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Chapter Text

Twice, this kid has nearly died twice since Toshinori met him; on one hand, he was willing to lose his life saving someone, on the other hand, he might be crazy. He understood wanting to save people, but throwing your life away was never an option. Toshinori Yagi, the hero known as All Might, turned to the group of pros that seemed dead set on recruiting the boy that was saved and reprimanding the one that actually took action; Death Arms, in particular wanted to hammer his point home, "You could have been killed, kid; next time something happens, just let us do our jobs!"

All Might plastered on his friendliest smile as he placed his hand on his colleague's shoulder, "I think what he did was noble, if a bit short sighted, he saw that even a stalwart hero, like you, was stunned by the situation, and still took action!"

Death Arms noticed All Might's smile didn't quite reach his eyes and gave him a strained smile, "Yeah, I can see where you're coming from, good work, kid; but I'm serious, don't go running into danger like that. We've got heroes for a reason."

The group felt the ground shake as All Might left. Izuku Midoriya and Katsuki Bakugo gave their versions of events before being sent home with a "good job" for Bakugo and a "don't do it again" for Midoriya. The pair walked in silence until they reached Bakugo's home, where Bakugo growled at his attempted savior, "This doesn't change anything, Deku." Midoriya sighed as his friend entered the house, at least he was being civil. He turned and continued on his way home, but stopped as he heard a voice come from some bushes, "Stay calm, I know what this looks like; I just didn't want people to see me and, clearly, didn't think it through." All Might emerged from the bush, in the smaller form Midoriya saw earlier that day, with his hands raised, "I need to speak with you, I understand if you want me to leave you alone, but I have an offer for you."

Midoriya recovered from his shock, "Of course, I'm more than willing to help if I can."

All Might smiled at the boy, "Good, I've been thinking about our conversation earlier; I think you might have what it takes to be a hero, with the right training. Keep in mind, I doubt you'll make much of a name for yourself, but you can still help people."

Midoriya stared at the hero before him with awe struck wonder, "Really, you think it's possible, you think I can be a hero?"

All Might smiled at him, "Yes," he offered the boy a business card, "You'll need a lot of training though, meet me here tomorrow morning; I'll introduce you to another young man I'm training and start you on the long, borderline, torturous path to being the first quirkless hero!"

Midoriya felt tears fall down his cheek as he accepted the card, "I won't let you down."

All Might bulked up showing his heroic form as he braced for a massive jump, "I'm sure you won't, but don't expect me or Mirio to go easy on you!" Midoriya covered his eyes as his idol jumped high into the air, he studied the card he was given, his mind a whirlwind of thoughts and questions foremost amongst them being, "Why is All Might sending me to the Nighteye Agency?"

Chapter Text

Inko pinched the bridge of her nose as she processed what her son just told her, "Izuku, I love you, but I'm not going to let you meet a strange man that crawled out of a bush; and don't say 'but it's All Might' we don't know that for sure. It could have been an impersonator, like the one I hired for your sixth birthday." Izuku opened and closed his mouth as he tried to think of a response, all things considered, she had a solid point. His eyes widened slightly as he remembered something important, "He gave me a business card, we could call the number; at worst we find out he's a bad person and report him to the police, at best he really was All Might, and I can be a hero!"

Inko sighed as she took the card, "I still don't trust this, Izuku," she picked her phone up from the counter, "but worst comes to worst, we can help the police find a predator."

Izuku smiled as she called the number on the card, his smile grew wider when someone answered the call, "Hello, Mirai Sasaki, may I ask how you received this number?"

"Hello, I'm Inko Midoriya, my son was given a business card with your number by someone claiming to be All Might."

She heard a long-suffering sigh, "That was, in fact, All Might he mentioned a boy that might come to the agency tomorrow; let me guess, he did this in the worst way possible."

Inko laughed at his annoyance, "He hid in a bush until my son was alone, then offered to train him if he went to the address on the business card that has your number on it."

Another long-suffering sigh, "Of course he did. Ma'am, I am sorry for the concern he may have caused you, but I can assure you that he was honest when he offered to train your son; in fact, he is also training a student of mine, I think the two could get along well."

"You sound like a parent trying to set up a play date."

he laughed at that, "for what it's worth, I will provide adult supervision for their training."

"I thought All Might would be there."

"Ma'am, he crawled out of a bush and told a teenager to meet him in a secondary location; would you consider him to be adult supervision?"

Inko laughed, "I can't say that I would, as long as you can keep him safe, I'll make sure Izuku gets there on time. Thank you for your time."

"Of course, I'll let All Might and Mirio know he's coming.

Inko smiled at her exited son, the boy looked like he was going to burst, "You heard me, make sure you get up early tomorrow."

Izuku hugged his mother and kissed her cheek, "You're the best mom ever!"

Chapter Text

Izuku was ready to burst with excitement as he entered the Nighteye Agency for the first time, this was a dream come true, he was going to be trained by All Might himself. Nothing could ruin this moment for him, not even seeing his idol fight a naked blonde boy, wait, WHAT?! Izuku came to a dead stop as his eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, which made the sight if said naked boy being launched in his direction by a brutal punch from All Might all the more horrifying. Izuku flinched as the boy's body passed through him like he wasn't standing there at all; he stood there, frozen in shock and fear as the boy shot out of the ground behind him, passed through him completely, and landed a massive punch on All Might's jaw. All Might staggered back, holding his jaw, and raised his fist to answer his opponent's attack, only to stagger backwards once again as they landed a devastating uppercut. All Might raised his hands in surrender and laughed, "Good work Mirio, Nighteye was right about you."

Mirio smiled as he relaxed, "Thanks," he turned to Izuku, "Are you okay, you don't look hurt; that's usually a good sign."

Izuku flinched slightly as he was freed from his shock induced trance, "I'm alright, but why are you naked?"

Mirio smiled and pointed down, "Partially because you're standing on my pants."

Izuku took several steps back, "S-sorry, I wasn't doing that on purpose."

Mirio chuckled as he put his pants back on, "It's okay, no rips or tears, so we're all good!" he offered Izuku his hand, "I'm Mirio Togata, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Izuku shook larger boy's hand with a nervous smile, "I'm Izuku Midoriya, I just hope I can keep up."

Mirio smiled as he placed his hand on Izuku's shoulder and guided him towards All Might. The hero awkwardly waved at his new apprentices was a guilty smile, "I'm sorry, apparently, I agreed to a press conference today, so I need to leave," he turned to Mirio, "I hope I'm not asking too much, but could you get Midoriya here started on his training?" Mirio gave an exited nod, All Might let out a relieved sigh, "I'm sorry, Midoriya, but you can trust Mirio; he's a top student at UA and well on his way to being the next number one, if you ask me."

Izuku's eyes widened as he looked at Mirio, throughout his life, the only person he knew to claim they'd be the next number one was Kachan; but if All Might himself gave Mirio that title, even Kachan would struggle to take it from him, "I'd be happy to train under Mirio, as long as he's okay with it."

Mirio slapped his back with a grin, "Of course I'm okay with it, by the time I'm done with you, you'll be the image of," Mirio flexed his muscles in a dramatic pose while screaming, "POOOOWWWWEEEERRRR!" at the top of his lungs. Izuku flinched slightly at his intensity, but relaxed as Mirio guided him towards several mats on the ground, "We'll start with some basic stretches and warmups, then we'll start on weights." Mirio proved to be both a force of pure optimism and a brutal taskmaster; he pushed Izuku further and further: more reps, more weight, another minute on the treadmill. Izuku, despite his exhaustion, pushed himself to follow Mirio's orders; especially when Mirio told him to take a break, Izuku didn't even move from where he was, he simply sank to the ground next to the weights and closed his eyes as his body relaxed. He noticed Mirio talking to some people at the entrance to the small gym, a boy with dark hair that blushed brightly when Mirio kissed his cheek, and a pretty blue haired girl that got excited when she noticed him lying there. He tried to raise his hand and wave at her, but his arm felt like a lead bar covered in concrete; he managed to smile instead, which seemed to excite her further. Izuku felt his cheeks grow hotter as his vision slowly faded to black, his body finally decided it had had enough; he fell asleep to the trio rushing towards him with concern.

Chapter Text

Izuku mumbled in his sleep, dreaming that he was on a cloud while and an angel hummed a lovely tune. He groaned quietly as he woke, his eyes widened at his current situation, the blue haired girl whose lap he was using as a pillow smiled sweetly. The girl waved to a nearby group, "Hey, hey, he's awake, and really red!"

Two blurs crossed the gym, one green and one gold. Mirio and Inko had tears in their eyes as they gathered the now confused young man in their arms. Mirio swung Izuku around like a child with a teddy bear, "I'M SO SORRY, I WAS JUST TRYING TO HELP YOU GET STRONGER, I DIDN'T MEAN TO OVERWORK YOU LIKE THAT!"

Inko snatched her son from the guilty young man, "Izuku, are you okay? You aren't hurt, are you?" She glared at Nighteye, "I trusted you to take care of him, and you let some highschooler push him until he collapsed?"

Whatever argument the pair were about to have was delayed by an excited announcement, "His hair is so soft!" The group turned their attention to the brightly blushing boy and the floating girl with her fingers tangled in his hair. Despite the situation, Mirio snickered, "Nejire, I don't think this is the best time to do that."

Nejire tilted her head and leaned over Izuku's head, looking at the embarrassed boy's face, "Is it okay, your hair is really soft, like a green cloud!"

Izuku struggled to understand complex things like words for a moment before squeaking out, "Yes." He cleared his throat before addressing the group, "Mirio isn't entirely to blame."

Inko nodded, "True, All Might did let this happen."

Nighteye sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, "True, he's a good man, and a better hero, but not exactly what I would call a capable teacher."

Izuku shook his head, "I'm partially to blame, too, I didn't say anything throughout the workout, I just went with whatever I was told." The serious acceptance of blame lost some of its impact due to Nejire floating around his head, seemingly content to just float there and keep touching his hair. A dark-haired young man gently pulled her away to allow the group to have their discussion, much to her disappointment.

Inko sighed, "Izuku, I can't just stand by and let you work yourself to death."

Mirio stepped forward, "This was mostly my fault, I worked him to hard without paying enough attention to his condition," he kneeled in a dogeza, "All Might told me about him, how much he wants to be a hero despite his lack of a quirk, I'm sure he can do it, but the training he'll need to reach that goal will be intense, I should have taken things slower, I am truly sorry."

Nighteye placed his hand on Inko's shoulder, "I know you're worried, but I assure you that Mirio had the best of intentions, even though his execution was...ill conceived."

Inko studied everyone around her for a moment, seeing Nejire's desire to keep touching Izuku's hair, Mirio's guilt at pushing him to hard, Nighteye's faith in the young man, and Izuku's will to continue training with Mirio. She let out a long-suffering sigh, "I'm going to have a heart attack, and all of you are directly to blame."

Nighteye chuckled, "Don't worry, I won't be far behind you."

Izuku and Mirio looked to Inko with pleading eyes, seeming to share a desire to continue Izuku's training. Inko sighed, "Yes, that means you can keep training, but the moment my son is hurt," she points at Mirio, "it's your ass."

Mirio, despite having faced literal villains, seemed terrified of the smaller woman, "Y-yes Ma'am."

Chapter Text

Amajiki smiled as he finished checking Izuku's practice test, "243 out of 300, great work, you've definitely improved."

Mirio laughed, "He's doing better than I did on my second try."

Amajiki gave a deadpan stare, "You got a 3, I love you, but you really aren't smart."

Izuku stared in shock, "How?"

Mirio rubbed the back of his neck, "I thought Amajiki wouldn't come over to help me study if I did too well, so I played dumb, at least, until I thought he liked me back."

Nejire cooed from her floating place behind Izuku, "Awwww, that's so romantic, and really dumb."

Izuku blushed brightly as she returned to playing with his hair and muttering about how soft it is, "Does she do this with everyone?" Mirio and Amajiki glanced at each other before shaking their heads, Izuku nodded, "Should I be worried."

Nejire floated over his head, her long hair hung as she stared at him while being upside down, "Only if you change your shampoo, you smell like a tree, and I like it." Izuku resembled a tomato with his bright red face and green hair as he nodded. Nejire smiled and returned to her usual spot and new favorite pass time of playing with Izuku's hair.

Mirio chuckled, "Well, I say we celebrate Midoriya's progress, how about karaoke?" Izuku pulled out his phone to call his mom about being late tonight while Mirio called a karaoke place he and Amajiki went to often. Nejire was practically vibrating with excitement as Mirio and Izuku finished their calls, Izuku's mom was okay with him being late and Mirio confirmed the karaoke place had some open booths they can use.

She grabbed Izuku's had and dragged him behind her while Mirio and Amajiki gave each other knowing smiles, Mirio chuckled, "I give it a week."

Amajiki shrugged, "I wouldn't be so sure, Midoriya doesn't seem to be the most perceptive person."

X-X-X

Katsuki sighed as he watched the others' horrible attempts at singing, how did these extras convince him to do this? He stiffened at the sound of a familiar voice outside the room, "This place is nice, I can see why you come here." He opened the door enough to look into the hallway, his eyes widened before narrowing into a glare when he saw Deku with some people he's never seen, who are these people, and why were they with a useless loser like Deku? Katsuki ground his teeth as he watched a pretty girl with long blue hair played with the loser's hair, a tall blonde guy chuckled, "It was less it being nice, and more it being both between our houses and surprisingly cheap."

Deku looked around the place, he froze when he saw Katsuki glaring at him, "K-Kacchan?"

The girl followed the green haired prick's gaze and waved at Katsuki, "Hi, are you a friend of Midoriya's?"

Katsuki stepped into the hallway, "No, why would I waste my time with a quirkless deku, like him?" He could physically feel the mood shift as the people with Deku glared at him, the blonde one and the one with dark hair positioned themselves between him and Deku while the girl with blue hair pulled the loser close to her. The blonde gave a smile that bordered on murderous, "Because, he's awesome, I like him, my boyfriend likes him, and my best friend really likes him, so, what's your problem?"

Katsuki took a step back as a chill went down his spine, what was this guy's deal? He gave a defiant glare as he opened the door, "Whatever, waste your time with that pathetic nerd." He saw movement from the corner of his eye as he returned to the room and the guy with dark hair stopped his boyfriend from charging him.

Chapter Text

Izuku studied the recommendation letter for, seemingly, the hundredth time, Mirio and Nighteye were adamant about him having this. He sighed, he couldn't deny that their insistence that he needed to be recommended like this hurt his pride, but the idea of fighting the robots Mirio told him about was far from pleasant. Izuku nervously handed the letter to Present Mic, the hero's eyes widened as he read it, "How the-" he cleared his throat and regained his composure, "Right, looks legit, I'll get this checked out while you're doing the written exam." The hero gave a winning smile as the nervous teen nodded and walked away, he read the letter again and looked around to make sure he was alone before yelling, "HOW IN THE FLYING FUCK DOES THAT KID HAVE A RECOMMENDATION FROM ALL MIGHT!?" He froze when he saw a blonde young man staring at him in shock, he chuckled nervously, "Hey, Little Listener, I was just..." he pulled out his wallet, "5,000 yen, and this stays between us?"

The blonde recovered and growled, "How the fuck does that, damn, nerd have a recommendation from ANYONE let alone, fucking ALL MIGHT?" the blonde stormed off, muttering and cursing as he stomped towards the building the written tests are being held in.

Present Mic put away his wallet with a sigh, "Nezu's gonna be pissed, he never did like that kind of info getting out."

X-X-X

Izuku felt like his head was going to explode, what kind of sadist made this test, it seemed almost as much a test of ethics as it was knowledge. Some were straight forward, requiring general academic knowledge; but others seemed to be looking certain ethics or philosophies to give the right answer, assuming there was one. He finally, thankfully, finished the test and turned it in, he sighed as he left the room, "I never thought I'd be thankful for those study sessions." He jumped as someone grabbed him and pinned him to the wall, his eyes widened when he saw his assailant, "K-Katchan?"

Katsuki punched the wall next to Izuku's head, glaring at him, "Why are you here?" He started making small explosions next to Izuku's head, "and how the hell did you get recommended by All Might?"

Izuku hesitated, "I...he..." he sighed, "He offered to train me after that situation with the sludge villain." The following silence was deafening, no words, no explosions, just the frightening sight of Katsuki's silent fury as he let Izuku go. The infuriated blonde stormed off, muttering and cursing as he did, Izuku sank down the wall, feeling smaller than he has in months. He curled up, shuddering as he started feeling doubts, "What am I doing here? Why did I think I could do this?"

He stiffened as a strong hand rested on his shoulder, "Because you can," Izuku looked up to see Mirio's smiling face, his friend sat next to him, "Izu, All Might gave you that letter because those robots are bullshit, we all have complete faith in you, me, your mom, Amajiki, Nejire, Nighteye, even All Might himself; we all know you can be a great hero if you have the chance, now, stand up, put on the type of smile that gives people hope, and ace that practical test!" Mirio watched Izuku rally and rush away to take the practical exam, he glanced down the hall, considering the possibility of having a, very, long talk with Katsuki. he sighed and shook his head, "Can't afford bail, and Tama won't be happy."

X-X-X

Izuku looked around, there were more people here than he expected, though it made sense, most heroes would want their child to attend the most prestigious hero school in the world, after all. He breathed in deeply through his nose and out his mouth in the way Amajiki showed him, he chuckled to himself, "Those two probably taught me more than the actual hero did."

He jumped at the sound of Present Mic's whistle, "Alright, Little Listeners, let's get started." He placed a metal ball on the ground, the assembled students watched in awe as it opened before them, revealing it to actually be a small robot. The small machine hummed slightly as it booted up, Present Mic smiled as he gestured to the booting up robot, "This, cute little thing is your test, grab him as fast as you can, after that; I'll write down that you caught him, and you can go on your merry way." He grinned, "Keep in mind, we're only letting in seven of you."

Izuku moved out of instinct, tackling the robot to the ground, to the other prospects' rage, a green boy pointed at Izuku and the robot, "That's cheating, you didn't tell us to start."

A girl that seemed to be part bear growled in agreement, "That's right, we didn't have any warning!"

Present Mic wrote down that Izuku passed, "Villains don't give warnings, they just drop the beat, and all we can do is dance the best we can."

Izuku let the robot go and watched as it bolted, running in a random direction before turning sharply in another random direction, he chuckled nervously, "Nejire was right, all I have to do is act on instinct and take what I think I need."

Mic raised a brow, "Kid, I'm not entirely sure that girl was talking about the test, but good work, all the same." He helped Izuku to his feet, "The higher ups still need to grade your written test, we'll send you a letter in a few days." He gave a warm smile, "For what it's worth, I think we'll be seeing alot of each other, oh and I prefer my students using MLA, for future reference."

Chapter Text

Inko chuckled at the way Izuku was staring at the envelope in his hands, "It's not going to attack you."

Izuku stiffened, "I know, I just..." he let out a tired sigh, "what if it's a rejection?"

Inko gently pat her son's back, "If they don't think you're good enough, then UA needs to seriously work on their standards." She smiled at the sound of knocking on the door, "Looks like the party can start."

Izuku chuckled, "That feels a bit generous, just some friends...in case I need moral support after being rejected."

Inko rolled her eyes as she opened the door, she pointed at All Might, "If they hired him, they'll accept you."

The injured hero's shoulders slumped, "Why are you so mean?"

Inko gave a, slightly scary, smile, "Because Izuku told me about your first conversation with him, be happy I'm not grabbing a frying pan."

All Might nervously nodded as he walked past, Mirio gave a nervous smile, "I'm not in danger, am I?"

Inko pat the nervous young man's shoulder, "You're perfectly fine, sweety."

The relieved young man led his friends into the apartment, Inko stopped Nejire from floating by, "No floating in the apartment, dear." The blue haired girl nodded with a smile before rushing to her usual spot behind Izuku and started touching his hair. Inko shook her head in wonder and muttered to herself, "If I'm not a grandmother by the end of the year, I'll be in the news." She noticed Amajiki staring at her, he shook his head, "He's sixteen." Inko shrugged, "And I'm thirty-two, what's your point?"

The group gathered around Izuku as he prepared to open the envelope, he hesitated, "What if-"

Mirio snatched the envelope from his friend's hand, "No more thinking, thinking bad, opening letter!"

Inko's eyes widened as a small cartridge fell from the envelope and started projecting a hologram, "How much money does that school have?!"

All Might held the cartridge for the others to see, "Too much." The hologram of his buff from flickered as he gave his best smile, "Izuku Midoriya, I'm proud to tell you all your training and study have paid off, you passed the written test with flying colors, and Present Mic has been singing your praise after your performance in the practical test, I look forward to seeing you at UA." the hologram seemed to turn to someone the others couldn't see, "How many more of these do I have to do? What do you mean a hundred? I have to do the rejection ones, too? How much money do you guys have to be able to make and send that many holograms?!" The hologram seemed to notice they were still being recorded, "Uhhhh, congratulations."

Inko shook her head as the hologram turned off, "How are you a teacher?"

All Might shrugged, "I have no idea."

Any further discussion was halted with Amajiki yelling at Nejire as the excited girl tackled Izuku and started kissing him, "Calm down, his mom is right there!"

Mirio, however, had other ideas, "And she wants to be a grandmother. Keep going, bitch."

Inko laughed, "Damn straight!"

All Might rested a hand on Mirio's shoulder while Inko and Amajiki tried to keep the new couple from going too far on the living room floor, "We need to talk about your progress." The pair went outside for privacy, All Might looked around to ensure they weren't being watched, he took a steadying breathe, "First and foremost, I'm proud of you, you've progressed amazingly, and I'm sure Izuku can thank you and Amajiki for his acceptance at UA." He smiled, "As I'm sure Nighteye told you my quirk, One for All, is unique it's been passed down from hero to hero for generations, seven heroes before me have used it to save the innocent and battle evil, now it's your turn. Are you ready to inherent this quirk, this legacy of heroism?" Mirio nodded, fully prepared to take on the greatness being offered, All Might pulled a strand of hair from his head and offered it to him, "Then eat this."

Mirio blinked in confusion, "What?"

All Might chuckled, "I had a similar reaction, but One for All requires a new wielder to ingest DNA from their predecessor, this is probably the best option, for both of us."

Mirio nodded and took the strand, he took a deep breath and tried to eat it as fast as physically possible, "You could have washed it before I had to eat some of it."

All Might raised a brow, "You'd prefer to eat hair covered in whatever chemicals they put in shampoo?"

Chapter Text

It didn't feel real, Izuku was in UA as a student, he had a pretty girl wrapped around his arm, and his best friends were escorting him to the class he'd be attending for the next three years. Mirio smiled at him, "Breathe, the place isn't going to explode."

Izuku chuckled, "I'm less worried about explosions than I am waking up."

Nejire flicked his forehead, "Did you feel that?" She smiled as Izuku nodded, his face turned bright red after she kissed his cheek, "And that?" She giggled at his flustered nod, "Then this isn't a dream."

Amajiki shook his head, "How are you so comfortable doing that in public?"

Nejire shrugged, "If I could get away with it, I'd do a lot more than kiss his cheek." She giggled as Izuku made a series of flustered noises that vaguely resembled words.

Mirio laughed at Izuku's embarrassment, "Maybe, now isn't the time for exhibitionism." He laughed even harder as Amajiki blushed and slapped his chest, setting off a coughing fit. Amajiki helped him stay on his feet as he hacked and coughed, Mirio gave a smile he hoped was reassuring, despite his insides feeling like sludge. He wrapped an arm around Amajiki's shoulder, "It's good, I'm good, we're all good." He gave a thumbs up and led the way to UA's main building with a smile, the others gave each other concerned glances but followed him all the same. None of them noticed Mirio subtly wiping blood from his mouth, but they did notice his exaggerated gesturing towards the massive red door shaped like an A, "This is Class 1-A, where all your dreams will come true, even the nightmares." He leaned and whispered to Izuku, "Check under the teacher's desk, Aizawa always sleeps under there, but he'll be checking how perceptive the class is today."

