Dabi was steaming (more so than usual). A crushed phone laid discarded on the ground and burning a bright blue while the man in question stormed out of the derelict apartment he was squatting in. Stain's endorsement of heroes didn't really matter to him; that wasn't why he was upset. He believed in Stain's mission to destroy hero society and admired his conviction to see it through, but he didn't particularly care for Stain's apparent desire to build a better one in its place.
What truly upset him was just who the man was endorsing. It triggered such a violent reaction in him that he annihilated the phone he was using in less than a second. He'd have to steal another one off of a fresh corpse at some point, but that could come later. He needed to blow off some steam for the moment.
"True heroes…" he scoffed. "What a fucking joke. Bad enough for that disingenuous little cumrag to be 'worthy,' but that bastard's little masterpiece, too?!"
Dabi's flames unconsciously ignited on his body in a huff, and he spat on the ground. "Whatever, it doesn't matter. I'll kill them both and drag that bastard, Endeavor, to hell with us in one glorious inferno."
Dabi stopped when he turned down an alley and spotted a homeless man huddled on a makeshift cot. What specifically drew his attention was the soft, blue light enveloping the man's scraggly face. He dully gazed at the man scrolling through the device with a carefree countenance, as if that moment was one of the few moments in which he could forget the daily rigmarole and just enjoy some peace.
Well, it appeared Dabi found a new phone.
"I gotta hand it to you, Spinner, you did some good work with this," Tomura acknowledged as he and Spinner watched the video that the gecko-man created upon his friend's(?) request. The bar was empty as usual aside from Kurogiri occupying his usual spot behind the counter.
The purple-haired reptilian grinned. "Took me 6 hours in total to make, but I like how it came out. People seem to like it, too. I don't even have to keep re-uploading it when it gets taken down anymore because so many others do it themselves."
"Good," Tomura declared. "People are talking about it more than the government would like. The news reported that Endeavor took Stain down, but that's bullshit, and this video paints a different picture, so now millions are questioning it, too. This age of suppression that society has existed in is finally coming back to bite them."
Spinner smiled. It was nice to see his occasional gaming buddy be passionate about something in his own special way. It was a reprieve from the usual omnicidal nihilism that was rather unhealthy in the gecko-man's opinion. "So, what's the endgame?"
"For right now, we wait," Tomura answered. "I've got our broker on the lookout for any competent people looking to join up with something bigger. No more mooks, only mini bosses. When the League is at full strength, then we'll move on to the next phase of the plan."
"So, that means…"
"Yes, you're officially part of the League."
"Right on! Can I be an underboss?"
"This isn't the fucking yakuza, Spinner."
All For One was listening in on the conversation in delight conflicting with uncertainty. Hearing Tomura clearly plan out his moves and firmly take action outside of his own direction brought a wicked smile to the scarred supervillain. The "push" he gave the young man had paid off in spades since he seemed to do a 180 from his previous childishness into a man much more befitting of succeeding his empire.
However, the suddenness of the change slightly unsettled him. He had been around for two centuries, so he was well aware of how easily a house of cards could be knocked down, as he had been the very breeze that knocked plenty of them down in the past. He'd be sure to keep a close watch on his protégé and be there to pick him back up when he inevitably failed.
Rikiya Yotsubashi truly enjoyed his office in Deika. The view of the glorious city inhabited by his loyal forces working tirelessly to prepare for their ultimate mission filled him with such indomitable pride. The wide, self-assured smile adorning his mildly wrinkled face only brightened when he received a call from one of his lieutenants out in the field. Turning away from the window, he strode to his desk and reached past the taxidermy of the teal platypus to answer the call.
"Curious, it's good to hear from you. I assume your mission is going well?"
"I'd like to say so, Grand Commander, but it's unfortunately hitting a few roadblocks, some much more interesting than others."
His smile dimmed somewhat. "Oh? What would those be?"
"Most notably is the Hero Killer. I'm certain you've heard of the news and videos surrounding him and his capture a few days ago?"
"I have."
"Well, the official story is that he was apprehended by the Number 2 Hero, and that satisfied many who elected not to look any further. However, the sort of manifesto that was released after his capture, presumably by a devoted fan of his, included video of his final moments just before being apprehended. How they got that footage when it doesn't seem to exist anywhere else, I'm not exactly sure, but a great deal of focus was placed on our very own person of interest."
"I'm aware of that much. What kind of stir is this causing?"
