way up here, other than by air, I guess.”

“Yes, those things,” Eleanor said stiffly, and from next to her, Kiss shook her head in disgust. “They’re the only elevators in this entire building to play that Godforsaken music. Kiss and I live here, so we don’t really have to use them, thankfully. Nobody likes them, but we’ve never really gotten around to changing them. Still, you’ve definitely done your research. The only area you didn’t know about was the Agency, and that’s by design, so good work.”

Izuku briefly scanned Eleanor, failing to find a trace of dishonesty in her words, or her warm, patient smile, while Kiss was clearly holding herself back from pulling him in for another crushing hug. Inko sidled up next to her son, pulling him into a tight, supportive embrace. “Izuku loves Might Tower. Whenever we come to Tokyo, we make sure to come by and visit the lower floors.” Eleanor nodded understandingly. “I can imagine. There’s normally some exclusive merchandise that can only be found here, after all.”

The quintet walked along, Inko chatting comfortably with All Might’s subordinates, Izuku having inadvertently broken the ice for her. “So, how busy are you normally, then? I’d imagine working for the number one Hero keeps you both on your toes.”

“Honestly, not as bad as you’d think,” Kiss responded, shrugging slightly as she bounced down the hallways. “Mr. Might’s a pretty easy guy to work for. No major mis-steps, no international incidents, no big controversies…mostly. A lot of my job is honestly liaising with the companies that rent space in Might Tower, or public appearances. Charities, interviews, that sort of thing. Steady work, but a little boring. I tend to pull double duty as his PA when I can, just to stop me going crazy. Arrange meetings with other heroes, collaborations, work events, anything involving another hero. It’s part of why I’m so glad you two popped by,” she said, rubbing her hands gleefully as she ran her eyes up and down Izuku’s skinny frame. “I’m about to become very busy again, because of you.”

“I…I’m s-sorry-” Izuku started to say, before the incredulous look on Kiss’ face stopped him in his tracks. 

“Oh, sweetie, no. Like El said, you’ve got nothing to be sorry for! I get so dreadfully bored here sometimes, having someone like you dropped into my lap is simply delightful. Really, I should be thanking you!” With that proclamation, Kiss spun back around, dragging the rest of them along with her as they hurried to keep up with her jubilant strides.

“So,” Inko said, once the rest of them had managed to keep up with Kiss. “Where will Izuku and I be staying exactly?”

Kiss clapped her hands together in excitement, her eyes gleaming. “Right! Your rooms! I’ve been so excited for this part. Might Tower has plenty of space for people to stay in if they need to. Might has his own room, of course, and El and I have our one, but we’ve got a few more dotted around the agency I’ve been trying to get set up for you. We should be approaching them…pretty much now, actually,” she said, stopping dead in her tracks next to a simple wooden door.

“So, this is your room, Mrs. Midoriya. It’s right opposite your son, so you guys can stay close to each other. Thought that might help both of you settle in better.” Inko nodded her head appreciatively, and Kiss grinned, resting a friendly hand on her shoulder. “Your room might be…a little bigger than what you’re used to, but if the space ends up being too much for you, I’m sure El and I can take you out shopping in a week or two to help spruce your place up a little. Buy some plants, maybe? I like Tiger Lilies myself, but El won’t let me have them in our room.” Kiss’ voice dropped to a low whisper as she opened the door to Inko’s new room. “Between you and me, I think she just hates anything fun.”

Whatever response Inko had been about to make died before it could reach her mouth, which dropped open at the sight that greeted her. Izuku peeked his head around the corner, and his eyes widened in awe. ‘Holy Whoa!’ he thought to himself as he stared at a bedroom that could be comfortably compared to the size of his old apartment. Beside him, his mother was also beside herself with shock as she stared at her gargantuan new room. “Are…are you sure this is really all for me? What would I even put here? This is so big? I don’t really need all this space, surely?” Kiss stepped in, patting a supportive hand on Inko’s shoulder.

“Come on, Mrs. Midoriya, let’s get you settled in,” she said, leading Inko into her new room. “Besides, you’re a big girl, why shouldn’t you get an extra big room, huh?”

Inko chewed Kiss’ words over for a few moments, eyeing up the dimensions of the room. “I guess I could put my cookbooks here,” she began, hesitantly. “Maybe pick up some new ones? I did want to take up birdwatching, so maybe I could grab some books for that, possibly some binoculars I guess?” Inko slowly withdrew into her new room, muttering to herself under her breath, mentally mapping out her new living arrangements, and Izuku stared at her in bewilderment. ‘Is…is that what I look like? I can see why people stare now. It’s definitely unusual to look at.’

Eleanor smirked to herself, before jerking her head to the opposite door. “Come on, then. Tsukauchi and I can help you get settled in. You won’t have as much free space as your mother, but that’s only because All Might’s already got some exercise equipment set up in your room for you. He apparently has you on quite the strict routine.”

Izuku laughed nervously, trying not to think about the giant room he’d just walked out of, and was surely about to walk into. “I-I guess so. I-uh…All Might said that if I w-wasn’t in the right shape when he tried to give me h-his quirk, I could-uh, lose all my limbs.” Eleanor pinched the bridge of her nose, shaking her head in frustration. “I swear I don’t know how that man dresses himself sometimes. I’m grateful to work here, don’t get me wrong, but Mein Gott , did he not once think to discuss this decision with his damn PR Agent before making it? All Might and I are going to be having words after this, I assure you.” Eleanor quickly shook her head, putting aside her mounting frustrations with her boss. “Still, that can be dealt with later. For now, this is your room. Please try not to make a mess of it. Might Tower does have cleaners, but we try to pick up after ourselves, to make their job easier.”

“Listen to her, Izuku. Cleaners have a hard enough job already, we don’t need to make it worse,” Inko called out from across the hallway. Izuku nodded absently as his eyes flickered around his new room. It was the same size as his mothers’ had been, although much less spacious, owing to the small gym decorating one corner of his room. A set of brand new weights sat perpendicular to one of the walls, a punching bag next to it, directly in the corner. Next to that sat a leg-press machine, followed up by an exercise bike, as well as something Izuku vaguely remembered seeing from a tv show one time. ‘I think that one’s called an…adductor machine? It looks terrifying though. All Might can’t seriously expect me to be able to use all of these, can he?’

Eleanor took in the look of shock on his face, and took a small amount of pity on the boy. “I wouldn’t worry. All Might should be teaching you how to properly use all of these without damaging yourself. You’ll be fine.” She quickly snapped her head towards the ceiling, her eyes going milky again, and her eyes flickered back down to Izuku. “If you don’t believe me, why don’t I take you to ask him yourself?”

Izuku looked up at her, all previous anxieties discarded for a second, as Eleanor’s words sank in. “You mean…”

“He’s here, which is good. The two of us need to have a discussion,” Eleanor said, her face darkening slightly as she led Izuku out of his room. Kiss quickly grabbed Inko, gently leading her out of her new room, Inko having apparently drawn up an entire floor plan in the few minutes Izuku had been gone.

“I think the corner could use a nice throw rug. Our old place had wooden flooring too, but I always like the feeling of a nice rug under our feet. I’m thinking of something in cream, maybe, although I’d have to be careful of messes.”

“You’d probably hate our room then,” Kiss said as the 5 of them made their way up to the roof. “Or at least my side, it’s all bright pink and neon green. El’s part is more red and black. You wouldn’t know it from looking at her on the job, but she loves gothic stuff.”

Eleanor shook her head in annoyance, her trim, professional suit vest standing firmly at odds with the image now forming in Izuku’s head. Before he could open his mouth to say anything, Eleanor met him with a thin, piercing gaze, and Izuku wisely decided to say nothing. After a few seconds, she sighed and stared down at him. “Maybe if you’re good, I’ll show you what she means one day,” she eventually conceded. Izuku brightened at that, and Eleanor felt herself smiling down at him. “Come on, All Might normally comes up through the rooftop here. Let’s see what he has to say for-GET DOWN!” 

The last two words were barked out in a harsh shout, and Izuku looked around wildly, before he heard a loud yell of, “DODGE TEST, YOU YOUNG WHIPPERSNAPPER!” Out of the corner of his eye, Izuku saw a yellow and white blur rocket towards him, and acting on instinct borne from years of bullying, he ducked, screaming shrilly, hands covering his head as he dropped to his knees.

The figure shot over Izuku, right where his head had been a moment ago, before slowing down and landing in front of them, gnarled wooden cane striking the floor loudly as his feet hit the ground. “Well, would you look at that? You're already better than Toshinori was. You at least know how to dodge. Badly, sure, but I’ve worked with worse,” the old man said, staring down at Izuku, grinning maniacally. Izuku slowly pulled himself to his feet, staring at the man with a mixture of apprehension and fear. ‘Who…who is this guy? Is he a villain? Is he here to kill me? Am I going to die already? But I haven’t gotten to see the rest of Might Agency yet!

Wait…he said ‘Toshinori’. That’s…All Might’s name. So that must mean he knows All Might. And…he said something about a test when he attacked me?’

“W-Who are you?” Izuku eventually asked, pulling himself to his feet, now towering over the diminutive old man. “A-Are you here t-to…teach me?”

“Hmm,” the stranger said, glaring up at Izuku from behind his black domino mask. “So you can think for yourself, too. Could do better under pressure, but that comes from experience. Can’t believe I’m saying this, but that oaf might have actually made a good decision for once.” The old man walked around Izuku, tapping his cane against Izuku’s legs and spine. “Stand up properly, kid. Back straight, eyes forward. There we go. Much more presentable.”

Finishing his lap around Izuku, the figure stepped back out to the front, clacking his cane against the ground. “Right, let’s get the boring stuff out of the way. I’m Torino. Gran Torino. Used to be one of those Pro Hero sorts, but I’m retired now…more or less. I helped train the big lug, and now, I’m going to do the same to you.”

“Training? You call that TRAINING? You could have taken Izuku’s head off!” Inko stormed forward, glaring down at Gran Torino angrily as she placed herself between him and her son.

“Lady, if I wanted your son dead, he’d be a smear on the asphalt by now,” Torino shot back, matching her glare. “I’m here to help Toshinori get the kid ready to handle One for All. That means we’re gonna need to push him. Hard. Might not be nice, but that’s how it is. Sorry,” he said, sounding not at all apologetic.

The two glared at each other for a few seconds, both sides refusing to back down, before a throat being cleared from nearby drew both of their attention.

“About damn time you stepped in, Toshinori,” Torino shot over, as All Might sheepishly made his way out from behind the giant planet that rested on top of Might Tower. “What, were you waiting for a personal invite? Right angle for the sun to shine off those pearly whites?”

“I-I was just…looking to make a suitably dramatic entrance. This is a big moment in Young Midoriya’s development, and I wanted to give it the proper respect,” All Might responded, looking slightly flustered.

Torino rolled his eyes, before hobbling over to All Might. “Feh. Fine, but don’t say I never did anything for you.” He stood in front of All Might, back straight, gaze and grin both razor-sharp, as the pair stared across at Izuku, capes billowing in the breeze.

“I AM HERE! TO TEACH YOU TO BECOME A HERO! With some assistance, of course. If it takes a village to raise a child, it must take a lot more to train one to become a Hero! So, allow me to welcome you, Young Midoriya & Mrs. Midoriya, to Might Tower, your home for the next year!”

Torino rolled his eyes again, stomping away as soon as the moment passed. “There, you got your money shot, Toshinori. Now, let’s get down to brass tacks.”

“W-Well, I mean…your cape got in my face once or twice. So…maybe we could d-do it again, Master?” All Might asked, tapping his fingers together and looking away as he pleaded with his old teacher.

“Are you…no, Toshinori. We are not doing that again. Doing it once felt like it took another ten years off my life, and I don’t have that many left to spare. You got your big entrance, now deal with it. We have work to do.” With that, Torino stormed over to Izuku, ignoring All Might’s sad attempt at a pout as he crossed the roof.

“Alright kid, here’s the 411 for you. Whole world knows who you are by now, so Toshinori’s original cockamamie plans have just gone right out the window,” Torino said, ignoring All Might’s hurt “Hey!”

“So, we’re gonna be working you here. To the bone, if we have to. We got nine months before the recommendation exams. Which means we have eight to get you ready to inherit One for All, then one month to make sure you know what to do with it.”

“And how does Izuku’s education factor into this?” Inko cut in, glowering fiercely down at Gran Torino.

“He’ll be doing accelerated learning,” Torino said, grinning savagely up at her, matching her glare with practised ease. “Getting him ready means training more than just his muscles, so we can’t ignore his brain, especially since this one seems like he actually has one.” Torino shot a mocking grin over to All Might, who rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. “But our priority is getting him physically trained up. So he’ll be learning online in the mornings, then his afternoons will be spent training. Should have him ready earlier than Toshinori originally planned, since we can tailor his education around his training, instead of the other way around. That work for you?”

Inko looked down at Torino, then over at Izuku, before sighing and nodding. “I’m glad you didn’t neglect his schooling. Izuku’s a smart boy. I don’t want that to go to waste.” Torino nodded in agreement, eyeing Izuku up and down as he softened slightly. “I wouldn’t either. We don’t need another All Might.”

All Might looked wounded by that for about half a second, before Torino smacked his ankles with the cane. “Enough of that. I wasn’t insulting you this time…mostly. You’ve done a good job, Toshinori. But the kid’s not you, and we don’t need him to be.” 

“So, what are you here to do then?” Inko asked, still eyeing Torino warily. While the hostility on display earlier had faded, her wariness of Gran Torino was still obvious to all and sundry.

“Toshinori’s just one man. So I’m here for if he’s ever not around for whatever reason. Babies need kissing, tidal waves need punching, that sort of thing. I trained him, so I definitely know what I’m doing. I’m also gonna help teach the kid to fight.” Izuku stiffened at this, his eyes flashing up to All Might, radiating devastation. “Y-You mean…All Might won’t be-”

A cane gently poked him in the side, and Izuku fell silent. “Steady on there, kid,” Torino said, with a gentler tone than Izuku had heard so far. Admittedly, the gentler tone still sounded as harsh as sandpaper, but at least it was closer to fine sandpaper this time. “He’ll still be teaching you most of your physical conditioning, as well as how to hit stuff really, really hard. He’s the best at that for a reason, after all. My job’s gonna be teaching you how to move properly while you do it.”

“Move properly? W-What does that mean?”

Torino sighed, shaking his head slightly. “I’m not just gonna give you the answers to that one, kid. You’ve got a brain up in that noggin of yours. Go watch some of All Might’s fights, and get back to me on that tomorrow. Consider it your first homework assignment.” Izuku nodded, eyes narrowed as he re-played All Might’s fight against Toxic Chainsaw in his head. 

‘There’s not really anything wrong with the way All Might fights, is there? He tends to focus more on boxing, specifically the slugger style, specialising in raw power and overwhelming force. And sure, sluggers do tend to lack finesse when compared to other styles of boxing, like swarming, but I’m sure All Might would still be able to help me with that.

…

Is there something wrong with me? Am I the problem? Or is there just something different between me and All Might that I haven’t thought about?’

Torino grinned to himself, watching as the kids' eyes sharpened, and he could practically see the gears turning in Izuku’s head. ‘There we go. I’ve heard he’s quite the sharp one. Let’s see how well he does at this. He’s not Toshinori, and he needs to learn that.’

While Izuku stared off into the Tokyo skyline, lost in thought as he ran through Torino’s homework in his head, Inko, Eleanor and Kiss were discussing safety measures with All Might & Detective Tsukauchi. “Might Tower is thankfully quite well equipped for all manner of situations,” Eleanor began, running through the mental checklist of security measures. “We’ve got security checks before the elevators, I.D cards to enter most major areas, state-of-the-art alarm systems-”

“Plus we have Might, and he’s pretty good at stopping anyone trying anything funny,” Kiss interrupted, gesturing over to their boss. 

“Yes, and we have him,” Tell admitted, glowering slightly at her boss, who wilted a little under her harsh gaze. “Plus, there’s the panic rooms for if things go really-oh dear.” Eleanor paused, eyes misting over as she snapped her head over to the edge of the roof. Not a few seconds later, a loud voice could be heard, booming up at them from the ground.

“ALLLLLL MIGHTTTTTTT!”

All Might paled slightly as he recognised the voice, his eyes screwing shut in exasperation. “Eleanor, please tell me that isn’t who I think it is.”

Eleanor shook her head grimly. “It’s her, Sir. She’s here already.”

All Might let out an exhausted sigh, his smile dropping. “That was faster than expected. I thought we’d have more time to prepare for her arrival.” Stepping over to the edge of the roof, he looked down, pinching the bridge of his nose. “She always was an eager one. Okay, everyone, here’s the plan. We’re all going to stay quiet and pretend we’re not home.”

“A-All Might? W-What’s going on?” Izuku asked, his voice trembling slightly at All Might’s sudden change of tune.

“Oh, nothing really. El and Might are just being worrywarts,” Kiss said, shrugging nonchalantly. “They get like this whenever she shows up. I don’t know why. She’s really cool!”

“I KNOW YOU’RE UP THERE, ALL MIGHT! WHERE’S THE KID? YOU CAN’T HIDE HIM FROM ME!” The voice grew louder and more impatient, and Izuku could hear rumbling coming from the ground.

All Might grimaced, glaring down at the street below. “Well, maybe we can stop her from seeing Young Midoriya at least. Alright, new plan. I’ll go down there and distract her. Masa, you take the Midoriyas’ to the safe room, if you don't mind.”

“Oh come on Might,” Kiss said petulantly. “She’s not that bad. Just a little excitable, is all.”

Inko whipped her head around, staring at the buffet of reactions presented to her, from All Might’s trepidation, to Torino’s impatient eye-roll and Eleanor’s barely restrained annoyance, to Kiss’ defences falling on deaf ears. “Could someone please tell us what is going on. Is Izuku in danger?”

Kiss shook her head. “No, you’re fine. They’re just being babies. A friend of All Might’s is popping by to see your son, that’s all.”

All Might shook his head, staring warily over the edge of the roof. “I’d describe her more as a source of never-ending exhaustion than a friend.”

“That’s too generous, All Might,” Eleanor responded. “You’re not the one who answers her phone calls. Pain in my ass is probably the better term.”

“IF YOU’RE NOT COMING TO ME, THEN I’M COMING TO YOU, ALL MIGHT!” The voice screamed from the ground, the rumbling beginning to grow louder.

All Might blanched at that, quickly running back over to the edge and hollering through cupped hands. “I ASSURE YOU THERE’S NO NEED FOR THAT, MA’AM. EVERYTHING IS UNDER CONTROL!”

“Don’t bother All Might, she’s already made up her mind. Trust me,” Eleanor said, her brow wrinkled in annoyance as her vision clouded over once more.

“Plus, can she even hear you from this distance?” Tsukauchi asked, scratching his head slightly.

“With a quirk like hers,” All Might responded darkly. “I don’t think there’s anything she can’t do.”

*BOOM*

Everyone’s eyes quickly flicked over to the edge of the roof, and they heard the sound of a shockwave as the assailant did…something. Izuku admittedly still wasn’t quite sure what was happening. ‘Is this normal for Might Tower?’ he thought, staring up at All Might in confusion. ‘Who on Earth could be so strong to make All Might so scared? And…why did she sound familiar?’

The next thing Izuku knew, Torino was standing in front of him, cane slammed into the ground as he shielded Izuku with his own body. “Alright kid, training begins now. Brace for impact, because we got company!”

Izuku opened his mouth to respond, but any words he could make died in his throat as a shadow suddenly loomed above them all, as a giant figure rocketed up from the ground of Might Tower, all the way to the rooftop. Izuku tilted upwards to catch a glimpse of the intruder, before screwing his eyes shut as they stared directly at the sun. 

*WHAM*

The next thing he knew, a gust of wind slammed into him, sending him rocketing back against the hard concrete wall behind him, and a groan of pain left his lips as he fell to the floor. After a few seconds, Izuku slowly picked himself up, wincing slightly as a few loose bits of rubble fell off him. All of a sudden, Izuku felt himself hoisted off the ground, held in the air by a huge, muscled hand, and a pair of navy blue eyes stared right at him, glimmering with anticipation.

“THERE YOU ARE!”

Chapter Text

“THERE YOU ARE!”

Izuku squinted as he tilted his head back, his eyes moving up the 6 foot tall woman. She moved before Izuku could react, a pair of thick, muscled arms reaching down and pulling him up to her eye level. Izuku struggled to remain calm as her hand gripped tightly around the scruff of his neck, and a pair of deep blue eyes locked intensely with his.

‘Oh God, is it happening already? I might have been wrong about Torino, but I think I’m dead for sure this time. Why isn’t anyone doing any-

…

Wait. Why isn’t anyone doing anything? They’re all just…standing there. All Might looks more…annoyed than anything.’

Izuku took a deep, calming breath, and looked at the woman for the first time, eyes blinking as he squinted at her through the harsh sunlight. A sharp, cocky grin greeted him, long blonde hair swaying slightly in the breeze and a strong, muscular arm outstretched, dangling Izuku off the ground. And Izuku recognised her. ‘Well, I guess I’m not terrified for my life anymore,’ Izuku thought ruefully. ‘Now I’m just regular terrified.’

“Y-You’re…”

The woman grinned at him eagerly, her intense blue eyes leaving his, running up and down his thin, weedy frame. “Yeah, that’s me. Didn’t expect to be recognised this quickly, I gotta admit. Not bad, kid. Still, not like I could expect anything else from the new blood, huh? It’s nice to meetcha, little buddy.” The woman opened her hand, and Izuku plummeted to the ground before his brain could catch up, and Izuku hit the roof with a small *THUD*. He grunted with pain as a particularly badly-placed piece of rubble made its presence known, lodging itself right between Izuku’s cheeks.

‘Great job, Izuku. Meet another Number One Hero and the first thing you do is end up with a rock in your butt. Wonderful.’

A peal of laughter rang out above him, and Izuku blushed harder than he ever had in his entire life. ‘Well, except maybe the time mom walked in while I was studying Midnight’s original costume. I don’t think she’ll ever let that one go.’ Another round of laughter, and Izuku quickly buried his head in his hands, not daring to look the Pro Hero in the eye.

“I said all that out loud, didn’t I?”

“Oh, you sure did, little man,” the woman laughed, bending down and offering Izuku her hand. “Probably gotta work on that. And hey, don’t worry about makin’ a bad first impression or nothin’. Just means there’s nowhere for you to go but up, right? Besides, I’ve seen the footage. I know you're hidin’ some real steel under all those nerves. So like I said, don’t worry about it. It’s cool.” Taking her hand, Izuku found himself effortlessly lifted off the ground, his eye level positioning him so he was staring right at a very impressive set of abs.

‘I didn’t even realise you could get higher than a six-pack, let alone 12. Wait, dammit, don’t stare, Izuku, that’s rude…not to mention creepy,’ Izuku thought, before forcibly jerking his head up so he was making eye contact with the woman towering over him. She laughed again at the mortified look on his face, one giant hand tousling his hair affectionately.

“You’re fine, kid. I know I’m pretty damn amazing, after all. But that’s your freebie, got it? Next time you eat shit and crash onto the floor like that, I’m not gonna help you out. Gotta learn to stand on your own two feet eventually. Old Stripe’s not always gonna be here to save you, after all. I got my own country that needs lookin’ after.”

“Y-Yeah, I-uh…I got it,” Izuku mumbled, not daring to look away from the lady as she formally introduced herself. 

“So, the name’s Star. Star & Stripe, American Number One Hero, although I guess you kinda knew that, huh? How the hell did ya place me, anyway? Most foreigners don’t really cotton on to who I am, especially not as fast as you did.”

“Are you kidding? You’re amazing!” Izuku said, his excitement overpowering any of the embarrassment he was feeling earlier. “I’ve been a fan of yours since your debut against the Cricklewood Gang during the seige of Ecky-Thump!”

Star laughed, covering her face with one hand. “Jeez, you remember that? You really are a fanboy, huh? I wish I could forget those guys.” Still chuckling good-naturedly, Star turned away from Izuku, eyes twinkling as she dashed over to All Might, arms outstretched. “Yo, Sensei! Been a while, hasn’t it? Far too long for my taste. What’s the matter, you too busy to answer my calls or something like that?”

‘Sensei? Wait…no way!’

Izuku’s eyes snapped open as he processed this new information, and before he could stop and think, he found himself between Star and All Might, eyes flicking back and forth between the pair. “YOU KNOW STAR & STRIPE? AND YOU KNOW ALL MIGHT? WHEN? HOW? I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS?”

All Might opened his mouth, a diplomatic answer on the tip of his tongue, before Star cut in, answering Izuku’s question before All Might could get a word in edgeways. “He’s my Sensei,” she began, grinning eagerly as she turned to stare up at All Might, a look of reverence in her eyes. “Man, I cannot believe I get to call someone ‘Sensei’. That’s so cool! And you guys get to just…do it, all the time? Like it’s a normal thing? What. A. Rush!” She stepped over Izuku, her long, muscled legs reaching nearly halfway up Izuku’s body, before grabbing All Might in a crushing hug, before he could say anything. “There we go, big guy. Big ol’ hug from your OG pupil, huh? I gotta make sure you don’t forget me now you got a younger, hipper model, don’t I?”

“I really don’t think you need to worry about that,” All Might wheezed, as he felt his spine slowly cracking under Star’s iron grip. “Trust me, you’re not easily forgotten.” 

Star grinned up at him, the double meaning to his words flying completely over her head. “HAHA! I knew you liked me.” She released him, before rubbing her hands gleefully, turning her attention back onto Izuku, eyeing him up like a starving predator. “So, shall we get down to business then?” Izuku trembled at the gleeful tone in her words, excitement and anxiety battling for dominance in his brain as he listened to Star’s offer. 

“So, you need to train him up, apparently? Get him ready to inherit your Quirk…can’t believe I just said that. So cool, ” Star began, mumbling the last two words under her breath. “Right, so, soon as I heard you’d picked a successor, I cashed in all my time off, which FYI, was a lot, and jumped on the next jet over here to help out. Gotta look out for my…what’s the word. Kouhai? Is that it? That sounds right, but it has been a while, y’know?” Star looked around for confirmation, and her fist pumped the air eagerly when Inko nodded, her eyes wide and incredulous as she watched All Might’s hastily cobbled together plan go even further off the rails. “So, that’s why I’m here. All Might helped me out when I was just startin’ my career, only fair I return the favour.”

“I-uh…Well, I appreciate the offer, Miss Bate,” All Might began, sweating slightly as Star quickly focussed all her energy on him. ‘She’s so much more intense than I remember. I know I taught her a few things when she was starting out as a Pro, but I didn’t realise it meant this much to her.’

“However, we already have a second set of hands. Gran Torino over here has offered his assistance training Young Midoriya.”

Star looked over at Torino, staring him down for a few seconds, before bursting out laughing. “Great joke, Sensei. I’m sure the old man was somethin’ back in the day. But what’s he got that I-”

*WHAM*

Star recoiled, retreating a single step from the impact. Her head snapped backwards as Torino shot himself up to her eye level, planting the thick, heavy soles of his boot into her left cheek. Star’s eyes snapped over to him, and she let out an impressed huff. “Not bad, old timer. I actually felt that one. If you wanna go a few rounds though, I’m more than willing to kick you to the curb. Maybe I can treat you like an audition.”

Star quickly jumped back, putting some space between her and Torino as he shot forward, grinning wildly, turning in mid-air as he went in for a second kick. Star ducked, laughing slightly as Torino shot over her head, adjusting his position, and Izuku’s keen eyes spotted short bursts of air firing out from the holes carved into the soles of his shoes. ‘So that’s how he does it!’ Izuku thought as he watched the two of them continue their spar, Torino’s superior mobility allowing him to slip around most of Star’s tight, focussed punches. 

‘His quirk must fire those bursts of air to let him fly around like that. Now I get why he’s the one who’s going to teach me how to move. He’s so quick and precise. Is this what he was talking about earlier? Maybe he thinks fighting more like him would suit me better for some reason?

If that’s the case…what do we have in common? What are his strengths? He’s not as strong as All Might, but he is faster. Maybe he focussed more on speed over strength to make up for the lack of reach he has, due to his…

Oh.

That must be it! My physique is so different from All Might that the way he fights won’t necessarily work for me, even after I inherit One for All. That makes sense. Different fighting styles work better for certain body types, after all. So he’s going to teach me one they think will work better for my body type.’

Buzzing from this revelation, Izuku turned his attention over to Star, noticing that, even though Torino proved agile enough to dodge most of her blows, the few he was landing on Star barely seemed to faze her. ‘Looks like she fights a lot like All Might. Lots of big, powerful punches. Although they’re more precise, which is actually working against her in this situation. The tight focus means they cover less area, and Torino can dodge them more easily, as long as he pays attention. Big, sweeping attacks would be better here, to help trap him in. Except he’s not just limited to moving on a horizontal axis. He can move vertically as well, so even that has its limits. Her best bet would be area attacks, if her Quirk gives her any. 

Actually, is she even using her Quirk? She doesn’t seem to be, I think? Nobody really knows a lot about Star & Stripe’s Quirk. Like All Might, she’s quite private about what she can do, but I know she’s not just a simple strength enhancer, so why isn’t she using it?

Maybe…I think she’s waiting for an opening. Playing defensive until the right time reveals itself.’

Watching Star through new eyes, Izuku noticed how carefully she was playing this. Chin tilted down, eyes fixed on Torino’s every movement, one hand held up slightly, covering the lower half of her face, the other down below, covering her chest, ready to spring at a moment’s notice. ‘Seems like she’s modified the traditional boxing guard. Covering her face slightly in case Torino goes for a headshot again. So, she’s definitely playing defensively, but what for?’

Then, like lightning, Star moved, left hand swinging out for a powerful haymaker. Torino laughed contemptuously, shooting over the wild punch with ease, rocketing in close to clock Star across the head again. ‘That’s not her dominant hand. Why would she swing with her weaker hand…unless.’ Izuku’s eyes widened, and he realised the fight was over.

*WHAM*

Torino’s foot shot out, catching Star in the exact same spot as his first blow, Star’s head snapping back again from the impact. Except this time, she didn’t step back, and her free hand snapped up, grabbing Gran Torino in an iron grip, her grin growing savage and triumphant. As she pulled him in close, Izuku saw Star’s lips move, before releasing her hold on Torino, who fell to the floor, unmoving. Star stretched her arms above her head, grinning down at her opponent, before turning away to face the others victoriously. “Not bad, Powerpuff,” she called over her shoulder as she walked away. “You got some decent moves, I gotta say. I can see why Sensei wanted you to train the kid.”

Izuku stared up at Star, awe apparent on every inch of his face, and his fingers fidgeted with excitement. ‘I wish I had one of my notebooks with me. That was incredible! Torino’s movement was perfect. He’s so fast I honestly couldn’t keep up with him. And Star still came out on top. She managed to track him effortlessly, even if she isn’t as fast as him. Not to mention how well she read the situation. Her battle sense is amazing! I can see how she became the top ranked Hero in America.’

All Might watched, visibly impressed as Star finished sparring with his old teacher. ‘She’s definitely improved since I last saw her. It’s hardly surprising, with a Quirk like hers. She’s one of the most powerful pros I’ve ever met. She lacks my raw strength, but she has technique to make up for it. Maybe she could help Young Midoriya.’ A feeling of trepidation building up inside him, All Might looked over to his successor, groaning inwardly at the look of open admiration being directed towards Star as she strolled cockily over to them. “So, Sensei. How was that? Good enough for ya?” Star asked, winking cheekily at Izuku as she stood in front of All Might, arms crossed confidently.

‘He does seem rather taken with her, I suppose. And I know from experience she’s incredibly skilled and accomplished. It’s not like I have any problems with her. She’s just…a lot to deal with, especially for long periods. I don’t know if I can tolerate having her around for the better part of a year.’

All Might sighed as he looked Star up and down, before flashing another look at his successor, who was currently bombarding her with questions, bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet. Peering past Star’s shoulder, he looked over at Gran Torino, who was slowly pulling himself off the ground, grumbling to himself as he brushed some trapped fragments of rubble from the folds of his costume. Looking up, leaning against his cane for support, he met All Might’s eyes, and nodded, with only a faint hint of reluctance in his eyes.

‘Well, she’s clearly got Midoriya’s approval, and now Torino’s as well. I suppose I can give her a chance. I can always go out on patrol if I ever need some space.’

“Alright then, Miss Bate. Can you think of any areas you can help Young Midoriya excel in? I plan to take the bulk of his actual strength training, as well as teaching him how to throw and take a punch. Torino’s teaching him how to move, position himself, as well as avoid enemy attacks, for obvious reasons,” All Might said, nodding towards Gran Torino, who hobbled over to the pair.

“Yeah, makes sense. Little devil’s fast,” Star responded, nodding her head in agreement. “Tougher than I expected, that’s for sure.”

“Right. So what could you bring to the table to assist Young Midoriya’s development?” All Might asked, raising an eyebrow quizzically.

Star paused for a second, looking down at Izuku, head tilted, before she grinned, her eyes lighting up gleefully. “I actually think I have something, Sensei. You don’t exactly have a lot of experience fightin’, do ya kid?”

Izuku shook his head in embarrassment, and Star laughed, ruffling his head again. “Ain’t nothin’ wrong with that. Just means you’re a good boy. But it also means you’re gonna be dealing with people who’ve been training a hell of a lot longer than you. And I reckon havin’ All Might’s power’s gotta be a lot to get a handle on, right?” Her eyes flicked over to All Might for a moment. “Probably gonna take him quite a while to get used to it?”

All Might nodded. “I admit, it’s possible. I was able to adapt to One for All pretty much immediately, but there’s no guarantee Young Midoriya will be the same. We don’t have a lot of experience about how One for All actually works.”

Izuku flinched at All Might’s words, looking down briefly at his trademark red shoes. ‘All Might adapted to One for All immediately? Alright, that’s fine…no need to panic Izuku. You haven’t failed yet. There’s no point worrying. It’s going to be okay.

…

Somehow, I don’t actually feel better. Does this ever actually work?’

Star’s eyes flicked over to Izuku for a second, catching the look of anxiety on his face, and she sighed to herself. ‘Ahhh, shit. Kids got issues, huh? Shoulda expected that. Alright. I think I got this.’

Star quickly dropped down to one knee, looking Izuku in the eye. “You wanna know somethin’, little buddy? Somethin’ about myself I haven’t told a lot of people?”

Izuku’s eyes flickered for a second, a small spark of excitement starting to flare up behind his nerves, and Star grinned. “Yeah, I thought so. So, fun little story. I wasn’t always the giant fu-reakin’ Amazon I am right now, y’know? I used to be a weedy little shrimp who couldn’t do shit in a fight. Ring any bells?”

Izuku looked up at her now, a hint of incredulity in her eyes, and Star chuckled. “I know, right? Big ol’ Stripe-Sensei used to be just where you are. Except I used to go out and pick fights. Lots of ‘em. Eyes bigger than my brain, y’know? Didn’t go well with bein’ tiny and not knowin’ how to do…anythin’, really. So, you wanna know what I did to keep up?”

“W-What?”

Star grinned dangerously, her eyes taking on an almost manic glint as she stared across at her new pupil. “I fought smart, and I fought dirty. And I reckon’ that one’s somethin’ you're gonna need. I don’t need to anymore, really. But I think a couple of cheap tricks hidden up those sleeves of yours will come in handy. 

So that’s what I’m gonna do for you,” Star concluded, standing up and towering back over Izuku, arms crossed. “It's not gonna be my first lesson, but I’m gonna teach you to fight dirty. Throw sand in people's eyes, hit ‘em below the belt, pull their hair, and twist their nipples if things get real desperate.” Star paused, a feeling of dread crawling up her spine, and she looked around quickly to see Inko Midoriya glaring at her from behind All Might. ‘Right…parent.’

“Well, maybe not that last one,” Star said, chuckling slightly. “You probably don’t wanna deal with any harassment lawsuits, after all. Before that though kid, it's combat tactics. My Quirk gives me a lotta options, so I'm pretty good at seein' the angles, and knowin' which calls to make. But don’t ever underestimate how useful fighting dirty can be. Saved my life on more than one occasion, even now. Nobody ever really thinks about it, especially not from a pro, and it’s dumb. Don’t be dumb, kid.”

