Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Schizophrenia.”

“E-Excuse me? My son is perfectly healthy,” came the defensive reply from Inko. Although the atmosphere of the children’s clinic is quite lovely with all the sunshine paintings on the wall, she couldn’t help but be pissed at what the doctor was implying.

The doctor sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, and looked at the woman with a serious gaze. “Ma’am, I already told you. Only 0.03 percent of the entire human population has a warp quirk. And according to official records, the last time that a Japanese citizen was diagnosed with a warp quirk, was about 50 years ago.”

“And I’m saying that perhaps Izuku has a warp quirk after all, instead of a— a mental disease.”

 “Yes, that’s a possibility, but it’s the sixth time you went here this month. And every time, every time— when I ask Izuku to show his quirk, he couldn’t activate it. Now tell me, who’s the irrational one between us?”

Inko’s hold on her purse tightened. While the doctor may have a point, she did hear an unusual sound in the house that one time when Izuku said he used his quirk. So, it must be something. She knows her son could tell the difference between his daydreaming and actual events in real life, if only she could capture it on camera. That would solve the debate of whether or not Izuku has schizophrenia.

“In any case, I still recommend for Izuku to go to counseling. It would help him lessen his symptoms. And if that doesn’t work, I have a few medi—”

“I think we’re done here doctor,” she interjected harshly. “We’ll return once Izuku could show his quirk to you.”

Explosion reached Izuku’s ears as he was exiting his mom’s car. The normally quiet neighborhood was cast in the light of the setting sun, but there was no smoke anywhere, making the boy doubt about the explosion’s origin. Although the sound didn’t seize, the 4-year old boy visibly relaxed when he realized where the sound came from. Across the street, a wild-looking blonde was running towards them whilst shouting atop his lungs.

“ZUKU!!!!”

“Stop shouting brat! Be respectful!” came the voice of a beautiful, yet equally wild woman.

Their antics earned a fond laugh from Izuku’s mother, and he also found himself giggling lightly. When Kacchan finally reached him, the blonde excitedly asked, “So, did you really have a warp quirk? I’ve never seen it, but I bet it’s not cooler than mine!” boasted the boy as he popped a few explosions in his hands.

“I dunno. The doctor said that maybe I was just halnuciting…”

“It’s hallucinating sweety,” mom corrected him with her hand ruffling his hair. “And no, you’re not hallucinating, we just need to figure out how to activate your quirk… without you doing the accidents you described…”

Even as a kid, Izuku knew that the stories he described sounded very much like he just made it up, but it’s actually all true. The first time it happened, was when he was nearly isekai’d (that’s what he and Kacchan calls a car accident) by a garbage truck in the front of their house. One moment he thought he was gonna be in another world, but when he opened his eyes, he was safely back in his room.

The second time, was when a shelf in their school fell down. Izuku was underneath it when it happened, but then he was mysteriously inside the bathroom when he opened his eyes again. And there was the third and fourth time, and then the fifth time when he almost fell down the stairs of their house. Mom was quick to arrive by his side, and asked about the loud sound of ripping paper. He didn’t hear anything, so he didn’t know.

But the sixth time his quirk activated, was something entirely out of a fantasy world. Even Izuku wouldn’t believe it happened if he wasn’t the one that experienced it. It was in the middle of the night while asleep, he dreamt that he was inside a volcano. The temperature was so hot, that Izuku’s shoes were starting to melt. And then, it happened. He was awoken from his dream when the coldest winds assaulted Izuku’s small body. He was in a snowy mountain, with its peak covered by clouds. The greenette couldn’t handle the cold, his fingers were starting to numb, and the few tears on his eyes almost became ice. He was trapped. In a few seconds, Izuku’s small frame laid down on the snow, and the last thing he remembered was a bright green haze enveloping him.

When he awoke the next day, he was back in his bed, with wet patches on his sheets. He had a cold for a week. Mom said that the wet patches were most probably sweat, but he knew it wasn’t. It was melted snow. When he told the story of how it happened, his mother took him to the clinic again, where the doctor told him it was just a halnucation.

“Are you sure you really have a quirk, Zuku? Maybe you’re just making it up,” Kacchan taunted with his arms around Izuku’s shoulders.

“But, it’s true…”

“Is it really— ow! WHAT THE HECK OLD HAG!”

“Izukun’s not a liar, so shut it brat. Be respectful! And here,” Auntie Mitsuki said forcefully, “I thought you have something to give to Izukun,” his aunt shoved a small box towards Kacchan, which made the blonde perk up.

“Oh yeah, I have something for you, Zuku!” he said excitedly, detaching from the greenette.

Izuku took the box and tilted his head questioningly, “What is it?”

“Just open it up, come on!”

The greenette laughed at his friend’s insistence and opened the gift. Inside the All Might-themed box, was a plushy as big as Izuku’s head. The familiar blue and red costume doesn’t come unnoticed to him as he happily took out the gift. “It’s a limited edition All Might plushy!” he screamed in disbelief. “Mom! Look, look! Kacchan gave me a plushy, it’s so cool!” Izuku’s eyes were practically shining as he showed it to his mother.

“Yes sweety, it’s so cool. So what do you say when you’re given a gift?”

Izuku gasped as if he just forgot something important, which in this case was gratitude. He turned around with eyes still sparkling. “Thank you, thank you, thank you so much Kacchan!” the boy exclaimed repeatedly and hugged his friend, squishing the plushy between them. It took about two seconds for the blonde to hug back, a blush prominent on his face.

Satisfied from their short-lived hug, Izuku pulled away to ask his mom, “Mommy can I play heroes with Kacchan? I wanna use my All Might plushy!”

“Hmm,” his mom put a finger on her chin, as if pondering teasingly. “It’s already getting late sweety, but if you ask Auntie Mitsuki, she might give permission…”

It shouldn’t be physically impossible for Izuku’s eyes to shine brighter, but they somehow did when he heard the implication. He quickly turned around and looked up at his aunt, she was holding a smile that looked like the softer version of Kacchan’s. “Auntie, can Kacchan come play? We’ll just be inside where there’s no trouble, and you can also eat dinner with us, together with Uncle Masaru!”

“Izuku, you can’t just invite them like that because you wanted to play,” his mother laughed at his desperation.

The boy didn’t acknowledge what his mom said, instead waiting for a reply from his aunt. When he still didn’t receive a reply, he sweetly added, “Pretty please…” with puppy dog eyes.

“Ah, you know I can’t resist those eyes,” Auntie ruffled his hair playfully. “And since you’re offering, we’ll take you up on that dinner.”

“Yey! Let’s go Kacchan!” Izuku ran past his mother that had just open their front door. His friend chased after him, shouting profanities as they raced towards the greenette’s room. That night, they played and played until they were too tired to even physically drag themselves to bed. The three adults just looked at the boys fondly and settled them on Izuku’s bedroom where they cuddled until morning.

Izuku considered himself a patient kid. He always waited despite the long lines he and his mother had to take when they buy groceries, always waited when his mom told him they’d buy a toy he wanted next week, and waited for the day the he could activate his quirk. But even after almost two weeks of image training, his power didn’t show up at his command.  

He was kinda starting to feel silly every time he practiced in a super excited manner. The kids at school were looking at him weird whenever he passes them, but at least Kacchan was still supportive of him. He always told Izuku to not worry about his quirk, because according to him, “Even if you don’t have a quirk, I’ll just work twice as hard so I can be a hero for the both of us!”

It comes as no surprise that Izuku cried and hugged his friend so tightly that the blonde almost blasted him away just to breathe again. After that proclamation, Izuku never went anywhere without bringing the All Might plushy his friend gave to him. He slept with it, played with it, and always clutched the gift close to his heart. Even now, as he was eating his favorite strawberry ice cream, he had to put so much effort just to not let even the tiniest speck drip onto his plushy.

Dairy Dewdrops was the best ice cream parlor that he and his mom ever visited. Apparently, the store opened on the same day that Izuku went to the doctor where he was said to just be hallucinating. Yes, he practiced how to say the word. Needless to say, he also ordered strawberry ice cream that day. And ever since, they’ve been coming here every Saturday, which was three times already. They were seated in one of the corners, quite secluded from the few people that decided to visit today. It was Izuku’s favorite spot, and where he would like to sit when he finally brings Kacchan here.

“Zuku sweety. You know that if you put your plushy beside you, it won’t disappear right?”

“His name is Sparkmight, mom. And I know that, I just want to hug Sparkmight all the time ‘cause he reminds me of Kacchan,” said Izuku as he hugged the plushy to prove his point.

“But you don’t want Sparkmight to be stained by ice cream, right? Heroes should be responsible, Zuku.”

The greenette’s eyes widened when he heard ‘heroes’ and he hurriedly placed the plushy beside him where he could still feel it. His mom smiled fondly at his obedience and continued to eat her order of hazelnut ice cream. The boy has been stressed out lately, growing impatient for his quirk to obey him. Which is why his mom keep bringing him in Dairy Dewdrops, they served the most delicious and nutritious ice cream near their house. “So, Zuku,” she began, “what quirk do you want to have? If you don’t have a warp quirk?”

Izuku perked up at that, “I want mommy’s quirk! Pulling things toward me can save so much time, and if I ever get separated from Sparkmight or Kacchan, I can just pull them back!” The boy thought about all the things he could do with a telekinetic quirk, but he doesn’t want to reveal too much. A villain could be listening to them right now, so he have to save some moves as surprises. He also thought about his father’s quirk, a fire breathing one. But honestly, Izuku didn’t want to have it. Sure it was cool, but then he and Kacchan would have very similar quirks, how could they cover each other’s weaknesses if they’re almost the same?

“Well, if you want to be strong enough to do this—” his mother paused as she pulled his ice cream cup towards her. “—you have to eat fast, or the villains will eat your ice cream!” She giggled and ate a spoonful of Izuku’s order.

“No, villain!” Izuku responded in an equally dramatic voice as they both laughed at their antics.

By the time they finished eating, Izuku was still craving for some sweets but his mother told him they’d have katsudon for dinner, and he didn’t want to risk his stomach being too full. Before standing up from their chosen table, his mom left some tip and he wrote a ‘thank you’ in one of his unused napkins. The mother and son duo were about to exit the store when a voice interrupted them.

“U-um. Excuse me.”

The greenheads turned their gaze towards a boy with messy purple hair and blushing cheeks. “Did you need something, sweety?” His mom asked kindly as he stared at the boy curiously.

“My mom told me to give this to you, since you always come back to the store,” the shy lad said and extended his hands that were holding… something Izuku has no idea of.

His confusion must show since the boy was quick to explain, “I-it’s an ice cream bar. Strawberry flavored.”

Izuku eyes shined at that. An ice cream bar? He never heard of that before.

“Oh, that’s so sweet of your mother. Tell her we said thank you, and we’ll come back again, okay?” his mom said as she graciously accepted.

When the bar was handed to him, he didn’t hesitate to tear the packaging and looked at the cold pink dessert. “Thank you so much! I’m Izuku Midoriya, what’s your name?” the greenette quickly closed the distance between him and the purple head as he stared with starry eyes.

“Hitoshi Shinsou, my family owns this shop…” the boy replied bashfully, blush now more prominent.

“Izuku, come along now. I’m sure you’ll get to meet Shinsou-kun again soon.” He nodded in understanding and went to his mother’s side. “Tell your mother we said thank you,” his mom said one last time before they went on their way home.

“I’m telling you, Kacchan! It was the best thing I’ve ever eaten! It’s like ice cream and lollipop mixed together.”

“So it’s a popsicle,” deadpanned his friend, still leading him towards a clearing in the woods.

“No, Kacchan. Popsicles taste different, it was really ice cream shaped like a bar!”

The blonde waved his hand dismissively, not wanting to debate any longer. A few moments later, they finally reached their destination. It was a small lake, deep enough for a swim, but it still had shallow areas where they couldn’t drown. At least that’s what Kacchan said when he led him to it. Now he had no way of knowing since the area was protected by a wire fence.

“Erm, was that there the last time… or…?”

“Of course not nerd. Why would I bring you if we can’t even enter, dummy?”
He just shrugged half-heartedly, still hugging Sparkmight. Knowing Kacchan, his friend might have broken the fence last time and was simply surprised that someone fixed it. “It has a fence, Kacchan, we’re clearly not allowed there. Let’s just head back, I’ll introduce you to the owner’s kid from the ice cream store.”

 His friend grumbled in frustration, eyeing the fence with hatred.

“Besides, you didn't tell me we’d go swimming. Sparkmight will get wet, and I don't wanna leave him in the dirt.”

The blonde eventually caved in to Izuku’s suggestion, “Fine, let’s go to the fucking ice cream store.”

“You won’t regret it, Kacchan!” he beamed at his friend, and took his hand to lead him to Dairy Dewdrops. “They have the best strawberry ice cream. It’s the best flavor in the world!”

“Ha?! No way! Chocolate is the best flavor in the world!”

Kacchan declared with popping explosions. “And walk behind me, Zuku! You still can’t control your quirk, so I'll protect you for now.” The blonde didn't leave any room for argument as he walked in front of the greenette.

He just laughed at his friend’s insistence. At least now his mind is off of trespassing that property. Even though Izuku really wanted to see the lake Kacchan told him about, they shouldn’t really intrude on a fenced land. Just thinking about splashing on that cold water seem more refreshing even compared with eating his favorite ice cream.

If they could just somehow pass the fence without destroying it, surely they wouldn’t be in trouble. As Izuku kept thinking about it, he failed to notice the coagulated green energy that hovered on his palm. They just kept walking away from the property, until Kacchan looked back at him with widened eyes. “Zuku! What’s that in your hand?”

The boy looked confused, but when he gazed at his glowing hand, he let out a startled yelp and shook it off. The orb was tossed to a nearby tree. But before it could hit the trunk, it expanded to become a green doorway. “Wha—?”

Both boys were baffled, and for good reason too. “Zuku… did you do that?”

“I don't know! What is that even?!”

Despite Kacchan’s rowdiness, he was still logical when it comes to emergencies. “It kinda looks like a portal… you finally activated your quirk, Zuku!”

What appeared before them was an image of a crystal blue lake, cropped by a circular border of green haze. It looked exactly like the place Kacchan wanted to show Izuku. "M-my quirk? So... Is that really a portal?"

"Only one way to find out, nerd," said the blonde as he threw a rock towards it. A splash greeted them as the image showed the rock hitting the water's surface, and at the same time, a splashing sound from where they were walking away from. The implications were clear, and when both boys meet each other's gaze, they grinned and ran through the portal.

After passing it, the doorway closed behind them, but they didn't care about that. Kacchan made a big splash as he jumped on the water, while Izuku did his best to shield Sparkmight from the water. "Kacchan, you'll get Sparkmight wet!"

"Zuku! You can control your warp quirk!"

"Eh? But it was just lucky."

"Then let's test it out!" said Kacchan as he returned to Izuku's side, dripping wet from his antics. "What did it feel like when that green thing appeared?"

Izuku thought of it. Hiding his face on Sparkmight as he closed his eyes. What did it feel like? All he thought of at that moment was that we wanted to go see the lake. "I mrilly dimbn't feel anythng," he mumbled with his face still buried on his plushy.

"Speak clearly nerd. And stop bringing that plushy around everywhere, you look like a baby!"

"I said, I really didn't feel anything. And I wanna keep Sparkmight close all the time, he makes me feel safe ‘cause he reminds me of Kacchan!"

The blonde's comeback died on his throat when he heard the greenette's reply. "Tch whatever," he looked away trying to hide his blush. "But we still have to try your quirk! Create a portal again!"

Izuku wasn't sure if he could do it again, but he nodded nonetheless. He closed his eyes and thought of a place, visualized everything down to the tiniest details. The pastel colored walls, the comfortable chairs, and the faint smell of vanilla in the air. Making his emotion a need to teleport instead of a want. When he opened his eyes, another small orb of green energy appeared on his hand that wasn't holding Sparkmight.

"Woah, sick."

"What do I do with it?"

"I don't know, didn't you throw it before?"

"Erm..." Izuku pondered. If he threw it without care and it hit something before expanding, he doesn't know what would happen. It's a risk he's not willing to take right now. Eyeing a plain path beside him, Izuku threw the energy and it expanded to become a portal. This time it showed the image of Dairy Dewdrops' interior, along with a very confused and open-mouthed Shinsou.

The impromptu visit from the boys caused quite the commotion within the store. It wasn't the fact that one of them was dripping wet as they stepped into the ice cream parlor, no. It's because every customer present during that time nearly called Pro heroes thinking that they're being attacked by villains. It took a lot of convincing from the manager of the store for everyone to calm down.

Shinsou-kun's mother, a tall woman with dark purple hair, led the boys to the employees' lounge after the whole debacle. Izuku and Kacchan were seated on couch, while Shinsou-kun sat on a stool across from them. Shinsou-kun’s mom gave Kacchan a towel to dry himself, before taking her phone from the coffee table. "Okay, stay here while I contact your parents. Hitoshi, treat our guests well."

"Thank you so much, ma'am!" Izuku said gleefully. When his friend didn't express gratitude, the greenette looked at him pointedly.

The blonde looked like he still won't cave in, but he changed his mind when Izuku swapped his weak glare for puppy dog eyes. "Thank you..." Kacchan grumbled finally.

"It's no problem sweeties," was the last thing she said as she exited the lounge with a kind smile.

The lounge was comfortable and homey, despite being really small. Only the couch and the coffee table filled up the space. The three boys remained silent and awkward once they were left alone. Izuku was happily humming to the theme song of his favorite anime, still hugging Sparkmight, Kacchan was busy drying himself, and Shinsou just stared at the two with wide eyes. "Um. Can I ask what happened back there?"

"Shut it, extra."

"Kacchan! Don't be mean," he scolded. "Let me introduce you to each other. Kacchan, this is Shinsou-kun. Shinsou-kun, meet Kacchan."

"Hello, I guess," mumbled the timid boy that looked like he didn’t care at all.

"Whatever."

"Oh and this is Sparkmight," added Izuku as he showed the plushy he was still hugging.

"Sparkmight?"

"Mhm! He's a gift from Kacchan, so I wanted to name him something that reminds me of Kacchan, like the sparks of his quirk. And then I put might at the end, just like All Might," it was a clever name if Izuku said so himself. And it was quite easy to remember, so he’s proud of it.

Shinsou nodded hesitantly, not knowing how to reply. "Okay... But how did you guys open that doorway?"

"Oh that? It's actually my quirk! It's sort of a warping ability. It’sthe first time I was able to control it, actually," said Izuku as he leaned back on the couch he and Kacchan were sitting on.  

"That's so cool!"

The greenette’s heart swelled from the praise. "Yeah! And now I can finally be a hero just like All Might!"

"No way, Zuku! I'll be the one like All Might. No, I'll be even better than him!" protested Kacchan whose hair was freshly dried.

Izuku stuck his tongue out at the declaration. “No way, Kacchan!”

“Yes way, Zuku!”

This is getting nowhere. "So, Shinsou-kun," he looked away from his blonde friend, "who's your favorite hero?"

"Erm..."

"Oh, is it also All Might?"

"Not really..."

"Is it Endeavour then?"

"No, I don't really have a favorite hero from the top 10..."

"Hah! So you want a loser hero then? That actually suits an extra!"

"Kacchan!" Izuku scolded. He was now visibly glaring, "You can’t tease someone if their favorite hero isn’t in the top 10. Everyone has preferences.”

His friend simply waved him off in a nonchalant manner. "Whatever, nerd."

"You should apologize to him," Izuku narrowed his eyes with a threatening tone.

Kacchan didn't look pleased at that. But before the two boys could fight over it, Shinsou interjected. "It's fine. I'm used to it by now."

What? He’s used to it? What does that mean? Izuku didn’t understand. Did that mean he hears stuff like what Kacchan said, everyday? He had so many questions, but he finally settled on a simple word, "Why?"

Shinsou became silent when asked. He looked like he doesn't want to answer it, but something must have changed his mind. "Other kids always tell me I have a villain's quirk." Izuku didn't expect that. Calling someone a villain just because of their quirk doesn't sit right with him.

"But the quirk doesn't make a hero or villain. It's what the user decides to do with them," he argued with fiery determination. "Whatever your quirk is, I know you'll be a great hero with it!"

The purple headed boy was stunned at what Izuku said, eyes becoming wet from unshed tears. "B-but... My quirk is brainwashing. People always avoid talking to me because they said I'm a villain..."

"But that's so cool!"

"It is?"

"Tch. Not a bad quirk for an extra..."

Both boys didn't expect the blonde to agree. "You really think so?" Shinsou asked, still unsure.

"Well yeah. It’ll be an annoying quirk to go up against," said Kacchan looking away from the other two.

It seems like the conversation ended there. Izuku was glad that Kacchan was at least accepting of Shinsou, even though he was still kinda mean. Maybe a bit of ice cream could help ease their tension." Shinsou-kun, do you still have ice cream bars? I really enjoyed the strawberry flavor you gave me last time."

"O-Oh yeah. What flavor do you want this time?"

"Hmm," Izuku tapped his chin, thinking about it. "We don't have money with us right now, but I'll take strawberry and chocolate for Kacchan. Your mom said she'll call our parents, so we'll ask them for money when they arrive."

It didn't take long for the door to the lounge to open. In came three women, all bearing different expressions. One was wild yet still smiling, the other one worried, and the last one just looked relieved for everything to be over.

"Zuku!"

"Brat!"

Izuku ran excitedly at the sight of his mother. He needed to tell her about his quirk now, or he'll explode! "Mom I can control my quirk now!" Izuku's statement stopped both his mother and Aunt on their tracks. They looked at him with wide eyes, while he felt like he just won the lottery.

"Wh-Really?"

"That's amazing, squirt! So, could you really teleport?"

"Mhm! I can make portals!"

"Ho, that's a warp quirk alright," Auntie Mitsuki said as she ruffled his hair affectionately.

His mom on the other hand, looked relieved. “Oh thank God. I knew you were telling the truth, sweety,” mom kneeled down and hugged him.

"I hate to interrupt, but I think the blonde boy needs to be changed or he'll catch a cold," interjected Shinsou’s mom.  

“Oh what?” Auntie Mitsuki looked pissed. “Katsuki what did you do this time?!”

"I didn't do anything old hag! Zuku and I went to play on a lake!"

"I don't remember giving you permission to go swimming, brat!"

Izuku and Shinsou were both too dumbfounded to even butt-in in the conversation. Everything was too chaotic. Eventually, he remembered his mother taking him out of the store together with Auntie Mitsuki and Kacchan close behind. Izuku waved one last goodbye to Shinsou and wiggled Sparkmight's arms in a way that seem like he's also waving.

By the time Izuku reached home, he realized that he forgot to convince Kacchan to have an ice cream bar. Welp, he'd do that next time.

The next day, Izuku was brought to Doctor Tsubasa for another session. His mother was so happy that he indeed has a warp quirk, especially since no one in her family has one. Izuku was keen on testing his newfound power, and they found out that he was able to do it now without any problems.  

"Hmm… so you’re back again?" the doctor asked skeptically. He looked at the cute, but ultimately plain looking boy, and the green haired woman that looked like she didn’t comb her hair. “If you don’t mind following me to the observation room, again, we could confirm if Izuku truly has a warp quirk.”

Izuku nodded excitedly, a complete contrast to his mother’s worried expression. “Um sure.”

The mother and son were led to a reinforced room, probably used to contain more destructive quirks from children and adults alike. Izuku curiously looked at the metal walls and targets. He feels like he’s inside a hero’s training room, it’s so cool! The doctor instructed him to remain standing, while he and his mother went into an observation deck that was connected to the room through a window. He was feeling kinda insecure since his mom told him that she’ll hold onto Sparkmight while he tested his quirk. It was the only time that he was away from his plushy save for when he’s taking showers.

“Izuku-kun,” the doctor’s voice sounded from a small speaker, “you know the drill. To test out your quirk, I want you to go to the other end of the room without passing through the sensors.”

Izuku nodded as a barrier of reddish light separated the room into two. All he has to do was open a portal that would connect him to the end of the room. As soon as he’s done, he’ll finally be able to understand his power, and be reunited with Sparkmight. Izuku didn’t even need to concentrate, because as soon as he thought of his destination, a green glow appeared on his right hand. He smiled at the familiar energy. Feeling like he already passed the test, he threw the orb in front of him which expanded to become a portal. From that point, he simply took about three steps, and he appeared at the end of the room.

I did it! He wasn’t dreaming about controlling his quirk yesterday! Izuku looked happily at the two adults standing by the window, but their faces of shock caught him off guard. “D-did I do it wrong?”

His question shook doctor from his stupor. “Ah no. You did wonderful, Izuku. Now I want to test out other things regarding your quirk, is that okay? Just make sure to tell me if you’re feeling tired or if you sense any discomfort. This way, we’ll learn everything there is to know about your power.”

Izuku was quick to agree, but his mother had reservations. All this time, Doctor Tsubasa never believed that Izuku had a warp quirk, and now he’s suddenly interested. Eventually, she reluctantly agreed after Dr. Tsubasa told her that knowing Izuku’s limits in a controlled environment would be better, than learning them down along the line where things could go wrong. The things they found out, were a lot to digest. First off, it seems like Izuku doesn’t actually need to open a portal to warp. When he thinks of a place and an orb appears in his hand, he could simply grasp it and it will teleport him to where he wants. Conversely, if he throws the orb at an object, it would also teleport said object to his desired location.

After three hours of constant use of his quirk, they all decided that Izuku doesn’t have a limit to how much he warps in a given time. Even after intensive tests, the doctor still couldn’t find a single drawback of Izuku’s quirk. While it worried his mother endlessly, Izuku was happy to hear that he controls such an amazing power. He couldn’t wait to show Kacchan everything he’s learned. Izuku was bouncing up and down as he waited for everything to be finished. He wants to go home now!

“Mrs. Midoriya,” Dr. Tsubasa interjected as they stood up to leave.

The woman became nervous at the doctor’s tone. She sat down, knowing the implications behind that voice. “Is something wrong? We’ve already confirmed that he doesn’t have schizophrenia.”

A sigh came out of Dr. Tsubasa looking at the innocent boy playing with his plushy. “Yes, and I apologize for my false assessment. It’s just that, the way Izuku described how his quirk worked, is very different from how other warp quirks activate. But now that I saw it first hand, I can say that it’s an extremely powerful warp quirk.”

“Woah really?” the little boy’s eyes sparkled.

Izuku’s enthusiasm was a complete contrast to his mother. The plump greenette had her eyes wide and jaw dropped at the information. So warp quirks don’t work the same way as Izuku’s? That’s news to her. Inko was worried for her baby, but the look on the doctor’s face suggests that it should be considered good news. “Is that a good thing?” she asked.

Dr. Tsubasa chose to ignore the obvious worry from Inko’s voice, and instead chose to address the young boy. “Oh yes, Izuku. The current roster of heroes in Japan doesn’t include a warp user. If you choose to become a hero, you’ll be sought out by big names to be their sidekick, and you could eventually have your own agency.”

Izuku’s eyes were basically sparkling at the statement, but the doctor wasn’t done yet. “However,” he stressed, “it also comes with risks. The nature of your quirk is extremely rare, but what’s even rarer is how powerful yours is. You already showed it to a few people yesterday, and I saw some posts of it.”

“Um,” Inko stammers, “What risks are you referring to, doctor?”

“Well… Heroes aren’t the only ones that eyes the public for powerful quirks,” he says regrettably. “Sooner or later, you might find yourself a target of villains, Izuku. You better watch your back, lest you find yourself in the clutches of All for One.”

Izuku tilted his head at that. What’s All for One? But he wasn’t able to ask since his mom kept talking to the doctor. Izuku wasn’t quite sure if he imagined the sadistic glint on the doctor’s eyes at the warning. He was kinda crept out honestly, but his mother didn’t seem to notice. Izuku didn’t feel like listening to the conversation after what Dr. Tsubasa said, he simply chose to hug Sparkmight closer. If villains were after him because of his quirk, he’s sure that Sparkmight would give him strength. Besides, Kacchan was always by his side.

He grew bored because the adults were still talking. It’s been hours since he’s been in the clinic, what’s taking so long? Even Sparkmight couldn’t make everything less boring. Izuku had half a mind that he would just groan loudly to catch the adults’ attention, but his mom taught him not be rude. He simply waited with his plushy squished in his arms. When their voices started to dwindle, Izuku perked up thinking they were finally done. And alas! He was right.

Mom led him out of the clinic as the doctor waved goodbye at them. He also expressed his rather enthusiastic farewell, but his smile faltered at the grin Dr. Tsubasa gave him. The eerie gesture doesn’t even end there as the doctor proceeds to slide his finger on his throat. Izuku doesn’t know what that means, but he was too tired to ask mom right now. They still have an ice cream date with Kacchan and Auntie Mitsuki, after all.

This might just possibly be the best day in Izuku’s life!

Chapter Text

Dairy Dewdrops was bustling with customers when Izuku and his mom entered. They were accustomed to the peacefulness of the store that it took them by surprise at the amount of people. It must have become more popular as time went by, so Izuku was happy that Shinsou-kun’s family business was successful. He planned to say hi to his new friend, but seeing that the store was so busy, maybe his mom didn’t even bring him today. No matter, they could just meet again some other time.

The pressing issue right now, was getting ice cream in his stomach as soon as possible! Izuku waited patiently during the entire quirk check-up, he knew he deserved to have his favorite food right now. Pulling his mom eagerly, he finally spotted Kacchan and Auntie Mitsuki sitting on the spot that he was very familiar with.

“Zuku! What took you so long?!” his friend asked exasperated as the Midoriyas settle down on the bench across the table.

“The doctor wanted to test out the limits of my quirk!” Izuku replied raising his hand up in the air while still holding unto his dear plushy.

Auntie Mitsuki bit her lip. “But isn’t that overworking Izukun? I mean… he just learned how to activate his quirk, and you had to test out its limits immediately?” she said addressing Inko who sat beside Izuku.

“That’s my concern too,” Inko sighed. “But Dr. Tsubasa was quite insistent. He told me that it’s better to test out Izuku’s quirk in a controlled environment, rather than him finding out where things could go wrong. Apparently, warp quirks are extremely volatile since they interfere with space or something.”

“That makes sense.”

“So what were your limits, Zuku?!”

Izuku puffed his chest with pride. “None,” he said curtly.

It seems like his reply didn’t register to the blondes’ minds as they stared at him dumbfounded. Thankfully, his mother was quick to elaborate on his declaration. “It’s true. The doctor tested Izuku’s quirk, and even after hours of him using it, he doesn’t feel any fatigue.”  

“WHAT?!” the mother and son exclaimed at the same time and stood up from their seats. Izuku giggled at how similar the two were, from their tone of voice, down to their expressions. It was almost comical with Kacchan’s palms also popping off a few sparks and the customers all staring at their loud outburst. The people eventually minded their own business when Mitsuki scowled at them and Inko smiled apologetically.

“Maybe keep it down a little,” she suggested and gestured at them to sit back down.

“Sorry about that, but holy shit kid! You really don’t have a drawback to your quirk?”

“Mhm,” Izuku agreed, beaming.

“That awesome! Now we can become the greatest hero duo ever, Zuku!” Kacchan exclaimed, looking at Izuku with fiery determination. The greenette agreed wholeheartedly as he gripped Sparkmight in his arms. Oh, they’ll be the best hero alright. Izuku already came up with hero names for both of them, like All Might Jr. or Might Boy. He’s still trying to come up with more names, just in case Kacchan doesn’t like them.

Maybe a hero name with their quirks on it? Like Sparky for Kacchan and… hmm… what should he call himself that relates to his quirk? Portal Boy? Warp Man? Those sound so lame. Oh, how about he took some inspiration from the pre-quirk superhero movies he liked to watch. Like Blink and Nightcrawler from X-Men. Both have teleportation powers, and Izuku’s quirk was very similar with Blink’s.

“Sweety…”

Could he get away with naming himself like them?

“Izukun.”

But it doesn’t really make sense for Izuku. What does Nightcrawler even mean? He should ask mom later.

“Zuku.”

Blink on the other hand he could understand. The hero named herself that way because her portals make a cute blinking sound when they open. But maybe it could also relate to how you just blink and then she’s gone? Her teleportation was slower than Nightcrawler though… so it also doesn’t make sense.

“Zuku…”

Should he relate his name to the color of his quirk then? He might come up with something catchy that way. Just like that famous villain from the Spiderman movies—

“ZUKU!”

“Green Goblin!” he screeched out startled.

“I’ve never heard of that flavor before, honey. Is that newly added?” his mom asked confused.

“Huh?” Izuku looked at her dumbfounded.

“Auntie was asking what flavor you want, nerd. You didn’t even hear did you? You were mumbling the whole time!” 

“Oh, sorry,” Izuku scratched his head sheepishly. “I want a strawberry ice cream bar please!”

“The same flavor again? You sure that you won’t grow tired of it?” his mom frowned.

“Nope,” he said popping the ‘p’.

“Well, if you insist,” mom sighed fondly. “Mitsuki-san, I’ll go buy the ice cream, it’s my treat.”

“Nonesense!” the blonde woman exclaimed. “It’s my treat, and you’ll stay here seated. You had an exhausting session with the doctor,” the blonde said and walked away before Inko could argue.

The kids ignored their mothers’ conversation and started up their own. “What were you mumbling about, Zuku? That was the longest mumbling I’ve ever seen from you, so it must be something good.”

“I was thinking about our hero names!” Izuku happily confessed.

“Pfft. You were thinking so hard about that? I already decided on my name!”

“Woah, really Kacchan? What is it?” Izuku waited as his friend paused for dramatic effect. Was it something cool? Maybe something mysterious. Oh, maybe something related to Kacchan’s quirk!

“King Explosion Murder!”

Or maybe something very violent. Wait, what?

Izuku snorted.

“What?”

When Kacchan made a confused face as if he didn’t say something so funny, Izuku laughed. He was cackling so much that his stomach began to hurt and he had to hug his plushy closer to ease the strain. “Stop laughing, Zuku!” He laughed harder. The greenette couldn’t take the command seriously with Kacchan’s face redder than a tomato.

“Okay, okay, settle down sweety,” mom instructed making circular motions on his back. “You’re becoming breathless.”

It took a few more moments before he finally stopped laughing. “Sorry, Kacchan,” although he doesn’t look apologetic at all.

“Why’d you even laugh, nerd?” Kacchan grumbled, face still red.

“Because you can’t name yourself that, Kacchan. It’s too violent.”

“Hah?!” his friend smacked the table looking exasperated.

“He’s right, Katsuki-kun. You should choose a hero name that’s friendlier, or something even cooler. I’m sure you’ll come up with something,” mom smiled kindly.

Kacchan’s face visibly became softer. “Okay…” the blonde mumbled. “But what name did up come up with, Zuku?” he turned to the shorter boy again. “I bet it’s even lamer than mine.”

“I want Might Boy! Or All Might Jr.!”

It was Kacchan’s turn to laugh. “That’s way worse than mine, nerd!” he pointed with crinkling eyes.  

“Whaaattt?” he dragged playfully. “It sounds like All Might’s name, so it should be cool!”

“That’s exactly why it’s lame, Zuku! It’s too similar with All Might’s, you should be original.”

Izuku pouted. He was still thinking of a hero name, but he thought that the ones he came up with were really good.

“Okay that’s enough bickering you little squirts,” Auntie Mitsuki suddenly interrupted. She slid the tray she was holding on their table, and handed everyone their orders. “Time to eat these cold delights before they melt, yeah?” Kacchan had chocolate ice cream, mom had rocky road, and auntie had cookies and cream. All of them had their ice cream served on glass bowls, while Izuku’s strawberry ice cream bar was placed on a porcelain plate, with a vanilla drizzle on top. The greenette didn’t waste time as he took the bar and took his first bite. It tasted just as heavenly when Shinsou-kun first gave him one.

Izuku watched Kacchan happily, who had a tiny smile on his face. His friend must have also liked his order, but was too stubborn to admit it. Their parents were talking in hushed whispers, also enjoying the ice cream. He liked this atmosphere. Although he still liked to play heroes with Kacchan better, the peacefulness of everyone he loves also makes Izuku’s heart flutter.

“So, what were you two little boys bickering about when I got here?”  Auntie Mitsuki asked while twirling her spoon like a baton.

“I’m not little old hag, I’m taller than Zuku. So, he’s the little boy.”

Izuku, who was happily eating his ice cream bar, paused mid-bite and pointed at Kacchan. “Hey, that’s not true! We’re the same height.”

“Nuh-uh. I’m taller, Zuku. Last time we checked, I had one centimeter on you.”

“But that was a week ago! I’ve been eating ice cream, so I should be taller than last time.”

“Ice cream doesn’t make you taller honey…” his mom interjected, holding a laugh.

“But ice cream has milk, and milk makes kids taller!” Izuku argued.

His claim made his mother think for a bit. “Hmm… I’m not so sure, honey. Mitsuki, does ice cream help us grow taller?”

“Beats me,” Auntie shrugged and ate another spoonful of ice cream. “Anyway, no one answered my question,” she pointed menacingly with her spoon, making Izuku giggle at the silliness of her threat. “What were you two big boys bickering about earlier?”

“We were just coming up with hero names,” Kacchan grumbled.

“Oh, what did you and Izukun come up with?”

“None of your business old hag.”

Izuku flinched at the slap his friend received a second later. “I told you to be respectful, Katsuki. Now try again,” Auntie said softly, although the look in her eyes were anything but soft.

“Mommy, can I go to the bathroom?” his question made everybody silent in the table.

“I’m sorry, Izukun. Did Auntie make you uncomfortable?”

The greenette was confused at first, but then he realized that he just interrupted the mother and son’s argument. “Oh, I just wanted to go to the bathroom. The last time I peed was before we left the house…” he admitted with a blush.

“Oh.”

“Do you want me to go with you sweety?” his mom wiped her face with paper napkins, ready to go with him at a moment’s notice.

“No it’s okay. I have Sparkmight with me, I’ll be fast.”

Izuku beamed at them brightly before waddling towards the bathroom. Despite being small, he actually walks faster than most kids around his age, and it’s one of the things Kacchan likes about him. His friend once told him “I don’t want to waste time, Zuku. So, you better walk fast when we’re together” and the greenette took it to heart. Izuku also didn’t like to waste time, so he was quite fast in the bathroom and he was walking back to their table in no time.

As he passed by the counter, Izuku almost choked on his spit when he saw a very cute picture frame of Shinsou-kun. It was hidden behind those cardboard advertisements, so he failed to notice it until now. The purple-headed boy looked so happy in the photo as he was squished between his parents’ hugs. He wanted to meet with Shinsou-kun again and play heroes with him. Izuku hasn’t seen that smile in person yet, the boy always looked meek and quiet. He absentmindedly walked backwards to their table, whilst holding Sparkmight tightly.

The greenette failed to realize that his longing for Shinsou caused a coagulation of green energy to hover around his hand. As he continued to walk backwards, his back hit a hard wall, causing him to flinch and letting his quirk touch the plushy he was hugging. There was small interval where everyone in the store became silent when they heard the sound of ripping paper (aka Izuku’s quirk teleporting something). The quiet didn’t last long as Izuku loudly cried, “Sparkmight’s gone!”

He desperately tried to look around him, hoping that he just dropped his plushy. Tears were blurring his vision and he could feel his breath shortening. Someone was talking to him, someone was shaking his shoulders, and then someone finally picked him up. “Shh, shh… it’s okay little green bean, don’t cry…” the soothing voice of a boy Izuku hasn’t heard before tried to calm him. Izuku noticed that they were outside the store now, he didn’t even think about being kidnapped. He just snuggled closer to the arms that held him as he tried to dry his face with his shirt. He was about to apologize to the boy for staining his clothes with snot, when Izuku realized that he wasn’t being carried by a person. Izuku was actually lying atop a very fluffy cloud.

He was on the sidewalk now, just outside the store. Despite it being 1 in the afternoon, there weren’t many people walking around in this part of the town. Izuku felt insecure crying in public, so he tried to calm himself and assess the situation. He was sitting on a cloud for some reason, and three boys he’s never met before were coddling him. The absurdity of everything makes him stop crying as he examined the cloud curiously. When he became silent, the three teen boys standing in front him looked worried. He wanted to ask about the cloud quirk, but then his mom, auntie, and Kacchan walked out of the store, looking worried, angry, and relieved at the same time.

“Zuku, my baby!” his mom practically ran towards him and scooped him into her arms.

“You really think you can kidnap Izukun, huh?! You little punks!”

“Wha—”

“How dare you make my little baby cry!”

“Ma’am that’s not what hap—”

“I’ll blast you away, you big bullies!”

“That is one aggressive little boy.”

Everyone kept talking and yapping, it hurt Izuku’s ears. And he doesn’t even have a hearing quirk. “Please stoppppp!” he screamed with eyes closed and ears covered. When no sounds were uttered for a few moments, he risked opening his eyes to see everyone looking at him. That’s good. “Mom. I’m not being kidnapped, they’re not bad guys. They actually put me on this very fluffy cloud! It’s even better than my bed,” he said with a wide smile. His tears were all dried now, and the only evidence that he cried were his red eyes.

His mom looked at him reluctantly, “B-but I thought—” Izuku shook his head sternly at his mother’s false accusations.

“Can you put me back on the cloud? It’s really comfy…” he trailed off shyly.

The taller greenette sighed and complied with Izuku’s request. When he looked comfortable on the cloud, she turned her accusatory gaze towards the three boys. “Explain what happened, please.”

They looked at each other unsurely, and then the boy with wavy light-blue hair stepped forward. “We were just getting in line to buy ice cream when the little green bean bumped into us. It’s no big deal of course, but he shouted that he lost… parkmight, or something? And then he started crying.”

“It’s Sparkmight. But what’s that to do with you getting him outside?” Mitsuki’s voice was surprisingly calm.

“The little kid was loudly crying inside a store. We brought him outside so he doesn’t disturb other customers. It’s just logical,” it was the black haired boy that spoke this time. Izuku thought that he sounded like an older Shinsou-kun.

“Why’d you even cry, Zuku? Were you hurt?” Kacchan asked worriedly

Izuku looked at his friend and his heart swelled at Kacchan’s sincerity. He’s really the bestest friend ever, and he just lost the gift his friend gave him. His guilt allowed tears to drop down from his eyes again. “I’m so-sorry Kacchan. Sp-sparkmight disappeared and I don’t know how. I don’t know where he went, and he was a limited edition plushy, I’m so sorry.” Izuku struggled to dry his eyes using his shirt.  

“Pfft, that’s it? You really are a crybaby, aren’t you, nerd?”

The greenette sniffled. “But Sparkmight was a gift from Kacchan…” he didn’t even have his plushy for a month yet, and he already lost it.

“Hey, don’t cry little man. We’ll help you find Sparkmight, okay? We’re heroes and that’s what heroes do,” the blue haired boy smiled at Izuku reassuringly.

The boy couldn’t believe what he just heard. He was so focused on his lost plushy that he didn’t notice the three boys wearing what looks like hero costumes. “You’re really heroes?” his eyes were sparkling in excitement.

“Yeahhhh we are, little dude!” the blonde teen agreed. His voice was a little louder compared to a normal shout, which made people look at their direction. One glare from Auntie Mitsuki and the black-haired boy was all it took for the civilians to look away.

“I’ve never heard of you before, so you must be loser heroes.”

Izuku’s eyes went wide at his friend’s insult. “Kacchan!”

“Be respectful brat.” Izuku sighed thankfully that auntie reprimanded Kacchan for his rudeness. A playful ruffling of his spiky hair was all it took to silence him.

“We’re not heroes yet. Still heroes in training,” interjected a bored voice.

“Which hero school do you go to?” Izuku asked as he shifted on the cloud for a more comfy position.

The blonde and blue-haired boy turned to each other, grins plastered on their faces. “We’re from UA High. Plus Ultra!” The duo laughed at their antics while their other friend just groaned in a very disinterested manner. “I need a nap.”

His mom cleared her throat and addressed the three, “I’m sorry for the false accusations. I’m very protective of him since little Zuku here can be very sensitive.”

“Mom~” he hissed red faced.

“It’s no problem ma’am. Like I said, we’ll help Zuku find his plushy,” said the blue-haired teen. “Actually, how did it disappear, little green bean? Can you tell us what exactly happened?” his voice was so soft, Izuku thought it sounded just like when his mom lulled him to sleep.

Before Izuku could answer, the glass door of Dairy Dewdrops opened again. Shinsou-kun’s mother walked out with a phone pressed on her ear as she talked to the person on the other end of the call. The others also looked at her quizzically and Izuku tilted his head in question when the lady gave him the phone, “It’s Hitoshi, he wants to speak to you.”

His eyes widened for a moment before he took the phone and pressed it on his ear, “Hello?”

“Midoriya-kun! Your plushy, um… I think you called him Sparkmight? Anyways, he appeared beside me while I was napping. Did you do this?”

Izuku’s jaw dropped. So that’s where it went! He was thinking about Shinsou-kun when his quirk activated. He shifted on the cloud uncomfortably. “Yeah… it was an accident, I’m so sorry I woke you up!”

“No it’s fine,” Shinsou-kun’s voice sounded so tired. “Do you want to have it back now? I can ask dad to go with me…”

“Is it really okay? I miss Sparkmight, but you sound tired right now…”  

“…s’fine,” his friend insisted with a yawn. There was a sound of talking at the other end of the line, probably Shinsou-kun talking to his dad. After a few moments, his friend talked again. “Dad said we’ll be there in fifteen minutes. I have to prepare now, bye.”

The call abruptly cut after that. Izuku handed the phone to the purple-headed woman. “Shinsou-kun said he’ll come here with his dad. Sparkmight teleported beside him because of my quirk.”