"Predictably, the media and police are tight-lipped about that specific detail, only deigning to dissect Stain's philosophy instead. The hornets' nest has already been kicked, though. I contacted a few of our remaining cells around the nation, and the prevailing sentiment is one of discontent. People on the dregs of society have taken note of the discrepancies in reporting and what was actually posted, and many more are feeling emboldened by Stain's tenacity and are seeking to strike it on a bigger stage. The most likely avenue for that would be the League of Villains that Stain was reportedly connected to in some capacity, but many could be swayed to our own cause, as well."
His countenance became a thoughtful one. "That is very interesting, indeed. Many people only turn to villainy as an escape due to being outcasts with few options at their disposal thanks to our current society. That discontent can be appropriately weaponized and refocused onto more conducive targets. We could certainly bolster our ranks from this, but I feel the bigger fish to keep an eye on is the League itself."
"Why is that, Grand Commander?"
He sighed. "Even with Stain's influence, I fear that they may just end up being a group of hoodlums with no greater goal beyond wanton destruction. However, I have a plan for that. For right now, I'm assuming you already have a plan in place for how this development with the Hero Killer looks for the rat at UA."
"I certainly do, and it's already in motion."
His grin returned. "Excellent. Keep up the good work. We'll make contact again with any major developments."
"As you command, Re-Destro."
The days since the battle with Stain and his subsequent kidnapping from the hospital were a mixed bag for Izuku. On one hand, he was ripped from safety and thrust into days of seemingly nonstop battle with the Rabbit Hero herself, and Izuku seriously suspected that she just did not know the definition of "holding back." Then again, his bones were not completely ground to dust by the end of each battle, so maybe she did?
On the other hand, he got to spar with the freaking Rabbit Hero herself at her own insistence. Mirko was one of his favorite heroes and one of the premier active pros in pure strength and combat prowess. He relished every second that he was thrashed into the ground by the incensed pro, and he took to heart every comment, off-hand suggestion, and (mostly) constructive insult she hurled at him along the way.
Mirko, likewise, was having fun beating the snot out of Izuku. Not only was she getting it back in blood for him biting one of her techniques on live television (and screwing up the name at that), but he was also taking the punishment and steamrolling ahead like a champ. She would even go as far to say that he was a decent fighter. His technique was solid but could use a little work, and his kicks were woefully dismal in comparison to her own, but he had great instincts and could dodge like nobody's business.
Their most recent spar proved incredibly fruitful for the both of them. Battling in one of the Ketsubutsu training grounds that was fashioned to simulate a quarry, the two had all the space they needed to unload the breadth of their power onto each other. Izuku had slowly grown more able to track her movements and read her attacks, therefore he found himself expending less energy on dodging and instead blocking/deflecting more of her offense than he was initially. It usually came in the form of Izuku tanking her less brutal punches while bathed in green fire, and over the course of the spars they had, he found that doing so greatly improved his durability.
Any strikes (usually kicks) that he couldn't safely tank were blocked with his orange barriers, not only helping him consciously draw them out and doing so quickly, but also testing and improving the strength of those barriers once he erected them. It only took a single kick from the Rabbit Hero to smash through them like glass at first, but with time and added concentration to make them even sturdier, they were able to withstand two kicks. For the most part, he used the barriers to momentarily stall her offense while he readied a quick and hard-hitting counter.
Ms. Joke, meanwhile, was not having a great time. Her student had effectively been absconded by a rabid battle junkie with a bone to pick with a teenager that imitated one of her ultimate moves. She probably should have been more upset about the situation than she actually was, but the boy was getting some fantastic sparring in with an opponent that could match and exceed him in a safe setting, so she couldn't complain too much. Ryukyu was also kind enough to give them all a lift back to Ketsubutsu to use their training grounds for Mirko's "retribution."
She managed to escape the Hosu situation with a slap on the wrist given her intern's refusal to pass the buck onto her (which both warmed her heart and annoyed her to no end), but she suspected that her life and the life of her intern were not going to be simple going forward. The way in which the Hero Commission representative who showed up to her apartment was cagey about how the situation would affect Izuku in the future put her on guard, and she had a feeling that she needed to keep an eye out for the boy. There was something going on that she obviously wasn't privy to, and that made her anxious, especially if the Hero Commission was involved in any capacity.
Presently, she was presiding over the spar between her student and Japan's current No. 6 Hero. She felt the ground minutely shake when the two rabid combatants collided fists and launched into a lighting fast exchange of blows that Mirko quickly got the better of. He bore the brunt of several hard punches to his abdomen before an orange wall appeared to his side in the blink of an eye to block a kick aimed for his ribs. He capitalized with a stiff shot to her nose and tried to press the advantage until she snatched his arm and slammed him onto his back, only he kipped up right afterward just for them to leap into the same song and dance. The gulf in raw strength and experience was readily apparent, but Izuku was doing his very best to keep in the fight, and he wasn't doing a bad job for that matter.
