Izuku breathed out a sigh of relief as his punch knocked Chisaki out completely. It was all over for now. The police and other heroes were quickly combing through the hideout, arresting the leftover Yakuza members. Eijiro and a few other heroes were quickly transported to the hospital for emergency care. Among them was…
"OWOWOW FUCK!" shouted Katsuki as his right arm was basically one huge injury. His shoulder had been dislocated, and the hue of his arm was red.
The only problem now was how to deal with Chisaki in his transformed state. They had no real way of transporting such a large body without any danger. His body was 'naturally' created in such a large state that Eraser Head couldn't erase it.
"What are we going to do with this?" grumbled the police chief, pondering how to take Chisaki in.
"Hey, I might have a suggestion," said Rappa as he was being led away, "I know a way to get him and the others separated."
The police chief waved at the ones taking Rappa away, motioning for them to stop for a bit.
"Just use the girl's power," said Rappa, tilting her head towards Eri, who was still hugging Ochako and Tsuyu, "She can reverse it. You know what her quirk is right?"
"Rewind humans. That's what Chisaki said," nodded Izuku, remembering Overhaul's rant.
"Yea, he did mention that," nodded Mirio.
"Let's take this conversation to a more private spot," said the police chief, guiding Izuku, Mirio, and Rappa to a more discreet location, ordering his men to create a circle where they could talk privately. Rappa was already handcuffed with a quirk inhibitor band on him, so the police chief wasn't too worried. Not to mention he had Mirio and Izuku as his backup, the latter having punched Overhaul unconscious.
"Clarify," ordered the police chief.
"Like I said, she can reverse it," shrugged Rappa, "I'm not too sure about the details, but Overhaul mentioned that she can reverse something back to an earlier time. You'd have to ask someone like Chronostasis, but considering he's in Overhaul, that's not a possibility. Maybe Mimic might know better."
"She can reverse matter to any previous state of time?'' asked Mirio for clarification.
"Yea, that's it!" said Rappa, "Just have her use her reverse thingy quirk and then bam, they'll be separated."
"Does she know how to control it?" asked Izuku, "Overhaul made it seem like she didn't."
"... Eh," shrugged Rappa, "Worst she can do is erase them from existence."
"That's not an option!" hissed the police chief.
"Eraser Head!" exclaimed Izuku, remembering his homeroom teacher, "Maybe he can use his quirk to erase Eri-chan's quirk before she goes too far."
The police chief thought about it before nodding in agreement. It would be far easier to arrest and transport Overhaul unfused from his minions than without.
"What's in it for you?" asked Mirio, his eyes narrowing a bit, "You couldn't just have given this information from the bottom of your heart."
"You're right," nodded Rappa, glaring at the police chief, "I want some compensation for this."
"... If you're looking to get out of jail, you're dreaming," snorted the police chief, "I can get a reduced sentencing, but that's about it."
"Pfft, I don't give a shit about that," scoffed Rappa before pointing at Izuku and Mirio, "I wanna fight these two once in a while while I'm serving my sentence. Them and Fat Gum and Red Riot! Though I wouldn't say no to the reduced sentencing."
The duo looked at each other before looking at the police chief, who sighed.
"If they're amenable to it, then maybe. But no death matches!" said the police chief.
"Tch, spoilsport," grumbled Rappa but was at least happy he would be able to fight someone strong every now and then.
Eri was, of course, nervous about even approaching the unconscious Overhaul.
"Trust in me. You won't affect me, just like Overhaul couldn't disassemble me," smiled Izuku.
Eri looked at Izuku, staring into his eyes before deciding to trust him. She stopped as she wanted someone to be with her. However, that proved difficult as it wasn't known if her quirk worked via touch or the area surrounding her. In the end, Izuku kept one hand extended, grabbing onto her hand. Then, with his eyes closed and focused, Izuku meditated for a second.
"Look, his hand is turning black again," noted Mirio as he saw Izuku's arm being infused with Haki, though he had no idea what it was.
"What if I affect you?" asked Eri cautiously, looking down at the hand that she was grabbing onto for comfort, looking back at the unconscious Overhaul before asking, "How do I activate my curse?"
Izuku, Mirio, and Eraserhead winced at that before Eraser Head went on to explain that her quirk wasn't a curse before giving an example of how his quirk worked.
With that, Eri touched a part of Overhaul and focused. She 'found' the energy that she had always been trying to clamp down on, ever since she made her real father disappear. She was terrified of her 'curse', unwilling to let it go. But now, she could let it flow out, trusting in Izuku and the others.
At once, the air around Eri changed before a burst of light came forth from Eri. The light hit Overhaul, and in an instance, separated him from all the people he had absorbed.
Before it could go any further, Eraser Head immediately erased Eri''s quirk, causing it to shut down. Eri began to wobble before Izuku quickly yanked her back into his arms. He noted that her horn had shrunk a little and was breathing a little heavily, but nothing too serious.