“Oh, well you can wait inside until they arrive. I told my employee not to clean your table yet, since you haven’t finished eating.”

“Thank you so much, Shinsou-san,” Inko bowed lightly. “Let’s go now, we’ve caused enough trouble already.”

Auntie Mitsuki and Kacchan entered first, while his mom bowed at the three boys. “I’m so sorry again for the misunderstanding.”

“It’s really no trouble ma’am. I’m glad we could help,” the blue haired teen smiled again.

“We should also get back inside, we haven’t ordered our ice cream yet!” the blonde exclaimed, but then a loud alarm cut off his excitement.

It was the black-haired boy’s phone. “Looks like we’re late. Let’s get going.”

“But our ice cream!”

“We can have it tomorrow.”

“But I’m craving it right nowwwww!”

The blue-haired teen ignored his friends’ bickering and walked closer to Izuku. He took out something from his hero costume and handed it to the boy. “This is my call card. If you need help or just wanna have fun, don’t hesitate to call me, alright little green bean?”

Izuku looked at the card, and he giggled. It’s not an official call card at all. The teen must’ve just took a cardboard and drew doodles of clouds, with a telephone and cellphone number at the bottom. The most eye-catching part were the words Loud Cloud, they were colored in blue and orange. It must be the boy’s hero name. Before Izuku could ask though, he already joined his friends’ bickering.

The fluffy cloud that Izuku was lying on, gradually disappeared until he was settled on the ground gently. He chuckled at the silliness of the trio that haven’t stopped quarreling yet.

“Hop on Sho, it’ll be faster this way,” the blue-haired teen, Loud Cloud, Izuku thought, was sitting on another cloud together with the blonde

“I’d rather walk.”

“But we’ll be late if you don’t hop on.”

“It’s illegal quirk use.”

“Come on, we have our provisional licenses.”

“I’d rather not…”

“Zashi, take him!”

Izuku could no longer stop his laughter as he cackled when the blonde teen pulled the black-haired boy on the cloud and trapped him. He was still laughing as the trio floated away towards their destination. Loud Cloud looked back at him and smiled at his happiness, and gave him a thumbs up. Izuku smiled back and also gave a thumbs up before waving cheerfully. When they finally disappeared from sight, Izuku looked up to his mother, “Mom.”

She was looking at him fondly and ruffled his hair, “Yes, sweety?”

“I think I have a new favorite hero.”

The next day, Izuku had a playdate with Kacchan and Shinsou-kun. His mom dropped him off in Dairy Dewdrops before coming to work. Just like always, he ordered strawberry ice cream bar while Kacchan ordered the chocolate flavored bar. “So what do you think? It’s the best right? And not at all a popsicle like you insisted.”

He knew that his friend didn’t like to admit he’s wrong, so he felt a little guilty when Kacchan nodded. “Yeah sure. Whatever, Zuku.”

“Do you not get tired of always ordering strawberry?” Shinsou-kun piped up as he walked away from the counter, holding another ice cream bar for himself. They were seated on the table nearest to the counter since they were the only people inside. It was quite peaceful as they waited for Shinsou-kun’s mom to finish whatever it was she’s doing. Apparently, the store had a big shipment today, so it was super important.

Izuku pondered for a bit, “No, not really… it’s my favorite after all.”

Shinsou-kun shrugged and sat down on the chair opposite from Izuku and Kacchan. When he finally opened the packaging of his ice cream, the greenette gasped as if he saw something magical. “What’s that flavor? I’ve never seen purple ice cream before!”

“Yeah, me neither!” Kacchan agreed.

“Oh this? Mom said it’s the sample for the new ice cream flavor she ordered. It’s called ube.”

“Ube?” Izuku tried saying. “I’ve never heard of that before.”

“She said it’s a flavor from the F- Fili- Filipeens?” Shinsou-kun struggled to remember. “I forgot, you could ask mom if you’re really curious though,” the purple headed boy said and bit onto his ice cream bar. Izuku watched as his friend’s eyes widened.

“Is it good?”

“It’s even better than vanilla!”

Izuku was at awe. “But isn’t vanilla your favorite flavor?”

Shinsou-kun shook his head, “Not anymore. Ube’s my new favorite!”

“Hah?! You change your mind so easily, Hypno!”

“What’s a Hypno?” the purple-head asked.

Izuku gasped knowing what it meant. “Kacchan gave you your own nickname! And it’s Hypno!”

“Why though?”

“Cause it’s short for hypnotize, keep up.”

Shinsou-kun made an ‘oh’ sound before he resumed eating. The three boys were halfway finishing their cold treats when the purple-head asked again, “Should I also give you a nickname, then?”

“You can just call him Kacchan,” Izuku shrugged.

“Don’t ever, call me Kacchan,” the blonde growled.

Shinsou-kun pondered for a moment before snapping his fingers, “I can call you Bakkun.”

“That’s so cute!” Izuku squealed while Kacchan just grumbled.

“And you can call me Zuku! Can I call you Toshi, then?”

The purple-headed boy blushed at the nickname and nodded. Now all three of them had nicknames! They were officially best friends and Izuku couldn’t wait to play. The last time he played with his quirk was yesterday at the doctor’s office. Even though his mom told him not to use his quirk since it’s not registered in the government yet, he knows Kacchan would insist. And it’s not like they’d use it for something bad.

He could see both Toshi and Kacchan buzzing with excitement, and he was too.

Izuku was finishing up his ice cream when the entrance to the store opened. In came three very familiar faces, making the greenette gasp in excitement. Before anyone could react, he allowed his quirk to form an energy on his hand and grasped it. There was a sound of tearing paper before he reappeared by the feet of the blue haired teen from yesterday. “Loud Cloud, you came back!” he giggled at the startled sounds that the three teens made.

“Oh hey! It’s the little green bean. How’re you doing?”

“I’m fine,” he replied with his arms hugging the teen’s legs.

“Was that your quirk?” the blonde teen asked. Izuku looked at him and nodded enthusiastically. “That’s awesome!”

“Zuku, what’s a loud cloud?”

“It’s his hero name Kacchan,” he informed with a bright smile. “Am I right Mr. Cloud?”

“Sure you are, little green bean. Wait, did we not introduce ourselves yesterday?”

The blonde teen gasped overdramatically. “We totally forgot to introduce ourselves!”

“You’re idiots,” the black-haired boy sighed.

“Hey! You don’t get to say that when you also forgot!”

Izuku would have felt flustered if the teens kept bickering, but thankfully, they’re the only ones in the store because of the early hours. He disconnected himself from Loud Cloud’s feet and happily interrupted, “I’ll introduce us first!” his loudness made everyone else in the store go quiet. “This is Kacchan, and this is Toshi!” he pointed at his friends respectively who were now standing beside him. “Oh, and this is Sparkmight,” he added as he created a small portal just enough to fit his hand and grabbed his plushy that he put atop their table.

The blue-haired teen crouched down to Izuku’s level and ruffled his hair playfully. “Aw, little Sparkmight is so cute. And by the way, you can call me Oboro, or Loud Cloud, or whatever you want. And right here is—”

“Hizashi Yamada, at your service,” the blonde also crouched down and shook each of the little boys’ hands. “You can just call me Zashi if you want.”

When the two energetic teens finished their introductions, they looked at their other friend expectantly. The black-haired teen sighed and whispered something under his breath.

“What did he say?” Kacchan voiced.

“I said, my name’s Shota Aizawa.” His voice sounded so bored and tired, and he remained standing, unlike his friends that were crouching down.  

All of the boys, young and teen, blinked and collectively thought, that’s it?!

“Come on Sho, you can be more creative than that,” Oboro-san encouraged.

“I don’t get why we need to be creative in introducing ourselves to kids.”

Zashi-san and Oboro-san just sighed and looked at the three boys apologetically. “Don’t mind him, he’s just grumpy cause he didn’t have his coffee this morning.”

This made Izuku giggle.

“So, why’re you guys here anyway? You’re the first customers apart from us,” Kacchan inquired.

“We needed some stuff done in UA. And then we came here to get ice cream,” said Zashi-san.

“Yup. So, what do you recommend, Zuku?” Oboro-san asked.

The boy didn’t even hesitate, “Ice cream bars! They’re easy to eat and super delicious too!”

“Well then, what flavor do you think’s the best?”

“Strawberry!”

Oboro-san gasped excitedly and lifted Izuku up to his arms, “No way! That’s my favorite flavor too.”

“Really?” he confirmed with sparkling eyes and the teen nodded. This made Izuku’s smile wider.

“My favorite flavor’s mango,” Zashi-san proudly proclaimed as he stood up.

“I hate chocolate the least,” grumbled Aizawa.  

“Fuck yeah! Chocolate’s the best!”

“Language, Katsuki-kun,” Toshi’s mom interjected as she stepped out of the employee’s lounge. “Sorry, I had to get things done, what would you like to order today?” she addressed the teen boys.

“Mango ice cream bar please.”

“Strawberry ice cream bar for Oboro-san, Shinsou-san!” Izuku happily ordered for his favorite hero while still being carried.

“Izukun, I told you to call me Auntie Atsuko, and that goes for you too Katsuki-kun,” she playfully scolded which made the teen boys chuckle lightly. “And what would you like, sir?”  

They all turned to look at Aizawa who was eyeing the menu like it just killed his pet cat. “Well, chocolate’s the only one that doesn’t make me want to puke,” he grumbled disappointingly.

 “You should try ube.”

 Everyone turned their heads at Toshi which made the boy blush from attention. “I-I mean, you m-might like it if you try… it’s actually very good…”

“I’ve never heard of that before,” Aizawa said.

“Ube’s actually one of our new flavors, although it’s not on the menu yet. It’s a flavor native to the Philippines, and it’s actually the shipment that I’m handling right now. Would you like to try it?” Shins— Auntie Atsuko, informed.

“I guess I’m getting ube ice cream bar then.”

Auntie Atsuko typed in their orders at the cash register and handed them their orders while Oboro-san paid for the treats. When Auntie finished the transaction, she sighed and looked at the boys apologetically. “Kids, I’m so sorry but you have to wait a little longer, okay?”

A chorus of disappointed oh’s were heard from the kids. “My employee’s running late so I can’t leave the store right now, not to mention that I’m still handling the shipment.”

“Are you taking them somewhere, ma’am?” Oboro-san asked as he gave the ice cream orders to Zashi-san.

Auntie sighed again, “Yeah, I’m supposed to watch over them while they play at the park a few blocks away. I already promised Inko and Mitsuki, but I didn’t think that I’d be this busy today.”

“We can watch over them!” Izuku perked up at the idea but Auntie looked skeptical. “Don’t worry, we have nothing else to do for today and you can totally trust us,” Oboro-san smiled reassuringly. “And just to ease your mind, and act as insurance…” the blue haired boy trailed off as he patted his jacket and pants, looking for something.

His face lit up when he grasped something inside his back-pocket, and gave it to the purple-haired woman. “It’s my UA ID. It has my contact information, and you can call the school if we don’t bring the kids back byyyy… until what time are they allowed?”

“1 pm.”

“Yup, by 1 pm.”

Auntie Atsuko still looked skeptical, but for an entirely different reason. “Is it really okay? I know you’re heroes in training so you must only have very few days to relax…”

“It’s really no big deal ma’am. We love hanging out with kids!”

“Speak for yourself, Zashi,” Aizawa complained with a bored tone. He was ignored by everyone though.

“Well, if you’re sure…” she trailed off and eventually smiled when she saw how excited the three kids looked. “Then, next time you come and buy ice cream, it’ll be free of charge.”

The blue-haired teenager smiled and bowed, before creating a fluffy cloud. He ushered the kids to sit on it, and Izuku practically bounced in excitement. Kacchan and Toshi also looked eager to ride on the cloud, but they weren’t as blatant as the greenette. Zashi-san and Aizawa opened the door for them as the cloud carried them outside. People kept throwing gazes at them as they went on their way to the park. It didn’t seem to bother the three older teens, so Izuku also didn’t mind them.

At some point, the teens began eating their ice cream bars, and Izuku spied their reactions. As expected, both Oboro-san and Zashi-san were happy with their chosen flavors. Sho-san though looked surprised at his ube ice cream. Izuku doesn’t know if it’s a good reaction or not, but at least he didn’t puke it out. While they floated on the cloud, Izuku kept asking questions about their quirks. Turns out, Oboro-san could create bigger clouds with his quirk, and Izuku wanted to see them! Zashi-san’s quirk was also really cool. He could create sound waves to attack villains, and he said that the support department just added upgrades to his equipment. But what really made Izuku’s jaw drop, as well as Kacchan’s and Toshi’s, was Aizawa’s quirk.

“I can erase quirks if I look at the person.”

He said it so casually as if it wasn’t a really cool thing. “What!?”

The rest of the way was just the little kids asking for their quirks to be cancelled by Aizawa. The black-haired teen reluctantly agreed when he realized that the kids wouldn’t stop pestering him unless he complied. It was no secret that Aizawa was the happiest of them all when they reached the park. Not only was he free from the kids’ questions about his quirk, but he could also finally brood by himself at the secluded tree he was eyeing. Meanwhile, Oboro and Hizashi were playing mother hen as they watched over the kids like a hawk.

Izuku, Kacchan, and Toshi went to every play thing they could find in the playground. The other kids in the playground didn’t bother playing with them, knowing how rough Kacchan could be. Yet even though they were basically avoided, the three friends didn’t fail to have fun under the mellow sun. They had fun at the tallest slide, which was about three Aizawas tall. The greenette was too scared to slide down at first, despite him clutching his plushy. Kacchan and Toshi kept telling him it’s safe since they already slid down, but his fear didn’t vanish. Eventually, Oboro-san intervened and put fluffy clouds all around the slide in the unlikely event that Izuku falls. He happily slid down after that, and even repeated it a couple more times. Izuku felt safe seeing the clouds.

Then, they went to the swings where Oboro-san pushed the swing for Izuku. Kacchan looked irritated that Izuku’s swings were higher than his, but Toshi, who was the one that pushed the swing for him, didn’t have enough strength. Hizashi volunteered to swing Kacchan, while Aizawa got roped into swinging Toshi. The three teens got into a little competition to see who could push the swing highest, and it was easily won by Aizawa. Toshi almost broke his legs when he was flung from the swing, but luckily, Oboro-san caught him with a cloud. The other kids on the playground were ushered away by their parents when they saw the almost-fatal-accident.

With lunch time approaching, all the other children were taken home and it was only the six boys left (kids and teenagers). Once the kids grew tired of the playground facilities, they took it upon themselves to have fun. Namely, by experimenting with Izuku’s quirk. Kacchan and Toshi somehow found a rope while playing and it became the subject of their objective. The mission: tie two trees together that are really far apart. They chose the tree where Aizawa was napping, unaware of the kids that were silently laughing. And another tree that gave shade to Oboro-san and Hizashi as they sat on a park bench. They tied a sloppy knot on Aizawa’s tree, and then Izuku created a portal that connected to the other tree.

“What’s the point of this game again?”

Oboro chuckled as Izuku handed him Sparkmight for safekeeping. “Nothing, Zashi. They’re just having fun.”

 When they were finally finished with what they’re doing, Kacchan proudly exclaimed, “Mission accomplished!” The trees were now connected physically, despite there being a gap between the trees courtesy of Izuku’s portals. If someone saw them, they might have been reported for illegal quirk use. But thankfully everyone else had already gone home or ate lunch somewhere. It’s only 12 pm, so they still have an hour to play before they’re taken back by the teens to Dairy Dewdrops.

“So…” Izuku trailed off as his friends kept tugging at the knots to make them tighter. “What do we do now? We already finished the mission.”

Kacchan thought about it, and scowled when he didn’t come up with anything. “I dunno. I’m bored with this shit.”

“Language, Bakugou.”

The sudden voice coming from the other side of the portal startled the three kids. “Sho-san? We thought you were asleep!” Izuku said.

“I was, but the rustling of leaves and your quiet laughter woke me.”

“Oh. Sorry about that, Sho-san…” Toshi bowed apologetically but the black-haired teen just waved him off.

“Are you brats hungry yet?”

Izuku tried to reply, but his mind became hazy all of a sudden. He struggled to stand straight and his eyes were beginning to close. In an attempt to stabilize himself, he clings at the closest person he could touch and hugged them tightly. He just hoped they aren’t uncomfortable from Izuku hugging them unexpectedly. Someone pulled him away though, and he felt his body going slack as he was laid on something super soft. It must be Oboro-san’s cloud, he thought. If it was, that means he’s safe. There was no need to worry, so Izuku allowed himself to succumb to unconsciousness.

Then everything faded to black.  

Chapter Text

Oboro always regarded himself as a competent student, and expected himself to be an equally-competent pro hero. So, when he saw Izuku shutting his eyes and hugging the purple-haired boy like a lifeline, he knew something was wrong and acted accordingly. Aizawa was about to walk through the portal, unaware of the child’s current predicament. As quickly as he could, Oboro sent a dense cloud to push his friend away from the closing portal. Even a slight misstep would have severed his friend cleanly in half rather than his cloud.

“What the hell?!” Hizashi exclaimed, standing up.

“Hey, Zuku, what’s wrong?” the blonde kid, Katsuki he remembered, asked worriedly.

The greenette didn’t respond though, instead he just hugged Toshi even tighter. “What’s wrong with Zuku?”

Oboro grimaced, not knowing what’s wrong. “I don’t know… But he might be having a headache, so I’m going put him on a cloud, okay? Can you help me remove Zuku?”

Toshi nodded and gently peeled off Izuku’s arms around him. Once they were disconnected, Oboro laid the boy on the fluffiest cloud he could make. “He’s ice cold…” he whispered when he touched the boy’s forehead. “I need to take him to a hospital.”

“Is Zuku sick?” the two little boys asked simultaneously.

Oboro didn’t get to reply since Aizawa beat him to it. “No, he’s not. Izuku’s just sleepy, so now he needs to go to the hospital to have some sleep.”

“But aren’t hospitals only for sick people?” Toshi said shyly, to which Katsuki agreed with a small ‘yeah’.

Damn, these kids were sharp. Most children wouldn’t even question the authority of people way older than them. They must be extremely protective of the green bean. But he couldn’t have them being disobedient now. He knew that taking Izuku to the hospital was priority, but they couldn’t just not explain what’s going on to the other two. They might be stressed about it. “Don’t worry little mans. The doctors will just help Izuku sleep better, and determine why he fell asleep suddenly,” Hizashi interjected as he crouched down and patted the kids’ heads. Oboro smiled at his friend thankfully and created a cloud for himself to ride on.

“For now, you guys should eat some lunch, you’re probably hungry after all your playing,” said the blue-haired teen as he prepared for flight. Before he could move though, Katsuki’s hand grasped the hem of his shirt, and he lightly tugged.

Oboro noticed that his eyes were red and a few tears were already falling. “Y-You better take care of Zuku. Don’t l-let him get hurt,” his voice was breaking as he asked for a promise.

It’s not like Oboro wasn’t already thinking that. He grinned, and gave the boy a thumbs up, “Don’t worry. I’ll protect Zuku with my life.” When Katsuki nodded in satisfaction, Oboro turned towards his friends. “I’ll update you when I can.” He didn’t even wait for a reply before he zoomed towards the nearest hospital with his quirk.

As he sped through the air, he made sure to put a protective layer of cloud around Izuku to avoid the boy from getting whiplash. Buildings, cars, and, people were all but a smudge on his vision with the speed he’s using. He didn’t even bother to help with the villain attack he heard a few streets down. By the time he reached the hospital, only 3 minutes have passed since he departed. He was quick to ask for emergency medical attention, and the doctor led him to a room where he gently placed Izuku on the bed.

They scanned Izuku for abnormalities as the nurses ushered him out and unto the waiting room. Oboro immediately texted his friends the hospital’s location, and that Izuku was being treated at the moment. He didn’t know whether he waited for a very long time or mothers just have very powerful senses, but Inko arrived at the waiting room before the doctor did. She looked distraught with her hair sprawled in different directions, and her leg kept bouncing. He had half a mind to realize that he probably looked similar after flying through the air to reach the hospital.

The greenette spared Oboro a glance and a smile just as the doctor walked towards them. “For Izuku Midoriya?” when the duo nodded, the old doctor smiled. “As for the good news, Izuku is fine. He had quirk exhaustion, and all he has to do is rest up. For the bad news, well, there is no bad news.”

“Quirk exhaustion?” Inko asked uncertain.  

“Yes, all evidences points to it as the cause.”

“W-well you see… Izuku’s quirk doctor told us that his quirk had no weakness. And we even tested it out, he was never tired even after hours of quirk use.”

The doctor hummed in acknowledgement and wrote it down on his notepad. “Well, when he wakes up, we can ask Izuku what’s different this time.”

Izuku felt weightless.

He tried opening his eyes, but everything remained black. A mass of infinite nothingness. No matter how hard he tried to use his quirk, no green sparked in his palms. He was trapped in wherever this darkness was. Why couldn’t he see anything? Was he blind? He didn’t like it here. Izuku would rather be anywhere but this place. How did he even get here? He couldn’t remember what he was doing before this void. Was this a dream? Perhaps a nightmare, he never had one of those yet. Kacchan said he had a nightmare once. But he doesn’t know how to wake up like this.

He wanted to see Sparkmight, and mom, and Kacchan, and Oboro-san. They’ll know what to do. Just as he thought of that, a tunnel of light appeared on his vision. That’s it! If he could go to the light, then he’d surely wake up right? The brightness kept getting closer and closer until—

—he woke up in a room full of his loved ones, albeit very confused-looking. Everyone was on their feet the moment he made eye contact. Two particularly loud shouts caught his attention amidst the chaos.

“My baby!”

“ZUKU!”

They didn’t even give Izuku time to compose himself as they all rushed to hug him. Knowing that he had no choice in this, he hugged back. Izuku was smothered by Kacchan, mom, Toshi, Auntie Mitsuki, and Oboro-san. Even after a long moment, nobody detached from the group hug. It was becoming uncomfortable. “Umm… where are we?”

His question finally made everyone back away. Looking around, Izuku surmised that he must be in the hospital. The walls were white and there were medical machines around him, and it even smells like rubbing alcohol. He scrunched his nose, he never liked that smell. It reminded him of when he was sick and the doctors had to use injections on him. His disgust must’ve shown on his face because Oboro-san laughed lightly.

“You okay there? You look like you ate something gross.”

“It smells like alcohol here,” he made an exaggerated throwing-up gesture, “I don’t like it…”

His mom chuckled and wiped a few tears from her eyes as she spoke, “It’s okay sweety, we’ll leave as soon as we can, okay?” When Izuku nodded enthusiastically, she continued, “What’s the last thing you remember, sweety?”

“Well um…” what did he remember though? The darkness where he couldn’t feel and see anything was scary, so how did he even get there? He tried racking his brain, but nothing came up. “I don’t remember anything… is that bad?”

“You were asleep for an entire day, Zuku!” Kacchan exaggerated with wide-spread hands.

WHAT? An entire day? But the longest time he sleeps in a day is 10 hours, now he missed a lot of time for fun. And he even made mom worry…

“Well, if we’re getting technical, he only slept for 20 hours, so…” a sitting Aizawa piped up from the corner.

Everyone stared at the black-haired teen quizzically. Izuku didn’t even notice him there, Sho-san was silent as a ninja.

“Anyway, we were playing at the park when you collapsed from quirk exhaustion, little cloudlet.”

Izuku looked at Oboro-san with a smile. “Oh yeah. I remember that! But what’s a cloudlet?” he tilted his head.

Hizashi scoffed. “It’s what you call a cloud that’s small. Seems like Oboro gave you a nickname, huh?”

The blue-haired teen looked away bashfully with reddened cheeks.

“But isn’t a cloudlet already small? So, calling Zukun little cloudlet sounds redundant.”

“The point is that it sounds cute, Sho,” Hizashi only received a shrug from the sleep-deprived teen.

A cough from Auntie Mitsuki stopped the three teens’ little bickering. “Anyway how are you feeling Izukun?”

“I’m alright! I think I could even teleport all of us to the playground now!” he proclaimed with a huge beam.

“No, no, Zuku. You’re not doing that, oh God,” his mom interjected and immediately came up to him in an attempt to stop the boy. The greenette just grinned and told her it was a joke, which earned light laughs from everyone in the room.

“Oh Zuku, me and Bakkun brought Sparkmight for you. We knew you’d miss him,” spoke Toshi from his bedside. When did he get there? But never mind that, the greenhead immediately lunged at his friend and hugged him tightly.

“Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Toshi! I missed Sparkmight so much!” said Izuku as he held the plushy in between him and Toshi. Despite it only being 20 hours since he last cuddled with Kacchan’s gift, Izuku genuinely longed for Sparkmight. Well, Sparkmight and everybody else. Basically anything or anyone besides that black noiseless void.

“Say sweety, how come you collapsed from quirk exhaustion when the quirk doctor told us that your quirk didn’t have a weakness?”

 Oh. The doctor did say that. “I don’t know. We were just playing around…”

“Wait. What do you mean by Izukun’s quirk not having a weakness?” Aizawa inquired with doubtful eyes.

“The quirk specialist we go to, Dr. Tsubasa, did some tests when he diagnosed Izuku. He told us that Izuku can use his quirk repetitively without getting fatigue. And we did try it, Izuku kept making and closing portals even after three hours.”

“He kept doing it for three hours? Isn’t that… child labor or something?”

Hizashi’s side comment was ignored.

“Perhaps the doctor simply overlooked certain things about Izukun’s quirk,” pondered Aizawa.

That made sense. But what made Izuku tire out so quickly at the park? The boy nitpicked every little thing they did from the slides, to the swings, to them tying a knot on those trees. It was the only time that he used his quirk. All he did was left it alone for a lo— “THAT’S IT!” his little outburst interrupted the small discussion that the teens and adults were having. “I got quirk exhaustion because I left the portal open for a long time!”

“What?”

“When the doctor gave me tests, all I did was open and close portals for three hours," he explained with wide gesturing arms and an overly enthusiastic voice. "I didn’t leave any portal open for a longer time, so now that I did it, I became tired and sleepy!”

His mom’s expression brightened. “Oh, that makes sense. Now all you have to do is not leave your portals open, okay?”

“M’kay!” So he did have a weakness after all. Izuku really thought he’d be super-ultra-overpowered like the characters he saw in movies and comics. They always won against villains, and no bad guy stood a chance! But even so, he’d still become a powerful hero someday. He has friends and family to protect. Izuku would train hard and become fearless so that he could save anyone in need of saving.

“Uh, sorry to interrupt, but Midoriya-kun needs to be injected with iron ASAP,” a nurse came barreling in the room, holding a set of medical equipment.

Injections? Nope. No way. Izuku hates injections. He tried to squirm away from the nurse that was now seated beside him. WHEN DID THAT HAPPEN? Mom held his hand, and the others in the room gave him encouraging smiles, but he wasn’t having it. Green swirls started to appear around Izuku just as the nurse wiped his arm with a cotton ball. He might want to be brave, but that doesn’t mean he has to face needles!

Unbeknownst to the greenette, his tantrum affected the entire hospital.

Inko closed the door to her son’s room, and sighed in relief. It was finally over. After an hour of nerve-racking shenanigans, Izuku was sound asleep in his hospital bed. The hallway was now empty of the nurses and guards that went to investigate what’s wrong. Inko turned to the only people that were with her, and tried her best to smile. “Thank you so much, you three. If you weren’t here, I don’t know what would’ve happened…”

Oboro, with his usual smile, shook his head. “No ma’am. Everything would’ve worked out regardless. Izuku is a strong kid, I know he’d be able to control himself. What we did was just taking the easy way out.”

“Still, thank you for your help. And thank you for believing in my son.”

“Don’t worry Mrs. Midoriya. We’re glad to help Zuku, he’s a good kid. Right Sho?”

“Mhm, sure.” The harsh elbow that Aizawa received from Hizashi made him come up with a better response. “The kid sure has immense power. Once he learns to master it, he’d be a great asset in the hero industry.”

Inko was stunned at what the black-haired teen said. From what she knew, he seemed like the kind of boy that’s quick to judge and hard to please. “You really think that?”

“Ma’am,” he said with a nonchalant voice accompanied by an unbothered face, “your son just warped all injections and needles in this entire building to God knows where because he was scared. Imagine his power when he actually controls it. He could teleport villains to prison cells. Not to mention, my quirk didn’t work on him earlier.”

“Sho, save your sarcasm for school,” said Oboro as he nudged his friend.

Aizawa’s face showed a tinge of red from embarrassment as he stammered an apology. “Oh, uh… sorry about… sorry, for talking like that Mrs. Midoriya. I have no excuse for it.”

The greenette giggled and waved her hand dismissively. “I don’t mind. You already helped Izuku so much after meeting him two days ago. But what did you mean you used your quirk on him?”

“Oh, well,” he began, raising his head to look at Inko. “My quirk allows me to turn off other’s quirks when I look at them. The effect ends when I blink, or if I choose to.”

“I-I see. So you couldn’t turn off his quirk somehow? Ma—” the sound of her phone notification interrupted Inko. She excused herself to read the message, and looked at the boys with a sympathetic smile. “I’m sorry, but I really need to call Mitsuki and update her about the situation. Besides, I know the three of you had your own business before Zuku suddenly teleported you in the hospital. Sorry about that…”

“No worries ma’am. I was actually going to visit him anyway, so we don’t mind,” Oboro said smiling.

“I mind. I was training when green energy engulfed me.”

“You were training? I couldn’t tell from your pajamas, I thought you were napping again,” grinned Hizashi as Aizawa’s face contort in annoyance.

Inko looked at them fondly, reminding her of the dynamic between Zuku, Katsuki, and Hitoshi. “Well, I have to go make a call for now, thank you so much for your help.” The teens nodded at her as she walked away to somewhere more private. She waited for Mitsuki to pick up the phone, and thanked heaven when her friend finally picked up. It seems like Katsuki wanted to talk to his friend so bad, since she could hear him begging Mitsuki to talk to Zuku. Inko giggled at his insistence.

“You better not be laughing at my predicament, Inko. Kastuki is so loud, he’s beginning to bother the customers in the store,” came the fondly pissed-off voice of her friend.

“Sorry about that,” she giggled. “How are things on your end? Well, apart from the loud Katsuki-kun, is Hitoshi alright?”

“Hmp. These two are peas from the same pod I’ll tell you that. Both of them were so silent when we arrived at Dairy Dewdrops, they didn’t even talk to each other or played or something. They were clearly worried about Izukun, and it’s only now that they perked up because you called.”   

“Tell them Zuku’s fine now.”

“Yeah, I figured that was the case,” Mitsuki said in a sarcastic manner. “But why’d it took you so long to call? You didn’t even answer any of my messages.”

A sigh escaped Inko’s lips. “Everything took about an hour to wrap up, it was exhausting.”

“Wait— you mean to tell me, that Izukun was throwing a tantrum for an hour straight? And no one was able to make him stop?”

“Well if you put it like that…”

“Inko!”

The greenette laughed heartily. Her friend can be so easily fooled sometimes. “Relax, Mitsuki. That’s not what happened. It actually only took about two minutes after you three left for Zuku to fall asleep. It would’ve taken longer if Aizawa-kun didn’t throw a pink ball of sleeping gas at Zuku’s bed.”

The witty remark Inko was expecting from her blonde friend didn’t come. Huh, did she say something wrong? Mitsuki didn’t talk for full ten seconds until Inko asked her. “Um, Mitsuki, are you there? You weren’t talking for a long time.”

“I don’t know what to be more surprised about. Whether it’s the fact that Izukun was knocked out by sleeping gas, or the fact that there were still problems that occurred, after he fell asleep. WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED INKO?!”

The woman cringed away from the scream of her friend. Oh. Things were that confusing huh? She just hoped that Mitsuki didn’t disturb the customers. “It’s fine, Mitsuki. Aizawa-kun said the gas wasn’t synthetic, it was the quirk of his classmate that he uses as a support item. And about the other predicament…” Inko sighed. “Turns out, Zuku’s quirk affected the entire hospital. He teleported all needles and injections to no-one-knows-where. It resulted to a lot of problems, especially the critical patients that were having IV drips.”

“Oh God. Did everything turn out alright?”

“Thankfully, yeah. The doctors gave Shirakumo-kun the list of things that the critical patients needed. Thanks to the help of the three boys, they got back with the things quickly. Thirty minutes later, the pharmaceutical company that supplies the hospital arrived with a new batch of needles and injections.”

“That’s good. I didn’t realize Izukun can do that when he throws a tantrum. Actually, why did he need to be injected in the first place?”  

Inko was trying to avoid this conversation, but it seems like there’s no escaping it. “About that…”

“Umm, miss. Can I ask what that injection is for?” Inko’s voice sounded nervous as she sat beside the sleeping Izuku.

The nurse that was preparing the dose, looked up from her work. “Oh this? From the blood sample we had of Midoriya-kun, it appeared that he almost has non-existent iron in his blood. At first we thought it might be an effect of his quirk, but after further observation, the doctors concluded that he must have lost extreme amounts of iron after his quirk exhaustion.”

“B-but, Izuku isn’t anemic. How could he lost so much after overusing his quirk once?” she said as she shifted closer to Izuku.

“Uh, the ones that actually observed Midoriya-kun were the neurologists in the hospital. They only told me to administer the iron injection.”

“Oh, okay,” Inko said, blinking. “How long will it take? I heard iron injections could last for several hours.”

The nurse nodded. “What you’re referring to is actually iron infusion, it takes about three hours. But since Midoriya-kun is a kid, the doctor gave me this specialized injection from I-Medicals. It works like a regular infusion does, as it doesn’t overly saturate the injected area with iron. Instead, the injection and this iron dose work hand-in-hand to slowly regenerate the iron levels in a person’s body. It’s thanks to the scientists of I-Island. Did you know that in the pre-quirk era—”

“That’s quite enough Kameko-san, you’re scaring Mrs. Midoriya here,” a man dressed in blue shirt and a lab coat, mused as he entered the room.

The nurse, Kameko, flushed when she realized she was rambling. “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry Midoriya-san. I was totally rambling, I didn’t mean to overshare about medical stuff…”

“Okay, okay. Let me take it from here, Kameko-san,” the doctor gently took the injection and dose from the nurse, and nudged her away from the stool she was sitting on. “Besides, I have something to discuss with Mrs. Midoriya.”

The nurse left them hesitantly, and when she finally closed the door, it was Inko that talked first. “What did you want to talk about, doctor? Is it about what Zuku did? I’m so sorry about that, I didn’t know he could teleport things that he couldn’t see. I’m willing to pay for the lost equipment and additional medication that patients needed when their IV’s suddenly disappeared,” she said, opening her purse to look for her credit card.

“There’s no need for that, Mrs. Midoriya,” the doctor reassures. “Those three boys, family friends I assume, already helped out more than they should have. Even as we speak, they are still helping the hospital staff unload the delivery of equipment. Not to mention, the government has funds for things like this. Powerful quirks in the hands of children or the ill, are quite troublesome after all.”

“I-I see…”

“Now, about Izuku,” the shift in tone made Inko straighten up in her seat. “His quirk is the most powerful I’ve seen. Capable of affecting an entire building at a young age, and it didn’t even wear him down. But, our findings also suggest that it has a heavy toll on his body. A single overuse, one that doesn’t seem to have any indication of happening, got him bedridden for almost a day. That kind of negative impact is unheard of, not to mention it depleted his iron to an extremely critical level.”

“Wha-what are you suggesting doctor? Should I just not allow him to use his quirk anymore? I know i-it’s powerful and could be used for good, b-but if it puts him in danger… I won’t be able to forgive myself,” her voice wavered.

“No, that won’t help him in the long run,” the doctor shook his head. “What you should do is understand how Izuku’s quirk affects his body, that way you could prevent any complications. Unfortunately, only Tokyo possesses the level of technology that could help Izuku…”

“You mean—”

“I-Medicals Tokyo, yes. It’s the only branch here in Japan. And since they provide the best personalized care for patients, both Pro Heroes and civilians, their fee is naturally expensive. I’m afraid the government couldn’t provide financial help this time,” he said, rubbing Izuku’s forearm with a cotton ball.

Inko, who was absentmindedly stroking her son’s hair, smiled softly. “Cost doesn’t matter to me, doctor. As a lawyer, we have money to spare, as long as you think it’d be effective…”

“Don’t worry. I’m positive that with I-Medicals’ help, Izuku would be able to control his quirk without risks. So, do you want me to apply for a reservation for Izuku? Since it’s the only branch here in Japan, their facility is often packed by Pro Heroes or their families. Appointment reservations could take weeks, sometimes even months. So, I’ll call their front desk once I leave to ensure a spot.”

The other line was quiet for a while. Inko thought that maybe the call ended while she talked, but then Mitsuki spoke again. “So Izukun had weaknesses after all, huh? Maybe that Tsuabasa was a quack doctor instead of a quirk doctor.”

Inko snickered at her friend’s attempt in a joke. “Well whatever the case, Izuku needs to go to I-Medicals. The doctor said he’d tell me about the details of the reservation. But…” she sighed. “I’m afraid my schedule is very packed right now, and I can’t exactly ask for leave in work since appointments in I-Medicals apparently cost a fortune. Better safe than sorry.”

“I’d offer to help, but…”

“Don’t worry, Mistuki. I know you and Masaru are busy with the fashion agency as well. I’ll figure it out. Goodbye for now, I need to check up on Izuku.”

“Yeah, take care of Izukun for me.”

Inko ended the call with a smile. She could always rely on the Bakugous to help her out, and it seems like three more teenage boys added on her list of reliable friends. She should invite them for dinner sometime soon, especially since they’re all so close to Izuku. Shirakumo-kun was starting to become his son’s older brother, and Inko likes how Izuku now has multiple people looking out for him. God knows her son is so hyper, sensitive, and clumsy, at the same time.

When she returned to Izuku’s room, the small bundle of joy was already playing with Sparkmight. He looked so happy in his fantasy world, as if he didn’t just disrupt the operation of the whole hospital earlier. Perhaps it’s best that he doesn’t know that. Not to mention, how he teleported Hitoshi, Aizawa, Hizashi, and Shirakumo to his hospital room just as he was about to wake up. Inko hoped that I-Medicals would give them a reservation sooner rather than later. She wouldn’t be able to rest easy without knowing all the risks to Izuku’s quirk, and how to combat against them.

Inko left the room without alerting Izuku of her presence. She went to the doctor’s office to ask about the reservation, and paid for the bills in the front desk. I-Medicals’ first open spot was only two weeks away, which was good news. Before returning to her son’s room, Inko made a stop at the hospital cafeteria and bought a pint of strawberry ice cream. Needless to say, the greenette was very happy when he saw his mother carrying his favorite ice cream flavor. After getting all their stuff ready, the mother and son duo were on their way home.

They arrived after about fifteen minutes of driving, with the ice cream pint still having ¾ left, much to Inko’s relief. The only reason why she bought him a whole pint instead of a bar, was because it’s the only size left for strawberry flavor. In any case, what Izuku ate wasn’t nearly enough for the rest of the day. Since it’s only about 11:49 am, Inko prepared some lunch for the both of them. Katsudon for Izuku, and a bowl of ramen for herself.

Meanwhile, Izuku was in his room changing. He was still wearing the same clothes when he played at the park yesterday, so it was very dirty. Mom insisted he’d take a bath, but he’s not in the mood, so she’d bathe him in the evening. After he discarded the clothes, he wore the new ones his mom prepared for him on his bed. Now, he felt fresher than ever and ready to play with Sparkmight. . Izuku stood up and put his plushy on his shoulders for a ride around the house. Their first destination, Izuku’s room that has the fluffiest cloud from the highest part of the sky (it’s just his bed), and then they passed through the bookshelf of infinite knowledge, where Sparkmight learned about the dimension of mysteries (which was just dad’s old study.)

It wasn’t as dusty as an abandoned warehouse, but still dusty. The unchanged light bulb kept flickering as Sparkmight searched for the map to the next objective. Alas, they found a receipt from the grocery store which holds the secrets of the universe. But then, dust bunnies chased after them, which led Sparkmight to fly down the lava slides of Mt. Midoriya, (it’s actually just Izuku dragging the plushy down the stair railings). They passed through Techno City, which had the biggest TV screen in the universe, and the loudest speakers that could be heard across dimensions.

Finally, Izuku and Sparkmight reached their destination, the planet of snacks where a friendly green giant cooks the most delicious dishes! “Sparkmight, we did it! We reached Snacktopia!” he proudly proclaimed and spun around with his plushy.

A genial laugh escaped his mom’s lips. “Yes Zuku, you’ve reached Snacktopia. But keep your voice down, I’m talking with Auntie Mitsuki.”

“Oh is Auntie with Kacchan, can I talk to him?”

“Let me ask her, okay?”

After a moment, mom hands him the phone and he excitedly greeted, “Hello Kacchan!”

“ZUKU! You little nerd, what was that for, huh?”

“Uh, what?”

“You kept screaming like… like, like a scared little girl when you saw the injection!”

“Oh…” right, he did do that. “You know I’m scared of injections Kacchan…”

“Well, heroes shouldn’t be scared. Unless you wanna be a nameless loser tha—”

Izuku flinched at Kacchan’s screaming, but even more so when the line suddenly cut. Maybe it was an error, or maybe Auntie Mitsuki reprimanded Kacchan for his language. The latter seems more likely. “I think Kacchan is in big trouble…” he said, handing the phone to his mom.

“Oh. Okay. Well, I’ll call back later, I still have to cook our lunch. And you know what that means— the kitchen is off limits. So, why don’t you go watch a movie with Sparkmight in the living room? I bought you a new movie yesterday, it’s about a dog and his owner. It’s really good, so off you go young man.”

“Where is it?” he asked with sparkling eyes.

“It’s on the DVD rack.”

Izuku returned to the living room with newfound enthusiasm. He’s never watched a movie with a dog as the main character before, it’s surely going to be super cute. The DVD cover showed a cute akita dog with an adult man. Huh… that must be the doggie’s owner. Izuku put the DVD inside the player, unaware that the movie he was supposed to watch, was the one beside the movie he took. He sat on the couch, clutching Sparkmight and sipping on the strawberry yogurt juice box he got from the fridge.

About an hour and forty-five minutes later, a stream of tears steadily poured out of Izuku’s eyes as he clutched Sparkmight. Why did Ueno-san have to die and leave Hachi alone? It’s not fair to Hachi that keeps on waiting for him at the station. If only he could adopt Hachi and take him away from all the pain of the world. But he couldn’t. The true story that the film was based on, happened many, many, many years ago before quirks even existed. He sniffled, his tears staining Sparkmight. The world was so cruel to the cute dog, and he just dies in the end? No happy ending for him?

Before he could spiral into even deeper sadness, Izuku wiped his tears away, and decided to put away the DVD and watch TV instead. But for some reason, every channel showcased a movie from the pre-quirk era, and the sad ones too. Not the superhero ones that he liked to watch. As he flipped through the channels, he even passed Free Willy in that ending scene where Willy jumped. Izuku remembered that movie, and fresh tears poured out of his eyes once more. His muffled crying must’ve reach the kitchen, since mom appeared beside him in an instant.

“Hey honey, what’s wrong? Are you hurt? Is your quirk acting up again?” mom hugged him gently and kept rubbing circles on his back.

Izuku sniffled as he snuggled closer. “W-Why did Ueno-san have to die? Him and Hachi were so happy together, it’s not fairrrrr,” he bawled out.

“Who’s Uen—” Inko was about to ask, but then she saw the DVD cover lying on the coffee table. “Oh gosh, Izuku, you watched the wrong movie! You watched Hachiko…. it’s one of my favorite movies,” she said fondly. “I’m sorry you had to see that baby.”

“Th-then, what movie w-was I supposed to watch?” Izuku peeked out from his mother’s shoulder.

Mom smiled and walked to the DVD rack, still carrying the greenette in her arms. “You were supposed to watch this.”

“Bolt?” he asked, looking at the DVD cover that had a white dog with a black lightning mark on his side.

“Yup, let’s watch it later to cheer you up, okay? For now, we’ll have lunch. I cooked katsudon for youuu…” Izuku lightened up at that. Mom’s katsudon never fails to cheer him up.

He nodded his head, and he was carried by mom to the dinner table. He happily chowed down his meal, while mom slurped her ramen. Sparkmight also had his share of Izuku’s katsudon, the greenette saved a small portion for the plushy, which he also ate when he was done with the rest. He sighed in content, rubbing circles on his stomach, “That was so good mom, I’m full.”

“You say that every time I cook you katsudon, Zuku,” mom smiled sweetly.

He giggled.

“Listen, Zuku. Remember how I said we need to go to the Quirk Registry Office?” when he nodded, she continued, “Well… there’s another place we need to go to as well. The doctor said I-Medicals would be able to help you understand your quirk better.”

Izuku tilted his head confused. “What’s I-Medicals?”

“It’s the most advanced hospital in the world, Zuku. You know why? Because it’s run by the greatest minds of the planet, I-Island scientists.”

“Oh wow! I know I-Island, it’s where Professor David Shield lives! He was All Might’s sidekick!”

Inko chuckled at his enthusiasm. “Yes sweety, so can you promise mommy you’ll behave? No more tantrums when they need to use injections okay?”

Izuku pouted. “B-But I’m scared of them, mom. And it really hurts…”

“Don’t worry okay? Mommy will kiss away the pain,” she said, walking around the table and cuddling her son on her lap. “And besides, why would a strong hero like you be afraid of needles? You have the most powerful warp quirk in the whole wide world!”

“Really?”

“Yes really. So, can you at least try for mommy? And for your future self?”

The boy was silent for a bit. He knew that mom was right, but needles really scare him. “Hmmm… okay. I’ll try.”