Then, Mirko turned up the intensity and really started going at him. The grin she sported was indication enough of her enjoyment, and Ms. Joke could only pray that Izuku didn't develop any kind of battle-lust of his own. Mirko strikes became even more vicious and practically had trails of fire following her fists and feet, meanwhile Izuku was starting to struggle mightily to dodge and defend. Any attempt to dart away in a yellow flash was in vain, as Mirko would be right back on him in a matter of moments. Eventually, she caught him with a stiff uppercut to his stomach, and in one swift motion, she pivoted and slammed him to the ground behind her. There was no reprieve to speak of for Izuku because she immediately leaped into the air and prepared an axe kick.
"This is how it's done, kid!" she shouted with a feral grin, and Izuku felt his pants become slightly heavier before the area around him erupted into orange.
"Luna Arc!" Mirko shouted and shattered through an orange dome with her kick. Then, she smashed through another dome under it. Then, a third dome met the same fate. It was after 5 such domes that she finally cut through most of the layers to reach Izuku protected by one last barrier, but her instincts screamed at her to jump, so she did just that and nearly missed the purple spikes that shot out of the remaining dome.
"The fuck?" she called out, and she only received a shrug from Ms. Joke when she looked over to her.
The last dome came down, and Izuku was wreathed in a mixture of orange and purple fire. Judging from his face, he was just as surprised as the two women in the training grounds with him.
"You've never used that color, have you, Beacon?" Ms. Joke asked.
"No," he answered, staring at the purple spikes that were slowly shrinking and losing form on his arm. "I hypothesized that I had access to it, but I've never gotten around to figuring out what it did."
"Nearly skewered me, you thieving bastard," Mirko grumbled before smirking. "Let's do it again."
"Not until we figure out just what it does," Ms. Joke intervened before turning back to Izuku. "Try to play around with it and see what comes out."
Izuku nodded and examined the purple flames on his body that had mostly overtaken the orange by that point. He extended his arm and concentrated, and just as before, the purple flames took shape and hardened into spikes.
"Holy hell," he remarked. In an attempt to see if he could will them to do anything else, he imagined the tips of the spikes dulling into rounder surfaces, and to his surprise, they did just that.
"So you can control what you create," Ms. Joke commented with a thoughtful nod. "How about the range?"
Izuku peered down at the rounded spikes, and his thoughts traveled back to what he saw of Shiozaki's vines during the sports festival and the way she was able to easily ensnare and subdue her opponents from a distance. Deciding it was worth a shot, he extended his arm, and the dulled spikes thinned into ropes and shot out of his arm. He kept them going until they reached roughly 20 meters, and his concentration strained enough for his control to slip and the ropes to disperse.
"Oh, wow!" Ms. Joke marveled, and Izuku was also preening. Izuku summoned the purple vines once again, and they wrapped themselves around his right arm and fashioned into a deep purple sword in his hand. With wide eyes, he slowly held up his left arm, and the purple flames brightened into orange before flattening out into a shield covering his forearm and hand.
"A literal sword and shield," Ms. Joke observed with a proud smile.
"Orange for defense and purple for offense, and they function very similarly as far as how I control them," Izuku commented. "I don't know what the specific limits of the purple flames are as of yet, but it seems like I can create any object that I could wield or fit onto my arm."
"Eh, I expected something cooler," Mirko shrugged, and then her wicked grin returned with a pound of her fist into her palm. "Still, though, this has been fun. We'll make this a regular thing so I can whip your ass into shape."
Izuku did not know if he should have felt excitement or fear. He settled on both.
At week's end, the mentor-intern duo was standing in front of the gates of Ketsubutsu to see Izuku off from his internship. Ms. Joke waded through the sea of profuse gratitude he offered for taking the time to teach him, and she silenced him with a pat on the shoulder.
"You don't need to thank me, Beacon," she kindly assured. "Run-ins with serial killers and serial fighters aside, having you as an intern was a dream. You're gonna do spectacular things as a hero. I'm sure of that."
Izuku's smile was blinding, and she met his with a grin and thumbs up before something occurred to her. "Oh! Before I forget, some of the kids from the VRP wanted to keep in touch with you, so I gave them your number. Figured you wouldn't mind."
"They did?" Izuku asked a little flummoxed as to why they would want to.
"Absolutely," she emphatically confirmed. "You sat down and took the time to actually listen to them and be there for them. That's, unfortunately, pretty rare out in the real world."
Izuku was visibly perturbed upon hearing that, and he nodded with an expression that was probably more serious than necessary. "That'll change, then. I'll make sure of it. I won't fail them."