"See? Nothing happened to me, shi shi shi," laughed Izuku as he held onto Eri, who looked at Izuku in worry to see nothing had happened to him at all, just like he promised.
Of course, the consequence of reversing Overhaul to a previous state before he started the merging was that he was now awake. Though it didn't do anything for three reasons.
One: Eraser Head was already using his quirk on Overhaul to prevent any actions.
Two: Nighteye, who had predicted that such a thing could've happened, had Centipeder carry his hyper-density seals. Centipeder immediately threw them right into Overhaul's head, knocking him out for a loop.
Three: Mirio was already on him, hurling Overhaul into the ground right after the seals hit him, and with practiced ease, cuffed him.
With all the Shie Hassaikai members arrested, the raid was officially over.
The bullets that had the ability to permanently erase a quirk were a problem. Though there were only three left, there were debates on what to do with them. The police wanted to transport them together with the Yakuza, stating that it would be safe with them, and that nobody would dare attack them. Nighteye argued that putting the bullets together with the Shie Hassaikai members they were transporting was far too risky, as it would paint a huge target for them. Not to mention the League of Villains were still at large, and with a warp user like Kurogiri, they could ambush the vehicle enroute.
In the end, the bullets were divided. One went with the police, one went with Nighteye, and one went with Eraserhead to bring to Nezu. Despite the hideous fact of how they were created, none of them could deny that it would be useful to subdue someone like All for One. Nighteye was sure that Toshinori would be all for it if they used it on All for One right at this moment, and probably volunteered to be the one to inject it.
Soon, most of the heroes were taken to the hospital. Only the Ryukyuu agency and a few others stayed behind to assist in the aftermath of the fights. Izuku and Mirio had originally volunteered to stay behind, only to be dragged away by Bubble Girl and Centipeder to the hospital. The two had fought against Overhaul, and the fact Izuku had been shot by the quirk-erasing bullet and was still able to use his 'quirk' was cause enough for worry.
Hours later
"Looks like nothing's wrong with you," stated the doctor as he looked over his chart after having given Izuku a full physical examination.
"Oh good, I want to see the others," said Izuku quickly as he quickly got dressed, running into Mirio, who had the same idea after finishing with his checkup.
"No need to run," ordered Eraser Head as he appeared in the hallway despite the nurse behind him urging him to rest, "I just checked up on all of them."
Eijiro was covered in bandages from all the bruising and lacerations, Tamaki had a bone fracture in his face, while Fatgum had broken bones in a few areas, but all were expected to make a full recovery. Rock Lock had been stabbed, but the knife missed the vital areas, so he just needed some rest. Katsuki had been cursing like a storm that the doctor had the nurse put him to sleep while they treated his right arm so he wouldn't struggle, but was also expected to make a full recovery. Eri was under quarantine for the moment as she had developed a small fever from using her quirk.
Nighteye's injury was a little more serious, as his arms had been pierced through several locations.
Soon, they arrived at Nighteye's room, where not only Bubble Girl and Centipeder were there, but Toshinori and Recovery Girl.
"Sir!" explained Mirio as he quickly approached Nighteye's bed.
Both of Nighteye's arms were in casts, being suspended in the air by slings, but overall, he looked healthy.
"It'll be hard to say, but there's a chance he won't be able to use his arms like he used to," said Recovery Girl with a sigh, "Even with rehabilitation, the nerve damage he sustained during his fight is severe."
"But I'm still alive," chuckled Nighteye weakly, "I'll still be able to work after this. And it's not like I'll be helpless and have to retire from hero work. Even with my arms like this, I can help solve cases."
Centipeder and Bubble Girl couldn't help but sniffle, holding back tears of gladness that their boss was still alive and relatively well. Mirio couldn't hold back and let out his tears.
"Izuku Midoriya," stated Nighteye as his eyes landed on Izuku, "You are an anomaly, a paradox."
"Huh?" blinked Izuku, pointing at himself at that statement.
"Centipeder, Bubble Girl, Lemillion, would you mind stepping out for a bit?" requested Nighteye.
Though mystified by his request, the trio bowed and left.
"When we first met, I stated that I believed Mirio should've been the next inheritor of One for All," said Nighteye bluntly.
Recovery Girl would've smacked Nighteye for that statement if not for Toshinori holding her back. She had been there when Izuku first inherited One for All and had seen what Izuku had gone through when his Devil Fruit and One for All reacted against each other.
"Yet instead of cowering, you stood your ground against me. When you made that final statement stating that you would prove yourself, I swore I saw the remnants of One for All standing behind you, and your will imposing on me."
"You were shot with a bullet that should've erased your quirk and One for All, and yet you still have it. Discounting the fact that One for All could be considered an artificial quirk, the bullet should've attacked the natural quirk factors in your body, and yet you were able to retain your quirk."