Mom squealed at his determined reply. After putting away the dishes and cleaning the table, the two greenettes settled on the couch to watch Bolt. This time, when the movie ended, Izuku was crying tears of joy. Finally! A happy ending where the dog and the owner got reunited!

When the next morning came, Izuku was awoken by the soft voice of his mother. They had to leave early since the quirk registry office could be quite busy during the weekends. Within an hour Izuku was dressed in his favorite green hoodie and red shoes, Sparkmight in hand, and ready to go register his quirk. He’s been thinking of what to call it, but he couldn’t really decide. Maybe when the moment comes, his mind would just miraculously come up with a really good name. Pressure really pushes the best out of him.

The car ride was quick, almost as quick as Izuku’s beating heart. They’re here! He could finally make his quirk official, giving it a name and description. And mom also promised he could play with it as long as he has supervision. He clutched Sparkmight with his left hand and held mom’s hand with his right hand. The Quirk Registry Office was a sleek building, about ten stories high. He doesn’t know why, but he thought that the office would be much smaller. Guess he was wrong about that. Mom guided him into the lobby where a sea of people kept coming in and out. Most of them were dressed casually, but many also wore suits, and some even had hero costumes!

Izuku stood quietly as mom talked with the lady at the counter. He was busy thinking of a name for his quirk, so he didn’t pay attention to them. The greenette had considered to simply call it Warp, but Kacchan would say it’s unoriginal. In the comics he read, Nightcrawler’s and Blink’s powers were only called teleportation, and it’s also unoriginal. And when he ask mom to research about pro heroes with warp quirks, they only found about a French hero named Tagger, whose quirk was also called, well, Tagger.

It sounded cool, but he wasn’t allowed to copy it. Not that he would, since it doesn’t fit his quirk at all. His mom eventually dragged him to where they’d do the testing to determine the description of his quirk. But when they passed through a hallway, Izuku saw the characteristic hair of his new favorite hero, “Oboro-san!” His yell made everyone look at their direction, making his mom blush from attention. He didn’t care though, he simply ran towards the blue-haired teen, and jumped midair hoping that his hero would catch him.

“Hey little cloudlet, what’s up?” smiled Oboro as he lifted the boy.

“We’re registering my quirk!” Izuku proudly proclaimed. “But I still don’t know what to call it tho…”

Oboro laughed at that, just as mom caught up to Izuku. “Zuku, don’t just run off like that! And don’t just pounce on people,” mom said gently as she pinched Izuku’s cheeks. “I’m so sorry about that Shirakumo-kun, he can be quite chipper.”

The teen waved her off. “It’s fine, and I also wanted to see Zuku’ quirk up-close. You know, in case an emergency arises again,” he said with a slight bashfulness

 “Oh, of course you can come. He can come, right?” she confirmed with the woman that accompanied them.

“Yes he can, but no more delays from now on, alright? The office is quite busy this season, especially since it’s a weekend,” the lady spoke in a firm tone that made Oboro and Inko straighten up.

Just like the employee said, there were no more delays from the trio. They were guided to a room that resembled the one in Dr. Tsubasa’s clinic. Izuku looked in awe, while the two grown-ups that accompanied him looked indifferent. Just like in the clinic, he was instructed to give Sparkmight to mom, drink some water to rehydrate himself, and stay calm during the whole process. This time around, Oboro-san and mom were beside Izuku, and not a separate control room.

“Okay, Midoriya-kun,” said the lady. "All you have to do, is activate and use your quirk on this cute plant,” she said, pointing at a purple carnivorous plant. Her voice was soft, but had a hint of authority behind them, like how a teacher speaks. “Don’t be nervous, and we’ll be able to give your quirk an accurate description, okay?”

Izuku nodded with enthusiasm. He looked around, trying to think of where he wanted his quirk to transport the pot, and spotted a corner with a potted cactus. It must’ve belonged there. His hand glowed with green energy and he was ready to toss it towards his target, but he was stopped.

“Wait, we still need to describe how your power works and what it looks like,” the lady’s voice was stern as she typed something down on the tablet she had.

“It kinda looks like how I imagined a void orb,” trailed off Oboro, now crouching down to examine the ball that hovered on Izuku’s hand.

The greenette tilted his head. “A void orb?”

“Yeah. It’s basically a ball of nothing. You see that the ball looks like green energy, right?” he waited for a nod before continuing. “Well, if you look closely, there’s a tiny black ball at the center of the green, see? That’s a void since nothing exists there. Which is why I called it a void orb, do you like the sound of that, little cloudlet?”

Izuku was at awe. Nothing existed in that black ball? That’s so cool! And Oboro-san even made it sound cooler by calling it a void orb. “Can I call my quirk, that? Void orb?” he asked as he bounced on his heels, the void orb on his hand becoming bigger without notice.

“I don’t think naming your quirk after that would be the best, Midoriya-kun. But, it can be put in the description of your quirk. You should pick something that really describes what your power does, okay?” said the woman whilst she was typing on the tablet. “Now, can you show us how you use your quirk?”  

The greenette nodded and promptly tossed the void orb towards the plant. With a sound of ripping paper, it reappeared on the corner of the room, beside the cactus where it belonged. Probably. He looked at the woman who had a big smile on her face and widened eyes. “Such fascinating quirk! We’ve never seen anything like this before,” she rambled, accompanied by the faint sound of her keypad.

“Pardon me for my rudeness, but… you kept saying ‘we’ although you’re the only staff member here. Is that a preference?” Oboro voiced finally. It was a question that Inko and Izuku also had, but didn’t know how to ask.

“Oh that? It’s because of my quirk, this tablet. I consider her like a sister. Don’t ask.”

A tablet for a quirk? Izuku’s never heard of that before, but he won’t ponder on it further.

“According to your quirk doctor’s notes, you can also open a portal, Midoriya-kun. Can you do that for us?”

Izuku responded by creating a void orb and tossed it in front of him. The ball expanded, creating a real time connection between the testing room and… was that… Kacchan’s house? The boy curiously stepped forth, genuinely shocked when he appeared on the Bakugou’s front yard. But he didn’t even think about going here… what happened? As he turned back to look at mom and Oboro-san, time seems to have stopped. He saw the orange glow that came from the wall, the rubble as it fell down like feathers, and his legs that weren’t moving fast enough to catch up with what’s happening.

Before he could even pass through his portal again, the explosion from the other side of his gateway pushed him far back, destroying the portal, and cutting off the connection between the two locations.

Chapter Text

Izuku awoke with a jolt.

A white ceiling greeted him along with the smell of antiseptic and alcohol, oh how he hated that smell. Was he in the hospital again? His head was pounding, and his body felt sort of numb. When he moved his arms, the telltale stiffness of bandages made itself known. He groaned at his predicament, not yet remembering why he was here in the first place. The boy attempted to get up despite his difficulty, but a stern voice of an elderly woman stopped him. “Don’t move around too much, Midoriya. You need to rest.”

The greenette whipped his head to where the voice came from, and had eye contact with a familiar granny. She was wearing a nurse-like outfit... but not really? “Uh… do I know you?”

“Well, that depends if you heard of the name Recovery Girl,” she said with a smile.

Izuku’s jaw dropped. He was in the legendary clinic of the one and only Recovery Girl?! How did that happen?! Did she really have the world’s biggest injection?  A kiss that could revive the dead and heal all injuries? The greenette had so many questions, completely unaware that he said everything out loud. He needed answers, he needed to take her autograph, her picture! Mom, he needed mom! “Excuse me, Ms. Recovery Girl ma’am, have you seen my mom? I want to have your autograph and a picture, but I don’t have a phone.”

The woman chuckled at the boy. “I see that you’re as chipper as Shirakumo described you. Don’t worry, you can take a picture later, but sleep for now.”

“B-But… I don’t even know why I’m hurt…” it was then that his mind caught up with all the events that happened. His quirk registration, his portal opening to Kacchan’s house, the explosion, the disconnect he felt when his portal was destroyed. But— everything was a haze after that. “M-Mom… where’s mom? Is she okay?! How about Oboro-san?!”

Izuku’s voice wavered, thinking of the worst possibility. His quirk began to manifest itself around the room, green haze swirling around the boy. “Calm down, Midoriya, they’re both fine,” Recovery Girl assured as she ruffled his hair. “They’re currently talking to Nezu, if you’re wondering.”

A surge of relief allowed Izuku to calm down, his hostile eyes becoming joyful in a span of a second. “Nezu? As in Principal Nezu of UA? Wait… you work in UA, am I in UA?!” Recovery Girl’s laugh was all he needed to know that he guessed correctly. He couldn’t believe it. He was actually in his dream school, the same school where All Might studied, and so did Oboro-san! “Can I go meet Principal Nedzu, please, please, please… and I also miss mom. And Sparkmight! She must have him with her.”

The elderly woman looked deep in thought, weighing the pros and cons of bringing this greenhead to where a meeting was being held. She eventually sighed and motioned for him to come closer, “Move carefully now, or I’ll make you nap if you hurt yourself.” Izuku obediently followed the instructions and held onto the soft hand of Recovery Girl.

He was lead across the campus, his eyes sparkling in awe the entire walk. UA was huge! And not just as a school, but huge in general. For one thing, he’s never seen doors that were as big as the ones in UA. They were even bigger than the refrigerator they had at home, which was about four Izukus tall! And then the windows! They were practically the entire wall. Orange tint painted the hallways as the rays of the setting sun entered through the window, but he didn’t care that it’s getting late. There were also a few students that waved at him as they passed, and he returned the wave with a beam.

Finally, Recovery Girl halted her footsteps. Izuku looked at her as she fixed her hold on her cane, “Is mom here?”

“Yes she is, but keep your voice down, okay?” she waited for the boy to nod before opening the door very gently. Voices from inside were heard from the small opening, and Izuku immediately recognized mom’s voice. The elderly nurse led him to the chair where his mom sat, bawling her eyes out as she talked with Nedzu. Her clothes were dusty and had crusted blood on some parts, her hair was a mess, and few scratches could be seen on her forearms and face.

“MOM!” Izuku ran to his mom and hugged her like it would be his last, “Mom, are you okay? There are booboos all over you, and dust too…”

His mother lightly chuckled at his worried voice that cracked when he yelled. “I’m fine honey… these aren’t painful, okay?” She wiped the few tears that escaped his eyes with a soft smile, “How about you? Do you feel anything bad?”

“No, I’m-” he disconnected himself from the hug and smiled back at mom. “I’m fine. Just a teeny tiny bit sore though….”

“Well, I’m glad to hear that, Midoriya-kun,” interjected the small principal from his chair, just across the greenettes.

Izuku’s eyes sparkled when it landed on the… bear? Mouse? Dog? He really had no idea what animal the principal was. Nevertheless, he was so cute and fluffy, so Izuku wouldn’t ponder too much. “You look like a very cute and very tine mouse bear dog…” he trailed off with awed eyes and parted mouth. His remark earned light chuckles from everyone in the room. When he looked around, it was only then that Izuku realized one person lacking. “Umm… can I ask where’s Oboro-san?”

The adults in the room all looked at him, and it was Nedzu that spoke first. “He’s fine, Midoriya-kun. Actually, he’s in his classroom right now, along with Aizawa-kun and Yamada-kun. Do you want to play with them?”

“Can I really?” his eyes were hopeful as he squeezed his hands together.

“Of course, sweety,” mom ruffled his hair affectionately. “I still need to discuss something with Principal Nedzu, I’ll fetch you when we’re done, okay? So go have fun.”

All of Izuku’s doubts were washed away at the smile of his mom and he nodded in understanding. They must need to talk about something super important. But he had no idea what it could be. Maybe regarding the attack in the registry office? Well, he immediately passed out after that, so what could he possibly know? Recovery Girl took his hand again and guided him to where Oboro-san’s classroom was supposed to be.

When the door closed, Nedzu returned his gaze to the greenhead. “You have a lovely son, Mrs. Midoriya. Have you decided on my proposal?” the chimera spoke in a genial tone as he tented his hands together.

“I- uh… is it… really the only way? I want Izuku t-to grow up as a normal kid. To play with his friends, and develop his character along the way…” Inko trailed off with a trembling voice. “I didn’t think that him having this quirk would be so… dangerous, for him.”

Nedzu hummed in response. “Well, Izuku-kun’s safety is in UA’s best interest. Protecting civilians is the heroes’ top priority after all.”

“Can we really trouble UA to- to do that? Don’t get me wrong, Izuku’s safety is top priority for me, but… I don’t think I’d have enough resources to pay back all your eff—”

“Let me stop you there, Mrs. Midoriya,” Nedzu interjected with an outstretched paw. “We require no payment in protecting Izuku-kun. Like I said, that’s exactly the job description of heroes. But… if I’m being honest, keeping Izuku safe is also beneficial for us, which is why we are also insistent on keeping him safe.”

Inko looked surprised from what the principal said. “Wh-What? But, Izuku’s a child. What could he possibly give?”

“Service.” The principal didn’t even looked fazed when the greenette flinched. “Not now of course. But he’ll surely grow up to be an exceptional hero, considering how powerful his quirk already is. And he just got it! He really is a fascinating little boy.”

“You really believe that?”

Nedzu chuckled as if she asked a stupid question. “I don’t just believe it, I’m sure of it. Now, why don’t you narrate to me in detail what exactly happened? All Shirakumo-kun told me was that you were attacked by a villain, whose main agenda was to capture Izuku-kun. I still don’t know the exact details.”

“Oh, right,” she breathed out and composed herself. “Right. Well, it's been weeks since Izuku had his quirk, but since it's only been confirmed for a few days, we haven't registered his quirk yet. We thought today would be best, since I'm busy with work, but I was wrong..." Inko sighed in regret. "Izuku was demonstrating his quirk to an employee of the Quirk Registry Office when suddenly... an explosion destroyed the wall behind us. None of us knew what was happening, but I was relieved that Zuku wasn’t there anymore…”

“He…wasn’t there? I thought he was demonstrating his quirk?”

“Well… how do I put this… Umm, in the middle of the demonstration, the employee asked him to showcase his portal. And when he did… the other side of the portal, led to a family friend’s house. He went through it, and when the attack occurred, the blast of the explosion destroyed the portal, also putting Izuku away from harm.”

“I’m assuming this family friend to be the blonde woman and her kid that you were with earlier?” Inko nodded at Nedzu’s question. “Fascinating. So, it seems like he created a portal to get away from harm, just before the actual attack…” A quirk that could perceive the needs of its user… Nedzu’s never seen anything like that before. When Izuku’s power is allowed to grow in a healthy environment, the principal had no doubt that he could shake the hero system of the world.

“I actually have no idea how Izuku’s quirk transported him out of danger, but I’m glad it happened,” Inko said. “The attacker, he was a tall man covered with warts that he can detach and toss as bombs. I-It looked really disgusting. He kept on threating us to bring Izuku to him, b-but thankfully, Shirakumo-kun was able to defend us…”

“Well, I’m glad to hear that. But what exactly did the villain say?”

Inko’s eyes wandered to the ceiling, trying to remember. “He said that all for one wanted Izuku? I d-don’t know what he meant, but I remember him saying it. He looked afraid too, saying that all for one would come after him if he failed… Perhaps it’s a name of a villain, I-I’m not sure.”

All for One? So, the villain already had sights on the boy at such a young age, huh? Nedzu didn’t think that he would have this much information on the world if he’s still in hiding. “I’m assuming the story isn’t over yet? How did Shirakumo-kun defeat the villain with his quirk? Not that I’m doubting his skills, just that he’s still learning to broaden his strengths.”

“Well for one thing… the villain wasn’t defeated. He was killed...

And for another… it’s Izuku that’s done it.” 

Nedzu’s fur stood on end at the statement. The silence between them lasted for several seconds as the principal tried to think how Izuku, who was already away from the action, killed a villain. Apart from that, how could that small innocent child kill someone with teleportation? The principal’s mind was racing with both excitement and horror. “Please elaborate, Mrs. Midoriya,” he finally replied in an even tone.

“Th-The villain kept attacking us, while Shirakumo-kun kept defending. He attempted to get us out with his clouds multiple times, but every time, the villain just throws bombs at us. We were on a standstill, my quirk isn’t really suited in fighting and the employee’s quirk isn’t practical at all. That was until… until Izuku showed up. A portal opened between Shirakumo-kun and the villain, out of it came Izuku, my friend Mitsuki, and her son Katsuki,” she paused, either to catch her breath, or to calm her beating heart. “B-But Izuku— he was different. Green energy constantly surrounded him and his eyes were glowing in full green. He took one look at the villain, and threw a void orb at him. It tore the villain apart, sucking parts of his body to the void orb o-one by one… and then Izuku passed out.”

“I see…” was all Nedzu could utter as a reply. Izuku must have created a singularity with his quirk, a power similar to Thirteen. “From what you’ve told me, it really is best if you and Izuku-kun were to live in UA, where we can offer constant protection. The man who sent the villain after you, is very dangerous to trifle with.”

“W-Why? Who even is that— that All for One?”

Nedzu sighed. “All you need to know, is that man’s dangerous enough that the whole government of Japan secures every information regarding him. Only a few people know of his existence. I apologize, but I can’t reveal more than that.”

The room was silent for a few minutes. Inko thinking of the best for her son, and Nedzu contemplating on how a child could tip the standstill between the heroes and All for One’s forces. It’s not overselling it to say that if the villain manages to steal Izuku’s quirk, he could mobilize his followers across the globe, and have the ability to appear anytime anywhere. “I would advise it if you were to stay here in UA. I don’t want to scare you, Mrs. Midoriya, but this is a dire situation.”

“Then I’ll talk to Izuku about it. Excuse me for now principal,” Inko bowed and left the room. Nedzu hummed in understanding as the door closed.

“So, All Might. What do you think?”

A rustling from the curtains and a stifled yelp made Nedzu smile. In came the number one hero, stumbling away from the open window and thick curtains. “I-uh… How did you know I was there, principal?

“Oh please, who did you think made the window creak open for you to listen in? My sensors alerted me when you landed on the windowsill, that’s all you need to know.”

“I see, th—”

“As I was saying. What do you think of the situation we’re in, All Might? It’s quite the mess.”

Toshinori sighed. “Yes, yes it is a mess. All for One really sunk so low as to target a child. We should protect him, and not just because of his potential, but because it’s what—”

“—heroes do?” Nedzu interrupted. “You’re not wrong. But Izuku could also be the key to lure All for One out of hiding. Either way, we need to involve the Heroes Public Safety Commission. This is a big enough threat to request back-up even from them.”

“But the commission would want to use Midoriya-kun! They’ll force him to become the hero that they envision.”

The principal chuckled. “Worry not, All Might. I have a strong influence in the commission as their consultant. Not to mention, their main force, works for me…”

Izuku bounced happily as Recovery Girl walked him to Oboro-san’s room. There were fewer people on this side of the campus, but maybe because it was getting late. The sun was becoming darker by the second just as they reached their destination. Inside the room were five students. One was Oboro-san, Zashi-san, Sho-san, and two more that he doesn’t know. Izuku then detached his hand from the nurse and ran towards the blue-haired boy.

“Oboro-san! You’re okay!” he screamed as he jumped and hugged the teen.

“Little cloudlet, hey!” Oboro greeted and lifted the boy to his arms. “We visited you in the clinic earlier, but Zashi was so loud, so we had to transfer here to not wake you up.”

Izuku giggled. “It’s fine. How abou—” he stopped himself as his eyes landed on the grazed cheek of Oboro-san. There were also scratches on his arms like mom, but his clothes were already changed into clean ones, unlike mom. “You’re hurt…” he mumbled as his eyes start to tear up.

“Hey, hey, it’s alright little cloudlet. It’s just scratches, okay? Heroes are tough, you know.”

“He’s right, Izukun. Oboro is too thickheaded to be hurt anyway,” Aizawa reassures with a tone that didn’t really reassure the greenette.

“Awww, is this the little Zuku we’ve been hearing so much about?” an unfamiliar girl approached Izuku who was now put on a fluffy cloud by Oboro. “My name’s Nemuri, hero name Midnight. You can call me auntie!” she squealed and pinched the boy’s cheeks gently.

Izuku wasn’t bothered at all as he leaned on the teen’s touch.

“Is it really appropriate to make Zuku call you auntie?” Hizashi asked skeptical. “We’re still teenagers you know…”

“Hey, Izukun. My names Tensei Iida, you can call me whatever you want. Me and Nemuri are the friends of these knuckleheads, but it’s the first time we’re meeting,” another blue-haired boy, this time darker than Oboro-san, greeted him with a smile.

Izuku returned the smile with a wide beam as he thought about what to call them. “Auntie, Sho-san, Uncle Zashi, Iida-san, and Oboro nii-chan!” he declared as he pointed at the teens one by one. Everyone stopped talking when he spoke, and then he realized he hasn’t given Recovery Girl a nickname. “And then Recovery Girl for Recovery Girl!”

Collective awww’s and ‘so cute’ echoed in the classroom as the teens closed in on Izuku for a hug. “Well, if you’re calling these delinquents with cute names, I think you should call me Gran-gran.”

The greenette’s eyes sparkled. “Gran-gran!”

The teens chuckled. “Take care of him for now, I have to talk with Nedzu. His mom will pick him up soon,” said Recovery Girl as she exited the room and left them alone.

“Izukun, I’ve heard so much about you, you little bundle of joy,” Nemuri cooed as she lifted the boy and crushed him in a hug. He let her do it of course, especially since she smelled so nice, like strawberries but not really.

“Wait. Before that, why does Oboro get to be call nii-chan while I’m just called Iida-san?” Tensei’s tone was as playful as his grin.

“Because Loud Cloud is my favorite hero in the whole universe!” the greenette declared, oblivious to the growing blush on Oboro’s face.

The cloud user became the center of teasing due to Izuku’s words. He on the other hand, was enjoying the genuine laughter of the five friends around him. Maybe this could be like him, Kacchan, and Toshi when they grow up. Teasing each other on a room in their dream school, UA High. He’ll surely see some interesting and powerful quirks from his future classmates. Oh, speaking of quirks, “Auntie! Auntie! Can I ask what your quirk is?”

All the teenagers seized their teasing as Nemuri spoke up proudly, “My quirk is called Somnambulist. I produce pink gas from my pores that can put villains to sleep.”

“Woah, that’s so cool. How about you, Iida-san?”

“It’s called Engine. I have these mufflers on my elbows just like it cars, and I can use it to make myself faster,” Tensei explained.

Izuku’s mouth was wide open as he realized how cool the quirks of these five friends were! They could be a superhero team like the X-men! “All your quirks sound so cool! My quirk is called— umm… actually… we didn’t get to finish my quirk registration, right?” his excited voice was quickly replaced by a somber tone when he remembered what happened earlier today. “I still don’t know what to call it…”

“Don’t look sad little cloudlet,” Oboro-san assured as ruffled his hair. “I actually thought of a cool name for your quirk. How about… Void Master? Sounds cool right?”

“Void Master,” Izuku tilted his head in question.

A single loud clap made the greenette flinch. “That name fits your power accurately,” said Nemuri.

“And it’s not exaggerated either. You really are the master of void with your quirk!” Hizashi agreed with a thumbs-up.

Aizawa and Tensei also showed their approval by nodding their heads with a smile. So, Void Master, huh? It really does sound cool! “Can I really use that as a name? I really, really, want to!”

“Of course you can, little cloudlet. Now, since we have time to spare… do you know how to play this game?” Oboro slammed down a box of cards on the desk before Izuku.

“Huh, Uno. The game that destroys friendships.”

“What?”

“A game that strengthens friendships, Zuku!”

And so the game begun. Oboro was the dealer, and beside him was Izuku. The teens taught the greenette how to play, giving him tips and tricks to lose his cards more easily. They refrained from putting plus 4’s and plus 2’s whenever Izuku’s the next player. Because of this, the greenette always won first. And when he’s already won, the war between the friends, starts for real. They played multiple games. Each time, the losers were different.

Tensei was not adept in the game at all, but he still manages to win from time to time. Aizawa on the other hand, played like a skilled gambler. He often targeted Hizashi with his plus 4’s and color changes, causing the blonde to lose more times than Tensei did. Nemuri and Oboro were casual. Only doing what’s necessary to win, and not really crushing others like Aizawa and Hizashi. But when the blonde suddenly put down consecutive plus 4’s when it was Nemuri’s turn next, it was safe to say that she collaborated with Aizawa to punish their common enemy for the rest of their games.

Izuku was happy that they still include him in their conversations and their teasing. They were really good company, especially Auntie Nem, that’s what he decided to call her, she was very fun to be with and she was the one that often tells jokes. Well, her and Uncle Zashi. It was about seven rounds later when mom arrived in the room. “Hey, sweety how’re you doing?”

“Mom!” he yelled and abandoned his cards as he ran. “Your eyes are red… did you cry again?”

A wet chuckle escaped mom’s lips. “No, Zuku. It’s just— the dust from my clothes hit my eyes.”

“Oh, okay.”

“We have something to talk about, okay? And here, you forgot Sparkmight.”

Izuku squealed and hugged closely. “I totally forgot about Sparkmight! Let me introduce my newest friends, mom. This is Auntie Nem, and this is Iida-san! They’re good friends with Uncle Zashi, Sho-san, and nii-chan.”

Mom looked surprised for some reason. Perhaps from his new nicknames? “I didn’t realize you were calling them with such intimate names, Zuku,” she remarked with a raised brow.

The teenagers blushed, and it was Oboro that tried to explain things while stuttering. The green-headed woman giggled and told him it was no problem. “Zuku, we have to talk about… your future, okay? We can meet with your friends tomorrow,” she said again, thinking about how it’s already 6 pm. Izuku was already saying his goodbyes when a new voice entered the room.

“That won’t be necessary, Mrs. Midoriya. Principal Nedzu, along with the officers of the Heroes Public Safety Commission, will be discussing the next course of action regarding your son. Please allow me to escort you,” a girl, about the age of Auntie Nem informed them. She had purple short hair that had streaks of pink on it, and her face was passive like Sho-san.

“The commission’s here? B-But Nedzu and I just talked.”

“They’re not here physically. They’ll be communicating through a call, but your attendance, as well as Izuku-kun’s, is required.”

Oboro cleared his throat, shifting the attention on him. “Then we could just go together Mrs.—”

“This meeting will be highly confidential. Only people invited by both Nedzu and the commission are allowed, please understand.”

Izuku doesn’t really understand what’s happening, but it sounded really important. Although, he had no idea what the commission was supposed to mean. “Are we going with the pretty lady, mom?” he said in a timid voice as he hugged Sparkmight. His mother looked conflicted as her gaze exchanged from to the lady, and back to him again. Mom eventually nodded with a deep sigh and ruffled his hair.  

“Yes sweety, we’ll go,” she said addressing him. “We’ll get going now, Shirakumo-kun. Thank you, for everything. Please return home safe.”

The teens nodded as the mother and son were led by the mysterious girl. She escorted them to the conference room of UA, except this time, additional security systems and wall panels were installed to prevent any sort of espionage. Only quiet whispers served as background noise inside the room. The normally white walls were covered by metallic plates, and the room was dimly lit to allow visuals of the three holograms already present at the table. Principal Nedzu sat at the head of the table, beside him were Recovery Girl, Endeavor, and— oh my gosh, ALL MIGHT!

Izuku’s jaw dropped. He excitedly patted mom’s hand that was holding his own as he pointed at All Might in a very blatant manner. His behavior caught everyone’s attention, and all talking seized. Inko tried to satiate her son, but it was too late.

“So, this is the boy that could disrupt the balance between heroes and villains, you say. He doesn’t look much,” one of the holograms said.

“Excuse me? You’re talking abo—”

“Now. Now,” the principal interjected. “Calm down everyone. I’m sure it’s hard to believe, but you’ll see. Izuku-kun, can you please show your quirk to our friends today? Perhaps a portal to this location,” he instructs and showed a picture of a compound on the screen. 

“Okay!” Izuku replied not one second later, and tossed a void orb while visualizing the location shown to him. A portal opened on the picture shown by Nedzu, which was actually a live feed from the location.

Startled sounds from the commission officers, as well as Endeavor, All Might, and the lady that escorted them. “B-But, isn’t that the—”

“—top secret facility overseen by the Public Safety Commission? Yes, indeed,” Nedzu grinned manically. “Now, do you still think my claim is baseless?”

No one replied. The principal was quite ecstatic to see everyone’s on the same page now. “Mrs. Midoriya, Izuku-kun, please have seat so we can start this meeting.”  When the two were comfortable in their chairs, he continued speaking. “With that out of the way, we shall think of the best solution to protect Izuku-kun. And I won’t allow the commission to train him," he stressed with narrowed eyes towards the commission officers. "He’ll be learning alongside his peers.”

“Letting the commission train him is the best course of action, Nedzu. That’s the best help we can give.”

“Hmm, is that so? You wouldn’t want me to go into detail about the secrets of HPSC, do you, commissioner?” Nedzu spoke casually as he sipped on his teacup.

One of the officers grimaced. “Then what do you suggest, principal?”

The chimera failed to hide the grin that appeared on his face when they realized who's in charge. “He’ll stay here, in UA. Overlooked by teachers and hero students at all times. The only help we need from the commission is the alteration of his records, back-up when needed, and doubled efforts in searching for All for One,” demanded Nedzu. “That is of course, if Mrs. Midoriya and Izuku-kun would want this treatment.”  

Izuku stared at his mom, who had dark look on her face. “If it’s what’s best for Izuku, considering the situation…" she pondered, her feet tapping on the floor and her forehead slick with cold sweat. "Then I accept,” she finally said with determination.

"Well, that's really sweet and all," mocked the woman commission officer. “But is that really all of it, Nedzu? Your plan is rather shallow. Aren’t you considering the fact that All for One might suspect we’re hiding him in UA?” she inquired with a roll of her eyes. 

“Of course that’s not all of it, you must be on the lower-end of intelligence among the commissioners," Nedzu smiled casually. "Since All for One blatantly allowed us to know that he’s after Izuku-kun, we can use it to our advantage. The commission watches over the quirk registry office, correct? If it isn’t too difficult, I’d suggest finding shape-shifters and tasking them to mimic Izuku on public. Of course, this would also mean more concentrated patrols on the areas where you mobilized them, and heroes that constantly watch over them for any danger.”

“I’m assuming you want to capture as many forces of All for One as you can in hopes of getting information?” Endeavor inquired in a deep commanding voice. “It’s not a bad plan.”

“But isn’t that too risky for the shape-shifters?” said All Might.

“Well,” Nedzu began. “It’s more of a controlled risk, actually. Less risky than simply allowing All for One to roam free, waiting for him to attack us.”

“Before all that… can you at least tell us who this, All for One is? I know that it’s a top secret information, but it turns out that we’re already in the middle of it, so my son and I deserve to know,” Inko said, gripping Izuku beside her.   

Everyone became silent. She glared at each person inside the conference room, until All Might spoke up. “He’s a villain that has the power to steal other people’s quirks. Over the years, he has already stockpiled powerful quirks from heroes. But he has yet to gain a warp quirk. If he gets one, especially something as strong as Izuku-kun’s, then…”

Izuku stopped listening after that. A villain that can steal quirks was after him? He knew his quirk was special, even the doctor told him so, but he didn’t think it was this special. So the meeting was about protecting him? But heroes were supposed to be the ones that protect others. How could he become a hero if he needs help this early? Kacchan would tell him he’s being weak, Kacchan never needed anyone to protect him.  

He stared at his glowing hands, the voices of the adults becoming background noise for him. Everyone was thinking of different solutions and doing their best in order to protect him. Izuku clutched Sparkmight closer, making all the negative thoughts disappear. His glowing hands begin to lose their shine until they became normal again. Maybe everything would turn out fine. All he needed to do was to trust the adults. The people in this room are the most amazing people that Izuku knew after all. The number one hero All Might, Nedzu who's the most intelligent person on Japan, and there’s also the Flame Hero Endeavor. They’re all so cool!

Izuku should really introduce himself to them later. But they already know his name though… Oh, maybe he could introduce his quirk— that wasn’t actually registered yet. “Mom…” he whispered. “Mom. I still haven’t registered my quirk today…”

This captured the attention of Inko, and she gasped in realization. “Wait,” she says to shift the attention on her. “Izuku has appointments regarding his quirk. What about those? His quirk registration was interrupted by the villain attack, and his check-up on I-Medicals is only two weeks away.”

“What? Does he have a medical condition that needs the expertise of I-Medicals?” one of the commissioners asked.

Inko clenched her teeth. “His quirk has… weaknesses. Ones that couldn’t be explained or detected by normal equipment, at least according to the doctor that treated him from quirk exhaustion.”

Nedzu hummed. “The Hero Public Safety Commission can handle your quirk registration, but I’m afraid that no Japanese organization possess jurisdiction over I-Medicals. So, we have to comply with their normal guidelines and go there ourselves.”

“Wouldn’t that defeat the purpose of protecting the child?”

“Not as long as he’s accompanied by powerful heroes at all times,” Nedzu reasoned.

“I see… then I suppose it’s settled. The commission will assist in this plan to finally capture All for One, as well as help Izuku Midoriya realize his full potential. This will require a lot of paperwork, but for now, allow us to offer help in the form of our best recruit,” one of the officers said. “Please accept Lady Nagant as one of Izuku’s prime bodyguards.”

Everyone’s gaze fell upon the silent girl standing by the door of the room. Izuku did wonder who she was, but the kid didn’t expect her to be someone so important. With cold eyes and a confident posture, she bowed her head and spoke in a commanding tone, “I am now in service of Midoriya-san. Rest assured, you are safe in my care.”

Chapter Text

“Quirk: Void Master. The ability to open two way portals from one point to another by creating a green void orb, and tossing it midair. Approximate range is the user’s line of sight, or a memorized place without hindrance. If an object, living or non-living, touches a void orb, it teleports them to the desired location instead. I think they nailed the description, wouldn’t you agree?”

“I don’t understand it very well, but it sounded cool!” Izuku said excitedly.

“Yeah it does! Right, Nagant?”

The girl in question sighed, “Please leave me out of this, Shirakumo-kun. I’m only here to protect Izuku-kun and his mother.”

“Aw boo! Well, if you don’t agree, we won’t force you,” he shrugged.

It’s been three days since Izuku and his mom started living in UA. Nedzu arranged a large suite for them, near the principal’s office and the teacher’s lounge. This way, even if the little greenette is playing, he wouldn’t bother the productivity of the staff and the students. Lady Nagant, whom refused to give her real name, also lived with the Midoriyas. She has her own room within the suite, and she’s always near Izuku in case of an attack.

He was currently sitting on the carpeted floor beside Oboro nii-chan as they played Snakes and Ladders. They had a small break when nii-chan read the letter sent by the registry office regarding his quirk. Izuku’s really happy that his favorite hero wasn’t really busy today. Yesterday, it was Uncle Zashi and Sho-san that visited him, tomorrow Auntie Nem and Iida-san! It was really fun living in UA, except for one thing. He hasn’t seen Kacchan and Toshi since forever, and he really missed them. Mom said they’ll visit soon, but he doesn’t know when soon would come. He wanted to play heroes so bad!

“Hey little cloudlet,” nii-chan snapped him out of his thoughts. “What you thinkin’ there, bud? You haven’t rolled your dice for a while.”

“It’s nothing… I just really miss Kacchan and Toshi…”

Nii-chan ruffled his hair and placed a kiss on his head, “Don’t worry, okay? You can play with them soon. But right now—” he paused as he lifted Izuku and put him atop his crossed legs, “—you’re with me! So, cheer up little cloudlet!”

Izuku giggled. “Okay, it’s my turn then!” He rolled the dice, giving him a seven. That’s good. If it weren’t for the fact that he landed on a snake.

“Down you go little cloudlet!” nii-chan teased as he tickled Izuku’s sides.

“S-Stop nii-chan—” he pleaded between laughs.

“You know… " the blue-headed boy dragged. "There’s a way that you can climb back up after landing on a snake…”

Izuku whipped his head to look at nii-chan with excitement, “Really?! What is it?”

Oboro grinned, “Legend says, that if you hug your favorite hero, the snake will allow you to climb on its back. You’ll even become friends with the sna—”

The greenette didn’t even let the teenager finish as he smothered him with a tight hug, wrapping his small arms around the blue-head’s neck. “I love you nii-chan!” His favorite hero hugged back, and it was the warmest, most comfortable hug Izuku ever had! Except when he hugs mom of course. Just like nii-chan said, his piece climbed back up the snake, making his piece advance further than nii-chan. “Yey! I’m gonna beat you again!” he boasted with a wide smile.

Their game continued on, Izuku having unbelievable luck as he practically missed every snake and climbed almost every ladder. Oboro didn’t mind though, as long as the little cloudlet was happy, he finds himself smiling as well. In the end, it was Izuku that won, which wasn’t a surprise really. “Congratulations little cloudlet! You’re really good at this game, am I right, Nagant?”

She didn’t reply, so he simply shrugged. “As winner of the game, and my favorite little cloudlet in the whole wide world— I award you, this!” Oboro’s voice was overly dramatic at his declaration. On his hand, was an embroidered Loud Cloud patch, similar to the one he had on his hero costume. “I made it myself, you know. Since I’m still new to the hero gig, you’d have to wait for official merch, little cloudlet.”

Izuku didn’t care if it was official merch or not. This gift was made by nii-chan himself, so he’ll treasure it for the rest of his life. He took the patch and held onto it like gold, “Look Sparkmight! I have a gift from nii-chan!” the plushy in question was sitting beside the teenager, like a watchful eye guarding Izuku.

“I actually have a gift for Sparkmight as well—” he pulled another thing from his back pocket, “Close your eyes little cloudlet…” he singsonged. When he was done with his little surprise, he ruffled Izuku’s hair. “You can look now. Tada!”

The greenette’s eyes widened at how adorable Sparkmight looked! He wasn’t really changed that much, it’s that a singular pin that looked similar to the patch he received was put on his plushy’s chest.

“You could probably only put that patch on one shirt at a time, so I figured I’d make some custom pins too! One for Sparkmight—” he pinned a similar one on Izuku’s clothes. “—and another one for you! That way, we can match up. And when you have your hero costume, you could put the patch I gave you there, so we’ll be Loud Cloud buddies.”

Izuku squealed ‘cause that was such an awesome idea! And Sparkmight looked so cute too. “I love it! Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, nii-chan!” He hugged the teen again, this time bringing Sparkmight between them. Izuku would surely use this pin every single day, he doesn’t care if the colors don’t match most of his clothes. Just as he sat back on his original place, the door to their suite opened, and in came his mom holding a bag of groceries.

“Mom! I have presents from Oboro nii-chan! They’re so cool!” he said proudly as he hopped on place a few inches away from her.

“That’s good to hear, sweety. Did you have fun?”

“Mhm!”

“Mrs. Midoriya, let me.”

“Oh, thank you Shirakumo-kun,” mom said as she handed him the grocery bags.

Izuku was retelling how he won every snake and ladders game he and nii-chan played, as well as the part where he was given the Loud Cloud patch and pins. He was smiling the whole time, which also made Inko smile. The groceries weren’t much, so they all finished storing the items quickly. “Hey,  I uh, need to go now… I promised the squad that we’d hang-out when you arrive, Mrs. Midoriya.”

“It’s totally fine, we have Nagant-san with us here. And a lot of the UA teachers too.”

“Nii-chan’s gonna go now, little cloudlet. Take care okay?” he said ruffling the boy’s hair. “Take care of Izuku, Nagant. I won’t forgive you otherwise.” The guard let out an amused hum as Oboro exited the door.

“Take care, nii-chan!” Izuku waved happily as the teen completely disappeared from sight. “Did you get me strawberry ice cream, mom?” he asked looking up to her. 

Inko’s face shifted from her genial look to an awkward and apologetic façade. “O-Oh… sorry, sweety. Mommy forgot.”

“Aw… but I really wanted ice cream…”

Izuku did get ice cream. But only two days later when they were heading for Tokyo to have his appointment with I-Medicals. He was currently seated in an armored SUV together with three bodyguards. Lady Nagant drove the car, Endeavor was in the front seat, and Oboro sat beside him at the back. The cloud-user wasn’t initially part of the plan, but Nedzu revised it when he realized how cold the other two guards were. 

The car ride was mostly silent, only the radio, the light humming of nii-chan, and Izuku’s eating noises could be heard. Izuku was fine with that, but the same couldn’t be said about everyone else. Endeavour was visibly fidgeting on his seat, while Nagant gripped the wheel stronger than what’s necessary. Even with a tension so thick in the air, the greenette kept on eating his strawberry bar like nothing was wrong. “How far is Tokyo, again?” he suddenly piped up, causing the others in the car to jolt.

“Uh… about an hour, I guess? Don’t worry little cloudlet, we’ll get there soon.”

“It’s actually an hour and 45 minutes. Without traffic. So expect around two hours of sitting, child,” said Endeavor in an indifferent manner.  

Two hours?! That’s too long, even Sparkmight and nii-chan couldn’t entertain him for that long. He needs to move around, or use his quirk, otherwise he’d be really anxious once they reach I-Medicals. “Can’t I just teleport there?” he mumbled absentmindedly.

The adults all looked at him surprised, well, except Nagant of course, but she still looked at him through the rearview mirror. “Isn’t it too far? And you haven’t been there yet, li’l cloudlet.”

“Are you saying you could go anywhere you want just by thinking of it?” the Flame Hero asked in a suspicious tone.

“I’m not really sure…” he trailed off as he waved his ice cream bar around. “But I did teleport to a snowy mountain once, but mom said it was just a hallucination. I’m sure it wasn’t, because I really felt the cold that time.”

Their car suddenly halted at a red light, causing everyone to jerk on their seats. “Sorry about that…” said Nagant. “In any case, we are instructed by the commission and Nedzu to safely guide you to I-Medicals and back. Besides, you were forbidden by the principal to use your quirk until we know about the details of its weakness. Please just sit tight, Izuku-kun. And when we return to UA, your friends will be waiting for you.”

Izuku gasped excitedly. “Kacchan and Toshi are visiting?! Really?”

“Yup. So, promise nii-chan you’ll behave, okay?” Oboro replied instead.

“Mhm!” he smiled as he hugged Sparkmight closer, and nuzzled the side of nii-chan. His plushy now wore the Loud Cloud pin that nii-chan gave him, and the shirt Izuku was wearing also had the other pin attached to it. Mom made a remark about how he, Sparkmight, and nii-chan all had matching Loud Cloud logos, which made nii-chan blush and him jump up in agreement. Maybe he should also buy Nagant merch to see her blush.

“Nagant-chan.”

“Yes, Izuku-kun?”

“Do they sell hero merch of you? I really wanna buy some…”

Another harsh step on the brakes caused the passengers of the car to jolt. A low growl escaped from Endeavor, which prompted Oboro to satiate the situation. “You shouldn’t really fluster Nagant like that, little cloudlet.”

“I’m not flustered.”

“And you’re also not driving.” The temperature inside the car suddenly got warmer when Endeavor spoke. “Just drive so we can get this over with.”

And so they did. Everyone thought that that was the end of conversations, but Izuku, as the curious child that he was, piped up again. “Endeavor-san, do you know where they sell the latest limited-edition Endeavor action-figure? Every time I go outside with mom, we try to find one in stores but we always end up with nothing…”

The Flame Hero cleared his throat before he spoke. “You, uh… buy my hero merch? I thought you were more of an All Might fan.”

“Well, I am an All Might fan but I’m also your fan Endeavor-san! But my favorite hero will always be Oboro nii-chan, Loud Cloud!”

Oboro laughed nervously at that, thinking that he might’ve offended the number 2 hero somehow. That wasn’t the case of course, as Endeavor was actually trying to hide a small grin. “Well, if you really want that limited-edition merch you spoke of, I’ll call my assistant later to retrieve one for you. But you better behave and listen to what we say, or no action figure. Got it, child?”

Izuku eyes sparkled. “Thank you, thank you, thank you Endeavor-san!”

The greenette behaved himself after that. For a span of two hours, the greenette played with Sparkmight, did hero trivia with nii-chan, and learned fire hazard practices from Endeavor. The Flame Hero made an offhand comment about how water-based quirks aren’t always the best when putting out fires, right after Izuku said that water beats fire every time. He was quite thankful to learn something new today. With a couple of topics that were brought up in conversations, Izuku didn’t get bored at all.

Before long, their car was finding a space inside the I-Medicals’ parking lot.

Nii-chan took Izuku’s hand into his and lead the way to the building. Endeavor and Nagant trailed behind them, both vigilant for threats as they walked. With a bustling main hall that looks more like a hotel than a hospital, Izuku’s guards became more wary with the amount of strangers around them. There are other heroes stationed around the hospital and inside, but their identities remain unknown for the three main guards.

The greenette was shaking with anticipation to know everything about his quirk. He was only moments away from finally understanding how his weaknesses affect him, so he could finally start training himself to counter these. But apart from that, I-Medicals was huge, and super beautiful too. The crystal ceiling was super-duper high that Izuku thinks only flying quirks could reach it, the floors sported a mystique pattern, and the air didn’t smell like antiseptic at all! The last one particularly amazed Izuku, since that’s always the one thing the he associates hospitals with.

He gripped Sparkmight closer to himself as they went to the front desk. They were greeted by a kind faced woman with blonde hair. “Oh, good morning Sir Endeavor. What services can we offer you today?”

“I’m actually here to escort this child, Izuku Midoriya. His appointment was rescheduled to be today instead of next week.”

“I see, let me check on that…” she trailed off as she checked her computer. After a few clicks, she looked up with a smile, “Okay, I’ve confirmed his schedule. His appointment is with the radiology department, but for the meantime, please follow Nurse Joy so that she can check Izuku-kun’s vitals.”