Ms. Joke couldn't fight the snort that left her, and she amusedly shook her head. "So serious when it comes to helping people. Hold onto that passion. The world needs more of it."
"I will," he promised before setting off in the direction of the nearest train station.
Ms. Joke watched him leave with a bright smile, but that smile slowly diminished as he drew further away, and a frown took form in its place. When she initially texted Aizawa about the situation (everything from the Stain debacle to Mirko potentially stealing his student for spars in the future), he responded in no time flat that Nezu would be made aware. That response did nothing to calm the restlessness she felt in her gut, as it would likely only draw her into Nezu's cold war with the HPSC.
With a sigh, she turned around to head back through her school's gates. She didn't like what was potentially on the horizon. However, she'd be ready for whatever came. The HPSC had been an unfortunate fixture in hero society for a long time, and she'd be lying if she said that society didn't rely on the Commission's existence way more than it probably should. If they truly had Izuku Midoriya in their sights, then the likelihood that Nezu would plunge the nation into chaos in order to protect him was non-zero.
She knew which side she was on if that happened.
Izuku leaned back into his seat on the train with a frown. He hadn't spent a ton of time online since returning to Ketsubutsu after the encounter with Stain, so he didn't see much of the news coverage of the event. He had taken the chief at his word that Endeavor was credited with Stain's capture. So, understandably, the text he received from Yui was more than a little concerning.
"When were you going to tell me that you fought the Hero Killer, and why the hell did you fight the Hero Killer?"
Izuku stared at that message for 5 minutes, and in that time, a few more texts came from some of his classmates. The fact that she was asking that question meant that she knew he was in Hosu with Stain, so she already somehow knew more than what was officially reported.
"How did you find out about that?"
"Stain himself said that you and Todoroki were worthy. It's become a whole thing."
Yui proceeded to send him a deluge of memes centered around himself and Shoto, some even calling them the "Worthy Duo" and "Stain's Chosen Ones." Izuku didn't know how to feel about his near-death experience being memed, but he supposed it was just par for the course of being a hero.
"So, please explain."
"Let me preface this by saying that I did not go with the intent of fighting. My friend's brother was attacked and crippled by the Hero Killer, and he went after him to get revenge. I wasn't going to let him die a stupid, gruesome death, so I hunted them down myself. One of the greatest human beings I've ever met once told me that doing stupid things for the right reasons was the essence of being a hero, and it's a philosophy I've abided by since then."
"That wasn't an endorsement to throw yourself into harm's way at every opportunity."
"I didn't have many options at my disposal, but I'd do it all over again if given the opportunity. I'd do the same for you, too."
"…You're a piece of shit, you know that? It is impossible to stay mad at you."
"And you love me for it."
"Shut up. I'm glad you're okay. :)"
That wasn't the only conversation of that nature he would have that day. Many of his classmates bombarded him with questions and concerns about his encounter with Stain, several of whom sent him the twisted manifesto that was posted shortly after Stain's arrest. The video certainly disturbed him if only for how easily anyone could have gone down a similar route as Stain if they were in his position. Plenty of people become disillusioned with hero society, and many of them turned to crime and villainy. It just happened to be the case that most of those people weren't as dangerous as Stain, but that wasn't the case all of the time.
He idly wondered how Shoto was dealing with it all.
Endeavor and his youngest son quietly approached their considerably large home after Shoto's internship had officially concluded. They didn't speak much on the ride back from the Flame Hero's agency, and since Endeavor was present for Stain's declaration and was already privy to their battle prior to that, he hadn't asked many questions beyond assuring that his son never went out on his own to apprehend a dangerous criminal again.
The Todoroki duo was surprised to see a man in a crisp, black suit waiting for them at their front door with a black briefcase in hand, though. The man was clean-shaven, his dark grey hair was neatly combed back, and he had a frigid air about him. Shoto did not recognize the man, but Endeavor's eyes narrowed dangerously when he set his sights upon him.
"Junji Mishima," Endeavor addressed suspiciously evenly in his son's opinion. "I thought everything regarding Stain was squared away with the HPSC."
'Ah, the Commission.' Shoto's eyes narrowed, as well, although his eyes narrowed for different reasons. The Commission was notorious for "encouraging" people to stop asking questions about his home life whenever concerns about himself, his siblings, and his mother came up in the past. In Shoto's opinion, the League of Villains and the HPSC were lateral entities.
"Good evening to you, too, Mr. Todoroki," the now named Mishima spoke in a clipped tone. "The initial issue was indeed handled, however, certain developments have complicated matters."
Shoto did not like the way the man's cold gaze lingered on him towards the end of his sentence one bit. Apparently, his father did not, either.