"Finally, I was using my quirk to look into the future, and yet all I saw was your death with the film reel cutting off. Then, when your whole hand turned black, you did something that I thought was impossible. You completely changed the future."
Nighteye sighed as he leaned back onto his bed, looking over to Toshinori, "I wanted to change the future where you were killed. I looked for different possibilities to change it, but to no avail. But today, Midoriya showed me that it can change. I suppose that somewhere, in the back of my mind, I thought that the future couldn't change. That it was set in stone. That it was impossible. Those thoughts were always stuck in the back of my mind, always plaguing me. Looking back at it now, I think it was the energy and will to look forward. The will to look for a future that leaves no room for doubt. The energy to strive for it. Everyone was looking to succeed, and Midoriya managed to manifest it during his fight against Overhaul."
Nighteye closed his eyes as he took a deep breath, "You changed my way of thinking about the future and you. I no longer have doubts about changing the future, nor do I think that Mirio is the superior candidate. You truly are someone whom I can see why All Might chose you."
Izuku had to stop himself from shedding a tear at that statement. The former sidekick of All Might and probably the number one contender to All Might's number one fan, had acknowledged him as well.
"Now that's said and done, I'd like to know a bit more about how your skin could somehow change colors and resist quirks," said Nighteye as his eyes narrowed, "Is it a secondary mutation to your quirk? Or is it another quirk altogether? How, exactly, does it work? It was able to neutralize Overhaul and Eri's quirk, and from what Mirio told me, managed to graze him even when he used his quirk."
Toshinori raised his eyebrow when he remembered his fight against All for One. The man clearly had a quirk that allowed him to turn his arm into water, as he used it to escape Izuku's grasp. So why didn't he do so to escape his strongest punch?
'That's right, my arm turned black for a moment,' thought Toshinori, 'I was so focused on the fight that I didn't notice that detail until now."
"Ummm…," Izuku drawled out Izuku, trying to figure out how exactly to explain his situation when Nighteye sighed.
"Forget it. I shouldn't be asking," said Nighteye, "I was merely curious. All Might had his group of friends he trusted, and you have your own. I can't impose myself on it. I just merely hope when you do reveal it that I will be there to listen."
Izuku quickly nodded his head in agreement before Recovery Girl shooed him away, stating that Nighteye needed his rest.
"That's one hell of a successor you have there," chuckled Nighteye.
"Indeed, he'll surpass me in no time," smiled Toshinori.
A few minutes later, their smiles turned into stern frowns when they heard the convoy was attacked by the League of Villains
All the students returned back to their dorms where their other classmates from both 1A and 1B were all eagerly waiting for them. They had been worried after hearing the news about the raid that Sato had baked a chocolate cake for them when they returned.
"They're back!" shouted Mineta when they arrived back at the dorms.
Everyone rushed over to them, asking them questions about the case or their wellbeing. Momo had brewed tea from her special stock, worried for their wellbeing. It took a good hour before they satisfied their curiosity and let them go, though Nieto was at the side sulking at the attention they were getting.
However, for some, it was just a prelude to another round of questioning.
"Whoa!" yelped Eijiro as he was pulled into Mina's room, "What's up? Did you want to know more about what happened? You could've just asked back at the common room."
"Yes, but first, strip," ordered Mina.
"What!?" squawked Eijiro as Mina pulled his shirt above his head. He tried to resist, but by the time he could even mount any sort of response, his shirt was already off before being pushed onto her bed.
Mina mounted onto Eijriro as she glided her hands over his chest, as if inspecting his skin.
"You got hurt," stated Mina as she jabbed his chest, "How bad?"
"It wasn't that much. I'm here and standing, aren't I?" replied Eijiro.
Seconds went by as Mina continued to stare at Eijiro, causing him to sweat before looking away.
"It wasn't nothing a day of healing couldn't fix," mumbled Eijiro.
"A full-body bruising and lacerations," stated Mina, causing Eijiro to wince, "You were bandaged up like a mummy before they brought Recovery Girl to help."
"How did you know?" asked Eijiro.
"I called Bakugo," deadpanned Mina, "He cursed me out a bit, but I managed to get the details of your injury from him. You weren't thinking of hiding that from me, were you?"
"... Maybe," whistled Eijiro, "I came back unharmed, didn't I?"
Mina slapped Eijiro's chest lightly, "Not what I meant, and you know it."
The two of them stared at each in silence for a bit before Eijiro decided to voice something that had been bothering him.
"You do know…..you've been straddling my waist for a while right?" asked Eijiro.
Mina looked down to see that she was indeed straddling him before grinning.
"Oh? And is there a problem there?" teased Mina as she lowered her face towards Eijiro.