Amajiki and Mirio gave Izuku a reassuring pat on his shoulder and Nejire pulled him into a kiss before they left, he staggered back when she let him go, partially wondering what year it was and what continent he was on. He shook his head to clear it, muttering to himself, "I should probably get used to that." He stepped through the door and saw several students were already there and introducing themselves, he hesitated when he saw Katchan sitting on a desk, he hadn't seen him since the confrontation at the entrance exams. He took a steadying breath, remembering Mirio's advice, he carefully approached the desk at the front of the room. He looked under it and found a sleep deprived man staring at a stopwatch, the man seemed to stare into his soul for a moment, Izuku waved nervously, "Hi."

The man nodded, "Five seconds, good work." He shooed Izuku away so he could crawl out from under the desk and stood before slamming his hand onto the desk, the students immediately went silent and stared at him. He raised the stopwatch, "Two minutes, thirteen seconds, and I still needed to get all of you to shut up, we'll be working on that." He gently pushed Izuku towards the students' desks, "You pick your own seat, the rest of you will be assigned seats."

Katsuki glared as Izuku took a seat, "Who the fuck are you, and why the fuck does that nerd get special treatment?"

The man glared back without issue, "I'm your teacher, Shouta Aizawa, meaning I can and will expel you if you question my decisions again, and Midoriya gets to choose his seat because, while the rest of you were talking, he found me in five seconds. Now sit down and shut, the hell, up." The pair stared at each other for a moment, until Katsuki sat down, grinding his teeth as Aizawa set the seats for the rest of the class. Aizawa studied the class for a moment before pulling a case from under his desk and setting it down, "Alright, grab a uniform and go to the training field outside, let's see if any of you have actual potential."

X-X-X

Aizawa raised a brow at the bandages covering the eye of one of his students, Mineta, that was his name, "Why?"

Another student, Yaoyorozu, he really needed to figure out what traits he needed to remember for these kids, raised her hand, "There was a peep hole, he tried to look through it, I shoved a stick through the hole and hit his eye." Aizawa studied her for a moment, another student, Jirou, probably, seemed nervous, he let out a low grunt, "Part of being a hero involves protecting others, but I expect you all to be honest with me, understood?" Momo nodded, he could see Jirou do the same, he glared at Mineta for a moment, "I hear of you doing this again, and I'll let Midnight live out her most sadistic fantasies with you, and I promise you, she has an imagination from Hell."

Aizawa tossed a ball to the angry student from earlier, Bakugou, that was it, his was a name he definitely needed to remember, they'll probably be talking a lot, "Throw this, but use your quirk." To his surprise, Bakugou seemed to hesitate, probably thinking it was some sort of trap to get him in trouble. Aizwawa sighed, "It's not a trick or a trap to get any of you in trouble, this is a physical test to see if any of you are going to be dead weight, if you are, you're out, use your quirks in whatever way gives you an advantage, so long as you don't try to harm each other, try to pull that type of bullshit, and you'll be both expelled and arrested." He noticed a certain trio of sentient headaches approaching, he gave a long-suffering sigh and took the ball from Bakugou, "And the three of you are doing what, exactly?"

Mirio grinned while Amajiki hid behind him and Nejire rushed past Aizawa and several of his students to Midoriya. The girl hummed quietly and played with his hair, sparking several reactions from other students, Mineta and a pair of other boys, Kaminari and Sero, gaped in jealous shock, a pink girl, Mina, most likely the future source of several headaches, grinned, clearly loving the possible gossip. Aizawa pulled her away from Midoriya, "In case you haven't noticed, they have a physical exam to do, so either leave or stop interfering." He gave the ball back to Bakugou, "Throw it, with your quirk."

The stressful trio stood by Aizawa as the class preformed various exercises, they definitely had favorites, namely Midoriya, with Mirio and Nejire cheering him on in every test, even Amajiki seemed to find the confidence to raise a fist to celebrate when he did well; and Bakugou seeming to only have their ire, with the trio constantly glaring at him and muttering in annoyance when he did well. Aizawa read through the results of the test, every student seemed to excel in something different, except for Midoriya, the quirkless boy was always in the middle, never quite matching students with quirks that give a blatant advantage, but rarely falling behind when they weren't a factor. Aizawa shook his head, muttering under his breath, "In a world without quirks, he'd be extraordinary." He gathered the tired students around him, "Alright, none of you did badly enough to be expelled, congratulations."

Bakugou snarled, "How the fuck did the nerd not have the worst performance?"

Mirio stepped forward before Aizawa could answer, he wrapped his arm around the younger boy's shoulder, "It's rather simple, you can't do shit without your quirk, Izuku, meanwhile, had to actually do this neat thing called 'physical training', which made him out preform everyone that didn't get an active advantage from a quirk." He gave a smile that never reached his eyes, "In other words, he earned it, unlike you." Mirio separated from the glaring young man and gave Izuku a hug, "You did, great, in fact, I'd say you've earned a nice lunch with your buddies and your girlfriend." He smiled at Aizawa, "We're stealing your student."

Aizawa rolled his eyes, "Fine, make sure this doesn't become a common thing." He could tell from the way the three headaches glanced at each other that he would rarely have Izuku in his class, he gave a defeated sigh, "At least make sure he actually keeps up the rest of the class." Mirio gave a thumbs up as he, Amajiki, and Nejire dragged Izuku away, Mirio's cough fading in the distance as they left.

Chapter Text

Izuku took a deep steadying breath, his gear made him feel like a tank, but damn, was it heavy. He rolled his shoulders and neck, trying to ease their tension as he adjusted to the armored costume, "Supports didn't play around, feels like I could take on an army in this." He looked around, noticing that most of his classmates seemed to have different ideas for their equipment, often preferring stylized costumes over the heavy defenses he chose. He shrugged, they also had the luxury of using their quirks to defend themselves. He checked the pouch attached to his belt, he smiled at the various gadgets he requested, flash and smoke grenades, syringes filled with adrenaline, even a heavy combat knife and small first aid kit. He stopped rummaging around as All Might landed in front of the class with a slight boom, making most of the class jump.

The hero smiled at the assembled students, "Alright, Novices, we're gonna be starting off right, combat training, pair up and get ready. Teams of two, I'll pick randomly on who's gonna be the heroes and villains."

Izuku sighed, he adored All might, but the man wasn't meant to be a teacher. He raised his hand, "Could you explain what the exercise will be, so we know what we're preparing for?"

All Might pointed at him, "Good question, two teams will be fighting for a weapon hidden in the area, the villains will get fifteen minutes to prepare their defenses then the heroes will be sent in, you win by either capturing both parts of the opposing team with the tape I'll be providing, or by capturing the weapon by touching it as the hero."

The class started pairing off, some choosing based off what they saw in the physical the other day, some based off preexisting relationships, a few just picked based off an attraction to their future teammate. Izuku approached a man wearing a knight like costume with engines in his legs, "Hello, I'm Izuku Midoriya," he offered his hand, "What do you think about working with me?"

The young man shook Izuku's hand, "Tenya Iida, it's a pleasure, but...may I ask why?"

Izuku tapped a knuckle on Iida's breastplate, "We both know this was designed to look cool and help with air resistance when you run, it won't take a hit; my gear was designed with the express purpose of taking the biggest hits possible, not exactly good for moving quickly, though." He smiled, "We cover each other's weaknesses."

Iida returned the smile, "A fair point, I'm sure we'll impress."

All Might brought his hands together in a booming clap, "Alright, novices, now that you're all paired up, let's see who's the heroes and villains today!"

X-X-X

Izuku took a deep breath, "Easy, Izu, you got this, you can do this."

Iida watched as his teammate paced nervously, "Is something wrong? You seem worried."

Izuku sighed, "I've never seen Uraraka in action, but I know Bakugo, he's going to be a major problem."

Iida nodded, "I remember her performance in the entrance exam, she's capable, but, from what I saw, her quirk can overwhelm her."

Izuku took a steadying breath, "Right, I won't lie to you, Bakugo is going to be on the war path and looking for me, specifically." He raised a hand to stop Iida's response, "Just...let me handle him, I'm sorry, but you'll have to face Uraraka on your own." The pair entered the building at All Might's signal, they stayed close as they slowly made their way upward, watching for any trap or ambush; eventually, they found Bakugo, the furious man let out a feral growl as he lunged at Izuku. Iida rushed past, trusting Izuku's abilities to face his explosive foe; Izuku ducked the initial attack before throwing one of his own. Bakugo staggered from the impact of Izuku's heavy gauntlet, he spat out a tooth and snarled before charging in again.

Izuku kept a close eye on Bakugo, carefully anticipating his movements and countering as they happened the way Mirio taught him to, which seemed to only anger Bakugo further by the second. Bakugo managed to dodge a strike from Izuku and put distance between them, he glared at his opponent, how dare this insect, this pathetic, useless, scum not fall to his superior, this worthless extra wanted to play hero? Fine, he'll show Izuku what kind of power a real hero needed, he reached for the pin on his gauntlet, he chuckled as All Might ordered him to stop, claiming it would kill Izuku. He grinned like a demon, "Not if he dodges it!" He pulled the pin, only to feel his arm wretch upward as Izuku closed the distance and shoved the gauntlet to point upward.

The pair staggered as the floors above were blasted apart, destroyed by the devastating attack. Izuku grit his teeth and threw an uppercut with all the strength and fury as he could produce, teeth went flying as Bakugo's eyes glazed over and his knees gave out. He looked up and smiled as Iida gave him a thumbs up, his hand resting on the fake weapon and Uraraka bound with the capture tape. He let out a relieved sigh as All Might announced his team's victory.

X-X-X

Bakugo glared as he rubbed his sore jaw, damn Deku, bastard hit harder than a quirkless extra should. He stiffened as the ground started to shake, he looked around, shouldn't everyone be more worried about an earthquake. He opened his mouth to speak, only to falter as the shaking grew more intense at All Might's approach, the massive hero didn't have his usual smile as he dragged Bakugo to his feet, "Listen close, because I WILL NOT say this again, if I EVER tell you you'll kill someone by doing something, you stop what you're doing IMMEDIATELY, understood."

Bakugo, despite all his pride and bravado, was still a young man, a young man facing a furious hero, he nodded, pale and scared, "Y-Yes."

All Might let go of the hero in training, "Nezu's office, now." Bakugo nodded again, part of him wanted to rage at the treatment, to yell and curse at being treated like a child, but something about All Might literally shaking the earth with how angry he was made him stay silent as he followed. Izuku watched them go, he sighed, "Why do I feel guilty?" He shook his head and pulled out his phone, "Maybe talking to Mirio will help." He dialed the umber and listened to the ring, he stiffened when Amajiki answered, "Sorry, I though I wa-"

Amajiki interrupted him, "Izuku, g-get to the infirmary, Mirio...he...god, he was coughing up blood, h-he collapsed, get here, now!"

Chapter Text

Izuku practically sprinted to the infirmary after changing out of his hero suit, he could feel his heart racing as he neared the room his friend was in. to his surprise, he entered the room to find Mirio and Nejire playing a video game on a hand held console, like this was the most normal thing on Earth. He looked around, seeing Nighteye looking through a notebook, reading closely as he searched for something in the pages, and Amajiki asleep, the stress of the situation taking its toll and exhausting him. Izuku felt, somewhat, better, he chuckled, "With the way things sounded, I thought you were dying."

Mirio didn't look up, focused on winning while Nejire was distracted by a sudden sadness, her shoulders slumped as her expression dropped. He cheered as he won the match, "I win, oh, and I am, unless I can figure out what's causing the organ damage and stop it immediately."

Izuku paled, "Wh-what?! The Hell do you mean 'organ damage' what happened?"

Mirio put down the controller and sighed, "I got a pretty bad cough a few weeks ago, it got worse, I started feeling pain in my stomach, then I puked out a lot of blood and passed out." He glanced at Amajiki, "Amajiki was there, got me to the infirmary as fast as he could, then he called Sir Nighteye and Nejire, he was going to call you when you called me." He thought for a moment, "Which reminds me, what did you want to talk about?" He smiled, "Wait, you guys had your first combat exercise, today, right? How did it go, did you win?"

Izuku stared at him for a moment, "You're focusing on THAT?! You just told me you have organ damage; you clearly have more important things to worry about!" He took a steadying breath, "You said we have to stop whatever is causing this, any ideas what we're looking for?"

Nighteye looked up from his notebook, "I have a theory, but it's a matter that I need to discuss with All Might before making any discissions." He closed the book, "Do you know when he will arrive? he said he would come after his class was finished."

As though on cue, All Might entered the room, he closed and locked the door before letting his muscular form disappear, showing his emaciated form. He moved to stand next to Mirio's bedside, "Hey, hero you gave us a scare." The others glanced at each other; it was hard not to notice that the hero was speaking with the voice he used when visiting children nearing the end. He sighed, "Sorry, force of habit," he turned to Nighteye, "I think you mentioned having a theory?"

The former sidekick nodded, "Yes, but I would prefer discussing this in private first, it's about...you know."

All Might returned the nod, "Of course." He smiled at the others, "Just a moment, we'll be right back."

They waited for the pair to finish their discussion, Mirio drilled Izuku for every detail about the combat exercise, Amajiki woke as Izuku started explaining the fight with Bakugo. The trio had proud smiles as he described the way Mirio's teachings kept Izuku safe, how his gamble of shoving the gauntlet upward to aoid the final blast gave him the opportunity to land an uppercut, knocking the angry blonde unconscious. Izuku jumped as the heroes returned, All Might seemed proud, "It was a good punch, not exactly happy about you depending on it being fake, though." The hero let out a tired sigh as he sat down, "Right, Nighteye has a decent theory on what happened...but it requires some explanation first, on a few things." He studied Mirio for a moment, "Mirio, I have to ask, do you trust them? Enough for them to know?"

Mirio looked around him, studying every face thoroughly, looking for any sign that they might slip, that they'll reveal the secret they're about to be told. He took a deep, calming, breath, "Yes, I'll explain the secret, you explain Sir Nighteye's theory." He gestured to the chairs in the room, "Take a seat, this is gonna be a long talk."

Chapter Text

One trio stared at the other as Mirio finished explaining One for All, Izuku blinks several times in quick succession, "That's...a lot."

Nighteye nodded, "Yes, it is quite the legacy Mirio has taken up, and quite a bit of power as well." He adjusted his glasses and sighed, "I think it may be too much power."

Izuku let out a quiet grunt, "Like The Wine Glass Theory?"

Nejire tilted her head, "The what now?"

Amajiki looked up from fixing Mirio's pillow, "A doctor named Garaki theorized that people have a certain level of capacity for quirks and the power they have, to much power or to many quirks could cause severe damage or death." He sighed as he sat next to the bed, "Garaki compared people to wine glasses, there are a variety of sizes and capacities, but filling them to much will still cause it to overflow, making a mess...No one's really been able to test it, since most people either just have one quirk, or they can keep another quirk for an extremely limited amount of time, no one's ever overflowed."

Nighteye nodded, "Yes," he gave a halfhearted chuckle, "I can see why Mirio is so fond of you." He sighed, "I think we are seeing what happens when a glass overflows, I suppose they used a red wine, I'm not sure I would have the stomach to see what a white wine would look like."

Mirio laughed, "Kinda like blood after China censors it!" He gave Amajiki a teasing smile, "Or the after math of a very nice date." He and Nejire laughed as Amajiki and Izuku blushed, Nighteye pinched the bridge of his nose while All Might looked slightly traumatized.

All Might put his head in his hands, "...When did teenagers get so horny? At your age, I was a stuttering mess at the idea of just kissing a girl."

Mirio shrugged, "I don't like girls, so that might affect things, and if you think I'm bad, you should hear what Nejire wants to do to Izuku." The man in question stiffened as his girlfriend shrugged and smiled at him without any sign that Mirio was wrong.

Nighteye clapped loudly, "Okay, moving on!" He sighed, "My point is, Mirio's body can't handle One for All, it's causing internal damage that may end up killing him, but given All Might's state, I don't think he could take it back and do much better." The room's mood shifted immediately, Amajiki seemed on the verge of tears, Izuku stared at the floor as though it would give an answer to the problem, Nejire gently pat his back while fighting tears of her own.

All Might took a steadying breath, and seemed lost in thought for a moment, his eyes widened as he thought of something, "Wait a minute, what if we had an empty glass, one that's already prepared for the wine?"

The group glanced at each other, Izuku rubbed his temple in an attempt to alleviate a headache, "Can we just drop the analogy? It's not helping."

Nighteye hummed in thought, "That much power, I don't think-"

All Might waved away the sentence, "Yeah, yeah, yeah, can't be used by someone with a quirk or they'll die, but does that mean someone without a quirk could survive?"

Nighteye nodded, "I suppose, but they would still need to prepare their body for One for All, that process took Mirio months, I don't know if we have the time to find a quirkless person worthy of this legacy and train them to handle its power before Mirio's body reaches the point of no return."

All Might raised a brow, "Someone quirkless, we have that, someone worthy, he charged a dangerous villain multiple pros refused to face, trained to handle One for All, Mirio trained the boy to the point that he could probably bench press a car and run a ten-minute mile before fist fighting a gorilla." He smiled as he pointed out Izuku, "I mean, come on, it's like some badly written story on the internet, Izuku's perfectly fits every requirement!"

Nighteye opened his mouth to argue, but Mirio interrupted him, "You're right! Izuku, wanna save me and get a badass quirk?"

Izuku's eyes widened, "That's...wow All Might wasn't joking about this being like bad fanfiction." He chuckled, "Of course, what do I need to do?"

Mirio smiled and gestured to his friend to come closer, "Izuku Midoriya, are you ready to become the tenth wielder of One for All, to share in a legacy that has existed since the dawn of this era?" Izuku nodded, his eyes shining at the idea of having a quirk and saving his friend at the same time. Mirio kept smiling as he plucked a hair from his head, "Alright, eat this."

Izuku stared blankly for a moment before laughing, "Okay, that was funny, but seriously, what do I need to do?"

Mirio offered him the hair, "Eat this, the quirk can only be transferred through consuming the previous wielder's DNA, there are other options, but we're both in happy relationships, and you're not my type."

Izuku blushed as he snatched the hair from his friend's hand, "You know, taking something seriously wouldn't kill you." He ate the hair and blanched at its taste, "Ew, we could have waited for your shampoo to dissipate, your hair tastes like chemicals and mint."

All Might laughed, "I fucking told you shampoo would make it taste worse!" To his horror, Recovery Girl picked that moment to enter the room, the small old woman paled before silently turning and leaving. All Might stood and went to the door, "Wait, you need context, come back! I swear, I'm not like that!"

Mighteye followed his yelling friend, he glanced at Izuku before leaving, "You may need to update the forms you signed, UA will want to know they have such a late bloomer on their hands."

Mirio turned to Izuku as Nighteye left, "Alright, now to more important business, I heard you had your first combat exercise, how'd it go, I need details, details, details!"

Chapter Text

Bakugo ground his teeth, damn Deku, he should have just given up, but no, the bastard just had to stoke his own ego and attack. The angry blonde bounced his leg impatiently, All Might said he'd be a minute, and Nezu refused to talk without the grinning idiot. It didn't help that Nezu kept staring at him, studying every detail as they waited. After what felt like hours, All Might walked in, the hero's usual smile was gone as he squeezed himself into one of the chairs across from the small highly intelligent creature he called his boss, "Right, let's start from the beginning."

Bakugo snarled, "Yeah, why was that quirkless freak allowed into UA in the first place?!"

For the first time in his life, Bakugo shrank back as All Might and Nezu glared at him, the building shook until All Might took a steadying breath, "One, because I gave him a recommendation; Two, because he passed the required tests; and Three, he isn't a spoiled little-"

Nezu interrupted his colleague by clearing his throat, "You've made your point, or points, please calm down." He turned to Bakugo, "This is quite serious, Mister Bakugo, excessive aggression and disobedience can be forgiven separately, or if someone's life isn't at risk." The pale stoat sighed, "I can't just let you walk away after this...but I can hardly throw you out on your ear for your first big mistake."

All Might let out an annoyed grunt, "he is disobedient, disrespectful, and he was willing to kill someone over a combat exercise. Taking a sparring match seriously is one thing, ignoring a teacher and using lethal force is another."

Nezu nodded, "True, as I said, I can't just let Mister Bakugo just walk away...something tells me to many people have done exactly that." The white capibara studied the young man for a moment, the boy seemed nervous, occasionally glancing at All Might, as though he was worried about the powerful hero having another ground shaking burst of rage. He stroked his chin as he though, "Tell me, Mister Bakugo, what is your relationship with Mister Midoriya?"

Bakugo stiffened at the question before letting out a frustrated growl, "That fucker, he always looked down on me, I never wanted his pity, but he never lets up, never stops acting all high and mighty, he's not, and I'll be damned if I let him pretend that he is!" All Might and Nezu glanced at ech other, neither one seemed ready for such an outburst, even as Bakugo continued, "The fucker isn't a hero in training, he's a damn imposter, he lied his way into a fucking recommendation he didn't deserve, and now he's probably bragging that he managed to con his way into a bullshit victory!" Nezu raised a hand to keep All Might from jumping to his friend's defense as Bakugo kept ranting, "And now, instead of actually removing that stain on UA's reputation, you're treating me like a damn criminal!"

Nezu shook his head, "That was...intense. Tell me, Mister Bakugo, why do you want to be a hero?"

Bakugo scoffed, the albino rat was getting on his nerves, "To show I'm the strongest."

Nezu raised a brow, "That didn't answer my question. Why do you want to be a hero?"

Bakugo glared at him, "I just told you." He pointed at All Might, "Hell, look at him, do you know anyone that can even compete with his strength, I plan on surpassing that!"

All Might crossed his arms, "Still not answering the question, why hero work? You could join the military, or some sort of fighting league, Hell, I've faced many powerful villains, ones that I can't doubt their strength."

Nezu nodded, "Exactly, listen, you're a strong young man, and clearly one with enough will to do great things, but not as you are, currently, you're an active danger to yourself, your classmates, and my school, the same school you claim Mister Midoriya's presence tarnishes." The white weasel hummed in thought, "Well, I have one last question, think carefully, because this will affect how we proceed from here. Now, does your drive to become a hero outweigh your anger towards Mister Midoriya?"

Bakugo rolled his eyes, still trying to maintain some form of defiance despite the situation, "Obviously. That pest is just an annoying roadblock for me."

Nezu could see All Might grinding his teeth, "Toshinori, please, get some air, maybe punch a tree." The building shook as the powerful hero left to take a short walk, Nezu turned back to Bakugo, "I could let him beat you, or let Aizawa expel you, I could even have charges pressed for attempted murder, part of me thinks I should." The sadistic dog smiled at the way Bakugo paled, "I see you're grasping the situation, good. Now, from this moment forward, you will be meeting with Hound Dog for counseling every day until he declares you to be fully safe to be around others, in that time, you will be fully prohibited from any form of quirk usage on UA campus, and I will personally see to it that you never become a hero if you break that rule, if you try to transfer to another hero school or change your course at this one, I will black list you. Do you know what that means?" He chuckled as Bakugo nervously shook his head, "Simply put, when the head of the top hero school in the world says 'this student is a problem' people tend to listen, other schools won't want the hassle, and no teacher here is willing to risk their job for a loud, abrasive, narcissistic, possibly sociopathic little shit, like you!" The tiny white bear took a steadying breath, "I'm sure you can become a great hero, but to put it bluntly, you really need to get your head out of your ass and shut the fuck up, if you'll pardon my language."

Bakugo nodded, slightly in shock from the porcelain cat's words, "I-I'll call my mom and tell her I'll be late..."

Nezu smiled, all previous anger seeming to disappear as he returns to the usually jovial mystery creature trying to be an educator, "I'm glad, remember, every day, and no quirk usage until you're cleared, that includes combat training and the sports festival, and do keep in mind, Hound Dog's heightened senses make him a good lie detector, and he has little patience for dishonesty."