Izuku chuckled slightly, in spite of himself, and Star grinned triumphantly. ‘Who needs a psychology degree, huh?’

“So, you wanna help me unpack, then?” Star asked, eyes gleaming as she picked Izuku up and sat him over her shoulders, chuckling at the mortified expression on his face. “C’mon, it’ll be fun. All Might’s two pupils bonding. I’m pretty sure I got some merch you ain’t even seen before, if it helps?” Star carried Izuku off the roof, perched on her shoulders like a throne, leaving the rest of them in her wake.

“I…think I see what you mean by ‘exhaustion’ now, All Might,” Inko said, staring after them in bewilderment.

“Indeed,” All Might said gravely. “I do admit, she might give Young Midoriya a much needed confidence boost, but she’s also incredibly tiring to deal with on a regular basis. We don’t want him becoming too much like her. Agreed?”

Eleanor nodded solemnly. “Don’t worry, Sir. I’ll make sure they don’t get too much time scheduled together. Shouldn’t be too hard. You’re grounded for the next two months, after all. No Hero work unless it’s an emergency.” All Might stared down at her incredulously, and Eleanor shrugged. “Payback for the last two days. One month for me, the other for Annabell. Don’t argue or I’ll make it three.”

-----

“So, you fancy yourself a collector too, huh?” Star asked, tilting her head up slightly to look at Izuku, his legs gripping around her neck tightly, a look of panic on his face. “Oh come on, relax kid. I’m not gonna drop ya…again. I had my fun.”

“I-I-I g-guess I d-do have s-s-some,” Izuku responded nervously, fidgeting his hands slightly. “I d-don’t have m-my whole set y-yet, b-but I have some pretty g-good stuff.”

“Oh yeah,” Star responded with a teasing smirk. “You reckon you can hold a candle to my collection? I’ve been buyin’ All Might junk longer than you’ve been alive, little man. So I think I might have ya beat on that front.”

Izuku’s eyes narrowed, anxiety forgotten for a brief second, and a vein he never knew he even had began throbbing angrily in his forehead. ‘I probably can’t beat her when it comes to All Might merch. But I have to try. My pride as a collector is on the line. All I need is one thing. A poster, a statue, a shirt, anything. Just one piece of All Might memorabilia that she won’t be expecting. But what? There’s no way I have anything she hasn’t at least seen…before…

No, there’s no way. There’s no way that would work. But…I think I have to try.’

“W-Well, a-actually,” Izuku stammered, in what had to be the worst attempt at nonchalance Star had ever seen, “I might have something you don’t. It’s r-really rare. All Might only ever m-made one of it.”

Star snorted dismissively, rolling her eyes at him slightly. “Okay, now I know you’re lying. Even the rarest All Might stuff had a run of at least triple digits. But okay, I’ll bite. What do you have that’s so rare?”

‘Here goes nothing,’ Izuku thought, taking a deep breath in, before dropping the new ace of his All Might collection.

“His Quirk,” Izuku said, with what Star assumed was supposed to be a smug grin plastered across his face. She fell silent for a few seconds, before eventually bursting into laughter.

“Alright, you got me there. I like your spunk, kid. Yeah, I feel like that’s definitely one of a kind, ya little cheater.” She shook her head as her laughter subsided into chuckles, before pausing outside an empty room. “You’re gonna pay for that one tomorrow though. So enjoy today, Kouhai. Because tomorrow,” Star said, pausing for dramatic effect as she flashed Izuku a sadistic grin, who swallowed nervously at the expression on her face.

“Tomorrow, I’m gonna break you.”

Chapter Text

“98…99…100! Well done, Young Midoriya!”

All Might stood over Izuku, watching intently as he slowly lowered the weights back down onto the rack. He gripped the bar loosely with one hand as Izuku dropped it into place, before reaching down with the other one to pull him off the bench. “Excellent job, Young Midoriya! You’ve been making wonderful progress these last two months. Our schedule appears to be progressing nicely. Keep this up and you should be ready to inherit One for All with time to spare before the recommendation exams.”

Izuku didn’t respond, at least not verbally. All Might’s eyes narrowed slightly, and he looked down at his young protege in confusion, a frown forming on his usually jovial face. After a few seconds of silence, Izuku met his encouragement with a slightly absent nod.

“...Is everything alright, Young Midoriya?”

Izuku shook his head quickly, his eyes snapping back into focus, turning to face All Might as he stood up. “O-Oh, y-yeah. I-uh…everything’s fine, All Might. I’m just…a little tired, I guess.”

All Might met Izuku’s gaze, and his confusion slowly transitioned to suspicion. ‘Bad sleep, huh? Is that really all there is? His schedule has him on 8-9 hours a day, which should be enough. Is there something more I’m missing?’

Eventually, All Might responded, trying to keep doubt from bleeding into his tone too much. “If you’re sure,” he said. There was no point in making Izuku think they didn’t trust him, after all. “Alright, let’s take 5, get some juice in you. Then we should get started on some push-ups and sit-ups. No time to be complacent, after all.”

Again, no response. All Might watched out of the corner of his eye as Izuku quietly sat down in the corner of All Might’s private gym, an absent look on his usually eager face. ‘Okay, something’s definitely wrong, and it’s not just a lack of sleep talking. When we first started, the kid was nearly bouncing off the walls, even if he was just running on a treadmill. 

So, what’s changed?

I don’t think he’s lost his drive. He still puts everything he has into his training. He’s just…not really here right now, either.

Maybe I’ll ask the others. Something’s wrong, I can feel it. I just…don’t know what.’

-----

‘Yeah, alright. Sensei wasn’t lyin’. There’s somethin’ up with the kid. He’s beginning to lose focus, and we can’t have that.’

Cathleen stared over at Izuku, watching intently as he faced off with a practice dummy, his hands flying out in a low punch towards the kidney. Or at least, where the kidneys would be if this were an actual person. Before the hit landed, she flinched, knowing what was coming.

*BUZZ*

‘Yep, that’s what I expected. Whole point of a kidney punch is to bring someone to their knees quickly, so you can finish them off. But do it too hard, and you can cause some pretty major internal bleeding. Kid can’t afford to lose focus right now.’

The harsh blaring of the siren scraped across both their ears as the dummy quickly lit up, a bright red flash revealing a look of annoyance on Izuku’s face, as he grit his teeth in frustration, hand flying out for another swing.

*BUZZ*

Another noise, another flash, and Cathleen saw the look of anger on Izuku’s face grow just that little bit wilder. She stepped over to him, her easy, balanced strides feigning a confidence she no longer felt. “Easy there, little guy,” she said, her hand reaching out to gently grip Izuku’s, pulling him back before he could go in for a third swing. “Everything’s fine. Just stop and take a breath, okay? You’re not gonna get anywhere goin’ off half-cocked like this. Trust me, I know.”

Cathleen watched as the look of anger on Izuku’s face faded, replaced with a dull weariness that somehow felt even worse. She grimaced to herself as she ran her eyes up and down him warily, idly noting the progress that had been made in two months of rigorous, non-stop training. ‘Well, physically, he’s coming along at least. But otherwise…’

She led a silent Izuku gently over to the sofa she’d been lounging in, sitting him down next to her, a hand still resting on his shoulder. “So,” she began, looking across at him. “You seem a bit on edge recently. What’s up?”

“Nothing,” Izuku responded quickly. Too quickly, and Cathleen felt herself frowning a little as she stared at him. Izuku, seeing her questioning gaze, quickly backtracked. “I mean…I’m fine. I’m just…not getting this, you know? And the more time I spend not getting this, the less time I have to do other stuff, and…I dunno, I guess. Sorry...” Izuku trailed off, quickly clamming up as he stared down at his hands. 

Cathleen moved her hand off Izuku’s shoulder, throwing it over his arm and pulling him in close. Much to her surprise, Izuku leant into her touch, resting his head against her shoulder. ‘Huh, the kid’s never been one for being touched much. Is this progress? Pretty sure this could be progress. I think? He could just be havin’ a bad day. Ugh, why are teenagers so damn complicated? Everything’s fine. Why doesn’t he get that?’

“Is the pressure gettin’ to ya or something?” She asked.

Izuku shook his head absently. “I…don’t think so. I dunno. I thought I was just…kinda tired.”

“Overworked, maybe? Are we pushin’ you too hard?”

Another shake of the head, but this time, Cathleen could see a faint glimmer of life in Izuku’s eyes again. “No, I don’t think it’s that. I think I just feel kinda…stuck, I guess? No, that’s not quite it. Stagnant? No…that’s not it either. I dunno. Something. I dunno what it is.”

Cathleen's mouth dropped slightly, and she raised her hand up slightly, running it through his hair idly as he relaxed against her shoulder. The pair remained that way for a few minutes as she contemplated how to help him. The problem was, where Izuku was normally an open book to Catrhleen, right now he was proving far trickier to read.

Eventually Izuku pulled himself off the sofa, walking back over to the training dummy and steadying himself to take another swing. Cathleen stared intently at him, scanning his form for any flaws, and relaxed when she saw none.

Izuku’s fist flew out, striking the dummy perfectly. No flashing light, no siren. Nothing. A ghost of a smile crossed his face, and he turned to face his teacher, who beamed proudly at him. “Nicely done, kid. Good job.” 

His smile growing slightly, Izuku turned back to the dummy, taking another swing at it. Cathleen watched in silence, save for the occasional correction of his form or accuracy, smiling to herself as the red flashes slowly decreased in frequency.

‘Well…I dunno what just happened, but it seems to have worked a little. Maybe I’ll try askin’ his mother. She probably knows him better than any of us.’

-----

“Isn’t it obvious? He’s lonely.”

Torino shrugged, Inko nodding her head in agreement as the pair stared over at his teachers one evening, after Izuku had gone to bed. All Might’s eyes widened at the realisation, while Cathleen blinked in confusion. “Young Midoriya’s…lonely?” All Might asked, stroking his chin slightly. “Yes, I suppose that would fit. The lack of sleep, the short temper that Cathleen mentioned. And I have noticed him taking a little longer in the showers than expected. I just chalked it up to *ahem* teenage indiscretions, but loneliness is also a possible solution,” he concluded, coughing awkwardly at the mention of Izuku’s too-long showers, before turning to Inko. “Sorry for mentioning that, Mrs. Midoriya.”

“Oh, it’s fine, All Might,” Inko said, waving his apology away. “I know how teenage boys can be. As long as he’s careful and respectful, and doesn’t give me any crusty socks to wash, I don’t really mind what he gets up to behind closed doors. I have faith in him.”

Cathleen shook her head, still confused by Torino’s declaration. “Okay, but…why’s he lonely? He’s got plenty of company with the three of us. Plus he’s got you,” she said, inclining her head briefly towards Inko, “and he hangs out with Eleanor and Annabelle when they’re not too busy either. Kids got plenty of company, right?”

“I think it’s because we’re all adults,” Inko responded, looking over to Gran Torino for support, which he provided with a single, stoic nod. “I know Izuku never had many friends his own age growing up,” she continued, “but he still got out, at least. Even if it was just for school, or sneaking off to watch Hero fights.”

Torino picked up the baton from Inko, tapping his cane on the floor, drawing all attention onto him. “The kid’s been stuck in the same four walls for the last two months now, either training or studying, or both. It was just a matter of time before he went stir-crazy. I’d just hoped it would take a bit longer.”

All Might scowled slightly at his mentor at this, eyes narrowing as he locked onto a very specific part of Torino’s statement. “You knew something like this was going to happen to Young Midoriya?” He asked, his annoyance shifting to confusion as Torino snorted derisively.

“What, you didn’t? His mother and I have been racking our brains trying to think of a fix, but short of just letting him walk around Tokyo alone, we’ve got nothing so far.”

“Well, why don’t we just let him out downstairs or somethin’?” Cathleen asked. “Mall Might’s gotta be as good a place as any for Izuku to hang out, right?”

To her surprise, Inko politely, but firmly, shook her head. “That was my first idea, honestly. But Sorahiko pointed out that, mall or not, it’s still Might Tower, so Izuku would probably still feel trapped.”

“That’s fair,” All Might conceded, crossing his arms across his chest, subconsciously mirroring Cathleen’s pose next to him. “But I’m not sure how I feel about sending Young Midoriya out unsupervised. What you’re saying about him needing space makes sense, but I still think I’d feel better if one of us was close by.”

Eleanor looked up from her laptop, fingers still flying across the keys as she continued working, a quizzical eyebrow raised at All Might’s words. “He has the phone Nezu gave him, right? So it shouldn’t matter where you are. It wouldn’t take you long to reach him.”

All Might found himself nodding contemplatively as he listened to his secretary’s suggestion. ‘Yes, Eleanor does have a point. Provided Young Midoriya doesn’t stray too far, it shouldn’t be too hard to reach him should something go wrong. Still…there is one small issue to address.’

“What about the media then?” All Might asked the room. “By now, they know he’s not at U.A, if only because of how prone to idle chatter teenagers are. And, while they might not be lining up outside Might Tower now, Tokyo has plenty of reporters, and Young Midoriya’s definitely not ready for that yet.”

‘Although…that does give me an idea. I’ll have to run it by his mother first, but it might be a good experience for Young Midoriya.’

The last occupant of the room laughed softly, looking up from her own laptop. “That shouldn’t be too hard to deal with, should it? Cover up his hair, give him a mask, and most people won’t give him a second look.”

The rest of the table fell silent, contemplating Kiss’ suggestion, with the exception of Cathleen, who slammed her palms against the table eagerly. “Hold the phone, I actually got somethin’ for this!” she said excitedly, before sprinting out of the room, returning a minute later with a single, cloth mask held over her mouth. The rest of the table stared at her, a mixture of confusion and amusement on their faces, before Inko eventually spoke up.

“Sorry, Cathleen, but…where did you even get that from?”

Cathleen laughed, tossing the mask over to Inko, who turned it over in her hands, staring at it in amazement. “You’d be surprised what you can find online these days. I got one for all of us. We can match!”

Eleanor sighed, looking over at the mask in disdain. “The worst part is, it might actually work. Nobody would expect All Might’s successor to wear something like that out in public.”

All Might’s eyes flickered in the direction of Izuku’s room, before moving back to the mask, staring at it intently. “And…you both think this is what Young Midoriya needs?”

Inko and Torino nodded as one. “Midoriya needs space,” Torino said solemnly. “Maybe some time with people his own age, too. Can’t do anything about the second one. But a day off to just go be alone couldn’t hurt every now and then. Besides-”

Torino continued to lecture, All Might nodding idly along with him, as his brain began to fire off solutions. ‘It might require me pulling a few strings, but I think I can give him the second one. I’ve had a standing invitation for years, so it might even be easier than I thought. Just say I wish to bring Young Midoriya along with me. It…could work.’

“HEY! ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME YOU BIG OAF?”

All Might quickly snapped to attention, eyes snapping over to Gran Torino, just in time for his heavy, wooden cane to strike All Might right between the eyes. “S-Sorry, Sir,” All Might mumbled, looking at the floor of their emergency meeting room, downcast. “I just had a few ideas for Young Midoriya that may prove helpful for his development.”

Torino snorted sceptically, looking across at All Might, a cynical look in his eyes. “Oh, I bet you do. Looking forward to ripping them apart later. For now, I think we’re done here. Just need to let Midoriya know he’s got the day off tomorrow. Maybe best you handle that part,” Torino said, turning to face Inko. “Any of us tell him, he’d probably think we’re replacing him or something.”

-----

“A…A d-day off? B-But we had training to g-get to. Did I d-do something w-wrong?”

‘Or I guess he’ll just freak out about it anyway. God, imagine if I had gotten Toshinori to tell him. Kid would probably have combusted.’

Torino shook his head at Izuku’s panicked response, before his mother pulled him into a reassuring hug, running her hands through his dark green hair. “No, it’s nothing like that, Izuku. I promise. We just thought you could use some fresh air, that’s all.”

Izuku’s eyes scanned the room, widening slightly as a series of supportive nods met his gaze. “B-But…my training? Do we…Do we really have time to waste on relaxing? I thought I had to get ready as soon as possible.”

Torino flashed All Might a quick look from the other end of the room, jerking his head forward. All Might followed his cue, quickly stepping forward to rest one of his withered hands on Izuku’s shoulder. “Well, Young Midoriya,” All Might began, kneeling down to reach Izuku’s eye level. “You’ve actually made far swifter progress than any of us had expected. Given this, your mother and Torino pointed out that a day off every now and then may be warranted. Consider it a reward for the incredible dedication you’ve shown, if it helps.”

Izuku felt himself tear up a little, a few wayward drops slipping down his cheeks as he hurriedly rubbed his eyes with a sleeve. “T-Thanks, All Might,” he said, sniffling slightly from the praise. He quickly turned and hugged his mother tightly, thanking her and Torino as well. Inko squeezed him back warmly, while Torino nodded at him from the corner. “Just don’t let it get to your head, kid,” he said, grinning maliciously. “Tomorrow, you’re gonna be working with me, and I don’t plan on taking it easy on you.”

Inko shot him a half-hearted glare at this, which was quickly replaced with a warm smile as Izuku met his declaration with a shaky grin. ‘Well, it’s progress,’ Torino thought as he watched Izuku slowly pack his shoulder bag. ‘He’s not back to normal yet, but it’s a start. And, honestly, Toshinori’s plans aren’t half bad either. They need some fine-tuning, sure, but the ideas are solid. Not that I’ll ever tell him that.’

“Of course, there are a few conditions before we let you go for the day. Firstly, your phone. Keep it turned on at all times, and if anything happens, use the panic button Nezu gave you. Understood?” All Might asked, in a tone that brooked no argument. Izuku nodded, finger running along the phone in his pocket.

Inko stepped forward next, pulling out of her bag the cloth mask Cathleen had given them all last night. “The other thing is this,” she said, depositing the cloth into her son’s hands. “It’s probably for the best that you try to cover yourself up, at least a little. Just to make it harder for anyone to recognise you.”

Izuku’s mind flashed back to the memory of All Might opening the door to a swarm of reporters, and he grimaced to himself, as he turned the mask over in his hands.

And for the first time in weeks, Izuku burst out laughing as he found himself staring at his own face.

Somebody had made him into a face mask. Izuku stared down at his wide, grinning mouth, more reminiscent of All Might than anything, and the four freckles framing each side, arranged in the same diamond pattern that adorned Izuku’s cheeks.

“Where did you even find this?” he asked as he wiped the tears from his eyes, a giant grin on his face. “I’m not that important, am I?”

All Might laughed uproariously, patting Izuku on the back in delight. “Cathleen said she found it online. I’m honestly not entirely sure how she did though. Congratulations, Young Midoriya. You hold in your hands your first ever piece of bootleg merchandise. Make sure to treasure it.”

-----

Izuku chuckled again as he slipped the mask on, pulling the nondescript black beanie his mother had passed to him in the elevator over his hair. As he stared at the back entrance to Might Tower, Izuku felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders, and he could almost feel himself bouncing slightly as he prepared for his first day out in two months. ‘I honestly didn’t realise how much I needed this,’ he thought to himself gleefully. ‘Even when I’m alone in my room or something, I’m still training, or studying, or working out, or just…something. A day to just go out and get some time to relax by myself is exactly what I needed.

Besides, if I really need to, I can just stay up a little late working out to make up the difference. I’m sure All Might won’t mind. But for now, I think I’m just gonna try enjoying a nice, peaceful day out.’

Izuku let out a deep, satisfied sigh as he felt a cool breeze on his face for the first time in weeks. He stood outside the back entrance to Might Tower, stretching his arms above his head, grinning widely behind his mask as the sun shone down on him. ‘Man, it really has been too long.’  

Izuku stepped out into the bustling Tokyo streets, immediately managing to lose himself in the crowd of people jostling against him. ‘I can’t believe I even missed people pushing me around. This is fantastic!

…

Now what do I do?’

Izuku laughed to himself as he racked his brains for ideas. ‘Honestly, I don’t actually know what there is to do that well. I could just…walk, I suppose. But that’ll get boring eventually. It’s not like I’m short on cash, at least. Torino gave me some money before I left. And then All Might gave me some more when he wasn’t looking.

…And then Star & Stripe did the same when she saw me off. And Eleanor gave me some from her and Kiss as well. And of course Mom gave me some on the way down. So I have plenty. But I don’t know what to do with it. I guess…I could take a train somewhere. I don’t know what everyone would think, but I’m sure it’ll be fine, as long as I stay in Tokyo itself.’

His mind made up, Izuku pulled up the directions to the station on his phone, following them for a few minutes before he walked into a massive roadblock. Looking around, Izuku saw a stationary crowd watching in awe as a group of robbers burst out of a nearby locksmith, bags full of stolen goods. The men made to sprint down a nearby alleyway, before a large, looming shadow from overhead froze them in place.

Izuku marvelled as a giant, muscled dragon hovered above them, a razor-sharp, metallic gauntlet draped over one eye. Izuku grinned and quickly reached into his bag, flicking open a book and making notes as he watched Ryukyu, the Number 9 Hero in all of Japan, arrive on the scene. She slammed into the ground, snarling at the robbers, before knocking them all to the ground with a single beat from her giant, scaled wings. A similarly massive claw descended next, trapping all three of the men in place effortlessly, and Ryukyu pinned them down until the police arrived a few minutes later to secure the scene.

Izuku’s eyes widened as he saw Detective Tsukauchi step out of one of the vehicles, swiftly securing the men in handcuffs, before bowing to Ryukyu in thanks. Ryukyu’s muscles tensed for a second, before she slowly shrank back down, shifting back into a tall and elegant blonde woman. She bowed to the Detective, before turning to the crowd, her hand raised in greeting. Tsukauchi turned as well, as he led the secured villains towards a waiting police van, before freezing momentarily as he spotted Izuku at the front of the crowd, his eyes widening slightly for a brief instant. He recovered fairly quickly and tipped his hat to Izuku, angling his movement so it appeared he was acknowledging the entire crowd. Ryukyu caught the quick look of surprise on his face, and her yellow, reptilian eyes flickered out towards the crowd, scanning it for anything unexpected.

Then her eyes met Izuku’s, and she smirked slightly as he quickly stiffened under her gaze. Raising one hand to the long, spiked gauntlet dangling over her right eye, she mirrored Tsukauchi’s action, tipping the gauntlet towards the crowd, before closing her eyes for a second and focussing. Izuku looked on in awe, beanie pressed down over his hair as Ryukyu shifted, winds billowing around her as she grew in size. Moments later, she grinned directly down at Izuku as her towering, draconic form loomed over the crowd. With one powerful wingbeat, Ryukyu took to the skies, hovering overhead as the crowd dispersed. Trembling with a medley of anxiety and excitement, Izuku quickly looked down as his phone vibrated discreetly.

Det. Tsukauchi:

All Might gave you the day off, huh? Good to hear. By all accounts you’ve been working really hard, so you definitely deserve it. And don’t worry about Ryukyu. A couple of the local pro’s already know you’re here, just in case. So it’s no big deal that she recognised you.

Izuku relaxed a little as he read the message, before adjusting his course and trying to make his way to the train station again, scribbling in his notebook as he walked down the bustling Tokyo street. ‘If I wanted to figure out how strong the winds from Ryukyu’s wing beats were, I’d need an anemometer apparently, as well as a way to actually test her wings in person, which…I can’t ask that. That’s too weird. 

But a quick look on my phone says that apparently the average wind speed needed to knock someone over is 70mph, depending on the weight of the target, as well as whether they’re braced for it or not. Heh…weather or not. That’s pretty good. Gonna have to tell All Might that one later.

Anyway, according to a quick search, that’s probably roughly how fast Ryukyu can flap her wings, if she can knock people down like that. According to the internet, that’s…roughly an 11 on the Beaufort scale, which is… A VIOLENT STORM? That’s so COOL. How powerful is she???’

Izuku looked up from his notes for a moment, phone in his free hand and pen clenched between his teeth. His eyes darted around wildly as he realised he was completely lost, and he hurriedly dropped pen and book back into his bag, opening his phone to look up directions.

‘Crap. I got so caught up trying to figure out how strong Ryukyu’s wings were I stopped paying attention to where I was going. Okay, that’s fine. That’s what phones are for. I’ll just open the map and try and find where I need to-’

“Hey, hey! Are you lost or something? You’re kinda rambling under your breath, but I don’t think you actually realise you are. Do you need a hand, or have you got it under control? Oh hey, nice phone. I have one kinda like it. Hang on…how do you have one of those, actually? I didn’t think you could…OH!”

Izuku quickly jerked up as he heard the voice from right next to him, and he spun his head around, finding himself staring directly at a pair of bright blue eyes, about an inch away from his own. “You’re him, aren’t you? Wow! I didn’t expect to actually run into you. I mean, I figured you were here and all, since I haven’t seen you at school or anything, but there’s a lot of people in Tokyo, so I just kinda figured I wouldn’t see you until next year.”

Izuku stepped back nervously, as he took in the strange girl hovering next to him. She continued floating an inch or two off the ground, so she was roughly eye level with Izuku, staring at him curiously as he took in her long blue hair and mint-green bodysuit. Eventually, she raised a gloved hand, waving it in front of him. “Hey, what’s up? You’re kinda staring off into space. Did something happen? Oh, sorry, have I asked too many questions? I’ve been told I need to watch out for that. I ask too many questions all at once and people tend to get too overwhelmed to ever answer any of them. It’s really annoying too, since I think I have a lot of really cool questions, but nobody ever manages to answer them because there’s so many and then-”

“Nejire-Chan,” an amused sounding voice said from behind the pair, “give him some space.” Izuku’s eyes narrowed as he recognised the voice, and, turning to face the newcomer, he froze slightly, mouth hanging open as he recognised her. 

Ryukyu stood at the entrance to the small side-street, smirking slightly at the pair as she walked over to them, before bowing slightly to Izuku. “I’m sorry about her. Nejire-Chan can be…excitable.”

“I…I-uh…I…H-H-Hi.” Izuku said, his nerves failing him, and he quickly buried his face behind his notes.

-----

“Hello to you too,” Ryukyu said, grinning in amusement as she stared down at All Might’s successor. ‘Detective Tsukauchi did mention he was shy, but this is definitely more than I expected. He’s lucky I got here when I did. I don’t think the poor boy would last five minutes with Nejire.’

“So, what seems to be the problem, Nejire-Chan?” Ryukyu asked, fixing her sidekick with a stern gaze. ‘Please tell me there’s actually a problem, and she didn’t just get distracted by an interesting civilian again.’

“Right, yes, of course Ryukyu,” Nejire said, puffing her chest out proudly. “I found him wandering around here, and he was mumbling something about being lost. And he was also talking about your wings and how cool they are or something.”

Ryukyu couldn’t help but laugh at the look of absolute mortification that shone through Izuku’s eyes, and she reached out, patting him on the shoulder supportively. “Relax, it’s fine. I’ve heard far less flattering things said about me. So thank you for the compliment, Midoriya.” She smiled down warmly at him, as Nejire gasped in delight from behind them.

“OHMYGOD I KNEW IT WAS HIM! I’M SO GOOD AT THIS!”

“Nejire-Chan, keep it down a little please,” Ryukyu said admonishingly, “I checked, and thankfully no-one’s nearby, but I’m sure Midoriya here has learned the hard way to be careful by now, haven’t you?” She said, winking at Izuku with her one visible eye, which completely flew over his head, since from his perspective, she appeared to just blink at him. ‘Right…the claw. I always forget the damn claw,’ Ryukyu thought in frustration, as she slipped it off her head slightly, revealing her whole face to the pair of them.

“Now, is Nejire-Chan right? Did you manage to get lost somewhere?” Ryukyu asked him.

“I-uh…I…I mean…y-y-yeah,” Izuku stammered out, still frozen in place from the two strangers surrounding him.

“Okay, and where were you trying to go?”

“I-I was trying to go to the s-station,” Izuku said, forcing the words out of his mouth, grip on his pen trembling as Ryukyu slowly led him out of the alley.

“Alright, that’s fine,” Ryukyu said calmly, a supportive hand on his back as they walked back out onto the street. “You just took a wrong turn a few streets ago. Double back until you reach the giant All Might statue, then go left. It’s pretty much straight from there. Do you think you can take it from here?”

Izuku nodded wordlessly, still awestruck by the presence of the two heroes.

“Fantastic,” Ryukyu responded, raising a hand in farewell. “Good luck with the rest of your training, and I look forward to seeing you at U.A next year. Come along, Nejire-Chan. We have paperwork to fill out.”

“But Ryukyuuuuuu,” Nejire pouted as she was dragged away by her mentor. “I had so many questions I wanted to ask him. At least let me know where the mask’s from. It’s too cute, and I wanna get one!”

Ryukyu sighed slightly, before turning to face Izuku, raising an eyebrow questioningly.

“I-uh…I don’t…know where it’s from,” Izuku responded, looking away from the duo. “But I…I mean, I can ask if you want. But I don’t know right now, only that one of my teachers bought it online.”

“Online!” Nejire said triumphantly, raising her hands in the air triumphantly. “That’s good enough for me. I’m sure I can find it from there. Alright, byeeeeeee,” she yelled as she was led away from Izuku, waving wildly at him as she was. Izuku let out a deep, exhausted sigh as the pair left him alone, and he quickly followed Ryukyu’s instructions, finding his way to the train station without incident.

Chapter Text

As Izuku slipped into the station, he looked around at the list of local places he could travel, eyes running up and down each one. ‘Kamino Ward? Little too far, probably. I’d rather stay in Tokyo proper. Naruhata? Maybe…actually. It’d be cool to see where the Naruhata Three first got their start. Although I don’t know what there is to do there these days.’  He stared at the list of locations, tapping his foot pensively, until a name called out to him.

“Attention all passengers, the 11:00 to Hosu City from Platform Eight has been delayed, and will be departing in ten minutes. Repeat; the 11:00 to Hosu City from Platform Eight has been delayed, and will be departing in ten minutes. We apologise for the inconvenience.”

‘Hosu?’ Izuku thought eagerly, as he quickly purchased a ticket, and began making his way over to Platform 8. ‘That’s where Ingenium’s based. If I go there, maybe I’ll get to see him in person. That sounds amazing! Maybe I can even get his autograph. I don’t have one from…

I FORGOT TO GET RYUKYU’S AUTOGRAPH! Awww, man, I’m such a fool. They were so pretty I got too nervous to really say anything, let alone actually ask for her signature. Ughhhhhhh, how could I have been so stupid?’

Izuku slipped onto the train, still mentally berating himself for his failure to obtain The Dragon Hero’s autograph. Once he was on, he quietly positioned himself in one of the corners, far away from prying eyes as he stared out the window, trying to draw as little attention to himself as possible.

The train ride was largely uneventful, if crowded, and Izuku made sure to keep his eyes down and avoid making eye contact with anyone. All the old tricks that had helped him avoid trouble at Aldera were still coming in handy, he realised as he managed to avoid a large group of teenage boys talking about the upcoming U.A exams. ‘Thank God they didn’t notice me,’ Izuku thought as the boys stepped off the train, now talking about “that lucky bastard Midoriya”. ‘I honestly don’t know what would have happened if they realised I was here.’

Eventually, Izuku reached Hosu city, and he quietly slipped through the train doors, following the signs to the exit, pulling out and checking the time on his phone. It was 11:45 by now, as Izuku's rubber-necking, followed by his getting lost & meeting with Ryukyu having eaten into a significant portion of his morning. ‘Well, I can look around for Ingenium for a bit, then maybe grab some lunch or something,’ Izuku thought as he opened the Herowatch app on his phone, scrolling through the Ingenium tag for any mentions of the man. Settling against a nearby bench, Izuku quickly scrolled down his feed, before striking gold as he spotted an alert from 10 minutes ago. 

Ingenium & Sidekick spotted on trail of purse-snatching gang!

Izuku’s eyes lit up, and he beamed down at his phone as it led him to where Ingenium had been recently spotted.

-----

Of course, by the time Izuku arrived, Ingenium was gone. ‘Of course he is,’ Izuku thought, trying to rationalise his frustrations into nonexistence. ‘Ingenium’s busy, so of course he wouldn’t hang around a crime scene like this longer than he has to. Well, maybe he’ll show up somewhere else then. I’m not gonna let this stop me!’

Flicking open the Herowatch app again, Izuku made his way to a more central area of Hosu, scrolling through the app until he found another mention of Ingenium.

Ingenium & Sidekick spotted rescuing kitten from tree!

Grinning hugely under his mask, Izuku slipped through the side-streets of Hosu, following the directions on his phone desperately as he sprinted to the local park.

And missed them. Again.

‘DAMMIT!’ Izuku screamed internally as he slumped in frustration against one of the trees, glaring angrily up at the clouds as if they had committed some grave sin. Slowly sliding down to the ground, he winced in pain as the rough bark scraped against his back. ‘How do people lie against these things?’ Izuku asked himself. ‘They’re so uncomfortable. Maybe if I had a pillow or something…’

Still grumbling under his breath, Izuku sat against his bag, scowling down at his phone as he flicked through it for any Hero sightings in Hosu, Ingenium or otherwise. And then, after ten minutes of fruitless searching, he struck gold.

Ingenium & Sidekick spotted chasing down serial arsonist.

Without even pausing to think, Izuku was up and moving, sprinting back the way he came as he chased after the Turbo Hero for the third time that day.

5 minutes later, he sheepishly sprinted back into the park, grabbing his bag and slinging it over his shoulder.

‘I swear to All Might, if I miss Ingenium for a third time because I came back for this bag, I’m going to scream.’

-----

This time, Izuku found him after about 15 minutes of running through Hosu City, pumping his fist into the air as he came upon the chase in progress. ‘Thank God for all that cardio under All Might. Three months ago I would have collapsed after five minutes.’

He stared up at the rooftops, watching Ingenium jump from building to building with confident, powerful leaps, the roaring of his trademark engines giving him the boost he needed to land each jump. Eyes shining with delight, Izuku flipped his notebook open with practised ease, pen clicking as he watched the scene unfold before him.

‘He must be sticking to the rooftops to avoid the crowds below. Clever! Ingenium’s always struggled with sudden changes of direction. Having to manoeuvre through crowds like this one would be really difficult for him. By taking to the rooftops, he now only has to focus on landing safely, which must have taken countless hours of practice to do without injuring himself! There’s a reason he’s considered one of the best speedsters in Japan. I wonder how he’d fare against Gran Torino? And does his armour have some kind of shock absorption in it? Maybe padding to help with these jumps?’

Izuku continued muttering to himself as he chased after Ingenium, pen scribbling as he ducked and weaved through the crowds clumsily, apologies spewing from his lips left and right. After a minute or two of chasing, a second figure caught Izuku’s attention, moving through the air above them all in a series of erratic bursts. ‘That must be his sidekick,’ Izuku thought excitedly. ‘Ingenium has…I think it was around 60 sidekicks last time I checked, so I’d never dreamed it’d be this one patrolling with him today! Just meeting Ingenium was already good enough, but both of these two together? That’s a dream come true!’

The second figure slowly fell down to the ground, landing in front of the arsonist, right hand outstretched, palm pointing towards the fleeing arsonist. All of a sudden, there was a resounding *BWOOM*, and the criminal flew past Izuku, bouncing across the surface of the street like a stone across a pond, before eventually skidding to a stop at Ingenium’s waiting feet.

‘Huh, it looks like the two were working together to capture the villain,’ Izuku thought to himself, scrawling messily across the page as Ingenium quickly secured the now unconscious arsonist, towering imposingly over him while the pair waited for the police to show up. ‘It didn’t look like the villain was being led anywhere, so Ingenium must have had a few sidekicks positioned at various points to get the drop on this guy.’

Eventually the police showed up, quickly securing the defeated villain and transporting him away, and the crowd began to drift apart into two’s and three’s. Only Izuku and a few other hardcore fans remained to document the events. Ingenium waved a cheerful hand to the departing crowd, his eyes scanning across the remainders, before they fell on Izuku, his notebook and pen clicking anxiously. His sleek, helmeted head tilted to one side for a second, before Ingenium turned to his now-grounded sidekick, and whispered a few words into his ear. 