"We will continue this discussion in my office," Endeavor firmly interposed, ending whatever line of thought that action was drumming up. "You're dismissed, Shoto."
The teen did not need to be told twice to vacate the area and head to his room posthaste.
The first thing Izuku noticed when he walked through 1-A's door with school back in session was that Bakugo looked haggard and paranoid. He cautiously approached the boy, and Bakugo's head snapped to look at him after only taking a few steps in his direction. Izuku was more than a little uneasy at the boy's wild stare, and he was about to awkwardly shuffle to his seat before the blonde finally spoke.
"How the hell did you survive 10 years with that devil?"
The two locked eyes, and in that singular moment, mutual understanding washed over them. They felt like they were really seeing each other for the first time in their lives. Izuku reached out and placed his hand on Bakugo's shoulder.
"Did you survive the dodge training?" Izuku asked.
"I didn't have a choice," Bakugo muttered with a haunted expression. "Every time she got me, she'd substitute whatever she was throwing with something harder or sharper for added incentive. She always got me."
Izuku gave him an understanding nod. "Look at it this way, your situational awareness is probably impeccable now, although it is also possible that you'll just be really paranoid for the rest of your life. I can't really make a determination on that one just yet."
"Um, Midoriya?" Yaoyorozu hesitantly questioned from her desk. "Is that an ankle monitor?"
"Huh?" he absentmindedly responded before the question caught up with him, and he looked to his feet. "Oh, yeah. After the whole thing with Stain, my mom put this on me to ensure I didn't wander into trouble… again."
The mention of Stain captured his classmates' attention, and they crowded around him, Shoto, and Iida to continue the 3rd degree that had begun in the days prior.
"I can't believe you guys actually fought the Hero Killer!"
"I'm just glad you all made it out alive, seriously."
"Why was Endeavor credited with his capture?"
Of all the questions that flew at the three, that one caught Izuku's interest. He turned to the person who asked, and he saw his tailed classmate, Ojiro, patiently waiting for an answer.
"I imagine that three hero students taking down a serial killer that had previously defeated dozens of licensed pros would hurt morale more than it would help it," Izuku replied, and the boy nodded in acceptance.
"And the whole 'unlicensed quirk use' thing," Ochako supplied beside him.
"Oh, Ochako, how was interning out in the sticks with the Wild, Wild Pussycats?" Izuku asked.
Ochako faced him with the blankest expression he had ever seen on her. "I'm about 60% certain that Pixie-Bob is a predator."
Not a soul in the classroom could think up a proper response to that, and the resulting silence remained until their homeroom teacher finally entered the room. The day went on as normal with the only real notable events being Bakugo's explosive reintroduction into heroics classes and the shitstorm that occurred in the locker room afterward.
"Hey, Midoriya!" Mineta called to him as everyone was changing out of their costumes and back into their uniforms. "You won't believe the jackpot I just found! Someone shawshanked a hole in this wall. A previous generation has given us a gift!"
It took Izuku a few seconds to grasp why Mineta was so excited about the prospect of a hole in the wall, but some of the other guys were much quicker on the uptake.
"Don't even think about it!" Iida commanded with his signature chops. "Peeping on them like that would be criminal!"
"Quite literally," Shoji muttered from the other side of the room.
The short boy seemed to hesitate for a moment at that statement, but he regained his nerve and pressed on. "Come on! Aren't any of you even the slightest bit interested? Midoriya, don't you ever think about our obscenely beautiful classmates?"
"Not particularly, no," Izuku dryly answered.
"Well, you'll have to lock me in solitary confinement for taking this plunge alone!" Mineta declared, but Iida slid his hand over the hole before he could attempt to peep through it.
"Absolutely not! This is not behavior becoming of a hero-"
Iida's rant stopped in its tracks when an earphone jack stabbed through his hand from the peephole, and his eyes (alongside everyone else's) went wide.
"Holy shit!" several of the boys collectively reacted, and Iida swiftly removed his hand from the wall as the jack retreated back through the hole, no doubt to an absolutely mortified Jiro. Izuku sprung into action and grabbed the punctured hand, lighting up in pink and bathing his friends hand in the healing fire while the peephole was quickly filled by a foamy substance from the other side. Within seconds, the wound closed up, and Iida's hand was completely fine.
"Dude, your quirk is so busted," Sero commented in awe.
"You don't know the half of it," Izuku sighed.
Iida, meanwhile, was stock still when he saw the pink flames and how they completely reversed the damage on his hand. It sent him back to his earlier thoughts about his brother's condition and if he should ask Izuku for help…
So wrapped up in his thoughts was he that he completely missed Mineta being manhandled by the others and hogtied with tape over a bonfire Shoto created.