Bakugo nodded and stood; he gave a quick bow before leaving, still shocked by the snowy ferret's threats. He flinched as he left the building to see All Might pulverize a tree with an earth-shaking punch, he actively avoided eye contact with the furious hero as he started towards Hound Dog's office, already dreading what the school's infamous guidance counselor had in store for him.

Chapter Text

Izuku stared at his hand for a moment, he didn't feel any different, there was no sudden rush, no feeling of power, just the unease in eating someone's hair. He shook his head with a sigh, "At least, it helped Mirio."

He jumped slightly at a voice, "That guy that keeps showing up and taking you out of class?" Izuku chuckled as the frog girl that asked him put her finger to her mouth, "We haven't been properly introduced, I'm Tsuyu Asui, but call me Tsu."

Izuku offered his hand, "Izuku Midoriya, it's a pleasure to meet you." He smiled as Tsu shook his hand, "And yes...that guy that keeps dragging me away, he's a good friend, he needed some help, recently, I'm just glad I could help him."

Tsu nodded, "That's good, it's nice knowing someone wants to help people." She glanced at where Bakugo was sitting at the front of the bus, sullenly staring out the window in his standard uniform, "Especially with guys like him around."

Izuku sighed, "He's not that bad, he's just...difficult."

Another student, he heard someone call him Kaminari, laughed, "Oh come on, we've known him for, like, three weeks and we can all tell his personality is hot garbage!"

Bakugo scowled but stayed silent as the class laughed, seemingly getting endless entertainment from calling out the angry young man. Izuku's brows furrowed, he's been on the other side of this before, "That's enough, everyone had their say, no point in beating a dead horse." The laughter calmed down, which seemed to only ager Bakugo further, the angry blonde could taste blood from how hard he had to bite his tongue to stay silent.

Aizawa stood as the bus stopped, "Alright everyone, off the bus, don't break anything, don't injure each other, and act like you have more than one shared braincell."

The class filed out, largely ignoring his last instruction as they entered the massive building. They looked around in awe at the massive complex a few noticed the hero waiting for them, Uraraka seemed particularly excited at the prospect of learning from Thirteen. Izuku smiled at her excitement, wondering how many times he had a similar expression around All Might, it was endearing seeing someone else gush about their favorite hero. Izuku furrowed his brows, barely paying attention to Thirteen's warnings about the lethality of their powers, he tilted his head as several people seemed to just appear in a purple mist. His eyes widened as Kirishima asked about the 'fake' villains, he stepped forward, ready to charge in and face them head on, but Aizawa was quick in doing the same. The pro almost immediately dismantled their cohesion with his quirk and scarf, calling back to them, "Thirteen, keep the students safe, the rest of you, stay out of this!"

Izuku ground his teeth, torn between doing what he was told, and what he thought was necessary as Aizawa fought for their lives. He paled as the ground seemed to disappear from under him, one of the villains was opening a portal, sending several of his classmates to several parts of the USJ before Thirteen stepped in to protect the ones still there. Izuku groaned as he landed on the deck of a ship, he stood and leaned on the ship's cabin and looked around, Tsu and the guy with grapes on his head, he was sure his name was Mineta, were getting to their feet as well, he wasn't alone, but they were still surrounded and heavily outnumbered. He shook his head to clear it as he approached the disoriented pair, "Are you two alright?"

Tsu nodded while Mineta whimpered, he looked around, hyperventilating as he processed how bad the situation was, "Oh god, oh god, they're everywhere! there's just three of us against all that?!"

Tsu placed a hand on his shoulder and tried to sooth the panicking boy, "Easy, we'll be alright, we just need to think of something."

Izuku took a steadying breath, "Let's start with our quirks, I didn't know I had it until recently, but my quirk enhances my physical strength, but I don't understand it enough for it to be reliable." Izuku thought carefully as the others explained their quirks, Mineta's sounded useful for capturing people, and Tsu's sounded good for getting off the ship and away from the villains. He took a steadying breath, "Okay, Mineta, we're going to need you to throw as many of your balls into the water as possible, it doesn't matter if they hit anything, just throw." He turned to Tsu as he pulled several concussive grenades from his belt, "Tsu, you need to be ready to grab us and go, quickly."

He started arming the grenades, pressing the red buttons to activate their timers as Mineta did as he was told. Izuku waited until the balls were getting the villains' attention, none of them seemed to know what they were, just that the purple kid on the ship had thrown them while screaming. Izuku threw the grenades into the water and relaxed his body to make Tsuyu's task easier, the frog girl moved the moment the grenades went off, she easily scooped Mineta up and wrapped her tongue around Izuku's waist before leaping off the ship while the water surged, trapping the villains with Mineta's balls.

Tsuyu glanced back as they landed in the water's edge, "You may need to get support to dial those back."

Izuku nodded absentmindedly as he watched a massive man with a beak pin Aizawa to the ground, a younger man with hands covering his body glanced at the trio, Izuku rushed out of the water as the man grinned under his mask, "Oh, let's see how much of a hero you really are, Erasure."

Aizawa's eyes widened as the villain rushed Izuku with his hands out, "Midoriya, your knife!" He let out a pained grunt as the massive man slammed his head into the ground. Izuku drew the heavy combat knife from his belt and slashed, the villain staggered back, screaming as he held his bleeding hand, he stared at the pinky on the ground. Izuku pressed his advantage with a hook to his opponent's jaw, sending him to the ground, spitting teeth and shaking with fury. Izuku's triumph was ended as the man with a beak rushed him and sent him flying with a hook of his own.

The armor didn't fall apart, but it did dent heavily, breaking just about every rib, several of which punctured his lungs. Izuku tried to stand, but his opponent was too fast, Izuku tried to pry the massive man's hand off his throat as he was lifted in the air and slammed into the ground. Izuku put everything he had into a punch, a last attempt at freedom, and possible survival. He screamed partially from feeling every bone in his arm shatter from the impact, and partially because the man's head was pulverized, but he didn't even stagger, that beaked head just regrew, his blank eyes staring at the student hero in his grip. Izuku felt more and more light-headed every second as the man squeezed his throat, the man looked up at the war cry Izuku had loved for years a cry that meant they were saved. Izuku gave a smug grin as All Might roared, "I AM HERE!" he chuckled, "That means you lost." The man holding him slammed him into the ground again, this time leaving him to focus on All Might.

Izuku was barely conscious as he lay on the ground, forcing air into his ravaged lungs, he heard someone moving towards him. He turned his head and saw Aizawa dragging himself towards him, the injured teacher collapsed next to Izuku, "You...you did good, kid, just hold on...just hold on..." He kept repeating that phrase, almost like a prayer in hopes the young man would make it.

Chapter Text

Izuku woke to the sounds of medical equipment beeping and the feeling of his broken ribs grating against each other. He opened his eyes, seeing that only one was uncovered by the bandages wrapped around his head. He let out a pained hiss as he tried to lift his arm, accidentally making the bones of his shattered arm rub against each other. He looked around the room, seeing his mom and Nejire sleeping in chairs next to his bed, as well as several empty chairs, he could only guess if they have seen recent use. He turned his head to look at the opening door, seeing Mirio and Amajiki enter with questionable take out.

Mirio's eyes widened, he dropped the food in his excitement as he rushed forward to hug his friend, "Izu, thank God! We thought...God, it's good to see you're alright." The bandages muffled Izuku's response, but it was clear the man was in pain with the tight hug pressing his broken bones together. The blonde man let go quickly, "I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking!"

Inko groaned as she woke, "What's happening? Why are you yelling?" She froze at the sight of her now conscious son in the arms of his friend, she gently shook Nejire, "Wake up, dear, he's awake!" Nejire blinked groggily for a few seconds before she fully realized what Inko said. The pair rushed forward and wrapped Izuku in a hug, holding him tight as they cried in relief that he was still alive.

Mirio sat on the edge of the bed, "Jeez, you gave us all a bad scare, it's been a long two years."

Amajiki threw a wrapped sandwich at his boyfriend's head, "I specifically asked you not to try that joke." He gently pulled the crying women off Izuku, "It's only been two days, but we were worried it would last longer."

Inko took some deep, steadying breaths, then she grabbed Izuku's shoulders and started shaking him, "WHAT THE HELL?! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?! OH GOD, I THOUGHT I LOST YOU! YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO DO ANYTHING LIKE THIS AGAIN! DO YOU HEAR ME?!" The short, furious woman turned to the door as someone entered the room, "WHO ARE YOU, AND WHAT DO YOU WANT?!"

Aizawa raised his hands in a calming gesture, "I'm his teacher, Shouta Aizawa, I heard yelling and came to check." He limped to Izuku, "You did...adequately, but your quirk is dangerous, I spoke to Recovery Girl, according to her, it's what caused your arm to shatter."

Inko interrupted the lecture, "I'm sorry, did you just say the man that got damn near half the bones in her body trying to save people did 'adequately', 'ADEQUARELY'?! ARE YOU FUCKING HIGH?!" The short ball of rage stomped towards the injured teacher, "What was 'adequate' was you protecting your students! I'll admit, you kept them alive, but how many were injured, how many are traumatized after being attacked by LITERAL FUCKING VILLAINS?!" The stunned teacher was pulled down to look into her anger filled eyes, "I don't care if you think he needs a lecture, believe me, he'll be getting several; but your happy ass needs to wait in line!"

Aizawa nodded with a surprising amount of fear, "Yes Ma'am." He staggered back as the terrifying woman let him go, he cleared his throat, "I'll wait to speak with him about his quirk."

Inko gave a satisfied nod, "Good," She handed him her phone, "Put your number in, I'll let you know when he's recovered, then you can join the lecture marathon." She smiled as he did as he was told, "Oh, and we should discuss the specifics of said marathon, clear your Friday night, we'll discuss it over dinner."

Mirio and Izuku glanced at each other, Izuku blinked several times, "Is she..."

Mirio nodded, "Yep." He grinned, "You may have a stepdad soon."

Izuku sighed and glanced at his arm, "Did you have any recoil, like this?"

Mirio shook his head with a sigh, "No, but my original quirk required a lot of focus and control, I might have just used that to control the output, you just went all out." He shrugged, "Looks like I'm back to being your teacher, we'll start on control when your back on your feet."

Izuku laid back and listened as his friends marveled at his mother's aggressive flirting with his teacher, he let out a long sigh, "I can already tell, this is gonna be a long year."

Chapter Text

Mirio hummed a quiet tune as he followed Nejire, "You're sure Ryukyu is okay with this?"

Nejire smiled, "Yep, she said we can watch with her and Mirko, as long as we don't add to whatever damage she causes."

Amajiki nodded, "Fair enough, she's a pro hero, how much damage could she cause?"

They opened the door to Ryukyu's private box, revealing Miruko putting a remote through a TV, shouting, "Over confidant shit!" she rolled her eyes, "'Just so you know I'm gonna win this' ducking douche bag, you can only talk shit during and after kicking ass, not before!" The rabbit hero crossed her arms as she sat down, she glanced at the door, "Oh, those're the people you said were coming?"

Ryukyu rubbed her temples, "Yes, and why am I with you, again?"

Rumi chuckled, "Because I treat you like a queen, and I can pop a tire with my thighs."

Mirio nodded, "Not what rocks my boat, but I respect it."

The trio sat with Ryukyu while Rumi set up a new TV screen, the dragoon hero snatched the remote from her easily agitated lover, "Nope, one was enough." The rabbit hero pouted like a petulant child as the first event started. Ryukyu let out a quiet grunt, "Just like the leader boards." She noticed the slight confusion from the students, and Rumi, she sighed, "The race, there's only one winner, everyone else behind them, lust like being a pro." She pointed out how Todoroki was already ahead, "Like him, he's already got a lead, but now, he's faltering," Izuku took the lead while Todoroki was freezing the zero pointer, "and just like that, he's been replaced at the front." She noticed a certain student near the back and chuckled, "It also shows that you need more than confidence to rise in the ranks, that young man was convinced he'd win the gold, now he's fallen so far behind that he'll likely never see the number one spot."

Rumi laughed, "That's why you don't talk shit before the fight," She grinned at the trio's badly hidden glee, "Not your favorite, I'm guessing?"

Mirio shook his head, "Not at all, ours is the green haired guy in the front." He cheered as Izuku passed another obstacle, using his quirk to smash through the stone wall, "Seeing him win will make skipping our last festival worth it."

Amajiki smiled, "Yeah, this is less terrifying, too, less people watching us."

Rumi shook her head, "Grow some balls."

Mirio glared at the rabbit hero, "Leave him alone."

Rumi chuckled, "Oh, he needs you to fight for him, too?"

Ryuko grabbed a carrot and shoved it into Rumi's mouth, "Stop trying to fight teenagers."

Amajiki followed the dragoon hero's lead and shoved a candy bar into Mirio's mouth, "No fighting pro heroes."

Nejire giggled at the identically petulant response from the pair as they crossed their arms and chewed the food their lovers put in their mouths. She pouted as the camera focused on Bakugo doing something in the mine field, she tilted her head, "What is he doing?"

The angry young man used a broken chunk of the zero pointer's armor to dig up mines, Amajiki leaned forward as the punished bully put the mines in a pile, "Is he going to do what I think he is?"

Mirio and Rumi glanced at each other, seemingly torn between respect for the insane and slightly suicidal plan and lingering resentment towards the man's existence. They all jumped at the earth-shaking BOOM, they watched as Izuku and Todoroki neared the finish line, neck in neck, crossing it at the same time as their screaming classmate. Present Mic's voice filtered through the speakers, "Now THAT was a finish! We'll have to review the footage to know who was what in the rankings. I know who I was rooting for, but I'm pretty sure Aizawa will hit me if I say it."

Aizawa's voice answered, "Repeatedly, now everyone, wait while we look through the footage."

Mic's sulky voice came through, "Kinda hope Midoriya won."

Aizawa sighed, "You're supposed to be impartial."

Mic scoffed, "I'm not the one banging his mom." There was a crashing sound, "I think he heard that...where did he even find a sledge hammer?"

Aizawa sighed, "For the love of-this is gonna be a long day."

Chapter Text

Nejire pouted petulantly at the scores on the screen, 'First Place: Katsuki Bakugo Second Place: Izuku Midoriya...' She huffed, "That's just mean."

Ryuuko chuckled at her protege's antics, "It was quite the plan, though, high risk high reward." She raised a brow at the points given to the students, "Very high reward."

Rumi laughed as the next event was explained, "Oh, he's fucked, now." She shook her head, "Talked shit to start, hasn't used his quirk at all, and now he's got a massive target on his back." The rabbit hero chewed on a carrot, "Maybe he'll get lucky and that dude with purple hair knows what he's doing." She tilted her head as the blond boy in question suddenly stiffened and obediently followed the one with purple hair. She glanced at Ryuko, "You see that, too?"

The dragoon hero nodded and leaned forward, "Mind control, or hypnosis, both could be useful, easy to abuse, though."

Rumi shrugged, "I still remember those ethics questions on the entrance exam, he wouldn't get in if he's a shit heel." She laughed again when she saw the jealous glare Nejire was giving the screen as Midoriya lifted a ginger haired girl with a bird boy and pink haired girl, "I know that look, I nearly ripped the hair out of Mt. Lady's head when she got a little too chummy with my dragon queen." She chuckled and wrapped an arm around her lover's shoulder as the blonde woman hid her blushing face with her hands, "Oh hush, you know you love it when I call you that."

The group stiffened as the starting shot rang out, the various teams scrambled, most went for the point they thought they could safely grab, others went on the defensive, trying desperately to maintain what they had. One group from Class B was specifically targeting teams from Class A, Mirio shook his head, "I always hated when people did that." He crossed his arms as the team stole more points from Class A, "The moment they leave U.A. they're not gonna know what to do without classes to decide who to work with."

Rumi shrugged, "I like it, you can't get complacent, otherwise, people die." She let out a grunt as the purple haired boy managed to barely dodge an attempt to grab a headband, "He's quick, useful quirk, too." She glanced at Ryuuko, "What do you think, intern material?"

Ryuuko watched him for a moment, "I'm not sure, his quirk is useful, and he seems to have good situational awareness." The dragoon hero shrugged, "I'll need to see him act on his own, but he does bare watching." She chuckled as Nejire started pouting again, this time, because Midoriya's team had to adjust how its ride was being carried, leaving the ginger girl's thighs around the blushing young man's head while the bird boy's shadow lashed out and a device the pink haired girl was holding was making some sort of sound that caused the surrounding teams to cover their ears. She pat her protege's shoulder, "Calm down, dear, I'm sure this is just for the event."

Nejire crossed her arms, "He is in big trouble if he doesn't move that girl off him."

The hero couple laughed, both wondering how many times they've had similar thoughts. Mirio chuckled, "Lucky for me, I don't have to worry, Amajiki like his men dumb and buff." He raised his arm to avoid the flustered swats from the shy young man, "Come on, you know I'm right."

The group jumped as the timer went off, Present Mic's voice came through, "Alright, listeners, that's the end of this song, let's get a look at those scores!" The screen displayed the teams as he announced them, "With 1,000,245 points: Hitoshi Shinso, Katsuki Bakugo, Yuga Aoyama, and Mashirao Ojiro. With 2,025 points: Izuku Midoriya, Itsuka Kendo, Mei Hatsume, and Fumikage Tokoyami. With 1,917points: Shoto Todoroki, Momo Yaoyorozu, Tenya Iida, and Ochako Uraraka. With 1,871 points: Neito Monoma, Shiozki Ibara, Setsuna Tokage, Tetsu Tetsu." Mic stopped as a member of Shinso's team raised his hand and spoke.

Rumi rolled her eyes, "This place has more money than God, but they can't hook up a T.V. with working audio?"

Present Mic's voice came through while Midnight waved her cat of nine tails in the air, "You heard it here, folks, Mashirao Ojiro just gave up his spot in the finals, who will replace him, I wonder...I als wonder why the ladies of Class A decided to go full fan service."

Rumi laughed as the screen showed a very embarrassed group of young women in cheerleader uniforms, "Every fucking year, and it's still going strong!"

Ryuko rolled her eyes, "Yeah, I remember that you were awfully smug when your little trick worked on the girls in our class."

Rumi shrugged, "I was a horny teenager surrounded by pretty girls dressed like cheerleaders, I was on cloud nine." She grinned and pulled Ryuuko into her lap, "I also remember a certain dragon kept staring at my legs, or was that my imagination?" The pair froze when Mirio's cough pulled them from their little world, Rumi tossed the blonde boy her wallet, "Next round starts in an hour, you three fuck off till then."

The trio quickly left the room, they could hear the pair going at it the moment the door closed. Mirio cleared his throat, "Well, they're fun." He checked the wallet, "She's got enough in here for us to grab lunch with Izu."

Nejire was floating down the hall before her friends could stop her, the young couple glanced at each other. Amajiki let out a nervous whine, "Is Izuku going to survive this?"

Mirio opened and closed his mouth several times as he searched for an answer, "Good question, I suppose, it depends on if we catch up in time." The pair stiffened when they realized the situation and sprinted down the hall to intercept their jealous friend. They found her angrily cuddling with Izuku, the young man waved and let out a muffled greeting, Mirio laughed, "I thought this was gonna go in a different direction." He sat next to them as Nejire tightened her grip, like an anaconda with her prey, Mirio bit the inside of his cheek in an attempt to stop his laugh, "You're gonna break the poor guy if you don't let him go."

Nejire kept her petulant pout, "No, he needs to remember who his girlfriend is." Izuku made several muffled sounds that may have been words while waving his hands, Nejire huffed and loosened her grip, "I told you to tap my thigh if you couldn't breathe."

Izuku gasped and pulled in as much air as he could, "Hands were stuck, one couldn't reach anything, the other..." He blushed brightly, "Well, I didn't want to move it."

Nejire glanced down and saw the blushing boy's hand on her chest, she grinned and giggled as she returned to her usual, jovial self, "Good, remember that next time you work with other girls, they won't let you get away with that." She pulled him back into the aggressive cuddle, "We're so proud, you did amazing!"

Mirio chuckled and checked if Izuku could breathe before nodding, "Yeah, your control has gotten much better, you were using those breathing exercises I showed you, right?" He smiled at the thumbs up Izuku gave him, "I knew it, and you were pretty good in the cavalry battle, too, great anticipation and situational awareness." He gently shook Nejire's shoulder, "Come on, let him go so we can get some lunch." He held up Rumi's wallet, "Today, it's on Mirko."

Chapter Text

The trio returned to the box, thankful that it was quiet on their approach, Mirio knocked on the door, "Are you two decent?"

Rumi opened the door with a grin, "I'd say we're both a hell of a lot better than 'decent'." The rabbit hero lead the students into the box, she pointed out the chairs that weren't broken, "Left those for you."

Mirio looked around the messy room and the shattered furniture throughout it, "You two are definitely...thorough."

Ryuuko shushed them, "Hush, they're announcing the next round."

The screen showed a massive wheel spinning, Rumi crossed her fingers, "Come on, 'Dizzy Fighting', that shit was hilarious." She pouted as the wheel stopped, "'Full Kit', that's fine...I guess, not as fun, though."

Present Mic's voice rang out, "There it is, ladies and germs, 'Full Kit' where our students can show off everything they've got, tools, suits, and of course, they awesome quirks."

There was the sound of shuffling papers before Aizawa's tired voice came through, "The first-round matches will be: Katsuki Bakugo vs. Hitoshi Shinso, Izuku Midoriya vs. Neito Monoma, Setsuna Tokage vs. Yuga Aoyama, Tenya Iida vs. Shoto Todoroki, Mei Hatsume vs. Ibara Shiozaki, Tetsu Tetsu vs. who replaced Ojiro? oh right, Eijiro Kirishima, Fumikage Tokoyami vs. Momo Yaoyorozu, Itsuka Kedo vs. Ochako Uraraka." He let out a tired sigh, "I can already tell, this is going to be a long day."

X-X-X

Bakugo took several deep breaths to calm himself before biting his own tongue, he let out a pained grunt when he tasted blood. He hissed slightly before entering the arena, blood welled up at the sides of his mouth as he made his way to the ring. Shinso, the cocky bastard that he was chuckled, "And there he is, let's get this finished quick." The mind controller scowled at Bakugo's silent glare, "What? Nothing to say? Come on, where's the confidence from earlier?" He felt his own confidence waver as his glaring opponent bared his bloody teeth, the furious man started moving forward the moment the fight started.

Bakugo sprinted forward, snarling as he tackled Shinso to the ground and started beating him, he growled like a feral animal as his fists rained down on the bastard that had the audacity to use him like a damn tool. he felt the pain in his tongue fade with every strike, he eventually spoke, "I heard you bitching under your breath, the constant fucking whining and crying about your, god damn quirk." He grabbed a fistful of purple hair and slammed Shinso's head onto the ground, "It was your only, fucking plan, though, you bitch and moan about how much you hate your quirk, then make it you entire, fucking plan?!"

Shinso spit bloody phlegm into Bakugo's face, "At least I can use my quirk, you're just a feral dog that Nezu put on a leash, how's it feal, not using your quirk for so long?" Bakugo hit him hard enough for his head to bounce off the ground.

Bakugo stood and started dragging his battered opponent to the ring's edge, he tossed Shinso's foot over the edge, winning the round, "How's it feal, knowing you lost to someone not using their quirk?" He shook his head, "Can't fucking believe I let a worthless extra, like you, control me." He gave Shinso one last kick to the ribs before walking away, "And learn how to fight! That was, fucking, pathetic."

X-X-X

Rumi shook her head as Present Mic gave his 'insightful' commentary, "Well, that was one sided."

Aizawa let out a tired sigh, "True. Shinso's quirk is useful, but he needs to work on his combat skills and physical capabilities, especially if he intends to be a hero."

The rabbit hero sighed, "Idiot thought he could bank on his quirk, can't deny, it'd be useful, assuming you're the type of pansy to avoid a fight."