“Well, you heard the kind lady, let’s go little cloudlet,” said Oboro as he followed the nurse that was supposedly named Joy. When they stepped foot on the maze-like hallways, it finally looked like a hospital, but still very modern and advanced. They rode on an elevator, and stopped at the fourth floor. Like UA, one part of the hallway was entirely a large window that showed the rest of Tokyo. He didn’t know how far they walked, but they did pass by many patients and workers. By the time they entered a private room, Izuku counted about 5 maybe 7 people that asked for Endeavor’s autograph.

“Um, you could wait here outside… the room isn’t quite spacious. Don’t worry, this shouldn’t ta—”

“We’re still coming. We were instructed to protect Izuku during the entire process, please understand,” said Nagant as she opened the door for everyone to enter.

“O-Okay then…” Nurse Joy laughed nervously. “Izuku-kun, please take off your shoes and anything you’re wearing aside from your shorts and shirt. I’d need accurate reading with your vitals so that our radiologists could do their best.”                                                                                                                                    

While Izuku was having his appointment in I-Medicals, Inko stayed in UA, practically doing nothing. She had insisted on going with Izuku, since she’s his mother after all, but Nedzu and the commission were against it. Allowing her to go along with the warp user would mean that the heroes would look after two civilians instead of one. Furthermore, she’d only put herself in unnecessary danger, since Izuku could just teleport away from harm with a single instruction from his guards, Inko could not. In the end, she had accepted their proposal and stayed in their personal suite inside UA.

But of course she couldn’t simply rest while her son was in potential danger. She fidgeted with her phone as she laid down her bed. Even the soft mattress couldn’t make her less anxious. Maybe she should call Mitsuki. They still haven’t talked since the Midoriyas' living arrangement changed, and the last time they called each other, Katsuki was not in good shape. He was there on the scene when Izuku disintegrated a man with no emotion. Inko didn’t even realize that she was already dialing Mitsuki’s number, only the ringing on the other end stirred her out of daze.

The ringtone stopped, replaced by her friend’s voice. “H-Hey Inko… you called… H-How are you doing? Is everything fine o-on your end?”

Inko sighed. “Mitsuki… you can’t ask if I’m fine when you sound like that. H-How’s Katsuki-kun? Is he alright now?”

Her friend was silent for a moment. But then a sob escaped her lips. “Katsuki… h-he hasn’t— he hasn’t left his room since the incident. He doesn’t lock the door so we still manage to make him eat, b-but… he won’t talk to us. Or to anyone. He freaks out every time he sees something gr— I-I mean… I don’t know what to do.”

“Every time he sees what, Mitsuki? What freaks him out?”

Mitsuki didn't reply the first time she asked. And so Inko asked again, and again, until her friend finally snapped. “Green! Inko…" she paused. "He freaks out when he sees anything green… I-I’m sorry. I don’t know how it came to this—”

Inko’s grip on her phone tightened as she stood up and walked to the kitchen. “I-I don’t blame Katsuki-kun… f-for that. But, how will you… help him?”

“We’ve tried hiring a therapist. B-But he wouldn’t talk—” a sob broke out of Mitsuki. “But… there’s one last solution w-we haven’t tried.”

“What solution?”

Mitsuki took a deep breath on her end before speaking. “Hitoshi-kun’s mom, Atsuko-san… we aren’t close b-but they visited here yesterday. She said Hitoshi r-really missed his friends, but they couldn’t visit Izuku because, well you know. Anyway, we talked with her, Masaru and I. And we told her why Katsuki couldn’t play… Hitoshi played on the backyard while we talked, a-and she told us she might have a solution." She stopped for several moments, but Inko waited. "H-Her quirk allows her to erase someone’s memories, as long as they consent to it… She said sh-she might be able to help Katsuki, b-but I don’t know if it’s the right thing to do…”

“Have she done it before? I-I mean erasing memories, did Atsuko-san use to do that?”

“Well…" Mitsuki's voice sounded broke and hoarse. "She t-told us that she used to work as a psychiatrist. But she quit when they started their ice-cream business. She said t-that— that the effects of her quirk diminish over the months. B-But since Katsuki’s still v-very young… her quirk could last for several years.”

Inko didn’t know what to say. Her friend’s child, her nephew by heart, was now crippled by the memory of Izuku’s action. “I-If Katsuki-kun can live like a normal kid again, despite being it in ignorance… then I t-think it’s the right thing. When he grows up, and Atsuko-san’s quirk fades, Katsuki-kun will face his trauma… this time, alongside Izuku and Hitoshi.”

“I-If you really think so… Masaru and I actually agreed that we’ll consult for your advice. We were in favor of… Atsuko-san using her quirk. We’ll do it, I really hope that Katsuki speaks to her.”

“I hope Katsuki-kun gets better soon. I’ll c—”

Mitsuki didn’t even have the opportunity to say goodbye. All that greeted her, was the static sound of the other line getting cut suddenly. “Inko? Are you there? Inko?”

“I can’t believe that their head radiologist didn’t come to work today of all days! They could’ve at least called about it.”

Izuku cringed from Endeavor as the flame hero’s quirk steadily grow out of control with his irritation. After Nurse Joy checked Izuku’s vitals, got his blood sample, and determined if he has any ailments, they were visited by another nurse from a different department to tell them— “The head of the radiology department had an emergency. If you’re willing, we could get you another reservation tomorrow, but with a different radiologist.”

The room was deathly silent for a moment, and the nurse that told them the news used it to scurry away. Any moment later would’ve surely made her panic as Endeavor’s flames suddenly sparked to the point that the sprinkler system of the room was triggered. Luckily, they didn’t get that wet as Oboro was able to create thick clouds that shielded them. But, everyone knew better than to comment on that little slip-up. Endeavor looked pissed beyond words. It was Nagant that acted first, ushering them out of the room, and volunteered to call the commission regarding the new development.

Meanwhile, Oboro, Endeavor, and Izuku sat down outside the room they were just in. The greenette was content playing with Sparkmight and nii-chan. It was the Flame Hero that kept whining about the circumstance, which Izuku could understand. He’s the top two hero after all, he must be very busy.

“Let’s go. The commission said they’ll make another arrangement of guards for Izuku tomorrow. So you won’t have to come, Endeavor-san.”

“It’s not about that. It’s about wasting everybody’s time here. But whatever, let’s just go…”

Oboro and Nagant shared a look as Izuku followed Endeavor. Their walk was interrupted early though, as the nurse that told them about the absent radiologist, ran towards them whilst out of breath. “There’s— the professor— he—”

"Uh..."

"—you can—"

“Breathe first, then talk, okay?” Nagant suggested.

The nurse nodded, and after a few seconds of composing herself, she finally looked up. “Although the head radiologist of I-Medicals Tokyo is absent today, I received word that one of our experts from I-Island came to visit. After he learned of Midoriya’s circumstance regarding his quirk, my supervisor told me that he’d be interested to diagnose Midoriya-kun himself.”

“Who’s he?”

“You’ll see.”

And so they walked. Nagant texted the commission about it as they went to find the radiology department. It was on the same floor they were in, but even then, their walk took longer than expected because of the size of the building. They eventually reached their destination, and when they opened the door, Izuku couldn’t keep his jaw shut. On the other side of the entrance, was Professor Shield himself! Even though the professor hadn’t introduced himself yet, the greenette already knew. He wouldn’t mistake that kind-looking face anywhere.

The nurse ushered them in, and closed the door behind her as she left. “You’re David Shield. Are you the I-Island scientist that that nurse talked about?” Endeavor voiced as he strode confidently and towered over the man. The large window that served as the back wall of the room provided refreshing natural light from outside. Several equipment were positioned around the room, all either in silver or blue, some plants were even in the room. But even with the amiable atmosphere, Endeavor’s suffocating presence dampened the mood.

Shield didn’t reply for a moment, instead studying the face of the hero for any irritation. “Well if you’re referring to the scientist that volunteered to do the diagnosis on Izuku-kun, then you’re correct.”

“Did All Might call you here? You’re his sidekick, right?”

“I actually came to Japan in my own accord. But, I have to ask… why do all of you seem wet? I don’t remember it raining outside…”

Oboro cringed at the reminder while Nagant bit her lip. They really didn’t want to talk about Endeavor’s slip-up, they might end up as charred bodies if they did. Izuku didn’t know what’s going on. Why was Endeavor-san picking a fight with Professor Shield? He’s All Might’s sidekick! He’s so cool. He looked up to nii-chan who looked really nervous, and Nagant-chan that was flexing her right elbow.

Before things could escalate, Oboro stepped forward. “The nurse said you’re interested with Izuku’s quirk? Why is that?”

The professor tore his gaze away from Endeavor and shrugged. “When I read Izuku-kun’s file about his quirk, I was fascinated. I’ve never seen a quirk behave the way it was described. Void Master. It sounded… cool. Do you agree, Izuku-kun?”

Izuku hopped forward at that. “Yeah! Nii-chan gave me that idea for that name! It’s so cool.”

“It is cool, so… do you want to learn what actually happens when you use Void Master?”

There wasn’t even a delay at Izuku’s nod.

“Well, I’ve already prepped the equipment. Please change into this, Izuku-kun.” He showed them a medical gown that was often used in x-rays. “I believe Endeavor can help you change, isn’t that right?”

“Uh, I can do it. There’s no need to bothe—”

“I’ll do it,” the Flame hero said with a growl. He gently took Izuku’s hand into his and harshly tugged at the gown that Shield presented to him.

Izuku stood awkwardly as Endeavor closed the curtain of the changing area. “Do you want me to turn around, little one? You could just give me your clothes when you’re done and I’ll fold them. Well, everything but your underwear of course.”

“O-Okay…” Izuku said anxiously and began to strip once the hero turned around. It only took a couple of moments and they were out again, this time with him wearing a medical gown. Nii-chan walked to him and ruffled his hair affectionately as he gave back Sparkmight. Nagant-chan was talking with Shield, and Endeavor just sat on the corner, looking too big for the chair that he chose.

“Ah, you’re done Izuku-kun. Let’s begin shall we?”  With a gesture of the professor’s hand, the greenette walked towards the circular platform on the center of the large room that was surrounded by sensors. Oboro, Nagant, and Endeavor all stood around him protectively, watching Shield’s every move. The professor smiled amusedly, operating the equipment with extreme precision. Metal blinds covered the windows and only the blue and white lighting of the various equipment illuminated the room. The sudden absence of light made the guards even more protective.

Blue and green lasers scanned Izuku’s whole body while the platform itself created a sort of holographic cage around the greenette. Izuku was mesmerized by the technology of I-Medicals. This sort of equipment were things that he only saw in movies! “This is so cool! Did you help create these, Professor Shield?”

“Heh, I did actually. I was one of the pioneers of the advancement in radiology.” Another press of a button, and the platform rotated so that the other scanners could do a reading on Izuku’s other angles. “Can you try to open a portal, Izuku-kun? But don’t pass through it.” The greenette complied and threw a void orb. When the portal manifested, a spike appeared in the monitor. Shield hummed. “Now go to the very edge of the platform, and try warping yourself towards the other end.” Again, Izuku complied and the reading was recorded.

This went on for a few minutes, with Izuku making remarks on what’s happening, Oboro piping up every now and then, and the professor answering every question they asked. Endeavor and Nagant were mostly silent, but no one was surprised with that. When they were done, the metal blinds opened, pouring natural light back into the room. “Well… I’ve got the readings and analysis of Izuku’s quirk.”

“So, what does it say?” said Oboro as he helped Izuku off the platform and let him sat down on his lap as he took a seat.

“The results are... interesting, to say the least. I’ve never seen anything like it before, truly!”

“Well can we get on with it? This information is important for the entirety of Japan,” Endeavor voiced, slightly agitated by the long wait.

Shield chuckled and adjusted his glasses. “Yes, I’ve grasped unto that already. Otherwise, a single boy wouldn’t need to be escorted and guarded by multiple heroes, despite being unrelated to anyone important for the government. In any case, I’ll explain the readings in a simpler way,” he took a nearby stool and sat down across the four visitors.

Izuku nodded in anticipation. He hugged Sparkmight as he nuzzled closer to nii-chan, and listened to what Professor Shield had to say.

“Void Master uses cosmic microwave background radiation to fuel Izuku’s teleportation. And before you ask, cosmic microwave background radiation, or CMBR, is a type of radiation that exists in every corner of the universe. An energy that originated from the Big Bang," Shield made exploding gestures that made Izuku laugh, putting a smile on his face. "According to the readings… CMBR passes through Izuku’s brain before coagulating to become a void orb. This in turn, causes radioactivity of your brain. Every time you create a void orb, your brain gets radioactive for about 10%. Once you reach 100%, your body will completely shut down.”

“So you mean to say that Izuku-kun can only create nine void orbs a day to not trigger a fatigue?” asked Nagant.

“No, it’s not like that. The radiation in his brain does not stack. Once Izuku creates a void orb, 10% radiation right? But then when he closes that void orb, the radioactivity will be gone as well. However, when he creates multiple void orbs at the same time, that’s when the CMBR levels stack. What I’m saying is— Izuku can only create limited void orbs at once. When he closes those, he could create another set.”

Endeavor hummed. “That’s not really much of a weakness, considering that what Izuku creates are essentially doorways. A single portal would do for combat and rescue.”

“Yes, you’re correct,” Shield agreed with a curt nod. “But it doesn’t end there. The longer Izuku doesn’t close a void orb, the radiation in his brain also accumulates. I’m not certain of the exact increase rate every second, since calculations with radiation could get complicated, but I’d recommend not leaving your portals for longer than a minute. And whether I say void orb or portal, the principle remains the same. Once you use or close your quirk, the coagulated CMBR will return to the environment, and free you from any fatigue.”

Izuku slightly understood what the professor was trying to say. Basically, don’t create multiple portals or void orbs if it could be avoided, and never leave his void orbs or portals unclosed for a minute. He could do that. It’ll be a piece of cake!

“Huh, would you look at that. The limits of your quirk don’t hinder you from becoming more powerful, little cloudlet! If you follow two rules, then you could teleport anytime you want! Isn’t that coo?”

“Yeah it’s cool!" he agreed with an excited jump. "Can I use my quirk now? Can I? Can I?”

Before Oboro could agree, it was Nagant that spoke first. “Yes you can, Izuku-kun. But you can only teleport and create portals inside this room. If you disobey… I’ll tell Nedzu and the commission to block off production of strawberry ice cream, got it?”

Izuku gasped in faux betrayal. “Not the strawberry ice cream! Sparkmight let’s go!” with a touch of his void orb, Izuku appeared on the other side of the room as he made flying noises with his plushy.

Shield looked at the boy with an amused smile. To think that a boy this age could possess a quirk so powerful. “Well, I’ll see you again later, I just need to process the readings and upload them to the database. I won’t take long, so please wait while I compile all the results for you to take home.”

The body guards nodded and watched the professor leave the room. Once they were left alone, no one bothered to start a conversation. They simply watched as Izuku played with Sparkmight from their respective seats. Although Oboro did strike a conversation with Nagant, but she just replied curtly, indicating she didn’t want to talk. Endeavor on the other hand, was becoming restless, his feet was bouncing uncontrollably as they waited.

After a moment, the door opened again. This time, an unfamiliar middle aged man with white hair entered the room. “Ah, I finally found you,” he said with a wry smile. “The professor told me to bring Izuku-kun to him. Something about a private discussion with the boy’s quirk.”

Endeavor stood up suspiciously, flickering his flames in slight warning. “Izuku, stand behind me.” The greenette looked confused at first, but he complied when nii-chan nodded at him. “Did Shield really say that? He should know that we’re here to escort the child in his every move.”

The man, who was dressed in a lab coat and a white polo paired with black slacks, chuckled breathily. “Actually… he didn’t. I just made that up,” he said as he aimed his right arm at them. With a menacing glare, the sleeves on his right arms expanded to the point of tear, and released a blast of wind.

Oboro luckily was able to push Izuku away in time. The attack managed to destroy the large window behind them, as well as parts of the floor. The four were unharmed by the attack, but they were now separated by the broken floor, with Izuku Endeavor on one side, and Oboro and Nagant on the other. The greenette was beginning to panic as green sparks start to appear around him, and it was Endeavor that noticed first.

“Huh… fast reflexes befitting of a hero,” the man said as his left hand produced flames, while reddish black tendrils began to emerge from his outstretched right arm.

Endeavor grimaced. He grabbed Izuku’s shoulder, and looked at him with a gentle expression. “Warp us out of here.”

The reminder snapped Izuku out of his panic. He gripped Sparkmight tighter with his left arm and created two void orbs with his right palm. He tossed one towards nii-chan, and grasped the other while Endeavor held him. With a sound of ripping paper, him and the flame hero were now in the parking lot of I-Medicals. But even with the advantage in distance, Endeavor didn’t waste time any time as he carried Izuku in one arm and used his flames to propel them midair.

To say that All for One was impressed would be an understatement. That kid, who didn’t even look older that a six-year old, managed to warp away within a second of Endeavor’s command. He even managed to toss a second warp towards the two other guards. The blue-haired teen grasped the girl and was about to catch the green ball, but All for One’s tendrils were faster. With a blink of an eye, he was outside the hospital, and overlooking the whole parking lot. The sensation of warping was surreal, he’d never experienced it before.

But there’s no time to gush about teleportation when his target was being carried away by the number two hero. Using a combination of quirks, All for One simulated flight as he chased after them. The busy streets of Tokyo became witnesses for the ongoing tag. Every time the villain attacked with energy projectiles or fireballs, Endeavor intercepted with a blast of flame. Somehow, their attacks were equal in power, which frustrated All for One. Sweat marred his skin as the afternoon sun glared at them, possibly making Endeavor’s attacks hotter, thus becoming stronger. They’ve already taken several turns, but every time, the hero seemed to avoid the streets where All for One put his men for lookout.

Even so, he was slowly catching up to the pair and aimed his reddish black tendrils at the hero. He attacked with the intent to kill. But his targets disappeared in a flash of green after Endeavor yelled “Now!” The man stopped his trajectory and glared at the direction of the hospital. They’re surely back there again. He adjusted himself, and flew back to where he came from. The buildings became a blur as the villain used his top speed.

When he was back at the hospital, there were no signs of them. He expected that of course, but not the bullet that dug itself on his shoulder the moment the moment he looked back out to the parking lot. “Shit!” he cursed as he gripped his injury. The girl and the blue-haired boy were staring at him a few blocks away, sitting atop a cloud. He aimed his right hand at them, about to release another wind cannon, this time tenfold stronger. But a pillar of flame came rushing towards him with extreme prejudice. No part of the hospital was damaged, and neither was he. All for One was able to create a barrier to protect himself.

Looking at the young pair on a cloud, and Endeavor by the parking lot, he wasn’t sure which of them had the boy. They wouldn’t leave him alone, so there must be someone else working with them. He decided to dispose of the number two hero first, he’s the biggest thorn on his side in this battle after all. In a burst of speed, All for One came crushing down the hero. The impact of the two leveled the parking lot with an eruption of flames and shock waves. When the dust settled, all the cars were now a pile of trash, and the windows of the hospital all collapsed.

“Give me the boy, and I’ll exchange him for your life and everyone else’s at the hospital.”

Endeavor didn’t reply. Instead, he made his flames stronger and took a defensive stance.

All for One chuckled, amused. “You’re really choosing war over peace? So be it!”

He moved again, this time his fists covered in ice as a strength quirk propelled him with a single leap. Endeavor met him in the middle with his own fists lit up in flames. Their collision negated each others’ attack, resulting in them trading successive blows. A punch from the hero was rewarded with a kick from the villain. Reddish tendrils stabbed flesh, while burning flames charred skin. Even as their attacks were evenly matched, Endeavor was the one that’s significantly losing strength. All for One grinned. His minor healing quirks were taking effect, while the number two hero only had his stamina to rely on.

The villain was slowly gaining advantage as Endeavor’s attacks were becoming sloppy. He dodged a right hook coming his way, and delivered a punch to the gut. His initial attack was already strong due to it being coated with ice, but then he added an air cannon when the hit landed, causing the hero’s body to be blown towards the nearest wall. Even with that, All for One knew better than to assume the deed was done. He let reddish black tendrils appear on his arms yet again, ready to stab the hero, and add his quirk to the collection. But before he could even step forwards, another bullet dug itself on his knee. He buckled and glared at the direction of the shot. From the sky, the girl was preparing another bullet, seemingly made out of her own hair.

All for One blocked the next bullet with a seven-layer barrier, which would’ve otherwise rendered his other knee useless. He hasn’t even thought of a plan to attack yet when another bullet came rushing for him. Pointless, he thought, seeing as it was literally aimed at the barrier he made. But then, the ammo curved its trajectory, completely ignoring the block that All for One had set. If he hadn’t responded quickly, his head would’ve been the resting place of the projectile.

At the last second, he was able to coat his head with a thick layer of diamonds, a quirk he got from a woman several years ago. He used a combination of active healing and quirk enhancement to repair his knee and push out the bullet from earlier. “What an annoying quirk you have, little girl,” he whispered to himself as he levitated again. His speed didn’t allow for the flying duo to react fast enough before he was floating in front of them.

The girl wasn’t even phased by him, but the blue-haired boy shifted into a fighting stance. All for One was amused to say the least. He couldn’t take the threat seriously when these two youngsters were standing on a very fluffy cloud. “Tell you what. You two seem promising, quirk and skill-wise. It would be a shame for you to be killed so early in your career,” he smiled mockingly with his hands producing different quirks. “Just give me Izuku Midoriya. I won’t kill him, I assure you.”

“And we won’t give him, we assure you,” Nagant replied mockingly.

He doesn’t even get to react before their cloud suddenly dropped as another large pillar of flame ravaged where he was.

Izuku didn’t know what to do. One moment he was happily playing with Sparkmight, and the next thing he knew, a villain attacked them. He hoped that nii-chan, Nagant-chan , and Endeavor-san would return safely. They ushered him to safety when the villain lost track of them, and now he was with Recovery Girl. he doesn't know why she was their back-up of all people, but she’s currently driving the car that Izuku was in.

“Where are we going?”

“Don’t worry kid, those friends of yours are tough. For now, we’ll get you somewhere safe.”

Izuku didn’t know what to say, so he just nodded and embraced Sparkmight tighter. They drove further and further away from I-Medicals, until they reached a neighborhood. It looked fairly ordinary, which made the greenette wonder why they were here in the first place. Were they meeting someone super special? But… he didn’t really ask. Their car parked in front of this traditional Japanese home. It really stood out in this modern-looking neighborhood.

Recovery Girl hopped out of the vehicle and ushered Izuku to the house. Before they could enter though, the door opened by itself and out came two boys. One with white hair, and the smaller one behind him, had… two hair colors? How is that possible?

But that’s not what concerned Izuku though. The dual-haired boy, who he knew was about the same age as him, had a bandage wrapped around the left side of his head, covering his eye. He looked mistrusting of the new visitors, yet he didn’t speak. “Are you the ones that our father told us to expect?” asked the white haired boy.

“Yes we are, kiddo. This little guy here, needs to rest.”  

Chapter Text

All for One clenched his jaw in frustration. He was already injured in multiple places, had burns across his body, and to top it all off, his regeneration quirks could not keep up with the damage. The girl with a sniper and that cloud boy were invaluable supports for Endeavor. He doesn’t have enough firepower to overcome the joint defenses and attacks of the three heroes, especially since his quirk kept sending him warning signals. One for All is nearby, and so was its current wielder, All Might.

He couldn’t risk everything on this fight especially since he doesn’t know where they’re hiding the brat. Nearby or not, that boy follows every order given to him, making it a difficult chase. With injuries this severe, it’ll be a matter of time before they capture him. Just as he felt the rushing power of All Might coming towards him from the sky, he charged up a combination of quirks on his right arm. He grinned sadistically as Endeavor prepared his own attack. “I’d suggest you not to do that.” The damage dealt on the hospital parking lot was immense, but it was also contained. All for One didn’t think that the number two hero would be competent enough to pull it off, but he managed.

All for One waited for the perfect moment just as All Might was about to land and Endeavor was about to attack, he then released his power onto the ground. The shockwave allowed to villain to propel himself into the air, while simultaneously letting the number one hero get hit by the convergence of energy. He easily dodged the bullets shot by that sniper girl with the speed he’s going. A glance by the perimeter made All for One smile, and he attacked it with an air cannon. The heroes were too late to defend the few civilians there, which allowed for the villain to escape.

While the heroes and police were left with the fallout of the attack, All for One soared through the skies with ecstasy. His injuries were starting to heal and he knew which kind of quirks he should collect next. With more power behind his attacks, he could finally begin to take over the governments of the world, starting from the warp quirk that could allow him to be anywhere at any given moment.  

To be born with power must be a blessing from the heavens. But if that same power isn’t given to the ones you love, then it becomes a curse.

Thunder roared in the skies as a black car parked itself at the driveway of the Todoroki residence. Four figures clad in black exited the vehicle, and only the occasional lightning bolts lit up the dark skyline of Tokyo. With a sky looking like this, it was an honest shock that a single drop of rain hadn’t touched the ground yet. Mitsuki ruffled her son’s hair and made an attempt to grab his hands, but they remained in Katsuki’s pockets. She knew better than to force things on him, so she simply walked towards the unwelcoming dark brown door.

Hitoshi looked up to his mom who had a dark look on her face. She was staring at Katsuki as he walked with his mom. The purple-headed boy reached out his right hand to his mother’s left one, and that was when she forced a smile. Atsuko whispered “Let’s go” as she took her son’s hand and guided him to the house. Her and Hitoshi walked behind the blondes as Mitsuki knocked. The house was deathly silent inside, no sound of TV nor radio. Almost as if no one’s home.

But after three beats, the door opened to the irritated face of Endeavor, which quickly morphed to softness when he realized who the visitors were. “You’re Izuku’s friends, right? The ones he call Kacchan and Toshi?”

“Only Zuku can call me that!”

A slap followed after. Katsuki held his cheek as he stared at his mom whose hands were reddened. “Don’t. Shout. Katsuki.”

The boy’s comeback died at his throat with how his mom looked. “Sorry…”

“… come in,” Endeavor said as he opened the door wider. His intimidating demeanor was absent while he was in the comfort of his home. He still wore his dress shirt from earlier, and the flames that littered his body were currently extinguished.

The four visitors stepped into the quiet house and put away their shoes. Endeavor closed the door after taking a glance outside, and disappeared into the kitchen. No one occupied the living room, and only a few lights were turned on. Hitoshi felt a little uncomfortable with how unlived the home looked from both outside and inside. His normally passive face showed his dislike, which also mirrored Katsuki’s. They sat down on the tatami flooring with a zabuton (sitting cushion) making them more comfortable. Endeavor came back a moment later, carrying with him a tea set.

No conversations were started as the head of the house poured his visitors tea. Small ‘thank yous’ were muttered as they sipped on their cups, and that was when Endeavor decided to speak. “I understand you’re here for Izuku? He’s in Shoto’s room, that one,” he said glancing at what he meant. If one took a closer look, a faint green light could be seen emanating from the sliding paper doors. “He hasn’t talked since last week. But he might talk to you.”

Hitoshi and Katsuki shared a glance before they stood up at the same time. They put down their cups and bowed in gratitude before walking towards the room where Zuku was in. The two boys looked at each other, not knowing if they should call out first or just slide the door open. Whirring sounds escaped the walls and green sparks shined through the paper door. “Hey, Zuku. Can we come in? Toshi’s here with me.”

As expected, no reply came. Hitoshi slid the door slowly and stepped inside with the blonde. The first thing they noticed was that the lights were not turned on, only the green swirls lit up the room. Izuku was kneeling faced away from them, beside him was a tear-stained Sparkmight lying face down on the tatami floor. The greenette was still dressed in the black suit that he wore earlier, just like the two boys. “Zuku?” Hitoshi spoke and approached his friend cautiously. Careful to avoid every swirl of energy that came his way. He knelt down beside the greenette and looked at his face.

Izuku… was staring blankly at the wall. Only his blinking eyes and twitching fingers gave evidence that he was conscious. Hitoshi stared at Katsuki, and urged him to sit on the other side of Zuku. The blonde did just that and also called out to the greenette. “Zuku? We missed you, you know. The last time we saw you was before you… registered your quirk. That was really, really long ago.”

Still, no reply came. Hitoshi and Katsuki didn’t want to leave, so they simply decided to keep their friend company. Silence felt loud enough for them, as they sat there together in the dark, basked in the green glow of Izuku’s quirk.

Meanwhile, Mitsuki and Atsuko sat at the living room, sipping their tea as they arranged their thoughts. Endeavor didn’t mind, he also remained quiet while drinking his tea. Eventually, the blonde woman spoke, “Will Izuku stay with you from now on? I thought UA had jurisdiction over him.”

“No he won’t. This is a temporary arrangement until the commission finally decide on the best action.”

“I see,” said Atsuko. “But I must ask. Why here? Isn’t it safer to put Izuku in UA as he’s constantly surrounded by pro heroes?”

Endeavor finished his tea and set down the cup before replying. “The chimera believes that UA is compromised. The only ones that should’ve known about the boy’s appointment with I-Medicals are the few people in UA, the commission heads, and… All Might and I. And even fewer people knew that there was a change in schedule. Apart from that, it is obvious that if the commission and UA want Izuku to be safe, they’d put him in either institutions. But putting Izuku with me,” he paused looking at the room where the boy was, “would be hiding him in plain sight. No one would expect him to be living with the Number Two hero.”

“That’s reasonable, I guess…” Mitsuki whispered. “So, you’re the only guard he has right now?

Endeavor nodded. “I’m more than enough to guard him. But underground heroes are stationed around the general area, and Nagant stays in the attic to keep a watchful eye.”

The women remained silent after that, not really knowing what else to say. Endeavor narrowed his eyes at them, “Are you not going to visit the boy? He needs his loved ones to be with him.”

“I—I don’t know if I can… He has so much of Inko in him—and… I just can’t handle that… right now,” Mitsuki said, tears pouring from her eyes and her voice wavering. "I don’t know why, or how it came to this… Izuku’s just a kid—and Inko, oh she has so much of her life ahead of her…”

Atsuko comforted the blonde by hugging her, while Endeavor looked at his clothed wrist, hiding the ugly injury he got from All for One. They lost that day, evident by the pile of corpses left behind at the wake of their battle. The only reprieve, was Izuku’s safety and thus All for One’s lack of a warp quirk. “Even if you can’t do it, you should still be by his side. You’re the ones closest to him.”

A sigh escaped Mitsuki’s lips. “I—I know that… let’s go, Atsuko-san.”

The purple-head nodded and walked after her, Endeavor trailing behind them. Mitsuki slid the door open, her eyes landing on the three boys silently sitting together. She felt a shiver creep up her spine at the green glow that illuminated the room. The only sound were the whirring swirls of energy that stem out from Izuku. “Izukun? It’s Auntie Mitsuki…” she began, catching the attention of Katsuki and Hitoshi. “Can we turn on the lights? It’s so dark here…” she added.

Since the greenette didn’t really reply, Endeavor turned the lights on. Izuku flinched at the sudden brightness, but nothing more. Mitsuki sighed and walked closer to the boy. She crouched down to gently put her hand on his shoulder, “It’ll be alri—”

She didn’t even get to finish the sentence as a violent wave of green energy rushed out of Izuku. Everyone in the room flinched away, but the greenette was calm again in an instant. Parts of the tatami floors, the walls, and the ceiling were chipped away, and the light bulb was gone— most likely teleported somewhere on Earth. Heavy breaths filled the room as Mitsuki and Atsuko assessed their sons for any injury. But all of them were unharmed. At closer inspection, Endeavor realized the pattern of destruction that Izuku’s quirk made.

The energy deliberately avoided all the living things inside the room, and only affected the surroundings. Such precise control over his quirk even at a young age, and troubled mind. Or perhaps his quirk was heavily influenced by his sentiments...? Endeavor had no way to confirm.

“I’m sorry for startling you, Izukun… If you don’t want to talk right now— I guess we could return later,” Mitsuki said in a caring tone of a mother. She crouched down beside the boy and offered him a smile. “Just remember that we’re all here for you, okay? Don’t hesitate to ask for us.”

Again, Izuku gave no reply.

The four visitors went on their way afterwards, never even having the opportunity to meet the other members of the Todoroki family. Endeavor closed the front door with a frown and went to Fuyumi’s room upstairs. He slid the door open after informing his daughter of his presence, and was mildly surprised to see that all his children were inside. “I see you’re all here,” he said looking at them. Natsuo was playing with Fuyumi’s phone, while Shoto was playing with hero figurines. “The visitors just left and I have an important virtual meeting to attend. Fuyumi, take care of your brothers, and check up on Izuku-kun once in a while.”

“Did he finally talk?” Shoto asked from the bed, sitting beside his sister.

Endeavor shook his head. “Don’t disturb me in my room and don’t let anyone in. We’re not expecting any more visitors.” When they all nodded in understanding, he left the room and locked himself in his private study. He closed the curtains, turned his laptop on, and went in the private feed that Nedzu set up.

It has been a week since Endeavor fought All for One in Tokyo. It has also been a week since Inko Midoriya apparently got into a car accident after a truck driver’s brakes didn’t work. The boy didn’t know that this happened, as he happily settled and played with the Todoroki children. They were cool playmates, and they also thought Izuku was a pretty cool kid to hang with. None of them were worried about the state of affairs that were currently happening at the heart of Tokyo. And they were right not to worry. Endeavor went home at about 6 pm, and he wasn’t gravely injured.

The same couldn’t be said with Inko though, as she was already pronounced dead on arrival at a hospital. The Todoroki household received a call that night, just as they were dialing Inko’s number to tell her that Izuku was safe. On the other end of the line, a nurse narrates how “She was found in the scene of the crash. The paramedics tried everything they can.”

From then on, no one’s heard the voice of Izuku even as his mother was cremated and her bones buried. Only the constant swirl of green energy around him indicated any sense of consciousness, considering that the swirls haven’t gotten out of control even once.

But Nedzu thought it was an exaggeration. Izuku probably spoke within the week, just not in the presence of others. Or perhaps he even shouted or screamed once. It doesn’t matter either way, since the boy also didn’t speak during the funeral, which saddened Izuku’s loved ones. The burial had just happened a few hours earlier. There were few visitors, but every one of them were VIPs in their own accord. Nedzu decided to stay behind even as Izuku already went back to Endeavor’s house. It’s been a week since the “accident” that cost Inko Midoriya her life. Her official death certificate said it was due to a car accident where a truck with broken brakes crashed into her. But that’s not what happened at all. Only Nedzu, Endeavor, All Might, and the officials of the commission actually knew the true story.

And it was a secret they intend to carry for as long as they lived.

“Principal,” All Might’s voice lacked its usually hopeful tinge. “Should we get going? We do have a meeting later, right?”

Nedzu nodded and took one last look at the newly put gravestone. “Yes, I suppose we should go…Can you start the car, All Might? I need a moment.” He didn’t wait for a reply or any indication of compliance as he walked towards Inko’s grave. They didn’t know each other long, or had any real connection as a close friend, but Nedzu would do everything in his power to honor her will. Protect my son and his friends. Help them achieve their dreams.

The principal, who considered himself quite stoic and unfeeling, shed a tear in memory of Inko’s love for her child. Even in her dying breath, he’s the one she thought about. Human affection, truly is fascinating.

He came back to the car after that, with All Might driving off immediately. Nedzu sat on the front seat and hummed along at the song played by the radio. The principal was chipper for someone who had just attended the funeral, thought All Might. “So, Principal. Is the meeting about, Izuku-kun?”

“Indeed it is,” he said. “Has David talked to you at all these past few days?”

“David? As in David Shield?” All Might asked dumbly as he kept looked back and forth at Nedzu and the road. “No, no he hasn’t. He told me he was busy with something, even though his evaluation of I-Medicals Tokyo ended about a week ago.”

“Ah yes. He was doing the commission and I a favor regarding Izuku-kun.”

 The hero averted his gaze from the road for a second, “He was? What about Izuku-kun?”

“The commission believes that it’s no longer safe for him to stay in Japan. All for One has too much influence in the underground. So, we arrived at a solution— Izuku-kun will be in I-Island’s custody, and will only return here once he’s the right age to attend UA as a student.”

“What?!”

“Steady now, All Might. We don’t want to crash the car,” teased Nedzu when the hero suddenly swerved too far left. “I was actually the one that proposed the idea. You already know how secured I-Island is— with it constantly moving and all. I’m also certain that if Izuku stays there, All for One will pursue him no longer.”

“How are you sure of that?”

Nedzu grinned. “Even though he has powerful quirks and allies on his side, he’s smart enough to know that he couldn’t wage war against the world in his current state. I-Island is home to the most prestigious scientists and their creations which are funded by the world’s governments. The United Nations would retaliate if All for One chooses to directly attack the island. Not to mention…” the principal looked out the window, a frown forming in his face as an old car pumped out smoke like a fog machine. “…Shield thought that Izuku’s quirk could have the potential to solve many of the world’s problems.”

 All Might’s eyes widened, “Dave really said that?”

“He did. And it’ll be one of the factors to appeal with the I-Island council.”

“Will you be including Izuku’s aunts and uncles in the meeting? The Bakugous and Shinsous?”

“I’m afraid not,” Nedzu said as he wiggled in his seat. “They still have a lot on their plate considering Inko’s passing and Izuku’s well-being. I intend to tell them once I-Island approves of the arrangement.”

Shoto had mixed feelings with regards to the greenette in their house. The first time they met, the boy was very enthusiastic in meeting him, especially the part where they showed each other their quirks. Shoto was amazed at how Izuku-kun’s quirk functioned, he’s never seen anything like it. Izuku-kun was also at awe with Shoto’s quirk, the power to create ice with his right hand. The boy, despite his obvious curiosity, didn’t even ask about the bandage wrapped around Shoto’s head. They just played with their powers like normal kids, and when Shoto was starting to get tired, they played with toys.

Izuku-kun even introduced Sparkmight to him, which Shoto thought to be very cute. Together, they waited for dad to return— and he did, without life-threatening injuries too. But then, after their dinner, everything became… dull. They received a call from the hospital, the very same call that started Izuku-kun’s depressed state. That night, Shoto slept in Natsuo’s room since dad told him Izuku-kun’s quirk might go haywire anytime.

It didn’t happen though.

The next day, after dad and Izuku-kun returned from another trip, the greenette had a constant swirl of green energy surrounding him at all times. Shoto tried sneaking a peek every now and then to see if it disappeared along with the boy’s sadness. But it didn’t. Dad told them to leave Izuku-kun alone for some time, he just needed to process things. After a couple days of leaving him alone, the greenette still hasn’t spoken, which was beginning to damper everyone else’s mood too. Today, dad told them that Izuku-kun’s friends were coming over. Shoto thought that he would finally speak to them! But alas, that did not happen.

Instead, he entered his room which now has missing parts and a broken bulb. The boy made sure to make his footsteps audible and soft at the same time, as to not startle the greenette. “Hey, Izuku-kun… and Sparkmight…” he spoke and sat down beside him. “You don’t want to speak, cause you’re sad, right?" he whispered in a soft tone. "I also get sad sometimes… but the saddest I’ve ever been, was when Touya nii-chan—” Shoto hugged his knees to his chest when he felt his eyes getting wet. “—w-when Touya nii-chan passed away too.”

The statement caused Izuku to look at the bandaged boy, the first time he’s ever responded with anyone. “I-It was because of a fire. Our h-house was burned, so dad took us here…”

“Wa—” Izuku tried, but his voice was scratchy and hoarse from disuse. “Wa— wher—” the greenette clenched his fist in frustration, but he gestured to his face to relay the message.

Shoto understood what he meant, asking whether it was where he got his injury. But he gave no reply. He just stared at the face of the boy, illuminated by the green swirls that hover around him. His eyes glowed green, and the shadows created by the uneven lighting condition made Izuku look more mature. Shoto looked away from the greenette’s gaze, “I know it’s sad to lose someone… but Natsuo nii-san said that we shouldn’t be sad for very long.”

Izuku didn’t say anything, so the boy went on. “He said while we’re frowning here on Earth, your mom and Touya nii-san are having their adventures in an isekai world. We should smile up to them, so they know that we’re also having fun here. That way, we can all be happy,” he smiled, looking back at the greenette.

“S-So you also watch isekai anime?” Izuku’s voice was still scratchy, but he had a smile now.

“I like to read manga more than watch anime. Natsuo and Touya nii-san said they’re better cause it’s the original.”

Izuku nodded, “I still like anime cause they’re colorful and flashy…”

“Oh, by the way, dad said to give you this,” Shoto mumbled and slid a box across the tatami flooring. Because of the dark lighting, Izuku didn’t recognize what it was, but when he grabbed it causing the green swirls to illuminate the object, the boy gasped like a ecstatic fanboy.

“The latest limited-edition Endeavor action-figure. E-Endeavor-san really kept his promise…”

“Yeah! You wanna play with it? It’s so dark here though, so we should transfer to the living room.” Izuku nodded. “Oh, and I also have the latest limited-edition All Might figure, I’ll get it.”

The greenette trailed behind the dual-haired boy as they went upstairs to get Shoto’s toys that were transferred to Natsuo’s room. For the first time ever, Izuku’s heart and mind was at ease. He gripped Sparkmight closer to him, as well as the Endeavor figure. Shoto-kun was right. Mom was in a better place now, but it still doesn’t change the fact that he misses her so much. Even so, he’d allow himself to enjoy, even for just a little while.

It’s been two days since the funeral, and Oboro hasn’t seen Izuku yet. Principal Nedzu had just briefed them about the new plan for Izuku’s safety. He’s gotta admit, I-Island did not come to mind when thinking of a safe place. And letting the boy stay there made Oboro slightly bitter. He knew they’re doing it for Izuku’s wellbeing, but he’ll miss his little cloudlet. Hero job was more fun when he told stories to his kouhai.

“Hey, Oboro. What’s with the dumb face?”

The blue-head shoved the blonde playfully. “Zip it Zashi. I’m just worried for the little cloudlet, is all.”

“Huh… Zip it Zashi. I like that. Sounds like something I can apply a trademark for,” Aizawa hummed behind them.

“You better now use that every time I—”

“Zip it Zashi.”

“Come on!”

The trio were currently on their way to Dairy Dewdrops to fetch their kids. Endeavor’s assistant called yesterday, saying that it might be a good idea to let Izuku have fun with his friends before he officially moves to I-Island. Oboro readily agreed, and convincing Sho and Zashi weren’t hard either. He wanted to invite Tensei and Nemuri too, but it might be stressful for Izuku to be around so many people at once.

Oboro had half a mind to simply ride on a cloud and race towards the ice cream parlor, but Sho definitely won’t allow that. He did walk faster than usual though. And then even faster to set the pace for the three of them. As skilled heroes, they expertly dodged people that walked with them on the sidewalk. When they saw the sign of the parlor— a blue bunny holding a strawberry ice cream cone with the words Dairy Dewdrops, the start of a chaotic race began. No quirks allowed, just pure physical ability. Unsurprisingly, Aizawa was the reluctant winner, again. What with his flexibility and intense physical training to hone his body.

“How…. are you—so fast?” Zashi heaved on the side of the entrance while Oboro tried to catch his own breath.

Aizawa rolled his eyes. “How are you so dumb as to keep challenging us even though you’re always last?” The raven head wasn’t even out of breath with his arms crossed.

“Hey guys, how’ve you been?” Mrs. Shinsou greeted as she stepped out of the counter.

“We’ve been fine, Shinsou-san. Are they here yet?” Oboro replied.

“Oh please, I told you to call me Atsuko. The kids are in the employees’ lounge, but Izukun hasn’t arrived yet. I’ll take you to them.”

The three friends nodded and followed the purple-head. She opened the door to a small, yet cozy-looking lounge where the sleeping forms of Hitoshi and Katsuki could be seen from the couch. “Huh… I knew Hitoshi was so excited to play with Izukun again that he couldn’t sleep last night, but to think that even Katsuki-kun…” Atsuko hummed in thought.

“Well, they haven’t seen the little cloudlet for so long, it’s understandable. Actually, umm… have you told them yet? About I-Island?” Oboro whispered as he sat on a stool across from the couch.

Atsuko sighed. “No. Katsuki-kun’s parents also haven’t told him yet. We’re still looking for the right moment to tell the news. Perhaps tomorrow?”

“Right after their bonding with Izukun? That might sour their memory of this day. Instead of associating it with fun, they might think of it as the last time they’re seeing their friend,” Aizawa reasoned from the wall by the door where he was leaning on.

“That makes sense,” Hizashi agreed, sitting cross legged on the floor beside Oboro.

“So when should we tell them? Does Izukun already know of this?”

Oboro scratched his neck sheepishly. “I don’t know if I’m allowed to share this but… Principal Nedzu said that Izuku was the first one to know about it.”

Everyone looked at the blue-head in surprise. “WHA—” Hizashi’s loud yell was fortunately stopped by Aizawa just in time.

The raven-head’s eyes were glowing red with his hair defying gravity, his iconic scarf tightly wrapped against the blonde’s mouth. “Zip it. Zashi.”

Hizashi frantically nodded and Aizawa released him. “Please explain, Oboro. Zashi might do something he’ll regret.”

Oboro chuckled at Aizawa’s attempt at intimidation while Atsuko smiled fondly.

“Okay, the thing was… the principal talked with the little cloudlet on the hospital. Like the understanding chimera that he is, he confronted the kid alone and told him his idea. He said that Izuku was silent for the whole conversation, but then apparently, he voiced his agreement before going back to Endeavor.”

“I don’t know if I believe that or not,” Aizawa muttered.

Oboro simply shrugged.

