Chapter Text
Izuku didn’t look up as he walked down the forest path to where the Gym was. His dad’s arm was wrapped around his shoulders, acting like a protective blanket and to help guide him out of Viridian Forest. His eyes focused down on the bright orange leaves that littered the ground, the crunching barely reaching past the static in his ears.
He felt lucky that he was able to pull his jacket back on before his dad could focus on him. Too busy dealing with Ka- dealing with his...friend? Were they even friends anymore? Were they ever friends at all? The scars should be an obvious No, but part of him wondered if maybe this was just his way of helping Izuku get stronger?
Izuku blinked when he felt his dad squeeze his shoulder suddenly, causing him to look up to that single red eye. The other covered by an eye-patch, the injury caused by Mr. Yagi who received one that removed his internal organs. When first meeting his dad he felt intimidated and almost scared by that, not helping that he didn’t know it was his dad at the time.
Just a man who was battling against All Might himself, destroying over three-quarters of Saffron City. He had hoped his teacher was ok, but after nearly getting killed by a Pokemon he now knew to be Mewtwo only to get saved by Charizard….he wouldn’t know until he ran into Mr. Yagi on Route 7 that his teacher was safe.
“Izuku, why were you pinned down by that trainer’s Typhlosion?” His dad asked, likely repeating his question now that Izuku was paying attention.
“I- That’s just- We were just training,” Izuku said, resisting the urge to pull at his jacket sleeve. He only made the mistake of wearing a jacket when training with Ka- with him once. “He loves Partner Battles and I- I mean they are fun because being by my pokemon’s side in a battle is, well-”
He looked down when he noticed his dad narrow his eye at him. “Partner Battles? And where was the referee? The medical staff? There are rules to those battles for a reason Izuku, and that trainer broke them by-” his dad started before stopping when Izuku flinched. “How long has this been going on?”
Izuku shook his head. “Not for very long, he didn’t do this when he first got his Cyndaquil- I mean his parents bred their Typhlosions when he was little and he had his starter since he was about four,” he rambled, remembering how they all looked on in admiration at Kacchan for having a Pokemon so early compared to the rest of them.
“That wasn’t my question. How long has this boy been attacking you with his pokemon?”
So much for deflecting.
“He...started when I got Bulbasaur, then we moved to Alola and then I ran into him four years later,” he finally admitted, knowing that there was no getting out of this. “We would periodically bump into each other, he’d get angry and demand a battle, then we go our separate ways before bumping into each other again,” Izuku continued, as if a dam had been broken and he couldn’t hold back those words anymore.
“Mr. Yagi saw it as a good rivalry, something to make us both stronger in the end and our bonds closer than before. Then again he hasn’t actually watched the battles, thinking it’s good for them to remain private-” he suddenly stopped, realizing he was vocalizing his thoughts in that moment.
He quickly brought both of his arms up as he looked at his dad, waving said arms quickly. “I mean it’s kind of true though! I have gotten stronger-” he winced when he accidentally banged one arm against the other, the burning feeling finally hitting him even though he should be used to them by now.
His dad moved quickly, grabbing his wrist and rolling the sleeve of Izuku’s jacket up. His eye staring intently at the faded scars, though it focused primarily on the red skin that was bubbling and narrowed as if it offended him on some personal level.
“You call this getting stronger? I don’t see it that way,” his dad began, moving to pick Izuku up and continue walking when Izuku had stopped moving. “What I see is some brat with a superiority complex thinking it’s his right to push you down repeatedly, and then you go back to him like a kicked Lilipup thinking that this time it will be different.”
Izuku tried not to flinch at that one, wracking his brain for a retort. Something to counter what was being said because he didn’t come here to have his relationships dug into. He just wanted to maybe spend some time in Viridian City deciding on which Pokemon he wants to take to the Indigo League in a couple months. Not this incredibly late attempt at parenting!
“An abuser like that needs to pay retribution. I could have Tomura go and bring him to see the Doctor, do you think he’s attached to his Typhlosion enough to-”
“Dad. No. Just- No!” Izuku shouted, jabbing a finger right into his dad’s cheek. “The condition for me staying here before the Indigo League instead of camping out on Victory Road was that you don’t do any of your Evil Team Leader stuff while I’m here!” He continued, finger moving up to his dad’s temple.
When met with silence, Izuku brought his hand down and shook his head. “If you plan on breaking a very simple promise then I’m going to camp in Victory Road and get in the way of whoever you send to go after Kacchan,” he continued, glancing over his dad’s shoulder to where Charizard was carrying Bulbasaur before he got an idea. “I’ll also tell Mom.”