Ryuuko nodded as the next combatants entered the ring, "There's no shame in wanting to avoid unnecessary damage." The dragoon hero sighed as the pair immediately started brawling, "Unlike those two, a slug fest doesn't prove capability, all they're doing is extending the fight, good for the ego, but not for being a hero."

Mirio shook his head as the pair knocked each other out, "Yeah, but cut them some slack, they're first years trying to prove themselves, we've all been there."

X-X-X

Itsuka took a steadying breath as she entered the ring, she studied her opponent as she entered on the other side. The martial artist took a defensive stance, one touch from Uraraka would end the round, from the look in the other woman's face, she knew it too. Uraraka rushed forward, her hand reaching out, Itsuka moved her arm to deflect the attack, careful to avoid touching the other woman's fingertips. Itsuka grimaced, her opponent was relentless, never giving her room to breathe or properly use her quirk, the massive hands could end the round with relative ease, but the situation she was in would only lead to her hitting herself. Itsuka watched closely, looking for any form of pattern in her opponent's attacks; her eyes widened when she saw it, every third attack was towards her head, the other two were always directed towards her torso or limbs, she watched closer, the other woman mistakenly looped on herself, eventually letting Itsuka figure out the perfect time to counter.

Ituska grabbed Uraraka's wrists and slammed her forehead into her nose, Uraraka's head jerked back from the impact only to come crashing back into Itsuka's nose in return. The women staggered back, separating for a moment as they regained their bearings. Uraraka rushed forward, hands outstretched at what she thought was her still stunned foe. The martial artist surprised her by redirecting the attack upwards, she used her quirk as she hit Uraraka back with an open palm. The gravity remover was launched back with the air knocked out of her by Itsuka's enlarged hand, she tried to stagger to her feet, but froze as Midnight made her announcement, "Ochako Uraraka is out of the ring, Itsuka Kendo is the winner!"

X-X-X

Rumi chuckled, "Those two were pretty good, one was stubborn enough to keep going, the other knew exactly how to handle it." The rabbit hero grinned, "Maybe, I should rethink my 'no interns or sidekicks' rule, those two seem like they can keep up." She laughed as the next pair entered the ring, "That girl's also pretty brave! That outfit not something you put on if you're a coward."

Ryuuko blushed slightly, "It's definitely bold." She let out a hum as the girl pulled a mace and shield from her arms. "She seems to have a method to her madness, as well, maybe she needs exposed skin for her quirk?"

Amajiki shifted in his seat, "Couldn't she get the same result with Velcro, or zippers on her costume?"

Rumi shrugged, "no guarantee you can get it open in time, in some situations, the only thing keeping you alive is half a second. Velcro can stick a little too well, or stick horribly and slow your movements, zippers can get stuck and not open fast enough, or not close properly unless you mess with them." She showed off her own costume, "I avoid anything that could even slightly slow me down or get in the way." She shook her head as the girl was pushed back more and more by the bird headed boy she was facing, "Looks like she set herself up to deal with half second issues, but she isn't ready to deal with them."

Mirio scratched his head, "Why not use material made from her hair, like I had too?"

Ryuuko hummed in thought, "One of two reasons, either she can't use her hair as a surface to create, or she just likes how it looks." She chuckled, "She'd hardly be the first woman to take pride in her appearance." She sighed as the round ended with the bird headed boy's victory, "Her real issue is not being able to properly react to a sudden change of plan, best cure for that is simply more experience."

X-X-X

Shoto ground his teeth, the bastard was watching, he knew Endeavor would be here, but it didn't make the situation more pleasant. He studied Iida for a moment, he raised a brow as Iida started to chuckle, "A duel between heroic heirs, almost something out of a story book, don't you think." The Iida heir offered his hand, "We may be enemies in the ring, but I will still try to show you plenty of respect."

Shoto shook the offered hand, his anger slightly abated by the simple act of sportsmanship, "I'll...I'll try to do the same." He studied his hand as Iida returned to his corner while Midnight cooed about how much of a gentleman he is. Iida rushed forward once the round started, Shoto answered by blasting as much ice as he could at the sprinting man. He froze half the arena, then staggered back as Iida's engine powered kick hit his jaw. Iida used the engine in his frozen leg to melt the ice and free it before bringing it up to smash the ice around his upper body. The now freed knight rushed his opponent, Shoto barely ducked a high kick, feeling the wind rush above him in the leg's wake. He rolled out of the way of Iida's following ax kick; he paled at the crack in the ground it made. Shoto let out a frustrated grunt as he dodged and dodged, frustrated by how defensive he had to be. Iida stayed on the offensive, kicking and kicking while rushing forward, unfortunately for him, Shoto's attack left ice in the ring, he slipped, momentarily losing balance. Shoto took the opening and sent out another massive blast of ice, covering more of the arena and trapping his opponent, he panted as Midnight announced his victory.

The infamous heroine shouted immediately after, "Now melt the damn ice, I'm not in the mood for temperature play!"

Shoto did as he was told, placing his hand on the ice and starting to melt it, "Sorry, had to get some anger out."

X-X-X

Rumi gave an appreciative whistle, "Damn, Endeavor's kid doesn't play."

Nejire tilted her head, "I didn't know he had a family."

Ryuuko nodded as a girl with green hair entered the ring with a blonde young man, "It's not exactly common knowledge, he's a rather private person, but there have been...rumors over the years." She sighed as the next pair entered the ring, "I don't take such things seriously, but...I would still recommend keeping your distance from him and his kin, he is a rather harsh man, and not overly fond of people." The dragoon hero covered her mouth, as the boy blasted his opponent the moment the round started, cutting her in half

Rumi paled, "Did he just-" The man fell on his back and scrambled away as the top half of his fallen opponent started crawling towards him, leaving a trail of blood, "Holy shit, what the fuck!?" The green girl laughed once the blond man fell out of the ring, and started sprinting away in blind terror, the girl's bottom half got to its feet and walked towards the upper half. The girl reattached her halves and blew the screaming boy a kiss before sauntering out of the ring, Midnight raised a shaking arm and announced the winner. Rumi shook her head, "Blood packets and a quirk that lets you detach body parts, that girl's got a career in horror if hero work doesn't work out." The rabbit hero put a hand to her chest, "Nearly gave me a, damn, heart attack."

X-X-X

Izuku took a steadying breath as he entered the ring, that last match was something out of a horror movie, it was clever, Setsuna using her quirk and fake blood to frighten Aoyama showed an impressive amount of tactical skill. He shook his head, he didn't have time to focus on that with Monoma entering the ring with a confident grin. To his surprise, the blonde man walked up and offered his hand in a show of sportsmanship, "May the best man, and better class win." Izuku shook the offered hand and tilted his head at Monoma's disappointed frown, he could have sworn he heard him mutter something about him being a blank. He shrugged and prepared for the match to start, he raised a brow as Monoma tried to butter Midnight up, kissing her hand and calling her a queen.

Monoma let out a nervous chuckle as Midnight licked her lips, "Careful, dear, you may see my...not so nice side." The young man rushed to his corner, he opened his shirt when the round started, letting out a sweet-smelling mist with Midnight's quirk. Izuku covered his mouth and nose in an attempt to keep out the gas. He looked around, searching for Monoma in the hopes of ending this quickly, his mind raced, he couldn't hold his breath forever, and Monoma was keeping himself hidden. he thought carefully, trying to think of something, his eyes widened when he remembered a villain All Might fought seven years ago, a villain that produced a powerful hallucinogenic gas, he remembered All Might using his amazing power to dissipate the gas with a mighty clap. Midoriya held his breath and focused the way Mirio taught him, imagining himself as a bottle and pouring in water, he wasn't a big bottle, yet, but he hoped the amount he could hold was enough. He brought his hands together in a deafening clap, the mist wasn't cleared out, but he could see Monoma through it.

Izuku rushed forward, he saw Monoma stiffen and rush further into the mist, Izuku followed, eventually catching up and tackling him. The pair came tumbling out of the mist in a heap, Izuku acted quickly, grabbing Monoma's arm and twisting it behind his back, the blonde man hissed and struggled until Izuku ended the match with a strike to the back of his head. He finally let himself breathe once Midnight announced him the winner by knock out. He fell backwards as the gas took effect, he was vaguely aware of Midnight calling for stretchers as he fell fast asleep.

X-X-X

Rumi chuckled as the unconscious men were put on stretchers and carried away, "Nothing like a good donkey punch to end a fight." She narrowed her eyes as the next pair entered the ring, "That's alot of gear, most of it doesn't look like it matches the 'humble saint' vibe she's going for."

Ryuuko tilted her head as the vine haired girl argued with Midnight while adjusting the multiple support items she was wearing, "What are they arguing about?"

Rumi sighed and grabbed a cup, she emptied it out before pressed it against the window and putting her ear to it, she closed her eyes to focus on her sensitive hearing, "Vine Girl wants to use gear Pink Haired Girl gave her," She impatiently waved her hand with a grunt, "Bunch of crap about not wanting to refuse charity and refusing to be prideful, blah blah blah." She laughed, "Midnight has some serious issues, "Said Vine Girl's naivety turns her on, but she can use the gear."

Rumi returned to her seat and laughed as the girl with vines for hair was immediately trapped by the support items, "Another thing that never changes, there's always a crazy support student that'll use the festival to show off their inventions." She stood and stretched, "This is gonna last a while," She turned to Mirio, "Give me my wallet back, gonna grab some lunch." She gave a lazy wave as she left the box, "I'll be back, that chick probably has dozens of support items she wants to show off to the investors. The rabbit hero let out a petulant huff, "I bet those big wig pricks get TVs with sound, too, bougee pricks."

Ryuuko copied her lover, "She's right, you three should probably take the chance to check on your friend while they're demonstrating."

Chapter Text

Mei hummed a quiet tune as she left the ring, her inventions fully displayed and demonstrated; Ibara tossed the vile inventions away from her with a humiliated whine. Present Mic's voice came through the intercoms, "So, are we just gonna ignore some of the sounds Shiozaki made?"

Aizawa let out a long-suffering sigh, "Obviously, yes, this whole situation was a shit show." There was the sound of shuffling papers as Aizawa read through the next pairs, "Right, we still need to settle the tie between Eijiro Kirishima and Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu, then that guy will be facing Izuku Midoriya; Shoto Todoroki vs. Setsuna Tokage, Itsuka Kendo vs. Katsuki Bakugo, and Fumikage Tokoyami vs. Ibara Shiozaki." he let out another sigh, "Bunch of teenagers that are horny, insane, or both, great fucking batch of students, this year."

Present Mic laughed, "No different from us in high school, Hell, Midnight, alone, could probably outdo half the hero course students in horniness. Which actually raises the question of how she's allowed to be a teacher."

X-X-X

Rumi glared at the trio as her and Ryuuko reentered the box, "Any of you gonna explain why I got charged for a hotel?"

Nejire nervously raised a hand, "I did that."

Rumi sat down as the hard-skinned brawlers started arm wrestling, "Two things. Why, and why that sleezy one right off campus?"

Nejire blushed brightly, "Well...I wanted to reward Izu when he wins, and that's the only one I can pay you back for."

Rumi laughed, she slapped Ryuuko's shoulder, "I fucking love this girl!" She eventually regained her breath, "Holy shit, tell you what, if he ends up winning, I'll set you two up in the same place I dragged Ryuuko to after our last sports festival, if he loses, you're paying me back and on your own with comforting him." She grinned as the red-haired boy won and shook hands with his opponent, "Oh, and if working with my dragon queen doesn't work out, give me a call, you're too damn funny."

Ryuuko pushed another carrot into her lover's mouth, "Stop poaching my sidekicks."

X-X-X

Shoto took a steadying breath as he entered the ring, he felt, somewhat, calmer after facing Iida, but Endeavor was still watching, and that bastard wasn't getting a victory from him, he wouldn't see fire. Setsuna looked him up and down as she entered the ring, she grinned, "Well damn, they've got me fighting a real looker, so, handsome, got any plans after this?"

Shoto tilted his head, "The next round?" He scratched his head, "And what so you mean 'looker' like I look at things?"

Setsuna pinched the bridge of her nose, why was she always interested in the dense ones? She sighed, "Right, I'll explain things after I win, okay, handsome?"

Shoto nodded, "Um, okay...pretty?"

Midnight shook her head with a sigh, "Dear, you may need to spell it out for him with small, specific, words after the match, BEGIN."

Setsuna immediately separated her arms as Todoroki sent waves of ice to freeze her. Her main body was frozen, but her arms started to attack, they moved quickly, darting in to hit him and away to avoid retaliation. Shoto staggered as fists seemingly came from every angle, striking with momentum and leaving him on the defensive; he started sending waves of ice in every direction, filling the ring, then the area around it, then part of the arena, itself. He panted and looked around at the massive walls of ice he made, his eye twitched as one of the detached arms waved and the other flipped him off. Shoto roared in frustration as he sent an ice spike at them, the darted to either side, he looked around, they seemed to disappear. He let out a surprised yelp as the hands did a kancho, he sent another wave of ice, this time freezing the arms in place.

He glanced at Setsuna's frozen face, she was grinning when he froze her, like she knew this was going to happen. He placed a hand on the ice and started melting it, "That was rude, but effective, in a crude way." He studied her as the ice melted away, she had a pleasant smile, he wouldn't mind seeing it again.

X-X-X

Rumi and Mirio held their stomachs as they laughed hysterically on the floor, Rumi made the kancho gesture, "One thousand years of death!"

Mirio wiped a tear from his eye, "I can't believe I just saw that! This is the best sports festival ever!"

Ryuuko and Amajiki glanced at each other, the dragoon hero pinched the bridge of her nose, "Why are you with him?"

Amajiki sighed, "Because he's built like a Greek god and treats me well. Why are you with her."

Ryuuko shrugged, "Because she treats me like royalty and I've seen her pop tires with her thighs, which became how I want to die."

Nejire waved her arms, "Shhhh, the next match is starting! Izu's fighting!" They watched as Izuku and Kirishima entered the ring and shook hands, the pair charged each other once the round started, Izuku ducked a hook from Kirishima and threw a powerful punch into his opponent's stomach, cracking his shell and sending him flying out of the ring.

Rumi gave a whistle as Kirishima was launched out of the ring, "Damn, Broccoli Boy's got an arm on him."

Present Mic's voice came through, "Well, that was as fast as it was one sided."

Aizawa's voice answered as Eijiro was gathered on a stretcher and taken to the infirmary, "True, almost like watching All Might in his prime, one solid punch, but Izuku doesn't scream like an idiot."

Mic snickered, "Is the kid's mom different?" The response Aizawa gave was, quite possibly, the most intense beating of Present Mic's life as the sounds of Aizawa's grunts mixed with Mic's pleads for mercy and the sounds of violence.

X-X-X

Fumikage shook his head as the sounds of the vicious beating ended Dark Shadow became more and more agitated as they neared the ring, the quirk let out a nervous grunt, "This is bad, sun's to bright, looks like her quirk gets stronger with it." Fumikage nodded, "Agreed, we will need to press the attack, immediately, just like with Yaoyorozu." The pair watched as their opponent entered the ring, Dark Shadow chuckled before calling to the girl, "Hey, Tokoyami thinks you're cute, how about dinner after the festival?"

Shiozaki blushed, "I, um, that is very flattering, but I must decline, at least for now, maybe if we get to know each other, first."

Fumikage hid his face, "I hate you, I really do." Dark Shadow laughed, "Love you, too, big guy, now, let's kick some ass." The sentient quirk rushed forward the moment the match started, Shiozaki responded just as quickly, creating a wall of vines to repel him. Dark Shadow pulled back and attacked from another angle, only to hit more vines, again and again, he tried and failed to reach the woman, the quirk and wielder could sense Dark Shadow's growing weakness, the sun's light making him fade more and more by the moment, and from the growing resilience of the vines, Shiozaki was only getting stronger from the sun's rays. Fumikage rushed forward, hoping to catch her off guard while she focused on Dark Shadow, his only warning was her glancing at him before her vines trapped him, he struggled against the vines wrapped around him until he saw Dark Shadow dissipate in the sun.

Shiozaki's eyes widened, "Oh no, is he okay? I didn't harm your quirk, did I?"

Fumikage sighed, "No, he's with me, he's just exhausted."

Shiozaki let him go when her victory was announced, she helped him keep his feet with a warm smile, "Good, I couldn't stand the idea of harming someone undeserving, even if it's a quirk." Fumikage gave a flustered nod before leaving the ring, trying to play the part of the stoic warrior and not to focus on how nice her perfume smelled.

X-X-X

Rumi hummed in thought, "He's kinda shit in the sun, but I bet he'd be a real terror at night." She scratched one of her ears, "Hawkes would love him, bird themed and probably good at underground work."

Ryuuko nodded, "That's assuming their personalities mesh well."

Rumi chuckled, "This is Hawkes we're talking about, doesn't matter what the kid's like, he's still gonna enjoy screwing with him."

Ryuuko sighed, "True, all things considered, that young man is probably safer to annoy than Endeavor." The dragoon hero chuckled, "Though, I think he'll be disappointed at the lack of a pretty daughter to flirt with." She raised a brow as the next pair entered the ring, "Looks like the next match is about to start, a martial artist and a man that seems to live off blind rage, this should be quick."

Rumi shrugged, "Probably, but you never know, it could be like badly written fan fiction and he barely pulls a win out of his ass."

X-X-X

Katsuki grit his teeth, his tongue was still throbbing from his match with that purple haired prick, and there was no way in Hell he was letting Recovery Girl use her quirk on it. He studied Kendo for a moment, the girl seemed confident, holding her chin up and keeping her relaxed and ready to move. He swallowed nervously, Kendo showed she could handle herself, especially when her opponent is close. Both of them rushed forward when the round started Kendo activated her quirk, expanding her fist and trying to slap him out of the ring, Bakugo barely dived under the fist and swept her legs from under her. The pair landed in a heap, Bakugo managed to get on top and pin her arms down, Kendo struggled under him, grunting and groaning as she did.

Bakugo blushed slightly and tried to ignore the flutter in his stomach, Kendo let out a frustrated growl and expanded her hands, breaking his grip and using them to shove him away. He skidded on the ground while Kendo regained her feet and rushed him. Bakugo grabbed her hand as she tried to hit him, he held onto her massive fingers and bit them hard enough to draw blood. Kedo let out a pained yelp and lost focus, letting her hands go back to normal and dropping her opponent. Bakugo reacted quickly, wrapping his arms around her waist and rushing towards the ring's edge, Kendo started hitting his chest with her knees, breaking his ribs as he tried to push her out of bounds. He ignored the impacts, ignored the pain, ignored the grating feeling that came with every breath as he neared the edge.

Bakugo gave one last burst of energy and shoved Kendo away, the martial artist quickly recovered and prepared to go on the attack, until Midnight announced she was out of bounds. Kendo stared at her feet, they barely crossed the border, she scowled until Bakugo collapsed. Despite the frustrating defeat, she couldn't just let someone injured suffer, "Crap, someone get a medic, where's Recovery Girl?!" She placed his head in her lap, "Easy, just stay with me, we're going to get you patched up, just stay with us."

The sun looked like a halo over her head, making her look like something from Heaven itself, the injuries and his exhausted state made him blurt out the first thing that came to mind, "Are you and angel?" He gave a tired smile as Kendo blushed, he felt his consciousness fading quickly, "You look like one."

Present Mic's voice sounded rougher than usual after the beating he took, "If he starts talking about not liking sand, I'm gonna puke."

Aizawa let out a grunt, "Not every day a winner takes a worse beating than the loser, but I'll give credit where it's due, he has the will power to keep going...assuming he doesn't die."

Chapter Text

Kendo let out a tired sigh as she sat next to the bed, Recovery Girl worked hard to keep Bakugo's lungs from collapsing from his own rib piercing them, she checked if he was comfortable, still feeling guilty about causing so much damage. She turned to the opening door and relaxed when she saw it was just Midoriya, "Thank God, I thought you were a teacher coming to chew me out."

Midoriya's brows furrowed, "Why would they do that?"

Kendo gestured to Bakugo, "Nearly killing another student?"

Midoriya sat next to her and shook his head, "That's an unfortunate risk in hero work, we all agreed to fight in the festival, and signed the paperwork in case something like this happened."

Kendo sighed, "This school is so fucked up."

Midoriya grinned, "That language isn't fit for an angel." He chuckled at Kendo's blush, "You mentioned guys tried their luck with you all the time, why was this different?"

Kendo crossed her arms, "Pricks that work with my dad and Monoma, the pricks just used sleezy pick up lines to make me a notch on their bed post, Monoma goes on and on about me being 'the jewel of Class B' like everyone is as obsessed with this rivalry as he is." She shook her head, "None of them blurted out that I'm and angel on live television."

Midoriya tilted his head, "Did those coworkers know your age?"

Kendo shrugged, "They're Yakuza, I'm pretty sure they don't care as long as I look good on their arm, pricks."

Midoriya's eyes widened, "The Yakuza? I thought they were wiped out after The HPSC was formed, didn't the heroes capture all of them?"

Kendo waved her hand, "Mostly, there's a handful of groups that managed to successfully go underground, my dad works for one of them, Shie Hassaikai, it's called." She shifted in her seat, "They're not exactly world threatening, but if you ever meet a creepy guy calling himself 'Overhaul', keep your distance." She sighed, "Same for a guy named Rappa, but that's more me asking you to not fight my dad."

Midoriya nodded, "I'll keep that in mind." He glanced at Bakugo, "Is he going to be alright for the next round?"

Kendo nodded, "Recovery Girl said he should be fine, she even said 'stubborn idiots like him won't die til you cut their head off'." She let out a nervous chuckle, "I really hope she was just exaggerating." She glanced at Midoriya, "Are you planning on going easy on him?"

Midoriya shook his head, "No, he would never forgive me if I did...neither would I, in all honesty."

Kendo sighed as Midoriya stood and left, "Starting to wish I went with Mom's dojo, less crazies, that way." Her eyes widened as Bakugo opened his, "Welcome back, thought we lost you, for a while."

Bakugo let out a frustrated grunt, "Lost consciousness, nearly lost the damn match." He blushed as he remembered the match's end, he glanced at Kendo before throwing off his blankets, "Next round is starting." He blushed even brighter as Kendo's giggle followed him out of the room, he rushed down the halls towards the main arena, he felt something soft and warm fall onto his back. Bakugo instinctively grabbed the object; he held it out to see it and froze at the sight of his principal in his hands.

The pale capibara gave a friendly wave, "Hello, Mr. Bakugo, I would like to discuss your quirk usage."

Bakugo paled, "You said the USJ was an exception because it was life or death, and I told you, that explosion in the race was the pile of land mines."

Nezu nodded, "Correct on both counts, and now, there is another exception, this time, because Hound Dog was adamant." The white weasel smiled at his student, "I will allow you to use your quirk in the next match, and only the next match."

Bakugo's eyes widened, "You mean I can go all out?" He grinned at the snowy dog's nod, he put down the miniature polar bear and rushed to the locker room to get his gauntlets before the next round started. Nezu watched the young man go, he shook his head, hoping he didn't just make a massive mistake.

X-X-X

Izuku watched as Todoroki melted the ice and thawed out his opponent, again, his brows furrowed, there always seemed to a deep sadness in the ice wielder, even in victory. He reached out as Todoroki passed, "Are you alright?"

The recommendation student studied him, for a moment, "No." He glanced at the crowd, his eyes narrowing at Endeavor, "He's here."

Izuku followed Todoroki' gaze, "That's the number two hero, right? Endeavor?"

Todoroki nodded, "Yes, and he's my father," he glanced at the ring, "Bakugo is waiting, he looks angrier than usual."

Izuku gave the parting man another glance before approaching the ring, he made watched Bakugo as he waited for the match to start. The pair studied each other when the match started, they just stared in complete silence, neither moving, nor attacking, not even speaking; Izuku broke the tense peace, "Why?"