Suddenly, the door to the lounge opened again. In came the employee that was left at the counter, he had a nervous face and cold sweat running from his forehead. “Shinsou-san, Endeavor’s here. He’s looking for you, saying he’s with Midoriya-kun.”

They looked at each other, but before any of them could reply, two small blurs pass by them shouting in unison. “Zuku’s here!”

“Looks like they have good hearing, and extremely better reaction time than us,” Hizashi remarked.

The four went out of the lounge and was blessed with the wholesome sight of Hitoshi and Katsuki hugging a tearful Izuku. They were at the usual table where they always hung out, and Endeavor was a lingering presence near them. Thankfully, there were no customers in the parlor yet as it was still quite early, otherwise people would be flocking their table to get an autograph from the number two hero. In a closer look, Oboro could see that it wasn’t just Izuku that’s crying, even Hitoshi and Katsuki had a few tears streaming down their face. “We missed you so much, Zuku. Why’d it took so long to meet us like this?” the small blonde demanded in a harsh tone that sounded more like a whine. 

A few more moments, and the three boy untangled themselves from each other. Now Oboro had a clear look to see if whether or not these three wore venue-appropriate clothes. Hitoshi was wearing a purple overalls with a white shirt, Katsuki wore his favorite black shirt with a skull print and cargo shorts, and the little cloudlet was dressed in a blue shirt with an orange collar paired with blue shorts and his signature red shoes. The boy’s eyes were still slightly glowing green, signifying he’s still upset. Oboro’s heart swelled when he saw that the Loud Cloud pin he gave to Izuku was pinned to his left chest, and its counterpart was also pinned on Sparkmight which he was holding in his left hand.

Katsuki and Hitoshi kept on gushing about what they did these past weeks while the greenette just happily listened. Oboro, Hizashi, and Aizawa lingered near them, still unnoticed by the three. Endeavor nodded at them in acknowledgement, and they did the same. It took the greenette a moment to notice the blue-headed teen standing near him. Oboro waved.

“N-Nii-chan,” he whispered and hugged the teen’s legs. “I really missed nii-chan…”

“I missed you too little cloudlet,” Oboro replied, ruffling the boy’s hair a bit. “How’ve you been?”

Izuku detached himself from Oboro’s legs and looked up at him with slight excitement. “I got that limited-edition Endeavor figure I wanted. Oh! And I made a new friend,” he piped up as if he just remembered, and ran towards the number two hero that were standing near them. Izuku disappeared behind the man’s large figure, and reappeared a moment later with another boy in tow. “Everyone, this is Shoto-kun. His dad is Endeavor-san and he has a really cool quirk.”

Even though the greenette was trying to be cheerful, everyone could notice how forced it seemed. But on the bright side, his eyes were now completely normal, no more glowing.

“Woah, you have a badass scar. Wher—” a grey blur snatched Katsuki towards an unphased Aizawa. The blonde kid’s mouth was wrapped with the teen’s capture weapon, and the raven-head took it upon himself to not make the situation awkward. “Nice to meet you, Shoto-kun. I’m afraid Katsuki’s mouth needs some restriction at the moment.”

The boy nodded, becoming conscious of the scar on his left eye. The bandage for the injury was just removed last night, so Shoto wasn’t used to people staring at it.

“With that settled, I leave my son and Izuku to you. Take care of them in my stead.”

“Wait? You’re leaving? Doesn’t Izukun still need guards at all times?” Hizashi asked beside Aizawa.

Endeavor huffed. “I know that. Which is why you’ll be constantly tailed by sidekicks I personally trained, as well as Lady Nagant. You just need to have fun and stick to protocol in case of an emergency,” he said, and walked out of the parlor without waiting for a reply.  

When the Flame hero rode away in his car, Aizawa released Katsuki from his hold. “What the hell?! What’d you that for?!” he yelled in frustration.

“You were being impolite to your new friend.”

“We’re not friends. He doesn’t even know me yet.”

“You’re Kacchan right?” Shoto asked timidly.

“HAH?! Call me that again and see what happens peppermint!”

Katsuki’s threat made Izuku snort and giggle for the first time. Shoto looked shocked and the three teens looked relieved. “What’s so funny, nerd?”

“Shoto-kun does look like a peppermint,” he smiled and muzzled Sparkmight. “When I first saw his red and white hair, I thought he looked more like a Pokéball.”

His observation earned laughs from everyone else. When Izuku looked at Shoto, even he was laughing and had a soft look on his face.

The seven boys, three teens and four kids, decided to visit the newly opened amusement park at the outskirts of Musutafu. None of the kids have ridden carnival rides before, so their first time would be with each other. All four weren’t able to hide their excitement as they alternately picked rides to go to. Even Izuku was smiling happily. Their first choice, which Izuku picked, was the giant Ferris wheel that looked to be the main attraction of the park.

Normally, only six people should fit in one car, but when the group paid the employee with Endeavor’s black card, he allowed all seven of them to ride at once. Turns out, Endeavor gave his card to Shoto so that he could buy whatever he wanted for himself or for Izuku. The three teens felt guilty using the number two hero’s card, but Shoto insisted. They even called the hero just to make sure, and he said it was fine as long as“—the kids have fun and cheer up Izuku.” Oboro thought he was a mean-spirited guy, but he was actually pretty cool.

Izuku clung to the blue-head’s side for the entire duration of the ride, with him holding Shoto in his other hand, and Sparkmight sitting on his lap. Next stop, was Shoto’s choice. A paddle boat shaped to be different marine animals. Izuku and Shoto rode with Oboro, Katsuki with Hizashi, and Hitoshi with Aizawa. The peaceful ride was turned into a contest when Katsuki boasted how they were the fastest paddlers, which made Hitoshi protest. In the end it was the three-man team that won, despite only Shoto and Oboro paddling since it was only intended for two people.

After that, they ate lunch at a diner inside the park. Izuku still hadn’t talked much, even though Oboro could see that he was enjoying. When the menu was handed to the greenette, he absentmindedly flipped it again and again, saying that he had no appetite. He really wanted his little cloudlet to start being himself again, and the only way to do it was through Inko-san’s katsudon. But the menu didn’t include it, so Oboro went to the kitchen and tried to cook it himself. With the ingredients available in the diner, he was able to pull off a decent katsudon that made Izuku cry happy tears.

When lunch was over, Katsuki proposed to ride the roller coaster next. But since there was a height limit, it was a no go. So, he settled for the next best thing, an attraction where he can beat everyone else’s asses. Bumper cars. And he was actually pretty good. The only one that beat his ruthlessness was Aizawa. The raven-headed teen drove his bumper car like an expert, face impassive the whole time as he cornered every single one of them.

The last ride they went to, was the horror train, courtesy of Hitoshi. Thankfully, the ride wasn’t really scary, but it was still horror themed. Izuku sat beside Shoto while Oboro sat behind them. Katsuki wasn’t scared at all, he even insulted one of the actors that he was too childish to be scary. Hitoshi was quiet the whole time, and Hizashi was easily startled. Aizawa sat behind him luckily, which allowed the raven-head to cancel out their friend’s quirk every time he yells in surprise. Izuku was scared, evident from the whimpers Oboro could hear. But Shoto reassured him every time.

When they were all done with the rides they wanted, the seven boys went home satisfied. Except for Izuku. When he returned to their suite in UA, Oboro helped him pack all his things. It was official— he’d leave Japan and fly to I-Island tomorrow. The blue-head frowned as he watched the greenette shove all his stuff into boxes and bags. That night, Oboro slept beside Izuku, hugging him close as the boy cried himself to sleep.

The next day, Nedzu and the commission were busy facilitating a safe route and decoy planes for Izuku’s departure. Needless to say, the Hero Public Safety Commission (HPSC) spent a lot of money to guarantee the greenette’s safety. Even so, they were not holding back on the expenses, quite certain their investment on the boy would pay off in the future. Meanwhile, Oboro was doing his best to entertain Izuku.

They played board games, but Izuku just complied out of obedience and clearly didn’t have fun. They watched some of Izuku’s favorite movies, but even that wasn’t enough to cheer him up. The only upside, was that there were no traces of the green swirls or glowing eyes from Izuku, which means he’s still relaxed despite not being chipper. Eventually, nightfall arrived and they were on their way to the Public Safety Commission’s private airport in Musutafu.

The greenette was treated like a president of a nation. Multiple heroes were disguised as civilians and employees all around the airport, and Oboro and Izuku were guided by a delegate from I-Island. All their stuff, apart from Sparkmight that Izuku won’t let go, were taken by employees to be put in the jet. They didn’t even need to be scanned or undergo any other normal procedure, they went straight to their designated gate where a sleek private jet greeted them along with Nedzu and David Shield.

“Good evening, Izuku-kun, Shirakumo-kun. I trust you had a comfortable trip going here?” Nedzu asked as he walked beside them.

“It was surprisingly comfy. Even though we were driven here by a secret service and followed by several pro heroes,” Oboro grinned.

The principal chuckled heartily. “So, you noticed them following you, huh? Perhaps they should train harder when it comes to tailing someone.”

“How many people are going with Izuku? Only Professor Shield and I?”

“The delegate will also ride the jet with us, along with—” Shield’s explanation was interrupted by a female voice.

“—me. You won’t leave me behind. Izuku-kun is my mission after all,” Nagant smiled as she caught up to them.

Izuku’s eyes widened. “Nagant-chan! You’re coming too?”

“Of course, green bean,” she said ruffling his hair. “I’ll miss you otherwise.”

The five passengers, Izuku, Oboro, David, Nagant, and the delegate boarded the jet as Nedzu and other employees watched them carefully. A flight stewardess showed them their seats and urged them to wear seatbelts. The jet needed to depart immediately so that they could get to safety as soon as possible. Oboro glanced at the greenette sitting on his right, brooding as he stared out the window with Sparkmight buried in his arms. Even though it was Oboro’s first time flying, and on a private jet on top of that, he couldn’t find it in himself to feel giddy when Izuku wasn’t. The boy’s usual self would gush at how awesome the jet was, or how cool it would be to fly up in the air for the first time.

Maybe the little cloudlet would feel better once they arrived in I-Island. There surely are logic-defying inventions there that would entertain Izuku.

“Please make sure your seatbelts are secure, we will depa—”

A flicker in the jet’s electricity cut the feed and a thundering boom resounded from the skies. Oboro looked out the window, only for his gaze to focus on the greenette whose body is surrounded by thick aura of green energy. “Little cloudlet?” The boy didn’t respond, but a void orb was forming in his right hand. Before Oboro could realize what’s happening, Izuku closed his fist. The only thing left was Sparkmight that dropped down when the boy disappeared.

Oboro watched in horror as Izuku warped atop the jet’s right wing. A pillar of flame was heading straight to where the boy stood unrelenting. “IZUKU! MOVE!” His warning didn’t reach Izuku’s ears as the boy outstretched his right arm.

“What’s he doing out there?!” Nagant yelled, unfastening her seatbelt.

“I don’t know!”

“He’s stopping the attack,” David gasped in disbelief.

“…what?” they both asked in unison.

“Look.”

Just then, Izuku threw the void orb that formed on his right hand. It expanded into a large portal that redirected the blast of flame back to where it came from— a figure flying in top speed headed for their jet. The boy’s attack caused an explosion midair, which seemed to satisfy the greenette as he teleported back inside the jet. Oboro, who was now standing, caught Izuku as he went limp right after warping. “Hey little cloudlet, I’ve got you.”

David, Nagant, and the delegate crowded the unconscious boy. “He’s stable. Just knocked out either from stress or exhaustion,” Oboro reassured with a relieved sigh.

“Fly the jet! Now!” Nagant commanded the stunned stewardess, who in turn told the pilots.

Their vehicle finally started to move to gain momentum for the flight. Outside the window, Oboro spotted the figure that Izuku blasted, floating in the air. His fist tightened in rage thinking about everything that his boy went through. And it seems like it wasn’t over. The figure flew straight to the jet once again, speed slightly faster than before. “Shit. That’s All for One right there. What do we do?”

“All we can do, is hope that All Might can defeat him…” Nagant trailed off.

Outside the window, a figure wearing blue sprung out from the terminal gate and intercepted All for One before he could reach the moving jet. Several blows were traded as the ground shook from the sheer amount of power. Eventually, their jet took off, moving away from the violent fight that was starting to destroy the airport runway. Oboro was grateful that the pilots were skilled enough to make the descent as smooth as possible. He didn’t even get tilted from where he sat on the floor with Izuku in his arms.

Nagant helped him stand up and settle Izuku on his seat. “Should be clear skies here on out, right?” he sighed.

“I hope so…”

They were both gravely mistaken.

A surge of air cannon from below, barely grazed the jet, causing it to topple slightly. “What’s going on down there?!” the I-Island delegate asked in panic. They ignored him.

“I should help All Might.” Oboro suddenly piped up

“What? What are you talking about?”

“All Might can’t fly, but All for One can. If that damned villain avoids any fighting and head straight here, we’ll have no chance.”

“Then how can you help?” Nagant said in a dangerously low voice.

“I can fly. And my clouds can serve as foothold for All Might.”

The girl’s eyes widened in realization. He's right.  “You better come back alive. Izuku-kun wouldn’t be able to handle any more losses.”

Oboro huffed. “I won’t leave him for the world.”

“If you’re sure of what you’re doing…” David sighed. “Nagant put your seatbelt and sit beside Izuku. You, don’t say another word and sit down,” he said as he also took a seat in front of Izuku and Nagant.

“Shirakumo-kun, open the hatch when you’re ready. Miss,” David called to the stewardess, “tell the pilot to close the door on my signal.” Luckily, they brought their most advanced jet where the cockpit had access to everything within the vehicle.

The blue-headed teen took a few breaths to steady himself. He needed to do this. Izuku was too important to lose, not just for the government, but mostly for him. He finally had the little brother that he always wanted. Someone who’d look up to him, someone he’d protect, and someone to cherish when the world becomes too cruel to live in… Oboro smiled, looking at how peaceful Izuku looked while sleeping, despite all the chaos around. He took off his brown jacket and sprawled it to the greenette’s sleeping form. “If… you know… please, take care of the little cloudlet for me.”

Nagant nodded, as well as David.

Oboro took one final breath before he opened the hatch, and jumped out without hesitation. A cloud formed beneath him, serving as a flying surf board. The door was already closed when he looked again, so he didn’t miss a beat as he surged through the wind to aid the number one hero. A few hundred meters below the jet, Oboro could see All Might and All for One duking it out in the skies. Whilst the villain used a variety of quirks to stay afloat, the hero used powerful claps to create shockwaves that propel him towards the devil incarnate. The blue-head was at awe at the level of control All Might has over his quirk. But he still looked like he’s losing.

He sped up his cloud and created multiple cloud platforms around the battling monsters. “ALL MIGHT! USE THESE AS STEPPING STONES!”

The two looked at him for a moment, before the hero delivered a particularly heavy blow to All for One. He then allowed himself to fall onto one of the cloud platforms created by Oboro. All Might didn’t give the villain time to recover as he jumped away from the cloud, destroying it in the process. His punch hit the All for One square on the stomach. Before he could recover, All Might stepped onto another platform, and launched another punch.

His stream of attacks was stopped when the villain released a shockwave around him. Oboro would’ve been blown away if he hadn’t surfed away from where he was. He recreated the destroyed cloud platforms and surfed around the fighting figures to provide support. With his clouds, he was able to dampen attacks directed at All Might and temporarily blind All for One for a couple times. But the villain was getting impatient, and he finally released an attack not meant to harm, but to draw attention away from him.  

Several black balls shot out of the villain’s hands, which all exploded simultaneously. When the dust settled, All for One was already surging towards the jet. Oboro didn’t waste any time as he surfed with his cloud, All Might closely behind also on a cloud. “Loud Cloud!” the hero yelled when he was close enough. “Create a cloud right above the jet, and get inside! I’ll push us both back to the ground!”

Oboro nodded and prepared his quirk.

Meanwhile, reddish black tendrils pierced the side of the jet, causing a rush of air to disorient everyone on board. “Shit!” Nagant cursed as she unfastened her seatbelt and used her quirk to shoot down the three tendrils that connected. All for One quickly retracted them after getting shot.

“What now?”

“Put these on the holes!” David instructed and handed her three purple balls.

She complied immediately without questions asked. Since the holes were relatively small, each ball covered the damage completely and merged with the walls of the jet. “What are those?” Nagant said suspiciously and sat down beside Izuku again.

“Emergency sealants.”

“I see,” the girl mumbled as she looked out the window to assess the situation. All for One was hot on their trail, and a few feet below him were Shirakumo-kun and All Might. There was no need to worry. But then, All Might jumped off the cloud and surpassed the jet’s altitude, only to come rushing down again and took the villain with him. The force of his jump caused a turbulence that awakened Izuku.

A whimper escaped the boy’s lips and Nagant was by his side immediately. “Izuku, are you alright?”

Instead of a reply, he opened his eyes, and the girl felt chills run across her spine. His eyes were completely green and glowing, swirls of green energy danced beneath his skin before shooting out in random directions. Everyone ducked away from the boy’s quirk, only to realize that the jet was beginning to emit energy surges.

“What’s happening?” Nagant said.

“He’s supercharging the jet with radiation!” David informed from the floor, frantic and amazed.

“And what does that mean?”

There was a beat of silence before the professor looked at her with a serious expression. “It means, he’s prepping the jet to be teleported…”

Nagant’s eyes widened. She spared a glance at the boy with green energy spewing out of him chaotically, and ran towards the nearest window to look for Shirakumo-kun.

From the outside, Oboro had no idea of what’s happening. But when he got closer and closer to the jet, he began to notice that green sparks were littered all across the vehicle. Nagant’s face suddenly appeared on one of the windows, frantically signaling something. He didn’t understand what she’s saying of course, he needed her to open the jet first before they could talk. But she was quite insistent on her gesturing, and with a closer look, he realized she was telling him to get closer.

“Like this?” he asked no one in particular as he pushed the limits of his quirk to get closer and closer to the jet. Nagant nodded at what he was doing. He was only inches away from touching the jet, when a surge of green rushed out of the vehicle, warping everything it touched.

From the ground below, Nedzu was in panic. He called the commission for aerial support but the closest fighter jets and flying heroes would take about 30 minutes. The situation was bad, yet they had no choice but to wait for reinforcements. All Might couldn’t fly, and it’s not like Lady Nagant and Loud Cloud could attack from inside of the plane. It was not armed after all. But then, several minutes later, an alien thunderous roar ruptured the heavens, and lit up the dark sky with green.

Nedzu immediately contacted the control tower about what happened on the jet. Apparently, they lost all connection to the flight when the green glow appeared on the sky. He was already thinking of the worst case scenario as several respondents arrived on the private airport. But just as they thought all hope was lost, his phone rang with Lady Nagant’s contact number calling him.

The principal didn’t waste time to connect the call. “Nagant! What happened up there?!”

She was silent for a bit, before heaving a sigh and giving them their first good news since their flight. “We just arrived on I-Island. Izuku and Professor Shield are safe.”

“You’re in I-Island? Even at its top speed, the jet that carried you needed at least 3 hours to reach I-Island!”

“Well, it only took a minute to get here with green energy enveloping the jet and jumping through space.”

“Wait,” Nedzu tried to process what she just said. “Are you saying that Izuku transported the entire jet directly to I-Island?!”

“Yes. And he did it unconsciously.”

Chapter Text

Izuku had no idea how he got into this plane. The plane was way smaller than usual, so it was probably a jet. He didn’t have any flights though, and it’s not like he’d be allowed to leave I-Island so abruptly. However, it seemed like what’s happening was exactly just that. He stood up from his seat and looked around the plane, only to realize he was the only person here. No chatter, no music, just… nothing. Izuku was starting to feel uneasy.

He walked down the aisle trying to look for something. Anything. But then the lights turned off. “Hello?”

When it turned back on, there were people now. They were shouting and gesturing with each other, but Izuku couldn’t hear anything. His ears were muffled by static and he couldn’t even hear his own voice. He tried screaming at them, putting his hands around his mouth to make any sound become louder. But that’s when he noticed it. His hands… he couldn’t feel nor see it. He trailed his eyes down to his arm, to his legs, and he still couldn’t see anything. What the heck was happening?

Izuku decided that he should get closer to these shouting but silent people. When he stood beside them, his eyes widened. It was Nagant-chan and… Dad? Crowding over… a younger version of himself? WHAT?! His shock caused him to fall backwards as he noticed green sparks flowing out of the young Izuku. The energy began to charge the jet until everything was sparkling with green. And then it all exploded.

A burst of green assaulted his vision, and then there was nothing. Black in an endless horizon. He floated, or at least he thought so. Izuku had no senses in this dark place, but even then, he could feel something staring at him. The greenette turned around, and there in the darkness, sleek yellow eyes stared at him coldly. The surrounding emptiness began to resemble purple mist, sucking him in like a black hole.

As his unfeeling body was dragged to the center of the purple mist, the yellow eyes glared at him. Whispers from a voice forgotten kept repeating words, driving Izuku insane. “You did this to me cloudlet. You did this to me. You did this. You did this.”

“No, stop. Who are you? Stop—”

“You know me cloudlet.”

“Please… stop,” he said. But even he couldn’t hear if he really said something.

He only received a dark laugh in return.

“—I said stop!” Izuku jolted awake.

The bright rays of the early sun hit his face, giving him the warmth that was absent from the nightmare he had. “Just a damned nightmare…” he mumbled and sat up. Green swirls of energy danced around him, and it only took a single thought to banish them away. He took a nap atop Central Tower after he finished his morning jog, a routine he’s accustomed on doing every day. The sunrise from the tallest structure in I-Island was a sight that Izuku first saw when he attended his first I-Expo. Dad, who he called Shield-san back then, took him to the expo together with Melissa Shield, who he now called nee-san. It was slightly awkward since Izuku didn’t know them well, he just arrived a month ago in I-Island after all. But Nagant-chan was there, so it wasn’t all bad.

Looking back at it now, Izuku realized that it was the breeze and view from Central Tower that made him start talking again. Up here, he was closest to the clouds. His left hand absentmindedly gripped the Loud Cloud pin on his shirt. It’s one of the few things that tethers him to reality. But his peace of mind could not continue with the obnoxious beeping of his watch. He whipped his left hand away from the pin and glared at the gadget.

It showed [78% Sv]. Shucks, that’s the biggest dose he’s ever had this year. Due to continuous study regarding his quirk, Dad and several scientists found out unforeseen side effects that no one was aware of before. All those times when Izuku passed out and started using his quirk unconsciously, he was actually giving his brain severe trauma from potent doses of radiation. Thankfully, his body was geared to handle it short term, but he’s been having these episodes for years. The watch created for him constantly monitored the amount Sieverts inside his brain.

The human body could only tolerate radiation under 1 Sievert (Sv), but Izuku could handle about 4 Sv. Which was good since concentrated radiation constantly swirl inside his brain whenever he used his quirk. But right now, his head contains 78% of tolerable radiation. His quirk must be acting up while he was having that nightmare. Even though he already made all the green mists of energy around him disappear, the number didn’t go down at all.

Izuku sighed. He hated doing this, but he must look out for himself. He opened a leather strap attached to his right leg and took out a hand-held metal contraption. Dad called it the radipen. It functions like an epipen, but instead of injecting epinephrine to slow down allergic reactions, the device absorbs excess radiation from Izuku’s body. The pen was black with glowing green streaks when radiation is stored, and a fingerprint scanner on the button part where he’s supposed to press. He held the radipen, letting the scanner recognize his thumb print before the pen pinged to signal it’s ready.

He pushed it on his left arm, and pressed the button for a needle to come out. “Ugh!” It was the pain of the needle that makes him so reluctant to use the device when his radiation levels rise. And after that small piercing pain, comes the numbing on his arm as he feels the excess of his own power being stripped away. The redipen kept pressing on his arm as the percentage on his watch steadily decreased until it reached 0%, after which the extraction was done. “Oh, thank goodness…”

Izuku tossed the damned radipen away. He grimaced when the pen landed too far for him to reach, and he didn’t want to get up. With a sigh, Izuku created a void orb and his hand and tossed it a few inches above him. It turned into a small portal connecting to the ground beneath the radipen, making the device slid through the doorway as he caught it flawlessly. “I really hate you,” he said with a blank face.

Before he could do something he’d regret, Izuku put back the radipen on its holster and brought out his phone. He pressed a contact and waited for the person to answer. After a few rings, his video call connected, just for him to see— “Shoto! Oh my gosh, why are you only wearing a towel?” Izuku looked away, his face as red as his friend’s hair.

“I was in the shower,” the dual-haired boy said as he adjusted his camera so that only his face was visible. 

“O-Okay. Why don’t you take a shower first, then I’ll call back.”

“No, no, Zuku. I was already showering, but when I heard your ringtone calling me, I got out the bathroom to answer it.”

The greenette looked back to his screen with a stunned expression. “You mean to tell me that you stopped showering midway to answer my call…?”

Shoto nodded. “Yeah. I like talking to you.”

Izuku’s face reddened up again. How could the boy just casually say that? Especially when he looked so, so, so attractive right now with his wet hair dripping tiny droplets of water throughout his face and neck. “You can’t just say that, Shoto!”

“Why not? It’s the truth.”

Okay. He gives up. This gorgeous boy was too oblivious for his own good. “Okay never mind that. Start over,” he sighed and shook his head. “Good morning, Shoto! How’re you guys doing there?”

“We’re fine. Nothing new.”

Right. Real chatty boy he was. “No new stories from Fuyumi-san and her students? No college problems with Natuso-san? …No interesting arrests from Endeavor-san?”

“None of those, no. But you already know that, you asked the same questions last night.”

Izuku chuckled. “Yeah, I just thought maybe you guys talked after my call… Anyway, I hope you didn’t have a nightmare last night?” Shoto shook his head. “Ah, then I guess you win again.”

It was a contest that they’d been doing since six years ago. Both boys were constantly plagued by nightmares, so they decided to talk with each other regarding these dreams. Every morning, they’d consult each other about the previous night. Over time, their talking was able to minimize the nightmares, and the contest began. They counted the consecutive days in which they didn’t have a bad dream, and whoever breaks the chain loses. In the previous years, Izuku and Shoto exchanged wins. But whereas Shoto’s nightmares reduced as he aged, Izuku’s horrid dreams thrived as he grew up. It’s been two years since Izuku last won their contest.

“What’s the nightmare about?” Shoto’s voice was gentle and concerned.

“It was the one where a purple mist with yellow eyes kept talking to me. But… there was something else before that…”

Izuku’s nightmares often repeat themselves, with very few differences. The purple mist being one of the most common. “What happened before the mist?”

“I was in a jet… the one that took me to I-Island.”

“Wait,” Shoto said with furrowed brows. “You haven’t seen that sight before, right?”

“N-No, it’s the first time I saw it. A-Anyways… I saw myself there, t-the young me, at least. I was unconscious… and green sparks flew out of me to envelop the jet,” Izuku narrated, slightly confused himself. “T-Then… there was an explosion. The young me caused the explosion…”

“You know that it’s just a nightmare, right?”

“But what if that’s what actually happened? T-They told me that I was asleep for the entire flight while Uncle Might and nii-chan fought t-that damned villain!” Izuku’s eyes were starting to get wet as he thought of what he might’ve done. “W-What if that explosion I caused… k-killed—”

“Don’t, finish that sentence, Zuku. You’ll only tear yourself apart,” Shoto scolded with a tremble in his voice.

Both boys were silent for a few seconds. Simply contemplating on their past.

Finally, Shoto sighed and gave him a smile. “You shouldn’t really think of depressing things. Today’s a big day isn’t it? I wanted to see the presentation myself, but father won’t allow me.”

Izuku giggled, tears now gone and replaced by a smile. “Yeah… I’m actually excited for others to see it. But it’s not like you can just ask your father for a ticket to I-Island and think he’d allow you.”

“Actually, that’s not the problem. He would’ve allowed me to go if I hadn’t made a prior commitment.”

“Oh.” Wow, the Todoroki really do live in another world. “What commitment is it?”

“Nothing important.”

“Come onnnn. Tell me.”

“It’s really nothing,” Shoto said, sighing. “Shouldn’t you go prepare for the event? I know you’re still on Central Tower, and I have to prepare for the day.”

Izuku groaned playfully as he laid back down on the concrete. “Okay. Whatever you say. Call you later?”

Shoto smiled, an attractive, handsome smile that made Izuku’s heart skip a beat. “Yeah. I’ll call you later.”

The dual-haired boy ended the call, leaving Izuku to stare blankly at the clouds as he held his phone on his chest. His red, red face too stunned to do anything for now. That boy would be the end of him. His heart still hadn’t stop palpitating from Shoto’s smile and remembering that he was fully unclothed at that moment except for a towel. He only saw his friend that way for the first time. Izuku slapped both hands on his face and stood up. Shoto really knew how to cheer him up and keep his mind off of nightmares, but it also frustrates the greenette.

He always, and Izuku meant always, ends the call with a charming smile and voice deeper than usual. And every time, the greenette would spend a whole minute being flustered. He removed his hands from his red face and stared at the edge of the building. Without hesitation, Izuku jumped off the roof of the Central Tower. Not to die of course, but to simply experience the euphoric feel of falling endlessly. Hurtling himself atop high places probably wasn’t the best coping mechanism when he feels distressed, but he couldn’t find it in himself to stop. After all, there’s no risk of injury when he could simply reappear anywhere he wanted.

As the wind rustled his curls and tickled his ears, Izuku felt at ease. There was nothing tethering him on the ground. He could fall anywhere, or keep falling forever— it was true freedom, Izuku thought. Just as he was a couple of feet off the ground, he opened a portal beneath him that opened a few meters away. He popped out of the newly opened portal like how a mole rat would jump out of its hole in cartoons. Izuku’s downward momentum was transformed upwards as he angled the portal correctly. He allowed himself to fall a second time, and open another portal just before he could hit anything.

The greenette was jumping around I-Island, similar to how Spiderman swung from building to building. He always wanted to try that as a kid, but now that he mastered his quirk, he could do it anytime he wanted. Izuku kept repeating this, retracing the way he took when he was jogging, until he could finally see their house at the distance. Bracing himself, Izuku rolled sidewards midair and created a void orb on his palm. When he grasped the energy, he rematerialized at the front of their home. It was a modern, two-story house painted in white. It didn’t stand out, but it was very comfortable.

Instead of knocking on the front door like a normal person, the greenette made another void orb and let himself be warped inside his room. It was fairly cozy, and he really liked the custom designs he made. Even though he insisted that he didn’t need to customize his room, Dad still told him otherwise, so he eventually agreed. He designed it with one aesthetic in mind— clouds. His walls were painted in baby blue with wooden white clouds protruding from the base wall that had led lights within. Curtains were a stripe of blue and orange, his white carpet was shaped like a cloud, a cloud-shaped bean bag and pillows, and the bed that had blue covers and orange pillows.

Izuku was quite proud of his design choice. Of course there was a blue glass-cased cabinet with multiple action figures in it. All of his figures were either All Might, Endeavor, Present Mic, Midnight, Ingenium, or the rarest of the bunch, Eraser Head. A room wouldn’t be complete without framed photos of him with his loved ones, so he had those too. He sat down on his perfectly made bed, and removed his Loud Cloud pin from his shirt. Izuku put it atop his dresser where Sparkmight (who always wore his matching pin) and his limited edition Endeavor figure, watched over him every day. He strip off his clothes and threw them somewhere inside his tidy room before entering his personal shower.

It didn’t take long for him to finish cleaning up as he went to his dresser to put on the clothes he chose for today’s event. Olive green long-sleeved dress shirt, dark jeans, black shoes, and black socks. Classic semi-formal look that Izuku has worn multiple times already. But it’s not like he could think of anything else, he always stuck by this outfit. When he was done, he opened the door to step on the hallway only to be startled by the grinning face of his sister.

“Gosh nee-san!” he said gripping his heart. “You scared me, you know.”

“Hey, looking good there, Zuku.”

“Thanks… but I always wear this in semi-formal events… do you think it’s still okay to wear it a third time?”

“Nope. That’s why I prepared something else for you,” she smiled and wiggled her eyebrows

Izuku’s eyes sparkled. “Really? Can I see it???”

“You can change into it after breakfast. But, before that…” she said, dragging her voice. “Let me guess what you did earlier… You watched the sunrise from the highest point of Central Tower. You were having a peaceful moment, but then you decided to jump off the skyscraper, for some reason. You portal hopped across the island until you reached home, and then warped to your bedroom instead of knocking on the front door. Am I right?”

“Where did you put the tracker this time?” he whined. “I thought I already removed the bug you put in my phone.”

Melissa gasped. “That’s why I can’t track your phone!”

Izuku locked his door and closed it behind him before passing nee-san and heading downstairs. “I’m telling dad you’re tracking me.”

“Tsk. Tsk. Tsk,” she said condescendingly. “Joke’s on you, Zuku. Dad also wants to track your movements,” she grinned.

Izuku’s jaw dropped as he stopped on his tracks. “But why????”

“It’s the overly protective Shield instinct. Too bad you’re stuck with it for life, li’l bro,” she ruffled his hair before walking downstairs.

He groaned, but followed her nevertheless. The whole floor had a faint smell of Dad’s favorite spices, which made Izuku’s mouth water. Melissa guided him to the kitchen, taking a turn on the corner of the living room. “Good morning dad,” Izuku greeted and sat down the table.

“Oh Izuku, back from your morning run I see,” Dad said looking at him with soft eyes.

“And morning suicide too,” Melissa said with a grin, sitting beside Izuku.

There was a moment of silence before his dad’s face reddened as he turned to Melissa. “What?!”

After a lengthy explanation what morning suicide meant, the trio finally sat down to eat their breakfast. Since it’s a special day, Dad cooked him his favorite breakfast— waffles with whipped cream and strawberries on top. “Thanks for this dad! It’s so good…” he complimented, his mouth still half full.

His adoptive father chuckled, “You say that every time I cook you waffles with strawberries, Zuku.”

A memory suddenly rushed back to him. “You say that every time I cook you katsudon, Zuku.” It was what mom said to him. The exact words and same expression. Izuku felt a tear slid down his eye. Life really was coming together for him. “I love you, dad. And you too, nee-san…” he said with a soft smile.

Melissa side-eyed her dad, looking at Izuku awkwardly. “Uh… I love you too, Zuku. But where’d that come from?”

The greenette let out a choked laugh. “N-Nothing… just… I’m really thankful.”

“Well… I love you too, Zuku. But eat faster, you don’t want to be late for your demo,” Dad said, pointing at him with his fork.

They ate their meals quietly after that. Melissa was a fast eater. She seemed to easily gulp down her serving of eggs and bacons, and went up to her room to prepare for the event. Dad on the other hand, ate in a normal speed like Izuku. So, they finished around the same time. “Your sister already told you about the clothes she had for you? I think she’s done changing, get it from her, okay? I’ll also go and change.”

He went upstairs first, since dad had to clean up the dining table. It took a single knock on nee-san’s door for it to open. “Hey, Zuku! Here’s your new clothes,” she said handing them to him, “Go change, I wanna see.”

Izuku nodded, “M’kay.” He entered his room again, and switched what he’s wearing. He eyed the new outfit warily, it’s a style that he hadn’t worn yet, so he was kinda nervous if it would look good on him. The set had slim-fit black pants, a buttonless dark green suit jacket, and a black turtleneck. It looked professional and sleek. Izuku looked at himself at his dresser mirror, which was when he realized there was something on his suit jacket. A small silver lapel pin, engraved on it were the words Loud Cloud. His hand grazed the pin, and a smile formed on his lips.

“Life’s been good to me, nii-chan, mom… I just wish you were here to see it…” he whispered before exiting his room and going downstairs. Looks like he was the first one to finish, which has always been the case when they leave together. While Izuku waited for them, he had enough time to get a juice box from the fridge, strawberry yoghurt flavor. He poked a hole on the box with the straw, and sipped the delicious drink just as dad and nee-san came down the stairs.

“Looking good there, Zuku,” Melissa praised as she ruffled his hair. “I knew you’d fit the design I chose. You’re rocking it.”

“You really think so?”

“Don’t be insecure, son. You look good. Now, let’s go shall we?”

The adoptive siblings nodded and followed right behind their father. After locking all doors and activating the security system, they got in the car, with the siblings both seated on the backseat. “You know,” Melissa started, “I can’t believe I’m just saying this, but I really thought matcha would be your favorite flavor…”

Izuku looked up from his juice box. “Is it because my hair’s green?”

“Well… Yeah? I mean, your whole motif is green. Hair, eyes, quirk, clothes… see what I mean?” she gestured to his overall appearance.

“That’s too bad ‘cause strawberry’s my favorite. Shoto’s favorite is matcha though…”

Melissa sighed dreamily. “And this is why I believe that opposites attract…”

The greenette blushed. “W-What?”

“Oh come on, Zuku. You call each other every day, and you always have that goofy smile when talking about him,” nee-san stared at him blankly.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he huffed and looked away. But he couldn’t fight the urge to smile.

“That’s what I’m talking about! That goofy, goofy smile of yours you lovesick little brother.”

“Dad,” Izuku whined. “Tell nee-san to stop teasing me.”

“What, there’s nothing wrong with that, son. I mean, you and Shoto look good together. He’s a good kid, and quite powerful too. So, he can protect you.”

“Not you too…” he said buckling his seatbelt.

Laughter from the father-daughter duo echoed in the car as they drove off to the venue. Looking at the road, they passed several establishments that Izuku had grown accustomed to. The sleek-looking mall being his favorite one. Since I-Island didn’t have Dairy Dewdrops, the closest thing he found was a gelato shop inside the mall. Their strawberry ice cream was delicious, but they didn’t have ice cream bars. Which is why every time Izuku visited Japan with dad and nee-san, they always brought a fridge that they fill up with ice cream supply from Dairy Dewdrops.

And then there were also the various restaurants that they’d been to. Since I-Island is home to scientists from all walks of life, the island was naturally a melting pot of diverse cultures. They tried different dishes, but Izuku’s favorite still remained to be katsudon. It was a classic after all. His reminiscing was interrupted when his phone rang. He fished it out of his pocket, and smiled when he saw the caller ID.

“Hey guys, how are you?” he greeted with a beam, staring at his friends’ faces.

“I’m doing fine, Zuku. Hope you’re the same?” Toshi asked with raised brows.

Before Izuku could even reply, Kacchan butted in. “None of that crap now. Are you there yet? I wanna see the project you’ve been bragging to us about.”

“I wasn’t bragging, Kacchan,” he sighed and rolled his eyes.

“Whatever you say nerd.”

For the past few months, when Izuku was helping with the final stages of the project, he was quite excited to talk about it with his friends. Of course he wasn’t allowed to say the specifics regarding the project, but he hinted that it would change the scientific community forever. Whatever that meant. “And no, Kacchan. We haven’t arrived yet.”

“Can you at least finally tell us what the project is?”

Izuku looked away from his phone and faced his dad. “I am allowed to tell them now, right?”

“Yeah sure, go ahead.”

“Okay,” he breathed out. “The presentation will be about space travel. We’ve finally cracked interstellar travel using my quirk!”

His friends’ jaws dropped. Just as Izuku expected.

“Holy shit, you better not be joking, Zuku!”

“That’s amazing…”

“No, no. It’s real, you could actually watch the whole presentation online. But only through secured channels used by the world’s governments. I could hook you up in my own private feed if you want?”

“Awesome!”

“Hell yeah!”

“Also, what’s with Shoto these days? He’s always busy or something…” Izuku pondered.

Toshi broke eye contact with him and stared at something else within his room. “I haven’t been in contact with him that much. We still talk in calls though, together with Bakugou.”

“Tch. I don’t know what’s up with Icyhot. I’m not interested.”

The greenette huffed. That was such a Kacchan thing to say. “Well, we’re here. I’ll give you access later, and also give it to Shoto if he calls. Maybe he’ll finish doing his stuff early.”

“Bye for now, Zuku.”

“Take care nerd.”

And with that, the call ended. Nee-san looked at him with a unreadable expression. “What? Is something on my face?”

She giggled. “No silly. I’m just really happy that you have such good friends to rely on.”

“Yeah! They’re really great friends, right? I’m so lucky to have them!”

“Alright, save the chitchat for later. Let’s go.” They all exited the car and Izuku’s eyes laid upon the massive compound of Genesis Aeronautics, the space agency overseen by I-Island. It spanned several hectares since it housed the world’s most advanced rockets and satellites. For their particular demo today, they’d only be using one of the many laboratories in the facility. With the number of times Izuku’s been here, it was almost like his second home. Instead of letting dad lead the way, he walked up to him faster, and led them himself.  

When they entered the laboratory, a sea of scientists and several personnel were milling around the area. The family stood there awkwardly, until they were greeted by Dr. Harlacher, the head scientist of the project. “Professor Shield,” she nodded as a way of greeting. “Izuku, how are you feeling today? No unforeseen migraines, I hope.”

“I-I’m quite alright Dr. Harlacher, thanks for asking,” Izuku scratched his neck shyly.

“Is there anything I could be of assistance, doctor?” Dad asked out of politeness.

“Oh please, you’re guests here today. Well… apart from Izuku here. So, if you would excuse us, we still need your son for some preparations,” she said and guided the greenette to where he was needed.

Dad guided Melissa to the observation deck where seats were reserved for them. The laboratory was circular and painted in stark white. Observers were stationed a floor above them, overlooking the entire lab through reinforced glass. Izuku looked up in curiosity, and wasn’t surprised to see representatives from countries all over the world. There were also several cameramen stationed both in the observation deck, and the demonstration area. He could suddenly feel his nerves getting antsy.

Izuku needed a slight distraction before they begin, otherwise, he could embarrass himself. “Dr. Harlacher…”

“Yes, Izuku?” she hummed, back turned from him as she was doing something.

“My friends wanted to see the live feed from the demo, but they’re not from I-Island… Can I… maybe… hook them in my own private feed?”

“Huh… you know, this demonstration is highly confidential. Which is why only about 13 countries participated.”

“So, that’s a no?”

“It’s a no. But there’s nothing we can do if you accidentally gave access to your feed. We can’t exactly reprimand I-Island’s prodigy,” she smirked.

Izuku perked up at the indication. “Then can I use the bathroom?”

“Knock yourself out, kiddo.”

Izuku sprinted to the bathroom and took out his phone. Every time Izuku wanted to share something with his friends, he was always lectured how their connection could be hacked, and villains would get information regarding I-Island. Because of this, nee-san dedicated two months of her studies to create a secure channel that won’t just be difficult to hack, but also span around the world. Since then, Izuku’s instructors had no qualms of him sharing stuff from the Support Hub or Genesis Aeronautics.

He set up the feed and gave access to his three friends. The video they’ll be seeing would be connected to the giant screen displayed at the Central Tower, where the rest of the audience would be watching. The laboratory they’ll use for the demo was standard size, so it didn’t have enough room for everyone. When Izuku was done, he finally returned to Dr. Harlacher’s side.

“Okay put these on and we’ll get started,” the doctor said as she gave Izuku his lab coat and a pair of safety goggles.

She walked on the middle of the lab, surrounded by the devices they’d use during the demo. “Good day to you all. I am Dr. Sandra Harlacher, and for the past five years, I have been the head of Genesis Aeronautics’ latest endeavor— the Gateway Initiative. Even before the dawn of quirks, mankind has been seeking to study the vast worlds beyond our home planet. And now… with the Gateway Initiative, the human race can finally reach the stars within mere seconds.” The doctor nodded her head at the staff, and they all proceeded with the demo.

Izuku walked up to the most important component of their project, a generator so large that it was only a few inches off the ceiling. “What you see right now is the Void Generator,” Dr. Harlacher informed the audience. “It’s a machine designed to harness the quirk of one of our most outstanding students, Izuku Midoriya.”

Three palm-sized tunnels placed at the front of the generator stared at Izuku, and he allowed both his hands to accumulate energy. He then placed a void orb for each tunnel, where they hovered within the holes using electromagnetism. The tunnel lit up in bright green stripes, and reinforced glass sealed the orbs. “Three void orbs are now in electromagnetic confinement, beginning energy transfusion,” a male scientist said, and typed something on the holographic computer beside the generator.

Dr. Harlacher gestured at Izuku. He walked up to the middle of the lab, and stood beside the doctor as the Void Generator whirred. “For those who are unaware, Izuku here is the adopted son of our very own Professor David Shield. He’s a citizen of Japan, and I’m proud to say that it is only because of him, only because of my student, that this project was started in the first place.

She nodded at him with a smile, urging him to step forward and take center stage. “My quirk, Void Master, allows me to create orbs of pure radioactive energy,” he said, creating a void orb on his right hand. “With this, I can either choose to create a portal—” the greenette tossed the orb that transformed to a portal, “—or I could use it to teleport instantly,” Izuku demonstrated by reappearing on the other end of the lab. 

His quirk demonstration earned claps from the audience. “Long story short, Genesis Aeronautics found a way to harness my quirk, and make it truly astronomical.”

“Portal modulator is now fully charged. Vacuum chamber now closing,” another scientist declared.

Izuku took it as his cue to leave the center of the lab, just as a reinforced glass cage emerged from the floor. It enclosed the entire area with the unattended canon-looking thing at the very edge of the quarantined space. A glass cover was placed above the cage which materialized from the ceiling. Hissing sounds filled the laboratory as the experimentation zone was sealed. “Oxygen and nitrogen levels are steadily decreasing,” a female scientist supplied.

“That cannon-shaped object enclosed within the experimentation zone, is what we call the Portal Modulator,” Dr. Harlacher spoke. “The energy harnessed and accumulated by the Void Generator are all transferred to the modulator. Its sole purpose is to channel the energy, thus creating a portal.”

“All gas particles are now extinguished within the glass cage, commence portal creation,” one of the assistants said.