Izuku might not have been able to hear what was said, but, given what happened earlier with Ryukyu, he had a fairly confident guess. A confident guess that was immediately confirmed when he saw a pair of dark brown eyes widen behind the blue-lensed goggles, and the two Pros made a beeline for Izuku, who quickly began to panic internally.

‘Oh God, they’ve recognised me again, haven’t they? Okay, stay cool, Izuku. You didn’t interfere with any crime scenes this time, so I’m not going to be yelled at. Unless…what if they see my notes? Oh God. Have I violated their privacy by writing about them? I’ve never thought of that before. What should I do? Do I run?

…No, Izuku, of course you don’t run, you idiot. Ingenium’s top speed is clocked at 117MPH, there’s no way I’d ever be able to outrun him.’

“134.8, actually, but not bad. I only managed to top that speed two months ago, and haven’t really had the chance to show it off yet.”

Izuku snapped to attention, tilting his head up to stare at the two Pros as they approached, faces partially concealed by their costumes. Ingenium approached first, clad in the trademark suit of armour worn by every Ingenium for nearly a hundred years by now, a gauntleted hand stretched out in greeting. Eyes wide, Izuku took the offered hand, his own one trembling the entire time, and felt his arm pumped up and down in a strong, friendly grip. “I’m impressed you managed to remember all that off the top of your head. I’d ask if you’re a fan or something, but I suspect we all know the answer to that one, don’t we Crawler?” Ingenium asked, his voice low as he turned back towards his sidekick. Izuku stiffened slightly, tensing in Ingenium’s grip, and the taller man quickly laughed, letting go and plucking the pen out of Izuku’s grip.

“Easy there, little guy,” Ingenium said, holding up a pacifying hand as he deftly scribbled his name in Izuku’s notebook. “We’re not gonna say anything, don’t worry. Trust me, the two of us know how hard it is to get some time out of the spotlight. We just wanted to come and meet you for ourselves, that’s all.” Ingenium’s sidekick, now confirmed to be The Crawler, nodded as he lifted his goggles up to rest on his forehead with one hand, the other pulling down the long, red scarf that covered the lower half of his face.

An easy grin beamed down at Izuku from behind the mask, The Crawler slowly tucking the scarf underneath a long, blue overcoat as he looked down at Izuku in admiration. Pulling back the large, fur-lined hood that covered his head, The Crawler slowly revealed himself to be a fairly young man, maybe a decade older than Izuku, at a guess, with a shock of short, messy brown hair.

“Y-You’re…The Crawler, right? The former Vigilante? One of the most famous examples of one going pro?”

Whether The Crawler blushed at his response, Izuku couldn’t quite tell, but he was fairly certain that the pink tinge to the man’s cheeks wasn’t just leftover from him hovering in the air for so long until recently. “Heh, yeah, that’s me. I didn’t expect you to recognise me though.”

“Not recognize you?” Izuku asked, scandalised by the very concept of not knowing a Pro Hero. “You’re one of the former members of the Naruhata 3! The most famous Vigilantes in modern history! How could I not know who you were? Your work during the Sky Egg Incident helped save hundreds of lives!”

The Crawler froze slightly, still staring down at Izuku, who quickly snapped his mouth shut. “R-Right…sorry about that. I-uh…I forgot that not a lot of people know you were involved in that,” he said, rubbing the back of his head with a hand awkwardly. After a second or two of silence, The Crawler grinned down at him, waving his apology away. “Oh, that’s no problem, really. I’m flattered that you remembered. Most people don’t, honestly.”

Ingenium laughed as he threw a hand over his Sidekick’s shoulders. “Maybe not the first time you and I worked together, but definitely one of our bigger jobs, huh?” 

“Heh, yeah,” The Crawler responded, chuckling along with his boss. “Honestly, I still can’t believe I made it out of there sometimes, y’know?”

Ingenium shook his head, patting his sidekick on the shoulder supportively. “Hey, none of that. You’re one of my best, remember? No putting yourself down while I’m around, got that?” Turning back to Izuku, he bowed slightly, passing the pen over to The Crawler. “Sorry for making you nervous like that, Crawler and I just wanted to have a quick word. And to sign your notes of course,” he said, winking as Crawler quickly scrawled his own name next to Ingenium’s. 

Izuku fidgeted with excitement as he added two new signatures to his collection, The Crawler handing him back the pen, a sheepish expression on his face. “Look,” he began, looking anywhere but at Izuku. “I don’t blame you if you don’t really do anything with this, but I know my girlfriend would have my head if I didn’t at least try,” he said, surreptitiously slipping a business card onto Izuku’s notes. “She’s honestly wanted to meet you ever since you first made headlines. We kinda both got our start as Vigilantes too after all, so we like to keep an eye on people who wanna take the law into their own hands like you did, give them some advice and tips on how to make it solo. I mean, you probably don’t need it or anything, but just in case. It can’t hurt, right?” The Crawler paused here, before sighing reluctantly and shaking his head. “Plus, well, if I'm gonna be honest…my girlfriend works for Uwabami, and I’m sure I don’t need to tell you how much she wants to get her hands on you.”

Memories of dozens of calls between Eleanor and Uwabami quickly swam to the surface of Izuku’s mind, and he laughed softly. “Yeah, I-uh…I’ve heard she can be quite persistent.” Ingenium and The Crawler shook their heads, laughing along with him. “Well, we can tell she hasn’t gotten to you yet, if you’re being that nice about her,” Ingenium said playfully. “Uwabami’s pretty nice, and a really good Hero, but she definitely doesn’t know when to give up.” He bowed to Izuku one last time, before stretching his arms above his head, the long, aluminium pipes in his arms rumbling slightly as he prepared to leave. “It truly was a genuine pleasure to meet you, young man. Best of luck with your training, and I look forward to seeing you again at the Recommended Exams.”

“Wait, you’re going to be there?” Izuku asked, curiosity piqued.

Ingenium grinned. “Yeah, my little brother’s got an invite too. Fair warning, he’s probably got a lecture planned for you on the dangers of vigilantism. You should have seen him when he met Crawler over here. Speaking of, c’mon, dude. We have some paperwork that needs filling out.”

“He says we, but honestly, he’s just gonna goof off with a paddle-ball or something while I fill it out for him,” The Crawler grumbled to Izuku as he slowly rose a few feet into the air, ignoring Ingenium’s mischievous cackle. “Part of being a leader is knowing when to delegate, Crawler!” Ingenium hollered after his sidekick, bidding Izuku farewell with a two-fingered salute, before dashing off into Hosu City.

Izuku quickly withdrew from the scene, avoiding the curious gazes of the few stragglers that stayed behind. Feeling their eyes on his back, even as he slipped into a side-street, Izuku beat a hasty retreat before somebody else recognised him. ‘That’s what, five people now who’ve recognised me. That I know of, at least. I mean, sure, most of them were Pros, or affiliated with them somehow, but still. That’s more than I’d like. Mask doesn’t seem to have worked as well as Star would have liked, I guess.’

‘No, that’s not really fair,’ Izuku thought, mentally admonishing himself as he spotted a coffee shop across the street, quickly slipping into it and placing his order. ‘You’ve probably walked past hundreds of people so far today, and most of them haven’t recognised you. This could have been so much worse.’

Izuku ruminated on the effectiveness of his disguise for a few minutes while his drink was prepared. After collecting it, he slipped quietly away to the back, making sure to sit away from the door, the large brown armchair concealing him from the rest of the clientele. Taking a sip from his drink, Izuku stared down triumphantly at his new signatures. ‘Let’s be real, Izuku, you could have been spotted by a hundred people, and it still would have been worth it for these. You’ve been after Ingenium’s signature for years now, and whatever his rank is, The Crawler’s a fascinating part of Japanese Hero History. Getting his signature is a huge pickup.’

“Well hello there~. All the other tables are full. So, are you taken? Or can I join you?”

Izuku quickly slammed his book shut as the voice whispered into his ear. ‘Crap. I completely zoned out looking at my new signatures. Okay, this is fine. I can just say I’m waiting for a friend or something.’

As Izuku looked up, his eyes flicking over to where the voice came from, he stiffened, and he felt his jaw hang open slightly as he stared at the young woman standing over him. A pair of deep crimson eyes twinkled with amusement from behind a pair of gold, rounded spectacles, and a cheeky grin grew on the girl's face as Izuku stared at her.

“I-uh…I…I’m…I mean…”

‘Oh for…it’s one word, Izuku. One word, and two letters. Is that really so hard?’

“I-I mean, I-uh…s-s-sure!”

‘Apparently, it is. Man, you’re so bad at this.’

The girl beamed down at him, her smile sharp and predatory. “Oh, aren’t you just the sweetest,” she said as she sat opposite him. “The two of us are going to have so much fun together.” Her eyes took on a sharper edge as she eyed Izuku up and down. “You really need to work on your disguise though. I knew who you were the minute I saw you. Don’t worry though. I won’t tell anyone you were here. Consider it my way of saying thank you for being such a sweetheart and letting me sit with you, ‘kay?”

Izuku froze in his seat, staring across at the girl as she brushed a few strands of long, red hair out of the way of her glasses. She met his gaze, grinning mischievously the entire time. ‘And make that six,’ Izuku thought in annoyance. ‘Do I hear seven?’

“I…I mean…Y-You…”

The girl rolled her eyes scornfully at him. “Please. It was obvious. You’re really not good at the whole disguise thing, are you?”

Izuku squinted in confusion, pursing his lip as he listened to the girl talk. “I mean, sure,” she began, waving a hand up and down Izuku’s decently-muscled frame. “You covered the hair and freckles, so that’s good, but you did it in the most obvious way possible. And did you even try to hide your eyes? They’re pretty distinctive too, y’know.” She smirked at Izuku, her grin growing more and more playful with every word. “Although, I don’t think adding a pair of sunglasses would make you less noticeable. All you’d need after that is a buttoned-up trench coat, and you’d have the whole ‘pervert’ look down.”

“Th-The…pervert look?” Izuku asked, his voice rising in pitch at the girl's playful teasing.

She tilted her head slightly, eyes narrowing intensely behind her glasses. “You…actually don’t know what I’m talking about, do you?” Izuku shook his head, and she clapped her hands together in delight, cackling. “Oh, you’re just adorable! You really are that innocent, huh?” 

As soon as Izuku opened his mouth to stammer out a response, he felt himself silenced as the girl pressed a finger to his lips, blushing slightly from the unexpected contact. “Don’t worry that cute little head of yours about it. Someone’ll tell you when you’re older, I’m sure. The point is, your disguise is really bad.”

She moved her hand away from Izuku’s lips and nodded to him, allowing him to speak. “Y-You…sound like you know what you’re talking about? D-Do you have an analysis Quirk of some kind?” Izuku asked, swallowing nervously as his new companion sat back in her chair. She flinched, almost imperceptibly at the mention of her quirk, before schooling her face back into a neutral expression with practised ease.

“...Not quite,” she eventually responded. “I just have…experience not looking like myself. That’s all.” A hint of bitterness entered her voice as she said this, and she glared across the table, although Izuku could tell she wasn’t actually glaring at him.

“Experience? Are you a cosplayer or something like that? Or is it to do with your Quirk?”

It was Izuku’s turn to flinch this time, as a low growl slipped out of the girl’s lips before she could stop it. She glowered at Izuku, actually at him this time, before her face settled into a blank, docile expression.“Not a cosplayer, exactly,” she replied in a flat tone of voice. It was like a switch had been flicked, and the playful teasing Izuku had been trying to adjust to was replaced with a bitter emptiness. “Although it does feel like I’ve spent most of my life pretending, one way or another.” Her glare faded as she leant back on her chair and stared down at the hard, wooden table separating the two.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Izuku said sympathetically. “Would it help if I told you you don’t need to pretend like that around people? I’m sure you don’t have anything to hide.”

She watched him sceptically, and Izuku steeled his nerves, taking a deep breath in. “Look…I know it might not mean much coming from a complete stranger. But I really do mean it. I never really had people supporting me growing up, and it sounds like things might have been the same for you. So I think I get where you’re coming from. Besides…we don’t have to be strangers if you want.” 

The girl stayed silent, her eyes still narrowed towards Izuku, who swallowed nervously, trying his best to keep his breathing steady. ‘I have been getting pretty lonely at Might Tower all by myself. Maybe someone to talk to would be nice. She seems a little…rough around the edges, but not a bad person. This might be good for both of us.’

“So, yeah,” he continued, his voice waning slightly. “I thought that, well, if neither of us have a lot of friends, maybe we could try each other?” Izuku swallowed nervously as her red eyes glared at him for several seconds, before shrugging wordlessly, and Izuku relaxed slightly. “Fantastic!” he said warmly, beaming across at his new friend, who felt herself relaxing slightly as he grinned at her. “I…probably don’t need to introduce myself, but it feels rude not too, y’know? So…I’m Izuku. Izuku Midoriya. It’s nice to meet you. What’s your name?”

A short snort met his words, and the girl stared at him incredulously for a few seconds, before shaking her head slightly. “Sorry, I’m not really the kinda girl who just gives it up like that. Gonna have to try a little harder than that to get my name.” She stared at him again for a few seconds, before sighing and relenting. “Although, you did just say it’d be rude. So you can just call me…’Hime’, I guess. A pretty name for a pretty girl, right Izuku?” Her voice slowly slipped back into the more upbeat tone she’d first greeted Izuku with, and he found his cheeks flushing slightly, both at her teasing and her use of his first name, a fact that seemed to delight Hime greatly, and she cackled at his embarrassment. “Yeah, I’m not calling you Midoriya. Sorry, not sorry.”

“Is…Is there anything else I can call you instead?”

“Nope!” Hime replied gleefully. “It’s Hime or bust for you, I’m afraid.” She quickly tilted her head over to the counter, before slipping away, returning momentarily with a large strawberry smoothie held between two hands. Taking a large sip, Hime let out a large sigh of relief as she collapsed back into the chair opposite Izuku. “Ohhh, yeah, that’s that good shit,” she said, clutching her drink reverentially. A silence fell over the pair for a few seconds, before Hime slowly put down her drink. “So…friends, huh?” Izuku nodded, and Hime pursed her lips for a second, fiddling with the rim of her drink. “Not…really something I’m good at. I-uh…haven’t really had many of those in my life. Never really met anyone I connected with.”

Izuku laughed behind his hand, flashing Hime a reassuring smile as she stared at him warily. “I understand. Like I said, I…kinda don’t have any friends right now either, and haven’t for a while, if it helps.”

Hime tilted her head at him quizzically, before a look of understanding crossed her face. “Right, Quirkless,” she said sympathetically. “Yeah, I see what you mean. But…friends help each other out, right?”

“Yeah, of course. Why? Did you need something?”

Hime shook her head, and she leant in, running one hand in Izuku’s hair, her other one gripping his wrist, pinning him in place. “You know you’re being followed, right?” she said, staring at Izuku, her face morphing to a completely serious expression.

The speed at which Izuku’s face morphed from red-faced embarrassment at the sudden contact to ashen terror was fast enough that it would be impossible to capture with modern technology. His head moved, ready to begin spinning around the room wildly, before Hime tightened her grip on his hair, keeping him firmly in place as she stared at him. “Whatever you do, don’t panic. Don’t freak out, don’t run away and don’t draw attention to yourself. That shit? It won’t help anything. Here’s what’s going to happen, okay Izuku? In five seconds, I’m going to let go, and you’re going to slowly lean over and look around the entire room, very calmly, like I’m trying to show you something. Do you understand me?”

Izuku swallowed, his eyes wide with terror, and he struggled to get his breathing under control. ‘Someone’s…following me? Who? For how long? Why??? Well…that one’s probably obvious, actually.’

Izuku felt Hime’s grip on his hair release, and he slowly twisted himself, looking around the room from over the rim of the chair, making sure not to focus on any one thing. “There we go,” Hime whispered into his ear as she leant into him. “That’s a good boy. Just act natural. Over there, by the counter. Brunette with the dye job. Boring suit. You see her?”

As Izuku scanned the room, he saw, out of the corner of his eye, a normal looking woman in a business suit, long brown hair running down her back, and Izuku could just make out a few hints of what appeared to be a deep blue, almost purple shade at the very roots. He finished his scan of the room, and Hime quickly pulled him back down, staring directly at him. “What do you mean, she’s following me?” Izuku hissed at her under his breath.

“What the hell do you think I mean, Izuku?” Hime snapped at him, narrowing her eyes in frustration. “Bitch arrived a minute after you did, and she’s been watching your table in a mirror the entire time. She’s good, too. If it wasn’t for me, nobody would have spotted her.”

“H-How did you do it, then?”

Hime shrugged, scowling over Izuku’s shoulder in annoyance. “I can tell when I’m being watched. It’s not hard.” She sat back in her chair, putting some space between the two, and Izuku let out a sigh of relief as he fell back in the chair, staring across at Hime intensely. ‘What kind of life has she had to live where she’s used to being watched like that? What do I say to her? Do I apologise? I haven’t done anything wrong though. Do I offer help? Or is that insulting her?  She can handle herself though, better than me, it seems.’

Eventually, Izuku stared over at Hime, fiddling with his pen anxiously. “It sounds like things are pretty rough for you right now. Is…is there anything I can do?”

Hime snorted in amusement, shaking her head slightly at Izuku’s questioning. “Rough, huh? You have no idea, Izuku.”

“What happened? Do you…want to talk about it? Is it to do with your quirk or something? You didn’t seem to like talking about it when I asked earlier.”

Hime raised an eyebrow, taking another deep swig from her smoothie, and Izuku flinched as his mistake became apparent to him. “R-Right, sorry. If you didn’t want to talk about it then, why would you now? Stupid of me. Sorry.”

Hime sighed, shaking her head as she dropped her drink on the table. “Don’t worry about it, Izuku. Just…my Quirk’s a little bit personal. Last time I told someone about it, it was my parents, and it…didn’t go well.”

Izuku’s eyes narrowed, and his frown narrowed. “Your parents?”

Hime snorted again, nodding once. “Yeah. Have you ever been to Quirk Suppression therapy, Izuku? ‘Cos I have, and lemme tell you. It’s not pretty.” Izuku swallowed nervously, eyes widening as he remembered what he’d once read about the topic. 

‘That’s…it’s an old practice from the early days of Quirks, back when they were still called Meta Abilities. Like the name implies, it often involves trying to force the recipient to actively deny their Quirk, which already isn’t great. But then there’s the cases where a person’s Quirk makes them dependent on something, or even just hyperfixate on it. Not to mention what used to happen when it inevitably failed. I thought Suppression Therapy was outlawed though. How did they find someone who still practised it? Izuku stiffened as the answer came to him. ‘They didn’t. They did it themselves.’ Izuku felt himself snarling angrily, and Hime stared across at him, eyes blinking in confusion. “You okay there, Izuku? What’s up?”

Izuku exhaled through his nostrils, eyes wide with anger for a moment, before he slowly forced himself to calm down. “Sorry, Hime. Just…conversion therapy was forbidden about a century ago. I mean, they taught me about it in history class, so I wasn’t expecting it to come up, that’s all.”

“Mmm,” Hime said, nodding curtly. “So you get why I don’t really wanna talk about my Quirk much. Hell, I didn’t even give you my name. It’d take a lot for you to know what I can do.” She paused, eyeing Izuku up and down, smirking slightly. “Although, I could be persuaded.”

“Are…Are you sure? I mean, I’d love to hear about it. I’m sure your Quirk’s amazing, but if you aren’t comfortable-” Izuku began, before Hime’s fingers were pressed against his lips once more. “You know what, Izuku? You’ve been about as sweet to me as this thing was,” she said, holding up her now-empty drink. “So, I’ll make you a deal. I’ll tell you my Quirk, but you need to give me something in exchange, okay?”

“Can I hear what it is first?”

Hime laughed. Actually laughed, not a snort or a chuckle, but a full-blown laugh, and she looked across at Izuku, her eyes glittering dangerously. Izuku felt a shiver travel up his spine, and he swallowed nervously at the look on her face. “Clever boy. Don’t say yes until you know what you’re in for. It’s nothing much, really. Just a selfie together, maybe. No mask, of course. I want people to know I met you. Might help shut them up, y’know?”

Izuku bit his lip, his gaze flicking between Hime and the notebook in his hands. ‘I…think I can trust her, actually. She did tell me there’s someone following me, after all. Besides, it’s just a photo, right?’

“...Can you wait until I’m gone to post it, at least?”

Hime nodded, and Izuku let out a sigh of relief. This immediately proved to be premature, because Hime followed up her nod by immediately crossing over to him, and planting herself on his lap. Her legs swept up across his, and her arms wrapped around his neck slightly. One free hand crept up a little higher, slowly removing the mask from Izuku’s face, and she leant in close, breathing into his ear as she leant against him. “There we go, that’s a good boy.” Izuku’s cheeks began to burn bright red, and Hime chuckled into his ear, her warm breath causing shivers to run down Izuku’s spine. “You are adorable,” Hime whispered to him. “Red is such a good colour for you. I definitely need to see you in it more in future.”

“I-In f-f-future?” Izuku stammered, hands shaking slightly as Hime leant against him. 

“Well, we’re friends, right? I assume that means I’ll get to see plenty more of you,” Hime said, eyes running up and down his frame briefly. Izuku nodded wordlessly, not trusting himself to speak as he readied the camera on Hime’s phone. “S-So, I just press this button, r-right?”

Hime nodded her confirmation, smiling innocuously, her eyes shining with anticipation. As Izuku pressed the button on her phone, she made her move.

*CLICK*

*SMOOCH*

All Izuku could focus on in the moments after he pressed the button was the sound of Hime's soft lips pressing against his cheek. He whirled to face her, eyes wide and face steaming with embarrassment. Gone was the innocent smile from moments ago, replaced with a grin that could only be described as devilish. “Oh yeah, red is definitely your colour, Izuku,” she said, causing him to glow even brighter. Snickering to herself behind her hand, Hime quickly hopped off his lap, adjusting his mask and sitting down opposite him once more.

“I guess a deal’s a deal, huh?” Hime replied, as if she had done precisely nothing wrong. “You still wanna know what my Quirk is?” She asked, and Izuku opened his mouth to speak, only to be caught in place as Hime pressed her finger to his lips again. “Nope. We had a deal, Mister, and I’m the kinda girl who keeps her promises. So don’t you dare ask whether I’m sure or not. If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t have offered. Understood?” Hime leant in once more, finger still pressed up to Izuku’s lips, and she leant herself against his shoulder, whispering directly into his ear again.

“My Quirk’s called Transform, and it allows me to become other people.”

Chapter Text

“My quirk’s called Transform, and it allows me to become other people.”

As soon as those words left Himiko Toga’s mouth, she moved, almost on instinct, putting space between her and Izuku. She sat back down opposite him, arms crossed protectively over her chest. A few more seconds passed, and Izuku remained silent, head tilted almost imperceptibly to one side as he stared at Himiko intently.

“Hey. Izuku,” she said, narrowing her eyes slightly.

No response, save for a slight tightening of Izuku’s eyes, as he focussed his intense gaze on her. ‘I guess that’s what I should have expected,’ Himiko thought sardonically as her lips narrowed into a thin line. ‘I don’t see why I should have expected him to be any different. Didn’t even have to tell him about me drinking blood before he started glaring at me. Just like everyone else. Probably worse. At least they had the decency to be freaked out by the blood part.’

“Stop staring at me. It’s creepy.”

Still no response, although this time, Himiko could just hear some faint mumbles from under Izuku’s breath. Himiko rolled her eyes, before leaning over and flicking him none-too-gently on the nose.

Izuku shot forward, eyes darting around as she pulled him out of his reverie. “H-Hime? Are you okay? Did something happen?”

Himiko froze, blinking at Izuku’s tone. ‘That…actually sounded genuine. Huh. Guess he’s a good actor if nothing else.’ Himiko shook her head, forcibly dismissing any other possibilities before they could take root. “You were staring, Izuku. It was pretty weird.”

Izuku flushed, his cheeks burning red as he laughed awkwardly, and Himiko found herself cursing internally. ‘God fucking dammit, he’s cute too. I was right. Red really is such a good colour on him. Such a disappointment. He was so close to perfect.’

“I-uh…sorry about that, Hime,” Izuku replied. ”I just kinda zoned out a little thinking about your Quirk. It’s just…you have such an interesting Quirk, and I had so many questions about it, I kinda got overwhelmed and didn’t know where to start.”

If you asked Himiko about this moment later, she would swear up and down that her heart literally skipped a beat at that statement. Of course, whether that’s true or not is unknown, since her response in the moment was to retreat to the safe bastion of scornful dismissal. “If you’re going to lie to me, Izuku, at least make it convincing.”

Izuku looked as though she had physically struck him, and he leant back in his chair, a shocked look on his face. “What? No, I was serious! Shapeshifting sounds like an amazing Quirk. So versatile and powerful. You’d be incredible at ambushes or infiltration.”

‘Useful, huh?’ Himiko thought, raising an eyebrow at her companion’s statement. ‘That’s a new one, if nothing else. Alright, if he wants to play the whole "nice guy" angle, let’s test him a little, shall we?’

Externally, Himiko made a show of sighing dramatically, shaking her head as she made her decision. “Alright, Izuku. Three questions. Since you’ve been such a good sport about everything.”

A wide grin split Izuku's face for a brief instant, his eyes brightening in a way Himiko refused to acknowledge as adorable, before he froze, his smile immediately giving way to a look of concern. “I mean, are you sure you want to? I’d love to ask you a few questions, but given how you spoke about it earlier, I don’t want to make you uncomfortable or anything.”

Himiko shook her head, the seeds of doubt that had been slowly planted during their conversation beginning to bloom. “It’s fine, really. I’m a big girl, Izuku. I can handle a few questions.”

Izuku nodded, his grin somehow managing to grow even wider, before he immediately rattled off a question. “How does your shapeshifting work? Is it purely visual, and you only need to see your target to become them? Or is there more? And does that count as one question? Because if it doesn’t then I wanna take back the last two I asked.”

Himiko flinched. ‘Of course he’d manage to ask the worst possible question first,’ she thought, grimacing. ‘I was really hoping to build up to this one. Well, I guess it’s time to rip the bandage off. It was fun while it lasted.’

“It’s based on blood,” she replied bluntly, her muscles tensing as she readied herself to spring from her chair at a moment's notice. “If I drink someone’s blood, then I can turn into them.”

Izuku fell silent as Himiko spoke, his eyes widening as his grin faded, replaced with an open-mouthed look of shock. ‘Well, here it comes,’ Himiko thought bitterly. ‘Like fucking clockwork.’

And then, after a few moments of silence that seemed to Himiko to stretch across all eternity, Izuku spoke. He didn’t say much, just a single word. But with that single word, uttered in a low whisper, he managed to shatter every barrier that Himiko had been forcibly building between the pair.

"Fascinating."

This time it was Himiko's turn to recoil. She leant back in her chair, jaw hanging open for a brief instant before she found her voice again. "What do you mean 'fascinating'?"

"Well," Izuku replied, a look of eagerness overtaking his earlier caution. "If your Quirk does work on blood, then there's so many different questions I need to ask you." His face fell as realisation struck him, and he lowered his eyes to the table, trying to hide the look of disappointment on his face. "Although I suppose I only have two left, huh?" He took a deep breath, before lifting up his head and beaming across at Himiko. "I guess that just means I need to make them count then, don't I?"

'There's no way that's what he's worried about,' Himiko thought desperately. 'He's got to be tricking me, or didn't hear me or something. Everyone…everyone else always...always called me a freak or a monster by now. He should be just like the rest of them. But…he's just worried about wasting his questions?'

Himiko remained silent, her brain running in circles as Izuku continued to mutter under his breath. Eventually, she spoke. "You…you don't think that's...weird or anything?"

"I mean, I guess it's a little weird," Izuku said, tilting his head to one side, not noticing the look of despair that flashed across Himiko's face for an instant. "But, well, Quirks in general are kinda weird, you know? A guy I went to school with could pull his eyeballs out of their sockets. That's pretty weird, right? I can't imagine just…pulling my eyeballs out like that, can you?

But as weird as that is, that's part of what makes me love Quirks so much. They're all little...well, quirks that make people unique and interesting. So, I mean, yeah, I guess it’s weird, but honestly, that’s kinda what makes it so interesting to me. Nearly everyone has this little thing about them that makes them special and unique. I mean, that’s why we call them ‘Quirks’, not ‘Normals’, you know?”

‘Holy shit…he’s actually serious,’ Himiko thought as Izuku rambled. ‘...He really doesn’t think my Quirk is monstrous.

He’s perfect.’

Immediately, thoughts and plans began flooding through Himiko’s head. ‘Scouted it before I came in, the alley in the back doesn’t have any cameras. Talking Izuku into coming with me would be the easiest thing in the world, and then he’d be all mine.’

Himiko’s hand subtly snaked its way down into her skirt, idly stroking the knife she kept sheathed in its holster. ‘It’d be way too easy. Just say I have to show him something, or offer him a way out so that bitch who’s stalking him can’t lay a finger on my Izuku. I’ll have to kill her too, I reckon. Won’t be as fun, but hey, that’s life. 

So why can’t I do it?’

Himiko looked across the table at Izuku as he finished talking, her currently crimson red eyes taking in every inch of him that she could see. ‘Oh, of course. I know why I can’t do it. He deserves better than to be shanked in some back alley. Someone this special deserves the best treatment possible. A nice comfy bed, some candles, flowers everywhere. Okay, maybe that last one’s for me, but his blood mixing with the petals as the life leaves his eyes?

Wonderful.

And he deserves a better knife than this, that’s for damn sure. It’ll have to be green, for starters. And way better quality. Ugh, and that’s gonna be soooo expensive. Ah well, the things we do for love.

Huh, so that’s what this is. Well, alright then.’

“Well, that’s a new one,” Himiko eventually said out loud. “Not had somebody call me weird as a compliment before. Alright, what do you wanna know?”

Izuku paused, his eyes flicking up to hers for a brief moment. “A-Are you sure? I mean, you said I only had two questions left so…”

Himiko shook her head. “Ehh, forget about it. I changed my mind. So come on, let’s hear it.”

Izuku stared at her questioningly for a second, before nodding resolutely. And then, he opened his mouth, and Himiko quickly found herself lost in a torrent of words washing over her. “Does blood type affect anything? How long a transformation lasts, maybe? Or what about fresh blood versus bagged? Does that change things? Or how about individual body parts? Can you change just like…a hand or something? Or is it the whole body or nothing? Is the transformation surface level, or do you change DNA to match the target? If so, can you mimic Quirks? And-”

Izuku fell silent as Himiko held up a hand. “Okay, you’re going to have to slow down. I barely got any of that, so if you want to know more, gimme a second, ‘kay?” Izuku nodded eagerly, pen and notebook appearing in his hands. “Okay, so. Blood type does change how long a transformation lasts. The closer a blood type is to mine, the longer the transformation lasts. Dunno why, it just does. Bagged blood? Dunno. The only thing I care about is that it tastes disgusting. Like, you have no idea how gross having to drink that stuff is, Izuku. It can’t hold a candle to the real thing.” Izuku’s eyes widened for a brief instant at the casual mention of drinking blood, before he composed himself, schooling his expression and nodding patiently. “Can’t change individual body parts, and I also can’t mimic Quirks. I tried once or twice, but it just…doesn’t work. Dunno why either.”

Izuku nodded, his excited demeanour quickly returning. “That’s okay. No Quirk can cover anything, and besides, this just means there are things you can work on to make your Quirk stronger, maybe? You said that blood types closer to yours last longer. Does that mean that your blood has to change to match the targets?” Himiko nodded, and Izuku’s eyes gleamed with excitement, as he practically began to rock back and forth in his chair. “Could you use that for blood transfusions? If you take a small sample of someone’s blood, you could theoretically produce a lot more of that blood type for medical procedures. Or does the blood change back even after it’s left your body?”

Himiko froze, her head tilted to one side as she contemplated. ‘I…Wow. I have no idea, actually. What does happen to blood when it leaves my body? Might explain why the police haven’t had much luck finding me yet. After Saito…well, they know I exist, but I haven’t really had too many opportunities to get my hands dirty. There’s only really been Oto and Kaori since then, and those two didn’t end up being worth killing. I’ll have to be careful with that, at least until I get a chance to test this idea. Might be good to throw them off.”

“Yeah, I don’t know about that,” she replied breezily, hiding her burgeoning curiosity beneath an unaffected exterior. “Might work, but I dunno.”

“Okay, so what about if you turn into somebody with a tattoo? Or someone who’s been amputated? Do you lose a limb to match them? And do you grow it back when the transformation ends? How about mutation Quirks?”

Himiko shook her head. “Never met an amputee, so no idea. Tattoos work though. I can copy mutants, but only physical stuff. Extra arms, skin colours, stuff like that. Nothing fancy, but it gets the job done.”

Himiko fell silent as Izuku scribbled in his notebook, never once taking her eyes off him. ‘Well, this has been a lot more productive than I thought. I honestly just wanted to grab a quick drink, and instead I made a new friend. We’re going to have so much fun together.’ As Izuku looked up, Himiko flicked her eyes over to a clock on the wall, and she licked her lips slightly as she got up. “Well Izuku, it’s been real, but I should probably get going. This was fun though. We’ll have to hang out again sometime. You got a number I can swipe?”

Izuku looked away nervously. “I mean…I do have a phone, but I don’t know if All Might would be happy with me just giving the number out like that.”

Himiko pouted playfully. “Awww, you don’t trust me?” Izuku’s eyes shot up towards her, a look of guilt on his face, and she snickered. “Sorry, couldn’t resist. Nahh, I get it. We just met and all. I just go through phones pretty quickly, so I figured it’d just be easier to get your number than to be telling you my new one every week.” Himiko snatched Izuku’s book out of his hands, flicking it open to a new page and scrawling her number in one of the margins. “Call me later and we’ll work something better out or something, okay?”

Izuku stared down at the number in front of him, his eyes wide and jaw hanging open, while Himiko stared at him. “It’s just a number, Izuku. C’mon, it’s no big deal,” Himiko said, shaking her head. ‘Jeez, to look at him, you’d think a cute girl had never paid attention to him before. Well, I’ll be sure to give him all the attention he deserves.’

Izuku eventually pulled himself out of his reverie, looking up at Himiko reverentially. “A-Are you sure you wanna give me this? I mean, you know you don’t have to, right?”

Himiko shook her head. “Come on Izuku, of course I know that. It’s yours, but you’d better call me. You wouldn’t want to break a young girl's heart like that, would you?” She said, punctuating her sentence with a wink. The look in Izuku’s eyes was quickly replaced with one of sheer terror, and Himiko couldn’t stop herself from chuckling at his expense. ‘God, he’s green. This is going to be so easy.’

“B-Break your…” Izuku trailed off, his tone lowering as he mouthed her words to himself. “I-uh…you don’t…mean that, do you?”

“Well, that depends,” Himiko said, towering over him as he shrank into the chair slightly. “Are you going to call me, or not?” Izuku’s face turned the same shade of red as earlier, and Himiko quickly had to stop herself reaching for her knife. He nodded meekly, and Himiko beamed down at him. “Great! Then there’s no problem, is there Izuku?” Izuku shook his head quickly, and Himiko’s grin grew sharper as she bared her teeth at Izuku in a manner that can only be described as ‘predatory’. “Good boy. Alright, I really should be leaving now. I’ve got some stuff to take care of. But you make sure to call me, and we’ll arrange to do this again sometime. Toodles!”

Himiko waggled her fingers at him, before slipping through the throng of people milling around the coffee shop, making sure to pass by her Izuku’s little stalker. A guttural snarl escaped her throat, and as she passed by, she quickly pressed herself against the woman’s back, whispering harshly into her ear, “I’m fucking watching you,” before ducking and weaving through the crowd of people, concealing herself expertly, even as the woman’s head whipped into her direction. Stepping out the door, Himiko pulled out her phone, still open on the picture of her current disguise kissing Izuku’s cheek, and hit ‘upload’.