Bakugo's eyes narrowed, "'Why' what?" He staggered back as Izuku punched him in the face, the green haired young man snarled, "You know, damn well, what I'm talking about!" Izuku followed with another punch, Bakugo blocked it and answered with a blast to Izuku's chest, denting the breastplate; the pair went back and forth, almost dancing as they trade crushing blows and devastating explosions. Izuku caught his opponent's arm and dragged him down, he grabbed a fistful of Bakugo's hair and started pummeling his face, roaring as he did, "Answer the fucking question! What did I do to you, why do you hate me?!"

Bakugo caught Izuku's fist and hit him in the face with an explosion, Izuku staggered back, letting go of the bully in the process. Bakugo pressed the attack, hitting Izuku again and again, slowly forcing him backwards. As Bakugo fought, he also remembered, every word from other students, every ounce of praise from their teachers, every insult to Deku, every kind act Deku preformed, every kind word Deku gave; he remembered Deku being the hero he was supposed to be. He snarled as he staggered from a to his jaw, he wiped his mouth and glared, "I was born with an amazing quirk," he started making tiny explosions in his hand, "I had the other kids practically worshiping me, teachers convinced I would be the next number one," he ground his teeth, "but you were always there, trying to be the hero, no quirk, no fans, not even a damn plan, half the time." He stopped the explosions, "Every time a bully showed up, you defended their victims, every time someone needed help, you practically appeared from nowhere. It never mattered who it was or how helpless you were, you always had to be the hero."

Bakugo took off the mask of his costume, "How could I even dream of being a hero when you were there?" He broke the mask and took off his gauntlets, "I had to study and train around the clock for years and you got in from a recommendation from, fucking, All Might, I had live without my quirk while you randomly got yours, I had to sit there and watch as seemingly everything was handed to you, you were supposed to by my inferior, but there isn't a single, fucking, thing that shows that."

Izuku's eye twitched as something in him snapped, "I'm going to break every bone in your body." He wasn't proud of it, but the flash of fear in Bakugo's eyes put a smile on his face; he rushed forward, hitting him as hard as he could without his quirk, "You spent a decade making me miserable, because of your, fucking, ego?!” Bakugo let out a feral growl, “And you spent a decade looking down on me! Every, god damn, day; you had to show how much of a hero you are, and now, you have everything you could want, just by existing!” They met and immediately started hammering into each other with their quirks and fury, no tricks, no gadgets, not even any technique or strategy, just two men beating each other with over a decade of suppressed emotion and resentment. Despite his fury and the training he's done to get into UA, Bakugo was quickly overwhelmed by Izuku's unending onslaught, the angry blonde was soon pushed back by his relentless opponent. His arms were heavy, his breathing was ragged, Bakugo was losing, he knew it, as did Izuku, the green haired man grabbed his former bully by hair and readied himself to beath the bastard to death.

He punched Bakugo hard enough to send him across the ring, he dropped the clump of hair still in his fist and marched towards the rising man. Bakugo used his quirk to close the distance, he unleashed as big of an explosion as he could, only for his arm to be wretched upward, sending the blast into the air. He paled at Izuku’s silent glare, he screamed as Izuku squeezed his arm, breaking both the bones in his forearm. He yanked it down, heightening the pain in his arm as he punched him in the face. Bakugo recovered his feet and tried to hit him again, Izuku redirected his arm and clotheslined the angry injured man.

Bakugo glared at the crowd as they voiced their disapproval, he roared as loudly as he could, “I DON’T NEED YOUR FUCKING PITY!” He met his opponent’s gaze, “I don’t need their pity, or yours, fucking end it, you bastard” Izuku hesitated as the rage fogging his mind started to clear, he studied Bakugo for a moment, battered, barely conscious, waiting for the finishing blow. For the first time in his life, Izuku saw Bakugo was just a normal man, he felt fear, he felt pain, he could lose. Izuku grit his teeth, Bakugo lost, both knew it, but neither believed it; the pair stared at each other for a moment, stunned by the situation. To both their surprise, Izuku pulled Bakugo into a hug, for a time, they just stood there, stunned by the unexpected gesture, eventually, Bakugo returned the embrace, wrapping his working arm around his former friend, "Why?"

Izuku chuckled, "'Why' what?"

Bakugo chuckled and winced as his freshly broken ribs grated against each other, "Fuck you."

The pair ended the embrace and laughed as the adrenaline faded from their systems, Izuku kept Bakugo from falling, "Easy, you're still in bad shape, and we don't have another angel for you." He blocked Bakugo's exhausted punch, "How about another round when you can stand on your own, preferably when we’re both fresh?"

Bakugo studied Izuku's heavily bruised face, taking in every detail of the damage he inflicted, "You're saying that like I didn't give you a real beating." He limped away, leaving the ring, "We're calling this a draw, next time, I'm kicking your ass." He let out a defeated sigh, "I'm never living that 'angel' line down, am I?"

Izuku chuckled, "Not with your mom, you know she was watching, and probably recorded that, just to hold it over your head, I’ll just use my memory of it." He shook his head with a tired smile as Bakugo flipped him off as he left, they started on the path, but there was no denying they had hundreds of leagues to go. Izuku turned to the entrance Todoroki would be using, readying himself for his last challenge, hopefully, it will be less emotional.

Chapter Text

Bakugo groaned as he tried to rise, a firm hand on his chest kept him on the bed, he opened his eyes to see a blonde man standing over him. He glared at Bakugo for a moment before sitting next to the bed, “Hi, I’m Mirio, I think we need to have a little chat.”

His eyes widened when he realized who he was, “You’re that guy that’s always dragging Deku out of class.”

Mirio chuckled withou any warmth or amusement, “Yep, and his name is ‘Midoriya’, that’s the name you’ll use around me, okay? Okay.” He leaned forward, “You and him have quite the history, I heard a little bit from him, but that talk you two had shed a lot of light on things.” He gave a smile that never reached his eyes, “Now, I’m going to be honest, the only reasons I’m not giving you the beating you clearly deserve are bail being expensive, and Midoriya asked me not to get involved.” He leaned in, his breath hot against Bakugo’s face as he gave an almost murderous grin, “So, here’s how things are going to go. I am going to stay out of things, because I trust Izuku, but the moment I think you’re about to hurt him, the second you cross the line, I will make sure you can’t hurt anyone again, okay?”

Bakugo paled, the fact that Mirio’s grin stayed through the threat only made it worse, he nodded, “I...I understand.” He hesitated as Mirio leaned back and stood, “But I still need to talk to him, privately.”

Mirio paused at the door, he glanced back, studying the injured man for a moment, “That’s his call to make, if I had my way, you’d already be gone.” He slammed the door as he left, leaving Bakugo in the silent infirmary.

X-X-X

Mirio let out a satisfied sigh as he sat next to Amajiki, “Did I miss anything?”

Ryuuko shook her head and offered Miruko a carrot, “No, the finalists are getting one last chance to rest before the last match.” She chuckled as Rumi ate the offered vegetable, “It’s not that big of a deal.”

Rumi glared at the Television, “Who the fuck makes all the audio cords different shades of red? Who the hell does that benefit?”

Mirio bit his cheek to avoid laughing, “Well, they probably didn’t expect rabbits to be the ones setting it up.”

Rumi glared at the blonde man, “Shut up, and I swear to God, if one of you picks up something red and asks me what color it is, I’m castrating you...with a spoon.”

Ryuuko gave a teasing smile and gently flicked Rumi’s ear, “Calm down, you’re still my favorite gem.” The dragoon hero raised a brow when she noticed Nejire tying her hair back, “What are you doing?”

Nejire smle, “Oh, Izu’s last match is about to start, I’m getting ready for when it’s over.”

Amajiki blushed, “Why are you just announcing that?”

Nejire shrugged, “Mirio said he did the same for our festival last year.”

Mirio gave his friend a thumbs up as his flustered boyfriend swatted his shoulder, “I didn’t see you complaining.”

Amajiki’s response was cut off by Present Mic’s announcement, “Alrighty, ladies and germs, our finalists are rested, recovered, and ready to go!”

X-X-X

Shoto ground his teeth as he entered the ring, he could still feel Endeavor’s eyes on him. He clenched his fists, the cold was making his arms sore, his breath started hurting after his match with Shiozaki; but he still refused to use his left side, even to warm himself. He studied Midoriya as he entered the ring, years of suffering because of one man, he knew the feeling. The ice

wielder approached his opponent, offering his hand, Midoriya smiled and shook it, “Are you alright, after your last match?”

Midoriya’s eyes widened, he gave a determined nod, “Yes, I can keep going, so don’t go easy on me.”

Todoroki let out a quiet grunt, “That’s not what I meant.”

Midoriya shrugged, “That’s a difficult question, but like I said, I can keep going. He glanced at the entrance Bakugo used, “Either way, that situation is between me and him.”

Todoroki nodded as they separated, he did what he’s done for every other match and sent a wall of ice the moment the match started. He hissed as ice started to form on his arm, he was nearing his limit, this needed to end quickly. Midoriya was different from the others he’s faced, Iida was fast enough to reach him, Sestuna had enough control of her quirk to avoid being completely frozen and still fight, Shiozaki was clever enough to go underground with her quirk to attack at a different angle, Midoriya simply shattered the ice.

Todoroki sent out more ice again and again, more to slow the living battering ram that was breaking through than any strategy. Izuku grabbed his opponent by the throat and slammed him to the ground, he caught the now panicking man’s wrist before he could send more ice and pinned it under his knee. He watched Todoroki’s face and saw the man glance at the crowd, “Stop looking at them, they aren’t in the ring.” He drew his fist back and channeled everything into it before bringing it crashing down on the ground next to Todoroki’s head.

Midoriya pulled the mangled limb from the crater it made, he showed it to Todoroki, “This is why I hold back, why are you?”

Todoroki looked from the shattered hand to its owner, “I won’t be like him.”

Izuku’s eyes narrowed, “Who?” He followed Todoroki’s gaze to Endeavor, “Why?”

Todoroki glared, “That’s none of your business.” His hands went to Midoriya’s as he squeezed, his wide eyes stared at Izuku as spots slowly started to appear.

He hit his arm, desperate to escape, Izuku glared at him, “Just use your left hand, burn me, set my shirt on fire, DO SOMETHING!”

Todoroki let out a choked snarl, “I won’t be like that bastard, I’ll win without his quirk, I’ll prove I don’t need it, or him. Not after what he’s done.”

Izuku let him go and stood, “What do you mean?” He searched the crowd, looking for Endeavor, “What did he do?”

Todoroki got to his feet and hesitated, he looked around, part of him wanted to run, another wanted to tell him everything, another was screaming to just attack and pray it works, and another wanted to send as much ice as physically possible at the crowd, at Endeavor. Izuku stared him down, “Don’t, you don’t have to say more than needed, just give me an idea.”

Todoroki opened and closed his mouth several times, trying to figure out what to do, what to say. His breath became quick and shallow, his heart started to race, his head felt like it was going to explode, why was everything except Midoriya spinning, what should he do, what could he do, what...what...He froze as Izuku pulled him into a hug, “Count to ten, say something you see with each number, one, a rock, two...”

Todoroki did as he was told, shaking in Izuku’s arms, “T-two, a hall, three, a wall, four, a mask...why is this working?”

Izuku chuckled and let the formerly panicking man go, “I have no idea, now, tell me what you think I need to know.”

Todoroki took a steadying breath, “He’s obsessed with All Might, wanted me to surpass him.”

Midoriya nodded, “and that caused some issues?”

Todoroki nodded, “Yes...” He looked around, “can...can we talk about this later?”

Izuku chuckled, “Of course, ready to beat each other half to death on live television?”

Despite everything, Todoroki laughed, “You know, that’s a grim way to look at things, accurate, but grim.”

Izuku cracked his neck, “You know, All Might will probably retire well before we graduate, but we’re rather close, how about you try to surpass me?” He smiled as Todoroki glanced at the mangled fist, “Forgot about that.” He pulled bandages from a pouch on his belt and wrapped them around his hand, forcing it into a fist, “Back to my point, you’re not going to last as a hero by holding back the way you are.”

Todoroki glared at him, “You’re wrong, I can do perfectly fine without his quirk.”

Izuku shrugged, “So, you’re going to make your entire life about one man? When you have kids to surpass him, can I be their godfather?”

Todoroki hesitated, he’s never thought about it, before, whenever the future came up, he just saw his family being miserable, his life either ended by his own hand, or under Endeavor’s control. He looked down, staring at his hated left hand, then Midoriya’s mangled left hand, “They won’t exist for that, but...maybe...I don’t know.” He staggered back as he looked back up and saw that Midoriya had closed the distance between them. Midoriya grabbed the collar of Todoroki’s shirt and yanked him away from the edge he was aout to cross.

Midoriya smiled, “You need to get some things out of your system, and I may or may not need to get some aggression out after my last match.” Todoroki sent more ice at him, hoping to catch him off guard, Izuku smashed through it with his shattered hand, hissing in pain as he did. They were right back to where they started, Izuku smashed through ice wall after ice wall, “Is this how you’ll be a hero? Using attacks you know don’t work again and again? What happens if you face a villain like me? What happens if your ice isn’t enough?” He could see doubt in Todoroki’s eyes as he kept coming closer, “Are you just going to lay down and die? Because that’s what this is, a fool laying down and dying to spite someone that isn’t even involved in the fight!” He

became more aggressive with every smashed ice wall, every attempt from Todoroki to cut off his own nose to spite his face.

He smashed through another wall and grabbed Todoroki by the throat, “That I can accept, you wouldn’t be the first man to die for his principles, but you’re trying to be a hero. How many people are you willing to sacrifice so you can claim you don’t need the other half of YOUR quirk?” He brought his broken hand around in a cross to Todoroki’s shoulder, The young man screamed as it broke. Izuku let him go and stepped back, “No more ice, now what, are you going to die? Am I going to be allowed to just slaughter every civilian I find until someone with basic morals steps in?” He grabbed Todoroki and yanked him away from the edge, again, “We’re still not done.”

Todoroki held his shoulder and looked around, every instinct was screaming at him to run, to hide, to fight. He acted out of instinct, he thrust out his left hand sending as much flame as he could at Midoriya. His eyes widened as Izuku blocked for the first time in their match, Todoroki staggered back as a metal ball hit his forehead. He rubbed where the ball hit, it looked familiar, but he couldn’t place why, his eyes widened when he saw the blinking light at the top and remembered. The smoke grenade went off, filling the ring with dense smoke, Todoroki coughed and tried to look around. The smoke was too thick, his only comfort was that Midoriya would be as blind as him.

Todoroki wasn’t proud of the yelp he made when Midoriya grabbed his shirt collar, nor the scream he let out when the green haired man used his grip to throw him out of the ring. Todoroki held his injured shoulder and got himself to his knees right as he was declared the loser. He flinched slightly when Midoriya’s hand came into view. Todoroki looked up to see his opponent, bare chested, slightly burned, and smiling, “Come on, let’s get you to the infirmary.” Todoroki hesitated, Izuku glanced at the crowd, “You can tell me everything there, I promise.” Todoroki took the offered hand and let its owner lead him away from the ring, away from the crowd, away from Endeavor.

Chapter Text

Izuku stared at Todoroki as he finished explaining, “That’s...how was he able to do that?”

Todoroki sighed, “Credibility and wealth, a powerful combination.” The pair sat in silence for a moment, Todoroki glanced at Izuku’s hand, “I’m sorry.”

Izuku followed his gaze and chuckled, “Oh, I kinda forgot about that.” He raised the mangled hand, “Recovery Girl isn’t going to be happy with us, is she?”

They jumped as the woman in question entered the infirmary, “What gave it away, the fact you kept fighting with you hand shattered, or the fact you used it to break Todoroki’s shoulder, or are we going to focus on the fact that you ignored your injuries and practically kicked me out of my infirmary to have your little talk?” Izuku and Todoroki glanced at each other, both unsure of how to react to the small woman’s apparent anger. She sighed and used her quirk, first kissing Todoroki’s shoulder before kissing Izuku’s hand, “That should be a good start, it will still take a bit to fully heal.” She turned to Todoroki, “Young man, you should speak to Nezu about your family’s situation, I’m sure he’ll be glad to help.”

Todoroki tilted his head, “What could he do, and why?”

Recovery Girl gave a warm smile, “That, strange, creature seems to have friends everywhere, at this point, I’m sure he has contacts in the heavens themselves.” She shrugged, “As for ‘why’ I think he just enjoys messing with people, especially individuals like your father.” She pat his knee, “I could also write to the head physician at your mother’s hospital, I still have some pull, despite being an old lady.”

Todoroki’s answer was cut off by Present Mic’s voice coming through the intercom, “Alright, ladies and germs, let’s get this finished, winners and watchers, get to the arena for the medals!”

Recovery Girl sighed, “We can discuss this later, just come by my office, my door is always open.”

X-X-X

Rumi gave an amused shake of her head as Nejire left, she chuckled, “Is it weird that I’m glad I lost the bet?”

Mirio joined her in laughing, “Nah, you just support young love, even when it’s horny.”

Ryuuko and Amajiki glanced at each other, the dragoon hero sighed, “Those two are something else.”

Amajiki nodded, “Yeah, I’m not sure if it’s a good or bad thing that they get along so well.”

Rumi rolled her eyes, “Oh, hush, you two wouldn’t know what to do without your extroverts.”

Mirio pat her back, “That’s right, you know you love us!”

The tired pair glanced at each other, Ryuuko shrugged, “They’ve got us, there, how about a double date, some time?”

Amajiki smiled, “That sounds nice, assuming those two can behave.” They all turned to the window as music started playing and the best competitors stepped onto the platforms.

X-X-X

All Might took a steadying breath and bulked up, Midnight glanced at him as she fell into step next to him, “We could have handled it without you, you don’t need to become the school’s mascot.”

All Might chuckled, “Thank you, Nemuri, but I’m not doing this for that, I just want to show that I’m not down, yet.”

Midnight raised a brow, “Enthesis on ‘yet’, dear.” The pair stopped in front of the platforms and the students standing on them, Midnight licked her lips, “All this youthful vigor, makes me week in the knees.”

All Might glanced at her, “How are you a teacher?” He shook his head and too one of the bronze medals from the cushion she was holding. He approached Ibara, “You did well, your compassion and mercy will serve you well as a hero, keep those morals, and never let them go.” He lowered the medal over her head and approached Bakugo, the battered young man seemed nervous, “There’s a fire in you, young man, one that I think burns for the right reasons.” He leaned in to whisper to him, “You’re still on thin ice, but Midoriya seems to think you still have potential.”

He approached Todoroki as Bakugo paled and stared at his feet, he raised the silver medal over the recommendation student, “I’m sure you’ve done your parents proud.” He smiled, “If you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.”

He approached Midoriya and raised the gold medal, “I’m proud of you, Young Midoriya, you’ve progressed by leaps and bounds since I first met you, let this be your announcement to the world, raise your fist and show them who you are!”

X-X-X

Inko sobbed loudly as the screen showed Izuku raise his fist and roared, “I AM HERE!”

The sobbing woman blew her nose, “My baby boy! He won! He won!” Mitsuki and Masaru smiled as the crying woman celebrated her beloved son’s victory. They glanced at each other, both their minds whirling with thoughts of their own son’s conversation with Izuku. Mitsuki clenched her fist, wondering if the pair were just exaggerating, if Katsuki really did what Izuku claimed. Masaru placed a calming hand on hers, hoping to calm the normally fiery woman as she bordered on a psychotic rage that would likely end with Katsuki’s violent death.

The couple stood, Mitsuki smiled and wrapped Inko in a friendly hug, “Let’s get together, again, some time, been awhile since we had a girls’ night.”

Inko returned the hug, “I’d like that, but we need to talk about Katsuki.”

Masaru sighed, “I was afraid you’d mention that,” he rubbed the back of his neck, “we aren’t sure about thing, ourselves...just, let us talk to him, first.”

Mitsuki kissed her friend’s cheek, “Yeah, we’ll get some answers, maybe a few teeth, as well.”

Inko waved to the pair as they left, she sighed and stood before walking to a small picture on the wall. She took it from its hook and gave it a mournful smile, “He made it, Hisashi, our little boy’s already making a name for himself as a hero.” She hugged the picture to her chest, “I just wish you could see him, he took so much after you, it feels like I had you cloned.” She let out a shaky giggle, “Just like Mitsu said, my genetics did not survive.” She chuckled and shook her head as Nejire tackled Izuku off his platform and started kissing him, “I wonder what my first grandchild will look like.”

X-X-X

Izuku let Nejire drag him behind her, part of him wondered what she was talking about when she promised him a reward; but he was more focused on the silhouettes he kept seeing in the corner of his eye. Every time her turned to look, there was nothing, but once he stopped trying to see them, they appeared again. He blushed brightly as Nejire dragged him into a hotel, "W-wait, what's your plan, here?"

Nejire kissed his cheek and whispered in his ear, "I plan to show my favorite hero how much his biggest fan adores him." He shuddered as she nipped his ear, "Now, come on! We have Miruko's private room for the night!" The flustered young man let out a surprised squeak as Nejire grabbed his hand and started pulling him behind her again, she glances back at him, "What are your thoughts on not walking for a few days?"

Chapter Text

Izuku emptied the eigth water bottle he’s had in the last twenty seconds, he glanced at the bathroom door as the sound of running water mixed with Nejire’s quiet humming, “I might be dating a succubus.” He sat down and let himself rest for the first time in hours, he rubbed the back of his neck as he looked around at the thoroughly destroyed room, “Miruko’s going to be furious.” He stiffened when he noticed a woman with black hair sitting on one of the few surviving pieces of furniture. He stood and channeled a small amount of One for All, more to stay on his feet than to prepare for a fight, “Who are you, why are you here?” He drew breath to call to Nejire.

The woman grinned and put a finger to her mouth, “Calm down, if you scream, she’ll rush out here, and see nothing, then she’ll probably assume you want another round, we both know you can’t handle that, right now.” She chuckled when he chose to remain silent, “Smart kid, moving quick, too, in a few ways.” She glanced at the bathroom door, “You owe that girl an apology, by the way, that stuff is a nightmare to get out of your hair.” She raised her hands in a calming gesture as he glared, “Easy, easy, there’s a lot to explain, and not long to do it.” She sighed, “I’ll give you the basics, then leave, alright?”

Izuku nodded and sat back down, partially because his legs were close to giving out. The woman smiled, “Good, first and foremost, our quirk is weird, really, really, weird.” She leaned back in the chair, lounging like she’s in the lap of luxury, instead of a destroyed hotel room, “It has a lot of aspects, different parts that move and don’t move, including us, the former wielders, or, most of them, at least.” She let out a bored yawn, “Certain things will wake up different vestiges, you two reminded me of my honeymoon, which let me out, and things are looking like the time is coming.” She offered her hand as the sound of humming and water ended, “I’m Nana, I’m not entirely sure if, when, or how often we’ll speak again, but you need to prepare for quite a bit. Hopefully, we’re wrong, and you just need to worry about usual high school drama, but if we’re right, you need to be ready for Hell.” Izuku shook her hand, feeling his own go through it, and stiffened as she disappeared with a parting smile, her voice rang out, “Remember, apologize to her, and tell Toshinori ‘Nana said hi’.”

Nejire left the bathroom wrapped in a towel and smiled when she saw Izuku on his feet, “Already recovered?” She let the towel drop to the floor, “Good.” She tackled Izuku onto the wreckage that was once a bed, “I heard quirk play is pretty fun, wanna try it?” She giggled as a certain part of her boyfriend gave its approval by jabbing her thigh.

X-X-X

His mother hadn’t said a word since he got home after the festival, no teasing about the ‘angel’, no screaming about his conversation with Midoriya, just a deafening silence that felt crushing. Katsuki opened his mouth to speak, but froze as his father, of all people, raised his hand for silence. The often-quiet man rubbed his temples, “Katsuki...I need you to explain what you and Izuku talked about during the festival.” He looked older than he did that morning, like just hearing the pair speak added decades to him, “Please, you know we support you, but what we heard...” Mitsuki finally spoke, her voice had none of its usual fire and fury, just an exhausted frustration, “We need to hear it from you, what happened between the two of you?”