At the signal, the portal modulator lit up with green streaks. The nozzle shot out a steady stream of blackish green energy. At the opposite end of the stream, a circular portal gradually grew in size, tearing the fabric of space itself. The observers stared in awe at the sight before them, their hands clapping in respect and amazement. The green portal opened a few hundred meters away from Genesis Aeronautics’ space station.

It overlooked the green and blue expanse of the Earth, a planet so big for its inhabitants, but incredibly insignificant to the entirety of the cosmos. It truly was beautiful to see the land they live in. Izuku has seen this sight many times, along with the scientists in this room, but the happiness of sharing their work still made him tear up as he gazed on his planet.

Dr. Harlacher hugged Izuku tightly, and he laughed before nuzzling closer. After they exchanged warm smiles, the doctor turned to the camera. “Ladies and gentlemen, we can now finally reach space without rocket science. This is the dawn of a new age. Space travel has never been easier.”

When the demo ended, Izuku was greeted by several stakeholders, interested company representatives, and government agents. It was all too much for the boy. He only signed up for the presentation, not these interviews. He didn’t even hear what they were saying, he simply smiled and nodded politely, saying yeah or okay every now and then. Thankfully, dad arrived just in time, pulling all attention on him instead. “Please don’t crowd my son. I know he’s amazing, but he needs his personal space too,” David’s comment earned a few laughs.

Izuku mouthed a thank you as he secretly sneaked away from the crowd. He took out his phone that had several notifications from their group chat. He opened it just to see that Kacchan and Toshi kept spamming different GIFs saying ‘congratulations’ or ‘you did it.’ Those goofballs. Izuku entered one of the resting lounge inside Genesis Aeronautics and pressed the video call button on the group chat. It only took a second before all of them answered.

“Zuku! Congrats on Gateway Initiative, you were so good out there!” Toshi greeted with a soft smile

“Hell yeah! Now you can visit anytime you want and I’ll go beat you in a sparring match.”  

The greenette laughed at how different his friends view was regarding the demo. “Why thank you, Toshi. And for the record, Kacchan, all our matches were draws.”

“Oh yeah?! I’m about to change that!”

“Zuku, you did great. It’s good to see that your quirk has helped in scientific advancement,” Shoto complimented.

“I’m happy that you got to see it despite your schedule, Shoto,” he smiled goofily.

“I only saw the part near the ending. But I was watching when the Portal Modulator opened that portal.”

“Are you allowed to use the machine anytime?” Toshi piped up with an excited tone. “I mean, it’s basically working because of your quirk.”

“What did you have in mind, Toshi?”

The purple-head grinned. “Space seemed very quiet and peaceful. I wouldn’t mind putting on an astronaut suit and floating in vacuum every little while.”

Izuku laughed. “I don’t think they’d allow that, but I’ll still ask.”

“HAH! What a lame way of using Zuku’s greatest achievement, Eyebags!”

Toshi sighed. “I told you not to call me that, Bakugou. Do you want me to call you Bakkun again?”

“I hardly care what you call me. And, I’m not gonna stop calling you that until you get rid of those eyebags!”

“Whatever Kacchan.”

The blonde growled. “Say that again, Eyebags, I dare you.”

“You do have noticeable eyebags, Shinsou. But that doesn’t mean you should call him that, Kacchan,” Shoto smirked.

Izuku’s heart skipped a beat just then. His friends were arguing in the call, but he knows they weren’t making serious threats. “I have an idea,” he said suddenly, silencing them. “We could use the portal modulator to set up our very own moon base!”

His friend’s gaped at him like he was the crazy one in the group. “Oh, come on. It’s really cool you know! We can set-up our agencies there, I know we’re all too good to be each other’s sidekicks anyway.”

“Tch. That’s lame and impractical, Zuku. This isn’t some Justice League shit where their home-base is in space.”

“I agree on Bakugou on this one. We’re too far away from the action to respond qui—”

“That’s why we have a portal modulator, Toshi,” he whined.

“But information will take too long to reach,” Shoto added.

Izuku sighed. “Okayyyyy. I get it. But space stations are the next big thing here in Genesis Aeronautics, I’m telling you.” His whining got laughs from his friends.

All of a sudden, the greenette’s paranoid senses picked up a threat. He stood up and quietly assessed his surroundings. The room was still secured, and he could always escape with his quirk. When he turned towards the left wall, his phone slipped from his grasp, ending the call with the others. Izuku didn’t know if he was hallucinating or not, but a smiling face certainly does NOT belong to wall. He fell down on his butt just as the face began to exit the wall, its blue eyes cold and piercing. “STAY AWAY FROM ME!”

In that instant, Izuku’s watch registered [100% Sv], and several furniture vanished with a burst of green energy.

Chapter Text

An excruciating migraine assaulted Izuku just then, his head as much of a mess as the entire lounge was. He needed to inject his radipen, he needed to get away from that creepy wall-face, and he needed to tell dad what happened. The greenette crawled away from where he last saw whatever that was, whilst trying to unclasp the radipen from a holster on his pants. He hid behind the destroyed couch and drained all of the radiation in him. He waited for his watch to display 0% again and stood up in a fighting stance to take care of whomever that was.

However, he was surprised to see that the floating face was gone from the left wall that now only remained as a hole. Was he hallucinating? He genuinely thought that he saw a ghost just then. It’s not common occurrence to see a face with blinking eyes, plastered on the wall like a trophy. He cautiously relaxed his stance. “Hey there!” the blonde blue-eyed boy waved a few feet beside him.

Izuku stumbled backwards, but he caught himself with a backflip and threw a void orb at the perpetrator simultaneously. He watched with wide eyes when the boy dodged his throw quite easily, but he was even more baffled when the boy flipped away as Izuku expanded the orb in an attempt to envelop him. The greenette made another set of void orbs and assumed a defensive stance.

“Wait! I’m not a threat!” the boy shouted and raised his arms in surrender. “I startled you, that’s on me. I’m so sorry for that.”

Izuku didn’t listen. He threw the void orbs at the guy with the attempt to drive him away and hopefully get some help. But even crazier than impeccable dodging skills, the void orbs passed through the stranger as if he was a— “G-G-GHOST!”

“What?!”

“You! You’re a ghost!” he screamed, continuously throwing void orbs without any care. But he always made his power dissipate the moment they phased through, so that he won’t cause any more damage.

The stranger paused and looked at him quizzically. “Ghost? This is my quirk, silly.”

“S-So you’re a normal human being?” Izuku’s stance faltered. “It still doesn’t matter, you’re here to kidnap me or something.”

“Woah. Woah. Woah. Woah. WOAH! That’s totally not what’s happening, okay? I’m not a threat!”

“If you’re not a threat, t-then why were you spying on me?!”

“Oh that…” the stranger chuckled bashfully. “It’s a practical joke I pull every time I meet someone.”

Izuku was dumbfounded. “I-I see…” he didn’t know what else to say.

“Well… since I’m the one that caused all this… damage, let me pay for it,” he scratched his neck shyly. “I think I still have some money left…”

While it was true, Izuku couldn’t help but think that he overreacted. He looked around and cringed at what he’s done. The couch that he sat on was now halved due to his quirk teleporting a part of it, the floors and ceiling were chipped, the coffee table was gone,  the paintings on the wall vanished along with several cabinets, and the entire left wall only remained as a hole. Dad would have to pay a lot to renovate his mess. “Don’t worry about the mess,” Izuku chuckled dryly. “My insurance will pay for it. This always happens…”

“This always happens?” the boy whispered questioningly, but shook his head. “Okay, that’s not the point. My name’s Mirio Togata, and I’m really sorry for the mess here, Midoriya-kun.”

The greenette looked at him with a stunned expression. “Y-You know me? But I haven’t introduced myself yet.”

Togata grinned at him. “I watched the presentation earlier. Of course I’d know your name.”

“Oh. That makes sense,” Izuku said, finally lowering his guard and stood casually. “And, um… why do you look so familiar Togata-san? Have we met before?”

“Maybe you saw me in the Sports Festival?” He said with a thoughtful expression. “It’s my first time in I-Island actually.”

A light bulb suddenly appeared in Izuku’s mind. That’s it! He knew that that quirk was familiar. “Permeation! That’s right, nee-san and I saw your quirk in the Sports Fest and we were amazed by it!” he fanboyed with sparkling eyes.

The blonde boy was startled at the sudden switch in attitude, and when the greenette closed their distance in a second. “Uh, yeah. That’s my quirk alright.”

Izuku squealed. “I knew it! Could I—”

“What’s going on here?!”

“Freeze!”

Both boys got startled by the sudden voices and raised their arms reflexively. Izuku stood beside Togata. Looking at the door, several guards pointed tasers at them. “Everything’s fine guys,” the greenette reassured with a wide smile.

“Zuku! What do you mean, everything’s fine? The lounge is clearly destroyed because of a fight,” dad emerged from behind the guards.

“Oh yeah…” he trailed off and cringed when he looked around him. “I can explain. And I assure you, nothing bad happened.”

Whilst the staff of Genesis Aeronautics cleaned up the mess Izuku caused, the boys detailed on what happened in the lounge. “Hmm, so the fault lies in both of you,” David said with a raised brow.

Izuku and Togata looked at each other sheepishly. “Yeah…” they said.

The three of them were seated inside another lounge, a few doors away from the one that Izuku destroyed. “Don’t worry about it, Izuku’s insurance will pay the damages…” the professor sighed.

“I’m so sorry for my mistake, professor. I shouldn’t have startled Midoriya-kun in the first place.”

“If you want to make up for that mistake, then you should do what your mentor sent you here for,” David stood up and motioned for them to follow.

What’s dad talking about? Izuku thought as he stood up and walked beside Togata, following his dad in a hesitant pace. The silence was so awkward, and their slow pace wasn’t helping at all. Izuku had half a mind to ask dad where they’re going and just teleport them there, but he was kinda shy. They passed through different rooms, laboratories, and hangars. All of which, Izuku had already been inside, either to help with research or just observe. Togata was busy admiring all the things they passed through, but Izuku saw the blonde boy visibly get excited when he saw the latest planes and rocket designs in the hangars.

Since no one started a conversation among them, a walk that was probably only five minutes felt like an hour. But they finally reached their destination, which Izuku was eternally thankful for. They were still inside Genesis Aeronautics, but Izuku found it weird that they stopped in this particular door. “Um, dad? Isn’t this the abandoned hangar that’s about to be converted to another lab? Why are we here?”

“So you remember this place? We’re here to help with the demolition,” dad said as he swung the door open, revealing a wide space with two figures inside.

Izuku couldn’t mistake that silly blonde hairstyle, tall physique, and classic blue costume. “Uncle Might!” he yelled and ran with his fastest speed. Melissa, who was talking to their uncle, moved away when she saw Izuku approaching. The greenette launched himself towards the number one hero and hugged him as tightly as he could. “I really missed you!”

“Young Izuku, I missed you too, my boy!”

The greenette giggled and squeezed tighter. When his uncle settled him down the ground, he looked at his dad questioningly. “Dad, you said we’re here to help with the demolition. Does that mean that Uncle Might will use his quirk to destroy the hangar?”

All Might’s booming laugh made Izuku doubt his own question. “You misunderstand my boy. You and Mirio will be the ones to destroy the hangar.”

“Um, I don’t follow, sir,” Togata said, standing beside Izuku now.

“Remember when I told you that I’m bringing you in I-Island to see how you fair against their most powerful citizen? Well, you’re standing beside him now,” the hero grinned.

Izuku blushed at the compliment. “Uncle Might…” he whined. “I think you’re overselling me… my instructors are still able to defeat me, you know…”

“They beat you because you still lack experience. And all those sparring matches were fought quirkless,” his dad smiled and ruffled his hair. “Consider this your practical training before taking the entrance exam in UA.”

The boys watched as All Might and Shield walk away, and towards the very edge of the hangar. It was the safest place to observe a battle. “We’re just gonna stand here. Away from all the action.”

“But we’re not wearing flexible clothing,” Izuku stated loudly, his voice echoing in the empty hangar.

“Ah, don’t worry about that. Mirio always wears his battle-ready tights,” Uncle Might shouted back.

“And your outfit was sewed to be flexible for any emergency,” added nee-san.

Izuku’s jaw fell down the floor at how prepared his family was. So everything was a set-up for him to get to fight Togata-san? Well, he did understand that if he wanted to go to UA, his skills must be flawless, especially since he’d surely be hunted by villains due to his quirk. He shook his hands and stretched his arms, “Shall we do this then, Togata-san?” he asked looking beside him, only to find a pile of clothes that once belonged to the blonde high-schooler. A few meters in front of him, the teen rose up from the floor, dressed in white, blue, and red colored tights. “You look like the American flag, Togata-san.”

The blonde chuckled. “Indeed I do, Midoriya-kun. But we’re not here to talk about appearances, am I right?”

He adjusted his stance and created a void orb on his right palm to be ready for anything. Izuku eyed Togata warily, looking for signs of attack. “All Might told me to not hold back, Midoriya-kun! Is that alright?”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Togata smirked at his reply, and yellow sparks of electricity began to envelop the teen. In a blink of an eye, the blonde was in front of Izuku. The greenette didn’t even have any time to react as Togata’s punch went right through his head. The powerful wind pressure that was released caused the hangar to wobble a bit. Izuku was shaking from dread. If this was a real fight, his head would’ve been obliterated. Luckily for him, Togata phased his hand before the attack even connected.

“That’s a win for me.”

Izuku could only nod in a daze. Togata jumped away from him, just as fast as he dashed towards the greenette. There’s no way I could keep up with that speed, he thought. “Togata-san… how are you so fast and strong? Isn’t your quirk Permeation?”

“Oh, that…” he dragged on and looked at Uncle Might. Before Izuku could ask again, he gave an answer. “I guess my quirk is undergoing a mutation as I age. It’s not unheard of… and I’ve been practicing this new aspect of my quirk for months.”

“That makes sense I guess…”

The greenette steadied his breathing and made his premade void orb vanish. Togata-san had this yellowish electrifying aura surrounding him, it probably signifies that his physical attributes are enhanced. With an opponent this fast, Izuku’s own reaction time and agility could be trained. He focused on his stance and created another void orb.

“Ready for round two, Midoriya-kun?”

Izuku took off his green button-less suit, and nodded firmly.

Just then, Togata-san vanished through the floor, making Izuku panic. Okay think, there’s no way he could see underground, so his target position would be… where I’m standing! Izuku grasped his void orb and barely dodged Togata’s attack when he emerged from the floor. He didn’t give the blonde any time to recover as he warped right above his opponent’s head, and delivered a game-ending axe kick. Well, at least it would’ve been game-ending if Togata didn’t simply phase through Izuku’s right leg.

As Izuku was falling down, Togata aimed a punch right at his gut. His quick reflexes allowed him to grasp another void orb mid-kick, warping away from the blond. “Your reflexes are impressive, Midoriya-kun.”

“Well, you haven’t used your explosive speed yet. So, I can still keep up, Togata-san.”

The blonde smiled, and disappeared through the floor yet again. This time, instead of warping away, Izuku trusted his intuition and waited. His heart beat twice for every second that passed, and when he felt like it was the right time, he performed a back handspring. As expected, Togata-san emerged in front of where he previously stood. Mid-handspring, Izuku threw a void orb at his opponent, expanding it rapidly.

Once the greenette regained his footing, he performed successive frontal flips to build momentum. His destination— the corner where he warped Togata. The exact moment that his target warped, Izuku perfectly aimed and timed a kick that sent the blonde teen flying. “One win for each of us, Togata-san,” he smiled as he stood up properly and dusted off his clothes.

“I’m not down yet, Midoriya-kun. It’s not a win,” said the blonde as he stood up and caught his breath.

“That’s because I didn’t use my quirk,” Izuku pointed out. “Uncle Might! Do you think Togata-san can handle my void-powered attacks?”

All Might laughed heartily. “Don’t worry my boy. Go all out on him, just imagine that I’m the one you’re facing.”

Izuku’s adrenaline rushed throughout him, “So, that means I shouldn’t hold back…” He looked at the blonde with newfound determination. “Togata-san! Let’s fight for real this time. No more holding back!”

Togata’s body lit up in electric yellow again, his eyes just as determined as Izuku’s. “I hope you can at least dodge my punches, Midoriya-kun.”

“Let’s do this, Tog—”

Mirio didn’t even let the greenette finish. He was already right in front of Midoriya and was aiming a punch right at his face. Too bad the boy disappeared in a flash of green before his attack could connect. What the— his reflexes were far better than before!

He was about to look for his opponent when he felt a small rush of air on his back. Sure enough, Izuku warped behind him with a well-aimed axe kick. In slight panic, Mirio adjusted his footing and blocked the attack with his arms instead of using Permeation. That was his mistake. The initial blow wasn’t really impressive, but he felt a rush of energy force itself inside his body. Despite the defense provided by One for All, Mirio’s feet sunk on the floor from the sheer force of Midoriya’s kick.

Mirio shoved the boy away.

To think that an attack from such a small body could rival Mirio’s 30% control of One for All. He understood now what Midoriya had said earlier. If he was attacked by such a force without the aid of One for All, he might’ve found himself with several broken bones. “Midoriya-kun. I thought your quirk only involves teleportation. I didn’t know it had a strength aspect to it.”

Izuku shook his head lightly. “You’re mistaken, Togata-san. What I just did was an application of my quirk. Much like how you travelling so fast under the floors is an application of your own base quirk.”

Huh, interesting. But he didn’t provide Midoriya a reply, and allowed himself to sink beneath the ground again. Even though deprived of his senses, Mirio perfectly emerged from the spot where the greenette stood. But his opponent wasn’t there anymore. When he looked up the ceiling, three void orbs rained down on him and rapidly expanded. Damn it! My body’s being sucked despite using Permeation!

Once the green haze disappeared, he was on a different part of the hangar. Mirio didn’t even get to regain his bearings when Midoriya delivered another kick to his side. His body was flung like a ragdoll as Midoriya’s void energy filled him. “I didn’t expect you to be— quite the powerhouse... Midoriya-kun,” he panted as he recovered his composure. All his life, Mirio’s Permeation was the perfect counter to the most powerful emitter-type quirks, as he’s able to simply phase through them. But now, Midoriya’s portals and expanded void orbs could override his quirk.

Pumped up about the situation, Mirio dashed towards Midoriya, and the greenette did the same. They met each other half-way, with the blonde aiming a punch while his opponent aimed a kick. Neither of the attacks connected as both of them were agile enough to dodge. Mirio released a barrage of punches and kicks, but Midoriya was able to dodge most of them by a hair’s breadth. The greenette flipped, twisted, and attacked in quick succession, as if he danced to a pre-planned rhythm. He was unbelievably flexible, which frustrated Mirio quite a bit.

He sped up his attacks, putting heavier force on his hits to slow down Midoriya. The boy was visibly slowing down with every hit that connected. It’s time to finish this match. Mirio aimed another punch to Midoriya’s gut, but before it connected, he flicked his fingers. The motion sent a powerful gust of wind that knocked Midoriya a couple of feet away.

Mirio didn’t waste time to let the greenette recover. He leaped towards Midoriya’s fallen body and was about to deliver a finishing punch. Too bad, he only hit the ground, creating a giant crack and shaking the entire hangar.

Before he could look for the greenette, Midoriya appeared beside him. With a savage kick, Mirio was sent flying towards the wall.

He didn’t even get to recover as Midoriya reappeared in front of him again. The greenette held onto the blonde’s shoulders, and delivered a knee kick towards Mirio’s midsection. Luckily, he was quick enough to use Permeation, making Midoriya’s attack phase through the wall behind him. Green energy pulsed within the concrete walls, creating a huge web-shaped cracked that shook the hangar for the second time.

Mirio sank through the floor, and reappeared at the center of the room. This boy was quite powerful. There’s no easy way to defeat him as he’s both agile and slippery with that warp quirk. Time to get more serious then. Mirio focused his breathing, and increased the percentage of One for All from 30% up to 35%. Although the change might be small, the difference in power and speed would be drastic.

He ran towards the greenette again, but this time, they didn’t collide. Mirio phased through Midoriya’s body, surprising the boy as he tugged at the black turtleneck and threw him down like a sack of broccolis. He pinned down the smaller boy with a triumphant smile and was about to deliver a final punch. But yet again, Midoriya managed to warp both of them with an expanded void orb. They reappeared midair with their positions switched— Mirio below the greenette, falling face first.

The blonde managed to catch himself, and he stood upright as he landed on the ground. This kid’s outrageously vigorous in his assault. Just as he thought of that, Midoriya warped above him, ready to deliver an axe kick. Mirio phased through the attack.

However, when the kick connected to the ground, the whole hangar violently shook. The green energy oozed out of the floor, terraforming the entire battlefield to an uneven ground.

“I didn’t realize that Zuku’s power grew to this level after just a year. Are the instructors really that competent here, Dave?” All Might asked from the sidelines.

Luckily for the three spectators, they were seated on stools by the entrance, far away from the sparring match. “It’s not the instructors here actually. Zuku’s main teacher when it comes to combat is Nagant. She’s the one that teaches Zuku all advanced combat techniques and quirk enhancement. You hadn’t personally met her, have you?”

“Hmm, now that you mention it… no. I haven’t been able to meet her yet. Where is she anyways?”

“Nagant-chan is always needed by the commission for lots of assignments. So, she rarely visits I-Island. But when she does, Zuku always trains with her rigorously,” Melissa pointed out.

“But I can’t believe that Togata-kun could tank Zuku’s attacks. He seem to possess a strength comparable to yours, Toshinori…”

All Might cleared his throat nervously. “We-Well… Mirio is a talented individual…”

“In any case. Those two are doing a better job at destroying the hangar than I initially thought…”

“Whoever wins… I think it’d be safe to say that it was a fun battle.”

Meanwhile on the battlefield, Mirio had just delivered another blow to Midoriya. With the ground uneven due to the greenette’s attack earlier, their footing wasn’t stable at all. But Mirio thrived in such environment, as he could simply sink down and reappear with a punch. His approach was effective, as Midoriya was beginning to get sloppier each second, and he was also peppered with bruises. It won’t take long to defeat him now.

But Midoriya wasn’t giving up. He flipped away to create distance between them, and threw three void orbs at Mirio. The blonde sunk down the ground instead of risking to phase through it, and just be sucked in nonetheless. He popped out the floor several feet behind Midoriya and boosted his usage of One for All from 35% all the way to 50%. The result was an explosive speed that the greenette was unable to react to. Mirio snatched both of Midoriya’s hands and forcibly closed them, preventing him from creating another void orb. He buckled his opponent’s knees and forced him to kneel.

“It’s my win, Midoriya-kun,” he said with heavy breaths and a triumphant smile.

The greenette giggled good-heartedly. “I still— s-still have a long way to go, T-Togata-san. You win— this time,” he said between breaths.

Mirio let him go afterwards and helped him stand up. “We really did a number on this hangar, huh. And you’re the one that did most of these damages…”

“W-Well… there’s no way I could defeat you if I don’t go all out, Togata-san…” he laughed bashfully.

“Zuku! You look so cool when you fight!” Midoriya’s sister, Melissa, squealed as she ran towards them.

“Careful nee-san! The floor is broken, you know…”

“Yeah, yeah. Don’t worry.” 

Mirio stepped away from the siblings as they talked. Even though they were unrelated by blood, he could really see how close the two were. “That was a great fight, Togata-kun. You might be one of the most powerful people I’ve seen,” Professor Shield said, as he patted Mirio’s shoulder.

“Thank you Professor. But honestly, Midoriya-kun gave me trouble that no one else had. He’d be a great hero.”

The professor smiled walked towards his kids. All Might approached him while the family talked about the match. “So, how’d you find my nephew? He’s pretty good isn’t he?”

“Yeah… I didn’t know someone who’s not even in high school could be this powerful.”

“You know… he was actually my prime candidate for One for All.”

Mirio looked at All Might with wide eyes. “He was?”

“Mm-hmm. But I figured he wouldn’t need it. His quirk is already powerful as it is, I can’t imagine how powerful it would’ve been if it was further amplified,” All Might shuddered from the thought.

The blonde was inclined to agree. Mirio never would’ve thought that someone as young as Midoriya could be this powerful. The only quirk that he could consider his weakness was the quirk of Mr. Aizawa, and now the greenette seemed like he’s another weakness for Mirio. That kinda annoyed him.

“Sir? Do you have an idea how Midoriya-kun’s attacks work? The one where his kicks are unbelievably powerful.”

All Might just laughed at him as he pat the boy’s back. “This is is only one of the many sparring matches you two will be doing. With time, I’m sure you’ll figure it out yourself.”

I was really hoping for an answer right now, though… Mirio thought. But he simply nodded, knowing that his mentor wouldn’t tell him anyway.

Izuku was buzzing with excitement and anxiety as he stood beside his father. Before them, the I-Island council sat on their positions with genial smiles on their faces. Today was the day of UA’s entrance exam, a once in a lifetime event that would determine Izuku’s future. He was thankful that an opportunity like this was given to him, especially as a recommendation applicant with the backing of Nagant-chan.

“So, we already submitted all the papers regarding Izuku’s application. All you guys need to do is show up and take the exam,” instructed one of the council members.

Dad nodded, “And my daughter and I will tag along for any emergency regarding Zuku’s quirk.”

Although outside spectators shouldn’t be allowed, Izuku’s family was granted a pass due to the uniqueness of his circumstance. “All Might is also on standby in case anything happens. But our point still stands, Izuku will be transported back to the island the moment things go awry.”

Izuku hummed in understanding. It’s one of the major points of his agreement when he starts going to UA. The island cannot afford to lose Izuku’s quirk, since multiple projects have already started that heavily rely on his void orbs. All of which he also wanted to see getting finished. So, he’ll comply, even though he knew his body wouldn’t allow him to simply run when people are in need. After a few more instructions, Izuku and his dad were sent to the laboratory that contained the Void generator and Portal modulator. According to the council, flying in airlines was risky for Izuku’s safety. And since they already had the world’s most advanced transportation, why not use it?

Nee-san and Uncle Might waited for them at the laboratory. Togata-senpai was with them as well, since he’s allowed to spectate the entirety of the recommendations exam. With Izuku already dressed in gym wear, the only thing left to do was for them to directly teleport to UA.

“Readying the portal modulator,” one of the operators said. 

“Wait, shouldn’t I power the Void generator with my quirk?”

“Oh don’t worry. The void orbs you supplied during the demo could last for up to five uses.”

Right, he forgot. He shrugged with a small chuckle and watched as the portal modulator whirred to life. Just like last time, it was still awe inspiring how his quirk could be used to produce an effect of this magnitude. A gateway opened in the middle of the room, connecting I-Island to Japan. On the other side, the UA hallways was filled with the smiling faces of Sho-san, Uncle Zashi, and Auntie Nemuri.

Izuku’s eyes immediately widened as he dashed towards Aizawa. “Sho-san!” he screamed and jumped up to latch on the teacher like a koala. Luckily, Aizawa was feeling quite happy today, so he indulged the hug. “I’ve missed your grumpy attitude so much~”

“Okay that’s it. First time we meet in over a year, and that’s the first thing you say. Go to Zashi now,” Aizawa grumbled with a fond smile.

Just as instructed, Izuku leaped towards Uncle Zashi next who was a few feet away from Sho-san. “I’ve missed you so much, Uncle Zashiiiii!” he dragged on the last syllable as he hugged the blonde cockatoo tightly.

“And don’t forget about Auntie Nem!” the said hero exclaimed as she too joined the hug, squishing Izuku between the two adults. “You’ve grown so much you baby boy!”

“I’m not a baby Auntie~” Izuku whined, still hugging them tightly.

They held on for a few more moments until Nedzu stepped up. “I’d hate to break this wonderful reunion, but the exam starts in 30 minutes. Let’s get going for now, shall we?”

Bashfully, Izuku disconnects himself from his aunt and uncle to look up his dad. “Where’s Nagant-chan? I thought she’d sponsor me?”

“Lady Nagant is already on standby in the waiting area. I’ll lead you and your father there, while the rest of you go find seats to spectate,” said Nedzu as he rounded up the corner. Just like the chimera indicated, their group separated into two and went into different paths.

Izuku has been in the school multiple times already, both as a kid and growing up. So, he had a general idea to where the entrance exams were going to be held. And sure enough, he was correct. It was inside Ground Gamma, an industrial training site with many factories that formed a labyrinth. His mentor and head security in Japan smiled at him as they walked towards the waiting area.

“Nagant-chan!” Izuku yelled with a huge smile as he ran towards her. “I’ve missed you so much…”

“I missed you too, green bean,” she whispered in a gentle tone as they hugged each other. “I’ve already signed all the paperwork and other stuff, so let’s just go.”

She nodded at his father and Nedzu before leading Izuku inside Ground Gamma where the exam would be held.

Multiple strangers, both his age and adults, stood in the area for the exam. The buildings and faux factories giving an odd atmosphere to the otherwise friendly gathering. Well, not exactly friendly since we’re all competing… Izuku and Nagant stood underneath the shade of a large water tank, overlooking everyone else. The examiner wasn’t there yet, so they were left to roam as they pleased.

The greenette’s eyes scanned the area, looking for his friend that he knew would surely be there. A smile formed on his face as he found him. Shoto stood beside the flaming figure of the Number Two hero, looking slightly displeased but mostly indifferent. “Nagant-chan, let’s go greet Shoto,” he smiled as he motioned his head towards their direction.

“Sure,” she shrugged and walked in their direction with Izuku beside her.

They weren’t even that close yet when the boy teleported himself, and abruptly appeared beside the dual-haired boy. “Shoto, you’re here!” his hug was tight and warm as he enveloped his friend.

His friend got a bit startled from the sudden appearance, but he relaxed when he realized it was just Izuku. “Oh, Zuku. Don’t sound surprised, you already know I’ll be here,” Shoto said as he put his arms around the shorter boy. “Good morning, ma’am.”

“Aww, boo. I already told you to call her Nagant-chan…”

“Lady Nagant is fine. But never call me like Zuku does. It irks me…”

 Izuku stuck his tongue out at the woman before turning towards Shoto’s dad. “Endeavor-san! Good morning, how’s hero work?”

The number two hero, knowing that he won’t get away with staying silent, sighed deeply before he replied. “Nothing new, Zuku. Just normal criminals. And no. No undercover missions or detective work either,” he grumbled before the greenette could say a thing.

“You really know what I’m gonna say next, huh, Endeavor-san?” he said with a cheeky smile and disconnected from his friend. “How about you, Shoto? Any new moves you learned?”

Shoto smirked at him, his features becoming softer. “It’s a secret, Zuku. You’ll have to see for yourself…”

Damn this boy, he’s gonna be the death of Izuku. He felt his face getting red from that coy smile that Shoto just did. Izuku looked away as to not embarrass himself further and cleared his throat. “W-Well, if you’re gonna be like that… then I guess I won’t tell you my new moves either,” he huffed and made his eyes roam around just to not settle on this handsome boy before him.

And that was the right thing to do, since he spotted Iida-san just a few feet away from them, talking to someone that appeared to be his younger brother. “I’ll go see Iida-san, see you guys later.”

“Yeah, see you later Zuku,” Shoto smiled at him, his voice deeper than usual. Again. What the hell is wrong with this boy and his irresistible charm? He didn’t even say anything to Nagant-chan as he teleported away from them to hide his red face. 

With a green flash, he reappeared right beside the Turbo hero. “Ingenium sir, ready for duty sir!” Izuku saluted with a huge grin.

The hero was confused at first, flinching slightly, but then he immediately recognized the unmistakable green hair and freckles. “Green bean! Hey, how’s it going?” Iida-san said with a smile and pulled him in for a hug. “I’ve missed you, little buddy,” he said, ruffling the boy’s hair.

“Missed you too, Iida-san,” Izuku said from the hero’s chest.

“Um, nii-san, who is this?” the smaller Iida asked as he adjusted his glasses.

“Oh, right. You two haven’t met yet,” the older brother said with panic as he pulled Izuku from his chest. “Remember those week-long trips that I take every June? I said they were classified hero work, and they were, but it’s also together with this little green bean. Tenya, meet Izuku. Izuku, meet my younger brother.”

Izuku’s eyes sparkled as he offered a handshake. “Ahhh, Tenya-kun. Iida-san has told me so much about you.”

“I wish I could say the same, but he never told me about you,” Tenya chuckled bashfully and shook the outstretched hand. “You’re also here for the recommendations exam, right? Who’s sponsoring you, Izuku-kun?”

“Ah it’s actua—”

“Me. I’m sponsoring this little brat,” Nagant-chan said with a faux smile. A nerve visibly appeared on her forehead as she squeezed Izuku’s shoulder. “You were instructed to be accompanied by me at all times, weren’t you green bean?”

Crap, I totally pissed her off. “Y-Yeah... sorry about that.”

“Save your sorry during our training session later, okay green bean?”

He just smiled, a sheen of cold sweat on his forehead. Just then, an alarm blared within the area, alerting everyone to be on guard. “Attention everyone. All student applicants, please stand on the starting line of Ground Gamma.”

As instructed, the student applicants separated from their sponsors and stood on the blue holographic starting line. It was long enough for all of them to stand side-by-side for fair chances. Izuku looked over at Shoto who was standing a few meters away from him, and Tenya-kun that stood right beside him. All the sponsors also stood on a designated area where they couldn’t interfere.

“When the line turns from blue to green, the exercise has already begun. Your first objective: reach the finish line as sufficiently as possible.”

What the hell does that even mean? Izuku thought while keeping his eyes on the blue hologram. His hands were clammy and his stomach was churning, but he kept his eyes focused. The moment it turned green, Izuku flipped backwards and created a portal for him to fall through. His gateway opened several meters away from the starting line, and a few feet above ground. It seemed like his body was falling in slow motion as he could clearly see everyone moving.

Using the speed granted to him by gravity, Izuku created another portal just before he hit the ground. The momentum he gained transformed into forward motion as he created a portal parallel to the wall. He didn’t look back as he kept doing this repeatedly, completely bypassing the labyrinth that he would’ve taken otherwise. It looked like a pain to solve with all the turns that ground-runners have to take, and the footholds of the multiple metal tubes weren’t reliable.

Behind him, he could hear Shoto’s ice creeping closer, as well as the telltale sound of engine from Tenya-kun’s quirk. And then there’s also this guy flying beside him as he portal hopped. He had a buzzcut head and a quirk that seems to let him control wind. It was so cool! But he couldn’t afford to take it easy, so with sole purpose to win, he created a long-range portal this time. The gateway opened directly above the visible finish line.

I grinned and allowed myself to fall to it, closing the portal right after him. As he stepped forth the finish line, the blue hologram turned red this time. “Applicant number 9, Izuku Midoriya, has passed the first round!”

“Yey me!” he exclaimed as he pumped his fist in the air. Looking at it now, he just crossed the entire length of Ground Gamma. A robot lead him outside the area and into another facility. This one had a glass dome in the middle of the room, and when Izuku came to see what’s inside… it was actually bigger than he thought. The glass dome served as a caged ceiling for what appeared to be an arena beneath the floor. About two minutes later, the sound of rushing wind made itself known.

The next one to pass was the wind guy that flew beside him. “Applicant number 17, Inasa Yoarashi, has passed the first round!”

So his name was Inasa, huh? Izuku eyed him curiously as the boy did a couple of stretches while being led by another assist-bot. “OH, HI! You’re the first one that passed and I saw your quirk! It was very awesome! Inasa Yoarashi, at your service!” he said as he bowed his head in a perfect 90-degree angle.

Izuku was terrified of the intensity of this boy. All he did was look at him and what he gets in return is a surge of exclamations. But he seemed friendly enough, respectful too, even though Izuku and him were the same age. “T-There’s no need to bow Yoarashi-san. It’s nice to meet you too, my name’s Izuku Midoriya,” he chuckled shyly.

“It’s a pleasure, Midoriya-kun!” the student said before suddenly taking Izuku’s hand to shake it vigorously.

 “Applicant number 13, Shoto Todoroki, has passed the first round!”

“Applicant number 20, Tenya Iida, has passed the first round!”

The greenette looked over at the entrance as Shoto and Tenya-kun’s names were announced. “You were awesome guys!” he grinned at them as they appeared, his hand still being shook comically. “This is Yoarashi-san by the way. He finished just before you guys.”

 “I heard the PR say it, Zuku,” Shoto deadpanned.

“Your quirk is very impressive Izuku-kun. I’ve never seen anything quite like it,” Tenya praised with arms chopping the air like a robotic figure.

Izuku smiled as he pulled Yoarashi towards the other two. He took it upon himself to introduce the three with each other, while the PR system announced more students passing. Eventually, all of them were now standing in the room, curious to see what’s next. But it was already obvious that whatever the next task was, it’s connected to the dome in the middle of this room. They barely had any time to rest since the last one arrived just five minutes after Izuku.

“The next phase of the exam starts now. First passer, student number 9 Izuku Midoriya, please step onto the circular platform.”

As instructed, Izuku walked over to a glowing circle on the floor, a few feet away from the rest of the participants. He stood on it, waiting for something to happen. Then, magnetic strips of metal trapped his shoes on the platform, and sent him down underground with the speed of gravity. “Oh my sh—” The experience was akin to a trapdoor water slide, and the platform slowed down with a magnetic force when it was about to hit the bottom.

Izuku’s heart was beating eratically as he was ushered into the arena-like area that was overlooked by the glass dome. He failed to notice, but a section of the wall within the hollow battleground was also completely made up of glass. And on its other side were the various spectators and judges. He barely noticed his dad and nee-san when another door opposite of him opened up.

Out came a big green robot with a big number 3 plastered on its metal arm. “In the second round of the exam, applicants will have to defeat as many robots as they can with their finishing time during the first round, allotted for them.”

Wait, what?! “Isn’t it supposed to be the other way around?” Izuku mumbled in frustration. So, the faster they finished the lap, the shorter time they’d have in this round? Principal Nedzu’s methods really were frightening and defied common logic. Well, it’s not like he had a choice… so with all the courage he could muster, Izuku made and grasped a void orb in his hand. His body reappeared atop the robot, ready to deliver a void-powered axe kick.

The robot had no time to dodge, so it protected itself with its metal arm. None of the applicants, nor the spectators could've predicted what happened next. This boy who seemed to have a warp quirk, was able to singlehandedly shake the entire compound with a mere kick. The robot's body has been embedded in the floor, and the cracks on the ground glowed green for a second before everything settled to normalcy. 

Izuku landed on the ground gracefully, his face devoid of emotion as he stared at what he just caused. "I totally overdid it..."  

Chapter Text

One year ago, Support Hub Research Facility.

Izuku stood on a raised circular platform, dressed in a blue suit configured to read all his vital signs. Several sensors of different colors simultaneously lit up around him, scanning his body from multiple angles. He’s been like this for the past hour, creating and dissipating void orbs for the scientists to observe. It was a necessary stage of development, he knew that, but it was still so boring and tiring that he couldn’t help but sigh for the umpteenth time.

From the corner of the lab, Nagant-chan glared at him as he sighed. His mentor was waiting for the check-ups to be finished before they trained for the day; a routine that’s done weekly. This particular laboratory was dedicated to research Izuku’s void orbs, and replicate them totally independent of him. But even after a decade of study, they weren’t close to cracking the mystery of how Izuku’s quirk transforms CMBR into tears on the fabric of space.

One of the doctors handed him a comically large metal cuff as he was fidgeting with his fingers. “Uh… what’s this for"

“Please put it around your right wrist, Izuku-kun.”

He nodded at the doctor and gently wore it. It lit up green, probably scanning his CMBR levels. “And then please attach this to the cuff.”

It was a glass casing that he thinks was supposed to trap his void orb inside. Izuku put it on, and easily sealed the case, moving his arm around to test its weight. The contraption felt heavy, but his training allowed him to be stronger, thus the weight became bearable. “So… I’ll create a void orb now, right?” the head scientist gave Izuku a go, and he obeyed immediately. CMBR flowed through the air, converting it into pure radioactive energy as it passes Izuku’s brain. Izuku could feel his veins as they transferred the converted power into a coagulated green singularity atop his palm.

Except, the void orb didn’t fully manifest. He allowed it to form too far away from his hand, so his quirk was made with a part of it hitting the glass casing. Green energy pulsed within the item, shattering it to countless shards. “Shit!” Izuku yelped as the broken pieces shot out, wounding a part his forehead in the process. He stumbled out of the platform as he looked wide-eyed at what happened.

The scientists and Nagant immediately went to his side. “Are you okay? You’re forehead’s bleeding. Are you wounded anywhere else?” Nagant was quick to put a handkerchief towards Izuku’s forehead while the others cleaned up the shards. “Take a seat, here,” she instructed and guided him towards a chair. “What happened?”

Izuku was on a daze, his eyes were unfocused as he stared at his mentor. “I uh… I d-don’t know. One second I was creating a void orb and then the glass exploded…” he whispered.

“How come your hand didn’t get injured, Izuku-kun?”

“I-I don’t know…”

“It’s because the glass exploded outwards,” Nagant said in frustration. “Okay. We’re done here for the day. I’ll go take him to the infirmary.”  

The next time that the greenette regained a semblance of sanity, half of the day had already passed. He stayed asleep due to being mentally drained by what happened in the lab. “I think I know what happened in there,” his mentor spoke softly as she awoke Izuku from his slumber. “If you’re feeling better, I’d like to test out my theory.” The greenette complied of course, he was also quite curious on what he did exactly.

“Hey, how’s my little brother?” nee-chan greeted as they entered the hallway. “Dad and I already heard about the incident, but he’s quite busy with the council right now.”

Izuku nodded. “It’s fine. Nothing serious, just a small gash on my forehead.”

“If you say so, Zuku~”

Nagant lead them to a private gym where Izuku and her always trained. In the middle of the room was a framed glass, about the size of a door. Izuku looked at it quizzically, but his mentor simply gestured towards it. “Put your hand on the glass, Zuku.” He looked at nee-san who just shrugged, mirroring her action before complying. The greenette extended his palm and put it on the glass’s surface.

“Uh… what now?”

“Make a void orb on that same hand.”

Izuku’s head instantly swerved towards Nagant. “W-What? But that will—”

“—cause the void orb to dissipate, right?” she said coolly with her arms crossed. “If my theory is correct, then you could use your void orbs for physical attacks as well…”

Nee-san who was standing beside Nagant, made on ‘oh’ sound. “I get it. Try it Zuku, I think you’ll love the results…”

He sighed, knowing there was no way out of this, and he also kinda get what Nagant-chan was hinting. Izuku concentrated on his palm, letting his power flow through. As expected, the obstruction of the framed glass made it more difficult to make his quirk coagulate. But he pushed through. The moment a void orb formed on his palm and within the object, a starburst crack formed on the entirety of the framed glass. He flinched away and looked at his hand for any injury. “Holy shhh— mother of quirks!” Izuku exclaimed, stopping himself from cursing in front of Nagant-chan and nee-san.

“Just as I thought…” his mentor whispered and walked to the frame to examine the damage. “Since Zuku’s void energy has nowhere to form, it dissipates within the obstruction instead, making a concussive force that shatters it.”

“Hmm… I wonder if that’s an accurate description…” nee-san hummed, deep in thought.

The next day, Nagant-chan’s training regimen focused on Izuku’s newly found attack potential. Several training dummies were placed inside the same gym, ready to be used. First order of business was regulating the amount of power Izuku puts in his void orb. If he puts the normal intensity of void energy when making portals as he does when using it as an attack, then his target would always be obliterated. “Try to limit it to a third of your normal energy output,” Nagant directed.

Okay, that’s not too hard, Izuku thought to himself. He placed his hand against the chest of a training dummy and concentrated on making a smaller void orb. This resulted in the dummy getting flung away instead of exploding or getting damaged. “I did it!”

“Yes. Yes you did. Good job, Zuku. Now, do it consistently with all these thirty dummies. Their distance travelled should be similar, if not exactly the same.”

Izuku could only stare at Nagant blankly, his face devoid of emotion while his mentor smirked. “You didn’t actually think that you could use that in battle with how miserable it was, did you?”

The greenette’s shoulders sunk, a sigh leaving his lips as Nagant chuckled at him. “Thirty dummies. Perfectly aligned when I push them away…” That means my energy output should be accurate, as well as the direction I’m pushing the dummies away. A difficult, but doable task.

Only 16 dummies aligned. All others were either too far or too near to be considered similar as the first one.

Ten months ago, Support Hub Gymnasium:

“And… that’s a wrap. Two minutes for all 30 dummies flung and aligned perfectly. Good work, Zuku,” nee-san smiled and ruffled his hair.

Oh, thank goodness. Two whole months of practice paid off. Now he could consistently use the concussive power of his void orbs to blow objects away. And in the span of two months, nee-san figured out how this aspect of his quirk actually operates. Instead of exploding like an energy inside a target, Izuku’s void orbs actually push apart the atoms by expanding the space between each one. This results in the thing appear to be exploding since their individual atoms are pushed too far apart instead of pieces of it.

“Congratulations, Zuku. Now we can finally proceed to phase two of training this attack,” Nagant-chan grinned at him.

“I still can’t use this in battle? But I perfected the amount of power I put…”

“At the state it is now, you could only use it when you opponent is slowed down. In case you haven’t notice, you attack takes a second to activate, but you don’t have the chance to pause even for a second in a battle field. What you need to do, is activate that attack on the same moment that your hits land.”

Izuku’s eyes widened. “B-But… instantaneous activation of a void orb requires my reaction time to be superhuman! The point of impact only takes a few nanoseconds before disconnecting. There’s no way I could achieve that…”

“You’re right. There’s no way you could. That’s why we have to train and see how to do it in a way that wouldn’t need superhuman reflexes.”