"Umm, if you don't have one then I don't!" stammered Eijiro nervously.
"Good answer," grinned Mina as she dipped further down, her eyelids fluttering, "Now I believe I told you before when you left that it was just a preview. Now you get to see the real thing."
Soon, the sound of clothes rustling could be heard before silence pervaded the area. Minutes later, as the moon shone over the room, Mina could be seen sleeping on top of Eijrio's chest, still clothed. Eijiro himself had one hand over Mina's head while he snored. Though laying on the ground was a black bra.
In Momo's room
Izuku was currently forced to sit seiza in Momo's expanded room by Ochako and Tsuyu. Itsuka, Momo, and Melissa were also currently attending the impromptu meeting. And the reason for the meeting….
"I said I'm sorry," pouted Izuku as he was forced to carry a 20-pound block on his thighs. A pointless gesture, as his rubbery body allowed him to sit without going numb, but still something to drive a point.
"That still doesn't make it better," hissed Ochako.
"I did what I saw needed to be done," replied Izuku, "You two were in danger. I didn't want you to die, or worse, suffer under the hands of Overhaul."
"Kero, we understand, but it doesn't stop us from feeling bad," said Tsuyu with a frown, "It exposed you to an attack to Overhaul. And don't say it worked out."
Izuku could only sheepishly laugh while looking the other way.
"Izuku, you can't keep doing this," said Momo gently, "I know that you care about all of us, but not to the point you would endanger your own life for us. We're upcoming heroes too. We are aware of the dangers that we'll be getting into, but we don't want you to risk yourself like that. If the bullet had worked, you would've died. And the only reason that he managed to get a shot in was that you had opened yourself up when you threw Ochako and Tsuyu up."
Itsuka continued off as she cradled Izuku's head to her chest, "Trust us, if we were the reason you died, that would crush us."
"You are All Might's successor, but you're also still you," said Melissa, "Just trust us in us. Ochako had spring-loaded heels installed in her shoes, which would've allowed her to jump high. Tsuyu is already capable of jumping high. They could've escaped themselves."
Although that was said, whether they could've done so was hard to say since Overhaul had been rather trigger happy with his quirk.
Izuku remained silent for a second before replying, "I don't regret saving them. Like All Might, anyone that I can save, I will save. Plus I was confident enough to take on Overhaul."
Then Izuku sheepishly laughed, "I also theorized that the quirk erasing bullet would have no effect on me either. The bullet attacks the natural quirk factors in the human body. And my body doesn't exactly have the regular 'quirk' factors, as I gained them via eating a Devil Fruit and inheriting One for All. So technically artificial factors. Aizawa-sensei couldn't erase my quirks, and Monoma couldn't copy them. So I figured that the bullets wouldn't work either."
"That's still not a reason!" roared all five girls, causing Izuku to shrink even more.
It would be a long night before they were satisfied ripping into Izuku before giving him a hug each, demanding to be taken out on a date.
Days later
Izuku hummed to himself as he walked up the path to Rekai's dojo. He had gotten permission from the school to do so under the excuse of mental training.
"So you're here, brat," said Rekai as she sipped on her tea, "I got a call saying you wanted to use my meditation area. Why my place and not your bedroom or one of U.A.'s special rooms? I'm sure they have something like that."
"Ehehe, well I thought your place was better," laughed Izuku weakly.
"Hmph, you get a pass," huffed Rekai as she jumped off her cushion, "You're lucky you're one of my favorite brats."
Izuku followed Rekai towards a more isolated area in her backyard, with signs saying to keep out. Following a winding path, they soon reached a small meditation garden that Rekai had designed herself. A small red pavilion stood in the middle of a small moat with a bridge leading to it. Around the pavilion were various plants that tastefully surrounded the pavilion, giving it a zen feeling. And finally, behind the pavilion was a small man-made grotto with a waterfall.
"You only get two hours," said Rekai as she started the timer, "It takes a while to get the water running to get this feel. After that, you know how to shut everything down."
With that, Rekai left without looking back.
Izuku quickly situated himself in the pavilion, pulling his All Might cushion before sitting down, slowly closing his eyes. His mind began to wander slightly before diving into the subconscious, where One for All and his Devil Fruit were located.
Mindscape
Izuku slowly opened his eyes to see he was in the void once more.
"I should've expected you'd be here soon," said Yoichi as he came out from the shadows so Izuku could see him.
"What was that power earlier?" asked Izuku, "The one that you had me touch Bakugo. It was like he gained One for All temporarily. All Might couldn't "
"The core for One for All has expanded greatly," explained Yoichi, "Compared to the past, when One for All was passed from one generation to another, the core of it only grew slightly. But when it passed to you, it started to grow exponentially."
"And that means….?" Izuku trailed off.