Katsuki hesitated, he expected a screaming match between him and her, one that his father would break up before bridging the gap between them. He took a steadying breath, “I...he...it...” He let out a defeated sigh and looked at his healing arm, the break was bad enough that Recovery Girl had to remove shards of his bone from the torn muscle around it, she warned him he’d have scars, possibly for life. He clenched his fist, feeling a dull ache as he did, “The moment I got my quirk, teachers and classmates started treating me like royalty. I could always feel them watching, part of me felt them waiting for me to fail, to show any sign of weakness. I was terrified, of giving them what they want, of showing anything other than perfection, of being weak, but Midoriya didn’t. I think I’m the only one that watched him, I wanted him to fail, someone to fall without him rushing to their side, someone to say something that got a reaction...but it never happened.” He ground his teeth, feeling like he was having another talk with Hound Dog, “I needed him to fail, to not be perfect, especially with how everyone acted with us.”

He put his head in his hands, shuddering as he thought about everything between him and Izuku, “But he never did, he never had to hide, or lie, or pretend, he was just...him, a real hero, he didn’t need praise, or to be treated like anything, he just was a hero...I have to beat him, to be a better hero,” He stood, letting out some of the frustration he’s let build up, “BUT HOW, HOW THE HELL DO I EVEN COME CLOSE!?” He started breathing heavily as the room spun, “HOW CAN I BE THE BEST WHEN HE’S ALWAYS THERE!?”

He froze as his mother pulled him into a hug, the usually terrifying woman gently stroked his hair, the way she did when he had a nightmare as a child, “Why didn’t you tell us?”

Katsuki hid his face in her shoulder, “I...I...” He felt his father’s hand on his back, the strength in it bringing the peace it always did. He took a shuddering breath, “Heroes aren’t supposed to just break down and run crying to their parents.”

Mitsuki chuckled, “That you know of, I can guarantee half those crazies need a nice warm hug from their mama, on occasion.”

Katsuki glared at her and started yelling, “I haven’t called you that since I was five!”

Mitsuki glared back and yelled back, “And that’s part of the problem! Seriously, you just became a shit the moment you got that quirk, Christ, we seriously fucked up with you, didn’t we!?”

Katsuki separated from her, “Bullshit! You two did great, Hell, I’m breaking down, and you two immediately start trying to comfort me! You two didn’t fuck up, I’m just a piece of shit!”

Mitsuki slapped the back of his head, “Quit giving yourself shit, its accurate but I can’t kick your ass for it.” She pinched the bridge of her nose, “You owe him an apology, a real one, normally, I’d try to stay out of this; but for fucks sake, I probably owe him and Inko an apology, too, for not noticing.” She smiled at Masaru, “You don’t, though, you’re perfect, as always.”

Masaru shook his head, “This would require more than all of us saying sorry, a decade of abuse isn’t something that just goes away.” He glanced at the clock and sighed, “It’s late, let’s order something and figure out how to handle things, especially with Inko, that woman scares me.” The mother and son glanced at each other before nodding in agreement.

X-X-X

Todoroki stared at the door, desperately trying to will himself forward, to force his body towards the room holding his mother. He stiffened at the feeling of a hand on his shoulder, he turned quickly and froze when he saw the girl that poked his ass during the festival raising her hands. She smiled, “Easy, big guy, just checking, you seemed pretty out of it.”

He let his shoulders relax, slightly, “Sorry, I just haven’t seen her in some time.”

Setsuna raised a brow, “Oh, visiting your girlfriend?”

He tilted his head at the disappointment he though he heard in her voice, “No, my mother...she’s been here since I was five.”

Setsuna seemed shocked, “Damn, what happened.” She stiffened as Todoroki instinctively touched his scar, “Oh, wow, I...I’m beyond sorry, I didn’t-”

He raised a hand, “It’s...it’s alright.” He turned to the door, “I don’t think she meant for things to go this way, either.” He glanced at her, “Why are you here?”

Setsuna’s shoulders sagged as she glanced down the hall, “My dad, he didn’t take my mom’s passing well,” She sighed, “he just broke, hasn’t talked, barely eats or sleeps, me and Grandma couldn’t take care of him, on our own.”

Todoroki pat her shoulder, “I’m sorry to hear that, how did she...”

Setsuna let out a tired sigh, “She was a hero, some nutjob went berserk, killed her and a bunch of other heroes, it got so bad All Might had to get involved.” She shook her head and placed her hand on his, “It’s a risk with hero work, we’ll have the same threats.” She gave her best ‘hero smile’ and gave him a thumbs up, “Now, go on, you can do this, at least, get some answers.”

Todoroki nervously approached the door, he grabbed the door handle and hesitated, “I know why she did it...” He touched his scar, “I just don’t want to put her in a worse state.”

Setsuna put her hand on hers and opened the door, “Tell you what, I hear screaming, I’ll pull you out of there, quickly.” She gently pushed him in, “You got this, just be yourself, I’m sure she misses you.”

Rei turned as the door opened, her eyes widened as a green haired girl pushed Shoto into her room. The woman stood and nervously approached her son, “Sh-Shoto?” She cupped his cheek, partially expecting him to just disappear if she didn’t touch him. Tears welled up in her eyes as he pulled her into a hug, she wrapped her arms around him and shuddered, “Shoto!”

Shoto held his mother as they shuddered and cried, together, “Mom...” For a moment, they just stood there, sobbing and holding one another for the first time in years.

Chapter Text

He hadn’t been himself since the festival, it made sense, Enginium’s near death had been in the news for weeks. Izuku glanced at the latest news notification, ‘Enginium’s First Interview Since Being Attacked by The Hero Killer.’ He sighed, if they were to be believed, it was likely the hero wouldn’t walk for the rest of his life, he glanced at Iida as he left and took a steadying breath.

Iida felt a hand on his shoulder and turned quickly to meet whatever was coming, he froze when he saw Midoriya holding his hands up, the green haired boy gave a calming smile, “Easy, just thought you needed to talk.”

Iida let himself relax and gave an apologetic bow, “My apologies, my mind was elsewhere, I had and have not intension of harming you,” he returned the smile with a tired one of his own, “and thank you for the offer, but I must humbly reject it.”

Midoriya furrowed his brows, he knew a fake smile when he saw one, “It’s no problem, Iida, I heard what happened, and I’m willing to listen.”

The class president sighed, “Once again, thank you, I applaud your willingness to help a fellow student, but with all due respect, I don’t think you would understand.”

Midoriya guided the young man to an empty classroom, he sighed and sat at one of the desks, “Do you know who the first victim of The Hero Killer?”

Iida shook his head, “No, in all honesty, I haven’t placed much thought to him, until now.”

Midoriya smiled brightly and pulled out an old notebook, seemingly excited to speak about any hero, even one that has fallen, “He was so cool! He could breathe fire and wore a suit with this amazing pattern on it.” He showed Iida an old picture he drew of the hero in question, “He called himself ‘Salamander’, he died, about, a decade ago, he was more local, so he never got very high in the national rankings.” He let Iida look through the notebook, “His given name was Hisashi Midoriya, he had a wife named Inko...”

Iida paled when he saw the wet marks on the page bearing the words, ‘The Coolest Dad Ever’, he glanced at Midoriya, “And a son named Izuku?”

Midoriya nodded and took the notebook back, “Yes, I was so excited to show him how much I was learning about heroes, then Mom got a phone call, then she started crying, I didn't know why, I tried to cheer her up, but nothing worked...She eventually told me something happened to him, and that things were going to change for us.” He sighed, “Now, you want to talk about this?”

Iida hesitated, “I...I don't know where to start."

Midoriya chuckled, “Wherever you like, ramble and mutter as much as you need.”

X-X-X

Possibly the only upside to losing his fingers, was that Shigaraki could actually hold a damn mug without it turning to dust in his fist. He took a long swig of cheap beer and glanced at the screen as it played the recorded festival for seemingly the thousandth time. His eyes narrowed as the blonde boy that attacked Kurogiri argued and fought the prick that cut his fingers off. He put the mug down as the blonde boy roared about how his opponent always looked down on him, how he could never compare. Shigaraki tapped the counter with the remaining fingers, “So much hate, and if that guy he beat half to death is to be believed, UA won’t even let him use his quirk.” He grinned as a plan started to form in his mind, “I can use those, maybe Master can even enhance his quirks, that should convince him.”

He stood quickly as the door opened, he relaxed slightly as Kurogiri entered the bar with a heavily armed, shabbily dressed, man that smelled overwhelmingly like blood. The most likely homeless man looked around for a moment before focusing on Shigaraki, “So, you’re the one the mist guy wanted me to meet?”

Shigaraki raised a brow and looked from Kurogiri to the homeless man and back, “Who, the fuck, is this guy?”

Kurogiri wagged a finger, “Enough of that, Young Master, yelling at your game is one thing, this is a real-life interaction.” He gestured to his guest, “This is Chizome Akaguro, though he is better known as The Hero Killer, Stain.”

Shigaraki’s eyes widened, he’d heard of the man, the bodies he left in his wake, the fear he inspired in heroes, “You have quite the reputation, I’m guessing, you’re here to join The League?”

Stain glared at the young man, “Why would I do that? I work to change the world, the system that has failed so severely.” He placed a hand on the hilt of his sword, “and if the rumors are true, you tried to kill the only true hero this world has.” Stain moved quickly, drawing a knife and trying to stab him, only for Shigaraki to catch it in his good hand and immediately start breaking it down with decay. The Hero Killer let go of the rusting weapon, sensing it would be dangerous to keep his grip on it, “I have a crusade to continue, this is a waste of my time.”

Shigaraki let the dust that used to be a weapon fall to the floor, “You’re wasting your own time, the system is doing exactly what it was made for, you just refuse to break the fucking thing.”

Stain scowled at the young man, “You’re just a dumb kid that’s convinced himself that he knows everything, find someone with the patience for your delusions.”

Shigaraki glared as the man left, taking the smell of blood with him. He ground his teeth, “The fuck does he know?! A dumb kid? A DUMB KID?! And that asshole wants to call ME delusional?!” He turned to Kurogiri, his eyes wide and manic as he bordered on feral, “Call Master, tell him I need as many nomu as he can spare, I’m gonna show that bastard what ‘a dumb kid’ can do.”

X-X-X

Aizawa pretended to fall asleep as his students looked through their internship offers, most had to simply pick from lower ranked heroes UA has an agreement with. He focused on Bakugo, the blonde boy grinned as he read the personal not Endeavor sent with his offer, ‘In you I see a kindred spirit’. The tired teacher let his gaze roam, Izuku spoke with All Might that morning, whatever they talked about made the young man focus on one offer, one from some over the hill

hero called Gran Torino. Aizawa narrowed his eyes, Inko won’t be happy with her son working with some old man that just came out of retirement last month, though, it was hard not to wonder why the old man made such a decision. Iida seemed focused on one area, Hosu, if the news was any indication, the city The Hero Killer was terrorizing. The tired man ground his teeth, Nezu was adamant, none of the staff was allowed to interfere with the student’s decision, he would have put half the offers through a shredder if he was allowed too.

As it was, all he could do was watch and trust his students would make the right calls. He took a steadying breath and stared at the ceiling. He could feel it, something was coming, he hoped he was just being paranoid, that this would just be a normal year with an unusual event to start it. With luck, the students would have a boring week doing safe patrols with mentally stable heroes keeping the peace.

Chapter Text

Iida researched all of them, every hero that animal murdered in cold blood, twenty-three people, gone, forty-six parents that were forced to bury their children, seventeen spouses like Ms. Midoriya, sixteen siblings like him, and eight children that lost a parent like Izuku. The future hero took a steadying breath as he checked if the rest of his classmates were ready; he wouldn’t let that mongrel create more victims, not while he was standing. He stiffened when he felt a hand on his shoulder, Aizawa raised his hand in an attempt to calm the young man, “Calm down,” he studied his student for a moment, “It’s not too late, I could still take you as an intern, Manuel will understand that plans change.”

Iida gave his best hero smile, “Thank you, Mr. Eraser Head, but I intend to stay with my original choice.”

Aizawa’s brows furrowed, “I need you to think carefully about what you plan to do, don’t act impulsively, it’s gotten stronger heroes killed over the years.” He tapped his student’s forehead, “Think logically, it may keep you alive.”

Iida nodded, “I will.” He had already planned it, Midoriya was convinced the hero killer used ambush tactics and some sort of paralysis quirk, all he had to do was catch the bastard off guard and finish the fight immediately. He grabbed his suitcase and started towards the train, “Thank you for your concern, Mr. Eraser Head,” all he had to do was catch the bastard off guard and finish the fight immediately. He grabbed his suitcase and started towards the train, “Thank you for your concern, Mr. Eraser Head.”

Aizawa sighed, “This won’t end well.” He noticed Izuku leaving one of the unisex bathrooms, the young man checked the buttons on his shirt and stiffened when he noticed Aizawa looking. He blushed brightly as Nejire left the bathroom and froze next to him. Aizawa sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, “Seriously? It’s Midnight and Present Mic all over again.” He pointed at the train without another word and shook his head as Izuku rushed to board it. Aizawa glanced at Nejire and raised a brow, “The world won’t end if you keep your hands off him for a moment."

Nejire pouted, “He’s gonna be gone for a whole week, that’s too long without...” She glanced at him, “Cuddles...just cuddles...”

Aizawa rubbed his temples, “You’re worse than Midnight.”

X-X-X

Izuku was starting to understand why Gran Torino made All Might so nervous, the old man seemed to be everywhere at once, every direction, every angle, every possible form of attack seemed to happen at once. Something was warning him before the kicks, a twitch at the back of his mind just before contact. He started trusting it, meeting the attacks more often, the old man seemed pleased when Izuku grabbed his ankle and threw him at the nearest wall. He stiffened at the thud Gran Torino’s body made, “I’m sorry, I wasn’t trying to hurt you!”

The retired hero waved off his attempts to help, “Enough of that, I’m not dead, yet.” He got to his feet and rubbed his now sore shoulder, “Good throw.” He smiled at the young man, “Good to see Toshinori didn’t completely screw things up, how’s the other lad, by the way.”

Izuku returned the smile, “He’s doing much better, still coughs on occasion, but the damage seems to have mostly healed.”

Gran Torino nodded, “Good, good,” He watched Izuku for a moment, “You’re not half bad, still raw as they get, definitely smarter than Toshinori was." He chuckled, “Admittedly, not a high bar.” He picked up his cane and smiled, “Well, we’ll start with you doing some speed and cardio work.” He handed Izuku a piece of paper and some money, “Get to it, I haven’t done my grocery shopping for the week, store’s down the road, you know what to do.”

Izuku looked from the list and cash to Gran Torino as he left the room, the old man made him think he was dead, then kicked him in the face, now he’s sending him on errands. He shook his head, “Why do I get the feeling this is going to be a long week?” He sighed, "Should have gone with Nighteye...”

X-X-X

Iida looked around as Manuel gave him a tour of the agency, the hero smiled at the young man, “I must admit, I’m still a little surprised you agreed to intern here. Usually, we only get UA students that didn’t get other offers.” He waved at one of the heroes returning from a patrol,

“We’re in a pretty safe area, so you won’t need to worry about anything crazy.” He chuckled, “All things considered, you’re in for a pretty boring week.”

Iida nodded, “Boring is good, that just means you’re doing a good job.” He glanced at the returning hero, none seemed injured, or worried about being attacked. The future hero ground his teeth, the animal that injured Tensei was in Hosu, all he had to do was track the monster down and do what must be done. He clenched his fist at his side, Midoriya was sure The Hero Killer relied on ambush tactics, cowards like that rarely held up when the roles were reversed; the only real issue was finding him, then he would overwhelm the bastard with a sudden onslaught and end him.

Iida took a steadying breath, it wasn’t unheard of for heroes to permanently bring down villains, but it was rare; often the villains in question posed a threat to society as a total or were too dangerous to keep alive. Iida nodded to himself, men like The Hero Killer had to be removed, the threat they posed could not be ignored; all he needed was the will to do what was necessary, no more dead heroes, parents having to bury their children, children growing without the guidance of a mother or father, or siblings mourning their kin. He knew it was not heroic, lying to Mauel, or planning the death of another person, but sometimes, heroes needed to act unheroic to do what was right.

X-X-X

Todoroki glanced at Bakugo as they walked through the entrance to Endeavor’s agency, “Why are you here?”

The blonde rolled his eyes, “Number two hero offered to be a steppingstone for my rise to number one.”

Todoroki raised a brow, “I know that bastard well enough to know he didn’t offer you that, at all.”

Bakugo shrugged, “It’s what he is, whether he acknowledged it or not.” He chuckled, “He even called me a ‘kindred spirit’ he’s practically begging to work with me.”

Todoroki glared at him as they entered the main elevator, “That’s more of a condemnation than a compliment.”

The pair rode in silence, watching the number above the door change again and again until it opened at the top floor. Endeavor looked up from his paperwork as his new interns stepped out, he stood and grinned, “Ah, Shoto, I’m glad you saw sense and came under my wing, it’s about time you stopped with this childish rebellion.” He glanced at Bakugo, “And you, I almost saw myself in you during the festival, always in the shadow of another, I know the feeling.” He offered his hand, “I’m sure you will rise high, especially without that asinine restriction Nezu gave you.” He shook his head, “Denied your quirk for no reason, it’s not killing you is it?”

Bakugo shook his head, the hero was making sense, why couldn’t Nezu and Hound Dog get the picture, like him? “No, they just think I’m unstable.”

Endeavor scoffed, “Preposterous, I spoke with Nezu, all you did was take an opponent seriously, besides, he would have been fine if he dodged.”

Bakugo grinned, it felt right, knowing someone was willing to see things how they were, “Exactly!”

Todoroki glared at them, it was like the bastard cloned himself, he had hoped the meetings with Hound Dog would have worked better than this. He shook his head, muttering under his breath, “Neither of you deserve to be heroes.”

Endeavor glanced at his son, “Shoto, pack your things, we’re going to Hosu.”

Shoto tilted his head, “Why Hosu?”

Endeavor chuckled, “The Hero Killer has been sighted there, I intend to capture him, it’s about time someone brought his rampage to an end.”

Bakugo grinned, “When do we leave?”

Endeavor glanced at him, “Shoto and I will be leaving tomorrow, you will stay here and work with the sidekicks.” He gestured to the desk, “I filled out some forms, you’ll be able to use your quirk, under their supervision, of course."

Bakugo looked from Endeavor to Shoto and back, “What?”

Endeavor waved him off, “Go back downstairs, speak to Burnin, you’ll likely be working with her, I need to speak with Shoto.”

Bakugo clenched his fist and ground his teeth, every instinct was screaming to break the arrogant prick’s jaw, but he wasn’t a fool, he knew that would end horribly for him. He grabbed the paperwork for his quirk and stomped back into the elevator and nearly cracked the panel to go down. He stomped out of the elevator and looked for Burnin, the heroine grinned at his approach, “You’re the new meat Endeavor told me about?” She looked him up and down, “Not much to look at, from what I saw on TV, not much in general.” She crossed her arms and sighed, “But Endeavor was adamant, we don’t do easy and peaceful around here, you’re gonna work, or you're gonna walk, got it?”

Bakugo glared at her, “Yeah, I, fucking, got it.”

Burnin rolled her eyes, “God, I hope I didn’t act like this with Salamander.”

Bakugo stiffened at the familiar name, “The Hero Killer’s first victim?”

Burnin sighed, “Yeah, I was doing a work study with his agency when he died, he was a good man, had a cute son, too, an adorable twerp that just loved heroes and had little pinchable cheeks with the cutest freckles.” She giggled at the memory, “I used to babysit him, all the time, he even called me ‘Big Sis Burnin’.” She shook her head “Quit distracting me, we’ve been trying to track down a villain, he’s been attacking HPSC reps in the area, we’ll be working that case while Endeavor is in Hosu.”

Bakugo sighed, he came here to learn from one of the best, now he was stuck doing side work, “I should have gone with Best Jeanist, would have seen some action with him, probably even get some actual training in while I’m at it.”

Chapter Text

This. Was. BULLSHIT! Endeavor and Shoto left the second morning of the internship, leaving the sidekicks to run things while he was gone. Burnin took over his internship, almost immediately, taking him on patrol and investigating the villain she was tasked with capturing. The pro glanced at him as they walked, chuckling at his frustration, “You get points for already having a fire in you, but you could at least pretend you aren’t pissed for a few minutes.”

Bakugo glared at her, “Are you shitting me? Endeavor and his half and half son are hunting The Hero Killer in Hosu, and I’m stuck walking around with some crazy chick that can’t go a full day without a booty call.”

Burnin stiffened and blushed, “Shut your hole, it’s just meeting my boyfriend for lunch, that’s far from weird.”

Bakugo raised a brow, “True, disappearing for a solid twenty minute with him raises some questions, though.”

The pro opened her mouth to argue, but a scream stopped her. The pair rushed into action, Burnin used her quirk to take to the air and speed her way to the threat as Bakugo did the same with a series of controlled explosions. They found a young man holding a knife to the throat of another, the pair stared at the heroes the one holding the knife shoved the other towards them and threw a smoke bomb before escaping in the confusion. Bakugo growled in rage as the dense smoke dissipated, he shoved the young man off him with a furious growl, “Fuck! The bastard got away!”

Burnin got the young man to his feet, “Who are you and what happened?”

The young man got to his feet and leaned on the wall, “I’m Hiroki Tanaka, that was Masaru Takeda,” He rubbed where the knife was pressed, still feeling the cold steel against it, “He’s a classmate, I think he’s that crazy guy that’s been harassing HPSC employees, I tried to confront him, he got violent.”

Burnin raised a brow, “That’s quite the accusation, and quite the stupid decision.” She shook her head, “What makes you think he’s doing that, and what made you think it was a good idea to confront him?”

Hiroki stood straight and puffed his chest out in a show of confidence, “He’s always alone and muttering to himself, he also gets really worked up and angry when people mention heroes.” He pulled out his phone and pulled up a video, “I took this a few days ago, he hasn’t been in school the last few days, I saw him and tried to confront him, like a hero.” He grinned and winked at Burnin, “I plan on being number one, some day.”

Bakugo scoffed as he listened to the claim, then the video started, rage filled yells and rants about how unfair things were. He stiffened as the speaker started talking about how quirkless people were treated, “I mean, come on, I get treated like shit all the time, I said I wanted to be a hero, and you assholes called me a retard, the only ones that seem to have it worse are the heteromorphs.”

He snatched the phone from Hiroki’s hand and started looking through it, he read through as many messages as he could before Burnin snatched it back, “You can’t do that, not without a warrant, Rookie.” She handed the phone back to its owner, “Sorry about him, go home, don’t do anything stupid like this, again.” She glared at Bakugo, “What the hell? You can’t just...” She tilted her head when she saw his expression, he looked close to panicking, “You okay?”

Bakugo hesitated; the messages he saw were familiar. He could remember having similar conversations in the past, about wanting to be a hero, about how a quirkless nobody looked down on him, how he couldn’t stand how Masaru still wanted to be a hero despite his limitations. He opened and closed his mouth several times as he thought, “Just thinking about something familiar...”

Burnin raised a brow, “Ah, I remember hearing that little chat between you and that green haired kid, this bringing up memories?”

Bakugo sighed, “I...he...yes...” He clenched his fist, “I have to find that guy.”

Brunin stopped him, “Calm down, you can’t go after villains, or possible villains with your head jumbled up.” She gestured for him to follow, “Come on, let’s eat something and figure out how to approach this.”

Bakugo sighed as he followed, “I’m really not in the mood to sit in some cheap burger joint while you hook up with that guy with white hair, again.”

Burnin flicked his forehead, “Shut up, he has class today, and we don’t ‘hook up’, asshole.”

Bakugo rolled his eyes, “Sure, you just happen to have hickeys after your little meetings.”