"Mineta," Izuku began with a light application of blue flames to get the boy's undivided fear and attention, unknowingly drawing the attention of the dark, otherworldly entity that decided to watch along. "Remember what I said at the USJ. I helped you at the entrance exam. Do not make me regret that."
"That kid scares me," Dark Shadow muttered to Tokoyami when they briefly poked their head out to watch the unfolding mess.
"The kindest souls often have the darkest rage," Tokoyami nodded.
"The hell does that even mean?" Dark Shadow replied in exasperation.
Upon the conclusion of the school day, Izuku was planning to find his mom and plead with her to remove the ankle monitor when he was stopped by a firm hand on his shoulder.
"Midoriya, do you have a moment?" asked a trepidatious Iida.
"Sure," he kindly replied. "What's up?"
Iida hesitated and Izuku could clearly see on the taller boy's face that he was warring internally with whatever was on his mind. He remained silent and allowed his friend to collect himself and gather his nerve.
"Your quirk…" Iida began. "You can heal with one aspect of it, correct?"
"Yes," Izuku carefully confirmed.
"What sort of injuries have you healed in the past?" Iida asked.
"You want me to heal your brother." It was a statement rather than a question. Iida's eyes widened, and he sputtered.
"I- that's- I mean…" Iida struggled until he slumped in defeat. "Can you?"
Izuku did not immediately respond, instead cupping his chin and looking downward. Iida, justifiably emotional, interpreted this as hesitation to accept, and he hurriedly attempted damage control.
"Forgive me for even proposing such a selfish request! I shouldn't have asked that of you. You have no obligation to do anything at all for me after risking your life to save me-"
"Probably."
Iida stopped talking and looked intently at the shorter boy. "What?"
"Probably, yeah," Izuku continued with a nod. "It may take a lot out of me, but, provided I have a rough idea of what injuries I'm healing in the first place, I'll do what I can. I'll probably need to have a big meal beforehand, but if I'm just reconnecting a spine by the severed disks and mending the associated nerves, then checking for and handling any grievous bruising left behind from the attack, it shouldn't be too complicated. Not as complex as fixing All Might would be-"
Izuku clamped his mouth shut when he realized that he was rambling and nearly revealed All Might's secret to Iida. Fortunately, the boy in question had completely missed everything after Izuku confirmed that he could help his brother.
"You… you can help Tensei…" Iida spoke in a near whisper as his emotions were beginning to get the better of him.
"I don't want to make you any promises, but I'll do whatever I can," Izuku answered with a nod.
Iida's tears were free-flowing, and he practically fell to the ground in a bow to Izuku with his forehead pressed against the floor. "Thank you so much, Midoriya! I am forever in your debt!"
"No need to bow, I'm just doing what friends do," Izuku bashfully tried to deflect.
Iida shakily nodded and returned to his feet. "We can wait until after finals. I don't want to interrupt your preparations for the exams."
"No, if we put this off until after finals, it will literally be the only thing you'll think about," Izuku argued, and Iida had to concede the point. "We'll get this done this week so that you aren't distracted."
Iida did not think that he could become anymore joyful, but that comment deftly proved him wrong and sent him over the moon. Before he could launch into another barrage of gratitude, a loud, familiar laugh echoed from around the corner.
"Young Midoriya!" All Might boomed as he approached the teens "Can we talk?"
"Oh, um," Izuku stuttered and looked to Iida, and the boy quickly nodded and bid them farewell. "Sure."
Izuku followed the massive man into one of the teachers' lounges, and All Might deflated back into Toshinori before motioning for the boy to sit.
"I guess whatever it is must be important if we needed the privacy," Izuku ventured on the couch across from the gaunt man, but Toshinori merely chuckled and shook his head.
"Not really," he denied. "I just didn't feel like blowing up for it."
"Oh, well, what's up?"
"I was invited to the upcoming I-Expo and wondered if you wanted to tag along."
Izuku's eyes practically shot out of his skull. "Seriously?! The I-Expo?! On I-Island?!"
"The very same," Toshinori confirm with a soft laugh at the boy's antics.
"I'd be honored! I-Island is where the world's most brilliant minds converge for quirk research and support item development. It's like a quirk scientist's wet dream!" he speedily went on before his near-mutter spree halted, and he turned a curious eye to the skinny man. "Why me? Don't get me wrong, I'm honored and would love to go, but I'd assume you have other choices to take with you before me."
Toshinori looked away from the teen and tugged his collar. "Well, funny story about that; I had a dream recently where Sensei was throttling me and ordering me to bond with her grandson."
Izuku tried to hold back his laughter at the man's plight, but he failed, and the man sighed in defeat.