"There might be a chance you'll be gaining some more quirks?" laughed Yoichi sheepishly, "It sort've started when I could transfer the green-haired woman's quirk back to her when her quirk got sucked towards your body when we attacked my brother with that united attack. I think I speak for all of us that it felt good when we got to attack him."
"I'm going to get more quirks!?" gaped Izuku. One for All as a strength enhancement was already overwhelming. The fact that he could potentially gain even more quirks was mind-boggling.
"Maybe?" hummed Yoichi, "If you had inherited One for All without the Devil Fruit, yes. However, with it, I'm not too sure. You were supposed to get Float first from the seventh wielder, the situation changed a little. Instead, being your primary contact for One for All, you gained my ability to transfer quirks. Alone by itself, quite useless. But with One for All growing, the quirk evolved. Not to mention the amount of energy that's been stockpiled now. So now, you can grant people temporary access to One for All's power, though only that."
"That's…. something," coughed Izuku, "It's a great support for sure, though is there any way we can regulate how much they get? Bakugo used 100% without thinking most likely, and he ended up with a broken arm."
"He actually used 75%, but I can see if there's something I can do," hummed Yoichi, "It's not like I'm doing anything else in here, though it is nice the devil is able to create entertainment for us in this void. Before, we couldn't really do that."
"Speaking of him, I want to talk to him," said Izuku.
"You rang?" said the devil as he appeared, taking on the demonic form.
"Was that Haki that you were talking about earlier, back in my fight against Overhaul?" asked Izuku.
"That was armament Haki, yes," nodded the devil, "Quite useful, isn't it. When that creep tried to disassemble you, you had it on. It was quite literally his quirk versus your willpower, and we all know when it comes down to heroics, you are stubborn."
"Ehehe," laughed Izuku weakly as he scratched the back of his head.
"Just take the compliment," sighed Yoichi, "Though try not to scare us like that. It freaked us all out when the bullet hit you and temporarily cut your connection with us. Though I doubt the bullet would've truly 'erased' us, it's still not something you should do. Luckily, with the Devil Fruit, it barely even phased us, and even allowed us to establish connection back faster."
"Is there any way to train this Haki?" asked Izuku, "And you said there were two more."
"From what I can remember when my predecessor learned, armament involves learning how to consciously coat your body with it. After that, you can strengthen it by either fighting or using it against tough objects consistently without letting go," hummed the devil, "Probably for at least 30 minutes continuously. You're lucky I helped you during that time with Eri when she reverse the transformation. The others you did yourself, but you can't depend on me to help fine-tune your Haki."
"Observation involves blindfolding yourself and dodging various attacks. The easiest way would be to have some sort of animal attack you as they usually show emotions when they attack, making it easier to sense. Though having your explosive friend attack you should do the trick, since he's always angry when attacking," continued the devil.
Izuku had to stop himself from laughing at that while also horrified by the idea of giving Katsuki free shots at him in the name of training. Perhaps he would ask Koda for help on that instead.
"After that, one of your friends will hit you, and you'll need to be able to dodge and even counterattack at least 100 times in a row before having considered mastering the basics of it," said the devil, giving Izuku a goal in mind.
"And finally, Conquerors. This one's strength only grows stronger if the user themselves get stronger," concluded the devil, "You've used it before, if only by chance, on All for One and Nighteye, and though they were both weak pulses at that. Enough to make All for One freeze for a millisecond though."
"Don't worry, we'll be there to help you too at least," smiled Yoichi, "I'll need to check to see if the past predecessors' quirks will be passed onto you or not."
Izuku nodded as he already began to formulate a plan.
"Thanks! I'll see if I can come again soon," thanked Izuku as he noticed his body starting to vanish. Soon, he disappeared from the mindscape.
"This isn't how I expected to spend an afternoon," commented Toshinori as he sipped on tea while snacking on an egg and tuna sandwich, looking across the table with a curious glance.
The one who had invited him was actually the current number 1 hero since he retired, Endeavor himself. Currently, the two were at Endeavor's agency, more specifically, in a cafeteria that was inside his agency. The two of them were situated at a small stable, far away from others.
"So what did you want?" asked Toshinori, as Endeavor was still remaining silent for a good five minutes now, "Otherwise I'm going to assume you invited me out to watch me eat."
"Are you aware?" stated Endeavor, at last, taking a deep breath, "That over the past month since you retired, the crime rate has risen up by three percent compared to the past years."
Toshinori remained silent, unable to deny that fact. The news seemed to be talking more and more about crimes these days.
"Despite the fact throughout my career, I have resolved more incidents than anyone else, and even more so now, it still grows. I can hear the cracks starting to appear, the foundations of what you built starting to erode. So tell me, as the former number one hero to the current number one hero….. Just what is the Symbol of Peace?" asked Endeavor.