X-X-X

Bakugo left the moment the agency’s night crew showed up, he left the small apartment that was originally set up for informants and witnesses being protected by the agency and he had been staying in during the internship. He walked through the agency, claiming to be getting something from a nearby convenience store when challenged. He took a steadying breath after leaving the building and started making his way to the house Burnin mentioned keeping an eye on, she was convinced the HPSC agent living there was a target for the villain. Bakugo pulled up the hood of his jacket as he walked, he ground his teeth, Hiroki and Masaru had a familiar relationship, one that turned his stomach.

Bakugo froze as he passed a specific manor house, he watched as Burnin squeezed out of a window, the pro heroine froze when she noticed him there. She looked from the manor to Bakugo and back several times, “What are you doing out here?”

Bakugo glanced at the manor, “...isn’t that Endeavor’s place?”

Burnin blushed brightly, “Well...yes...tell you what, be on time for patrol, tomorrow, and say nothing about this, and I won’t mention you being out this late.”

The hero in training nodded, “Deal.”

Burnin hummed in thought, “Why are you out here, anyway?” The way Bakugo stiffened told her everything, “Going after that Masaru kid?”
Bakugo sighed, “Yes, I just...I need to talk to him.”

The pro heroine raised a brow, the young man’s talk with Midoriya gained quite a bit of attention on the internet. She wasn’t psychic, by any means, but she could tell the video earlier that day had an effect on him, “Alright, I can’t let you go after a villain alone, let’s go.”

Bakugo rushed to catch up as Burnin started walking in the direction he was going, “Wait, what? I don’t need a babysitter, I can handle this alone!”

Burnin sighed, “Salamander was convinced he could handle some crazy vigilante on his own, I watched as he was buried, then had to accept it when his family completely uprooted themselves to escape the memories he left behind.” She glanced at him, “I’m not watching you get buried, asshole or not, I don’t want you dead.”

Bakugo hesitated, “I... thanks.” He kept his gaze firmly on his feet as he walked, refusing to see the smug grin he knew she had. They eventually reached the property and started looking for any signs of the villain. He let out a quiet grunt when he saw a broken padlock on the ground near a fence gate. He took a steadying breath and slipped through the gate while was Burnin looking away, he carefully closed the gate and looked around the back yard. He sighed when he saw nothing, he approached the house’s back door and checked if it was locked.

The door opened with a quiet click, Bakugo entered quickly and quietly and started looking around. He knew being caught would likely end his dream of being a hero, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that something bad would happen otherwise. He heard something move behind him and turned quickly, he staggered back from Masaru’s punch, the villain slammed his forehead into the bridge of Bakugo’s nose before shoving him down. Masaru pinned him down and tried to punch Bakugo in the face, the hero in training caught his fist and threw a punch of his own.

Masaru let out a pained grunt as the blow connected, hitting his liver. Bakugo shoved him off and tackled him, he pinned the villain down and pressed his arm against his throat. The future hero glared at his opponent, “Why?”

Masaru spit in his face, “Why what?”
Bakugo sighed, he was really getting tired of hearing that phrase, “Fuck off, why are you attacking HPSC agents?”

Masaru glared at him, “Have you been living under a rock? Look around you, the system in place bases our worth on our quirks, on how amazing they are, you wouldn’t understand, I bet your quirk got you treated like the second coming of Jesus; but what about ‘evil’ quirks? What about heteromorphic quirks? What about the quirkless? I’ve dealt with abuse from the people around me for years, because I had the audacity to want to be a hero without a quirk.” Bakugo froze, for a moment, Masaru’s eyes were green, as was his hair, and his cheeks bore freckles in the shape of diamonds. He shook his head, trying to clear the image from his mind, Masaru took the chance to attack.

Bakugo fell back with a yell, holding his cheek after feeling Masaru’s knife go through it. Masaru kicked him in the jaw. Bakugo felt tears well up in his eyes as he looked up, seeing green eyes framed by green hair stare back, he heard Burnin yelling outside and someone moving around in the master bedroom. Bakugo acted on instinct as Masaru turned to the front door when Burnin started banging on the door in an attempt to break it down. He hit Masaru in the back with an explosion, sending him falling to the ground, he pinned Masaru again, kicking the knife away in the process.

Burnin finally got through the door as the house’s owner left his room, pistol drawn and ready to shoot. He relaxed when he realized the situation, he sighed, “You know, there are better ways to wake a guy up.” He glanced at the young man on the ground and raised a brow at the blood on the cheek of the young man pinning him down, he gestured towards his room, “Burnin, right? I have a pair of handcuffs in my nightstand, I’ll keep an eye on these two, you grab them.”

Burnin tilted his head, “Do I even want to know why you have handcuffs in your nightstand?”

The HPSC agent shrugged, “I have a personal life, and I don’t have to justify myself to you.” The pro rolled her eyes and went into the room to look for the cuffs, he pointed the pistol at Masaru, but kept his finger off the trigger, “So, mind explaining what the hell is going on?”

Bakugo grit his teeth as his cheek started to throb, “We found this guy attacking someone earlier today, we’ve been investigating the recent attacks on agents, it’s likely this guy it the one doing it.”
The agent let out a quiet grunt, “Okay,” He kneeled next to Masaru, keeping the gun pointed and his finger off the guard, “Anything you want to say, kid?”

Masaru glared at him, “Fuck you, you pricks wouldn’t care what a quirkless nobody, like me, has to say, you haven’t cared about anything happening before, why care now?”

The agent raised a brow, “Mind elaborating on that?”

Masaru ground his teeth, “Constant harassment from my classmates, being either ignored or outright blamed for that abuse by teachers, heroes that do nothing when people are in danger, and no one bats an eye until the powers that be are threatened.”

The agent sighed, “Ah, another wannabe revolutionary, great, let’s hear it, what’s your little tale of woe and tragedy?”

Bakugo glanced at the agent; he was taking this better than he expected of someone that was nearly attacked. Burnin left the room and put the cuffs on Masaru, she glanced at the agent, “You are a complete degenerate, you know that?”

He shrugged, “I’ve never touched someone couldn’t or didn’t give the go ahead, so I don't know what your problem is.”

Bakugo pulled Masaru aside while Burnin argued with the agent about whatever she saw in the bedroom. He kneeled next to the villain, “You were bullied for being quirkless?”

Masaru nodded, “Yep, worst one was Hiroki, we were friends since kindergarten, but then he got his quirk, and I didn’t”

Bakugo felt his stomach twist, “And I heard you wanted to be a hero.”

Masaru nodded, “Yep, I was so excited when I heard UA was letting quirkless applicants try to enter, I’ve been practically obsessed with heroes for years, even kept notebooks on them.”

Bakugo paled, this was all too familiar, “How did Hiroki react when he found out you were planning to apply to UA?”

Masaru hesitated, he let out a shaky sigh, “He...he gave me advice...”

Bakugo took a steadying breath, he knew what the advice was, knew someone that was given the same advice, “He told you to pray for a quirk in your next life and swan dive off the roof?”

Burnin and the agent froze at that; they stared at the pair as Masaru nodded. Burnin covered her mouth, part of her hoped Masaru was lying, that someone didn’t say something so heartless to him, “That...That little shit wants to be a hero, and he said that?”

The agent shook his head, “Fuck, that...fuck...”

Bakugo took a steadying breath as he stared at the floor, refusing to look at anyone. He could still remember Hiroki’s face, but his mind kept changing details, giving the boy blonde hair and red eyes as he spoke. He looked up at the sound of sirens outside, he sighed and stood, he dragged Masaru to his feet and started to pull him to the door. Burnin and the agent followed closely, they handed Masaru over and watched as he was shoved into the back of the car. The agent and Burnin gave their recounting of the event while Bakugo stared at the door locking Masaru in the car. Bakugo gave his summary of things, but his mind was elsewhere, how close was Midoriya to doing something similar? How close was he to creating a villain?

Burnin wrapped an arm around his shoulder as the police left and the agent went back to his house, “Want me to patch you up at the agency, or should we head to a hospital?”

Bakugo gently touched his cheek, “Hospital, my face hurts, and I don’t trust you to sew it up.”

Burnin chuckled as lead the way, “Sounds good, let’s get you patched up, maybe I'll even grab you some cheap junk food from that crappy convenience store near the agency.”

Bakugo let out a quiet grunt, "Do you think he'll be alright?"

Burnin glanced back, "Not sure, ball's in his court, it's up to him how things go from here."

Chapter Text

A simple week, that’s all Izuku wanted, just a solid week of training with Gran Torino and trying to figure out why he kept seeing people in the corner of his eye, especially after the talk he had with Nana. Instead, he was in the middle of a burning neighborhood fighting God awful abominations that refuse to go down while dozens of heroes do the same and try to maintain some form of order. He ducked as something in the back of his mind screamed at him that something was coming, one of the creatures lunged at him from above, barely missing as its target dropped to the ground. Gran Torino crashed into its side, sending it flying into a light pole, “Good instincts, kid, but you need to get out of here.” The old hero helped him to his feet, “Go with the evacuating civilians, leave this to the professionals.”

Izuku couldn’t help but think of Death Arms lecturing him for being the only one to actually do anything, but he could see the pros fighting more of the monsters, unlike back then, they were giving their all just to keep things contained. He reluctantly nodded and ran to join the people being escorted to safety by less combat focused pros, he froze when he heard one of the heroes looking for Iida. He recognized the pro and rushed to his agency, mainly hoping to find his classmate nearby.

He checked alleyway after alleyway searching desperately for his classmate, he stiffened when he heard a familiar voice shouting nearby. He sprinted towards it and froze at the sight of Iida’s attempt at overwhelming the villain faltered, letting the man slam a heavy dagger into his shoulder. Iida screamed in pain as Stain used the weapon to drag him to the ground before viscously tearing it out. Izuku rushed in as Stain licked the blood, somehow making Iida freeze in the process.

Stain let out a low grunt as Izuku’s foot connected with his back in surprise attack, the villain snarled as he regained his footing. He froze when he saw Izuku’s face, it was like he was staring at a ghost, “Salamander?”

Izuku glared and took a fighting stance, “No, but you and I still have business." He glanced at Iida, “Are you alright?"

Iida gave a frustrated growl, “I can’t move, I think you were right, he can paralyze people, I’m just not sure how."

Stain kept staring, seemingly frozen in shock, “Salamander...The beginning, and nearly the end...”

Izuku made use of the villain’s state and sent his location to the only person in the area he had contact with, muttering to himself, “Hopefully he brings Endeavor, maybe more.”

Stain pointed his dagger at him, “Salamander...he tried to stop my crusade before it could begin, he tried to kill it in its cradle...”

Izuku rushed forward, using One for All to make the initial rush faster and readying his arm for a heavier hit, “He tried to keep you from murdering innocent people!”

Stain dodged and swiped at the ghost with his dagger, “He was the greatest man I’ve ever seen, he began this, he was my first taste of true justice!” He went on the offensive, manically slashing with a pair of heavy daggers, “His voice, his eyes, his fury, he was magnificent! I see it all! Hear it all! I relive my rebirth as Stain every night! Now, I get to live it again, I can remind myself of what I’ve become! I am the father of a new age, a new system, Salamander, you are its grandfather! Die again! Die again so I can remind myself of what my crusade is about!”

Izuku moved desperately, trusting the strange twitch in his skull that warned him where the next swing was coming from. Despite the constant onslaught, Stain seemed to be invigorated by it, energized by the idea of reliving his first kill, the thought of reliving Salamander’s death. Izuku shouted in pain as Stain’s dagger landed, scoring a bloody line across his stomach. He took Stain’s moment of victory as an opportunity and kicked the madman in the face, sending him staggering back, he rushed forward, only to be fooled by Stain’s ploy, the villain moved quickly, sinking his teeth into Izuku’s shoulder after exaggerating the impact of the kick.

Izuku screamed in pain as Stain ground his teeth deeper and drank his opponent's blood, Izuku felt his heart race as his body froze. He fell boneless onto the ground, paralyzed by the quirk that’s caused so much suffering. He fought to move his body, his mind screaming at his body to do something anything to stay alive. Stain gave a manic grin, “Your blood...it tastes like his, Salamander...”

The way he said that name chilled Izuku’s blood, “Why do you keep talking about him?”

Stain gave a psychotic chuckle, “He was my first kill, the first step towards a new society, a new world...” He looked to the sky, as though expecting a sign from some sort of god, “I heard him, he was more angry that he wasn’t being paid what he thought he should than the fact that villains constantly attacking the innocent, he valued his bank account more than innocent lives! I couldn’t stand it, the idea of a hero, a man whose entire life should have been protecting others simply wanted a paycheck.” Stain studied his dagger, admiring the blood clinging to it, “I followed him for hours, waited for him to be alone, to be vulnerable.” He raised his hands, an insane preacher at his pulpit of violence screeching manic prayers to the mad gods that were his own twisted convictions, “I cut his shoulder with a pocketknife, I drank his blood like it was the sweetest ambrosia, then I slashed, and carved, I stabbed and tore, it was glorious! I made him a testament to my crusade, a monument to my convictions to go forward, to create a new world through the purging of the unworthy!”

He reached down and grabbed a fistful of Izuku’s hair, “And I will relive it all, I will renew my convictions with the brother of my crusade, you share a father, and I thank you for reminding me of that beautiful beginning.” A pillar of ice hit his side, slamming him into a dumpster with a pained cry, Stain looked even more deranged as he dragged himself to his feet, furious that his kill was denied. He snarled and drew his sword, “Who are you?! What mongrel is trying to stop my crusade, now?!”

Todoroki swallowed nervously, he fought more than a few villains at the USJ, but Stain’s feral glare made him think he was fighting something different. He instinctively stepped back, every instinct screaming at him to run, to hide, find Endeavor, do something anything that could keep him from dying to the demon staring him down. He moved on instinct as Stain rushed forward, blocking the alleyway with the thickest wall of ice he could create in the moment. He heard Stain’s attempt to climb the wall, stabbing it again and again as he used his daggers to go upward. He looked from Izuku, to Iida, to the injured hero, “Can any of you move?”

Iida let out another frustrated growl as his body refused to move, “Damn it all, I’m still frozen!”

Izuku joined the angered chorus, “Same here, his quirk freezes you if he drinks your blood, I’m sure of it.”

Native, grimaced as the sounds of Stain’s ascent got higher and higher, “I’m already done for, get your friends and run, find the other pros and tell them what’s happening.” He tried and failed

to get to his feet, “I’ll do what I can to keep him here, just tell them the location and what his quirk can do.”

The sounds of climbing stopped, Todoroki paled as he looked up, all he could see were the insane eyes of the man above them and the glint of his weapons. The hero in training took a steadying breath as the murderous villain jumped off the wall, he tried to hit him with another pillar of ice. Stain managed to twist his body in a way that allowed him to stab into the pillar and use it as a launch pad towards his new opponent. He could see the boy’s fear, the blind terror he’s seen in dozens of heroes before. He felt the wind get knocked out of him as something connected with his side, he crashed into the wall and fell in a heap.

Native stared in shock as several coiled tendrils of energy dissipated into Izuku’s back, “WHY DIDN’T YOU START WITH THAT, KID?!”

Izuku stared in shock as Stain seemingly tried to regain his senses, “I DIDN’T KNOW I COULD!”

Todoroki looked from the stunned villain to his paralyzed friend, “WHERE DID YOU LEARN TO DO THAT!”

“IT JUST HAPPENED!” Izuku’s eyes widened even further, “BEHIND YOU!”

Todoroki turned quickly as Stain rushed him, he panicked and let loose a gout of flame to drive the villain off. Stain staggered back, tossing away his burning scarf as he did, he snarled when he saw Izuku’s hand move slightly. He ground his teeth, this kid was an anomaly, great physical ability, random quirks, Salamander’s son, and type O?! He took a steadying breath and grinned as he realized something, “You...you’re my test, aren’t you? Killing you...that would be the greatest proof of my convictions! Tell me your name! Tell me the name of my greatest achievement! My greatest test!”

Izuku responded by bolting forward, using his quirk to make the sudden launch forward more devastating as he slammed his shoulder into Stain’s stomach; crushing him between the unmoving wall and the unstoppable young man. Stain puked blood and bile onto Izuku’s back as the wind in his lungs joined to contents of his stomach in their escape. Izuku punched the villain

in the face, making the back of his head hit the wall with a sickening crack. Izuku let out a choked sigh as Stain’s dagger pierced his side, the hero in training felt his vision swim in and out of focus as the pain slowly registered in his brain. Izuku felt a calloused hand grab him and drag him away from Stain as Native used his quirk to turn his hand into a tomahawk. Stain let out a feral growl as the ax’s head landed, breaking his collar bone and spraying blood into the hero’s face.

Todoroki rushed to Izuku’s side and tried to administer first aid, he studied the wound carefully and hesitated, he knew what he had to do, knew that he needed to use his left hand to cauterize the wound. He ground his teeth and pulled the dagger free before putting his hand to it and burning the wound. Izuku screamed in pain as Todoroki switched hands and covered the injury with ice. He paled when he heard the thud of Native falling, Stain’s dagger buried in his skull. The Hero Killer tried to move forward and staggered before collapsing to the ground. The deranged villain muttered about his crusade not ending, about how he refused to let it end here, he snarled as Endeavor reached the alleyway.

The pro hero paled at the sight before him, a dead hero, a likely dying villain, two injured interns, and his own son looking relieved to see him for the first time in his life. Stain reached out, his will driving him further, despite his broken and failing body. Endeavor quickly recovered and subdued the villain, putting him in cuffs and dragging him to the side before checking the intern on the ground, he let out a grunt as when he saw how pale the young man was, he wrapped his hands around his arm and cauterized the injury, he glanced at his son, “Shoto, cover the injury with ice, I’ll...SHIT!” He rushed forward, meeting the charge of a nomu that followed the sounds of violence and the smell of blood, he landed a vicious strike to its head, making it stagger, and letting the pros that were chasing it get a hold of them.

The nomu roared at its attackers in an animalistic attempt to frighten them away. Manuel responded with a rather disturbing use of his quirk, quickly moving the water in the creature’s brain, the horrid creature fell without a sound. Endeavour looked from the creature to the hero, “You wouldn’t happen to be single, would you? If so, I have a daughter I’d like you to meet."

Manuel rolled his eyes and rushed past, he carefully checked Iida, “Hey kid, gave me quite the fright, there...” He froze when he saw Stain, heavily injured and subdued, “What happened here?” The trio of interns glanced at each other, unsure of how to respond as Endeavor made calls for an ambulance and the police.

Chapter Text

Izuku rubbed his shoulder as he walked into the train station, thankfully, while painful, the bite didn’t give him any sort of disease, he could feel the stitches under his shirt, hopefully, he could get Recovery Girl to take a look at it. He smiled when he saw the people waiting for him, “I told you guys everything was alright.”

Mirio shook his head, “No, you said monsters attacked the city and you got into a fght with a villain.”

Nejire nodded and used her quirk to float around Izuku, checking for any damage the doctors missed, “Yeah, and you said Endeavor got the credit, you got a new-”

Amajiki moved quickly, covering his friend’s mouth with his hand and wincing as she immediately started licking it, “Ew, are you five?” He wiped his hand on his pants and looked around, “We can’t just announce things like that, especially not in public.”

The trio lead Izuku to a private compartment on the train, Izuku looked around the comfortable place, “Wow, how did you guys get the money for this?”

Mirio locked the door, “Nighteye guessed we would talk about this and set it up, he even sprung for a minifridge!” The excited young man opened a small cabinet that proved to be the appliance in question, he sighed at its contents, “I suppose I should have guessed he’d do this.”

Izuku chuckled as he grabbed one of the All Might branded sports drinks, “I will never understand why he worked with these people, the drink is horrible."

Mirio shrugged, “True, but we have bigger things to discuss, you’re seeing things and getting quirks?”

Izuku nodded and sat down, chuckling as Nejire took her usual spot to play with his hair, “Yeah, it’s usually silhouettes in the corner of my eye, and recently, I’ve started feeling a twitch in the back of my head before something or someone attacks me, and when I was fighting Stain, some sort of energy came from my back and hit him...there’s also something I haven’t mentioned yet...”

The trio glanced at each other, Mirio placed a hand on Izuku’s good shoulder, “What is it? Why didn’t you tell us?”

Izuku sighed, “After the sports festival, I talked to a woman that just appeared, she disappeared when she finished warning me.”

Nejire tilted her head, “When did that happen? I dragged you to the hotel almost immediately, and we didn’t leave until checking out."

Mirio chuckled, “Damn, you could have let the guy rest.”

Nejire shrugged, “I didn’t hear him complain, and I didn’t exactly rest either.”

Amajiki cleared his throat, “Moving on, what did she say?”

Izuku shifted in his seat as his blush slowly faded, “She said that there are other vestiges and that they think something big is going to happen, she also said her name is Nana."

Mirio’s eyes widened, “Nana Shimura? You mean ‘The Living Missile’?”

Izuku shrugged, “I’m not sure, she was a hero before All Might was around, right?”

Mirio nodded, “Yeah it was around when heroes were really gaining popularity, my dad has a few posters of her in his garage, she used to use her quirk to crash into villains at crazy speed...” His eyes widened when he realized something, “She also disappeared one day, a few months before All Might made his debut.”

Izuku raised a brow, “Your dad must have been a big fan of hers.”

Mirio shrugged, “My mom says he like muscular women, you’d understand if you meet her.”

Amajiki sighed as he sat in one of the cots, “So we’re dealing with a haunted quirk that has other quirks and kills its users, what’s next a centuries old villain that wants to be some sort of demon king?” The group laughed at the idea, surely, nothing that insane could be a problem.

X-X-X

He was watching, Shoto could feel it as he put his phone away, “What?”

Endeavor let out an annoyed grunt, “You’ve been texting that girl quite often, Tokage, was it?"

Shoto glared at his father, “That is none of your business.”

The hero returned the glare, “My business is making sure you achieve greatness, that includes removing distractions, when needed.”

Shoto felt his left side flare, slightly in his anger, “Like you did to Mom?”

Endeavor ground his teeth, “She injured my masterpiece, if anything, I was lenient.”

The hero in training stared out the window in furious silence, his mind whirling. He saw the hospital his maother was being kept in, something in his mind started to click, maybe Nezu and Recovery Girl could help him after all, he just needed a way to speak with them without the bastard next to him knowing.

X-X-X

Tenya bowed and apologized for seemingly the hundredth time as he waited for the train back, “I truly am sorry for deceiving you, and for taking such ignoble actions.”

Manuel waved the apology off, “It’s fine, kid, I should have guessed what was going on the moment you accepted my offer, and while I’m not exactly thrilled how it happened, I am glad that lunatic is off the streets.” He helped the young man to his feet, “Tell you what, when you get you provisional license, give me a call, I’ll make sure to point that passion in the right direction.”

Tenya hesitated, “I...I’m sorry about Native.”

Manuel’s smile faded as his shoulders slumped, “He was a good man, had a temper, but he always pointed it in the right direction,” He gave a sad smile, “but he went out like a hero, I’m not sure if capturing the killer would have been as easy if he wasn’t as injured.” He gestured to the stopping train, “That’s yours, kid, stay safe, don’t do anything I wouldn’t, other phrases I’m supposed to say to young heroes, like you.”

Tenya chuckled, “Thank you, again, for your offer and your understanding, I promise, you will be my second call after getting my license.”

Manuel raised a brow, “Second? Who’s first.”

Tenya smiled, “My mother, she would be furious if she wasn’t the first call.”

X-X-X

Burnin was annoyingly adamant about seeing him off, “Make sure you didn’t forget anything, I’m torching whatever you leave behind.”

Katsuki rolled his eyes, “I’ve got everything, Mom.”

The pro hero chuckled, “Believe me, I’d have wooped your ass daily if you were my kid.” She looked around as the entered the station, muttering under her breath, “I wonder if he wants kids.”

Katsuki scoffed, “With how often you two go at it, it wouldn’t surprise me, besides, you probably wouldn’t be too god awful.”

Brunin cooed, “Awwww, that’s sweet of you, maybe showing that side more would make you look like less of a dick.”