"I wouldn't be surprised if she's been cooking up a way to enter the physical realm," Toshinori joked.
"Well, we can ask her," Izuku offered.
Toshinori looked at him quizzically until the teens hand lit up in blue, and Izuku slowly pushed it toward the man. Izuku watched as a large, muscly hand in a black sleeve reached out of Toshinori until a yellow glove smacked the hand, and it retreated. Izuku reached for the gloved hand, and when they grabbed onto each other, the ethereal form of Nana that was only visible to Izuku slowly pulled herself from Toshinori.
Something within him compelled him to intensify the flames, and when he did, Nana's gloved hand became much more vibrant, and Toshinori gasped. The man watched a painfully familiar glove manifest in the teen's hand, followed by the muscled arm, white cape, and long, black hair of his sensei.
"Holy hell, it worked!" she exclaimed, and she slowly craned her head to look back at her former protégé. "Toshi…"
"Sensei…" the man whispered in utter shock.
Meanwhile, Izuku was as white as a ghost and sweating bullets. He was trying to keep calm, but the frigid presence breathing down his neck and haunting whispers in his ear were making it very difficult for him. Nana's tearful half-embrace with Toshinori was interrupted when the grip on her hand became vice-like, and she turned to Izuku only to go pale herself.
Hovering menacingly behind him was the horrifying visage of death itself in the form of a grinning, heterochromatic cat. Seeing the state her grandson was in, she turned back to Toshinori to confirm that he was seeing it too, but he looked at her and the boy in confusion.
"We'll have to cut this short," she hastily decided. "Bond with him or I'll spawn Sorahiko in your dreams for the rest of your life."
With that, she pried her hand away from Izuku's and faded back into One For All. In an instant, the deathly presence vanished and Izuku collapsed onto the couch.
"Young Midoriya!" he reached for the boy in concern. "What happened?"
"Just, uh…" Izuku started with a shiver. "Quirk stuff. I'll take that invitation."
"Well, I actually have two plus-ones," Toshinori chuckled. "Perks of being the Number One Hero, I guess. You can ask your mother if she wants to come along, as well."
"I'll ask, but she doesn't really like fly-"
The door swung open before he could finish, and the woman herself stepped into the room with narrowed eyes.
"There you are," she hissed and stormed over to him to grab his ear and drag him out of the room. "You know better than to think you can hide from me. It's straight home after school, mister."
"Ow, ow! Okay!" Izuku pleaded. "Can you please just take off the ankle monitor?"
"Not until finals are over!" she denied.
Re-Destro sighed the long day away at his desk as he finished the last bit of Detnerat paperwork. He was ready and willing to invest in the development of a machine that would automatically file paperwork for the user, he just needed to find a new name for it. According to Trumpet, Paperworkinator wasn't a good name.
"Grand Commander, Kusari has reached your office as requested," a nasally voice announced through a speaker at his desk.
"Excellent. Thank you, Skeptic," he replied.
"Permission to speak freely, sir?" Skeptic requested.
"Of course."
"Why did you place Geten in charge of so many of the indoctrination centers? You know how he is with his social Darwinism. It's no wonder they were discovered and shutdown so soon."
"I ask myself the same question," Re-Destro, sighed. "At least the rest of you are doing fine work in spreading our influence and maintaining our army."
"Indeed, sir. What do you require of someone of Kusari's rank, if I may ask?"
"I need his touch for an important task, something Geten would be much too heavy-handed for."
When a knock came from the other side of the door, Re-Destro welcomed the new arrival inside and stood behind his desk with an easy smile. The man who casually meandered inside was tall, though not as tall as Re-Destro, and he was much younger, being in his mid-20s. The lanky man had straight, red hair that hung down to his chin, the bangs of which fell over his face to somewhat obscure his violet eyes that lazily took in his commander. He was wearing a large, dark red leather jacket with a black hood and equally black pants and shoes.
"Nagato Terumi, codename: Kusari," Re-Destro smoothly began. "One of my most trusted enforcers behind Geten."
"At your service," Kusari lazily drawled, though he was inwardly perplexed by the grandiose introduction.
"I have a very crucial mission for you," Re-Destro answered the unasked question, and Kusari's demeanor instantly transformed. His posture straightened, and his eyes focused into the piercing pinpricks the Grand Commander was familiar with.
Re-Destro knew better than to be fooled by his subordinate's generally easygoing, laissez-faire attitude. Behind the lackadaisical façade was a sharply analytical mind with an equally deadly quirk to match, as well as the skills to use it with fatal efficiency. His jacket wasn't red purely because he liked the color, after all.
The young man silently stood before his leader and awaited the details of his mission, and Re-Destro's smile deepened into a dangerous one.