Toshinori blinked, surprised Endeavor was asking him for advice. The prideful and egotistical hero who made it his mission to surpass him, and when that failed, tried to sire a child who would do so, and if from what he learned was correct, abused his family. So what caused him to actually humble himself to ask this?
'The weight of being number one,' realized Toshinori, 'He's now feeling it, and since he inherited it instead of surpassing me, he's unsure of himself. Despite everything he's doing, it's not stopping the tide of crime rising.'
"I entrusted everything to Shoto," began Endeavor, "When I was twenty, I was already climbing up to the number two spot. However, when I reached there, I understood immediately that the path to the peak was impossible. If I wanted the title of number one, then I would've just acted like you, smiling like a fool and integrating myself with others. But I desire to become stronger than anyone."
Toshinori couldn't help but reply, "This isn't like you at all."
Was it a bit petty to do so when someone was baring their soul to him? Yes, but the jab that Endeavor had put about him smiling like a fool had to be repaid.
"Just shut up and answer!" roared Endeavor, his flames flaring up.
"The Symbol of Peace," murmured Toshinori before sighing and admitting he didn't know what to say. It had been a goal for him, as he believed that the country needed such a symbol. A powerful light that would serve as a beacon of hope for the people and a warning against villains. With him at the forefront, more heroes began to rise. However, despite the increase in heroes, the anxious faces of the citizens never faded away. He had thrown everything into being the Symbol of Peace, forsaking even the kindness around him.
Though looking back at it now, there were several choices that he would've chosen differently, but in the end, he took it with a grain of salt. He was dating someone whom he loved, his successor was most likely going to be his stepson, and though the future looked grim right now, he believed Izuku would help pave the way to a brighter future and surpass him.
"Endeavor," said Toshinori as he gathered his thoughts, "I'm fully aware of the situation that you've been placed in, and what the world is saying about you. People will compare the two of us, but we are fundamentally different. There's no need to follow in my footsteps and become the symbol I've become. Rather, believe in your own path you've chosen. There's no need to rush."
Silence reigned in between them as Endeavor took in Toshinori's words, his eyes closed for a second.
"Izuku Midoriya," said Endeavor, "He's your successor, isn't he? Just as Shoto is meant to be mine."
Toshinori didn't respond to it, but Endeavor didn't need it.
"It's obvious, when you think about it," said Endeavor, "That strength he showed at the Sports Festival. The spirit he displayed when facing Stain. The fact he had been kidnapped from the training camp, and placed where All for One was. The fact that despite being surrounded, All for One decided to focus on him. His words, about sacrificing the future for the present while holding Midoriya, obviously meant that he intended to kill Izuku before he could become a threat like you in the future. And finally, his damn ability to somehow impersonate your charisma. I'd even hazard a guess that he's your son."
'Well, we can guess where young Todoroki gets his deductions from, but I guess in this case, it's not far off since I consider Izuku as one,' thought Toshinori
"It's also why you seem so confident about the future despite retiring and with the rising tide of crime," said Endeavor, "You've put your hopes in him."
Endeavor stood up, his eyes never leaving Toshinori, "Fine. But just as you've shown your successor what the top looks like, so shall I. I'll walk my own path, but I'll become the number one hero my son can be proud of too."
Toshinori couldn't help but smile at that statement. If Endeavor was willing to make that promise, then the future looked alright.
"Incidentally," said Endeavor, scratching his cheeks, "How is Shoto doing in his classes? I never checked and assumed he was getting good grades and let Fuyumi take care of that stuff, but…."
Toshinori had to suppress a giggle as Endeavor trailed off, but decided to respond, "Your son is doing excellent. In terms of academics, he's pretty much in a three-way tie for 3rd for class rankings. He's also known as a part of the 'monster trio' of 1A, acknowledged by all his classmates, and even some in 1B. Even the other freshmen throughout the campus have heard about them. Aizawa believes they can become the next 'Big Three' of U.A., if not bigger."
Endeavor did his best to not smirk at that. He was well aware of the current 'Big Three' of U.A and the potential they had to become top heroes when they graduated. To hear his son was already well on his way to become the next generation, if not bigger, was heartwarming. Add the fact he was already acknowledged by other students just added to it. He already had an idea who the other two of the monstrous trio were. One had to be Izuku Midoriya, and the other he suspected to be Katsuki Bakugou. The boy, though more prone to violence, showed excellent instincts in regard to combat. Bakugo had defeated his son, though only via technical ring out, and his spirit showed stubbornness that wouldn't be broken easily.
While the former top hero was talking to the current top hero, the other heroes in the agency couldn't help but give them a wide berth of space, all the while trying to listen in on their conversation. However, a few sidekicks like Burning, aka Moe Kamiji, managed to shoo them away to give the two their space.
Izuku looked at his phone, scanning through the news network while waiting at the entrance of U.A. He was not the only one there, as he was being accompanied by Eijiro. Both boys were waiting when….