When his dad suddenly went pale and shivered slightly, Izuku knew he had him.
“Alright, I won’t go after Bakugou personally- nor will I send any of my men or Pokemon after him, and that includes the Noumus,” his dad said, though he looked right at Izuku. “However, only if you agree that he is not your friend. Admit that he has been abusing you and then we can move on from there. If you don’t then I will tell your mother about this and I know she will be putting that law degree of hers to use.”
“And what will stop me from telling her of the unethical experiments you have been funding for the past...how many years was it? Fourteen now? I think you would be in bigger trouble than Kacchan,” he countered.
Izuku waited to see if his dad would give his own counter. He couldn’t help the slightly smug smile that cropped up on his face when he was met with silence. “Something wrong, Dad? Or did you realize that there is no winning this one?” He asked as he was set down once more and allowed to continue walking until they reached the gym where Kurogiri (or was it Shirakumo this time?) had some steaming cups of tea ready.
“Good day Boss Man!” The man greeted, his smile wide as his blue eyes twinkled. It seemed Shirakumo was the one who greeted them this time around. “Kurogiri left a note saying that the tea he was brewing is for the two of you, he really is considerate!” Shirakumo explained, bringing a finger up to tap right under where the scar on his temple was.
Taking one of the offered cups, Izuku could feel his dad’s palpable annoyance that it was Shirakumo talking to them instead of Kurogiri. While he did not know of the story behind them, he figured that a head injury and the Doctor were likely involved somehow. Still he gave a smile to the man who looked about the same age as Ula’Ula Island’s Kahuna and gave his thanks.
While he has nothing against Kurogiri, Izuku definitely prefers having Shirakumo around for a few reasons.
“That is an improvement, Shirakumo, but that is not how you are supposed to address me,” his dad said, taking the cup and waving Shirakumo away. Likely hoping that the next time they see him it will be Kurogiri instead.
Izuku made eye-contact with Shirakumo and gave a smile as he sipped his tea. “Dad is right,” he said, seeing his dad give a surprised yet smug look of satisfaction at the agreement. “You could afford to be even more casual, saying Good Day sounds too formal for this kind of thing,” he finished, taking yet another sip of the warm tea at the offended look his dad gave.
“Shirakumo, don’t even think-” his dad said, but it was all in vain when Shirakumo gave the widest grin possible at the encouragement from Izuku.
“Sorry Izuku!” He said, patting Izuku on the head before turning and giving a mock two-fingered salute to All for One. “I will be even better next time, Boss Man!” His grin widened even more as he took the tray and left the room with his Alakazam.
All for One only gave a sigh. “Why do you encourage this blatant disrespect? We were so close to breaking him of that habit.”
Izuku only gave a hum in response, busy enjoying his tea before looking up at his dad and giving a slightly wicked smile. “Maybe it’s because I take joy from your suffering, Dad. I know you feel the same with your own enemies, so why not get some payback?” He asked, turning the mug that was in his hand so his dad was forced to see All Might’s smiling visage printed on it.
“Where did that cup come from?” His dad asked, looking down and nearly dropping his own when he was greeted by the same image. “Izuku.”
“I asked Kurogiri to get a couple, and I guess Shirakumo thought you would have liked that we had matching cups,” Izuku remarked, finding that the tea tasted just a little sweeter at the look of pure offense his dad gave over drinking from an All Might mug.
His dad looked at Izuku for a few seconds before giving a sigh as he took another reluctant sip. “As long as it doesn’t get to the level of matching All Might sweaters, that is where I draw the line,” he said, mumbling something about being able to tolerate this when Izuku was only two and Inko thought it was adorable.
Izuku shook his head, knowing that puppy eyes and bribery would only take him so far when dealing with his dad. Maybe these habits weren’t the best to develop, but he also knows that there were situations out there that likely mandates he uses these skills. Plus it is nice having at least one parent look at him with some semblance of pride and support outside of Mr. Yagi who had become a real parental figure.
“Come on Izuku, we should get those burns treated. Then maybe I could make us some more tea,” his dad offered, leading him past the entrance to where Challengers would go to traverse through the warp maze that Izuku can barely remember stumbling through and laughing as his parents went after him. To the hidden door that leads down to the underground base where the Doctor resides at the moment.
Hopefully there aren’t any new Noumus being made, namely because he doesn’t feel like calling his mom at this moment. If there’s one thing that he can agree with his dad on, it’s that neither of them want Izuku’s mom to get involved in any of this.