-----

Izuku finished his drink, silently contemplating his all-too-short meeting with Hime. ‘I didn’t expect to actually make a new friend when I went out today. That was nice though. Hime seems really fun, although probably a lot to deal with. She kept teasing me the entire time and the…well, the kiss wasn’t expected either.’ He got up, stretching his back out, before going over to the counter and paying for both their drinks, before slipping quietly out the front entrance and back onto the busy streets of Hosu. His eyes quickly darted around him, keeping his eyes peeled for the woman from earlier. Seeing nothing, he relaxed slightly, and slowed his gait, focussing instead on the sights and sounds surrounding him. ‘I really needed this. Today’s been absolutely amazing. I made a new friend, I got her number…I mean, she kind of threw it at me, but I would have asked her for it before she left…maybe. I would have wanted to though!

When should I call her, anyway? I mean, that wasn’t really like a date or anything, so do I still have to wait 48 hours? I definitely don’t think I should call her this evening. That does sound a bit too desperate. Although…I guess I kinda am, so maybe I’m just being honest? Maybe I’ll text her tomorrow or something. See if that works.’ Izuku’s brief meeting with Ingenium flashed in his brain, and his grin brightened. ‘Right. I also managed to get those autographs. That’s another good thing that happened today. I mean…sure, I missed Ryukyu’s, and that’s definitely annoying, but Tsukauchi said she’s stationed in Tokyo at the moment, so I’m sure I’ll run into her again sometime.’

It was at that moment that Izuku’s phone trilled in his pocket, and he quickly slid it out, checking the caller ID. ‘Oh hey, speak of the devil. It’s Tsukauchi. I wonder what he wants. Maybe he just wanted to check in. I could definitely see the others being paranoid enough to do something like that.’ Izuku accepted the call, holding the phone close to his ear. “Hi, Detective Tsukauchi, is everything okay?”

“Izuku,” Tsukauchi began, his voice tense and hurried. “Where exactly are you right now?”

Izuku frowned slightly. ‘Tsukauchi sounds a lot more nervous than I expected. Did something go wrong?’

“I just left The Black Label, the coffee shop in Hosu. Why?”

“Are you with anyone?”

“N-No? Why? What’s going on?”

Tsukauchi exhaled deeply into the phone. “Okay, that’s…that’s good. We’re sending someone to pick you up immediately. Stay outdoors, away from the crowds, make sure you keep your phone on, and try to stay in the view of a camera if you can.”

Izuku’s skin began to prickle, and he had to stop himself from darting his head around wildly. ‘Remember what Hime told you. Don’t panic, and don’t draw attention to yourself.’ Slowly, Izuku looked around, quickly stepping into view of a nearby convenience store, forcing himself to take slow, steady breaths. “Okay, I think I’ve done that. What happened?”

“Do you know who Himiko Toga is, Izuku?”

“N-No. Why? Should I?”

The next words out of Detective Tsukauchi’s mouth caused Izuku to freeze, his eyes widening in horror. “She’s a person of interest in a couple of cases of aggravated assault, and is officially the primary suspect of one count of attempted homicide. A few months ago, she attacked one of her classmates, drank his blood, and then disappeared, leaving the boy comatose.”

Izuku’s mind flashed back to his conversation with Hime, and a hand flew up, gripping his neck tightly as his breath escaped him. ‘She…what? There’s no way she would do something like that. Although…she did say she preferred fresh blood. And this would explain why she had trouble talking about her Quirk, if it leads to…that.’

“About half an hour ago, a photo was uploaded to a social media account linked to her of a girl kissing you on the cheek,” Tsukauchi continued. “Did you encounter Himiko Toga at all, Izuku?”

Izuku nodded wordlessly into the phone, before catching himself. “I-uh…yes? I think I did. She didn’t give me her name, but I’m pretty sure it was her.”

Tsukauchi muttered something to one side, before continuing to talk into the phone. “Okay, Izuku. You’re doing great. Just stay put, I sent someone along to help you, she should be there any second.”

‘She?’ Izuku thought, as Tsukauchi continued rattling off instructions. ‘Who’s that meant to be? Could be Star, I guess, but I figured All Might would come get me himself. He’s probably faster than her. He didn’t have any plans today, so maybe someone who’s quicker? I’d suspect Ingenium, but the last female Ingenium was 28 years ago now, so that’s out. So who could it…’

Oh. Of course. Duh.

…

Well, at least I’ll be able to get that autograph after all.’

Izuku spent the next few minutes with his guard up, back pressed against the wall, his eyes flicking from one person to the next, before he found his theory being proven completely correct, in the worst possible way.

“HEYYYYYY! MIDORIYA!!! WHERE ARE YOU???”

Looking around, Izuku noticed a few passers-by start at the mention of his name, and he paused his scan of the crowd to screw his eyes shut, letting loose a deep, exhausted sigh. Opening his eyes once more, he saw a familiar head of blue hair hovering in the sky, as the girl he’d met earlier floated above the crowd, yelling into the crowd.

“MIDORIYAAAA! WE’VE COME TO PICK YOU UP! ALL MIGHT SAID YOU NEED US TO COME AND GET YOU!”

Izuku found himself at a loss for words as the girl, Nejire, Izuku remembered after a second of thought, hollered into the crowd, scanning each person intently as she floated above them. The crowd began to murmur and look around, eyes darting around them, desperately trying to catch a glimpse of All Might’s successor. 

Even as she kept yelling loudly for him to come out, he stayed firmly pressed against the wall. Thankfully, Nejire’s yelling was swiftly interrupted by the gentle beating of wings, a gust of wind rippling through the crowd as a titanic shadow loomed overhead, the bulky, draconic form of Japan’s number nine Hero making herself known as she landed with an unexpected level of gentleness on the sidewalk.

From Izuku’s perspective, the entire world around him seemed to freeze for a moment as Ryukyu touched down onto the hard asphalt. The crowd fell silent, stunned into immobility by her appearance, the lifting of mobile phones and whispers of amazement crashing to a halt. Even Nejire fell silent as her boss gazed down at her, staring down with an incredibly unamused expression on her face. Then, with a single movement of her head, the spell was broken. As one, the crowd moved towards her, phones flashing and raised voices flying thick and fast through the air. Ryukyu ignored them, her long neck craning as she gazed over the crowd, eyes flickering through the various nooks and crannies of the Hosu streets, until her eyes locked with Izuku’s. Izuku found himself unable to meet her intense gaze, and he quickly looked down, quietly raising a hand in greeting.

Ryukyu snorted to herself in amusement, before gently tapping Nejire on the shoulder, jerking her head in Izuku’s direction. Nejire turned towards the small corner where he’d isolated himself, her eyes sparkling as she finally spotted him. Noticing the small interaction, the gathering crowd quickly turned to face Izuku as well, staring intensely at him. Before any of them managed to make a move towards him, Nejire was already there, hovering uncomfortably close to Izuku, so close that their noses were practically touching. 

“There you are! Why didn’t you tell me you were over here? I’ve been calling you for ages. Did you not hear me or something?”

Izuku shrunk in on himself slightly as the unstoppable force that was Nejire’s curiosity threatened to overwhelm him. “I-I was trying to keep a low profile, that’s all.”

Nejire blinked, before pulling back. “Oh, I probably ruined that for you, huh? Sorry about that,” she said, grinning apologetically, before shaking her head and shrugging. “Ah well, it doesn’t matter anymore, does it? We’re here now, so there’s nothing to worry about. Nejire-Chan and Ryukyu are on the case! I don’t know why we’re the ones on the case or what the case is, Ryukyu didn’t say, but we’re on it! Now, let’s go!” She spun around in the air dramatically, hair billowing out behind her, almost smacking Izuku in the face, before staring out at the large audience the three of them had gathered.

She turned back to Izuku, then back to the crowd, then back to Izuku once more, before sighing. “Yeah, there’s no way you’re getting through that crowd in one piece. Well, time for plan B!”

“Wait, what’s plan B?”

Nejire ignored him, deftly plucking the hat off his head, followed swiftly by his mask. “Well, first, those are gonna have to go. Flying isn’t really good for hats and such, you know?” She looked up and down him swiftly, before nodding. “Alright, that’s much better. You’re ready for take-off, captain! Here we go. With a one and a two and a HUP!”

The next thing Izuku knew, Nejire’s arms were looped around him, and she hoisted him up into the air. One arm snaked its way under his knees, and the other gripped his back tightly as she hovered into the air, holding him close in her arms like a newlywed couple. “And that’s plan B,” she said, looking down at him. “Can’t take you through the crowd, so I’ll just take you over it. Genius, right?” 

Izuku looked over the crowd, staring at them both, cameras flashing as Nejire carried him over their heads, and he buried his face in his hands. “I mean, I guess it’s effective,” he replied weakly. Nejire beamed down at him.

“Awwww, thanks! I think you’re the first person who likes being carried by me like this. Most people say it’s demeaning or something, which is ridiculous. Who doesn’t like aeroplane rides? Well…unless you’re acrophobic, I guess. Then it makes sense.”

Nejire carried him quickly over to Ryukyu, landing gently on her back, Izuku still caught in her surprisingly strong grip.  “Alright, Ryukyu. Package secured and ready for delivery!”

Ryukyu nodded, turning her head to the crowd and speaking for the first time. “Sorry we can’t stay. There’s been an emergency at Might Tower, so we need to get Midoriya here back as soon as possible.” She inclined her head in farewell, before taking to the sky with a few powerful wingbeats. As soon as the trio were out of anyone’s earshot, she spoke, her voice resonating with dry sarcasm. “And congratulations on your first ever front-page appearance, Nejire-Chan.”

Nejire tilted her head, looking down at Izuku. “Front page? What for? I mean, I know we picked up All Might Jr. here, but that’s not front page news, is it?”

Ryukyu sighed, shaking her head as she carried them across the Japanese skyline. “This is the first time he’s been out since being outed as All Might’s successor. Him being spotted would have been news to hero fans regardless. You carrying him like you did? I’d put money on the pair of you being in gossip magazines before the week is out.” She craned her head towards Izuku slightly. “Please accept my apologies, Midoriya. I told Nejire-Chan to make sure she found you as quickly as possible. I assumed she’d be discreet while she did it.”

“O-Oh, that’s completely fine,” Izuku replied. “Sorry I didn’t respond when she called for me. I just didn’t want to draw any attention to myself.”

Ryukyu shook her head again. “You’ve done nothing to apologise for, Midoriya. You kept yourself out of the spotlight in a dangerous situation. That’s what we hoped you’d have done. Don’t worry though,” she continued, “Nejire will have plenty of time to reflect on what she did wrong while she catches up on my paperwork for me back at the agency.” 

“Whaaaaat?” Nejire complained, pouting up at her mentor. “Come on Ryukyu, nobody likes paperwork. It’s sooo boring. There’s nothing fun about filling out forms.”

“You’re right,” Ryukyu replied humourlessly. “It’s very boring. But it’s a necessary part of the job, and more importantly, it’s one you struggle with. The practice will be good for you, and maybe the time off will help you think about why you’ve been assigned desk duty in the first place.” She paused for a moment in contemplation, before accelerating slightly, her wings beating harder. “I’ll probably have to talk to Midnight about getting you some extra lessons about maintaining professionalism in rescue operations.”

Nejire blanched, and she shook her head back and forth, Izuku rocking in her grip, his eyes wide with terror. “But those lessons suck, Ryukyu. They always tell me I need to behave more seriously in rescues. Do you know how hard it is to just stand there frowning for hours on end? Tamaki does better than me at those lessons, Ryukyu. Tamaki!!! You know what he’s like with the public.”

“You’ve mentioned, yes. But it’s still something you need to work on, Nejire-Chan. Understood?” Ryukyu said, her tone brooking no argument. Nejire slumped slightly, her grip on Izuku relaxing slightly, before she sighed in defeat. “Yes, Ma’am,” she muttered despondently, before a thought occurred to her, and she narrowed her eyes slightly. “Why was this a rescue anyway? All I know is All Might asked you to come and grab Midoriya here.”

Ryukyu paused for a moment, contemplating, before filling Nejire in on the situation. What few birds dared to fly in the vicinity of the giant, muscled dragon swiftly found themself repelled by the loud shriek of “WHAT DO YOU MEAN, SERIAL KILLER?”

Chapter Text

It felt like Izuku had barely pressed his feet on the roof of Might Tower before his mother had him in a tight, smothering grip. The next thing he knew, her hands ran up and down his frame as she checked him for injuries, the rest of Might Tower following urgently in her wake. “IZUKU!!! MY BABY BOY!!!!! ARE YOU OKAY? DID SHE STAB YOU? ARE YOU BLEEDING? DO YOU NEED TO SEE A DOCTOR?”

“Can’t…breathe,” Izuku gasped as he felt the air slowly being forced out of his rapidly compressing lungs. “Need…oxygen…to talk. Otherwise…fine.”

Izuku felt his mother's grip loosen a fraction, and he quickly sucked in a deep lungful of air. As he inhaled, Izuku felt some of the life return to his cheeks, only for it to be immediately snuffed out as Inko continued talking. “Izuku, what exactly happened out there? Tsukauchi said something about some murderer getting a photo of you kissing some girl and then disappearing? Is that really what happened? I didn’t want your first kiss to happen like this, Izuku!”

‘If anyone is up there, please don’t make me talk about my first kiss with my mother. Especially not in front of everyone like this. Wait…

Some girl? What?’

Izuku wracked his brains as he stared up at the look of concern on his mothers face, desperately trying to think of any kind of reassurance he could offer her. “Mum, I’m fine. Really. She didn’t try to hurt me or anything. Actually…kinda the opposite. She ended up helping me out a lot today.”

“How?” Inko replied, scepticism abundantly clear.

“Well,” Izuku began, before trailing off slightly, realising the corner he’d backed himself into. “She-uh…she may have told me that I was being followed.” Seeing his mother’s eyes shoot open, he quickly reached out and rested his hands comfortingly on her shoulders. “Mum, I know how it sounds, but I promise, everything was-”

“Midoriya, maybe you should let me handle this.”

Izuku turned his head slightly to see Ryukyu approaching the pair, exuding an air of calm professionalism as she reached them. “Mrs. Midoriya, your son does actually have a point. Obviously, none of us should be classifying what happened to your son today as ‘fine’,” she said, fixing Izuku with a pointed stare. Izuku quickly found himself looking away, cheeks flushing red as she admonished him. “But, there’s possibly a silver lining we can work with here. If the information Toga provided is true, then we know someone was observing your son today, and possibly has been for some time. Since we know this, there’s a chance we can catch her using security footage. And if not, well then it's only her we need to be concerned about."

“Plus,” Detective Tsukauchi said, entering the conversation cautiously. “Even if there was somebody else following your son, we don’t know what exactly their intentions were with Izuku. Obviously, we’re going to operate under the idea that they wish to actively harm him. But it could just be an eager reporter, or even just somebody on the street who recognised him. It didn’t take me long to realise it was him after all.”

“Nor me,” Ryukyu said, a ghost of a smirk on her face. “And unlike the Detective, I’d never met him before, either. There’s every possibility it was just a fanboy. You do meet a lot of them in this industry.” Izuku flushed scarlet at this, clutching the bag with his notebooks slightly tighter, as she shot him a knowing gaze.

Inko looked across at the pair, letting out a deep sigh, before relaxing slightly, and pulling Izuku into a gentle hug. “I guess you’re right,” she admitted. “I just didn’t like hearing that my son may have been targeted by a serial killer. And on his first proper day out, too. I know he was really excited to get some time to himself.”

“That’s completely understandable,” Ryukyu said, shaking her head. “I can’t imagine any parent being happy about their child being targeted like that. But your son is in good hands with All Might. And when he isn’t, then Nejire-Chan and I will be more than willing to lend a hand.”

Inko nodded, her hand still threaded through her son's hair as she clung to him tightly, unwilling to let him go. “I know All Might’s very busy, so we might have to take you up on that offer some time. Thank you. And thank you for bringing him back to me safely. Both of you,” she said, turning to Nejire as she nodded gratefully.

Nejire opened her mouth eagerly, response dangling on the tip of her tongue, before a stern look from her mentor caused it to snap shut with an audible *clack*. “We’re only too happy to help, Ma’am,” Ryukyu replied gracefully. “It’s what Nejire-Chan and I are here for.”

Inko let out a sigh of relief, before her concerned expression from earlier returned. “The only question now is, where do we go from here? I still think Izuku needs time to himself, or at least with people his own age, away from all…this,” she said, gesturing towards Might Tower, “but I don’t know if I’m comfortable with just the panic button anymore.”

Nejire’s eyes widened, and before Ryukyu could stop her, she shot forward, her hand waving wildly in the air. “OOH! OOH! What if I went with him? You said no adults allowed, right? Well, I’m not an adult, but I’m also a Pro Hero…at least, if you pretend that the ‘pro’ in ‘pro hero’ is short for ‘provisional’. Maybe I can hang out with him sometime?” Nejire paused, gasping dramatically as she whirled on Izuku. “I KNOW! I can introduce you to Tamaki and Mirio, too! I’m sure they’d love him, and then he’d have lots of friends!”

“I can vouch for Mirio Togata, at the very least,” All Might interjected. “I had the privilege of meeting him recently during a visit to U.A, and an…old friend of mine has nothing but praise for him. I’m afraid I have never met a Tamaki before, however.”

Izuku stiffened as several sets of eyes turned towards him, a calculating look in his mother’s eye. “It would give Izuku some protection for when he needs to get out,” Inko said, almost muttering to herself under her breath. “And since she can fly, then she could always just carry Izuku away if something went wrong.” She paused, turning to face Nejire. “You can carry other people, right?”

Nejire beamed. “Oh, you bet I can!” She replied eagerly, swooping down and grabbing Izuku in her arms, hoisting him into the air. “See? Easy peasy!”

Inko relaxed slightly, letting loose a small chuckle at the sight of her son nestled in Nejire’s arms. “Yes, I see. Well, Izuku does look very comfortable up there. Alright then. That sounds like a wonderful idea to me. Is that a problem, Miss Ryukyu?”

“Just Ryukyu’s fine,” Ryukyu replied, smiling indulgently at her protege. “Unfortunately, it’s not entirely up to me. If it was, I’d be more than happy to allow Nejire-Chan to accompany Midoriya sometimes. But I only have her part-time at the moment. So she still has responsibilities with U.A that she needs to fulfil. But, at least when she’s working under me, I’m sure I can coordinate with the Might Agency to have her shadow your son on occasion.”

Nejire beamed down at Izuku in excitement, as Inko looked over at her son, an apologetic look on her face. “I’m sorry none of us really asked you, Izuku. But I’m afraid I have to put my foot down here. I’m not comfortable with you going out by yourself for the foreseeable future. Not after what happened earlier today.”

Izuku looked over at his mother, then the eyes of the rest of the adults outside Might Tower, searching for a shred of mercy. Finding none, he resigned himself to his fate, nodding wearily. ‘I mean, hanging out with Hadou does sound like fun and all, just…I’m almost 15, and my mother’s still organising playdates for me. Although…I guess it’s probably not the most embarrassed I’ve been since meeting All Might. At least no reporters saw this one.’ Shaking his head slightly, he looked up at Nejire, squinting slightly as the sun shone into his eyes from behind her head, framing her like a halo. She looked back down, smiling hugely as she cradled him protectively in her arms. “A-Actually…that sounds really nice,” he blurted out, cheeks flushing bright red.

Nejire squealed with delight, shaking him back and forth in excitement. Izuku did his level best to avoid meeting the amused gazes of any of the adults watching the scene, ranging from his mother and All Might’s delighted grin, to Tell’s sly, teasing smirk. “I know, right!!!” Nejire said, oblivious to the response her reactions had generated, “It’s been so long since I made a new friend! Nothing against Tamaki and Mirio of course, they’re my best friends, but they’ve known each other wayyy longer than I have, so if I have you, then you can be like my own little Mirio! Oh, I’m so excited. I’m sure they’re going to love you.” 

Nejire paused, taking a deep breath in as she prepared to continue talking, before being interrupted as a hand gently placed itself over her mouth. “Alright, Nejire-Chan, I think you’ve manhandled Midoriya enough for today. I’m pretty sure Detective Tsukauchi has a few questions to ask him about his encounter with Himiko Toga, so we probably shouldn’t interrupt them any further.”

Nejire deflated slightly, pouting as she gently deposited Izuku back onto the roof of Might Tower. “Thank you,” Tsukauchi said, nodding respectfully to her as he pulled out a notebook, before switching his undivided attention over to Izuku. “As Ryukyu said, I have several questions to ask, if that’s alright with you? While I’d like to get as much detail as possible while your memories are still fresh, we can possibly leave it for a day or so if you want some time to recover.”

Izuku paused for a second, his eyes narrowed as he thought, before shaking his head. “No, it’s fine. Nothing really happened, so I think I should be fine to talk about it. Can I ask you something first though, Detective?” Tsukauchi nodded, and Izuku continued. “Can you tell me about her? About Hime…I mean, Toga. She didn’t really tell me a lot about herself, which…makes a lot of sense in hindsight.”

Tsukauchi’s eyes flickered around for a moment, before he sighed, nodding once. “I can’t share everything, sorry to say, but I’ll tell you what I can. Talking about Himiko Toga is complicated, because what we know is radically different depending on who you ask. According to her classmates, Toga was a seemingly normal middle-school student. Fairly popular, polite, friendly, exactly what you’d expect from someone her age.” Here, Tsukauchi took a deep breath before continuing, a look of frustration flashing across his face. “However, if you speak to her parents, you get a rather different story. According to them, Toga was an ‘abnormal monster’ who they refused to acknowledge as their daughter anymore.”

Izuku froze, as some of Toga’s words from earlier that day rang in his ears. 

‘Although it does feel like I’ve spent a lot of my life pretending, one way or another.’  

‘My Quirk’s a little bit personal. Last time I told someone about it, it was my parents, and it…didn’t go well.’

“That…makes sense, based on what she told me,” Izuku admitted. “She said her parents tried to put her through Quirk Suppression therapy when they learnt what her Quirk was, so it’s not surprising they didn’t have the nicest things to say about her.”

Izuku heard a sharp exhalation of breath at the mention of the words ‘Quirk Suppression Therapy’, and he looked up to see Tsukauchi staring down at him, eyes wide with shock. Looking around, Izuku saw that expression mirrored in most of the adults, with the exception of Ryukyu and All Might, both of whom had looks of incandescent rage on their faces.

Tsukauchi quickly settled himself, coughing once to cover his surprise as he resumed his usual calm demeanour. “Suppression Therapy? And you’re sure she said this?”

Izuku nodded. “Yeah, I am. I guess it’s possible she was lying, but I don’t think she was. She felt really honest, as far as I could tell.”

“Honestly, I do have a few doubts about that claim, Izuku,” Tsukauchi replied. “For starters, her Quirk is listed on her registration form as 'Cats-Eye', a Quirk that gives her perfect night vision. Not the kind of thing that would typically lead to suppression therapy.”

“But that’s impossible,” Izuku said, confusion clouding his features. “She…She said her Quirk was blood-based shape-shifting. Unless she was lying the whole time.”

Tsukauchi froze at the mention of Himiko’s Quirk. “Shape-shifting,” he breathed out, his eyes slowly widening as he processed the new possibility. “That would explain why we haven’t been able to track her down yet. But if that’s true, then it means…

“It means that her parents lied on her Quirk Registration form,” All Might finished angrily. “And you’re absolutely sure that’s what she said her Quirk was, Young Midoriya?”

“Y-Yeah,” Izuku replied, his cheeks burning slightly at the memory of how that conversation came about. “She-uh…she told me what her Quirk was just after she…well…after…after she kissed me,” he finished, his voice trailing off as he tried to dance around what exactly happened

Tsukauchi screwed his eyes shut, the end of his pen clicking in frustration. “I was really hoping that wasn’t it. Okay, I want to establish this on the record. Izuku, was there anyone else with you at the Black Label today? Or was it just you and the redheaded girl in this photo?”

‘Oh,’ Izuku thought, as the realisation struck him. ‘That’s what mum meant by another girl. They thought there was a third person with us.’

“No, it was just the two of us,” he admitted.

Inko’s eyes shot open, and she grabbed her son in a tight grip again. “MY BABY’S FIRST KISS WAS TO A SERIAL KILLER????”

“Well…I mean, according to what Detective Tsukauchi said, she’s only suspected of one murder, so she’s not really a…serial-” Izuku began, before trailing off as he noticed the looks he was getting from all corners. “Okay, yeah, I’m just gonna pretend I didn’t say that.”

Tsukauchi nodded. “Probably a good idea. Okay, this does change things. So the only people at the Black Label were you and this girl, who introduced herself as a girl with a shapeshifting Quirk, which completely contradicts the information publicly available about Himiko Toga. Either she’s naturally a master of disguise and she lied to you, or as All Might said, her parents lied on her Quirk Registration form.” He shook his head in annoyance. “Either way, her case just got a lot more complicated.”

“Whatever her personal situation is, the fact remains that Himiko Toga is a threat to Young Midoriya,” All Might interrupted, towering over the pair. “More than that, she’s a threat that’s nearly impossible to see coming, since she’s capable of becoming nearly anyone, at any time.”

“I’m…not so sure she’s a threat, actually,” Izuku spoke up, drawing looks of scepticism from the surrounding adults. “Well, okay, maybe she could be, but honestly, she didn’t feel that dangerous when we were talking. She felt…lonely. Like someone who had trouble making friends with people."

Tsukauchi sighed, shaking his head as he snapped his notebook shut. “Maybe,” he said, in the tone of somebody who doesn’t quite believe what he’s being told. “I’m afraid how lonely she may or may not be doesn’t really matter that much.” He saw a look of protest rise up on Izuku’s face, and he quickly clarified. “If what she told you about suppression therapy is true, and her parents also faked her Quirk on the Quirk Registration Index, then that changes things a little. A good lawyer could make a case that Toga was a victim of psychological abuse and long-term trauma, causing her to lash out unexpectedly due to not having a healthy outlet for her Quirk. That would buy her some sympathy, possibly even get her off with a lighter sentence, but more in the sense of she’d be remanded to a secure psychiatric facility, as opposed to the penal system.”

Izuku couldn’t stop the look of relief on his face as he heard the news. ‘That’s great! I’ll have to tell Hime that the police might be willing to go easy on her. Maybe I can text her later and tell her.

…

Right. I have her number, don’t I? I should probably tell them about that. Maybe they can reach out to her and get a more complete statement for themselves.’

Then Tsukauchi spoke, and all thoughts of sharing the new information died on the tip of Izuku’s tongue. “That’s if what you’re saying is true. I know that you believe what you’re telling me, Izuku. The only question is whether you’ve been lied to. It’s possible this was all a ploy by Himiko Toga to garner unwarranted sympathy for her actions, to try and make it harder to secure a conviction.”

‘Okay, maybe I don’t do that,’ Izuku thought, his mind racing as he began planning. ‘It doesn’t sound like Tsukauchi and the others completely believe me, so it’s more likely they’d just track her number and lock her up. Besides, Hime said she changes phones pretty regularly anyway, which I probably should have paid more attention to. So at most, they’d get one conversation with her before she ditches the phone and gets a new one. Only this time, I’d have no way to get in touch with her. And I don’t think she’d be willing to give me her number again. 

So maybe…maybe it’s better if I just keep that I have her number to myself. It sounds like she’s had it pretty rough, so she deserves a second chance, right? Doesn’t everyone? Maybe I can be hers. With enough time, maybe I can get some more information from her, pass it along to the Detective, and help prove her innocence. Then everything’d be fine. Plus, well, today was the first time in years I’d really hung out with somebody my own age. I don’t want to throw that all away. Not when I can do something about it.’

Izuku sat up, his eyes hard and resolute. He’d made his decision. Toga needed help, and nobody else was going to give it to her. So it had to be him. He locked eyes with Tsukauchi, who scanned him intensely, eyes sharp and narrow as he took in Izuku’s change in posture. “Is there anything else you wanted to share, Izuku?” he asked, his voice completely neutral.

Izuku forced himself to stay strong, forcing the nerves he was feeling down as roughly as he could. “No Detective, nothing else to share.” Tsukauchi’s face stayed flat for a second, before he nodded, straightening himself up as he put his notebook away. “Alright then. You head off downstairs. I need to have a few words with Ryukyu and the others for a bit. With the new information Toga provided, we need to figure out how to handle your protection detail going forwards.”

Izuku nodded, slipping away from Tsukauchi’s piercing gaze as quickly as possible without seeming suspicious. As soon as the sound of his footsteps faded, Tsukauchi held up one hand, turning quickly to Tell. “Is he still there?” He asked, his voice low. 

Tell’s eyes glazed over as she turned her head towards the doorway. “All clear, Detective,” she replied, her vision clearing up.

The instant they were secure, Torino snorted loudly. “Kid thinks he’s real subtle, doesn’t he?”

“Yeah,” Tsukauchi nodded. “He was definitely trying his hardest. But Izuku’s a really bad liar. I’m not 100% sure what exactly he’s keeping from us, but there’s something that happened today that he’s decided is best kept to himself.”

“At the very least, I’m sure it’s not proof of her guilt,” All Might said. “Young Midoriya would never hide something like that from us. I’m positive. The most important thing is how do we get him to tell us what it is?”

“Simple,” Torino replied, shrugging his shoulders. “We don’t.”

“Why not?” Inko asked. “If he knows something that could help bring in a criminal, then shouldn’t we do our best to find out what it is?”

Torino shook his head, a look of bitter annoyance crossing his face. “Oh, don’t worry. We are. We’re just not going to ask him directly. The kids at that age where he thinks he knows better than us adults. We go in there and make him tell us what he knows, and it’d probably work, sure. But it’d also mean he won't trust us the next time something happens.” He shrugged again, noticing the looks of surprise he was getting. “Please. I might’ve been out of the teaching game for a while, but teenagers never change. Pretty sure you were exactly the same at his age, Toshinori.”

“So, what,” Inko replied, a touch of heat entering her voice. “We just let my son carry vital information about a mass murderer around?”

Torino snorted derisively. “Nahhh. Your son’s no fool…most of the time. If it was that important, he’d tell us. I’m pretty sure I know what he’s keeping from us, and it’s not as useful as you all think it is.”

Tsukauchi stared down at Torino for a second, before realisation dawned. “Phone number?”

“Phone number.” Torino confirmed. “Or an email address, or whatever young people use to stay in touch these days. I might not give a damn about the girl's sob story, even if it is true, but a bleeding heart like your son doesn’t stand a chance. From what Inko says, he was already a bit of a loner before all this began, and then he got stuck with us old fogies all day. Pretty young lady comes along, bats her eyelashes a few times, plants one on him like that? He’s gonna be hooked. So she slips him her number. Way to keep him on the line for if she ever needs to use him again. It might be nice for us to have, but the minute she knows we have it, she’d just ditch it for a new one, and then we have nothing. Leaving it with him means we can keep an eye on her through him. See if we can track her down the old-fashioned way.”

“So I just let my son pal around with a murderer?” Inko asked, her anger giving way to desperation.

“Oh hell no,” Torino shot back, rolling his eyes slightly. “I’m not letting her get her hands on him for a second longer than we need to to track her down.” He flicked his gaze over to Ryukyu. “We’ll take you up on that offer of yours, to borrow that sidekick every now and then. Assuming she can keep her mouth shut.” He glowered at Nejire, ignoring the discreetly stuck-out tongue he received in response. “And her friends too, if she can swing it. Get the kid some actual friends, so he isn’t so desperate for affection he’ll pal around with a literal murderer. You too, big guy,” he said, turning to All Might. “You had some ideas for how to help the kid out with this kinda thing. They’re good ones, too. Get him some life experience, let him learn to tell when he’s being played, network with people. Make the arrangements.”

“Okay, that’s all well and good,” Inko conceded. “But I still think we should try and make it so Izuku can’t contact this girl.”

“You’re right, we should. But we have to be careful about it. Overplay our hand, and he’ll figure out something’s up. And then he’ll start getting sneaky. And you can never underestimate how sneaky teenagers can get when it comes to girls. Just…keep an eye on him during his free time, make excuses to be nearby if he’s doing homework or watching TV or whatever. Make sure to let Nezu know too, assuming he doesn’t already.”

A series of nods met Torino’s words, as Ryukyu and Nejire bade their farewells, splitting off back to her agency as the rest of their group headed back down to Might Tower.

-----

Izuku sat down at the desk, staring down at his phone, a look of anxiety crossing his face. ‘I know I said I was going to help her, but still. I have no idea where to actually begin. Do I tell her what I know? Do I try to pretend nobody knows anything? No…I don’t think that one will work. She posted the photo online, Tsukauchi said. So there’s no way she’d believe nobody found out about it. Plus, with Ryukyu’s big appearance, and Nejire carrying me like that, she’ll definitely hear something.

…

Why did she post the photo anyway? All it did was give the police more information about what she’s capable of.’

Izuku thought for a minute, mind buzzing as he looked down at his phone, before an answer came to him.

‘Was she after me? Trying to find out where I was maybe? If she saw the broadcast…right, yeah. As if everyone in Japan hasn’t seen it by now. Anyway, maybe she was trying to find out where I was? But why? And for who? Was she working alone? I dunno. I’ll add it to the list of questions I need to ask her sometime.’

Izuku stared down at the phone for another minute, before shaking his head. ‘I don’t know how long I have before Tsukauchi and the others are finished. I just need to do it. Just type ‘hi’, close your eyes, and hit send. It’s easy.’

Izuku tapped out a message, took a deep breath, and hit ‘Send’.

Izuku:

Hey. It’s me. We met today at the Black Label. Just wanted to make sure I got the right number.

Less than a minute later, Izuku’s phone buzzed, and he sprang forward, fumbling with it as he slammed it into his ear.

“H-Hello? Is…is that Toga?”

There was a moment's silence, then the voice on the other end of the line spoke. It was almost eerie, Izuku thought, just how similar Himiko Toga sounded to Hime, and yet so different all at the same time. “They told you, huh?” she said, her voice light and airy, as if the pair were discussing the weather. “Guess I shouldn’t be surprised.”

‘Shit,’ Izuku thought to himself. ‘It’s true, isn’t it? I think…a small part of me was hoping it wasn’t.’

“Yeah,” he admitted. “They told me you hurt some people, and that one of them’s still in a coma.” He paused for a second, then took the plunge. “Look, Toga, I know that you’ve made some…mistakes, and I’m sure you didn’t mean to hurt those people like you did. I spoke to Detective Tsukauchi, and he’s going to look into what you told me, and if it’s true, he thinks he’ll be able to help get you a lighter sentence. And if you came forward yourself, I think that’d make things go even quicker, right?”

Izuku heard Toga pause on the other end for a second, as his words sank in. “You…you think they’d do that for me?” Then, Himiko laughed, a high-pitched, wheezing cackle that shook Izuku to his very core. “Oh, Izuku, that’s really sweet of you to try and protect me, but why on Earth would I come forward? What do I have to be sorry for? I just wanted to show Saito how much he meant to me. And the next thing I know I’m a wanted murderess. Which is ridiculous. It’s not like I managed to finish the job or anything.”

Izuku stared down in horror at the phone. ‘She…really doesn’t understand what she’s done, does she? Now what am I supposed to do?

…

Why am I even asking that? I help her, like I promised I would. It’s what a Hero would do. I guess now it’s just helping her turn herself in, so that they can send her to a hospital like Detective Tsukauchi said.’

Toga’s tone took on a bitter, angry edge as she continued. “Besides, the last time I let someone else decide what I did with my life, it was my parents, and they tried to deny me my fucking reality, Izuku. I am never letting myself be in that position again. Whatever happens with my life, it’ll be my decision, and nobody else's. So thanks,” she practically spat the last word out, “but there is no way in Hell I am turning myself in. Even for you.”

Izuku screwed his eyes shut, breathing heavily as he tried to stop a few loose tears from trickling down his cheeks. ‘Some Hero I am,’ he thought to himself bitterly. ‘I couldn’t save Kacchan from that Sludge Villain, and now I can’t even get Toga to turn herself in.’