"Hey! Sorry for the wait~!"
The boys turned to see Mina coming, wearing a white and pink kimono.
"We took longer than expected," apologized Momo as she came trotting along, wearing a royal purple kimono.
Tsuyu, Ochako, Itsuka, and Melissa followed along, each one wearing a kimono of varying colors. Tsuyu had a dark green kimono with a white bottom, Ochako with a bright pink kimono, Itsuka with a teal kimono, and Melissa with a blue kimono.
They had all gotten permission to attend a festival nearby, with the condition that they were also going to see Rekai as well as being supervised. Eijiro was seeking advice about blade hand combat, and the only one Izuku and Itsuka knew/trusted was Rekai. So they would go see her first before using the chance to attend the festival. This allowed Izuku to take the girls out on a date without arousing too much suspicion. In fact, Rekai would be accompanying them to the festival as well, followed by Gran Torino, Toshinori, and Inko.
"We didn't wait long," said Izuku, turning off his phone, "Let's go!"
"Yea!" cheered all of them.
They soon arrived at Rekai's dojo, where she was already waiting.
"Let's see, who's the one who begged my disciple for some help?" asked Rekai.
"Begged?" whispered Mina, frowning at Rekai's words.
"Master, Kirishima merely asked for some help, and I thought you would be the best choice," said Izuku quickly.
"Feh, same thing," scoffed Rekai.
Mina looked like she wanted to spray acid on Rekai, but Eijiro quickly stopped her. With a firm step, Eijiro stepped up and bowed to Rekai.
"I want to learn how to use my quirk more efficiently to help protect others!" shouted Eijiro, "Midoriya advised me to learn some martial arts to increase my offensive capabilities, but also recommended that you have a style that would suit me! So please, teach me!"
"Geez, don't be so loud," said Rekai, sticking her pinky into her ears, "So what's your quirk supposed to be like?"
"Hardening!" replied Eijiro, using his quirk to harden his skin.
"Hmm, from the sounds of it, your skin seems pretty sturdy," said Rekai as she used her stick to prod Eijiro.
It was then that Mina noticed that Rekai had her eyes closed the whole time, realizing that she was blind.
"How's your internal organs?" said Rekai before slamming a palm strike right into Eijiro's stomach.
Eijiro flinched but held firm, somehow feeling that air had been driven out of him, managed to maintain his quirk and stance.
"Not bad, looks like it applies to your internal organs too," hummed Rekai as she turned away, walking back into her house for a moment, "Can you further that hardness?"
"Yes. Unbreakable!" shouted Eijiro as he hardened even further, gaining a monstrous look.
"Interesting," said Rekai as she returned, carrying a small book and prodding Eijiro once more, "Your hands are jagged like daggers. Izuku, teach him this style. You've learned it before, but he's more suitable for this than you."
Izuku looked down to see various claw techniques from different styles before realizing what Rekai meant. He had practiced some of it before, but never truly incorporated all of it into his fighting style. Eijiro, on the other hand, already had tough and sharpened fingers, meaning he was naturally suited for this style. Though he would need to be careful when using it against people, otherwise he could cause more harm than good.
"Good, now that's done, shoo. I'll meet you all at the festival later," ordered Rekai, smacking her stick into Izuku's shin, knowing it wouldn't truly hurt him.
The others quickly left, wanting to arrive at the festival in time.
"How's Eri?" asked Momo as the group walked through the festival stalls.
"She's regained consciousness, but they aren't allowing visitors yet," replied Izuku, "They're afraid she still might lose control of her quirk, so only Aizawa-sensei is allowed for now due to his quirk."
"Kero, when she's released, maybe she can play with my little sister," suggested Tsuyu, "Satsuki would love to have a new friend, and Eri-chan can have someone to play with her own age."
"That's a good idea," nodded Melissa, "Interaction with others of similar age is beneficial for growth, especially for one who's been isolated from others for so long."
"Ne, ne, look, there's a cute cat toy over there!" said Ochako excitedly, "Maybe we can get one for Eri too!"
"There's a lot more stalls to go through. Let's look through them all before we start spending our money," suggested Itsuka.
The group was enjoying themselves while Mina and Eijiro had already separated from them. A little away from them was Inko wearing a dark pink kimono and Toshinori, wearing a full-on disguise as his true form was now public knowledge.
"It's so nice to see my son with his girlfriends," cooed Inko.
Seeing as how Toshinori knew that Izuku was dating multiple girls, it was difficult for him to not tell Inko, as she had her ways. While he was proud of Izuku, he had mixed feelings since his niece was part of it.
While Izuku was trying to be a perfect gentleman, his eyes couldn't help wondering whenever the girls bent over to look at stuff. Especially at their waist, where their underwear line could be seen. Only Momo and Melissa didn't have them, so Izuku merely assumed that they were wearing a hadajuban and koshimaki under their yukata.