And so they trained. With every punch Izuku delivered to a dummy, he concentrates his void energy to form. But every time, void orbs only materialize when he’s already disconnected his fist.  

Not a single success in his attacks even after a week of practice. It was frustrating, but also expected.

Seven months ago, Genesis Aeronautics Gymnasium:

Izuku glared at the training dummy as he breathed out. He prepared his fist before he swung hard, activating his void orb at the exact moment of the hit. Nothing happened to the dummy, only when his fist was disconnected from the object that a void orb appeared. “Oh come on!” he shook it off, letting the energy dissipate before he swerved his head back to Nagant.

“This is hopeless, Nagant-chan… even after three months, I still have no improvement…” Well, it’s not like he actually practiced for three whole months. His training was still mainly composed of gymnastics and fast paced sparring matches. The normal stuff, the new attack was only tackled at the beginning and the end of the day. Still frustrating even if that’s the case. Izuku groaned, his eyes landing at his sister who was busy jotting notes. As usual with his quirk training, nee-san tagged along with them to record and offer theories.

Nagant grimaced. She already knew that perfecting a powerful void-based attack would be nigh impossible for Izuku whose quirk was geared for transport. “Zuku… I have a mission order from the commission. I’d be leaving two days from now. It seems like we can’t give you a proper attack to use after all… except for the ones you’ve already learned that is.”

“Actually, if my hypothesis is correct, then there’s a way for Zuku to deliver void-powered attacks without having god-like reaction time,” nee-san smiled, her face lifting up from her notepad.

Izuku piped up, grasping a void orb to appear directly in front of nee-san. “What is it? What is it?”

“Instead of concentrating your energy to form within something else, why not make it form inside you?” she smiled as she spoke.

“Elaborate what you mean, Mel,” said Nagant, crossing her arms.

“I-I mean…” nee-san stuttered out from being subjected to the woman’s stare. “If Izuku already concentrated his energy to form inside him, then on the point of his strike, the energy will transfer to the thing he hit with the laws of inertia.”

It only took a single stare for Izuku to nod and do just as nee-san said. He teleported himself in front a dummy, fist clenched and ready to punch. As nee-san put it, the greenette allowed himself to feel void energy filling up his knuckles. With all his training these couple months ago, he could accurately control the flow of energy inside his body, the only thing missing was an impeccable reaction time.

Izuku admired the green hue that glowed underneath his skin. It was like the energy was almost dancing within, but now wasn’t the time to be smitten about his own quirk. With determined eyes, he swung at the dummy. He felt the void energy leaving his fist at the point of contact, making the dummy pulse in green before getting flung towards the opposite wall. Izuku’s eyes widened and his feet felt like jelly. After five months of rigorous with his quirk, he could finally use it for a powerful attack. “I-I did it… I did it! Yes! Oh my gosh, thank you so much nee-san!” he rambled and teleported to his sister to hug her tightly.

“Huh… well I’ll be…” Nagant hummed with a satisfied smile. “Since you already know what to do, I think it’s fine for you to train without me.”

“I agree! Zuku could finally use void-powered attacks in his training exercises and when he goes for the UA entrance exam!”

The greenette chuckled bashfully. “I don’t think it’ll be very effective in battle with the way it is right now tho…”

“Huh? But you did it, didn’t you?”

Nagant chuckled. “I’m glad you think so, Zuku. If you’ve noticed from your brother’s fighting style, he never uses his fist for attacks. Ever since he learned how to fight, Zuku only used kicks, which means—”

“—I should also use void-powered kicks to make my attacks efficient.”

Present day, UA Entrance Exam:

Izuku landed on his feet with finesse right after his attack destroyed the test robot in one attack. He didn’t even get to properly breathe yet when a laser came straight at him from behind. The greenette easily dodged it as he reappeared above the new target. Using lesser energy than last time, Izuku aimed an axe kick to the robot’s head. The metal hull shattered against his attack while he simply teleported to a safer spot. "Man these metal heaps are fragile..."

Two other bots came out of the door, making Izuku look up. Unlike the two others that he had already destroyed, these new ones attached to the walls as they attacked and maneuvered. As a bullet came straight at him, the greenette simply extended his right hand and created a portal in front of him. The other end of the doorway aimed itself at the robot that shot the bullet. Izuku grinned as all the other applicants stared in awe and disbelief. The robot that aimed to kill, was destroyed by the very bullet that it shot.

The other robot jumped down from the wall it clung to and shot rounds of bullets at Izuku. With the greenette’s quirk, he was able to easily dodge, disappearing and reappearing around the area to confuse the robot as more of it comrades walked out. With more robots shooting at him, Izuku got up close and personal with one of them. He put his palm against the robot’s leg, and let void energy swallow the entire heap of metal. The robot was transported several feet midair, directly above another robot. Gravity increased its fall speed, destroying both at the moment of collision.

The judges and teachers on the spectator’s booth could only hang their jaws at the display of power. Not everyone was speechless though. Nedzu, Aizawa, All Might, Melissa, David, Mic, and Midnight were all smiling ear to ear at how shock everyone else was. “That’s someone who’s not even in high school yet?!” Vlad asked in disbelief. “How is his quirk so versatile, and how is that kid able to maneuver so well?”

Nedzu chuckled to himself, sipping on his cup of tea as he observed the ongoing battle. “Remember what I told you? Izuku Midoriya is I-Island’s most valued asset. Training him to this level is to be expected,” the chimera explained. But even as he said it was ‘to be expected’, he still couldn’t believe how efficient the boy was at handling the robots. He dare even say that the boy’s quirk might be the most powerful he’s seen in UA, and that’s including One for All.

“Yeah, I remember. But he still surpassed expectations…” Vlad hummed, making all others nod as well.

“Understandable sentiment,” Aizawa hummed.

Everyone’s focus shifted on the ongoing battle yet again when a flash of green appeared several meters off the ground. The spectators didn’t even have time to process what happened before an explosion replaced their visions. “Did he just teleport that robot so it falls down on another one?”

Not a single person provided a reply, their eyes glued to the underground arena where a massacre of metal behemoths was taking place.

Midoriya’s time from the first test was about eight minutes, so he would be given similar time limit for this round. It was supposed to be a handicap for the best performers of round one, but it seemed like such a trivial thing didn’t matter to the boy. Down below, he threw another void orb at a robot’s leg. The expanded energy caused the metal limb to get lost, toppling the robot because of its loss of balance. With that certain enemy immobilized, Midoriya baited another bot that was shooting at him. He ran and dodged until he was close enough to the metal heap that just lost a leg. A single mishap from the robot caused the destruction of another.

The boy was not only showing the intricacies of his quirk, but also his ability to think of different approaches during a battle. Nedzu very much admired that about Midoriya. Within the span of four minutes, the boy had already destroyed 15 robots, and his quirk didn’t even look slightly fatigued. If the boy retains his performance, he could reach 30 robots by the time his turn ends. But if he were to give it his all… Nedzu had no doubt that the kid could surpass 40.

On the 5-minute mark, Midoriya had destroyed six more robots, totaling his kill count to 21. “His pace got faster…” Nedzu mumbled to himself, paws intertwined as he stared at the scene. “Do you think he’d be able to surpass 50 villain-bots?” he asked no one in particular.

“Fifty’s overselling it, Principal. I think he could reach maybe 30,” Ectoplasm grumbled out with his guttural voice.

“I agree with 30,” Vlad added.

“As do I,” piped up Snipe.

Meanwhile, everyone that personally knew Midoriya stayed silent. While they already expect the boy to perform well, they also have no idea of his actual capabilities when quantified in numbers. Overselling Midoriya would look bad, and doubting his skills would be an insult to the boy. They all just watched the arena where five more villain-bots walked in. Midoriya didn’t even waste a second this time around, and simply threw five void orbs, one for each robot, and teleported them a few feet off the glass dome.

Yoarashi who was the one closest to the glass dome, immediately backed away at the sudden green flash. Every student that watched the current combat scenario were all watching carefully, and it was the wind quirk user that paid attention the most. Him and Todoroki. And even then, the boy was still surprised when five robots reappeared just a few feet away from the glass dome, before falling down to their deaths. It’s not just his quirk that’s powerful, he’s also a skilled fighter without it, Yoarashi thought to himself. Midoriya-kun was extremely efficient in his attacks, wasting no energy, and never missing an attack even once. From these observations alone, Yoarashi already concluded that the greenette would be one of the top contenders.

Iida also paid close attention to Midoriya. From the moment that the first test began, the boy had already showcased the power of his quirk. Warp quirks were extremely rare, and contending against them was always bound to be tricky. The speedster actually thought that he had the best chance of earning first place during a race, but that was extremely presumptuous of him. He wasn’t even 2^nd nor 3^rd place, he placed 4^th in a contest that was theoretically wired for him to win.

And then there’s round two of the exam. A physical test that was supposed to determine the students’ fighting prowess. Midoriya was, to say the least, an expert combatant. Iida could tell that the boy has honed his skills in gymnastics and flexible martial arts to perform those kicks and flips. He himself was training to do the same, but he wasn’t as flexible. What surprised Iida even more was how powerful the kicks Midoriya delivered. He thought the boy only had a warp quirk, but it seems like the boy’s power run deeper than that. So this is the boy that my brother goes to see every year for a top secret mission. He kinda understood why Midoriya’s presence was kept under wraps until now. A quirk that powerful, one which he hasn’t even seen the full potential yet, would be pleasing for heroes and villains alike.

Just a few steps away from the two boys, Todoroki also stood speechless. Not that he spoke much, but Zuku really did awe him to silence this time. He always knew that his friend was destined for greatness, the universe was basically telling him that since they were kids. But what Zuku displayed, and kept on displaying today, was something that even Todoroki didn’t expect. He thought Zuku would be an irreplaceable support unit from the rear that provides exits and entrances wherever needed, but the boy proved himself to be a frontliner that could deal insane amount of damage. Was this the new secret move he was talking about?

It’s not just them too. All the students were observing closely. “Man, his quirk is unfairly overpowered.”

“His quirk is even better than most pros these days.”

“I wish I had his quirk.”

Todoroki could only sigh in pity. All they think about was Zuku’s quirk, not his actual skill in combat and tactics. It’s a shame that they even managed to enter a recommendation exam if their intellect could only see things at face value. Instead of focusing his senses on these strangers, he concentrated on Zuku’s fight again, mentally taking note of his friend’s speed. It must have been over seven minutes now, and he had no idea how fast he crossed the finish line in the first round. There were about 33 destroyed robots littered around the underground arena, and his friend was visibly heaving from all his activity. Even if Zuku were to end things here, 33 destroyed robots in seven minutes isn’t a small feat.

“Midoriya still has about a minute left, and he’s already surpassed 30,” Nedzu remarked with a huge grin as he sipped on his tea. “Seems like your little predictions were wrong, after all.”

Vlad huffed. “Point still stands that he won’t reach 50.”

“But it’s also a fact that Zu— Midoriya, has already surpassed UA’s highest score for the recommendation exam. Which was 27 robots in the same amount of time,” Aizawa deadpanned, arms crossed and unbothered.

“Were you just about to say Zu—”

“—zip it Zashi.”

Midnight’s laugh echoed in the room while the others continue to watch. Dave and Melissa were busy taking notes, recording Izuku’s speed of clearing, damage dealt, and all other data required by the council. It’ll be used to study the boy’s quirk more intensively. “Thirty seconds remaining,”  a robotic voice announced from the PR. Nedzu hummed and leaned forward on his chair. It does make the chimera wonder what the boy would do now. Would he speed up his process? Retain the speed he was going with before? Or would he simply take a rest to preserve his strength for the next phase of the exam? The last one sounded something that Midoriya would never do.

Just as he thought, the boy didn’t back down at all. Midoriya kept on switching places around the arena, every time he threw a void orb at a robot, it would teleport away a chunk of their core. It was a cheap trick, but it worked well since it only took a single shot for a robot to be destroyed. Look away for a second, and the boy would be on another side of the arena. He was slippery as he was destructive. And when the timer reached zero—

“Time’s Up. Applicant number 9, Izuku Midoriya, has destroyed 46 villain-bots within 8 minutes. Congratulations on your achievement, please proceed to the waiting room.”

Nedzu loudly sipped on his tea as the announcement was made. “Seems like Midoriya-kun couldn’t reach 50 after all… but theoretically, if the boy had used that trick since the beginning of the exercise… how many robots do you think he could’ve destroyed? I mean,” he paused to fill up his teacup again, “tossing 50 orbs like nothing shouldn’t be challenging at all, correct?”

The staff remained silent, realization hitting them. “Let’s not dwell on the past now, it’s time to evaluate Yoarashi-kun next.”

Izuku entered the waiting room with a small robot guiding him. It was similar to the bot that also lead him to the building, but he knew it wasn’t the same one. He bowed at it in thanks, finding it odd a second later, “There’s no need to bow to a robot, right?” Izuku whispered to himself. The greenette sat down on a bench placed at the wall opposite the door. Looking around, the room was pretty bleak, there wasn’t even a window, much less a TV screen to pass time. There was a camera though, so he couldn’t just teleport away and back like a rebel since the principal and the judges could probably see him.

And so he waited. He didn’t count the minutes that passed as he kept playing with his quirk. But now that he thought about it, the whole exam was rigged so that the last person to finish the first round got all the benefits. They’d have longer time to defeat the robots, and they also get to spectate all the quirks of the other applicants in preparation for the third phase. Nagant-chan and Uncle Might said that the third round of the entrance exam always involved a tournament-like format, so information about quirks and abilities is crucial. “Well… I guess it’s to be expected of Principal Nedzu. His logic really is hard to comprehend,” he sighed as he leaned back and closed his eyes.

His serenity was immediately disturbed when the door harshly opened. In came Yoarashi-san, guided by another assist-bot. “Midoriya-kun, hey! You were awesome back there!”

“Oh, hey Yoarashi-san!” Izuku smiled back and stood up. “Even if I didn’t see your battle, I bet you were also amazing!”

“Still not as amazing as you. I got 33 robots in ten minutes. They were too heavy to lift with my quirk, so I had to improvise,” the taller boy grinned and wrapped his arm around Izuku’s shoulders. “Your quirk and the way you fight was very satisfying to watch, Midoriya-kun! Do you have a personal trainer?”

Izuku was led by Yoarashi to the bench where they sat beside each other. “Uh, yeah. I have a trainer…”

“That’s so cool! By the way, what’s your quirk called, Midoriya-kun? Mine’s Whirlwind.”

“Whirlwind, huh?” he mumbled with a soft smile. “My quirk is called Void Master.”

The taller boy’s eyes widened in awe. “Void Master sounds so awesome! Can you tell me what it does? I know it’s super powerful.”

“O-Oh… um, I don’t thi—”

“RIGHT!” Yoarashi suddenly stood up and bowed his head. “We barely know each other! And we’re still in the middle of the exam! I’m sorry for asking in the first place.”

Izuku also stood up, quite flustered with this boy’s intensity in everything. “I-It’s fine, Yoarashi-san. It’s just my trainer instructed me not to tell my quirk to anyone. Her and my family…” he smiled bashfully as he scratched his neck.

“Forget I asked that, Midoriya-kun! Instead can you tell me which school you go to? I’m from Nabu Middle School!”

The shorter boy had his eyes widened in surprise. “You go to Nabu? My friend goes there as well! Maybe you know him, his name’s Hitoshi Shinsou.”

“Ah yes. The purple headed guy! He’s very reserved and timid, but we’re actually classmates!”

“Really?” Izuku wondered why his friend didn’t mention such a powerful student, but knowing Toshi… he must dread making friends and talking to strangers. “Well… I’m from I-Island Academy, actually.”

And that was the start of the two boys’ spiral into praises and silly conversation topics. Yoarashi was, unsurprisingly, astounded by the fact that Izuku was a resident of I-Island. The greenette didn’t know what’s so special about it, but then again, only very few people could freely come and go to the fabled land of peak innovation. Izuku also had fun talking to the boy as he told stories from his classroom. One particular story has been already told by Toshi, it was about one of the boys in his class that accidentally set of their quirk during their birthday. Turns out, it was actually Yoarashi who had blown his cake too hard that his quirk activated, which in turn splattered pieces of it throughout the classroom.

Izuku also told him about his own quirk-related mishaps. Like the time that he destroyed an entire laboratory. No one got hurt, and according to the scientists, the damage caused was extremely minimal compared to what could’ve happened, which was exactly why Izuku remembers it as a silly memory. Yoarashi thought it was hilarious too. They talked about more stuff within the 10 minutes they were alone together.

“Midoriya-kun…”

“Hmm?”

“I was meaning to ask this earlier, but what’s that symbol on your shirt there?” Yoarashi-san pointed at the embroidery on his right chest.

Izuku smiled softly, his hand tracing the material. “It’s the symbol of my brother… he’s a hero.” The said symbol, was of course, the classic Loud Cloud design that nii-chan had embroidered for him. It wasn’t the original, he simply copied it and put a bunch on his workout clothes.

“A hero? Was Loud Cloud his hero name? I must say tho, I never heard of him yet. But he must be an amazing hero!”

“He was. He was the best hero I’ve ever known…” he whispered, grasping the symbol with determination.

Before Izuku could dwell on the past again, the waiting room opened once more, revealing the stoic face of the greenette’s crush.

“Shoto! You’re here!” he smiled at the boy and waved him over. “Come sit with us.”

The dual-haired boy nodded and sat beside Izuku, while Yoarashi was on the other side of the greenette. “Are you doing alright, Zuku? You were panting heavily before going here.”

“Don’t ask me that when you’re practically shivering! You overused your quirk again,” Izuku scolded, his face stern as he grabbed Shoto’s right hand. “Come on now. Activate it.”

Shoto held his stoic gaze against Izuku’s determined eyes. Even Yoarashi was staring at them in confusion. Eventually, the taller boy sighed in defeat and warmed up his left hand. The heat from his fire quirk allowed his body to return to an equilibrium. “See, it’s not so bad. Thank you, Shoto. For listening to my plea to properly take care of yourself!” he said in disbelief. “Seriously… if you continue doing this, your body is going to give up on you.”

“Oh, what’s this about not taking care of your body? To be a great hero, one must first learn to take care of oneself!” Yoarashi piped in with a huge grin, leaning forward so that he properly faced Shoto.

“Yeah. Zuku just said that. I don’t need a stranger to lecture me too.”

Izuku chuckled, feeling the atmosphere turning tense when the boys glared at each other. “Let’s not dwell on that! How about you tell us how many robots you got, Shoto?” Thankfully, he was able to resolve the tension before it escalated. Turns out, Shoto’s time was quite similar with Yoarashi-san’s, about 10 minutes and 33 seconds. And during this time period, he was able to get 26 robots.

“If only they’d release all robots at once, I could’ve frozen them all at once…”

The greenette could only chuckle. Releasing the maximum number of robots all at once would allow the judges to determine the destructive capabilities of an applicant, but nothing more. They wouldn’t be able to see a student’s ability to assess the situation, and the sense of strength preservation. Both of which are important in hero work. The three boys spent the rest of their time talking, which took a couple of hours since there were 23 recommendation applicants. Izuku had already concluded that the waiting process was also part of the exam, Nedzu seemed to be testing their patience, a trait that various heroes practice during the processing of their captured villains.

After a long while of waiting, all 23 applicants were seated in the waiting room. Tenya-kun said he destroyed 17 robots with the 10 minutes and 35 seconds that he had, which was a great number! Certainly not the biggest, but it was respectable nonetheless. They all stayed put inside the room for a couple more minutes before Nedzu entered with Ectoplasm and Thirteen by his side.

“Hello, dear applicants. Am I a dog, am I a bear? Nope, I am the principal of UA High, Nedzu! It’s a pleasure to meet you all,” the white chimera grinned as the room remained silent. “I’m here to formally congratulate you all on your achievements. You are all fit to become heroes… unfortunately, only a few of you would be chosen to be directly enrolled in UA. But fret not, since you could still enter the school through the traditional entrance exam.”

Ah yes. Izuku already knew that part, so he wasn’t really worried about passing in here.

“And in light of the competition, we shall now proceed to the last part of the exam… A written test!”

Every single applicant’s jaw dropped at that. A written test? Weren’t they supposed to battle one-on-one in a tournament style competition? “Um… excuse me, Principal. But wasn’t the written test scheduled tomorrow?” Tenya-kun voiced with a raised hand.

“Yes it was. But it’s a ruse! Heroes should be able to work under pressure and unexpected circumstances,” Nedzu grinned sadistically. “The accepted recommendation students have already been decided… more or less. So a tournament would be useless! Let’s just get this over with today.”

And so the applicants all went to different rooms to take the test. This time, the last person to battle the robots must still be tired, while Izuku was the most-well rested. During the second round, it was the greenette that didn’t get to catch a breath before plunging into battle. So it seems fair, right? Izuku doesn’t really care either way. He simply answered the test as he would with any other one on school.

After two hours of test-taking, Izuku was finally free for the day. “Zuku, hey!” his dad greeted and pulled him on a hug as he was turning a corner in the hallway.

“Dad, nee-san!” the boy hugged back, pulling in his sister.

The girl yelped as she was suddenly grabbed, but she returned the gesture. “Long day, huh?”

“Yeah it was… I’m so tired that I could fall asleep right now.”

“Well don’t fall asleep yet. We still have one more destination to go to before going home,” his father smiled and ruffled his hair.

That’s right… he still haven’t visited them yet. “Let’s get going then.” Izuku was led by his family as they exited the school. Several staff greeted them along the way, their gazes mainly focused on the greenette. It was nerve racking since he didn’t know what they were thinking about. Izuku thought he was good with reading people, but apparently not so much. His nerves barely calmed down when they arrived at the driveway where a black car waited for them. The front window rolled down, showing Aizawa in a sleek suit with his hair combed back. “Sho-san!” Izuku yelled and ran towards the car. “Are you driving us today?”

“More like tonight, Zuku. That recommendations exam really took time,” the raven-headed man sighed deeply. “Get in.”

Izuku nodded and sat on the front seat, while dad and nee-san settled themselves on the back. Soft music was playing on the radio as their car drove away into the busy streets. At the first red light, Aizawa tilted his head towards Izuku. “So, how’d you find the exam?”

“It was exhausting. I can’t believe Principal Nedzu designed it that way…”

“It was supposed to be even more tiring if he had proceeded with the tournament,” the man chuckled as the traffic light turned green.

Dad huffed. “Yeah. He told us about the mechanics of it. You would’ve been greatly disadvantaged, Zuku.”

“Why’d you say that?” he said, swerving his head to face the backseat slightly.

“Because the last person on the race, which was also the last one to participate in the underground arena battle, would get to choose who he wants to fight on the tournament. This cycle will repeat from there, with the people who finished last getting to pick first,” nee-san explained.

Izuku hummed thoughtfully. “So you mean to say that I won’t get a chance to pick at all since I’m the first?”

“Yes, exactly. And apart from that, you’re also the only one that has no idea about the quirk of even a single person in the exam. The last person got to see everyone’s quirks since the students who weren’t battling yet were given the chance to spectate,” Aizawa added. “I’m surprised Nedzu bothered to tell you about this, Professor. He’s normally secretive and wouldn’t reveal things unless necessary.”

Dad chuckled. “Ah yes. I get what you mean. It just came up in conversation earlier.”

It didn’t take long for them to reach their destination. A peaceful place for eternal rest, the Tama Cemetery. Izuku has been here many times, he was close to memorizing where all the famous people were. But that wasn’t the reason they were here now. Dad and nee-san walked beside him while Aizawa kept a steady pace to stay behind them. As usual, there were still many tourists taking photos of the cemetery even at this time. Some eyed the group and bowed in respect when they saw what’s in their hands.

Izuku was carrying a bowl of ramen with a lid with a pair of chopsticks and a ramen spoon atop. On dad’s hands was a white chrysanthemum bouquet with red spider lilies, and nee-san carried incense sticks. Their walk didn’t take long before they reached the burial ground of mom and Oboro nii-chan. A large stone monolith served as the mark of their grave, with a small altar where people could offer incense, flowers, and food. Izuku knelt down on the clean stone tile and gently put down the bowl he was carrying.

“Hey mom, nii-chan… I’m in Japan again…”

Since Sho-san, Auntie Nemuri, Iida-san, and Uncle Zashi regularly visit the grave, the tombstone is already clean. Otherwise, Izuku’s prayer ritual would’ve started with cleaning it. Nee-san offered him lit incense sticks and dad already put the flowers on their spots. The greenette gave thanks and asked guidance in his prayer, bowing lightly as he closed his eyes and grasped his hands.

“Nii-chan, did you know that Nagant-chan taught me a new way to use my quirk? I’m not only limited to a support role now, I could be in the front lines! We call it void attacks, since you would certainly call it that. Or maybe you’d call it void assault?” Izuku giggled, a soft look in his eyes. His hand gently caressed the Loud Cloud embroidery on his right chest. The boy didn’t bother changing, he wanted mom and nii-chan to see him as he was on the battlefield.

When Oboro nii-chan’s body wasn’t found after a month of searching, the police and the Hero Public Safety Commission declared him deceased. Even without a body to burn, nii-chan had no family grave where he could be remembered from. So with Izuku’s consent as well as Nedzu’s, nii-chan was placed together with his mother. There wasn’t a Midoriya family grave either, so this monolith served as first in line. Izuku thought it was fitting enough, since they’re the only family he remembers.

“And mom, I graduated middle school. I was top of my class too,” he said bashfully. “To be honest, I wasn’t really aiming to be academically on top. But I guess I’m a bit of a nerd, like Kacchan says.”

That earned silent chuckles from dad, nee-san, and Sho-san.

“Oh and we had this new project in Genesis Aeronautics, the one I told you last year. The Gateway Initiative. It’s finally finished and functional, it’s actually what we used to go to Japan this time! Using it, I could probably do weekly visits now.”

Izuku relayed more stories, his excited voice becoming a total contrast to the dark façade of the cemetery. The lit incense burned dutifully, serving as the reminder of the time that’s passed. Tourists and other visitors started to pour out as the night deepened, but Izuku, nor those that accompanied him weren’t in a hurry. They let the boy talk his heart out, telling tales both meaningful and silly.

Eventually, when the incense burnt out, Izuku was also out of stories. “Well… that’s all of it for now, I guess. I’ll also let you guys know when I passed in UA. If I come back here sooner rather than later… then I guess it already ruins the surprise,” he chuckled and scratched his neck sheepishly.

Izuku stood up and brushed his pants. “Let’s get going then?”

Aizawa clicked his tongue and shook his head. “You really gonna leave them hanging on whether or not you passed in UA?”

“It’s not like I know either.”

“Think fast.”

The raven haired man suddenly threw something towards Izuku, making the boy slightly panic. He stumbled on his feet as he caught the item, teleporting himself a bit forward to regain his balance. “A disk?” he mumbled, staring at the black circular object.

“It’s not just any disk, silly. That’s UA acceptance letter!” nee-san exclaimed. “Come on, open it.”

“W-What? Isn’t this supposed to arrive a week after the exam?”

His dad chuckled. “Well, yeah. But we made a special request because of your circumstance. And besides, shipping it to I-Island a week later would’ve costed more.”

“You should really thank Nedzu with this one. He overworked the entire staff today so your evaluation could be finished,” Aizawa grinned. “Wouldn’t want Inko-san and Oboro to wait for your results.”

Izuku’s eyes widened and welled up with tears. He didn’t say anything as he knelt back down and activated the disc. A projection came out of the disc, the video displaying Uncle Might, Sho-san, Auntie Nemuri, Uncle Zashi, and Principal Nedzu. “W-Wha—”

[“Hello, Zuku!” everyone in the video greeted simultaneously.]

[“We’re here today to—”]

[“We’re here today to—”]

[Auntie Nemuri and Uncle Zashi spoke at the same time. “Hey, we agreed that I get to do the introductions, Zashi!”]

[“No one agreed to what you said! I’m the radio star, so shut it, Nemuri!” The two adults bickered, making Nedzu chuckle while Sho-san sighed. Uncle Might looked the most nervous as he tried to talk both of them out of fighting.]

The greenette chuckled at the video, it was nice seeing his family so chaotic like this. From behind him, dad and nee-san also giggled, whereas Sho-san audibly grumbled at the childishness of his friends.

[Nedzu eventually walked closer to the camera this time, leaving the childish adults at the back. “Greetings, Zuku-kun. We’re here today to give you your results during the exam.” The chimera pressed a remote on his hand as the camera shifted to the left, showing a screen with different scores. “As you can see, your results in the written part of the exam were astounding! You placed fourth, even though it was crammed within the day.”]

[“Now as for—”]

[“—as for the practical exam… can I take this one principal?” Uncle Zashi asked with a sheepish grin.]

[“No, principal. Let me take it!” Auntie Nemuri got in frame as she pushed the blonde adult behind her.]

[The chimera sighed. “Hizashi will take this one. Nemuri, you can take the next part.”]

[“Yes! Okay, where were we? Oh right, during the first test, you Zuku, passed first with a time of 8 minutes. This is one of the best recorded speeds in the history of the recommendation exam. You displayed creative thinking with your quirk, and bypassed all obstacles in the most efficient way.”]

Izuku bit his lip, his fist tightening as he listened on. His score was one of the best in recorded history? That’s insane

[“And—”]

[“—and during the second round… it’s my turn now, Zashi. Back away.” Auntie shoved him away before taking the center. “During the second round, you showed your knowledge in combat through sophisticated martial arts and quick reaction time. All your attacks were calculated, and you wasted minimal energy. Your score for this exam, which was 46 robots destroyed, is the best recorded data in the history of the entrance exam!”]

“What?!” he exclaimed with wide eyes.

[“Oh yes, Zuku. Your ability to easily dodge and attack at the same time is something that is rarely possessed. In the two phases of the practical exam, you have excelled at the top.,” Auntie said with a thumbs up and a huge grin. “On the secret, and final phase of the exam, you have—”]

[Grey strips of cloth wrapped around Auntie Nemuri’s body, before she was pulled away from the camera. Sho-san walked to the middle as he did this, clearing his throat like nothing happened. “During the secret and final phase of the exam, you Zuku, had shown great patience. Not once in your waiting time did you complain or grew restless. You remained calm during the 4 long hours, a virtue needed by heroes.”]

[“In other words, young Izuku, you have passed all parts of the exam with flying colors,” Uncle Might smiled at him, holding out his hand towards the camera.]

Izuku felt his eyes glistening with tears. He didn’t even care that the video now appeared blurry because of it.

[Sho-san, Uncle Zashi, Auntie Nemuri, and Nedzu all stood beside Uncle Might. Their expressions were all proud and sentimental as they looked at Izuku through the camera. “Welcome Izuku Midoriya. This is your hero academia.”]

Chapter Text

The sun hadn’t risen yet, but Izuku was already wide awake. His body clock was wired to wake him up at about 4:30 am even without any alarms. Izuku liked it this time of the day since the atmosphere was quiet, and there’s nothing to worry about. Apart from his cravings that is. He silently crept down the stairs to make sure that he doesn’t wake up his sensitive sister. His careful journey from and back to his room yielded with him carrying two packs of strawberry ice cream bars. “No better time to eat ice cream than when you crave it~” he singsonged to himself as he opened one pack. Izuku bit a small part from it and shivered in both cold and pleasure. “Toshi’s ice cream is the best there is…”  

He’s really thankful that dad always went along with his wishes. Especially the part where they’d get a fridge full of strawberry ice cream bars every time they visit Japan. Huh, now that he thought about it, the Gateway Initiative could provide him transport anytime and get himself as much ice cream as he wanted. He should probably ask Dr. Harlacher about that. Izuku sat back down his messy bed and threw a void orb at Sparkmight that was settled on his dresser beside his bed.

His plushy never stopped wearing the matching Loud Cloud pin that nii-chan gave him. Except for the times he cleaned it of course. Izuku took another bite off his ice cream bar as he clutched Sparkmight into his chest. Kacchan’s gift has always been super huggable, but Izuku was more cuddly with his plushy today. How could he not be, he and his friends would finally exchange each other’s enrollment information after three long weeks of waiting.

Shoto had already confirmed that he was also accepted through the recommendations exam. And a week ago, Kacchan and Toshi also received their acceptance letters from the normal entrance exam. They all know that they’ll attend school together, but still had no idea if they’d be classmates at all. He heard from Sho-san that the only difference between 1-A and 1-B was the homeroom teacher, but he very much wanted to be in Sho-san’s class. Preferably with all his friends as well.

Izuku took another bite off his ice cream. He was excited to see which section he belonged, but they all promised to open their enrollment information together. And the letter was just sitting there on his dresser, ready to be viewed by the greenette. He needed to keep his mind off of it for now, so he took his laptop and began to search up hero news. Izuku always sets his location to Japan since all the heroes he cared about were there.

“There’s a new hero in town, huh?” he mumbled, seeing the figure of a woman in white and purple suit. From the article, it seemed like she recently debuted to the public, about two days ago. “Woah, a gigantification quirk?! Those are super hard to use in urban areas…” The woman was quite pretty, if Izuku says so himself. And she calls herself Mt. Lady— Izuku liked that, it sounded witty and easy to remember.

Apart from that, there were no more noteworthy things that happened which he still didn’t know about. As usual, Endeavor-san was efficient with his arrests and most villains were easily captured, so the stories were bound to be boring. Uncle Might also made a couple appearances, but not as much as he used to. His injury during his battle with All for One all those years ago had made his uncle weaker. It was during the night that he was first transported to I-Island… the same event that had ended nii-chan’s life.

Even though he had put his past behind him, he wanted to keep carrying nii-chan and his mom’s spirits along with him. He finally finished his ice cream bar just as he closed his laptop. It’s time for him to do his daily routine of exercise, so Izuku stretched his limbs and changed out of his pajamas. Now with his training gear on, Izuku grasped a void orb from his palm and reappeared outside of their house. He brought the other ice cream bar he got from the fridge earlier, and his right chest had nii-chan’s pin.

The greenette walked in a leisurely pace, eating his ice cream as he went on his usual route. It was still dark out and the boy was practically alone in the streets. Of course this didn’t bother him since he’s been doing the routine for three years now. Izuku’s speed in walking was faster than most, as he still had half his ice cream bar by the time he reached down town. Okay, he actually cheated by skipping distances sometimes by walking through portals, sue him.

When he finally finished his ice cream bar, Izuku threw away the popsicle stick at a blue recycle bin (recycling is good kids!), and stretched his limbs. It’s time for him to run now. Izuku jogged lightly, limiting his speed so he could feel his heart beating faster, but not out of breath. The destination he always goes for was the Central Tower, the highest point in I-Island where he also watches the sunrise. Although he had to admit, seeing it everyday kinda destroyed the magic, especially since he was mostly doing it alone.

Some cars drove past the boy even at these early hours, and the drivers waved at him. As David Shield’s son and a well-known personality in I-Island, Izuku always gets a lot of greetings from strangers. And even though he’s been in the island for ten years now, he barely knew anyone outside of the labs he worked with. He eventually reached the base of Central Tower where several guards constantly patrolled. “Ah, good morning Izukun,” one of them waved, prompting the others to look at him as well.

“Oh, hello,” Izuku smiled politely.

“Are you in the mood to teleport or to walk up?”

The greenette chuckled in spite of himself. “I’ll teleport today, Mr. Alba. Thanks for having me.” All the guards patrolling the expanse of the Central Tower were already aware of Izuku’s routine, and it was always Mr. Alba that asked him this question. Although it’s not as if they could come across each other daily. Every once in a while, Izuku goes atop the tower using the elaborate staircase of the building instead of simply teleporting. He only does it when he decides that it’s heavy workout day since it’s pretty exhausting.

“Okay then, have fun Izukun.”

He nodded in thanks. “Have fun too!” Izuku waved at the guards before his palm sparked with a green void orb. At the clench of his fist, the greenette disappeared with the sound of ripping paper. The guards could only shake their head in awe and disbelief.

Meanwhile, atop Central Tower, Izuku’s body rematerialized as the energy of his quirk faded in the wind. The first rays of the sun hit his cheeks as he stood on the edge, a satisfied smile on his face. It was only 6:00 am when he looked at his watch. Just the right time to call Shoto— his thought was interrupted when his phone rung. He took it out to see that it was his friend calling him, speak of the devil.

“Good morning Shoto!” he greeted with a small wave as he answered the video call.

“Hey, Zuku. Are you at Central Tower now?” his friend replied, the background shifting with every shake of Shoto’s camera.

Izuku nodded and sat down on the edge, holding his phone tighter. “Yup! Just arrived here, and I was about to call but you beat me to it.”

“Mhm. Did you have nightmares last night?”

“Nope!” he said popping the p with a smile. “I hope you’re the same?”

“I’m glad,” Shoto smiled softly. “I had no nightmares either.”

Izuku felt himself blushing at his friend’s smile. It was a rare occurrence after all since he was mostly aloof and indifferent. He shook his head slightly before looking back at the camera. “Where are you right now? It’s about 4:00 pm at Japan at the moment, right?”

“I bought myself matcha ice cream,” the boy said, holding up a plastic bag he was holding with his other hand.

“I just had ice cream too! Strawberry ice cream bars of course.”

Shoto’s camera shifted as he crossed the street. Izuku waited for his friend to cross safely before the boy adjusted his phone and looked at him again. “Bakugou and Hitoshi said they’re already at Dairy Dewdrops. Shouldn’t you go home too? Unless you have the enrollment letter with you.”

“Don’t worry about me. One of the perks of a warp quirk is I’m rarely late,” Izuku grinned. “But wait… if you’re on your way to Dairy Dewdrops, why’d you already have matcha ice cream? Did you buy from another store?”

“Yeah, I did.”

The greenette gasped jokingly. “Wait, do you not like the Dairy Dewdrops matcha ice cream anymore?”

“I still like it. It’s just I saw a new ice cream parlor with an opening sale, so I bought a tub,” Shoto shrugged.

Oh, makes more sense. Shoto was the type of guy to stick into one routine as long as it stays good, after all. And Dairy Dewdrops was the best ice cream parlor in that area, according to Izuku and customer reviews. But they were a wee bit expensive compared to others. “So, which class were you hoping to be a part of? 1-A or 1-B?” he asked, the breeze messing up his hair a bit.

“Hmm… I’d like the class where you’re in,” the boy said simply. “Oh, I’m at the storefront now. Shouldn’t you go back already?” To prove his point, Shoto switched to the back camera which showed the entrance.

“Will do, but stay on call! I wanna say hi to Kacchan and Toshi.”

Shoto sighed in defeat and walked in, his phone screen pointing to their friends sitting on their signature table. Well actually, more like bickering on their seat. “Hey guys! What are you fighting about?”

Both boys swerved their heads to face the phone and exclaimed simultaneously, “Zuku!”

“Why the hell are you still at Central Tower?! Shouldn’t you be home by now?” Kacchan scolded and pointed at him through the camera. Shoto had already taken a seat on the opposite side of the table, alone and without his seatmate, Izuku.

“Hey, I go home when the sun becomes too hot, there’s no set time,” Izuku argued with a huff. Suddenly, the camera got closer to Kacchan and Toshi, the boys mirroring the same confused expression ass him. “Uh, what?”

“I won’t serve as your phone stand,” Shoto’s voice grumbled off-camera, making the greenette giggle slightly.

“Whatever the case, you should’ve been home by now since we agreed to open the enrollment letter together,” said Toshi as he took the phone.

The greenette sighed in defeat. “Okay, okay. Geez.” He stood up and brushed off the dust from his sweatpants, the wind rustling his hair as sunlight glared at his eyes. “I’m gonna teleport back, don’t cut the call. Just watch~” Izuku grinned, covering his face from the sun with his other hand. Shoto was seated beside his other friends now with Kacchan in the middle, looking at the camera closely as the greenette made a void orb. The ball of green energy rapidly expanded around the greenette, encasing him like a cocoon.

Static and glitches appeared on the camera, until the connection was completely lost as Izuku collapsed his quirk and reappeared inside his room. When his quirk dissipated, the static on the screen disappeared, and their video call resumed. “So, what’d you guys see?”

“Static,” his friends deadpanned at the same time.

“Heh, figures. My quirk messes with communications after all…”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever nerd. Just get your letter. And are you gonna stay on the damn phone? It’s small as fuck!”

Kacchan’s little outburst resulted in Auntie Atsuko (Toshi’s mom), to scold him off-camera. Even though he didn’t see her, Izuku couldn’t mistake her soft yet stern voice. He chuckled, and Toshi also made fun of their blonde friend.  “I’ll transfer to my laptop, just pipe down Kacchan. You’re scaring away the customers~” he singsonged to tease the blonde further.

“Shut up!”

Izuku prepared his laptop just as Kacchan said, while Toshi also prepared his own. “Okay, I’m logging in now… entering the call and… tada!” he chuckled as his camera feed transferred from phone to laptop. His friends’ feed was also from Toshi’s laptop now. “Ready to find out our classes?” Izuku asked, wiggling his eyebrows as he showed off the sealed letter.

The three boys grinned, also raising their papers to the camera. “On three—”

“Oh forget it,” Kacchan interrupted Toshi and instantly opened his letter.

“Ugh Kacchan, you ruined it,” Izuku grumbled teasingly, also opening his letter along with his two other friends.

“Class 1-A, fuck yeah!”

“1-A.”

“I’m 1-A too, yey! How ‘bout you, Toshi?”

His purple-headed friend’s face was scrunched a bit as he held his letter. “I’m in 1-B…”

“O-Oh… so you’re homeroom teacher is Vlad, huh?” Izuku smiled, his voice soft. “Do you know anyone from your class list?”

Toshi scanned the letter as Kacchan and Shoto stared at him. “Not really no… ah, actually, wind guy’s here.”

“Yoarashi-san! You guys were classmates, and now you’re going to be classmates in high school again. Destiny really exists,” said the greenette.

“Yeah sure. If you put it that way… but it’s still kinda bumming me out that I’m the only one in 1-B.”

“I asked Sho-san about the selection of the students’ sections, but he said they’re chosen randomly. The only difference is homeroom teacher after all, and classmates I guess,” Izuku shrugged, moving his laptop a bit so he was sprawled on the bed while facing the camera.

“It doesn’t matter anyway, Eyebags. Just work hard like you always do or whatever.”

“You actually care, huh?” Shoto asked nonchalantly.

“Shut up Icyhot!”

“Tenya-kun is in class 1-A too! Yey! That means he passed the normal entrance exam,” Izuku cheered as he kept reading. “Oh, and it also says here that the dorm system would be open tomorrow, so the students could already start moving in…” 

“So, I guess we should prepare, then? We still have a month before school, but maybe it’s a good idea to move to the dorm system earlier. To get to know our classmates or whatever.”

“Toshi! You like making friends now? You’ve grown so much~” Izuku cooed teasingly at the camera which made the purple head blush deeply. “Anyway, I’ve gotta prepare my things then! I’m excited to be living in Japan again, authentic ramen, dumplings, and the greatest food of all… Dairy Dewdrops strawberry ice cream bars!” He said it like it was a grand food item, small void orbs expanding around him like small fireworks at his command.

Shoto smiled at his antics, while Kacchan and Toshi cackled at him. “You’re still a fucking child, you nerd.”

Izuku didn’t even feel offended, he just laughed it off since he knew he could act like a child at times. “But seriously, are you guys gonna set up your dorm rooms before school, or only once school begins?”

“I actually don’t know, what about you guys?” Toshi asked, looking at the other two.

“Tsk. I’m fine either way. Don’t really care.”

“I agree with Bakugou.”

The greenette rolled his eyes playfully. “Yeah, okay I get it. Only Toshi and I are actually excited to meet new friends. Oh, and on the topic of friends, do you guys know anyone else from our class list?” he asked, looking up from the letter. “I only know Tenya-kun. And Yaoyorozu-san, since she was also one of the passers of the recommendations exam.”

“I just know you and Bakugou from the list,” Shoto shrugged.

“Same,” Kacchan added.

“Huh, okay then. What are you guys gon—” The alarm from Izuku’s phone interrupted his sentence, making the greenette jump a bit. He took it from beside his laptop and turned off the alarm with widened eyes. “Oh my gosh, I forgot I have training with Togata-senpai today. I’m gonna end the call now guys, see you soon! And I think I’d go to the dorms before school starts. Talk to you later bye!”

His friends waved him goodbye with smiles on their faces. Well, Kacchan was more like grinning than smiling, but whatever. Izuku turned off his laptop and headed downstairs to get himself some strawberry lollipops. “Good morning dad!” he greeted and went to hug his father who was sitting by the kitchen counter. At this time of the day, nee-san’s still asleep because of her different sleep schedule. While she wakes up last, she also stays up at night the latest. “I opened my enrollment letter with my friends, and we’re all in 1-A! Except for Toshi though, since he’s 1-B.”

“Ah, so you have Aizawa-kun as your homeroom teacher. That’s good.”

“Mhm,” he smiled happily and sat down across his father. “And the dorm system opens tomorrow, I wanted to live there as early as you’d permit to get comfortable with the place. And to get to know my classmates too.”

Dad hummed thoughtfully, sipping coffee on his cup as he did. “Hmm… I suppose that’s fair. We’ll help you transfer your belongings to your dorm room then.”

Izuku gasped and squealed giddily. “Thank you, thank you, thank you dad!” he stood up to hug him again, burying his face into the crook of his father’s neck. “I’ll pack up later once my training with Togata-senpai is finished.” The greenette pulled away from the hug and grabbed a few lollipops from the candy bowl at the table.

“That won’t suffice as breakfast, Zuku.”

He simply grinned and pocketed the candies he took. “It’ll give me enough energy for now, I’ll eat later. Bye!” Izuku didn’t even let his father reply before he grasped a void orb and disappeared in a cloud of green energy.

A loud yawn escaped Melissa’s lips as she walked in the kitchen, catching the last few sparks of green as her brother teleported. “Sparring match with Mirio?”