After a moment of silence, Izuku heard the phone rattle as Toga sighed into it. “Sorry, Izuku. I…didn’t mean to lose my temper there or anything. I just…really don’t like it when people try to control me. And I know that’s what they’d do. Lock me up and throw away the key. And worst of all. If I turn myself in, there’s no way they’d let me see you again. They’d take you away from me, and I won’t allow that.”

“Well…what if they didn’t?” Izuku asked hesitantly. “What if I managed to make them promise I’d be allowed to visit you.”

Toga laughed again, a much softer, gentler sound than before. “That’s really sweet of you, Izuku. I’d love that. To know that no matter what happens, I’ll have you with me. But let’s be real,” she said, her voice hardening. “They’d never let that happen. This sounds like a really, really sweet gig. I come in, lie down on one of those sexy sofa things, and then don’t go to jail. Perfect, really. But you can’t promise me that’s what would happen, can you?” 

Izuku remained silent, and Toga continued, taking his silence as acknowledging her point. “Exactly. You can’t. Right now, nobody can. There’s no guarantee that this won’t turn out exactly like my parents again, or with them just locking me at the bottom of a hole and conveniently losing the key. So, sorry not sorry, but I’m not coming in. Not even for you.”

Izuku stayed silent, staring down at his phone, before his eyes hardened, and he stared down at his phone, the same look of resolute determination on his face that had drawn All Might to him in the first place. “I’m not giving up on you, Toga. You helped me today with the lady who was stalking me earlier, so I know there’s a good person in there. And I’m going to save her. No matter what.” Toga stayed silent, and Izuku felt a small tendril of anxiety try to worm its way into his brain, which he quickly dismissed. ‘There’s no time for me to be anxious right now. Toga needs help, and it’s my job to give it to her.’

“Hey, Izuku?” Toga’s voice rang out of the phone, sounding different than it had throughout the entire conversation. She’d sounded angry earlier, certainly, but Izuku hadn’t heard her sound…almost vulnerable. “Thanks. For trying. That’s more than anyone’s ever done for me before. I…can’t turn myself in, I just can’t. Saito, Oto, Kaori, all of that. It’s the only way I know to show I care anymore. I can’t turn myself in and give that up. But…it’s nice to know that there’s someone out there who cares back enough to try helping.”

“Of course I care,” Izuku replied passionately. “The job of a hero is to save everyone he can. If I’m in a position to help you, then what choice do I have?”

Toga laughed. “Oh, if only we’d met ten years ago, Izuku, I probably wouldn’t be in this mess.”

And then, an idea occurred to Izuku. “Maybe…maybe try looking at it from a different point of view?” he suggested.

Himiko growled at him through the phone, her tone switching to defensive at the drop of a hat. “Getting real close to telling me what to do there, Izuku.”

Izuku’s eyes shot open, and he began talking before Toga could hang up and undo all his hard work. “It’s not like that. I’m not trying to tell you what to do or anything. I just…thought of a way of looking at it that might be worth considering.”

“...I’m listening.”

“Well, you’ve said that doing…whatever you do-”

“I stab people. A lot.”

“Right,” Izuku said, trying not to let on just how shaken he was by that statement. “So, maybe you could avoid stabbing other people. It might show the authorities that you can be reasoned with, and then they might still let us see each other after you come in.”

“I mean, I’m still not turning myself in,” Himiko said thoughtfully. “But otherwise…yeah, that could work. I just need to avoid stabbing anyone else, and then maybe we can still be friends.”

“YES!” Izuku exclaimed. “That’s exactly it. I mean, I still think it’d be better for you if you turned yourself in. But I know that making you do that won’t work. So…when you’re ready to turn yourself in, just know that I’ll be there to help you however I can, okay?”

“Oh, Izuku, I wouldn’t worry if I were you. I know you’ll always be there for me in the end. You just make sure to keep yourself alive for me, okay?”

“Y-Yeah, of course.”

“Good boy,” Himiko purred down the line, sounding every bit as playful as she had when Izuku had met her earlier that day. “I should probably go now, leave you to do all your hero training. My plans for the next few months might have changed, but I’m still a very busy girl. Bye for now, Izuku.”

She hung up, and Izuku fell back into his chair, a look of exhaustion on his face. ‘Well, that was only one of the most terrifying things I’ve ever had to do. Still, I think I actually got through to her a little. I managed to get her to stop attacking people, at least for a while. That might give Tsukauchi some time to build up a case for her.’

-----

Himiko hung up the phone, and squealed with delight, kicking her legs into the air. ‘I was right!’ she thought to herself in ecstasy as she lay back on her bed, panting. ‘He’s perfect. He’ll take some time to come around to my way of thinking, of course, but even after everything he’s heard about me, he still cares enough to want to help me.’

Himiko reached down under her skirt, feeling for the familiar comfort of the knife she’d been wearing when she first laid eyes on Izuku. ‘It does suck that I won’t be able to stab anyone else for a while, but Izuku was pretty clear. No stabbing anyone else until we can work something out. Only him. Once he’s mine, well…maybe I can go back to being a bit easier with my targets. But if Izuku wants a girl who’s committed, well…maybe I can give him what he wants, until I get what I want from him.’

Himiko licked her lips as she pulled her hand free from the knife, her yellow eyes gleaming with sadistic glee as she threw herself back on the bed, laughing in ecstasy as she spent the rest of her evening lost in her own imagination.

Chapter Text

“Okay, maybe if I take this out, add a belt here, and then change the colour scheme a little, let’s see how that looks.”

Izuku leant back in his chair, poring over one of his notebooks, pen tapping the paper as he stared down at the picture in front of him. Grimacing, he pulled out his phone and began flicking through it.

“10 minutes on the phone, kid. Then I wanna see you work on your free running some more, got it?”

Izuku jumped in his chair slightly, a light exclamation of surprise leaving his lips as he turned around slightly, head swivelling down until Gran Torino entered his field of vision. “Right, of course. I just figured since I had a break and all, I could use the time to finish working on some ideas for a hero costume. I’ve had them in the back of my head for about a month now, but I haven’t really had enough ideas to put onto paper until the last few days.”

Torino grunted in acknowledgement, pulling a chair up next to Izuku, before pulling the books across the desk. “Alright, lemme take a look. See what you’ve come up with.”

Izuku sighed to himself as he slid his phone back into his pocket. ‘Two months, and everyone’s still watching me like a hawk,’ he thought to himself bitterly. ‘I’ve at least managed to get a few messages to Toga at night, but it feels like every time I pull out my phone, someone’s there watching over my shoulder. At least they still knock before entering my room.’

Meanwhile, Torino glanced down at the notes in front of him, running his eyes keenly over the pages. ‘Well, there’s some ideas here for sure, but come on kid. Your colour scheme is practically identical to Toshinori’s. And you’ve got pretty much the exact same patterning as him. That’s gonna have to go.

Still, the goggles are a good idea. And the utility belt is solid too. The respirator though…well, it’s a good idea. But I’d bet he hasn’t fully thought it through.’

“Well, it’s better than I expected,” he eventually said. “But a lot of this is gonna have to be sent back to the drawing board, I’m afraid. Sorry Squirt.” He pulled out a pen and began annotating Izuku’s notes, swathes of red pen dancing along pages and pages of Izuku’s hard work.

“Pretty sure I’m taller than you,” Izuku mumbled under his breath, annoyance at the desecration of his hard work bubbling over.

Torino snorted, eyes never once leaving the page as he continued scrawling over it. “Yeah, for now. But back when I was your age, I was a hell of a lot taller than you are now. Which means when you’re my age, you’re gonna be shorter than me. So that makes you a squirt. Simple.” He gently placed the pen back on the table, sliding Izuku’s notebook back over. “Sorry to say, but I don’t think I can give this higher than a five outta ten, maybe six at a stretch. You’ve got some solid ideas here and there, but they’re held back by a poor foundation.”

“Five?” Izuku asked, his momentary frustration quickly finding itself overtaken by sheer curiosity. “Why only five? I know there’s still room for improvement, but I figured this would be better than barely passable.”

“C’mon, kid. You should know by now I’m not just gonna give you the answers,” Torino replied, shaking his head. “Think back to the first bit of homework I gave you. What do you remember about it?”

Izuku tilted his head back, lost in thought as he recalled his first meeting with Torino four months ago. ‘It’s only been four months? It’s been so busy here I thought it’d been longer. And Torino’s set me so many assignments by now, they all just kind of blend together. What was the first one?

It was after he attacked me on the rooftop, right? To see if I could dodge him?

Right…I think I remember now. But what does that have to do with my costume?’

“Yeah, I remember,” Izuku said after a few moments of thought. “You wanted me to figure out why you’d be the one teaching me mobility, instead of All Might.”

“Yup, and why was I your teacher for that?” Torino replied, in the tone of somebody who already knows the response they’re about to be told.

“It was because I’m not built like All Might, right?” Izuku responded. His eyes flicked down to his book again, and Torino could see the dots begin to connect themselves in Izuku’s mind. “The way All Might fights works for him because of his size and stature. I’m a lot smaller than he is, so I’d be better focused on movement and evasion. You’re better at that than he is, so it only makes sense you’d be the one teaching me that.”

“Correct. Good to see you haven’t let that fancy new phone of yours make your brain rot. So, you’re not All Might. You reckon you can take that lesson and apply it to anything else, hmm???” Torino stared pointedly down at Izuku’s notes, and Izuku felt himself flushing slightly.

“Well, when you put it that way…I guess my ideas are a little similar to All Might, huh?”

Torino snorted in derision. “‘A little too similar,’ he says. “Kid, this is pretty much just All Might’s outfit. Skin-tight blue bodysuit with red and white as a secondary, plus some yellow accenting around the corners. You’ve adjusted the ratios slightly, and the shades are a little different, but come on. You couldn’t be any more obvious.”

“But…I mean…I’m All Might’s successor, right?” Izuku stammered out in response. “I kinda thought I’d have to look like him too. I mean, I’m pretty sure that’s what everyone’s gonna expect from me, aren’t they?”

Torino let out a deep sigh of exhaustion, pinching the bridge of his nose before replying. “Okay, I get where this is coming from. I guess I was expecting to have to nip this in the bud eventually. Look, this sort of approach isn’t going to do you any favours in the long run. You’re smart, so tell me why.”

Izuku stopped for a second, staring intently down at the notebook, before the answer came to him. “Is…is it because if I look and act too much like All Might, then it’ll be harder to develop my own identity? Dressing and acting like him means people will only ever see me as his successor?”

“More or less,” Torino replied. “Eventually you’d develop your own identity, one way or another, but you wouldn’t be doing yourself any favours dressing like this. Still, you got the right idea, so well done. Good work, Midoriya. Like I told you when we first met, you’re not Toshinori. You don’t move like him, you *definitely* don’t think like him, and you shouldn’t try forcing yourself to look and act like him.” His voice softened slightly as he continued his lecture. “I get it. You wanna be a hero who inspires hope, like Toshinori does. It’s a noble goal, one to be proud of. But you gotta do it your way. 

Drawing inspiration from Toshinori is fine. Like you said, you’re his successor, and according to your mother, he’s been your idol from the very beginning. Ignoring the connection the two of you share isn’t the right way to go about it. But you can’t take too much inspiration from him, or you’ll never get to be your own man. You’ll always just be All Might II, or All Might Jr. or something equally asinine. No, you need to find an identity that works for you, and part of that is how you present yourself.” With a gentle tapping of his fingers, he drew Izuku’s attention back to the notebook. “That’s why you only get a five. There’s too much Toshinori Yagi in this design, and not enough Izuku Midoriya.”

Izuku nodded, his eyes sharp and attentive, and Torino grinned to himself. ‘Atta boy. Good to see you’re paying attention.’

“That said, there’s definitely some stuff here that works,” Torino continued, suppressing his grin as Izuku perked up in excitement. “First off, it’s nice and practical. There’s a focus on adaptability and versatility that should serve you well out there. Let’s take the belt, for example. A nice, classic utility belt. Very useful. 10/10 for this one. Lots of possibilities for this. Basic first aid gear, a flashlight, maybe some emergency rations. If you ever need a bit of extra striking power, you can always sneak a pair of knuckle dusters in there too. This part I have no criticism of. Your footwear’s pretty good too. Thick soles, nice and sturdy, perfect for all the running and jumping you’re going to be doing. The mask, however, is a different story.”

Izuku raised an eyebrow at this, and Torino quickly gestured for him to continue. “I figured it’d be good in a situation where there was a gas attack or something.”

“And you’d be correct. This’ll be perfect for when something like that happens. But there’s a problem with it I don’t quite think you’ve considered. The mask doesn’t fit your image.” He quickly held up a hand before Izuku could interrupt. “Now, I’ll be the first to admit that function should never be sacrificed for image. Form follows function. An object's practical utility should always be its primary purpose. But I’ve found that in our line of work, image is still important, as long as it doesn’t impede upon utility.”

Torino sighed, shaking his head as a look of frustration entered his eyes. “Here’s the real problem kid, and I know it’s gonna sound dumb, but that’s just how it is. People see a gas mask, or respirator, or anything like this, and the first thing they think is almost always ‘edgelord’. You gallivant around in one of these things, and people are gonna think of you as some dumb kid trying way too hard to seem dark and menacing.

I admit, there are some heroes who can make that look work, but you’re not gonna be one of them. And that comes back to Toshinori again. While you definitely don’t want to look too much like him, there’s a very real risk of going too far in the other direction. Would you care to guess what it is?”

After a few seconds of silence, Izuku spoke. “If…If I go too far in the other direction, then I’m still defining myself by my connection to All Might, by trying to be as little like him as possible.”

“Got it in one,” Torino replied, nodding his head gravely. “You know how you hear all those stories over in the West about child stars reaching adulthood and going off the rails a little? Getting caught with drugs, drunk driving, that kind of thing. It’s a little like that. You’d look like you’re going out of your way to remind everyone that you’re not All Might, but in a way that it doesn’t feel natural, you know? It might sound weird, but small touches like this can have a big impact on how people see you.” Torino paused at the look of scepticism on Izuku’s face, before grinning slightly. “Doubting me, are you? Alright, let’s try a little thought experiment then.

So, you’ve gotten into U.A, and you show up, and there’s another student already there. Let’s call him…Makoto. Now, Makoto’s sitting there in his chair, nice and normal like, uniform done up all nice and shiny. What are your thoughts on him? Nothing particularly stands out, right?” Izuku nodded, and Torino continued.

“Right, now let’s replay this scenario, but Makoto has the top two buttons of his uniform undone. That’s it, just two buttons. Now, all of a sudden, Makoto isn’t just some average, normal student. Now, he might have a bit of an attitude. Comes off like he doesn’t care about how he looks. Truth is, he’s the same person, but your impression of him is radically different. It’s called coding, and it’s something that humans do all the time.” 

Torino looked up, and smiled as he saw the look of understanding blossom on Izuku’s face. “Good, you’re beginning to understand it. These are the kinda things you need to be aware of if you’re gonna go pro. Image isn’t everything, but it is still important. A mask like the one you’re looking at would be detrimental to the kind of hero you wanna be. They tend to make heroes seem less approachable and friendly. Doubly so with those goggles you’re looking at.”

It was at this point that Izuku spoke up, a hand cautiously raised into the air. “Okay, I think I understand what you mean about Makoto and the buttons, but I know there are heroes who cover their faces pretty regularly. I mean, domino masks have been around since the dawn of heroics. Even you wear one. And then there are heroes who cover their whole face as well. Like Snipe, or Ms. Joke. Both of them use gas masks as part of their equipment. And I know it isn’t a mask, but Endeavour does a pretty good job covering most of his face with those flames of his.”

“Those are fair points, I admit,” Torino conceded with a nod. “I’ll get to domino masks in a second. First though, let’s talk about Snipe and Endeavour. I’ve seen them both in action, and there’s no arguing their effectiveness. But like I said, it’s about approachability. It’s one of the reasons Endeavour’s never quite been able to catch up to Toshinori all these years. People like All Might. Hell, they worship the man. They don’t like Endeavour. Respect, sure. But nobody considers him approachable or friendly in the way that they do All Might. And yes, part of that is because he keeps so much of his face obscured.

See, facial language, especially facial expressions, are a huge part of how most people communicate. Covering up as much as he does makes it harder for people to read him, which makes it harder to approach him. This makes him less trustworthy, and therefore people feel less safe around him. Are you with me so far?”

“I think so,” Izuku replied. “I’m guessing that Snipe has a similar problem, but worse, since the mask covers his entire face. With Endeavour, you can still see his face, even if it’s heavily obscured.”

“Correct again, although you’ve missed one key point. Even with those hot-rods of his, you can still see Endeavour’s eyes. People aren’t kidding when they call them windows to the soul. Eyes are probably the most important part of face-to-face communication. As an example, people tend to see someone who makes eye contact with them as confident, reliable, and trustworthy, even attractive sometimes. How can you know where someone’s eyes are looking if you can’t see them? Now, is that fair? Well, no. But that doesn’t change how it is.”

“I’m guessing that’s why you wanted to wait to talk about domino masks?” Izuku asked. “Because they mean people can still see your eyes while you’re wearing one?” Torino nodded his approval, and Izuku continued. “Okay, I’m with you so far, but what about Ms. Joke? She uses a respirator like the one I’m looking at, and I know she’s considered pretty approachable. Or what about Thirteen? She covers her entire face, but she’s pretty regularly considered one of the friendliest heroes around.”

Torino clapped his hands together in delight, his grin widening. “An excellent question, and one I wasn’t expecting to have to answer. Thirteen is an excellent rebuttal. However, there’s two problems you’ve overlooked. First,” Torino said, holding up a finger. “She’s a rescue hero first and foremost. They train themselves to be approachable and friendly in disaster situations, and the kind of goodwill Rescue Heroes get can offset a lot of misgivings based on appearance.” Torino held up a second finger. “Second, she’s actually added a small touch to her costume design that makes up for her hiding her face like that. Any ideas what?”

After a few seconds of silence, Izuku shook his head. “Sorry, but I don’t think I do.”

Torino shrugged in response. “That’s alright. Frankly, you’ve done better than I expected. This is stuff U.A doesn’t really teach you until you’ve been there at least half a year, so you’re doing fine. Before I give you the answer, there’s one thing I need to know. Have you ever seen Thirteen out of costume?”

“No,” Izuku responded, “not many people have. There’s been a lot of speculation about what Thirteen looks like over the years. I remember when she first appeared, a lot of people weren’t even sure about her gender, since her costume is so androgynous.”

“If there’s one part of the hero gig I don’t miss, it’s having to deal with people diggin' into my personal life,” Torino groused under his breath. “Swear to God, the number of times I saw tabloids arguing that Toshinori’s secretly dating the new flavour of the month. Still, you’re right. Not a lot of people meet Thirteen out of costume. I know I haven’t. But the one thing I do know is that the woman’s a goddamn twig dressed up like a marshmallow. Which brings me to the second point. Round shapes like hers tend to make people feel at ease around you. Pretty sure you kids call it being ‘friend-shaped’ or something childish like that. It’s something to do with the lack of sharp corners making people feel at ease. It’s part of why so many mascots tend to be circular in some way.”

“Of course,” Izuku breathed under his breath, flipping through his notes. “It’s the Fatgum effect! How did I not see it sooner? That makes so much sense. But…okay, I’m with you there, but what does Ms. Joke have to do with this?”

“Ms. Joke is exactly the kind of hero you should be looking to for this,” Torino said matter-of-factly. “Again, two reasons. One, she doesn’t actually use the mask all the time. Having it accessible, but not a permanent part of your kit means you can seem friendly when necessary, while still having the utility the mask offers. The other thing is what she’s done to the mask. Look it up and see what you think.” 

Izuku quickly unlocked his phone, flicking through it for a few seconds until he found the answer he was looking for. “Right, I think I get it. She’s decorated it to try and make it seem as friendly as possible. Sticking with a light, neutral colour scheme means that the eye is naturally drawn to the smiley-faces on the side, which add an element of levity to the equipment that otherwise wouldn’t be there.”

“Exactly,” Torino said, snapping Izuku’s notebook shut. “When you have some free time, go look over a few other heroes who have coverings like this, and see how they manage to work around this drawback. Then try incorporating it into your own costume design. Once that’s done, I’d say your bells and whistles will be pretty perfect, and we can focus on fixing the foundations, since that’s where the real work’s gonna be. You have potential for sure, but it’s unpolished. Little more work, and together we’ll make it shine. But that can wait. I only have you for another hour, then Toshinori wanted to speak with you about something. Until then, wall runs and shoulder rolls, understood?”

“Y-Yes Sir! Izuku replied, snapping to attention, before bolting as Torino dismissed him with a wave of the hand. 

“Remember to bend your joints properly as you land. It’ll cushion the impact better, meaning you’re less likely to break stuff. And Toshinori needs you in one piece for the next few days, so don't get careless, you got that?”

“Right!” Izuku responded as he sped off, moving around the room with firm, confident strides. ‘He’s making excellent progress, I must admit,’ Torino mused as he watched Izuku bouncing off the walls. ‘His skills have improved in leaps and bounds since he started. Although I’ll have to find a better way of telling Toshinori that. Can’t have him think his sense of humour has rubbed off on me.’

-----

“Ahh, there you are, Young Midoriya! I was hoping we could borrow you for a while, if that’s alright?”

Izuku slowly pulled himself off the ground from his cooldown stretches, brow furrowed as All Might’s words sank in. ‘We? That doesn’t make sense. I’m pretty sure everyone else is supposed to be busy right now. Torino was already with me, Kiss & Tell had the day off together, Star had to head back to America for a few days, and last I heard, Mum was practising some photography on the roof. So who’s All Might talking about? Torino said he had plans for me, but he didn’t mention another person. Well, only one way to find out I suppose.'

Shaking his head, Izuku turned around, question poised on the tip of his tongue, before finding it immediately answered by the tall, lanky figure standing next to All Might. 

“Y-You…You’re-”

Words failed Izuku as he took in the beaming, friendly smile and easy gait of the tall blonde man standing before him. A pair of leather-clad hands snapped out in greeting, finger guns pointed squarely towards Izuku, before Izuku found his attention immediately drawn to a pair of stylish yellow glasses. “Yeah, that’s me, kiddo,” he said, grinning widely at Izuku’s obvious delight in meeting him. “Lemme tell you, you are not an easy man to reach. That secretary of All Might’s is fiercely protective of ya. I see why Uwabami curses her name whenever we catch up for drinks. I’m just lucky I had an in with the big man here so I could pop by and see ya. And even then, took us like two months for our schedules to line up. 

Still,” the figure continued, a mischievous grin on his face as he slung an arm over All Might’s shoulder, “not like any of that matters now. The important bit is I AM HERE! YEAHHHHHHH!” He cackled as he pulled All Might in close, the pair’s faces practically mashed together. “Whaddaya think, little dude. Am I a dead ringer for this guy or what?” 

After a moment of silence, as Izuku’s brain still tried to catch up to what was happening around him, the stranger clicked his tongue, before pressing forward. “Nerves, huh? Yeah, I don’t blame ya. They happen to the best of us, trust me. Oh, shoot, where are my manners? Sorry about that. I mean, I probably don’t actually have to introduce myself or anything, but manners are manners, y’know? So hey there, pleasure to finally meet ya. My name’s-”

“OH MY GOD YOU’RE PRESENT MIC!!!”

The words left Izuku’s mouth before he could stop himself, and he quickly slammed his mouth closed, eyes screwed together in frustration. Present Mic simply laughed, chuckling slightly at Izuku’s gaffe. “Well, hey, if you wanna do this in reverse, that’s cool with me.” He cleared his throat, smirking, before raising his voice slightly. 

“OH MY GOD YOU’RE IZUKU MIDORIYA!!!”

Izuku winced as the loud voice rang through his eardrums, but a few seconds after Mic fell silent, he felt his hearing return to normal. And then Izuku laughed, nerves leaving his body with the chuckles that slipped through his lips.

“Alrighttttt, that’s more like it!” Mic exclaimed, clapping his hands together. “Guess I shouldn’t be surprised you know who I am, after all. Word on the street is you’re a pretty big fan of heroes.” He quickly raised a hand as Izuku stiffened, his eyes flashing to All Might, a look of mild betrayal flitting across his face. “Relax, this didn’t come from All Might. Ingenium and I knocked a few back a couple of weeks ago, and he mentioned your little run-in with him and Crawler.”

Izuku’s face settled slightly at Mic’s reassurance, although the blush across his cheeks persisted, the thought of Pro Heroes discussing him in their off hours still proving difficult for him to process. Mic took a moment to look Izuku up and down, nodding in approval. “All Might did mention that you were taking your training pretty seriously though, and from what I can see, he’s got that right. You should be really proud of your progress. You’re definitely looking a lot more jacked compared to that whole sludge thing.”

Izuku simply stood there, frozen in place as the Present Mic showered him with compliments, mouth moving silently as he unsuccessfully tried to find what he felt was an adequate response. ‘Come on Izuku,’ he thought as his brain failed him yet again. ‘You’ve been around pros for how many months now? How are you still not used to them?’ Eventually, he gave up, and just stood there, stiff as a board as Mic tried to coax him out of his shell. 

“Alright,” Mic eventually said, his voice slightly louder than previously, pulling Izuku’s attention back onto him. “That’s enough small talk. Probably best we get down to business, yeah?” He quickly shot All Might a look that literally and metaphorically passed over Izuku’s head. All Might nodded in response, picking up the baton and clapping Izuku on the shoulder.

“Indeed we should, Young Midoriya. Present Mic and I have a rather exciting opportunity to offer you. So, why don’t you go take a quick shower and meet us in the dining room, and we can explain everything to you.”

-----

“Y-You w-want me-”

“Mhmm.”

“To go on…with…with Present Mic? ”

“Yup.”

“B-But why?” Izuku asked, his voice rising to a squeak, a trembling finger raising to point itself towards Present Mic, before being turned back to Izuku, and then back to Present Mic once more. “I-I thought the whole point of me coming to Might Tower was to keep me away from the media? What changed?”

“Quite a few things, unfortunately,” All Might replied with a grimace. “You’re right, our goal when you first moved here was to keep you as far from the press as possible while you adapted to life in Might Tower. We couldn’t risk them learning too much about One for All, after all. But it was only ever a temporary measure. We figured at some point, you’d need to talk to at least one or two of them.

Ideally, I’d planned to wait another month or two before getting you in front of the cameras, or anything remotely like it, but then something happened that forced our hand.”

“Forced?” Izuku asked. “By what?” But even as the words left his mouth, the answer came to him, a sinking feeling deep in his gut. “It was Hosu, wasn’t it?”

All Might didn’t reply, merely holding up two photos in front of Izuku. His cheeks burned red as he looked at the first one, recognising it as the photo Toga had taken of him in the Black Label the day they met, and he quickly buried his head in his hands. ‘At least the other one can’t possibly be worse.’

Then All Might flipped the second photo around, and any hopes Izuku had of salvaging his dignity went up in flames as he stared at the photo of himself in Nejire Hado’s arms, the pair staring into each other's eyes as she carried him across a crowd of civilians.

‘I…well, I mean, I can’t say for sure that it’s 100% worse, so that’s something,’ Izuku thought to himself as his head fell into his hands. ‘Unfortunately, it’s close enough to be a coin toss, so I can’t call it good news, either.’

“Your little dalliance with Miss Toga, and rapid withdrawal with Nejire Hado raised a lot of questions that day, and brought you back into the limelight in a way I hadn’t anticipated. While I refuse to consider it nearly the most important part of the job, I can’t pretend that image management and PR isn’t hugely important to what we do, especially if you want to last long enough to make a difference. 

Without having a positive reputation, a hero will never be able to financially support themselves for long enough to make a tangible difference to society. There’s a reason U.A tries to teach you this stuff. I remember back in my day, we boiled it down to a simple mnemonic. Positive Press Produces Persistent Protection. The more people like you, the more you earn, which allows you to focus on making heroics a full time career, rather than something you have to fit in between engagements.”

“As you can imagine, Might Tower has been operating under a policy of silence while you adjust,” All Might said, steepling his fingers together as he stared across at Izuku. “As such, the amount of image control that’s been performed is…well, negligible. Events in Hosu brought this to a head, as people began to rapidly construct their own narrative over what happened that day.

After the incident in question, I contacted Present Mic, since I thought he might have some ideas for how to help us handle this kind of negative press. I’ll let him take over from here, since it’s his idea, and he can probably explain it better than I can.”

“You got it, big guy,” Mic said, leaning back in his chair, his glasses flicking down slightly as he locked eyes with Izuku. “Lemme tell ya, everything All Might just said. Pretty much bang on. And from what I’ve heard, that’s gonna be a bit of a problem for ya, since you’re apparently a bit of a wallflower. The kinda guy who lets his actions speak for themselves. And I can dig that. But people skills are a pretty big part of this gig, sorry to say. Adding to what All Might said, knowing how to talk to people helps when you need to reassure them if there’s a villain attack or something. It’s all about confidence, really. 

And that’s basically where I come in. I thought coming on Mic Check would be a solid place to start, you know? You can come in, answer a few questions, I’ll field one or two callers for you, and it’ll be a nice, low-stakes way for you to cut your teeth on interacting with an audience. Really, more of a glorified puff piece, but since it’ll be the first time anyone’s actually heard anything from you, I’m sure the public’ll eat it up. No cameras either, which I thought might help. Means that if we go ahead with all this, there’s only one form of communication you gotta focus on for your first time.”

“Wait,” Izuku said, raising a hand gingerly. “You said ‘if’. Does…does that mean I don’t have to? I mean, it sounds like you guys have put so much effort into organising this, so I thought I didn’t really have a choice.”

“Not as much effort as you’d think,” Mic said, shaking his head. “Really only a couple of emails so far, then finding time for our schedules to line up. So don’t worry about that part. And no, you don’t have to show up. This whole thing’s meant to help you feel better about the media. Forcing you to show up is just gonna make things worse.”

“But…But All Might said his hand had been forced.”

“It has,” All Might admitted. “But you don’t have to be the one to deal with it. I’m your mentor. It’s my job to take hits for you like this. If you’re not up to it, then that’s okay. I’ll do a couple of interviews, explain the situation in a little more detail, and then it should all blow over.”

Izuku frowned, his eyes flicking over to the first photo All Might had shown him, with Toga’s lips pressed against his cheek as he stared into the camera, a shaky smile on his face, before flickering back down to his phone. ‘If…If I make All Might do it for me, it sounds like he might end up throwing her under the bus. If I’m ever going to have a chance of saving her, then I need her to be able to trust me. If All Might pins it all on her, then I might lose any chance I had of helping her. So…I guess I don’t really have any choice, do I?’

Izuku sighed slightly, before turning his gaze to Present Mic. “I’ll do it,” he declared, his voice wavering slightly even as his gaze hardened, the same iron determination that All Might had first seen in him all those months ago asserting itself. “What do I need to know?”

Mic grinned. “That’s the spirit, little man!” he declared as he reached out to clap a hand on Izuku’s shoulder. “I figured we’d keep things pretty simple. I was gonna do like, a live Q&A, with people asking you questions directly, but All Might said that many strangers might be a bit much for you.” Izuku let out a sigh of relief as his eyes snapped over to All Might’s, positively radiating gratitude. 

“So, instead of doing it that way,” Mic continued. “I figured I’d put out some calls for questions on our socials a few days before we schedule you to come on, and take the best of what we get for the day. Means less chance of somebody throwing you a curveball, and gives you time to prep for the questions we’ll be asking you. Then, towards the end, I thought we’d let three lucky callers ask you something directly. Although they’ll have to clear it with me first, of course. How’s that sound? Think you can handle that?”

Izuku’s hand clenched around his phone, and he swallowed nervously, before nodding once. “Y-Yeah…I think I can handle that. When do we start?”

Mic grinned across at Izuku, his eyes gleaming with excitement. “Hold onto your pants, Midoriya. Because in five days, you’re gonna go live.”

Chapter Text

“Ahh, Izuku, how wonderful to see you again. I do hope that U.A’s secret entrances remained that way long enough for you to arrive undetected.”

Izuku’s feet had barely touched the ground before the familiar tone of U.A’s principal echoed throughout the small indoor parking lot he opened the door to. “By the look of things, I take it the media outside failed to notice your arrival. I really must thank Ishiyama for all of his hard work. So much of what we possess here at U.A would have remained the stuff of dreams were it not for him.”

Izuku stepped out of the vehicle, reaching down slightly to shake Nezu’s paw. “It was actually really quiet,” he replied softly, still somewhat star-struck by Nezu’s mere presence. “I was seriously expecting to be mobbed by reporters before I ever even made it to…U.A.”

Izuku trailed off as the enormity of his own words struck him. ‘I’m…at U.A,’ he thought, his eyes widening as he stared around the blank, nondescript garage. ‘I know I was supposed to be here for the recommendation exams, but those are still months away. I figured I’d have a little more time to prepare myself before arriving. Instead, I got five days. And most of that was spent thinking of every possible way something could go wrong today. I’ve at least managed to avoid “oversleeping and disappointing All Might” and “slipping on a banana peel and breaking my back, forcing All Might to give One for All to someone else and spending the rest of my life as a disappointment to the entire world ,” but there’s still so many ways I could mess this up before even getting to the interview with Present Mic.

And how am I supposed to survive that? Answering questions in front of the whole country like that? I mean, I did a little practice with All Might, but the real thing’s got to be so much more intense. And sure, it’s good that nobody’s able to see me, but they’ll still be able to hear everything I say. Oh God, I’m not ready for this. I’m going to screw this up, I just know it.’

Izuku closed his eyes, corralling his thoughts as he took several deep breaths in and out to calm his nerves. ‘Just…focus on why you’re doing this, Izuku. This isn’t for you. This is for Toga. Even if she doesn’t realise it, she needs your help. Just focus on that, and everything’s going to be fine. You can do this.’

After a few more seconds of silence, Izuku opened his eyes and turned to face Nezu. “Sorry for making you wait,” he said sheepishly. “I just…I guess I kinda needed a second.”

“That’s quite alright,” Nezu replied understandingly. “I can imagine this is quite a stressful situation for you. If it helps, I can say that Yamada here is a consummate professional, and I do not doubt he has interviewed anxious subjects long before now. Whatever nerves you may be feeling right now, I assure you he is more than up to the task of quelling them. And if he isn’t, I always have a contingency plan,” Nezu finished, his beady, black eyes twinkling dramatically.

Izuku felt Present Mic’s hand rest gently on his shoulder, as the trio walked up a narrow passageway towards the exit. “Boss-man’s right. I’ve been doin’ this whole radio gig for…gotta be somethin’ like ten years now, I reckon? And there’s not much I haven’t seen before. Besides, like the boss over there said, even if I’m not able to help keep your head straight, I’m sure Jiji can work miracles.”

“Who’s Jiji?” Izuku asked, as they stopped in front of a small doorway. Present Mic’s only response was a short bark of laughter as the door in front of them opened, the harsh sunlight beaming directly down into Izuku’s eyes, bright enough that he was forced to throw a hand up in front of his face to shield himself.

“Jiji would be me.”

Izuku, still blinking from the harsh sunlight, was forced to squint out from behind his hand towards the new voice, which spoke in a calm, almost detached tone. As she spoke, Izuku slowly adjusted to the sudden source of light, and he managed to take in the young woman before him. “For the record,” she said, smiling politely as her piercing amber eyes locked firmly onto Izuku’s from behind a pair of large, round glasses, “my name is not Jiji. Jiji is a term frequently used by fools in a futile attempt to annoy me.” The calm never left her voice, and her eyes stayed perfectly controlled, even as they flickered over to Present Mic. “I suppose, therefore, that I shouldn’t be surprised that Present Mic would introduce me like that.”

The girl turned back to Izuku, her eyes almost glowing with an ethereal light as she looked him up and down, a few wayward strands of pitch black hair falling down over her face as she moved. “Oh dear,” she began, sympathy bleeding into her tone. “You truly are a bundle of nerves, aren’t you? I can see why my assistance was requested today. To be completely honest, my Quirk makes me one of the best equipped people on U.A campus to deal with your specific circumstances.” 