"How would you feel about infiltrating the League of Villains?"
The atmosphere outside of Recovery Girl's office in the evening later that week was tense. Izuku had gone in with Tensei and Recovery Girl to perform the procedure 20 minutes prior, and the assortment of adults and one teenager awaited any updates whatsoever. On one side sat Iida and his parents near the nurse's door, waiting with baited breath for the procedure to end. Across from them were the stressed but hopeful trio of Eraserhead, Present Mic, and Midnight, all there in support of their friend, comrade-in-arms, and former classmate. Tensei's attempts to put them all at ease by popping several wheelies in his wheelchair and blasting down the hall with his quirk before Izuku arrived helped for a brief moment, but the worry inevitably crept back onto them.
Off to the side stood Inko and Principal Nezu, both silent as well in concern for slightly different reasons. Inko was concerned for her son since she knew how energy-intensive fixing significant injuries would be for him. She was glad that Recovery Girl was in there with them to oversee the procedure and monitor the progress of the older Iida's spine while shoveling energy-rich gummies into Izuku as needed.
Nezu, meanwhile, was concerned for a myriad of reasons. The procedure on Tensei was chief among them, but he was also thinking about the fallout of Stain's declaration and what it could mean for his students, as well as the moves that the HPSC was starting to make in response. He sincerely hoped that Izuku was successful in healing Tensei's spine for the sake of bringing some amount of good news to the fold. He'd have to figure out a way to explain away Ingenium's miraculous recovery to the press, though.
The door to Recovery Girl's office swung open, and everyone's breath hitched. Tensei slowly rolled himself out of the room in his wheelchair with a blank, unreadable expression. He met the eyes of each of the people in attendance and said nothing before closing his eyes and sighing heavily. The mood in the hall became completely crestfallen at the gesture, and his brother clamped down onto the hands of his parents.
Then, a sly smirk appeared onto his face before he slowly moved his legs onto the ground and stepped out of his chair and onto his feet to the shock of everyone present.
"Ingenium is back, bitches!" he cheered.
Just like that, the tension was cut through like butter by a hot knife, and he was quickly surrounded by his crying family on all sides.
"As tactless as ever, elder brother," the youngest Iida present remarked through his tears.
"Well, it seems I'll need a new hero name now that you've taken the actual mantle of Ingenium," Tensei joked to his younger brother.
"No," he vehemently shook his head in response. "I cannot accept the title. I'm not yet worthy of bearing that name."
"Hm? Are you sure?" Tensei questioned.
"Yes, I am sure," he emphatically confirmed. "Ingenium symbolizes a true heroic heart and a paragon of justice for all. I have not lived up to that as of yet, so I cannot accept that name. I must carve my own path to being the hero that you believe I can be."
Tensei silently considered his words before shrugging in acceptance. The present teachers then stepped forward to greet their friend.
"Let me know whatever you decide, just make sure it's appropriate," Midnight assured the younger Iida brother with a warm smile.
As the group gathered and Tensei gave hugs all around, a pale Izuku stumbled out of the room assisted by Recovery Girl, and he fell into the waiting arms of his mother. She softly ran her hand through his hair, and he leaned into her touch with a contented sigh.
"Damage was a lot worse than I expected," Izuku muttered to his mother. "Had Stain been a touch more reckless, Ingenium would be dead."
"Well, he isn't," Inko assured, "and now, he can walk again thanks to you."
"Yeah, I suppose," Izuku yawned, drawing the attention of the Iida family. The barrage of gratitude he received from all four of them zoomed right past him until his friend tearfully clutched his hand between his own.
"I owe you my life, Midoriya," Tenya choked out.
"Don't worry about it," Izuku replied before lazily reaching into his pocket and handing him a small slip of paper. Tenya took it and curiously inspected it as the others looked over his shoulder to read what was written, including the teachers with Nezu inexplicably nestled in Aizawa's scarf.
"U O Me: 1 race," Tensei read and looked to the debatably conscious teenager.
"And I'll dust both your asses, too," Izuku slurred, receiving 3 sets of snickers from the human educators and a light smack to the head from his mother.
That night, a quiet, dimly lit street of a residential area was met with the soft footsteps of a blonde girl in a traditional schoolgirl outfit. Her blushed face was pensive, and in her hand was a grocery bag with a singular item inside. The girl steadily walked toward an alley that she knew very well, and she stopped at the entrance to the dark space between houses.
"Stainy says you're worthy," she muttered to no one in particular before looking down at the grocery bag for a lengthy moment, and then she tossed the bag into the empty alley. "We'll see."
Then, practically on a dime, her demeanor flipped and a wide smile took form before she bubbly skipped away into the darkness.