He rolled his eyes and paused when he saw a news report on the recently ended attacks on HPSC agents in the area, “Do you think he can change, you know stop being a villain?”

Burnin paused with him as the news showed Masaru being escorted from the courthouse to a police car to be transferred to prison, “Like I said, that’s his call, he’s got more than enought time to think on things.” She bumped her hip into his, “Enough of that, let’s get you out of here, before you do something stupid.”

Katsuki scoffed as he followed the heroine, “What, like ruin your next booty call?”

Burnin blushed brightly, “Shut up! Just get on the train, jack ass.” Despite everything, the pair waved goodbye to each other as he borded the train and found a seat.

Katsuki pulled out his phone and sent Izuku a simple text, “Meet me at the park we went to as kids, we need to talk.” He put the phone away and stared out the window, wondering if he was making the right call with this.

Chapter Text

Bakugo was waiting when Izuku arrived, the blonde young man looked up as he approached, “Didn’t think you’d show.”

Izuku shrugged, “Honestly, my friends weren’t exactly pleased with the idea.”

Bakugo nodded as he stood from the bench, “And your mom?”

Izuku chuckled, “She actually agreed to it, and mentioned that your mom’s latest line of dresses is probably really flammable.”

The former bully hesitated, “Good to know, I’ll warn her.”

Izuku crossed his arms, “Well, what did you want to meet me for?”

Bakugo opened and closed his mouth multiple times, his mind trying to figure out the right way to explain himself, “Hit me.”

Izuku’s eyes widened, “What? Why?”

Bakugo ground his teeth, “During my internship, I saw what I could have caused, what you could have been...now, hit me.” He spread his arms out, “As hard as you can, as many times as you want. Do it!”

Izuku pinched the bridge of his nose, “I could be at home, eating dinner with my mom and having some peace and quiet, instead, I’m here, dealing with your wounded conscience.” He sighed, “What does doing this solve? Does hitting you magically undo the last decade?”

Bakugo shook his head, “No, but you and I both know this shit isn’t going to just go away.” He sank into the bench, all the fire gone from him, “I keep hitting the same wall, doesn’t matter who I talk to or what I say, it’s still there.” He sighed, “I can’t be the best when you’re there? How can I be a hero with shit like this hanging over me? What kind of hero could be anything like me?”

Izuku nodded before punching him in the face, sending Bakugo to the ground “Alright, no more of that.” He shook his hand, if anything was going to get to his former friend, it was yelling and punches, “Now, an apology won’t change anything, hitting you won’t change anything, nothing we do at any point will change the past decade." He offered his hand, “Our only option is moving forward.”

Bakugo rubbed his jaw, “When did your punches get that strong?” He took the offered hand and let his old friend pull him up, “And how the fuck do we move forward? You said it yourself; nothing is going to undo the past decade of bullshit.”

Izuku plopped down on the bench, “I don’t know, but I do know focusing on what you did to me and what I made you feel hasn’t helped either of us, and we both know it won’t help either of us in the future.” He gave a long, tired sigh and shook his head, “I don't know where we’re supposed to go from here, or how we're supposed to rebuild this fucked up bridge...”

Bakugo sat next to him and looked up, “Remember when we were kids? Before I turned into an asshole?”

Izuku laughed at the blunt description, “Yeah, we geeked out over All Might and played dumb games all the time.” He looked up with Bakugo, “I think I saw Tsubasa in Hosu.”

Bakugo stiffened, “I heard he went missing, went to visit his grandpa and just...disappeared.”

Izuku sighed, “Yeah, one of the creatures that attacked had wings like his, and it kept looking for me, like it recognized me, you know?”

Bakugo let out a grunt, “Fuck, honestly can’t decide whether or not that’s worse than what most people thought happened.”

Izuku ran a hand through his hair, “Yeah, having who you are just torn out, sounds like Hell...”

Bakugo nodded, “I had nightmares after the USJ attack, where that big one with the beak just showed up in class one day, one minute we were in class, the next, the damn thing was walking through the door.” He shuddered, “How did you keep your cool with it coming for you?”

Izuku laughed, “What makes you think I wasn’t panicking?” She sighed, “I was convinced I was going to die.”

Bakugo chuckled, “You nearly did, that breastplate of yours looked like a damn bowl after it hit you!” He shook his head, “And that Nejire chick looked like she was going to have an aneurism, when did that happen, anyway?”

Izuku shrugged, “She kissed me when I got my acceptance letter, not sure when she got interested, though, or why.”

Bakugo glanced at him, “You’re nice, I’ve heard some girls say you have cute freckles, and let’s be honest, you’re built like a brick shit house.”

Izuku laughed, “Well, that’s not something I expected from you.” He glanced at his old friend, “So, when are you and Kendo gonna become a thing?”

The blonde young man stiffened, “First of all, fuck you, second, she isn’t interested, not in someone like me.”

Izuku pat his old friend’s shoulder as he stood, “I’m sure you’ll win her over, try not being an angry ass for once, maybe ask her to show you how to handle yourself without a quirk, you’ll need it until Hound Dog says you’re not a feral animal.”

The former bully watched his former victim as he left, he called out, “Quit acting like this shit is easy, not all of us get tackled by the girls we like!” He sighed and rubbed his still sore jaw, “Fuck, that bastard hits like a brick, can’t tell if that was his quirk or not.” He chuckled, "'Focus on the future', I don't see why not, I've done worse, after all." He let out a thoughtful grunt, "Maybe asking her to train with me could work..."

X-X-X

Izuku froze when he saw one of the figures he kept seeing approach him, this time taking a full form instead of the silhouettes he usually saw. The apparent former user scowled, “So that was my descendant? What an ass.” He nodded towards the road Izuku was walking down, “Get moving, your mom’ll kick your ass if you stay out too late, then she’ll figure out how to kick mine.”

The pair walked side by side, Izuku kept glancing at him, “You two look quite alike.”

The ghost shrugged, “Yeah, my daughter looked damn near identical to me as well, looks like the Toshitsugu blood is as strong as it gets.” He chuckled, “Stubborn as I was, too, guess that’s as genetic as the hair.”

Izuku smiled, “Seems like it...are you here to warn me about something, like Nana?”

Kudo shook his head, “Kinda, after seeing that, I thought you needed a chat, whatever you got going on, there’s a good chance it’ll come crashing down, if he survived, he’ll go after anything that’ll hurt you.”

Izuku’s brows furrowed, “Who?”

Kudo sighed, “Ask your predecessor about All for One, he should give you a full rundown of how colossally fucked things are gonna get if he’s still around,” He glanced at the latest wielder of his quirk, “You’ve got Danger Sense and Black Whip, we’re still trying to figure out which we’ll let loose next, Nana’s been pretty aggressive about it being Float, but who knows?” With a final wave, the ghost was mist, then gone entirely, leaving Izuku to think on what was to come.

He chuckled, "Nejire would have a field day with me being able to fly with her, maybe other things." He blushed at the thought, "I may have been around Mirio too long."

Chapter Text

Izuku grit his teeth as he focused on the movements Amajiki showed him, “How do you keep track of so many things at once?” The tendrils of energy moved erratically, his lack of control on full display as they cracked and tangled together.

Amajiki chewed his ikayaki as he watched, “Try just making one, then we can work from there.” He turned his arm into a tentacle as the tendrils disappeared, “Make one, then move it around, get a feel for how it responds to you.” He moved the tentacle in a slow circle, flexing and moving the limb in to show its flexibility, “After a while, it should become instinct, then we can try two at once.”

Midoriya did as he was told, he took a deep breath and produced a single thick tendril and started to move it the way Amajiki moved his tentacle, “It's still feels weird, having a second quirk.”

Amajiki shrugged, “I’m more focused on the fact All Might fought a borderline immortal, two hundred years of evil, scary thought.” He sighed, “At least he’s gone, never thought I’d meet someone that actually used the Osaka Initiative.”

Izuku felt a chill go down his spine, it still felt wrong, knowing that All Might of all people actually killed someone. He felt a twitch at the back of his mind and ducked as a candy bar flew through where his head had been, he turned and saw Mirio and Nejire entering the gym they were using, “Will you quit doing that?”

Mirio grinned, “Oh, come on, it’s so cool to see you just know what’s coming.”

Izuku picked up and opened the candy bar while Nejire took her spot behind him and started playing with his hair. He took a bite and glanced at Amajiki, “So, any advice for the finals?”

The dark-haired young man hummed in thought for a moment, “There’s gonna be a fake rumor running around that you’ll be fighting the robots from the entrance exams, you’re actually going against the teachers.” He chuckled at the way Izuku’s eyes widened, “They’ll be wearing weighted bands, which will slow them down, that doesn’t mean it will be easy, though.”

Mirio nodded, “Yeah, especially for you, I overheard All Might and Erasure Head arguing about which one you should be fighting, either one is gonna be difficult.”

Izuku let out a quiet whistle, “So, I’m either fighting the top hero in the country or someone that can turn off my quirk and ambush me as easily as breathing. Great.”

Nejire kissed his cheek, “Hush, you got this, and you’ll have a teammate helping you.” She whispered in his ear, “And when you pass, I’ll make sure you get a proper reward.”

Izuku blushed as Mirio and Amajiki laughed, his eyes widened when he looked passed Mirio and saw something he did not expect. Mirio noticed the look and turned around, he waved as Kendo and Bakugo entered the gym, “Hey, you guys need something?”

Kendo returned the gesture, “We signed up to use the gym today, we’re a bit early, we can wait til you guys are done, if you want.”

Izuku gestured for them to come in, “It’s fine, we were just talking, anyway.” He couldn’t resist smiling as the pair approached, he glanced at Bakugo and felt his smile widen at the slight embarrassment in the young man’s face, “Are you two training together?”

Kendo nodded and returned the smile, “Yep, Bakugo mentioned wanting to work on his combat skills.”

Bakugo shrugged, “Gotta be able to handle myself, at least, until I can use my quirk again.” He glanced at the trio training Izuku and suppressed a shudder at their quiet glares. He sighed and glanced at Izuku, “I talked to Tsubasa’s parents, apparently, the cops had a doctor look into a nomu they captured, you were right.”

Izuku shook his head, “He deserved better than that.”

Bakugo nodded, “Everyone deserves better than that, maybe they can help him, I doubt it, but they seemed hopeful." The Big Three seemed to forget their distaste for the blonde young man for a moment. He ran a hand through his hair, “I heard you guys talking about the finals, what’s going on?”

Kendo perked up, “I heard Vlad King and Erasure Head talking about this, we’ll fighting robots, right?”

X-X-X

Aizawa pinched the bridge of his nose, how was a student using his quirk so controversial? Hound Dog was using his usual mix of barks, growls, and yelling as he tried to drive his point home, “I’m serious, he’s been making progress, we had a breakthrough after the internships ended, even his parents are getting involved to help his progress.” The councilor put a journal on the table, “He’s been consistently writing what he’s feeling, and I’ve seen progress, I’m not saying fully let him off leash, but he can be trusted with supervision.”

Nezu tapped his chin as he thought, “I will inform Mr. Bakugo of what you said, but that just means we need to discuss what counts as ‘supervision’.” He turned to Aizawa, “He is your student, what do you think?”

Aizawa sighed, he saw his student try to kill another, saw the resentment between the two turn into full on a full-on brawl in the festival and saw as they slowly started to acknowledge the others' existence without bones breaking. The exhausted teacher looked from the principal to the councilor, “Tests and drills are probably best, and even then, only if there is a pro ready to get him under control.” He sighed, “We also need to address the matter of his teammate in the finals, he’ll be out of step on combat, and he doesn’t seem to work well with others, at least, not yet.”

Nezu sipped his tea, “We could set a lottery of sorts, choose a classmate at random, or place him with a higher scoring student against a less combative teacher...” He grinned, “Or we can have him work with Miss Ashido against me.”

Aizawa rubbed his temples, “As I said, she didn’t know who you were, she legitimately thought you were a robot plushy.”

The pale creature let out an indignant huff, “That does not make being scooped up and baby talked any less humiliating.” He sighed, “but I suppose I can forgive her...eventually.” The white stoat tapped his paw on his desk, “We could ask for volunteers, but that would cause more issues.”

Aizawa crossed his arms and stared at a stain on the desk as he thought, “From what I’ve seen, Bakugo needs a firm hand, sometimes even an iron fist, we’ll need to put him against someone that he can’t dream of fighting alone, and we need to have him work with someone that can adapt quickly, preferably one that can also form a plan of attack under duress.”

Nezu and Hound Dog glanced at each other, Nezu nodded, “I recall you and All Might disagreed on which of you should face Mister Midoriya and whatever teammate he’s assigned, perhaps having him and Mister Bakugo face him would help both of them.”

Aizawa stiffened, “Izuku-” He cleared his throat, “Midoriya is still getting a full grasp of his quirk, fighting me would give him the best chances, and I still think he and Kirishima would work well together, they balance each other out.”

Nezu raised a brow, “I admire your insistence that your students get the best chances, but I must insist, facing such an insurmountable foe would unite Midoriya and Bakugo, while providing a true test for them both.”

Aizawa glared at the principal, “They wouldn’t stand a chance, Izuku still needs to work on his quirk, and Bakugo will need to adjust to using his again, and that’s ignoring the fact they’ll be fighting a brick shithouse that can level buildings!”

Nezu rested his chin on his front paws, “Mister Aizawa, calm down, now.” He took another drink of his tea, “I have absolute faith that those two will get into the swing of things, and in all honesty, this may be the best way to make those two see the other properly.”

Hound Dog let out a quiet growl, “I agree, Bakugo needs to see Midoriya can actually handle himself, and Midoriya needs to see Bakugo has limits.”

Aizawa sighed, “Doesn’t look like there’s any arguing, here, fine, Izuku and Bakugo will be paired up...against All Might.”

X-X-X

Kendo winced as Mirio slammed Bakugo to the ground with a brutal grapple, “Jeez, is he trying to kill him?”

Amajiki shook his head as his boyfriend let his opponent stand, only to punch him in the stomack and kick him to the ground, “No, but seriously injuring may be on the table.”

Nejire hummed and drank from Izuku’s water bottle, “It’s probably better that he’s doing this, I have a few things I wouldn’t mind doing to that jerk.”

Kendo looked from the pair to Izuku as he rested, she winced again as Mirio slammed his forehead into the bridge of Bakugo’s nose in a brutal headbutt. The young martial artist shook her head as she approached Izuku, “Mirio isn’t gonna really injure him, right?"

Izuku thought for a moment before shaking his head, “He probably wants to, but he has enough control to avoid serious damage.” He winced as Mirio sent his opponent across the gym with a small portion of his remaining power from All for One. Izuku watched as Bakugo skidded to a halt next to him, “Still think sparring with Mirio is a good idea?”

The frustrated young man got to his feet and removed his torn shirt, “He surprised me, this time, he won’t get so lucky.”

Nejire giggled at the look on Kendo’s face, “Someone like muscles.”

Kendo stiffened and blushed, “I...You...Shut up!”

Izuku chuckled, “Is this what it was like watching me and Nejire?”

Amajiki shrugged as Mirio casually threw Bakugo over his shoulder and put him in an arm bar, “Maybe, if you spent multiple months watching one of them be as blatant as physically possible and the other was denser than the average black hole.”

Izuku hesitated, “She wasn’t that obvious, right?”

Nejire floated over him, her hair hanging as she looked at him while upside down, “Yes, I was, you only got the message when I got tired of you not getting the depressingly obvious hints.” She kissed his cheek, "Just be happy you're cute, and good in bed."

Izuku stiffened, "Nejire! not out loud!"

Chapter Text

Izuku nervously checked his equipment for seemingly the hundredth time, the lighter armor he requested let him move easier, but he couldn’t help but worry the loss of protection, even with his control improving. He glanced at Bakugo, no changes whatsoever, the confident young man didn’t need the protection, didn’t need the tools and tricks Izuku had still trusted so much. He rolled his shoulders, “This is bad, we’re head-to-head with All Might.”

Bakugo nodded, “We’ll be fine, he’s got those weights, won’t be as fast.” He adjusted his gauntlets and glanced at Izuku, he changed his gear, he could still remember the tank Izuku was before the internships, Izuku was adapting, “Lightening your armor?”

Izuku stiffened, not expecting the casual question, “Yeah, I designed my original kit for fighting without a quirk, started pulling it back as I got used to my quirk.” He sighed, it felt strange, just talking to his former friend, but nice, “How’d things go with Kendo, after we left.”

Bakugo stiffened, “Fine, she showed me some basic strikes...and a couple grapples.”

Izuku chuckled, “Oh, you got to roll around with the girl you like?” His chuckling turned to full laughter as Bakugo punched his shoulder, “Easy, easy, save it for All Might.” The pair went silent at the reminder of what they’re facing. Izuku took a steadying breath, “Aim for the lower left side of his chest.”

Bakugo studied him for a moment, “Why?”

Izuku hesitated, clenching his fist in frustration that he might have revealed to much already, “Just...Just trust me on this.”

Bakugo’s response was interrupted by an automated voice chiming in, “Bakugo Katsuki and Midoriya Izuku are clear to begin their practical examination.” The pair entered the false city and moved slowly, both watching for any sign of All Might, dreading if and when they’ll find him. The ground shook as the hero playing a villain destroyed building, leveling entire blocks with a few blows. The young men felt chills go down their spines as the shaking grew closer and closer, Izuku felt a now familiar twitch and grabbed Bakugo before diving away.

All Might crashed into a building like a cannon ball, his constant smile now bringing dread instead of hope as he stood tall and looked down on his opponents, “Well, there’s something, a villain destroys a city, block by block and the heroes stand and watch? What’s wrong? Wet yourselves?”

Bakugo rushed forward, sending as big of an explosion as he could into All Might’s face, only to see it do nothing as the devastating hero grabbed him by the throat and slammed him into the ground. Bakugo squirmed against the iron grip on his throat as All Might wound his arm back for a massive blow. Izuku rushed in, crashing into All Might’s side and driving his elbow into his old injury, Bakugo felt blood hit his face as the greatest hero in Japan coughed it up from the brutal strike.

All Might staggered, releasing Bakugo and holding his side as Izuku grabbed his teammate and ran. The pro hero breathed heavily as pain went through him in waves, “Shit, why’d he have to hit it that hard?” He took several deep breaths, regaining his composure and letting the pain fade, “Good thinking, though, getting Young Bakugo out of there.”

Bakugo touched his throat with shaking hands, his biggest hit did nothing, and he could do nothing as All Might prepared to turn his head into a paste on the ground. He glanced at Izuku, the green haired young man was eerily calm, like he was born for this. Bakugo leaned on a wall, “What did you do to him?”

Izuku hesitated, “I...He has an injury I hit, I suppose I put more into it than I needed.” He used one hand to lift the opposite arm, “My arm’s kinda useless, now.” He sighed, “Our only real hope is to escape, neither of us can match him, even with that advantage."

Bakugo sighed, “We can beat him, you just showed we can get him off balance.”

Izuku lifted his injured arm, again, “I broke my arm doing that, and the failsafe in my armor is purely a last ditch.”

Bakugo tilted his head, “Failsafe? What are you talking about?”

Izuku sighed, “Apparently, a support student is really into a prequirk manga, she designed my armor to let me keep fighting with broken bones, she designed spikes to go in and keep things together long enough to escape or win, and it’s far from pleasant."

Bakugo’s eyes widened, he never thought Izuku of all people would be willing to do something that unhinged, “That’s seriously fucked.”

Izuku shrugged, “I can’t fight if I overuse my quirk, she said this was the best option.” He pulled a syringe from his belt, “She even gave me adrenaline to use in order to ignore the pain, it’s really not something I ever want to use, but it’s there, in case every bridge gets burned.”

Bakugo studied his former victim for a moment, then blurted out the first thing that came to mind, “When did you become cool?”

Izuku chuckled, “Good question.” He felt another twitch and dragged Bakugo out of the way as All Might crashed through a nearby building.

The hero grinned at them, “Oh, having a tea party while I destroy the city? Is this what the next generation of heroes do?” He held his arms out, “You just let villains do as they please while you talk about girls and...memes? That’s still a popular thing, right? What do men your age talk about?” He hesitated, suddenly fully aware of his age and that he may be out of touch, “Damn, I’m getting old, aren’t I?”

Izuku and Bakugo glanced at each other, unsure of how to address their idol’s sudden realization. Bakugo shrugged and launched himself forward, he aimed another blast, this time at the weak spot. All Might moved faster than the sudden assault, grabbing Bakugo’s throat and slamming him to the ground again, “Really, that didn’t work the first time, why think it will work this time?” He noticed Izuku moving and put Bakugo in the young man’s path, only to feel the explosive young man’s boot hit his injury. The hero grimaced, but didn’t stagger like earlier, Izuku used the gap in his focus to use land a blow that would always be the greatest equalizer. All Might, like every man, from king to beggar, possibly even the gods of ancient myth, let go of Bakugo and doubled over in pain with a groan after Izuku’s boot connected with his testicles.

All Might looked up at the sound of explosions and saw the pair had gotten away, “Holy shit, haven’t been hit there since I left high school.” He took a steadying breath as the heat coursing through his body with the pain slowly subsided. All Might closed his eyes and focused, listening for the telltale blasts of Bakugo’s version of flight. He let out a low grunt when he heard nothing and leapt into the air, his eyes widened at what he saw.

He remembered seeing Nana use Float, remembered the grace she had, how he hoped he could do the same, one day. Izuku was the opposite of her, mainly because Bakugo seemed furious that he was being carried so they can avoid All Might hearing their escape attempt. The pro hero landed on a roof and prepared another leap, then they took the offensive. Izuku let go of his teammate and rushed towards All Might as fast as Float would allow while Bakugo blasted towards him from a different angle.

The pro scowled, "Are those young fools were really about throw away the test for their own pride?" He pulled his fist back, his eyes widened when he saw one Izuku wearing one of Bakugo’s gauntlets. He heard a pin being pulled behind him as Bakugo used his own gauntlet, sending a massive blast towards All Might while Izuku did the same. Neither aimed for All Might, instead, they aimed at the roof he was standing on, destroying it entirely and sending them all tumbling into a cloud of dust and debris.

All Might brought his hands together in a clap that sounded like thunder and dissipated the choking cloud, unknowingly giving Bakugo the perfect shot. Bakugo put one hand to the other in an attempt to focus his explosion and roared at the top of his lungs, “AP SHOT!” All Might immediately moved his arm to block the attack, only to feel a sudden jerk as a tendril of energy wrapped around his wrist and wretched his arm out of the way. All Might coughed up blood as the focused blast crashed into his side, Izuku moved quickly, using another tendril to wretch his arm towards the other.

The greatest hero in Japan, possibly the world, watched in pained awe as Izuku put handcuffs on his wrists. The exhausted young men collapsed as an automated voice made its announcement, “All Might has been captured, Bakugo Katsuki and Midoriya Izuku have passed their examination.”

Bakugo groaned as the adrenaline faded, “I hate that that worked.”

Izuku let out a pained hiss as the failsafe deactivated, “Will you shut the fuck up, for once.”

All Might and Bakugo looked from Izuku to each other in absolute shock, Bakugo pointed at his teammate, “Did he just do what I think he did?”

All Might nodded, “I...I was wondering if that was just a hallucination.” He looked up, “And not a single pig in the sky.”

Izuku rolled his eyes, “Yeah, I know how to curse, I’m also in alot of pain, so can one of you get the door for me, I can’t move my arms.” He glanced at Bakugo, “And you need to get the recoil on those gauntlets looked at.”

Bakugo groaned as he got to his feet, “You just didn’t do it right, I got the doors, let’s get to the infirmary.” He glanced at All Might, “Pretty sure you broke a couple ribs.”

All Might rolled his eyes, "Back in my day, broken ribs meant training went well."

Bakugo chuckled, "Then The Bronze Age started, and things went down hill from there, didn't they?"

Izuku grinned, "Bronze age? That's a bit much, I'd say he's closer to The Iron Age."

All Might huffed like a petulant child, "You two are mean."