Izuku’s eyes brightened at the mention of her Quirk, and he immediately began scanning the girl up and down. ‘No sign of any visible mutations, so possibly a transformation Quirk? Could be an emitter that relies on a mundane body part, though.’  

As Izuku began to speculate to himself, he saw the girls’ smile grow the slightest amount more genuine, and a gentle finger tapped on his forehead. “I’ll explain everything as we proceed. It would be impolite to use my Quirk on you without explaining what’s going to happen, not to mention improper. But first, please allow me to introduce myself.” She bowed slightly, her eyes never once leaving Izuku. “My name is Kanji Jisei, 2nd year U.A student, and I have my provisional licence under my hero name; Heartsleeve. It’s a sincere pleasure to make your acquaintance, Izuku Midoriya. While your efforts may have been unrefined, your bravery several months ago was awe-inspiring. There’s not enough like it out there today. Believe me, I’d know.” She turned back to Present Mic, her tone growing slightly more formal. “Heartsleeve reporting as requested, Present Mic, Nezu. Shall we depart?”

Nezu shook his head. “I’m afraid I will be forced to leave Izuku in your hands, Miss Jisei. My schedule is rather full today, and I do not have time to accompany you further. I merely wished to greet him in person and hand him over to you safely. However, I have complete faith that you and Present Mic will be able to make Izuku feel comfortable. Izuku, it was wonderful to see you again. I am very much looking forward to hearing about your interview later. Best of luck.”

“HELL YEAH WE WILL,” Mic yelled in response, his voice echoing throughout the tightly-packed corridor. “LET’S GET THIS PARTY WAGON ROLLIN’! YOU READY TO GO LIVE, MIDORIYA?”

Izuku clapped his hands over his ears, as Mic’s Quirk-enhanced voice howled in his ears. Jisei’s eyes snapped over towards him, widening slightly for a fraction of a second, before she reached in and grasped Izuku’s shoulder, pulling him out of the tunnel. Izuku felt himself stumble at the unexpected motion, tripping over his own feet as the smooth concrete of U.A’s secret carpark gave way to the soft, loamy soil of the main campus. Izuku screwed his eyes shut as the ground rose up to meet him, tilting to his side slightly to minimise the impact. 

And then he stopped as he felt Jisei’s grip tighten around his shoulder, her grip deceptively tight as she pulled him up with ease. “I’m sorry for the lack of warning,” she said, her voice tight with suppressed emotion. “I thought it would be more important to get you out of there as quickly as possible.” 

Jisei let go of Izuku’s arm, and he flushed slightly under her intense gaze, fidgeting nervously. “I-It’s fine, really. Thanks f-for catching me.”

Jisei stared at him for a few seconds, her head tilted slightly to one side as she stared at Izuku. “I’ve made you uncomfortable. I’m sorry for that also.” She averted her eyes, fixing her heated gaze on Present Mic, who had stepped out to accompany the pair. “Haha, sorry about that you two,” Mic began as he stepped past the two teenagers. “Got a little caught up in the moment, I guess. I’m normally better at controlling my Quirk than that. Which is good, ‘cos if I wasn’t, I reckon everyone around me would be deaf by now.” He chuckled at his own joke, brushing the incident to one side as he slowly led the pair across campus. “Right, now let’s get to that interview, shall we? Questions don’t ask themselves. And thank God too, otherwise I’d be out of a job.”

Izuku swallowed nervously at the fresh reminder of the reason he was here at U.A today. ‘Right, I’ve still got that to deal with,’ he thought as the trio walked in silence across U.A’s campus. Izuku felt his cheeks begin to burn as he began to notice all the current U.A students staring at him, a mixture of looks ranging from idle curiosity to active excitement all firmly pointed in his direction. ‘Okay, they’re all staring at you, Izuku. This is fine. There’s no need to panic. They’re just curious, that’s all. It makes sense they’d want to come and get a look at you. Besides, none of them are quite as intense as Jisei was.’ Izuku’s eyes flicked over to her for a brief moment, still determinedly staring straight ahead, her face flat and emotionless once more. ‘Seriously, why was she staring at me like that before? Even now, it’s obvious she’s trying really hard not to look at me too much. But before…she could barely take her eyes off me.’

“You’re nervous.”

Izuku jumped slightly at Jisei’s words, delivered with all the casualness of one discussing the weather. He laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his head slightly. “Y-Yeah, I suppose I am a little. I mean, wouldn’t most people be?”

Jisei nodded. “From what I’ve seen, yes, most people would. Would you like me to assist?”

‘Would I like her to assist?’ Izuku mused as the trio walked, Jisei’s eyes never leaving his. ‘What does that mean? I mean, I know what it means, but what does she mean when she says that?’ Izuku bit his thumb as they walked, mumbling slightly to himself as he ran his mind over the few interactions he’d had with Jisei. And then, in a moment of perfect clarity, everything clicked, and all the pieces began to fall into place.

‘You truly are a bundle of nerves, aren’t you?’

‘My Quirk makes me one of the best equipped people on U.A campus to deal with your specific circumstances.’

‘I’ve made you uncomfortable. I’m sorry for that also.’

“H-Hey, Jisei,” Izuku piped up, fumbling over the words slightly as he tried to figure out how to start the conversation. “Is…Is your Quirk some kind of emotion sensing?”

A genuine smile spread across Jisei’s face, and she nodded. “Nezu did say you were quite a sharp one, although I didn’t expect you to put it together so quickly. There’s more to my Quirk than just emotional sensing, but at its core, my Quirk is called Empathy. It allows me to detect and control the emotions of people around me. It’s how I could tell you were nervous before I ever truly laid eyes on you. You’ve been glowing an immense shade of chartreuse since you entered my radius.”

“Entered your radius?” Izuku asked, his hands beginning to fidget with excitement. ‘Man, I wish I’d bought one of my books. I’d love to make an entry on Jisei. Mental Quirks like hers are rare, and not a lot of them go into heroics. And even then, the few that do are very secretive about what they can do.’

“Yes,” Jisei nodded. “If I wish, I can sense the emotional state of anyone within 30 feet of me. It might not sound like the best Quirk for heroics, but I’ve found a few ways to make it work.”

Izuku nodded eagerly, his excitement at a new Quirk to discuss slowly overriding his nervousness. Jisei let out a small huff of amusement, and Izuku flushed as he realised she could literally see how eager he was. “W-Well, I suppose it might be good for search and rescue,” he began. “I mean, it sounds like you don’t need an active line of sight on someone to see their emotions, so it should be pretty good for locating trapped civilians, right?”

“Correct,” Jisei replied. “It was a severe limitation of mine in the past, but time and practice has expanded my radius. I find it’s also quite useful for keeping civilians calm. People used to tell me I should go into therapy with a Quirk like mine, but doing so would probably have been a severe violation of ethics, not to mention a patient's privacy. In an active disaster, however, people are more inclined to accept my meddling with their feelings. It does come with drawbacks, of course, so I’ve elected to take several supplementary courses on helping manage people’s emotions in a more traditional manner.”

“What do you mean by ‘severe’?” Izuku asked, his brow furrowed with nervousness. ‘I mean, it’s not surprising that her Quirk has a drawback, but it’s never good to hear someone call it severe. Does it just hold off the emotions until later, maybe? So if she suppresses someone’s panic, it actually comes back later?’

“Depending on the circumstances, the drawback can range from a mild hindrance to life-threatening,” Jisei replied in the same calm tone. “Would you like a demonstration?”

“A d-demonstration?” Izuku replied, his eyes popping. “Is that safe? I thought you just said it was-”

“I would not be offering if it wasn’t safe,” Jisei replied patiently. “Present Mic and Nezu requested me to assist you with your nervousness, and I believe this would be beneficial for you.”

“I…okay, as long as everyone’s sure,” Izuku replied hesitantly. ‘I suppose first-hand experience of an empath like Jisei would be interesting to write about, if nothing else.’

“That’s good,” Jisei replied. As she spoke, her amber pupils began to flicker, her eyes glowing as they shifted from their warm, honeyed amber until they shone as blue as the sky that hung over Izuku’s head. As her eyes changed, Izuku felt a wave of calm wash over him, and he let out a long, contented sigh. ‘Wow, I haven’t felt this relaxed in…well, I don’t even remember, honestly,’ Izuku thought to himself, as a radiant grin lit up his face. Opposite him, he noticed Jisei had relaxed slightly too, the tension in her muscles fading, and the blank, controlled mask she had been wearing until this point disappeared, replaced by the same warm smile she’d shown him earlier, flying free and unreserved.

“That feels so much better,” Jisei said, the bones in her arms and neck cracking as she stretched, her controlled tone being replaced with a warm, welcoming drawl. “I always love this part of my Quirk,” she said, a hint of wistfulness entering her tone. “I never feel more at ease than when I’m helping somebody else do the same. How about you, Midoriya? How do you feel?”

“I’m fine,” Izuku beamed at her, before Jisei’s words sunk in. “Wait, you never feel more at ease? Does that mean-”

“It does. Any emotion I project onto another person is inflicted upon me as well,” Jisei replied. “Like I said, severe. Controlling others emotions is quite a powerful tool, but the wrong emotion in the field could render me a liability. It almost cost me my first chance at a provisional licence.

But at the same time, getting to feel like this? There’s really nothing like it in the world, Midoriya.” A look of sadness flashed across Jisei’s face for a second, the colour in her eyes flickering. “Honestly, there are times where it’s hard not to use my Quirk. Knowing what’s waiting for me when it fades. But like the fall willow abandoning its leaves, we too must accept the inevitable.”

With a forlorn sigh, Jisei turned away from Izuku, the vibrancy in her eyes dwindling, taking with it the sense of calm that had swept over Izuku. “Better?” Jisei asked, her tone tight and controlled once more.

“...A little,” Izuku admitted. “I…I’m still nervous, but it feels more…manageable, somehow.”

“In my experience, anxiety is like that,” Jisei replied. “It makes mountains out of molehills, turning the most minor of nuisances into an insurmountable obstacle. I would advise you to recall how you felt a few moments ago, and see if you can hold onto that feeling without my assistance. If not, then I am more than willing to help.” Jisei paused for a second as an idea occurred to her. “Would you like to talk about my Quirk as we walk? I noticed you felt significantly more at ease when we did.”

“A-Are you sure?” Izuku asked. “I don’t really know a lot about most mental Quirks. They don’t get talked about quite as much, so my notes on them are kinda spotty.” Jisei nodded, and Izuku’s grin brightened. “I mean, if you’re sure, then I’d love to!”

As the pair slowly fell into a deeper discussion about the nuances of Jisei’s Quirk, Mic grinned to himself smugly as he eavesdropped on their conversation. ‘Heh. The boss was right. Not that that’s surprising or anything. The two are hittin’ it off well enough. I’ll have to let All Might know. He’s been going on for months now about how Midoriya needs more friends. Although…maybe I shouldn’t let Jiji know about that part. I don’t think she’ll be too happy if she figures out that part of her assignment.’

Mic turned his back slightly to observe the pair, before he stiffened, and a feeling of pure terror washed over him. Jisei was staring pointedly at him, and for just a fraction of a second, Mic swore he could see her eyes flashing an ethereal, sickly yellow, before she turned away from him, smiling politely as she answered one of Izuku’s questions. Mic shuddered as he felt the sensation crawl its way up his spine, and he forced himself to turn his back on the pair, keeping his eyes peeled for the next location Nezu had directed him towards.

“My apologies for the interruption,” Jisei said, as she turned back towards Izuku. “Did you have any further questions?”

“Yes,” Izuku replied immediately. “I was wondering how else you manage to use your Quirk? Outside of rescue scenarios, that is. I mean, I’m sure there are ways to use your quirk in other fields, there must be for you to make it this far into U.A, I just can’t quite see what they are. Unless…there’s more to your Quirk than you’ve told me about so far?”

“Correct again,” Jisei replied. “Thus far, I have managed to use my Quirk in three different ways, all centred around the awareness and manipulation of human emotions. The first I have already described to you. This sensory aspect of my Quirk is invaluable in rescue scenarios, but has proven quite useful as an information gathering tool, sitting in on police questioning, or scouting hostage situations. There are countless ways to suppress the physical tells that come with deception, or to remain hidden from cameras and other methods of detection, but the ability to suppress emotions is incredibly uncommon. As such, I spend a significant portion of my time studying to work closely alongside the traditional authorities, or acting in a support role for more offensive heroes.

As for the manipulation portion of my Quirk, I have trained myself to utilise it in two separate ways. The first is the one I have already explained to you. Doubt, fear and even anger are powerful weapons when applied appropriately, and not something the average villain is well equipped to handle. However, this too carries its own risks, and required me to be given a thorough grounding in human psychology. While people rarely react identically to the same emotion, it is imperative that I understand the more common ways people react to external stimuli, to give myself the best chance of reacting accordingly. Making somebody nervous while they are holding a loaded firearm, for example, could potentially cost innocent bystanders their lives if I am not careful with timing and the correct application of fear.”

“Plus, there’s how it affects your own emotions as well,” Izuku replied.

“Yes,” Jisei replied, sighing in mild frustration. “Normally, this would be an easily manageable issue, except that the third aspect of my Quirk actively affects my ability to temper my emotions when used. You may have actually seen this part of my Quirk in action, even if you were not aware at the time. Did you happen to watch this years Sports Festival, by any chance?”

Izuku nodded. “Yeah. I didn’t manage to go in person because…you know,” he said, gesturing around him. “But I was able to watch it on TV while I did some workouts. I think I remember seeing your match in the 3rd round. It was incredible! Although I’m still not sure how you actually managed to win.”

“That is good. I try to keep information about my Quirk private as a general rule, to make it harder for people to adequately counter me. And that goes double for the part of my Quirk I am about to reveal to you, so I would appreciate it if you respect my wishes,” Jisei replied. Seeing Izuku nod, she continued. “My thanks. I had hoped for it to carry me to victory that day, but it was not to be, unfortunately. Still, I finished on the podium, which is an accomplishment to take pride in.

Anyway, the final aspect of my Quirk is a relatively minor enhancement that allows me to power myself up by draining emotions from my surroundings. The overall boost per target is small, especially when compared to the power you are soon to wield. But it is enough to allow me to move faster than expected, or survive an otherwise debilitating blow. Enough that when timed appropriately, can turn the tide of a battle in my favour. And in a large crowd like the one present at the Sports Festival, all running hot after a whole day of excitement? The boost can be…substantial. However, as I said-”

“Using this ability actively affects your self-control when you use it,” Izuku said, his eyes widening as his keen mind began to connect the dots. “And if using it makes you more erratic and unstable, then the sudden mood swings would be harder for you to manage, making your emotions run wild. And the more your emotionsrunwildthentheharderitbecomesto-”

“Precisely,” Jisei interjected, holding up a hand to silence him. “Longer, drawn-out confrontations are dangerous, both for myself and others, since I am forced to rely on my enhancement more and more, affecting my ability to properly read my opponent and act logically in the field. As such, I find I tend to work best either in a support role, or picking off lone targets, while more physically oriented Quirks draw enemy fire their way.”

“That’s still amazing!” Izuku insisted. “Managing to take a mental Quirk like emotional control and find ways to use it to enhance your physical combat skills is incredible. When did you figure out it could do that? And how long did it take you to master it?”

As Jisei opened her mouth to reply, she spotted Present Mic beckoning to the pair out of the corner of her eye, hands drumming a beat against his thighs as he waited patiently for the pair to join him. “I think we shall have to finish this discussion later,” she said, drawing Izuku’s attention to the Pro Hero with a nod. “Present Mic is…excited, mostly, with maybe just a soupçon of amusement. It seems he has something he wishes to share with you, that he expects to find amusing.”

Izuku turned to face Present Mic, and he froze. His eyes widened as he took in the gigantic, towering structure that lay before him. While it wasn’t the first time Izuku had seen U.A, this was the closest he’d ever been to it. He reached out a trembling hand reverentially, breath caught in his throat as he took in the enormous steel and glass structure before him, the early morning light causing the building to twinkle like stars in the night sky. “I…I’m actually h-here,” Izuku stuttered, tears welling in the corners of his eyes as he fervently wiped them on his sleeve. “I…I’ve been dreaming of this moment for as long as I can remember, and…I-I knew it was coming ever since I met All Might. And I even knew it was happening today, b-but…I don’t think it really sunk in until just now.

I’m..I’m here. I made it to U.A.”

“Congratulations,” Jisei said, allowing herself a small smile, a supportive hand resting on his shoulder. “I understand your feelings all too well. When I first applied here, I honestly never thought I’d be able to make it with a Quirk as passive as mine. I still recall just how shocked I was when I received my acceptance letter. Would you like some help managing this? Or are you content to enjoy your emotions for a moment?”

A small smile broke through Izuku’s tears, and he shook his head. “I think I’ll be okay, actually,” Izuku said in response. “It just…it feels like I’ve actually progressed. Like all the time spent these last few months hasn’t been for nothing. Like I’ve actually improved, you know?”

“I do. Before I attended U.A, my control was so poor I accidentally broke a total of 32.5 doors during my life.” Izuku stared at her quizzically for a second, and Jisei let out a small smirk. “One of the doors had rusted hinges, so I refuse to consider it completely my fault. But after just six months here, my understanding and control has increased so much that I have yet to break so much as a toothpick without meaning to.”

“Yeahh, I’ve been there for sure,” Present Mic said, entering the conversation for the first time, his voice sounding unnaturally serious. “I’d bet more than a handful of U.A students have. For me, it was when I was born. I’d just come into this world, and the first thing I did was nearly deafen both my parents. Not to mention the doctors who helped deliver me.” He chuckled ruefully, shaking his head. “A lot of people will have some kinda story like that about their Quirk. It’s one of the reasons what we do here at U.A is so important. Quirk control is always our top priority for training you kids. It’s part of why I’m so glad I get to work here, too. I know how it feels to have the same kinda worries Jiji does. And I’m pretty sure you’re gonna need a lot of help getting One for All under control,” he said, winking down at Izuku. “Quirk more powerful than All Might’s? Yeah, it’s gonna be tricky to adjust for sure.”

Izuku swallowed nervously, All Might’s words from all those months ago rising to the surface of his memory. 

‘ But if I give it to him now, odds are it could kill him.’

Jisei’s hand on his shoulder tightened almost imperceptibly, and she looked down at Izuku. “What’s wrong?” She asked.

“I-uh…it’s nothing, really,” Izuku replied, not quite meeting her eyes. “It’s just…All Might said something similar to me before all this started, but I’d managed to avoid thinking about it until just now, you know?”

“Yes. I also know that way of thinking is incredibly unhealthy. Putting your problems to one side until you are mentally equipped to handle them is one thing. Pretending they don’t exist is another.”

Izuku rubbed the back of his head, cheeks burning slightly from Jisei’s gentle admonishment. “Yeah, I guess. I just don’t really know what to do about it except get strong enough that One for All won’t kill me.”

Several seconds of silence followed Izuku’s words as Jisei stared at him in open horror. Eventually, the stillborn silence was broken by a low whistle from Present Mic. “Okayyy, that’s definitely a stronger drawback than I was expecting. Still, that’s alright though. We’re no strangers here at U.A to Quirks with harmful drawbacks. Jiji over here is a pretty good example, but our last guest is probably the closest match to you that you’re gonna find.”

“Wait, last guest?” Izuku asked nervously. “I-I thought it was just gonna be the three of us?”

“Yeahhh, it was originally just gonna be us three,” Mic admitted. “But a little birdie caught wind that you were stoppin’ by today, and wouldn’t take no for an answer.” His grin grew slightly more mischievous, and a hint of teasing slipped into his tone. “She’s very excited to see you again too, you know? Don’t worry though, she’s not gonna be allowed in the booth with us. Nezu doesn’t trust her not to just steal one of the mics from us and take over our little chit-chat.”

“Again, huh?” Izuku said, more to himself than anything. ‘I did meet a U.A student back when I was in Hosu. I guess it’s her. Her name was…Nejire, right? Nejire…something. Did I really not even get her last name? Smooth, Izuku.’

Next to him, Jisei stiffened, her eyes flickering over to the front entrance of U.A, a small groan escaping her lips. “I suppose I should have expected it would be her,” she said wearily. “But are you positive you only invited her? Because I can sense two more people with her. One’s quite nervous, almost the same shade that you were when we met. The other is…ahh, it’s Togata. Nobody else is quite as golden as him.”

“Wait, there’s two more people-” Izuku began, before the door was flung open, a very familiar face staring directly at him, a huge, beaming grin on her face. The next thing Izuku knew, Nejire was standing directly in front of him, face pressed uncomfortably close to his.

“YOU’RE FINALLY HERE!!!!” She exclaimed as she grabbed Izuku in excitement, shaking him back and forth like a ragdoll. “Oh my God, It’s so good to see you again!!! It feels like it’s been months since we last saw each other. Why didn’t you call me? We could have hung out sometime.”

Words failed Izuku as Hado twirled him around, any attempt to speak rapidly transforming into a series of confused gurgles. After a few seconds, a firm hand grasped his shoulder, and Izuku felt himself momentarily caught in a tug-of-war between the two girls. “Hado,” Jisei began, her tone firm as she stared across at the pouting young girl. “That’s enough. You’re making him nervous. Let go.” 

After a second of struggling, Nejire sulkily released her iron grip on Izuku, depositing him into Jisei’s arms as she gently lowered him to the floor. “Awwww, but I was so excited to see him again. It’s been months since we saw each other, but he never tried to call me or anything. So of course I was excited to see him again. How could I not be? You can’t seriously expect me to not be bouncing off the walls, can you?”

Jisei scowled slightly, her eyes narrowing as she took a quick glance over towards Izuku. “I can and do,” she replied, stepping between the pair. “My job today is to help keep him at ease and prepared for his interview. You are currently making him uncomfortable. So you will either conduct yourself appropriately, or I will remove you. Is that understood?”

Nejire paused for a second, her smile fading as she looked over Jisei’s crossed arms at Izuku. “Yeah, okay,” she replied, sounding slightly flat for a second, before she clapped her hands together and shook her head. When she had finished, slightly strained around the edges. “Alright, space it is!” She proclaimed, hovering an inch or two off the ground. “BUT! That’s only for today. He only gets one. Next time I see those cute little cheeks of his, I’m gonna pinch ‘em so hard you’d think he’d been attacked by an army of grannies!” With that chilling threat hanging in the air, Nejire disappeared almost as soon as she had arrived, and Izuku heard a voice calling out from inside U.A. “HEYYYYY! TAMAKI! MIRIO! I FOUND HIM!! HURRY UP ALREADY!!!”

Jisei sighed in exhaustion as Nejire’s voice trailed off. “Hopefully that keeps her in line while you’re on campus. If she gets like that again, I will step in and remind her how she should be behaving around you.”

“Is she always like that?” Izuku asked, his cheeks going red as he recalled their last meeting.

“She wasn’t always, if you can believe it,” Jisei replied. Seeing the look of interest on Izuku’s face, she elaborated. “When Nejire Hado first attended U.A, she was one of the most emotionally repressed people I’d ever laid eyes on. An unending well of energy sealed behind an iron cage. It was…depressing to witness. She never really spoke to anyone either. People tried, but all attempts were swiftly rebuffed. At one point, her classmates had a running pool for how few words they could hear from her in a week. One time, somebody won by betting on zero. Walked away with around 50,000 yen, if I recall correctly. She was not happy when she found out.

Honestly, just being around her was uncomfortable. I could see how much she was refusing to allow anyone to get close every time I was in her vicinity. It was truly a tragedy.” Jisei shook her head, her voice sounding hollow just recalling the memory. “Believe me, Midoriya. While I know Hado can be exhausting at times, this is better.”

“So what happened?”

Jisei turned her head towards the entrance to U.A and nodded. “They did.” As she did so, Izuku heard a new voice call out from a few feet in front of him.

“Hey there! I gotta admit, I’m kinda surprised to see you in the flesh. Feels weird, y’know? I mean, I know lies aren’t Nejire’s thing, like, at all. And I know there’s photos of you two together and all that, but it’s still just kinda hard to believe that she knows you, you know?”

As Izuku turned in the direction of the confident greeting, he found himself locking his gaze on a pair of beady blue eyes, glimmering with warmth as their owner approached. Izuku found himself staring at a tall, muscled blonde grinning easily down as Nejire and another, dark-haired boy Izuku didn’t recognise trailed after him. “It’s nice to finally meet ya,” the boy said, arm extended outwards in greeting. Izuku took it, and felt a series of rough calluses envelop his hand in a firm yet gentle grip as his hand was delicately pumped up and down. “The name’s Mirio. Mirio Togata. 2nd year U.A student, and one of Nejire’s best friends. I gotta admit, I’m a bit of a fan of yours too.”

Izuku flushed under the adulation, even as Nejire hovered behind her friend, smacking him playfully on the shoulder. “You’re so mean, Mirio! You know I’d never lie to you, right?”

“Course I do,” Togata replied. “I never thought you were lying, it’s just one of those things that’s hard to believe until you see it yourself, you know? We know we can trust you.”

The third member of the trio, who had yet to speak, opened his mouth at that point, still a few steps behind the other two. “R-Right. What Mirio said. You’ve never really lied to us before. Or…I mean, I guess we’ve never caught you in-” he cut himself off, shaking his head quickly and taking a few deep breaths in. “No, that’s not fair. Thinking like that’s just going to make it come true. Sorry, Nejire…” he trailed off, retreating further behind Togata, his dark purple eyes turning towards the floor.

“Oh Tamaki, you know there’s nothing to be sorry for. And hey, you managed to stop yourself before you finished the sentence this time. That’s amazing progress! You should be so proud of yourself!” Nejire darted between the two boys, throwing an arm around both of their shoulders. “So, Mirio may have introduced himself, but Tamaki can be kinda shy so I’m gonna help him out and take over from here, okay?” Without waiting for Izuku or anyone else to agree, she started speaking again. “This is our other BFF, Tamaki Amajiki. Like I said, a little shy, so don’t expect him to say a lot. But that means that when he does talk, you’d better listen, because it’s gonna be important.”

“No pressure or anything,” Amajiki grumbled under his breath, even as he buried a faint smile behind one of his hands. Taking a deep breath, he stepped out of Nejire’s arm and approached Izuku. “I…Yeah, like she said, I’m-uh, I’m Tamaki. Tamaki Amajiki and…I guess you already knew that, huh. I probably shouldn't have wasted both our time on this, huh. I-okay, I’m a second year student, like they are, and…and th-they’re my…they’re my best friends too.” Amajiki’s voice trailed off as he continued talking, to the point where his last few words were barely above a whisper, and Amajiki quickly stepped back into position behind the other two, refusing to meet Izuku’s face.

“Tamaki, that was amazing!” Nejire exclaimed as she threw both arms around him. “That was the best I’ve seen you do in a long time. Really well done!” She squeezed him one last time, before turning eagerly to Present Mic. “So, where are we going next? Any more stops to make, or is this it?”

“Well, unless Nezu’s changed his plans in the last five minutes, you were the last person on my list,” Present Mic responded with a laugh. “Although I suppose that’s three now, huh? If that’s not gonna be a problem or anything Midoriya?”

Izuku froze as three pairs of eyes fell on him, and he swallowed nervously. ‘What do I say? I’m nervous enough as it is, and I don’t know if more people are going to help with that or not. But I did want to spend time with Hado when I met her, so it makes sense to spend some time with them now, at least for a bit.’

After a few more seconds of thought, Izuku felt a hand rest comfortingly on his shoulder, as Jisei stepped in between him and Nejire.

“Little bit like Tamaki, huh?” Mirio asked sympathetically.

“He’s nervous to begin with right now, and the extra attention on him cannot be helping,” Jisei replied curtly. “While Hado was given permission to accompany us, the same cannot be said for the pair of you. While I personally have no problems with this, if you end up making Midoriya uneasy, then I’m afraid I’ll have to ask you-”

“H-Hey, Jisei?”

Jisei paused, turning towards Izuku as he spoke, running her eyes up and down him briefly, before nodding once. “Understood. I’m sorry for assuming as much as I was. It’s…hard sometimes, to see how everyone around me feels at any second, and not try to intervene when I can. Would you like me to step away?”

“No, no, nothing like that,” Izuku replied hurriedly. “I just…I think I’d like to meet Hado’s friends. Everyone at Might Tower is telling me I need to meet people my own age, and she did offer to introduce me the last time we saw each other, so I think I’d like to try.”

“Of course,” Jisei acquiesced. “Apologies again to all four of you for interfering.”

“Nahhh, it’s fine,” Hado replied with a wink. “Someone’s gotta be the voice of reason around here. Kinda surprised it isn’t Present Mic though. Have you *heard* how loud he can get? You’d think he’d be the most reasonable one.”

“The fact that you can still think that about him after two years here shows how little you’ve had to interact with the man,” Jisei replied, a hint of humour creeping through her normally restrained tone. “I’ve more experience with him than any of you, and reasonable is to him as outgoing is to Amajiki over there. Maybe if it was, he would have stepped in to assist by now.” She glared at Present Mic, who threw up his hands in playful surrender.

“And ruin this amazing dynamic between you and Midoriya? Nahhh, I figured it’d be better to let this whole thing just play out naturally. You kids don’t need an old man like me harshing your buzz.”

Jisei rolled her eyes, before switching her focus back to Izuku. “Well, since Present Mic seems adamant on being less than helpful, I suppose I’ll lead the way from here,” she said, resting an arm on Izuku’s shoulder and gently pulling him through the front doors. “I work with him fairly regularly, so I know where we’re going.”

Chapter Text

“Soooo,” Nejire began as soon as the group started walking towards Present Mic’s studio. “What did you talk about while I grabbed the other two? I heard Midoriya asking about something. Do you guys have some spicy gossip to share with me?” Spotting Izuku’s hesitation, Nejire metaphorically pounced on him, even as his eyes flicked over to Jisei for guidance. “C’mon Midoriya, you can tell me. Pleaseeee! I promise I’ll keep it a secret. You guys can be…well, not my best friends, they’re already spoken for, but you two can be four and five if you want!”

Izuku fidgeted slightly under Nejire’s conversational barrage, until a firm, controlled grip rested on his shoulder. Turning around, he saw Jisei staring down at him, and he felt himself relax as her eyes flickered to the same sky-blue from earlier. “I was just explaining to Midoriya here what you used to be like before befriending these two,” she replied, gesturing towards Amajiki and Togata with her free hand. A small smirk flitted across her face, too fast for anyone else to notice, as a look of absolute mortification appeared on Nejire’s.

“You did WHAT?” Nejire shrieked, her voice rising in pitch as she whirled around to face Jisei. “Oh my god, why would you tell him that? I wasted so much time being all dumb and mopey. Just think of all the good memories we could have made last year if I wasn’t all bleghhh like that. Midoriya’s gonna think I’m a total misery guts now too.” Nejire leant forwards, bent over slightly as she latched her hands onto Izuku’s, staring at him determinedly. “You don’t have to worry your cute little head about her, promise. That Nejire is gone, and she is not coming back.” Satisfied, she released him with a firm nod, before pulling back up to her full height and stretching her arms above her head, joints cracking. “Ughhh,” she continued as she finished her stretches. “Now I’m gonna be all bummed out thinking about Past Nejire for like…the rest of the day. Can someone change the topic for me? I need to think about literally anything else right now.”

“Aye aye, Ma’am!” Togata exclaimed in response, snapping a hand to his forehead in salute. Turning to Amajiki, he said, “C’mon, Suneater, Nejire needs our help. Let’s hop to it!” True to his word, Togata hopped forward, feet pounding on the pavement in perfect sync as he literally hopped towards his friend, who chuckled at his antics.

“Somehow I suspect this isn’t the best solution to your current problem,” Jisei deadpanned as Togata bounced past her and Izuku.

“Hey, you’re the one who’s always goin’ on about how important it is to have a healthy support network,” Togata shot back playfully as he proceeded to hop in a loose circle around Nejire. “I’m just doin’ my friendly neighbourhood duty here, is all.”

“That’s…not inaccurate, I suppose,” Jisei replied, shaking her head as Nejire began to hop along with Togata. “You're correct, it is important to surround yourself with people who care about your emotional well-being. However, doing so to the detriment of one’s ability to support themselves is also harmful, and can lead to a myriad of problems of its own. You are correct in that Hadou needs people to support her, but she also needs to be able to support herself.” Jisei sighed, a look of melancholy flashing across her face for a brief moment. “Despite how it might appear right now, I am quite fond of all three of you, so please don’t assume I say this out of cruelty. But nothing lasts forever, Togata. Eventually, the four of us will graduate and drift apart, our time together becoming little more than tears in rain. My only wish is that we will all be strong enough to stand on our own by then.”

“Pfft,” Nejire replied, waving Jisei’s concerns off with a breezy gesture. “Like that’s ever gonna happen. We’re gonna be friends forever, right guys?”

“Yeah, Nejire’s right,” Togata said. “Besides, we’ve still got two years together here at U.A, so even if you’re right, why worry about that yet?”

“Plus,” Tamaki muttered, following up his two friends with a more logical approach to Jisei’s argument. “We are training to be heroes. Helping people’s pretty much the whole job description, isn’t it?”

“Exactly,” Togata concluded, crossing his arms triumphantly. “What kinda friend or Hero would I be if I just stood by while somebody I knew needed help, huh?” Togata tilted his head towards Izuku and winked. “I’m pretty sure Midoriya over there’d agree with us, right?”

Izuku met Togata’s look for a brief moment, before turning towards Jisei apologetically. “S-Sorry, Jisei, but I mean…I kinda agree with him. I mean, I get what you’re saying, but I know I couldn’t ever abandon someone who needs help, you know?” Jisei turned to face Izuku, and he flinched as she stared intently at him for a moment. Izuku screwed his eyes shut as Jisei reached out a hand towards him.

And then it rested gently on his shoulder, and Jisei’s soothing tone washing his fears away. “I’m not going to be upset at you for disagreeing with me,” she said. “You’re perfectly entitled to your own opinion on the matter. Besides, I…can’t say the four of you don’t have a point.” Izuku opened his eyes to find Jisei bowing apologetically towards Nejire. “I’m sorry for my harsh words just now,” she said contritely. “Togata and Amajiki are right, supporting each other is important, and I shouldn’t have tried to dissuade them from doing so. Just…promise me you’ll think about what I said.”

After a second's hesitation, Nejire sighed reluctantly. “Alright, I’ll think about it. But, you have do something in return!” She exclaimed dramatically, finger pointed unerringly at Jisei’s nose.

“That seems fair.”

Nejire smiled, and reached forward, pressing her finger against Jisei’s nose playfully. “Lighten up a little. I mean, come on, we’re only 16 years old. We’ve got our whole lives to worry about boring stuff like that. Live a little.”

“I suppose I can agree with that,” Jisei conceded after a moment. “Very well. I shall try, although don’t expect me to be any good at it.” Nejire stared at her for a second expectantly, and Jisei’s eyes sharpened. “I’m still not bunny-hopping,” she said bluntly.

Nejire slumped for a moment, before bouncing back, laughing playfully at Jisei’s refusal. “Ah well, your loss. C’mon Mirio, let’s go.” With that, the pair turned and started hopping together across the U.A campus. 

After a few more hops, Togata laughed, turning to face Jisei. “If it helps, I'm pretty sure Nejire’s doing me a favour at this point. This is actually a pretty good leg workout.” He turned his attention to Izuku hopping on the spot in front of him. “You wanna get in on this, Midoriya? I mean, I doubt it compares to the kinda stuff All Might has you doing, but it’s still pretty good if you ask me.”

Izuku looked at the small crowd that had formed around them, not-too-subtly following them as they walked across campus. ‘I… I mean, I did want to help cheer Hadou up, but she seems to be doing at least a little better by now, and with all these people watching and…and pretty sure those two are recording.’ A spike of anxiety flared up as Izuku noticed a small handful of students trying to discreetly raise their phones towards the group. ‘That’s just great. I don’t know if I’m up for it. Not with everyone else around.