It was when Melissa knelt down to look at something when he noticed the curves around Melissa butt were a bit too prominent. Momo had seen him glancing down at Melissa, tracing Izuku's glance and noticing the same problem. While she did admire the curves on Melissa, she pushed that aside for the more prominent problem.
"Melissa, are you wearing anything underneath the yukata?" asked Momo quickly.
"Umm, no?" blinked Melissa, causing the other girls to look at Melissa strangely, "What? I was told by Ashido that you don't wear anything under a yukata."
Everyone choked on that before Itsuka and Momo quickly dragged Melissa to a nearby bathroom. Minutes later, a blushing Melissa came back, trotting rather quietly. Momo had used her quirk to create an emergency pair of underwear for her to wear.
A good moment of silence seemed to fill the air before Itsuka decided to forge forward and break the silence.
"So, did you enjoy getting a good look?" teased Itsuka, jabbing her finger on Izuku's chest, "I know your eyes were wandering on all of us despite your best efforts."
Izuku sputtered while the girls looked shocked, embarrassed, and oddly gleeful at this.
"... I can't help being mesmerized by the beauty I'm surrounded with?" said Izuku honestly and cluelessly, taking a leaf from Toshinoir's book as he had heard him say it once in a crowd.
The reaction was immediate as the girls blushed crimson at that line before each one of them viciously jabbed Izuku's side in response.
Izuku had no choice but to silently accept the punishment. Still, that didn't prevent the girls from walking a bit further from him while showcasing what they had for a bit, causing Izuku to really work on making sure his eyes didn't wander downwards.
Soon, they had to return back to the dorms, saying their goodbyes to Inko and Toshinori.
The two were walking down a quiet park, enjoying their time together. A suspicious-looking man did wander towards them, but quickly left when Toshinori took off his disguise and gave the man a glare. Even if he was retired, no low-ranking crook would want to mess with the former No.1 hero.
"It's such a romantic night, isn't it?" asked Inko as they watched the man scurry away, "The moon is so full tonight with the stars shining bright."
"It is," breathed Toshinori as he looked up to the skies, "But none can compare to you."
"You flatter," breathed Inko, lightly slapping Toshinori's arm, "Were you surprised when your niece decided to wear her kimono without underwear?"
Toshinori coughed harshly into his hands, "Melissa was misled by the old facts about what is to be worn under a kimono, especially since she wasn't raised around Japanese culture. I'm sure next time she'll research a little more before doing something."
"Mmm, that's true, she's a smart girl," nodded Inko before giving Toshinori a rather smoldering look, "But some facts have some truth to them."
Toshinori looked down in time to see Inko pulling her collar up to reveal underneath her kimono she was wearing…. absolutely nothing.
"So, do you want to explore what's underneath this kimono at home….. or now?" asked Inko lustfully.
Toshinori had to stop himself from launching off via nosebleed rocket before making a serious decision. Lifting Inko bridal style, he rushed off with her to find a more…. private area to explore.
'I'm so lucky to have a woman like this!' thought Toshinori, 'I don't know what your ex-husband was thinking, but I'll gladly take this chance! One man's stupidity is this one's treasure!'
As days passed, Izuku kept training to harness Haki. Thanks to Cementoss, Izuku was able to punch boulders nonstop, but the fact he had to do so without using his devil fruit or One for All was quite troubling. When asked what he was doing, Izuku had to reply that he was trying to toughen his base a bit more. Still, Izuku could feel some improvement when he managed to activate Armament more often.
As for Observation, Izuku wasn't insane enough to ask Katsuki to attack him. Instead, he managed to convince Koji Koda to use his quirk to have several birds attack him while blindfolded. While at first unwilling, Izuku promised that he wouldn't attack back, and was training his hearing and sixth sense to dodge. That was a work in progress, as Izuku was barely able to dodge any, if at all. Still, he could feel like he was improving a little.
For Conqueror's, Izuku had no idea how to even activate that, so he focused on the latter of the two.
During the peaceful period of time, Izuku actively went out to seek out Mirio to spar with him. Mirio gleefully agreed as he was curious about the black sheen that would appear on Izuku's arms that could bypass his quirk. Nonetheless, Mirio took it as more opportunity to train in case his quirk failed him, and he did enjoy sparring with another person. The only ones willing to spar with him at school now were Neijiro and Tamaki. The two would then enjoy exchanging ideas about their fighting style and quirks.
Neijire herself was pestered by Katsuki, who wanted to prove that he was the one stronger in terms of overwhelming firepower.
Eijiro was eagerly reading through the book given to him by Rekai and already asking Izuku and Itsuka for advice about the techniques, all while asking anyone to hit him as hard as they could so as to improve his durability.
Soon, they were diving into the cultural festival.