That’s okay, Izuku. You can do this. You’ve been practising for this moment ever since Hosu. All you need to do is say “No, thank you.” You can do this.’

“I-uh…I mean, with all these people around, I’m not really sure, you know?”

Togata tilted his head in confusion for a second, before he noticed the gaggle of onlookers that had formed around them. “Oh, right. The giant crowd,” he laughed, amused at the unimpressed stares being shot his way. “Yeah, they do that. Teenagers, you know? Nothing gets ‘em going like a bit of gossip, or something funny to laugh at. Doesn’t really bother me or anything, but I get that’s not for everyone.” He leant forward, tousling Izuku’s hair slightly. “Sorry for putting you on the spot like that though. Didn’t mean to pressure you or anything. Pretty sure Nejire’s doin’ well enough that she probably doesn’t need me hopping around anymore. I wasn’t lying about it being a good workout though.” He hopped up and down experimentally a few times, before nodding. “Yeah, this is pretty good. Probably not for everyday use, but if you wanna spice up your workout routines a little, I’ve tried worse tricks. Although,” Togata paused to laugh slightly. “I can’t really imagine All Might’d add something like this to an exercise routine. There’s no way bunny-hops are part of the grand plan to inheriting One for All.”

‘Little Bunny Foo-Foo, hopping through the forest.’

The memory popped into Izuku’s head before he could stop it. Himself, shirtless and sweating, ten kilos dangling from his back as he hopped from one platform to the next, each desperate leap accompanied by All Might narrating the next fragment of Bunny Foo-Foo’s tale.

“From Midoriya’s reaction, it seems you may have been on to something, Togata,” Jisei said, a slight smirk playing across her lips.

Togata’s eyes widened, and he leaned conspiratorially, a huge grin on his face. “Seriously?” He said in a low whisper, pulling Izuku in closer. “No kidding? He actually had you do that?”

Izuku sighed, his cheeks burning with embarrassment at the memory. “Y-Yeah, he did. A lot of hopping around with heavy weights. Said it would be good for my leg muscles and upper yoke.” 

As soon as the words left his mouth, Izuku realised he made a mistake, as he felt a shadow looming over him. Looking up, he swallowed nervously as he locked eyes with the eager, grinning face of Nejire Hadou, her sour mood from earlier completely absent as she stared back at him, a mischievous twinkle in her eye.

Then, the instant she opened her mouth to speak, she was met with a forceful hand pressing over it, and her head was gently pulled to face Jisei, who stared up at her. “Remember what I said when you arrived, Hadou,” she said patiently. “I am here to keep Midoriya at ease, and prevent stressful situations, like the one I suspect you were about to inadvertently instigate. Take a breath, think, and then speak, alright?” Jisei stepped back, removing her hand, leaving Nejire hovering over Izuku.

Nejire looked down at Izuku, a hint of apology in her eyes, before she nodded. “Yeah, okay,” she pouted as soon as Jisei’s hand was moved away. “But you can’t tell me you don’t wanna hear about it!”

Jisei looked away slightly, refusing to meet either her or Izuku’s gaze. Nejire pressed her advantage forward slightly, a sly smirk forming on her face. “See! Even you wanna know. So, if I keep my voice down, there’s no problem, right?” She turned to Midoriya expectantly, twiddling her thumbs in excitement. 

“W-Well,” Izuku began, “It’s really not that interesting. Outside of…you know, the whole bunny thing, it’s not as fun as you’re probably thinking. Just another way of training all the muscles in my body so that I can actually use One for All. Sorry…” he trailed off slightly as Nejire slumped slightly, her interest waning as Izuku steered the conversation away from lagomorphic exercise. 

“No, it’s okay, that makes sense,” Nejire reluctantly admitted after a moment's silence. “Exercise just sucks in general. I just thought that something from All Might would be a little more…exciting, you know?”

“Speak for yourself,” Togata laughed as he leant in, his own excitement bolstering Izuku’s, even as Nejire’s waned. “I think it sounds awesome! I’m always lookin’ for ways to change up my workouts. So, you got any cool tips from training you can share?”

Izuku chuckled at Togata’s obvious excitement, the tension in his shoulders easing slightly. “I mean, it kind of depends on who I’m working with,” he said. “With All Might, it’s a lot of heavy lifting or moving stuff around. Like I said, all about working out my different muscle groups. One for All’s a whole body enhancer, so I kind of do need every part of my body to be strong enough to handle it, you know?”

Out of the corner of his eye, Izuku noticed Nejire swoop down next to Jisei and whisper something into her ear. Stretching his hearing to its absolute limits, he faintly heard a venomous reply of “No, because that isn’t a muscle. Do not ask him that, or there will be consequences.’

‘...Do I want to know what they’re talking about?’

Deciding the answer to that question was in fact a resounding, ‘No’, Izuku continued talking to Togata. “Unfortunately, All Might’s exercises kinda take up a lot of my free time. Like, even if I’m taking lessons, I’m normally doing some kind of exercise along with it, usually a hand gripper while I’m studying. Although there was one time All Might bet me I couldn’t do my maths homework at the same time as my push-up routine. That was a fun evening.”

“Whoa!” Nejire said as she entered back into the conversation. “That sounds super-hard! I’m pretty good at maths, but doing it at the same time as push-ups? How’d you do it?”

Izuku smiled a small, proud smile as he replied, “I did it on a computer, using my nose for each button press. Had to take a few breaks, and it took most of an afternoon, but I still did it in the end.” 

He heard a muttered “damn, that’s pretty good, actually,” from the mostly silent Tamaki’s end, and his smile grew slightly.

His nerves fading in the face of everyone’s open friendliness, Izuku continued. “With Gran Torino, it’s a little different. He mostly focuses on my movement and agility more than anything. Footwork, free running, regular running on days where I’m taking it easy, lots of coordination and flexibility exercises too. Honestly, there are times it feels like he pushes me harder than All Might.”

‘And frankly, given what All Might told me about their time together, I think he’s still taking it easy on me,’ Izuku thought to himself, cringing reflexively as he recalled some of the tales All Might had shared with him during their breaks.

“As for my third teacher, she’s…well, she’s kinda unorthodox. You wouldn’t know if from looking at her, but Star & Stripe’s a lot sharper than she lets on, so she’s been trying to teach me-”

“Apologies for the interruption,” Jisei interjected, holding up a hand politely. “Do you mean Star & Stripe, the American Number One?”

“Oh, right, I should probably have made that clearer,” Izuku replied sheepishly. “Sorry. Yeah, that’s her. As soon as news travelled over there about One for All, she apparently took the first flight over to help train me up.”

Jisei shook her head, incredulity written plain across her face. “While I knew she showed herself outside Might Tower after All Might’s press conference, I was not expecting her to be able to help train you at all, let alone for four months.”

“Well, I mean, she’s not always around,” Izuku admitted. “I don’t really get as much time with her as All Might and Gran Torino, because she does still need to help out back home every now and then, to help keep crime levels down. But she’s still here quite a bit, just…maybe a bit jet-lagged sometimes. But most of her lessons are less physical anyway, so she can take a little time to nap every now and then. She’s mostly teaching me about strategy or battlefield tactics, as well as more…unorthodox fighting methods.” 

Seeing the raised eyebrows his statement was met with, he leant in, elaborating in a quiet whisper. “I can’t really go into too much detail, since Star & Stripe’s Quirk is kinda personal, but it generally gives her a lot of options when confronting villains, so she had to learn pretty quickly how to make decisions under pressure. So that’s what she’s been doing a lot of. Mostly emphasising situational awareness and critical thinking, as well as lateral thinking and how to apply it to people and their Quirks. She once spent three hours lecturing me on the correct amount of force to use when biting somebody to hinder them without causing severe injury.”

By the time Izuku had finished explaining his tutelage under Star & Stripe, the four U.A students were staring at him in amazement. After a few moments, Togata broke the silence, grinning hugely as he leant forward to slap Izuku on the back. “Man, sounds like you work harder than we do some days. You really have your work cut out for you, huh? Gotta admit, if that’s how you train I’m really excited to join in sometime. It sounds like a blast! Doing it every day must be tough though. Are you holding up okay?”

“Yeah, I think I’m doing okay,” Izuku replied, without hesitation. “I mean, nobody’s said I’m doing badly or anything, so that probably means it’s going well, right? Besides, I don’t really know if I can complain, knowing what’s waiting for me at the end. All Might’s stepping back from some of his active duties, Gran Torino’s come out of retirement, and Star’s constantly running herself ragged between here and America, all so they can help prepare me for One for All. If they’re giving it their all like that, then I gotta do the same. I don’t want them to think I’m slacking, or ungrateful or anything, you know?

“Yeah, I totally get you,” Togata replied, his eyes roving over Izuku’s head until they met Jisei’s. She grimaced for a second, her eyes flicking down to Izuku for a brief instant, and the two shared an unspoken conversation, before Togata forced a smile back onto his face, and he clapped a hand on Izuku’s shoulder. “Still, sounds like you’re doin’ pretty well overall. You should be proud, man. I’m sure your teachers are. Just remember, you don’t have to handle everything yourself, alright? You ever wanna work out together, just say the word. It really does change everything. Nothing makes a workout better like doin’ it with your friends, and the feeling when you’re all done getting hot and sweaty? Priceless.” He held up a hand before Izuku could speak. “Trust me, you’re not taking me away from anything. You’d probably be doing me a favour. Variety’s good for the soul, you know?”

Izuku paused for a moment as he contemplated Togata’s offer. “I mean, All Might did say he wanted me to spend more time with people my own age,” he admitted. “Maybe if I had a word with him, he’d let us all work out together sometime. As long as it doesn’t slow anything down…although I suppose he did tell me we were a little ahead of schedule, so maybe it’ll be okay? I dunno.” He shook his head, turning to face Togata. “Sorry, I got distracted. I’ll ask All Might and see what he says. But otherwise, I think that sounds awesome!”

“Sorry, but I’m putting my foot down!” Nejire proclaimed as she interrupted the pair, a look of sheer exasperation on her face. “I do not want your first memory of us all hanging out together to be me lying there like a puddle of goo because Mirio wore me out with one of his boring workouts again. It’s your first time, we gotta do something to make it special, right guys?” she pleaded, turning to Amajiki and Jisei desperately.

“Okay, hang on just a second there, Nejire,” Togata interrupted, crossing his arms sternly. “First of all, working out is not boring. It’s like…the best way to get to know a person. Two friends, side by side, each helping push the other one to greater limits than they ever could have achieved alone? You’re telling me that doesn’t sound like the bomb-diggity?” Nejire remained unmoved, arms crossed over her chest in a mirror of Togata’s position. Until a sly smile spread across his face, and he stepped in, hand slung over her shoulder. “Besides,” he wheedled, “who said that’s all we’d be doing? If we’re gonna be working out together, of course I’m gonna introduce the little guy to our traditional vegging sesh when we’re all done.”

It was like a switch had been flicked inside Nejire’s brain, and her gleeful smile sprung back to life as she clapped her hands together in excitement. “ALRIGHT! I’M IN! Who’s turn is it to pay?”

Her and Togata quickly fell in step with one another, pulling Jisei with them as they haggled over payment. Izuku stared in confusion for a few seconds, before a gentle tap on his shoulder pushed him forward slightly. Turning, Izuku found himself in lockstep with Amajiki, who had remained relatively silent until this point. "Sorry about them," he began, muttering quietly under his breath. "It's kind of a thing we do. After a workout, I mean. Grab a drink and a shower, then we sort of just go to the Admiral's together and get some burgers." Silence fell for a few seconds, before Amajikis spoke again, a few strands of deep purple hair hiding his eyes from Izuku. "I know it's probably not as cool as whatever All Mights got you doing, but I mean…if you wanna come along sometime, that'd be…nice."

"Honestly," Izuku replied, beaming at Amajiki's offer, "I think that sounds great. I mean, I probably still have to clear it with All Might, but I'd love to." 

The pair nodded at one another, falling into silence for a minute as the argument nearby grew even more heated. Swallowing nervously, Izuku approached the bickering trio, feet barely making a sound on the hard flooring, his hands trembling with each step. "H-Hey, guys?" He began, flinching as three sets of eyes whirled to face him. "I-uh, I mean, if it helps, I'd be happy to pay. Everyone gave me some money for my trip to Hosu, and I’ve still got most of it leftover, so if you want, I can probably afford it."

Silence fell over the group as Izuku spoke, and Nejire & Togata locked eyes for a moment, before they turned to face Izuku. “Absolutely not!” The pair decreed imperiously, their argument momentarily forgotten as they united in opposition to Izuku’s proposal.

“C’mon man,” Togata began, shaking his head patiently. “It’s gonna be your first time hangin’ with us. We’re not gonna make you pay. Maybe if we can make it a regular thing, then we can add you to the rotation. But first time rolling with us, you’re the guest, and the guest doesn’t pay. Thanks though, man. It’s really cool of you to offer.”

Nejire nodded in agreement. “Yeah! What kinda friends would we be if we made you pay for us. That’s just mean. Besides, despite what some people think, it’s my turn to pay, and I’m not missing out on the opportunity to spoil my best friends.”

“Except it isn’t,” Togata shot back. “It’s my turn. I pay, then you pay, then Tamaki pays. Tamaki paid last time, so it’s my turn to pay.”

“What?” Nejire replied, a look of confusion on her face. “No! Tamaki pays, then I pay, then you. Plus we've got Jisei with us this time, so we need to figure out where she fits too!”

“If it helps,” Jisei interrupted, raising a hand calmly. “I’m quite happy to accept Midoriya’s offer of payment. I’d wager All Might’s pockets run deeper than ours, and I’m not so well off I’m willing to ignore a free meal.” Nejire and Togata stared at her with matching looks of stunned horror, and she shrugged. “Consider this an easy opportunity to invite him to exercise with you again, so that you can both find ways to pay him back.”

Togata tilted his head curiously, and Nejire started to twirl a strand of her periwinkle hair between her fingers, her lips pursed in thought. Eventually, she sighed dramatically, spinning around to Izuku and nodding. “Alright, sounds like we have a deal, Midoriya. I’ll just pretend this is your way of apologising for forgetting to call me, and then we’ll be even. Although…there is another problem,” she said, trailing off slightly. “Is there even a Snackbar’s near All Might’s agency? We probably shouldn’t go too far. Even with four super-cool heroes in training, I don’t know if we should take the risk. What if that weird stalker girl from Hosu shows up again? Or even just regular fangirls.” She shuddered dramatically at the thought. “Trust me, they can be vicious.”

“Apparently there’s a Snackbar’s in Mall Might,” Amajiki said, angling his phone so the rest of them could see it. “Can we just go there?”

“Hell yeah!” Togata replied, clapping his friend on the back. “That’s perfect! Great job, man. Yo Midoriya, how’s that sound? I know you’re not really leaving the building now, but it’ll feel completely different when you’re hanging out with friends? You in?”

Midoriya looked around at the quartet, taking in the range of emotions being directed at him, from Nejire’s grinning excitement, to Amajiki’s nervous smile, and he beamed back at them. “Yeah, I think that sounds nice,” he agreed. “I’ve been to Mall Might a few times since moving here, you’re right, but even before this, I never really went with any f-friends before.” Izuku stumbled over the last word, and cursed himself internally, before something occurred to him. “I-uh, I might have to ask my Mum and All Might before I can say for sure, but otherwise I’d love to.”

“YESSSSSS!”

Nejire let out a victorious whoop, trails of yellow energy flickering around her hands and feet as she darted around Izuku eagerly. “I can’t wait! Well, I can wait for the working out part. That’s gonna be boring as hell, but afterwards it's going to be amazing! Oh there’s so many places in Mall Might I can’t wait to take you. Ooh, I’ll have to send you a list later so we can narrow it down to the really good ones.”

Nejire paused in mid-air, before flipping upside down to face Izuku, her eyes staring into his as she hovered uncomfortably close to him. “So,” she began sheepishly, a hint of red dusting her cheeks. “I think I might have forgotten to actually ask for your number when we met back in Hosu, didn’t I?”

“Yeah,” Izuku admitted, stepping back slightly, putting a fraction more distance between himself and Nejire. 

She sighed, holding her hands over her face in embarrassment. “I cannot believe I forgot to get your number. I’m such an idiot. I was so grumpy you didn’t try to message me all these months and it’s because I forgot something as simple as a phone number? Midoriya, I am so sorry for all those times I called you a mean bean in my head.”

“I-uh…I mean, that’s okay,” Izuku replied, thoroughly perplexed by Nejire’s behaviour. “I mean, I kinda noticed, but I didn’t really know how to ask for your number, you know?”

“Oh! That’s easy,” Nejire replied, beaming as she flipped back over so she was hovering next to him. “Like this. ‘Hey, Nejire, so you’re like, super cool and you have really nice hair. Can I get your number? Maybe we can hang out sometime?’ Like that, see? Easy. C’mon, now you try. You got this!”

“I-uh…so I mean, Hey-uh…N-Nejire-” Izuku began, his entire face beginning to glow as he continued to fumble his words. ‘How the hell am I supposed to do this? I don’t even know if I can say it in my head. “Hey, Nejire, so you’re like, super-” Nope, doesn’t sound even remotely like me. Come on, Izuku, don’t blow it now. You’ve just started making friends with these guys. And she’s right, she does seem really friendly and cool, and I mean, her hair is really pretty, so why the hell can’t I just say that out loud and…oh shit. I’m probably saying all this out loud, aren’t I?’

Izuku whipped around frantically, looking around at what he hoped would be his new friends, before letting out a sigh of relief as he noticed Nejire still staring at him expectantly. ‘Okay, I think I’m good. No way there wouldn’t have been more of a reaction if I had said that out loud.’

“Said what out loud?”

‘...the one time it doesn’t happen.’

Before Izuku could speak, he was saved once more as Jisei stepped in, gesturing with a tilt of her head to their right. “I’m afraid that will have to wait, Hadou. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to get his number for you before he leaves today. But we’ve arrived, and we don’t have much time until Midoriya needs to go on the air.”

Nejire pouted, looking away sulkily for a moment, before brightening, nodding her head in affirmation. “Understood. BUT! You better make sure you stick to that, Kanji. Otherwise, I’ll be forced to do…something! I don’t know what that something is, but it’ll be devious. Possibly even menacing!”

Whatever Jisei’s rebuttal was, it ended up lost as a gentle clearing of the throat drew everyone’s attention towards Present Mic. Izuku turned to face him, taking in his environment, and was struck by the realisation that he was inside U.A proper. Not staring longingly outside the campus, as had been the case for years. Not even on school grounds, looking around in amazement at a future he thought he’d never have on the few occasions U.A had opened their doors to the general public. No, Izuku was properly inside the building walking the halls of his dream school.

‘How much of U.A have I missed? So many unique photos I could have gotten. So many autographs I could have picked up. So much opportunity wasted.

No, Izuku. Stop. It’s fine. You’re planning to come here, after all. You can make up for lost time then. Frankly, getting to properly meet Hadou and the others was probably better in the long run. Besides, better late than never, there’s still time…not to mention you’ll have to leave eventually.’

Izuku turned around with renewed vigour, determined to make the most of what little time he had left at U.A. He eagerly scanned his surroundings, and, much to his surprise, found that U.A looked a lot more…conventional than he’d expected, at least on the inside. That’s not to say it wasn’t still impressive, with the tall, glass windows offering a beautiful view of the Japanese skyline, almost matching what Izuku had grown used to at the Might Agency. And while U.A’s thick, concrete hallways may have been rather spartan in terms of design, they traded any flair or excess for unyielding strength, and Izuku found himself beginning to speculate how strong one would need to be in order to properly damage U.A’s campus.

Finishing his brief examination of his surroundings, Izuku faced what must have been Present Mic’s studio. Unlike the spartan hallway he had just finished staring at with an almost reverential look on his face, the door Izuku found himself facing had been decorated by somebody to whom the word ‘excess’ was little more than a particularly troublesome sequence of letters located between ‘excerpt’ and ‘exchange’ in a dictionary. The door was painted in the same shade of black that adorned Present Mic’s thick leather jacket on a daily basis, with swirls of bright neon yellow that shone like a particularly aggressive sun.

Plastered over the garish paint job were signs and posters from music acts across the world, from local Japanese acts like Deep Dope or the Nice Vibes, to international bands like British rock group The Badmen or the Swedish metal band Daybreaking Red Clouds. While all of these acts had clearly been carefully chosen and applied to the studio door, they were all placed in corners and edges, not quite taking centre stage of the display. Located in the centre of the door, claiming this spot for themselves were two posters, side by side, depicting New Zealand pop-punk group The Frogs, positioned next to Australian new wave act The Hippos. If Izuku had examined the poster closely, he would have noticed that the two bands actually shared the exact same line-up, as the Frogs disbanded after roughly a decade recording together, only to reform a year later under an entirely new name of The Hippos. Unfortunately, Izuku did not notice this, as his eyes had been drawn by an utterly mundane looking sign above the door with “SHHHHHH!” written on it in large lettering.

“Yeah, sorry to pump the brakes on this train, kiddos, but Jiji’s right,” Present Mic said, grinning slightly as Jisei sighed at the use of her nickname. “This is our stop, and even if the three of you didn’t have class to get to, this isn’t exactly a live gig, y’know?” He smiled apologetically at them and shrugged. “Not that I don’t appreciate all your help gettin’ Midoriya outta his shell a little, but them’s the breaks. We’re gonna have to break the band up for a while, I’m afraid.”

Togata and Amajiki looked crestfallen at Present Mic’s words, but they still managed a respectful nod, coupled with a “Yes, Sir,” before turning to Izuku and giving him a more energetic farewell.

“For real though man,” Togata began, “it was super awesome to finally meet you. We’ll have to stay in touch, make sure we set up that workout session together ASAP, yeah?” Izuku nodded, and Togata beamed down at him in excitement. “That’s the spirit, man! I’ll make sure Nejire actually remembers to get in touch with you this time. And hey, if she doesn’t, I can always just borrow her phone or something.”

Nejire ignored her friend's playful jab, eyes locked firmly on Present Mic as she weighed up her chances of being allowed to stay. ‘I mean, Present Mic seems to like the three of us,’ she thought to herself. ‘Like, a lot more than all my other teachers did. Maybe that’ll be enough for him to let us stay? I guess I’ll never know unless I try.’ Mind made up, Nejire walked over towards her teacher, preemptively batting her eyelashes as she prepared to plead her case.

Before she had even made two steps towards him, Nejire felt a hand rest tenderly on her shoulder. Turning around, she sighed as she saw the sympathetic look on Jisei’s face. “It’s not going to work, is it?”

“I’m afraid not,” Jisei replied softly. “Honestly, if it was, I’d probably be willing to help you plead your case to Present Mic.” Nejire looked at her in surprise, and Jisei shrugged. “My job is to help put Midoriya at ease while Present Mic interviews him. Despite a few hiccups, I feel the three of you assisted me greatly today. He truly enjoyed meeting you all, and it helped him relax quicker than he otherwise would have. But we wouldn’t have time to set up the studio for three more people, and your lessons today are too important to miss.” Nejire nodded in resignation, before Jisei squeezed her shoulder supportively. “I’m sorry. I know it isn’t what you were hoping to hear, but if it helps, I know Midoriya is very excited to see you again soon. He was positively radiant when you all invited him to spend time with you.”

Nejire smiled, before she pulled Jisei in for a short, affectionate squeeze. “Thanks, Kanji,” Nejire said, her voice barely above a whisper. “That’s really good to hear.” Releasing her, Nejire stepped back, smiling at her friend before making her way over to Izuku. As she walked away, Jisei’s eyes narrowed in suspicion, and the world around her shifted into an aurora of colour as Jisei channelled her Quirk. She scanned the other students for a second, noting with no small degree of satisfaction the soft magenta waves emanating from Izuku, a softer reflection of the excitement Togata and even Amajiki were exuding. Turning her attention to Nejire, Jisei frowned as she found her suspicions confirmed. Similar to Izuku, Nejire was coloured with a soft pink shade that Jisei had come to associate with contentment, as she approached him, smiling and tousling his hair affectionately. But upon closer inspection, woven so tightly that Jisei herself could barely spot it, she noticed several small, sickly yellow strands of anxiety, folding themselves in with Nejire’s dominant emotion, infecting Nejire’s otherwise good mood.

“Hey,” Nejire said softly as she ran her hand through Izuku’s hair, her usual manic energy absent. “So, we gotta go. We have class soon, and Mic won’t let us join you, which is totally lame of him if you ask me. Sorry about that. But it’s all gonna be just fine, because this just makes it even more important that we plan to meet up again soon, right? Even if it means I do have to actually exercise.”

“Y-Yeah, of course,” Izuku replied, slightly confused by Nejire’s sudden shift in attitude. “That sounds amazing! I’ll speak to All Might when I get back to Might Tower, and see if he can arrange something.”

Nejire’s eyes brightened, and Jisei could see the anxiety fading from view, leaving only the same gentle pink as the rest of them. “Yeah, that sounds awesome! Just don’t forget to leave your number behind this time. You don’t wanna see how I get when I get devious,” she said with a wink, her usual jovial manner seemingly restored, before the three of them headed off to class, waving the whole way.

Present Mic chuckled as he watched them depart. “Shame they couldn’t hang around,” he admitted, more to himself than anything as he pulled the key to his recording studio out of a pocket of his pristine leather jacket. “I like those guys. They remind me of us when we were at U.A. Man, those were the days…” He trailed off, staring after the departed trio, an almost melancholy look on his face. He sighed, before turning back towards the door and unlocking it. “Alright, little guy,” he said, his voice still lacking its usual fervour, “welcome to…well, maybe not your first taste of stardom. Kinda hard to top living with All Might, after all. But hey, welcome to your first taste of a different kinda stardom. How are you feeling? You need anything? We got plenty of water, so make sure you get some before we go on the air. Nothing’s worse than a dry throat for an interview.”

Izuku, who had slipped quietly into the studio behind Present Mic, looked around the room, amazement holding back the nerves that had begun to make themselves known again. Contrary to what the door had led him to believe, Present Mic’s recording booth was almost immaculate in how clean it was. The sturdy wooden floors below him had been polished to a fine sheen, enough that Izuku could see his own face in them, and the meticulously soundproofed walls showed no sign of wear and tear. 

“Weren’t expecting that, huh?” Present Mic chuckled as he leant back in an expensive leather armchair, arms resting comfortably behind his head. “Door does that to people. Always gives ‘em a different first impression. But I take this gig seriously, and that means keeping’ your workspace tidy and professional. Lesson I had hammered into me here at U.A. Parents always taught me not to take life too seriously, so screw it. Order a second dessert, stick dumb band posters on your office door, and always, always pay for your best buddies’ drinks. But U.A taught me somethin’ else,” Present Mic continued, his eyes sharpening as his tone grew serious, transforming right before Izuku’s eyes from the lackadaisical jokester into a hardened, consummate professional. “They taught me that when I’m on the job, either in the studio or out there patrolling, I take it all seriously. Because if I don’t take it seriously, bad things happen, and then…well, then I might not have a best buddy to buy drinks for anymore.” Almost imperceptibly, his eyes flickered over to the sole decoration hanging on the wall, positioned directly opposite his desk, and Izuku turned to follow.

There, amongst the soundproofing, right in Present Mic’s line of sight at all time, Izuku spotted a framed photograph of three young boys, dressed in the standard U.A Hero Course uniform. Even with the passage of time, Izuku recognised Present Mic immediately from his long blonde hair, done up in a similar style to the one he sported now, albeit shorter, as well as the same yellow sunglasses perched across the bridge of his nose. Izuku turned his eyes to the other two students, who he did not recognise, and he turned back towards Present Mic.

“Who are the other two?”

Present Mic sighed, and when he looked back up, Izuku could see the sadness etched into every line on his face. “S-Sorry, if it’s personal, you don’t have to-”

“It’s alright, little dude,” Present Mic replied. “Nothing wrong with being a little curious. The other two were my best buddies from back at U.A. The one on the left’s Shota. He’s still around. Goes by Eraserhead now, if that name rings a bell?”

Izuku turned back to the photo, staring at it with newfound respect. “That’s the Erasure Hero? I…I don’t think I’ve ever really seen what he looks like before. Before he started teaching at U.A, even a lot of really serious Hero fans weren’t sure he actually existed.”

Present Mic snorted, and Izuku heard a small, quiet chuckle, as Jisei stared up at the photo from her spot next to Present Mic. “I’m sure he’ll be delighted to hear that,” Jisei said, taking a seat next to her boss, before gesturing to Izuku to take the third seat opposite the pair. “From what Present Mic says, he has taken great lengths to ensure his privacy over the years.”

“Yeah,” Present Mic admitted wistfully. “Sho’ll be happy to hear that. He never was one for the shiny side of Heroics. Feels weird to say given all of…this,” he gestured around them to the recording studio, “but I get what he means. I actually wasn’t very good at the personal side of Heroics at U.A. Always too loud, askin’ too many questions. Put people off. I ended up leaving the listening side of things to Oboro. I think it’s why I like Hadou and her little friends so much. Remind me of what we were like, before…”

“What happened to Oboro?” Izuku asked quietly, his voice catching in his throat as he stared up at the photo.

Silence fell over the room, quiet enough you could hear a pin drop, before Present Mic replied after a few seconds of silence. “There was an accident. Oboro didn’t make it,” he said, his tone flatter than any Izuku had ever heard.

Izuku looked away from the photo guiltily. Even though he’d been expecting the answer, hearing about the fate of the cheerful young kid, smiling at the camera without a care in the world, felt like he had been doused in a bucket of ice. “I’m sorry,” he said, eventually. “Are you okay?”

Present Mic chuckled. “Yeah, I’m good,” he said ruefully. “Oboro died years ago. I’ve come to terms with it. Besides, I should be apologising to you. You don’t need me getting you down before a day like today. We got work to do. Hey, Jisei, how long until we’re on the air?”

Jisei’s eyes flickered down to the corner of the screen in front of her. “Five minutes, Present Mic.”

Present Mic clapped his hands together. “Right!” He exclaimed, pulling himself out of the chair and plugging a few wires in. “Then let’s get things started, yeah? Midoriya, you stay there, keep drinking, and just relax. We got this.”

With that, the pair began to move, and even with Present Mic’s words from earlier still dangling in the air, Izuku marvelled at just how quickly the pair’s dynamic shifted. Gone were the light-hearted jabs from Present Mic, coupled with Jisei’s stoic dismissal. Now, the pair worked in near perfect unison, equipment ranging from microphone cables to fresh glasses of water flying back and forth seamlessly between them, barely a word exchanged to each other. There was a lot said to Izuku, however, as small last-minute reminders flew his way while the two prepared.

“Remember to enunciate clearly, and try to avoid saying non-words like ‘uhhh’.”

“We gotta try and match energies a little. Nothing's worse than two people on different wavelengths tryin’ to hold a conversation. I’ll be lowering my volume to match yours, but you gotta try and meet me…like a quarter of the way, yeah?”

“Try to keep answers somewhat concise. Short answers will hold the audience’s attention more easily.”

“And don’t forget, you gotta be sincere. Be real. Be Izuku Midoriya. That’s what people wanna see.”

Eventually, the pair sat down, with just under a minute left before the show began. Jisei sat opposite him, a hand resting over his. Her eyes shone blue, and Izuku felt the same calm feeling from earlier washing over him. “It’s going to be alright,” Jisei said, her voice full of easy confidence. “What you’re feeling is completely understandable, but I assure you, Present Mic has dealt with worse cases of nerves before, and that was without me assisting him. The two of us are here for whatever you need. You can do this.”

Izuku exhaled, relishing in the feeling of calm flooding through his system. “Right, yeah. Okay, I can do this.”

Jisei smiled proudly at him. “Exactly. Hang onto that feeling, Midoriya. It will give you the strength to carry yourself to the end. And if it can’t, that’s alright too. I’ll be here to support you if things get difficult.

“Alright kiddos,” Present Mic said, his usual energy infecting every syllable. “You ready to go? Because we are live in FIVE!”

‘Jisei’s right, Izuku. You can do this!’

“FOUR!”

‘It’s going to be alright. Just remember, you’re doing this for more than just yourself.’

“THREE!”

‘PR stuff like this is part of being a Hero. I’m going to have to get used to it eventually. This is just…practice, that’s all.’

“TWO,” Present Mic mouthed, holding two fingers up in Izuku’s direction.

‘Remember what Jisei said. Everything’s going to be okay. You can do this!’

“ONE,” Present Mic lowered one finger.

‘So just stay calm, take deep breaths, and have faith in yourself.’

Chapter Text

“GOOD MORNING, JAPAN!” Mic began, his voice ringing clearly throughout the small studio. “Present Mic here, comin’ atcha live with your daily dose of Mic Check. And let me tell you, we have a Hell of a show planned for everyone today! Got some absolute bangers lined up for you, the latest hits from everyone's favourite artists. But let’s get real,” he said, winking at Izuku with a confident grin. “We all know why you’re really here, so let’s not pretend otherwise.”

“Buttttt,” he continued, trailing the word out as his grin took on a teasing edge. “Just in case you’ve been living under a rock for the past two months, maybe I should fill you in a little bit.” Here, he paused to steeple his hands in front of him, taking on a slightly more professional timbre. “See, a couple of months ago, the world learned about something called One for All, courtesy of Japan’s #1 Hero himself, All Might. Fresh from the man’s mouth, we learned that his Quirk grew stronger over time. Not a big deal, right? Quirks are like muscles. You train them, they get stronger. Pretty simple…in every case except this one.

See, All Might decided to drop another little bombshell on us all those months ago. That being his Quirk was transferable, the first recorded example of a Quirk being able to pass itself down like that. And according to him, this Quirk’s been around since as long as Quirks have been a thing. Which, last I checked, gave it about 200 years of power backing it up. With strength like that, is it any wonder he’s been Number One so long?” Present Mic asked with a laugh. “More importantly, the man himself announced he was passing One for All along, and he’d chosen a kid to pass it on to.” Present Mic’s eyes flickered up, and he held a few fingers up to Izuku, signalling him to get ready to speak. “Now, to the surprise of absolutely nobody, things have been pretty silent on that front. Nobody’s really heard anything official from All Might or his successor,” Mic said, glossing smoothly over the events in Hosu City. “Luckily for you, dear listeners, we here at Mic Check know a guy. His name’s All Might, and he thought the time was right for Midoriya to put himself out there a little.”

As soon as his name was mentioned, Izuku stiffened, breath catching in his throat slightly. Immediately, Jisei’s eyes flickered up to him, and she fixed him a steady, calming smile, before breathing in deeply, motioning to Izuku to mirror her actions. Present Mic flashed the pair a thumbs up as he continued, “So, a few days ago, my lovely assistant Jiji put out a call on our socials, asking you wonderful people who help pay my bills if you had any questions for him. And boy howdy did you deliver. So many questions, so little time. Thankfully, once we’d cut out several grosses worth of ‘Can I have One for All?’ we were left with some pretty solid stuff.” Present Mic paused to rub his hands together gleefully, eyeing Izuku out of the corner of his eye. “Now, for those of you lucky enough to catch us live, we’ve got a nice little cherry on top, just for you. Once we’re done here, three lucky callers are gonna get a chance to speak directly to our guest of honour and ask him their own question live on air. And remember, that will be live on air, so watch the language this time, alright kiddos? We don’t need another Midnight situation on our hands. So make sure to keep your phone close by, and when I give the signal, dial 054-1804-1938.”

Present Mic started counting down with his fingers towards Izuku, who felt himself tensing up again, before a wave of calm washed over him as Jisei’s eyes shone blue. “Now, I know my dulcet tones probably aren’t the ones you wanna be hearing right now, so why don’t I pass you over to the man of the hour?”

‘Alright, Izuku,’ Izuku thought to himself, his breathing steadying under Jisei’s influence. ‘You can do this. Just focus on breathing like Jisei showed you, and stay calm. When it’s your turn to speak, just say “Hi, Present Mic, thanks for having me. It’s great to be here.” You’ve listened to Mic Check for years, and that’s what pretty much everyone says. So just stick to what you know works.’

Izuku looked up, to find Present Mic staring expectantly at him, his last finger curling in, and he grimaced slightly, before leaning slightly closer to the microphone. “H-Hi, Present Mic, it’s great to b-be on the show. Thanks for having me,” he squeaked, before screwing his eyes shut, mentally berating himself. ‘Come on, Izuku. You didn’t even get the order right.’

Sensing his anxiety, Jisei quickly leant over, pushing his microphone away from the pair. “Don’t worry, you did fine,” she whispered reassuringly. “I’ve seen worse. Just keep focusing on your breathing and staying calm. We’re here to help, and I can always make Mic cut to a commercial if you need a second.”

“And it’s a pleasure to have you on as well,” Present Mic replied, seamlessly slowing his tempo down to match Izuku’s. “I’ll be honest, I’m really excited to have you here. People probably think I actually know you really well by now, since U.A collaborated a little with All Might when news about you first broke. And I don’t really feel bad mentioning this, enough news outlets have covered it by now, but you never actually came to U.A before today. I only met you a few days ago when I visited Might Tower to ask if you wanted to come on Mic Check. So this is a real treat for me, getting to sit down and actually know the real you a little. Why don’t you take a minute to introduce yourself to the people at home, in your own words?” Present Mic asked, using a softer, mellower tone than Izuku had heard since the broadcast began.

Izuku met Present Mic’s eyes for a second, before looking over to Jisei, who smiled supportively as the blue glow from her eyes intensified. Feeling his panic recede even further, Izuku smiled and replied, “Yeah, I think I can do that. So…hi, Japan. I’m-uh, I’m Izuku Midoriya, although if you’re listening by now, you probably knew that already, huh? I’m 14 years old, and my favourite food is Katsudon. Let’s see…what else, what else? Oh! Well, my hobbies are Hero watching and Quirk Analysis, although I suppose I can add working out to the list after the last few months.” 

“Quirk Analysis, huh?” Present Mic asked, his eyes gleaming with curiosity. “Gonna have to swing back around to that in a bit. I wanna hear more, for sure. But we should probably get some of our listeners' questions out of the way first, if that’s alright with you?”

Izuku nodded. “S-Sure,” he said, stumbling slightly at the reminder of the audience currently hanging off his every word. 

“Fantastic,” Mic said, flicking through a sheaf of papers in front of him. “Alright, here we go. This sounds like a good place to start. What made you want to be a Hero to begin with? Sure, most kids wanna go the Pro route, but what motivates you specifically?”

‘FEAR NOT, CITIZENS! HOPE HAS ARRIVED! BECAUSE I AM HERE!’

Izuku’s eyes lit up, a fond smile crossing his face at the memory. “Honestly,” he replied, his tone laced with a soft, almost meditative sense of nostalgia. “As far back as I can remember, all I ever wanted was to be a Hero. It started when I saw a video online. I don’t really remember how I discovered it, or why I chose to check it out. But I’ll never forget what I saw the first time I sat down and watched it.

It was All Might, and he was just…saving people. That’s it. No special moves, no big villain fight, just…All Might. Helping people who needed it, smiling and telling them that everything was going to be okay, because he was there. Ever since that day, that’s all I’ve ever wanted to be. A Hero like All Might. Someone who makes people safe just by being there, who you know you can turn to, no matter who you are, or what your story is. Just…someone who helps people. That’s all that’s ever mattered to me.”

“That’s quite the story,” Jisei replied, her voice hushed and sombre. “And you’ve come quite a long way since then, it seems. How do you feel about everything that’s happened to you over the last few months? Would you ever have imagined something like this happening to you?”

“No,” Izuku replied, without missing a beat. “Not even for a second. I was diagnosed as Quirkless when I was five, and after that, nobody ever really believed I’d be able to make it as a Hero. And I mean, I didn’t let that stop me, obviously, otherwise we wouldn’t be here,” Izuku replied, chuckling nervously, “but it definitely wore me down after a while. So if someone told me even a year ago that I’d inherit All Might’s Quirk? I’d never believe it. I mean, I don’t fully believe it myself, and I’m living it right now.

It’s just…it’s really hard to believe One for All is even real at times. Like you said, there’s never been a Quirk like it on record before. I actually did some research on this in my free time after moving to Might Tower, and that holds up. There’ve been a couple of Quirks that are kinda similar to One for All, one from 67 years ago who could grant powers, but only for a limited period, while copy-based Quirks have been around for ages now. And there have been a few recorded instances of Quirks based around empowering other Quirks, but nothing that quite covers all the same criteria as One for All, and definitely nothing that’s transferable. So honestly? There are some times where I think I’m still in a dream, and I’m going to wake up in my old bedroom, just plain, Quirkless Izuku Midoriya again. Or I’ll be in the hospital, and find that I’ve been in a coma for three months after being attacked by the Sludge Villain in that underpass.”

Silence met Izuku’s words, and he looked up for a second to find Jisei staring at him, her amber eyes laced with concern. “Hey, Jisei?” Izuku asked, leaning away from the microphone. “How long have your eyes been like that? They’re not blue anymore.”

Jisei forced a smile onto her face, reaching over and resting a hand on his. “About ten seconds after you mentioned why you wanted to be a Hero. You were handling everything admirably by then, so I decided my help was unnecessary. You’re doing very well so far, Midoriya.”

“Underpass?” Present Mic asked, honing in on a specific part of Izuku’s response. “There’s footage of All Might capturing the Sludge Villain, and it didn’t happen in an underpass. Did you run into him earlier?”

“Yeah,” Izuku nodded. “That was the second encounter I had with the Sludge Villain. Earlier that day, I ran into him under a bridge. He almost had me before All Might showed up and saved me with a single punch. It was incredible.”

“Huh,” Present Mic replied, his surprise clear to all and sundry. “That’s definitely news. I’m glad you brought up the Sludge Villain, because we got a lot of questions about that whole mess. What was going through your head when you ran in like that? Did your own run-in with him earlier have anything to do with it?”

“Well, honestly…I wasn’t really thinking when I ran in,” Izuku admitted, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. “Not really, anyway. It’s just…I saw the look in Kacchan’s eyes, and knew I couldn’t just stand there and watch. He needed someone to go and save him, and no-one was doing anything, we were all forced to stand there and watch, and I knew from being captured by him earlier how much it hurts, and I couldn’t just stand there and watch him die like that.” As he spoke, Izuku sped up, his eyes growing wide, his fists clenching and unclenching wildly. Jisei’s eyes flashed for a moment, and Izuku felt a wave of calm wash over him as her Quirk took effect. He leant back against his chair, steadying his breathing as a few loose tears trickled down his cheek. 

After a few seconds, he continued, voice still shaking slightly. “A-Anyway, after that, my body…it just kinda moved on its own. Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t have stopped. I was just…moving. And-and I knew people around me were yelling, but I couldn’t hear anything they were telling me. There was just…nothing else there except the look in Kacchan’s eyes, and I knew if I didn’t do something, then he was going to die. And it was going to be my fault.”

There was a momentary silence after Izuku finished his recollection, broken only by Present Mic replying softly, “Yeah, I can see how that’d make you want to run in like that. Knowing how it feels, and having to just stand there and watch. Did you know the victim then? You’ve called him Kacchan twice now.”

“Yeah,” Izuku nodded. “The two of us grew up in the same area, and went to school together our entire lives…or at least, our entire lives before I met All Might. We sort of drifted apart over time, but I definitely still knew him.”

“And did that change anything for you?”

“No,” Izuku replied, shaking his head resolutely. “No, it didn’t change anything. It could have been anyone, and I still would have gone in. It just…it still feels different, when someone you know is the one in danger, you know?”

It took a moment for Present Mic to respond, and when he did, it was with a heaviness that, in all his years listening to Mic Check, Izuku had never heard. “I think every Pro knows how that feels. It’s not normally something you have to deal with until you’ve already graduated though.” Present Mic paused again, removing his sunglasses to polish them, and in that moment, it struck Izuku just how old Present Mic looked. Faint lines in the corners of his eyes normally obscured by his glasses, and a distant, almost hollow look in his eyes seemed to age him 20 years. Present Mic looked up at Izuku, who quickly found his eyes moving back down to the desk between the trio, and shot him a wry smile. “That’s a good attitude to take, Midoriya. We need more who think like that. And it's not like it didn't pan out for you, huh?

Still, if you’re listening, do your old pal Mic a favour and try not to copy Midoriya here too much, okay?” Seeing the look of surprise on Izuku’s face, Present Mic held up a hand to pacify him. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying you weren’t incredibly brave or strong that day, Midoriya. Far from it. From what I’ve seen and heard, your heart’s definitely in the right place, and I won’t sit here and tell you what you did was wrong. But I also don’t think I need to go into all the ways things could’ve gone badly, do I?”

“No,” Izuku replied, sighing as he recalled the first week of training under Gran Torino. “One of All Might’s old teachers is helping train me to prepare for One for All, and for most of the first week, the only thing he did while I worked out was give me a series of lectures on what could have happened to me if All Might hadn’t been there. The next month it was on ways I could have helped without giving the Sludge Villain another hostage to hide behind.”

Present Mic shuddered. “Man, I remember how rough some of the remedial lectures we got at U.A were. Definitely not something I wanna relive. So,” he steepled his hands, staring down at Izuku from opposite his sunglasses. “After all that, knowing all the risks. Would you do it again?”

Up until this point, most of Izuku’s focus had either been on Jisei, looking for support and reassurance, or occasionally on the table in front of him. But as soon as the question left Present Mic’s lips, the pair locked eyes and Izuku’s hesitance vanished into the aether. Left in its place was a confident stare, as hard and unyielding as All Might himself. “Honestly? I probably would,” he admitted. “I know it wasn't the smartest decision I've ever made. And I know it was dangerous, and that I shouldn't have just charged in blindly like I did. But I don't really think I can say I regretted it. And when I think of what could have happened if I’d done nothing, if I’d just stood there and watched someone die, when I could have prevented it? I can’t say I wouldn’t have tried to do something.”

“Yeah, that’s about what I was expecting,” Present Mic admitted with a resigned chuckle. “You wouldn’t be All Might’s successor without that kinda spirit, after all. I suppose it’s a good attitude to have going forward, if nothing else. After all, the life of a Pro isn’t quite as glamorous as it looks on TV. Not all fun and games over here, sadly. A Pro has to be ready to put their lives on the line at a moments’ notice. Guess I shouldn’t be surprised that the guy who’s gonna carry All Might’s legacy gets that, huh?” He let loose a small chuckle at his own observation. “Maybe Jiji and I can pick your brains about some of those tips your other teacher gave you when we’re done here. Put ‘em up on our website or something? ‘Cos you’re right about one thing. Even if you aren’t some hotshot Pro Hero with a flashy Quirk, there’s always something you can do to help. Even if it’s as simple as calling the right number, helping evacuate others or keeping people safe. Without using your Quirk, or putting yourself in the line of fire without a real plan,” he finished with a playful jibe, winking at Izuku.

“W-Well…I mean, I did have kind of a plan,” Izuku half-mumbled into the microphone. “I mean, I didn’t when I started moving, but once I realised I was, and that I couldn’t stop, I had to start throwing something together.”

Present Mic’s eyes snapped over to Izuku, burning with curiosity as he grinned. “Okay, this I gotta hear. What was your plan?”

“Okay,” Izuku began, taking a deep breath as he composed his thoughts. “So, you know how I mentioned earlier I enjoy analysing Quirks in my spare time? That sort of started after I was diagnosed as Quirkless. I started kinda taking notes on any interesting Quirk I saw around me, which is…pretty much all of them. But most of my focus was on Pro Heroes, since there was normally a lot more to work with. News footage of them in action, interviews where they talked about their Quirk and how they trained it, any other public records that might exist, that kinda thing. I don’t have much free time these days, for obvious reasons, but I still try and keep up with it when I can. Gran Torino says it’s important to work out my mind as well as my body, so most of my free time is spent on stuff that makes me think as well. Logic puzzles, strategy games and Quirk analysis are the big ones.” Izuku paused. “Sorry, I think I got a little off topic there. Anyway, the point is, I’ve been taking notes on Pros most of my life. Understanding what their Quirks do, how they use them, and what benefits and drawbacks they might have.

Anyway, earlier that day, I’d been taking notes on Kamui Woods' super move, Pre-Emptive Binding Lacquered Chain Prison, and went from there. It’s actually really interesting. See, his Quirk isn’t the most directly offensive, so he tends to use it more for mobility and restraint than raw power. The Lacquered Chain Prison works on this principle, forcing openings in an enemies fighting style, which Kamui’s quick enough to exploit, trapping them within his Quirk. It’s amazing, really, how polished his movements have become. Now, since I didn’t have a Quirk then, I couldn’t do exactly what he did, but I could use my school bag for a similar purpose, forcing an opening when he tried to dodge, and use that to get in close to try and rescue Kacchan.”

Present Mic let out a low whistle. “And you thought of all that in…what, five seconds? Not bad, Midoriya. Not bad at all. Being able to adapt that quickly without any formal training is pretty impressive on your own, but being able to mould another Hero’s trademark technique at the same time? That’s seriously pretty impressive.”

“I mean, I guess,” Izuku replied bashfully. “I dunno, I never really thought of it as all that impressive. I know All Might says I helped save Kacchan’s life, but I really only bought a second or two before he got there and saved us both. Besides, it’s still nothing compared to the real Kamui Woods. Without the time and effort he spent developing and perfecting a style that suited his Quirk, then I wouldn’t have had anything to base my strategy off.”

“You give yourself too little credit,” Jisei replied. “As you said, Kamui Woods has trained with his Quirk extensively for years, developing and refining a style that works for him and him alone. To be able to understand it on such a level that you can mimic his techniques without any formal training, however clumsily, is a testament to your ability to think creatively in the moment, and adapt to unexpected scenarios. Both are skills that will serve you well when you inherit One for All.”

“Jiji’s got it in one, Midoriya,” Present Mic continued, grinning at the look of annoyance Jisei shot his way. “I know All Might’s got a reputation as ‘hit hard, save people, rinse and repeat’, but he’s pretty good at using that strength cleverly.”

Izuku nodded excitedly. “Right! For example, during the Sky Egg bombing, All Might showed off his Nebraska smash, which trapped hundreds of miniature bombs inside a small tornado. He did this by rotating his fist at high enough speed that when he punched, he created a vortex of air that sucked all the bombs in, trapping them there so they detonated without hurting any civilians.”

Y-Yeah, that’s exactly right,” Present Mic replied, blinking in surprise at Izuku’s casual reminiscence of All Might’s Quirk. “He did something similar to when you were caught by the Sludge Villain. Blew the guy away without laying a hand on him. And if that wasn’t enough, he even managed to change the weather.” Present Mic finished his sentence, before a brief look of annoyance flitted across his face. “Okay, we seriously gotta think of a better name for him than ‘Sludge Villain’ for the future. Doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, you know? I’m gonna put in a vote for Slimer. Any other suggestions?”

“I might be willing to consider Bunraku, or possibly Ningyo,” Jisei countered. “After the traditional form of puppetry, based more on what the man did, instead of what he was. What about you, Midoriya? You had more experience with the man than anyone, save possibly All Might. Would you like to suggest a name?”

Izuku paused, wracking his brains for a name worth using. After a few moments thought, his eyes lit up as an idea occurred to him. “Maybe something like Shoggoth?” He asked. “It’s this kind of shapeless creature made of black slime from the works of H.P Lovecraft. I-uh…I think Jisei’s is a little better, but it’s something.”

A look of surprise flashed in Jisei’s eyes as she turned to face Izuku. “I wouldn’t have taken you for a Lovecraft fan,” she said, her tone betraying her obvious interest. “It’s been a long time since I’ve touched upon any of his works. I shall have to pick your brains during one of our ad breaks.”

“Well, I mean, I’m not that familiar with his stuff,” Izuku replied quickly, unwilling to let Jisei get her hopes up. “I’ve only really read a few of his stories. I wouldn’t call myself an expert or anything.”

“No matter,” Jisei replied, shaking her head. “I’m always keen to discuss the man’s works, if you’re interested.”

“Well, I dunno if the dude’s a bad enough villain to be named after something like the Shoggoth, so let’s just call Jiji’s idea the winner and name him Bunraku,” Present Mic said, gently steering the pair back on topic. “After all, there’s only so many hours in a day, and a lotta questions we still gotta get through.”

Izuku let out a small snort of laughter, before looking back over at Present Mic, in time to hear the next question. “So, speaking of there being only so many hours in a day, yours must be pretty busy with training to inherit One for All. I know you and Jiji talked about it a little on the way over, but we had a lot of people asking about the kinda training you’ve been doing. So would you mind telling our audience what an average day is like for Izuku Midoriya?”

“Oh, no, that…shouldn’t be a problem,” Izuku responded after a moment's hesitation. “I'm actually following a custom schedule made for me by All Might, covering what kind of exercises I should be doing, which parts of my body need the most strengthening, and how I should be eating.”

“And what do you mean when you say, ‘parts of your body’?” Present Mic asked leadingly. “A lot of people out there still probably don’t know exactly how One for All works, after all.”

“Oh, right. Of course. Sorry about that. So-uh, One for All seems to be a basic enhancement Quirk, amplifying my strength, speed and durability when used. It’s just, because of it being transferable, everything’s kind of dialled up to 11. And according to All Might, that’s a lot of power to compress into the human body, so I need to make sure every muscle group in my body is able to safely handle that level of strength. Which, well…I didn’t exactly have a lot of muscle to start with,” Izuku admitted shamefully, “so it was pretty tough going at the beginning, for sure. But I’ve kinda got used to it by now, and I’ve actually really begun to enjoy my workouts. Those first few weeks though…those were hell.

These days, I normally wake up at around 6am. First thing I do is have breakfast, normally something light, like some fruit and yoghurt, or cereal. Just enough to give me some energy for my morning workout, which is usually on the lighter side of things, only two hours or so. Simple stretches, followed by some calisthenics, light jogging or cycling, and then some time with a jump rope, to help work on my stamina, co-ordination and lung capacity.

After that, it’s normally some light yoga and cooldown stretches, so I’m not sore for the rest of the day. Then I get ready for my online classes, and decide what exercise I’m going to do during them.”

“Okay, so you mentioned this already, so I did know you exercised in class,” Present Mic replied, shaking his head in amazement. “But I’m still impressed you found a way to make that work. How’d you do it? Doesn’t it get distracting sometimes?”

“It was pretty hard at the beginning,” Izuku admitted. “But I got the hang of it fairly quickly. It helps that a lot of the workouts I do during class are fairly simple and unobtrusive. Like, sometimes I’ll be using a hand grip to strengthen my forearm muscles during class, or just some more basic stretches, or even just holding the same position for an extended period. Wall sits are fairly common as well.

That goes on until lunchtime, at which point I’m done with lessons most days, which leaves the afternoon free for a more rigorous workout. What I do in these normally depends on which of my teachers is available, but in general, there’s a heavy focus on muscle conditioning and strength training, especially when All Might’s the one in charge. Beyond that there’s also a lot of time spent working on mobility and flexibility, as well as stamina. Then we also make sure to spend at least one afternoon every week focusing on combat practice, so that I can actually use One for All once All Might passes it along.

After that is dinner, which normally consists heavily of carbohydrates and proteins. I remember one time my Mom tried to get me to help with making mashed potatoes, claiming it would be a good wrist workout.” Izuku paused here as a short bark of laughter from Jisei rang out through the studio. “After that, I’m more or less free to do whatever I want…as long as I get my homework done of course.”

“All that power and influence,” Present Mic said with a chuckle, “and All Might still can’t get you out of doing your homework?”

“I mean, I’ve never thought to ask him,” Izuku replied. “I doubt he would though. Gran Torino would probably have both our heads if he tried. And I can’t imagine All Might agreeing anyway. After Mom, he’s always the one asking whether or not I managed to get everything done in time. Besides, the homework isn’t that bad. If I’m lucky I can sneak some of it into my afternoon workout, depending on what we’re doing that day, or who’s supervising me.”

“Yeah, I heard you and Jiji talking about it on the way over,” Present Mic laughed. “Something about you doing your Maths homework with your nose during push-ups?”

“I didn’t have a choice!” Izuku shot back heatedly. “All Might said if I did it he’d give me a sealed copy of Rock N Roll All Might! Do you know how many of those exist in the wild? With a prize like that on the line, how could I say no?”

“...Isn’t that the one where All Might raps about the importance of doing one’s homework?” Jisei deadpanned.

Izuku flushed, looking away from Jisei’s raised eyebrow. “Okay…maybe it’s not the most illustrious moment of All Might’s career, but it’s still part of it! It has historical value!”

Present Mic held his hands up in surrender. “Hey, we’re not ones to judge around here. Whatever floats your boat. And speaking of floating your boat, we actually got a lot of questions about how you spend your free time. I know you mentioned Quirk Analysis earlier, and you better believe I wanna know more about that, but what else do you do with your evenings?”

“Honestly,” Izuku replied, scratching his cheek. “I mostly do some more exercises. I try not to do anything too strenuous, normally another hour spent on a treadmill, or maybe a basic workout routine, plus some more yoga, maybe a little aerobics. Mom tried to get me to join her for some jazzercise once or twice, but I’ve never really been much of a dancer. I always feel really embarrassed, even when no-one’s watching me. The exercise is nice though. I can normally do something else while I jog as well, like catch up on the latest Hero news, or maybe just watch something simple on TV, maybe do some puzzles or study, or just focus on my Quirk Analysis. Then at about 10, I’m normally in bed, ready to do it all again on the next day.”

Present Mic let out a low whistle. “Well, you certainly are busy, huh. Schedule like that, I imagine a lot of people are thinking twice about wishing they were inheriting One for All, huh? And that’s every day for you?”

“I mean, it is a lot,” Izuku admitted. “But it’s not like that every day. I normally get at least one day off every second weekend, and the other ones I still get a half day all to myself. It’s just that I don’t really have that much to do other than work out. Most of my hobbies are stuff I can do while exercising, or for stuff like Hero watching, isn’t really all that easy to do from Might Tower. Although…Mom does have a pair of binoculars, maybe I could borrow-no, that’d never work,” Izuku said to himself, shaking his head. “Anyway, it doesn’t really matter. All I ever wanted to be a Hero, and now I have a chance to do it. It doesn't matter how many walls the world puts in front of me, I won’t let anything stop me from achieving my dream!”

“Atta boy!” Present Mic beamed across the table, eyes lit up with delight at Izuku’s declaration. “That’s the kinda attitude I love seeing in all my students at U.A. Carrying on that Plus Ultra spirit! Now, I think we have time for one more question before we go to a quick commercial break. This one’s purely self-indulgent on my part. You’ve said you’re a bit of a Quirk buff, and from what I’ve seen and heard, that’s definitely true. Why don’t you talk about that for a little? Show off to the audience what you’re capable of?”

Izuku straightened up in his chair. “I-I’d love to!” he said, eyes shining for a second, before they flickered down to his microphone, a seed of doubt germinating inside him as he remembered just how many people were hanging off his every word. “But a-are you sure that’s okay? I always figured hearing me ramble on about Quirks would be kinda weird and boring, if I’m being honest.”

“Nahhhh, I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Present Mic replied, brushing Izuku’s concerns to one side with a lazy wave of the hand. “We did have people askin’ about how you spend your free time, so if anyone complains, we can just say we’re giving them what they asked for. Besides, it’s my show, and I call the shots. So, the floor’s yours if you want it.”

The doubt in Izuku’s eyes faded, and a smile blossomed across his face, as excitement overtook him once more. “That sounds awesome! But-uh…what should I talk about?”

“Hmmm,” Present Mic replied playfully, tapping his chin in mock doubt. “That is a tricky question. There’s so many Quirks out there after all. Are you sure there isn’t a specific Quirk you think people would love to hear you talk about?” He asked, voice laden with friendly sarcasm.

“Oh…right. One for All,” Izuku replied sheepishly. ‘I suppose I should have seen that coming. Of course people want to hear me talk about One for All.’

“Exactly,” Present Mic replied with a nod. “Can’t imagine we’re the only people who wanna pick your brains about One for All, huh? I’d bet All Might’s had a lot of interested parties wanting to try and study you both.”

“Yeah,” Izuku nodded. “All Might’s definitely had a few people ask if they could study us, to see what the process of obtaining a quirk looks like, document whether it affects my physiology, stuff like that. But I think All Might’s waiting for someone he knows he trusts enough to talk about One for All with before he considers anything like that. Not that he’s wrong,” Izuku conceded with a disappointed sigh, “but I’d love to see a professional take a look at One for All, and see what they make of it. I’ve been doing some research on it in my spare time, but I know it’s not much, and definitely not the same as someone with actual experience researching Quirks.”

“Maybe,” Present Mic admitted, “but honestly, I’m more interested in hearing your theories, myself. I get that there’s bits that are probably secret, but if there is anything you wanna share, I’d love to hear it.”

Izuku paused for a second, thinking over the weeks he’d spent researching All Might’s career, as well as a general history of Japanese Heroics. “Honestly, none of my notes on One for All are private or anything like that,” he began, to both Present Mic and Jisei’s surprise. “See, there’s not actually a lot documented about One for All, officially or otherwise. So I don’t really have a lot of concrete facts to keep hidden. I only really know a few things about One for All to begin with. It enhances the current wielder’s strength, speed & durability, it gets stronger over time, and I’m the ninth person to hold it. So eventually it should be stronger for me than for All Might. This doesn’t give me a lot to work with, but I decided to focus on one aspect of One for All while researching it, and see if I could figure out a rough estimate for how much stronger I’d be than All Might.”

“And?” Present Mic said, leaning forward eagerly. “What did you find out?”

“Honestly, not as much as I’d like,” Izuku admitted. “If I wanted to find out just how much stronger One for All would become when All Might passes it on to me, ideally I’d have more than one data point to work with. It’ll probably be a lot easier after he gives it to me, and I can run direct comparisons between myself and him. So for now, I had to take a slightly different angle. I know it’s not exactly scientific, but at least for now, I decided to work backwards, looking at possible trajectories and seeing how many of them could reach the level of strength All Might’s displayed during his career. But to do that, I first needed to try and find some well-documented examples of his strength and work from there.”

“Apologies for interrupting,” Jisei said. “I just had a question. If you wanted to know how strong All Might is, why not just ask him directly? You have a direct line to the man few can ever boast of. Why not capitalise on it?”

“I mean, I thought about it,” Izuku replied with a nervous chuckle, “but All Might wasn’t really around when I first started working on it, and then I realised just how much fun I was having trying to figure it out myself, and I didn’t want to ruin it by just asking for the answer. Besides, even if my findings aren’t perfect, they feel more special, knowing that I figured them all out for myself. Sure, there might be mistakes in here, but they’re my mistakes, if that makes sense?”

“Perfect sense,” Jisei nodded. “Thank you for indulging my curiosity. Please continue.”

“Right,” Izuku nodded, before launching into what can only be described as a monologue. “So, figuring out how strong All Might is was both the easy part and the hard part. Easy because there’s a lot of documented evidence of him in action, and hard because we don’t have any idea how much strength he’s using at any one time. For example, I doubt he’d use the same kind of strength for a random mugger as he would someone like Toxic Chainsaw. In the end, I decided to work with the Sky Egg bombing incident, for two reasons. One, it was a highly publicised, well-documented incident, with a lot of video footage from multiple sources and locations, giving me a lot of material to work with to try and draw some semblance of a conclusion from. Secondly, I feel it acts as a reasonably solid display of strength, speed and durability from All Might, allowing me to reach conclusions on all three of the major categories I expect One for All to affect.

Starting with strength, we need to figure out how much the Tokyo Sky Egg weighs, or at least…the egg part of it. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any verifiable statements on the actual weight itself, so I had to do some external research to come to what I felt was a reasonably solid weight range to use as an example. From here, I actually remembered something from one of my history lessons talking about the bombing in particular, and that was that the Tokyo Sky Egg was based heavily off a Pre-Quirk baseball stadium, the Tokyo Dome. We still don’t have an actual solid weight for the Tokyo Dome, but average stadiums around that time weighed anywhere from roughly 1-3 million pounds, or 450-1350 tonnes. Originally, I was going to use this as a range, except that skyscrapers and towers tend to be made of lighter materials the higher up you go, both to help support the structure of the rest of the tower, but also to help with strong winds and earthquakes. As such, I felt this number might not be the most accurate, as the different construction materials may have had an effect on the actual weight of the Sky Egg.”

Izuku paused to take a small sip of water, before leaning in and continuing, excitement growing as he talked. “So, from here, I needed to find towers with a similar shape to the Sky Egg, and see if I could find any estimations about their weight. I ended up narrowing it down to two that I could try and work with. The first one I thought of was the Tokyo Skytree, but the general shape of that tower is much more traditional than the Sky Egg, so its weight wouldn’t be very much help. I then started looking at overseas construction, to try and find something a little more suitable, and ended up finding a good enough substitute in the form of Sydney’s Tower Eye. According to them, the shaft of the tower, plus the turret at the top weighs around 4067 tonnes, and the shaft itself comprises 46 different barrel units, each weighing 27 tonnes. 

Using some simple maths, this would mean the turret portion specifically weighs around 2825 tonnes, which actually ended up being more than the previous range I’d calculated, which I found rather surprising. And then you’d still have to take into account all of the people still inside it, and any other parts of the tower that may still have been attached. So,” Izuku concluded, looking up to see a look of naked awe on Present Mic’s face, and even quiet respect from Jisei, “this gives us a rough idea of the kind of strength All Might should be capable of, although not how much of One for All he’s using. But with how many lives were at stake, I can’t imagine All Might giving a situation like this anything less than his best, so I think it’s reasonable to assume this is a fairly noteworthy amount of strength from him.”

“And you managed to put all this together by yourself, using a laptop, some paper and a pen?” Present Mic asked, impressed.

“Yeah, well…while I wouldn’t say I had a lot of free time over the last few months, I didn’t exactly have a lot else to do with the time I had,” Izuku admitted, rubbing the back of his head. “And I haven’t even started on what I did to figure out his speed and durability, although those were admittedly a lot easier to figure out.”

“Well, I’m pretty sure we all know that All Might can take a beating pretty hard, but it’ll still be nice to put a number to it. And his speed’s something I know people have argued about for literal years now. So it’ll be interesting to hear your take on it.”

“Right, well, it all comes back to that first number I gave you, 2825 tonnes. Interpreting durability as how much force somebody is capable of withstanding, then we can work out the force acting on All Might when he managed to catch the Sky Egg. To do this, we need to take that weight, convert it into kilograms, and then multiply it by 9.8, Earth’s gravitational force. Doing so gives a number of over 27 million newtons of force. For the sake of comparison, the average boxer can punch with about 2500 newtons. It would take over 100,000 of those punches to match the force of the Sky Egg.” Izuku paused as Present Mic let out a loud whistle, and even Jisei looked over at him, a look of shock passing across her normally stoic facade. 

“As for how fast he was moving,” Izuku continued. “Reports place All Might at his agency in Roppongi Ward before he literally jumped from there to Bunkyo Ward, where the Sky Egg Tower is located. The distance between these two locations is roughly eight kilometres, and All Might managed to travel that far before the tower had hit the ground. Given that the Sky Egg is located 500 metres in the air, and All Might made it with maybe two seconds to spare, he had to have been moving at one kilometre per second, or 3000 in an hour.”

“Not bad,” Present Mic replied, his professionalism overtaking his surprise. “Don’t get me wrong, I’ve definitely heard people discuss All Might’s strength before. I mean, who hasn’t? But still, that was pretty solid, especially since you’re pretty much entirely self-taught. Gonna be interesting to see how that changes when you inherit One for All, for sure. Any ideas on how strong you’re gonna get?”

“A few,” Izuku replied. “After some time thinking about it, I ended up looking at three different possible trends One for All could follow. Unfortunately, the fact that One for All passively grows stronger as time goes on makes it harder to predict, since there’s a lot of other external factors to consider. Is that growth linear? Does it depend on how much One for All is actually used? Does someone who used it every day for a year affect growth more than someone who only used it sparingly for two?

In the end, I decided to start by keeping things simple, and look at basic possibilities that can be amended down the line, once All Might and I actually run some proper tests on One for All. And the simplest possibility I could think of was that One for All’s power doubled each time it was passed down. Doing this would result in All Might having his strength multiplied 128 times, and that number would double to 256 when I inherit it. I discarded this theory pretty quickly, just because I don’t think that sounds nearly strong enough to justify the kind of strength All Might’s displayed during his career.”

“My second theory had the opposite problem, in that I went too far in the opposite direction. I wondered if there was some kind of exponential growth involved, where the results were squared each time, with the exception of the first time it was passed along, where it merely doubled instead, otherwise the multiplication would never kick in. While doing this did give me a higher number, it-uh…it might have been a bit too high. Calculating One for All’s multiplication factor this way, then the wielder before All Might would have had their physicality multiplied by over 4 billion. Which, looking at the facts, doesn’t feel like a believable number given that All Might has actually had to face danger before.”

Present Mic whistled, and Jisei had to lean away from her microphone to cough and splutter, water spraying everywhere as soon as she heard Izuku put a number to All Might’s theoretical strength. “Yeah, I’m with you. Not sure I buy that one,” Present Mic agreed, silently passing Jisei some tissues. “Don’t get me wrong, All Might’s strong and all for sure, but if the dude’s punching 16 billion times above his weight class, then I’d expect him to be knockin’ moons out of orbit by sneezing.”

“Yeah, that’s why I had to discard this idea pretty quickly,” Izuku admitted. “Especially because it still doesn’t take into account One for All’s passive growth over time, which would make that number just go higher and higher. It just doesn’t match what we’ve seen of All Might so far, unless we’ve never seen him approach anywhere near the upper limits of his power, which I don’t personally buy. Taking that into account, I decided to go back to my first theory, and try factoring in how many people had held One for all into the equation more directly. 

From there, I wondered if One for All might increase by a factor equal to how many wielders it’s had. So a bit more of a snowball effect, as opposed to the more consistent growth of theory one. Doing so means that instead of going 1, 2, 4 etc, you get 1, 2, 6, then 24, and so on until you reach All Might, at which point his own base strength would have been multiplied by 40,320, and that’s before factoring in any passive increases over time. I’m still not 100% sure about this idea myself, since I think a preliminary hypothesis like this should be as simple as possible, and then refined and adjusted as more research is done, but it was definitely worth thinking about. There’s even the possibility that none of my ideas are right, and One for All has a completely different metric by which it grows stronger. But we’ll never be able to figure that one out until after I inherit it from All Might and start running my own tests at set intervals to see how much stronger I’m getting. It’s possible that the passive strength increase doesn’t kick in until One for All is passed along, at which point I wouldn’t see any growth like that, and it would only come into play after One for All is passed along again.”

“Although I’d wager that any serious discussion like that is still a long way off,” Jisei interjected.

“Oh, yeah. Right. No, I haven’t really thought about that at all, beyond an abstract knowledge that it’s possible,” Izuku replied sheepishly. “I don’t even have it yet. It feels wrong of me to even talk about passing it on when All Might’s still putting all this effort into preparing me for it.”

“And I’m pretty sure like half the audience just had their hopes solidly crushed right now,” Present Mic joked, flashing Izuku an affectionate grin. “You’ll definitely have to let me know how the experiments go though. I wasn’t expecting the maths lecture when I opened that can of worms, but you’ve 100% got my interest.”

Present Mic’s eyes flicked over to a clock on the wall, and he grimaced slightly. “Whoa, is it that time already? Yeah, I think we all got a little distracted by Midoriya-Sensei over here. Alright listeners, you know what time it is. We’re gonna go grab a quick drink of water, maybe stretch our legs a little. I reckon Midoriya over there needs it after all the talkin’ he's been doing. So, be ready to start dialling, ‘cos we’re about to open the lines to three lucky listeners to speak with the man of the hour. The number should be up on our socials, but if you’re on the go, it’s 054-1804-1938. That’s 054-1804-1938. As for the rest of you, don’t go anywhere now, ‘cos we’ll be right back.”