“Yup. Good morning sweety.”

“Mhm… good morning dad.”

Izuku was panting and sweating heavily as he drank from his water bottle. His sparring matches with Togata-senpai yielded with two victories and eight loses, and even his wins didn’t really feel like actual success. Uncle Might’s protégé just reached the limit of his quirk use, and since Izuku doesn’t have a limit to how frequent he uses his quirk, winning the last two matches was inevitable. If Togata-senpai didn’t exhaust his quirk, Izuku wouldn’t have won.

He was seated on the edge of the sparring mat while Uncle Might was in a phone call. “So, Midoriya-kun. What class are you in?” asked the blonde boy as he sat down next to Izuku.

“I’m in 1-A. I’ve got Sho-san as my homeroom teacher!” he said proudly.

“Sho-san?”

Izuku blushed at his slip up. “I-I uh… I meant Mr. Aizawa.”

“Ah, I see. I always forget that you’re close with multiple Pro heroes cause of your upbringing when you were younger.”

“Did Uncle Might tell you that?” he asked in a small voice, fiddling with the cover of his water bottle.

Togata-senpai shrugged. “He didn’t tell me much. Just that you were pursued by villains at a young age due to your quirk. That’s why multiple pro heroes and even hero students were around you that time.”

“Yeah…”

They stayed silent after that, just sitting there to catch their breath and wipe their sweat away. Since Uncle Might was still on his phone, Izuku decided to take out his phone as well. He texted Shoto, just to pass the time and ask what his friends were up to right now. Apparently, the trio went to the arcade and Kacchan was getting competitive with all the high scorers. Izuku could totally see that happening, so he requested for a video.

As the greenette was busy texting his crush/friend, Uncle Might eventually finished his phone call and walked back to the two boys. “Break’s done, but that’s it for today,” he said with a smile.

Izuku looked up with a curious tilt of his head. “We’re done sparring? Or done training?”

“Done training. A month’s rest before school starts would be beneficial for you. As long as you don’t slack off with your daily exercises.”

“Yeah, I agree. You should try and relax before school kicks off. UA is especially brutal to the hero course students,” Togata-senpai chuckled.

The greenette nodded at that. He knew the stories, especially those that surround Sho-san. Apparently, he used to expel students at the first day of school and sometimes even his whole class if he finds them too incompetent. Izuku hopes that his current classmates wouldn’t face the same consequences, especially since he had a feeling they’d be all talented and fun to be around with. “Since we’re done… can I go home now? I wanna pack my stuff for the dorms.”

“Of course, young Izuku. Go ahead. Mirio and I will spar some more before heading out.”

“But I thought we were done for the day?” Izuku stood up and narrowed his eyes at his uncle. “Do you guys need to talk about something that you don’t want me knowing? I already know you two are hiding a secret.”

Uncle Might and Togata-senpai looked at each other before sighing in defeat. “Yes. Since you already know, then you’d respect our privacy, right Zuku?”

“Yeah, of course!” Izuku beamed. “See you guys later then!”

The duo watched as the greenette disappeared with the command of his quirk. Finally alone, Toshinori sighed and looked at Mirio. “Still the same?”

His protégé’s solemn nod just made his headache even worse. After weeks of experimentation, they weren’t close to cracking the mystery of why One for All doesn’t work on Izuku. The first time Toshinori found out was when the boy was a 10-year old. It was the time when he first deemed Izuku strong enough to spar with him, albeit he was holding back most of his strength to not kill his nephew. But it turns out that holding back wasn’t even needed.

All attacks he aimed at Izuku using One for All, were but normal punches to the boy. The moment his skin makes contact with Izuku’s, it’s like the power dissipates. Toshinori thought it might just be him unconsciously turning off his quirk when hitting Izuku, but Mirio was evidence that the problem exists with the boy and not the wielder. Even Mirio’s own One for All powered attacks were normal to his nephew.

The number one hero had also called Gran Torino to ask if it ever happened to Nana. And it never did, nor did she tell any stories about previous wielders having the same problem. This unprecedented occurrence could shake the globe, knowing that there was a boy whose quirk allowed him to be immune against the power of the number one hero. And that’s not counting how rare and powerful Izuku’s quirk already was.

“Should we just stop experimenting? I mean, it’s not a bad thing that Midoriya-kun is somehow unaffected by One for All. As long as he doesn’t become a villain that is…”

Toshinori hummed in agreement. “True. But Zuku’s immunity might be the answer to being not affected by other quirks too.”

“You really think it’s possible…?” Mirio asked in a small unsure voice.

“It’s a nice thought. Pro Heroes being immune to villainous quirks to save the masses without casualties… But, I don’t know if it can become reality.”

Maybe it could be possible, or has been possible all these years. All for One never did capture Izuku in the past, so was his nephew also immune to that villain’s unholy quirk? If the boy couldn’t be harmed by One for All, then the counterpart of it should be also useless against Izuku. There’s no way to actually confirm it though, All for One is dead after all. The cycle of suffering ended with Toshinori’s generation, a welcomed news if he ever tells Mirio about the truth of his quirk.

At the quiet testing chamber of Genesis Aeronautics, only the whirring sounds of the Portal Modulator and Void Generator echoed along the walls. Green lighting from an opened portal reflected on the floor’s surface, highlighting the shoe and the shaky feet of Izuku as he lifted a pile of his clothes through the green doorway. It’s been two days since the dorm system of UA officially opened for the students, so it was time for him to also prepare his room.

Instead of packing the normal way using suitcases and flying them over the ocean just to get to Japan, Izuku was graced by I-Island the authorization to use Gateway Initiative. And it’s not like he owed the island anything, his quirk powers up the machine after all. Using it whenever he needed was completely reasonable. He placed the pile of clothes he was carrying on his new dorm bed, sighing softly as he looked at his dad.

“That wallpaper’s coming together quite nicely!” he said with a huge smile.

“Yeah? Well, it better be since I worked hard on it,” said his father as he was finishing up with one side. “Is that all your clothes, or are there a few more?”

Izuku looked at the small pile on his bed which took him about three trips from his bedroom to this dorm room. The portal system to connect the two places weren’t really complicated, but it’d look like it from an outsider’s perspective. Basically, he opened a portal that connected his bedroom and Genesis Aeronautics. From there, Dr. Harlacher activated the Void Generator for him, which then created another portal that lead to his dorm room. Because of the portals, they were moving Izuku’s stuff as if the room was just inside the same house.

Most of his furniture were already set up, his wardrobe, his dresser, cabinet of figurines, and his bean bag. The only things left were the wallpaper designs, curtains, carpet, and his bed sheets. “I think these are all the clothes I’ll need. Besides, I could simply teleport back to I-Island if I forgot something, or miss you guys so much that I become homesick.”

His father laughed, stepping away from the wall and ruffled his hair. “You better visit, ‘cause we’ll also be visiting. Maybe once a week to have some authentic Japanese cuisine with you.”

“I’d love that then!”

“Hey guys, here are your curtains, Zuku. I know you can’t reach to put them on your own, so Mirio-kun will do it for the little baby~” nee-san teased as she stalked towards Izuku and dad.

The greenette giggled and pulled her in for a hug, his other hand also tugging at his father’s shirt to reel him in. “You guys are the best!”

A snap of a camera made the small family pull away. “You guys look adorable like this!”

“Uncle Might~” Izuku and Melissa whined, which only earned a chuckle from the number one hero and their father.

“Okay so, I’ll just put these by the window, right?” Togata-senpai asked as he walked through the portal and took the curtains from nee-san. Izuku nodded, making the blonde smile. “Can’t believe that school’s just around the corner.”

“Yeah, my son’s all grown up now. It feels just like yesterday when he was running around the house, stumbling on the furniture because of his clumsiness…”

Izuku blushed madly as everyone laughed at what his dad said. Even though he said it in a fond way, it didn’t help his embarrassment since that did happen yesterday. He was running around the house from excitement, even performing flips and somersaults. The greenette sat down at the bed to wait for his family to stop their amusement. “You guys are mean…” he pouted childishly, sticking his tongue out in a joking manner.

“Okay, okay, sorry about that Zuku.” His father sat down beside him and patted his shoulder. “How about you go downstairs to see your classmates that are already staying at the dorm? We’ll finish up here and give a call afterwards.”

He squealed like a small toddler. “Thank you dad! I’ll take you up on that offer then,” he said smiling as he stood up and brushed his clothes. “See you guys later then?” Izuku asked with a raised brow, a void orb already manifested on his right pal.

His family nodded with a smile, and Togata-senpai gave him a thumbs up from the windows. He nodded back as he grasped the void orb and disappeared with the sound of ripping paper. Izuku’s body reformed at the hallways of the second floor. From the quiet sounds of all the doors within the floor, it seems like he was alone right now. It didn’t matter, he already knew whom his floor mates were. Kacchan and Shoto were especially put by Principal Nedzu on his floor for extra protection, from what, Izuku had no idea. It’s just the I-Island council being paranoid again.

And at Iida-san’s request, Tenya-kun was also put on the same floor. Although Izuku was relieved that he knew everyone in his floor, it was still jarring how much influence the I-Island council has over stuff like this. Well, it doesn’t really matter at the end of the day. Izuku hummed a soft tune as he walked downstairs, his hand gently tracing the Loud Cloud pin on his green and white striped t-shirt. It was a short way down, and he eventually found himself at the common room.

It was relatively empty, save for a blonde boy with his head hidden in a— is that an adult magazine?! Man, high school really was where real life starts. Izuku walked silently, sitting on a stool set by the coffee table. The blonde boy that was surely his classmates, still hasn’t noticed his presence somehow, and it was getting uncomfortable watching the boy read that kind of magazine too. “Um… hi…?”

The blonde put his magazine down, face red and obviously drunk from desire or something. His face slowly morphed from a happy lazy expression, into one of surprise and embarrassment. “Uh… AHHH! You! How long have you been sitting there?!” he yelled, pulling the book to himself and rolling it up. The boy hid it behind him as he pointed at the greenette accusingly. “It’s creepy to just stare at a person while they’re reading you know!”

Izuku cringed at the boy’s loud voice. “Sorry! I wasn’t trying to be creepy or anything like that! I was just… shocked with what you’re reading…” he chuckled bashfully.

The boy blinked and unrolled the magazine, “You mean this?” he asked with a tilt of his head. “Oh. Ohhh… did you want to read up on this too? It’s the latest edition~”

“W-What?! No way! I just didn’t know what to say.”

“Oh, okay then. So you don’t swing that way, huh? I’m cool with that, less dudes to worry about taking the girls’ attention,” the blonde shrugged, waving his magazine around as he explained.

He could only blush at the blonde’s fast observation, but he didn’t deny nor agree to the statement.

“So, I take it we’re classmates right? I’m Denki Kaminari, nice to meet you!” he said with a huge grin and right hand out for a shake.

Kaminari-kun seemed very friendly despite that awkward greeting they had. “It’s also nice to meet you, Kaminari-kun. I’m Izuku Midoriya, please call me Zuku. I feel more comfortable with it,” he smiled back and shook the outstretched hand.

“Okay then, Zuku. One question though… I was the first to move in the dorms. And since then, only one of our classmates decided to set-up early. I also wake up early, even today, so why didn’t I see your car entering. Did you move in at the middle of the night?”

Wow, this boy’s perceptive. Makes sense since it’s UA after all. “I uh… just actually moved in. But how I did it is sorta… kinda… classified?” he smiled apologetically as he scratched his neck.

Kaminari-kun simply chuckled. “Classified, huh? I like your sarcasm.”

“That wasn’t sarcasm,” interrupted a monotone voice from the kitchen. Izuku couldn’t mistake that voice anywhere. And when the owner of the sound finally stepped into view, the greenette smiled widely.

“Shoto! You’re here!”

“Oh wow, so the peppermint speaks? I thought you were mute or something since you didn’t even reply when I greeted you,” Kaminari-kun chuckled awkwardly, a vein visible on his forehead.

Shoto walked up to the couch, and stared at Kaminari-kun with indifference as he pushed out his right hand. “Shoto Todoroki, sorry for my rudeness earlier, Kaminari.”

The blonde looked taken aback at the gesture, but he shook Shoto’s hand nonetheless. “It’s nice to meet you, Todoroki. And you caught my name all the way to the kitchen?”

“You guys weren’t exactly quiet when you talked,” his friend said and sat on the couch beside Izuku’s stool.

Izuku smiled at Shoto as his gaze went on his way, “I thought you said you were going out somewhere, today?”

His friend shrugged. “I guess I lied. Seeing you here is better than doing what I was about to do.”

What is this boy saying?! Is he seriously oblivious to the effect of his words? Izuku’s face reddened so much that his newly found blonde friend seemed to have already put two and two together. Kaminari-kun made an ‘oh’ shape with his mouth. “Oh, are you guys dating?”

“W-WHAT?! No we’re not!”

“We’re not?” Shoto smirked teasingly as he looked at the greenette.

Izuku’s red face was so hot that it almost felt like he had a fever. “Y-You’re… ugh, you know we’re not!” He stumbled on his sentence. “You know what? I need fresh air right now.” With a void orb in his hand, the greenette disappeared out to the front yard of their dorm. With the breath of fresh air, Izuku managed to calm down his erratic heart and blushing face. Looking out at the rest of the campus, he couldn’t help but smile, ignoring the momentary headache that plagued his brain.

He was here. Finally, after trials and tribulations that he had to go through, no thanks to All for One. Hopefully, it’s all sunshine and rainbows when his school starts.

Atop Heights Alliance (class 1-A’s dormitory), a lone black figure stared at the green headed boy down below. The uninvited stalker was donned in a formal outfit, complete with a vest, tie, white shirt, and black slacks. Only thing missing was a suit jacket. Purplish smoke continuously rose from his body as he held a phone on his smoky hands.

“Do you recognize the boy?” asked a voice from the phone. A deep guttural tone that was the stuff of nightmares.

The figure’s yellow eyes narrowed, trying to rack his foggy mind of any memory regarding the greenette. “I believe I don’t, sensei. Is he of importance?”

A dark chuckle escaped from the phone. “Oh, you have no idea how important the boy is… he will be the key to my success…”

Chapter Text

“Okay that looks better now.”

“Yeah, it does. Thanks Toshi!” Izuku smiled widely, inspecting the tie that his friend completed for him. It was the first day of classes, and the greenette was excited to officially meet the rest of his class.

But it doesn’t help that his eyes had dark bags under them, almost looking like how Toshi does. Even though he’s been in Japan for almost a month, his body clock hasn’t fully adjusted to the new timezone. He’d often wake up in the middle of the night, or take extremely long naps during the day. Because of his predicament, the greenette barely had time to socialize with his classmates. Granted there were actually still very few of them in the dorms.

Shoto, Kacchan, and Tenya-kun all settled in their rooms in the same floor as Izuku. There’s also Kaminari-kun, Kirishima-kun, and Tsu-chan. They’re the only three new faces that Izuku’s seen during the duration of his stay in the dorms. A couple others were living there as well, but they were mostly cooped up in their rooms, and when they’re not, Izuku was either asleep or training. No matter though, today the first day of classes, and his classmates were all bound to be situated in Heights Alliance.

He already asked Sho-san about it, and he said the entire class 1-A accepted the dorm system provided by the school. They were probably bidding their time to spend with their families, especially for those that came from far prefectures. Quite ironic that Izuku who was the one furthest from his home was also among the first ones to live in the dorms.

“I still can’t believe that you haven’t tied a tie your whole life. That’s like… I can’t even explain it,” Toshi said in disbelief.

When the greenette realized that he was so bad at tying ties even with YouTube tutorials, he employed the help of his friend. Kacchan would most certainly laugh at him, and Shoto was out of the question. Just thinking about being alone with his crush in his room would make his face heat up in a red blush that would most likely be noticed, even by the dense dual-headed boy.

“We never had uniforms in my school! And nee-san always ties my tie for me.”

His friend snorted and sat down his bed of cloud designs. “Saying ‘ties my tie’ sounds so unnatural.”

Izuku’s had a dead stare as he looked at Toshi. It didn’t last long though, as both boys spiraled into laughter afterwards. “O-Okay. It did— it did… sound silly…” he said in between chuckles. “Now. Never mind that, are you ready for the first day of school?”

“Of course I am. This is my dream school, and I’m in my dream course too. It’s thanks to all the training of Mr. Aizawa, which is also thanks to you because you’re the one closest to pro heroes.”

“When you say it like that, it’s almost like I’m just a brat with connections,” Izuku chuckled.

“Maybe you are.”

The greenette gasped playfully, feigning offense. “You wound me, Toshi.”

His friend chuckled and stood up from his bed, grabbing both their backpacks. “Let’s go you dork. Don’t wanna be late for our first day,” he grinned and shoved the yellow back pack with a Loud Cloud pin that he just saw. “Do you miss him…? Oboro-san?”

“Yeah. I always miss him… and mom too,” Izuku smiled solemnly as he strapped on his bag. “He should’ve seen the world together with me, so I’m always bringing his essence wherever I go.”

“Well, we can’t have Oboro-san waiting, now do we? Let’s head out!” Toshi announced and pulled Izuku out of his room, locking the door behind them.

Izuku chuckled at his friend’s insistence. Seeing the purple-headed boy so cheerful like this was quite rare, especially since the boy consciously makes himself appear more cold and stoic. It’s so that annoying kids with too much energy won’t bother me, he explained to Izuku once. He really was like Sho-san in that regard.

When they reached downstairs, Kacchan was just taking out two pieces of toast from a toaster. “Hey Kacchan! I thought you’d be in the classroom by now.”

“You thought wrong nerd. But I’m still gonna be earlier than you guys,” he smirked before bolting out the dorm, toast at hand and one between his teeth.

“Oh that’s just it Katsuki!” Izuku shouted as he too exited the dorm, Toshi just laughing fondly at the silliness of those two boys.

The greenette was quite the fast runner since his skillset was honed for a hit and run tactic. He might be physically the weakest among the four of them, but he was proud to say that he was the most agile and quickest out of them. Izuku gained on Kacchan, their gap only a few meters despite the blonde’s head start. Sweat trickled on his face and his chest was heaving frantically, but he pushed on. In a burst of determination and speed, Izuku overtook Kacchan completely.

From there, the winner was already clear. Even as the feral blonde ran with all his might, even screaming atop his lungs, Izuku just giggled as he reached the front doors. He hunched down as he tried to catch his breath. Several students and some teachers were looking at Kacchan funny cause he was trying so hard to outrun someone who’s already won. When his friend finally reached him, he slapped Izuku’s shoulder with a playful glare.

“How the hell do you run so fast when you look like a zombie?!” he grumbled as he caught his breath. "Seriously, those black bags make you look like Eyebags." 

“My whole training as a hero was centered on speed and dodging skills. And stop calling Toshi, Eyebags. I know what insomnia feels now thanks to timezones. Now excuse me but I gotta take Toshi first.” Izuku created a void orb and grasped it, disappearing from Kacchan’s sight and beside the purple-headed boy.

“You’re so slow Toshi, we’re gonna be lateeee,” he suddenly whined and took the boy’s hand in his. Toshi didn’t even get to reply before they reappeared by the front doors of the campus again, with Kacchan waiting for them. “Okay, let’s scram.”

His friends didn’t have the energy to argue, so they went along with Izuku’s antics. The campus was fairly large that they would most probably be lost if it weren’t for the map given to them. Their walk didn’t take long, but they would’ve arrived faster if it weren’t for the greenette admiring every little thing he sees. When they finally reached their room, the three boys had similar expressions on their faces.

“This door is too damn big to be normal,” Kacchan grumbled, his eyes bigger for the slightest bit.

“Yeah… UA is too over-the-top.”

Izuku chuckled as he looked at his friends. “Just get in already, Kacchan. I’ll deliver Toshi to his room first.”

“Tch, whatever. Good luck with your first day Eyebags…” the blonde grinned, patting Toshi’s shoulders.

“Thanks, Bakug—”

“…you’re gonna need every luck you can get.”

Toshi’s grateful expression quickly changed to that of blankness “Fuck you.”

“Okay, let’s go now,” Izuku interjected, pulling Toshi’s wrist to lead the purple-head to his room. While he knew they were just playing, both boys could get wrapped in their little world, which would make them late for their classes. Class 1-B’s classroom wasn’t far from Izuku’s classroom, so they reached it within a minute. Like 1-A, the door was comically large that one would be curious as to what sort of student or teacher persuaded UA to implement such huge entrances.

The greenette was the one to open the door, revealing students talking to each other in groups. One student in particular, piped up at their arrival. “Midoriya-kun! Shinsou-kun!”

Izuku’s face erupted to a smile as he waved his hand. “Yoarashi-san! Good morning!”

“I was wondering where Shinsou-kun went to this morning. So, you two go together?” the buzz-cut boy asked as he jogged towards the door where both boys were.

“Yeah. That and he helped me fix my tie since I don’t know how to do it…” Izuku chuckled bashfully.

“He was really bad at it that he managed to tangle his fingers.”

A light blush dusted Izuku’s face as he was reminded of that. “Toshi~ Yoarashi-san didn’t need to know that.”

His friend just grinned as he entered the room and walked past Yoarashi to go for his assigned seat. “You should get to class, Zuku. I’ll see you at lunch,” Toshi turned back with a smile.

“Right. I should get going Yoarashi-san! See you when I see you!” Izuku smiled as he patted the taller boy’s shoulder amicably. The wind quirk user smiled back and nodded, staring at the greenette as he ran across the halls to get to his room.

There was still about 20 minutes before class starts if Izuku’s watch was to be trusted. He arrived at his room with the door now opened, and all his classmates have arrived. As silently as he could, Izuku entered the room in the least conspicuous fashion. But he was still noticed by the class redhead.

“Oh, hey Zuku, my man!” Kirishima-kun waved as he moved away from the conversation he was having.

The boy greeted him so loudly that the entire class swerved their heads towards him. He doesn’t know a lot of them, so his anxiety went through the roof at their stares and different eyes. “U-Uh… hey Kirishima-kun…” he smiled awkwardly, waving his hand at the boy.

Kirishima grinned and walked over to him, wrapping his arms around Izuku’s shoulders. “I was wondering why you didn’t show up yet. You seemed so excited for the first day of school when we talked!”

“Midoriya-kun! You barely made it without being late for the first day! This is unacceptable for such an outstanding student such as yourself,” Tenya-kun stood up from his seat and lectured Izuku, complete with robot arms and a very prominent tone of voice.

“I had to deliver a friend to another class…” he chuckled, replying to both Kirishima and Tenya. He also noticed that the class that was talking to each other earlier, was still staring at him.

“Ah, gotcha, gotcha. So, you’re probably seat number 18, right? It’s the only one left,” Kirishima-kun smiled and led him to said seat.

Izuku nodded with a smile. “Yeah, it actually is…”

The boy with glasses stiffened as if he had done something unforgiveable. “I-I see… I apologize for assuming that you’re a delinquent, Midoriya-kun!”

“It’s no big deal, Tenya-kun…”

“Hey shitty hair! That’s enough of you now! You’re making the nerd uncomfortable,” Kacchan grumbled and stood up, pulling Izuku towards him instead and plopping him down on his assigned seat. “You too four eyes! And you lot,” he said, addressing the whole classroom, “stop staring!”

“Kacchan…” Izuku hissed shyly as he fumbled with his fingers.

“My hair’s not shitty, man. We have practically the same hair,” Kirishima-kun laughed off the insult as he sat down on his seat. Luckily, the rest of the class didn’t feel animosity with Kacchan’s behavior and felt the same way as Kirishima did. It only took a good minute until everyone was back with their business, talking to each other as if nothing happened.

Izuku sighed inwardly now that the room settled, and looked over at Shoto’s direction who was a few seats behind him. His friend shot him a small smile as he waved slightly. “How early did you come here?” he asked in a whisper-tone.

“The room wasn’t opened yet when I arrived…” Shoto deadpanned.

Even Kacchan turned back at what he said. “What?! You got here earlier than Scarfbags?”

“I told you not to call him that, Kacchan…” Izuku cringed. “And you really arrived here that early, Shoto?”

The dual-headed boy nodded his head. “Yeah. But Mr. Aizawa was already at the lounge when I arrived, he just hadn’t opened the room yet.”

Oh yeah, that made sense actually. “What time wa—”

“If you’re just here to make friends, then don’t bother coming to class.” A deep blank voice interjected from the front-side of the room. Everyone’s gaze shifted to a scruffy looking man, unkempt hair and an equally messy clothing. He resembled a classic hobo that a kid would recognize from cartoons. Someone who doesn’t look like a teacher at all. “I’ll be your homeroom teacher for the rest of the school year.”

The absolute silence that follow was either out of shock or respect. Izuku had no idea which one, but he was totally one of the former. How could Sho-san come to class looking like that? People are gonna think he’s incompetent or something.

“Now that you’ve finally shut up, go ahead and put on your PE kits and meet me outside at the field.” The order was absolute and unquestioned. Except for Tenya-kun who raised his hand bravely, totally not getting the atmosphere of the room.

“But wouldn’t we miss the student assembly if we don’t go now, sir?”

Is this kid serious, right now? Aizawa thought to himself, his expression not betraying any outward emotion towards the boy. “UA gives its teachers absolute freedom with their teaching methods, and I say that the assembly is a waste of time. Compared to what we could be doing right now, listening to repetitive inspiring words from the principal is trivial. Now go and change.”

No one dared to raise their hand again after his instruction, thankfully. The teacher made his way to the field, a list of his students’ names at hand. To think that Zuku would be in his class along with Shoto and Katsuki. These three boys certainly appeared to be the most talented among his students. Vlad also have his hands full with that wind quirk user and Hitoshi whose quirk was the only mental-type power among the first years.

It didn’t take long for the students to line up at the field, their expressions full of confusion and anticipation at what’s about to happen. Aizawa also didn’t miss the smile and wave that Zuku gave him all the way from the back, gesturing at him to smile as well. He just rolled his eyes before taking a ball out of his scarf. “Ka—Bakugou. Step in that circle.” He pointed at the said circle, sighing in relief that he didn’t blurt out his student’s first name so casually.

The blonde shrugged and complied, looking over at Aizawa for further instructions. He tossed the ball he was holding at Katsuki with a smirk on his face. “Throw the ball as far as you can using your quirk. But stay in the circle.”

Katsuki’s uninterested demeanor quickly changed when his lips formed a sadistic smirk. “Using my quirk, huh? Well don’t mind if I do! DIE!” he screamed atop his lungs as his explosion propelled the ball into several hundred meters.

“705.2 meters. Not bad…” Aizawa grinned. “This is what you’ll be doing for me to assess your potential. Perform these quirk apprehension tests with all you’ve got, as you’d be ranked from one to twenty. The student in last place is to be expelled from the school for lack of potential.”

“What?!”

“That’s insane!”

“Is that allowed?”

"That's so unfair!"

Aizawa chuckled sadistically at their concerns. “Your complaints won’t matter in my room, thus it won’t matter to the rest of the school. Just do as I told and you might just become pro heroes.”

The students looked at him as if he was some lunatic, and it was understandable from their perspective. But not all of them looked so miserable though, his three boys had determined expressions along with a few others. And with that, the quirk assessment formally began. First one was the 50-meter dash to be done in groups of three. The first group being Zuku, Asui, and Iida.

“Use your quirk to traverse the distance as fast as you can. No holding back, because I will know if you did,” he said menacingly, mostly to the greenette who could be too modest with his skills. “Don’t worry about miscalculations with your readings, this machine will accurately record everything.” Aizawa patted the camera-looking thing beside him as he looked at the first group.

The rest of the class watched carefully, assessing the quirks and skills of their peers.

“On your marks… go!”

At Aizawa’s cue, Iida dashed forward with a trail of smoke behind him, Asui leapt her furthest and repeated it until she reached the finish line. Despite their speed, both students looked in shock that Zuku was already standing by the recording device with an amicable smile. The rest of the class were also equally shocked at how the greenette got there.

“W-What?!”

“How’d he get there?!”

“I think he teleported…” Everyone stared at Kirishima who made the most accurate assessment. “I mean, did you guys see that he just closed his hand and disappeared with a green…” he made an exploding gesture with his hands together with a cutely imitated sound, “I don’t think it was an explosion, but you know what I mean.”

“Yes, you’re right. His quirk involves some form of teleportation,” Yaoyorozu agreed with her arms crossed.

The teacher smirked beneath his scarf as his students talked about his adoptive nephew. He vowed to be impartial with Zuku’s performance, but even so, there’s no denying that the boy was a rare talent that would’ve been recognized by everyone anyway. “Iida, 3.04 seconds. Asui, 5.58 seconds. Zu—I mean, Midoriya, 1.3 seconds. Next group, please.” All conversations stopped at Aizawa’s voice as his students followed.

When the 50-meter dash ended, Zuku’s score was still the highest one. Aizawa could see the curious stares of his students towards the greenette, but they weren’t particularly hostile. Next test was grip strength, and the results were as predictable as they could get. Shoji being the biggest in the class got the highest score of 540 kg and the next one was Sato who had about 400 kg. Kirishima was the last one with commendable strength with about 220 kg, since the rest of the class were fairly normal when it comes to natural strength.

For the standing long jump, almost everyone bypassed the length of the sandbox. That is apart from Hagakure, Kaminari, Jirou, Ashido, and Kouda, the only ones with non-physical quirks. The rest of the exercises weren’t exciting at all, so Aizawa didn’t pay it mind, but he did put down the students’ data. Before the assessment ended, the only test left was the ball throw, one of the few exercises where flashy quirks shine the most.

As expected, most of the students performed well in this part. The students were particularly creative with this one. Todoroki shot of a pillar of condensed flame towards the ball to propel it up to 686 meters. Iida used a powerful kick to send the ball 300 meters away, Asui used her tongue, Yaoyorozu made a ball launcher, and Kouda commanded a bird to carry it away for him. But at the end of the day, Uraraka had the one with the highest possible score of infinity due to the nature of her quirk. The only one left to throw was Zuku.

Fashionably the last one. When it comes to this boy, he’s either the first one or the very last, no in-between it seems. “Okay, Z—Midoriya. Step in the circle and displace the ball as far as you can.”

“Am I allowed to do anything…?” he grinned bashfully.

Aizawa smirked proudly. “You can do whatever as long as you stay within the circle.”

The boy nodded, and began to concentrate. A few seconds later, there was a void orb on each of his palm. He threw the one from his left hand in front of him to expand a portal that opened up about 60 meters from the ground and 60 meters away from his point. Now with a diagonal portal pointing directly at him, Zuku threw the remaining void orb from his right palm into the portal. This time, the portal expanded extremely slowly, and the greenette seemed to have to exert force to open it.

At last, when the doorway formed, an image of what appeared to be deep space could be seen outlined by Zuku’s green portal. The previous portal now disappeared, leaving only an opening in the vacuum of space that sucked the air particles around it.

“Is that a portal to space?!”

“No way, man…”

“What the fuck?!”

Zuku, who had a triumphant smile on his face, held the ball in his hand and tossed it in the air. He timed it just right to deliver a powerful kick at the ball, obviously powered by his void energy if the green sparks were an indicator. The ball zoomed towards the portal in incredible speed and into the portal that connected to space. With the portal still opened, Aizawa’s device showed a steady uprise in distance, but when Zuku closed the doorway… the handheld distance-reader flickered in error. If the teacher hadn’t thrown it in time, his hand would’ve been electrocuted when the gadget exploded. The class stared curiously at Aizawa and the device now lying on the ground. “It displayed infinity just before the thing broke. It’s your score, Midoriya, the same one as Uraraka.”

Everyone’s jaws dropped, but Aizawa didn’t pay them any mind. He cleared his throat as he stood in front of the class. “I’ve got your score tabulated, and regarding the student in last place getting expelled…”

His students stared at him with bated breath, waiting to know who the last student was. “…it was a logical ruse to have everyone perform at their best!”

“WHAT?!” Even though no one actually said it, Aizawa could tell from their faces that it was exactly what they were thinking. He reveled at their shocked expressions as he started to walk away to the direction of the teachers’ lounge. “Oh, and you’re free for the day. Go back to your dorm or study at the library, just no loitering in school grounds.”

“Wait, Mr. Aizawa,” Yaoyorozu said in hurry. “You said you’d announce our standings at the end of the assessment. Can we at least know our performance relative to our classmates'?”

“I think you know more or less where you placed just by watching your peers. No need to compare quantitative value if you already know it…” he said simply and left his students to act on his instructions.

Izuku returned to the dorms after their class, if you could even call it that. Kacchan said we was going to the school gym, and Shoto went with him. Those two were starting to get along quite well, it made Izuku happier. But that also meant he was left without someone to talk to since Tenya-kun seemed to already have befriended infinity-girl, Uraraka was her name he believed. He was too shy to butt-in to their conversation, so he walked by himself.

Not that he actually walked far, since he teleported himself the moment he felt he was being followed. He was the first one to arrive for obvious reasons so he went upstairs to change into something more casual before heading back down to the common room. Izuku now sported a sleek green and white shirt, paired with some comfortable pair of white shorts. It didn’t take long for some of his classmates to start pouring through the door.

Just like earlier, it was Kirishima-kun that greeted him first. “Oh hey, Zuku! We were about to walk with you earlier, but you warped away.”

Oh… that was them, huh? “I-I didn’t realize. Sorry if it came off a bit rude, Kirishima-kun…” he bowed slightly as he stood up from his seat on the couch.

“It’s fine, dude. You were really cool back there, you know?! You’ve got a really awesome quirk, what do you call it?” Kaminari-kun piped up as he walked in, just behind Kirishima-kun.

“I call it Void Master actually!” he said with a smile and sat back down.

His classmates that were standing by the door all had their jaws opened in awe. The pink-haired pink-skinned girl, Ashido he believed, squealed at his reply. “That is so cool! No wonder you named it that way, you’re literally the master of the void! I’m Mina Ashido, by the way. Call me Mina!” she was super hyped up for no reason as she ran and sat down beside Izuku to take his hand for a shake.

The greenette didn’t really have a choice but to shake her hand. “T-Thanks, Mina-san… It’s actually my older brother that gave my quirk a name.”

“Oh, really? What does your older brother do?” Kirishima-kun asked as he took a seat on the couch opposite where Izuku and Mina sat down.

“He’s…” Izuku bit his lip as he looked away from Mina, “…he’s the best hero I’ve known.”

His classmates understood what he meant and smiled solemnly. Thankfully though, they didn’t linger on that topic. “So, guys. What did you think of Mr. Aizawa? Wasn’t he too grumpy?” asked Mina.

“I think he’s intimidating. And that thing about the ‘logical ruse’ was literally gaslighting,” Kaminari said, his body shivering from feigned fear.

“You guys really think so? I think Sho-ssss— Mr. Aizawa was great!” Izuku almost called their teacher Sho-san, he was that terrible at keeping secrets. The ones that don’t really hold much value anyways.

“What’s a Shossss…? Were you about to call our teacher with a nickname?!” At the greenette’s red face, Mina gasped and pointed at him accusingly. “You were! Oh my gosh, what was it?”

Izuku shook his head. “N-No you got it wrong, Mina-san. I was about to say that… uh…”

“It’s okay. We won’t tell anyone~” Mina whispered loudly, a prominent smile on her face as she said so.

Oh boy. He’s totally doomed if his classmates start calling his uncle as Sho-san. Izuku could already envision the hardened red glare complete with gravity-defying hair and scarf. Thankfully, they didn't press him on his slip-up and he spaced out for the rest of the conversation. Only adding to things where he felt comfortable, and replying to questions directed at him. Soon enough, more of his classmates entered, another group of five this time with the tail guy, octopus-looking guy, the one who was super into sweets, the guy with a bird head, and the one that talked to a bird earlier. Izuku felt the slightest guilt of not remembering their names.

He shot them a smile and a small wave, all of them reciprocating the gesture. They didn’t stay in the common room unlike the first group though. “So, who do you guys think had the lowest score earlier?” Kaminari-kun asked when the five tall guys went upstairs.

“I hope the perv got last place! I saw him looking over the girls all creepy and drooling!” Mina groaned, squeezing her hands roughly.

“Who are you talking about, Mina-san?”

“That short purple-headed boy that looks like a kid!”

Izuku wracked his brain at the hint, and saw a vague picture of what she meant. It must be the guy that had the top score for repeated side steps. He had an interesting quirk of popping out balls from his scalp.

“Mineta is a friend of mine. He and I have the same tastes in women!” Kaminari-kun said proudly. “But he could be a little bit more perverted than I am.”

“More like a thousand times more perverted! I hate him so much.”

He really needs to see that boy now. Mineta-kun might have self-esteem problems that led him down the road of being perverse, so Izuku would appoint himself as the control for that. Just so that he doesn’t lose a classmate early due to his own mistakes, and to make the girls more comfortable as well.

“Speaking about hate, what I hate is not having lunch! Why don’t we get some in the cafeteria?” Kirishima-kun suggested with a grin.

“Did someone say lunch?” interjected a voice from the staircase. It was the bulky guy with a knack for sweets. “I haven’t introduced myself yet, I’m Rikidou Sato. Please call me Sato!”

“Nice to meet you Sato-kun!”

“Yeah man!”

Sato-kun walked to the kitchen and strapped on an apron, “So, lunch you say? No need to go to the cafeteria. I’ve seen the pantry, and we’re given enough ingredients to feed the entire class.” He opened up the cupboards and took out some cooking essentials. “What do you guys want?”

Izuku had a smile on his face as he knelt on the couch he sat on and stared at Sato-kun from the living room. “I’ll get katsudon if you have the ingredients and it’s not a hassle, please!”

“I can do that. What about you guys?”

The three teens glanced at each before erupting in a chorus of, “Surprise us with food, Sato!”

As their classmate cooked, the four students continued to chat. The rest of the class poured in steadily as lunch was being prepared which made Sato add ingredients so that everyone could get a share of the surprise dish he made. Izuku felt guilty for requesting a different dish, but Sato-kun had already started to prepare it. When Kacchan returned with Shoto after their training, his blonde friend appointed himself as head chef of the whole operation.

Shouts and disagreements could be heard from the kitchen, but nothing particularly alarming. The class ate together in the living room when their cooks finished the meal. It was a large share of spicy mushroom curry which had Izuku drooling. His own katsudon was served alongside the curry, which was equally appetizing to look at. The class thanked their cooks, name Sato-kun and Kacchan, as they all ate. A few others were absent though, probably taking lunch in the cafeteria.

After their lunch, the class talked a bit more before they head back to their rooms for some alone time. When dinner came, Kacchan cooked for everyone by himself while Sato prepared dessert. Even though Sato and Kacchan only knew each other for two weeks now, it seemed like they get along best in the kitchen. They were also responsible for the meals that the class has been eating before school started.

Dinner was multiple servings of different dishes, and Izuku got himself two pieces of karaage and some cold soba. The exact ones that Shoto got for himself. “You like Kacchan’s soba the best, right Shoto?” the greenette asked as he sat down next to his friend on the kitchen counter.

“My sister cooks it better, but Bakugou’s has interesting flavor.”

Izuku smiled at that as he took a bite form his karaage. From his pocket, his phone notified a text which made him brighten up. And as he read the message, he wasn’t disappointed. “Toshi’s here!” he announced happily and ran towards the front door. He made sure to be careful not to bump with anyone or he’d spill their food.

The greenette excitedly opened the door to reveal a bashful Toshi, and a smiling Yoarashi-kun. “A! You’re here! Let’s go have dinner.” Izuku pulled both boys in and introduced them to the class. “Guys, these are Toshi and Yoarashi-kun from Class 1-B. I hope it’s fine that I invited them over since most of their classmates are busy organizing their rooms at the moment, so they couldn’t cook like we do.”

“Yeah sure man, come in!”

“Make yourselves at home!”

“Welcome to 1-A!”

“Thanks for having us! Please have a good dinner!” Yoarashi-kun greeted in kind while Toshi just nodded with a shy smile.

Izuku led his friends to the kitchen to get some food before he settled down beside Shoto again. “Did you say hi to Toshi?”

Shoto’s brow raised in silent question. “Why are you acting like a mom that orders their kids to greet their aunts and uncles?”

“Wha? That’s not—” he tried to reason, face red from embarrassment.

“Yeah, Zuku is definitely the mom friend!” Kacchan cackled from his seat on the dining table.

“I thought he was the baby friend that needs protection from all the harshness of the world, lest he’d lose his innocence,” Toshi said in the most melodramatic way possible, his hand on his forehead as he closed his eyes.

“I hate you guys…”

Chapter Text

Izuku’s hand almost Detroit smashed his phone at how loud it was so early in the morning. He wasn’t even asleep for that long, and it’s already morning? “Uh timezones suck so bad…” he grumbled, but he was starting to get ready for the day. The greenette fixed his bed, brushed his teeth, and changed into a tracksuit. As a final touch, he never forgets to place a Loud Cloud pin on his right chest. He always felt safe with nii-chan’s symbol on him. Once all of his preparations were done, he grabbed his phone and got out of his room. The hallway of the second floor was empty as it should be around this hour.

He knocked on Shoto’s door with a soft thud of his knuckles. It didn’t even take a minute for his friend to open the door, “Come in, Zuku.” Shoto’s voice was groggy from the early morning as he changes his shirt.

Why does he do this to me?! Izuku whined inwardly at how handsome and freakin hot Shoto looked without a shirt on. Granted he’s seen his friend shirtless a couple times. But when he realized his feelings, Shoto became more attractive to his eyes. He sat down on the tatami floor matting of his crush’s room, watching shyly as the dual-haired boy prepared for their run. As usual, Shoto was quick to finish up, brushing his teeth and slightly combing his hair. When he was done, the boy sported a tracksuit similar to Izuku’s, although blue and silver in color instead of grey and green.

Izuku put away his phone when Shoto walked up to his spot on the floor. “Let’s go then,” he said with a small smile and offered the smaller boy a hand. The greenette took it eagerly and stood up with the help of Shoto. “I hope you didn’t have any bad dreams last night…”

“None of the sort. I hope you’re the same…?” Izuku asked unsure, but grinned when Shoto nodded his head.

So no nightmares for a whole month now, that’s good. The greenette brushed off specks of dusts from his clothes as his friend walked towards the door and turned the knob. Izuku interjected softly, “Wait. There’s no need for us to walk down if we could just do this,” he smiled, showing off his hand that now had a void orb floating on it.

“Must be nice to not walk around when you don’t feel like it,” Shoto returned his smile as he stepped into Izuku’s line of quirk activation. “Ready when you are.”

Izuku nodded in turn and let the void orb expand to envelope both of them. It took about three seconds before his energy disappeared, and their surroundings changed from Shoto’s room to the outside of the dorms. The greenette eyed the path before them, lining the entire dormitory system of UA and curving towards the main building. “A lap around the whole campus?”

“Sure.”

And then they were off. Shoto and Izuku jogged side-by-side, their speed matching each other’s. The four friends used to run with each other whenever Izuku visited Japan. But overtime, Kacchan said they were too loud when jogging, so he didn’t go anymore. And Toshi was starting to become more exhausted to wake up so early in the morning due to his insomnia. So, in the end, only Izuku and his crush were left running together. Though it made him more nervous than happy.

“How’s your body clock going, Zuku? Is it corrected yet?” Shoto asked as they covered about a quarter of the campus’ perimeter. Even though they were jogging, his voice was even and uninterrupted by heavy breaths. Both boys were used to talking during their runs together.

Izuku glanced at Shoto when he asked, eyes closed in disappointment. “Not as corrected as I want it to be, but it’s a start. I fell asleep at about 12 am.”

 “Why don’t you ask Midnight to put you to sleep then? Won’t it be effective?”

“I actually asked her about that,” he grinned, “But she told me that relying on her quirk would be unhealthy on the long run. Same exact reason why she doesn’t just use her quirk on Toshi to battle his insomnia. “

“Makes sense…”

They didn’t talk after that, instead concentrating on finishing their lap before the sun’s rays become too hot. The campus was big, but not a distance they haven’t covered before. About an hour later, they finally reached about three-fourths of the total perimeter. They were at UA’s main gate now where a few guards were patrolling. Izuku waved at them, as he normally did during his past runs, while Shoto just jogged without greeting.

When the sun finally rose from the horizon, Izuku and Shoto had already reached Heights Alliance once more. They were heaving, but not so much that they couldn’t function if an emergency arises. Izuku sat on the pavement without any care in the world, and Shoto leaned against a lamp post as they both sweat profusely from the run. He didn’t even notice when his friend took his top off and wiped his body with it. When Izuku’s gaze fell onto him, he couldn’t help the hot red blush that painted his face. He tried so hard to look away, but his eyes were glued on Shoto.

“Are you okay, Zuku? You’re really red right now, are you sick?”  

Izuku could only nod his head idiotically. “Uh… ye-yeah I’m alright? Are you alright? Why are you shirtless? Who’s Zuku?!” Damn, he was down bad for this gorgeous boy.

“Well it is getting hot. Am I making you uncomfortable…?” he asked, covering his body with the track jacket he took off.

“No, no, no! I like it— I MEAN…” he exclaimed, shaking his hands as he stood up, “Um… shouldn’t we head back inside? We can get some water and take a shower if you’re feeling hot… N-NOT like showering together tho, gosh no!

Shoto chuckled as he tried to explain, and had a smirk when Izuku stayed silent again. “Sure, let’s get inside then. I need to prepare for class after all,” he said and began to walk along the path towards their dorm’s entrance. 

The greenette followed suit, albeit in a slower and more embarrassed pace behind Shoto. His taller friend opened the door for him, and he tried his best not to stare at the dual-haired boy’s shirtless body. Izuku made a beeline to the kitchen as to not look back at Shoto, taking two glasses and a pitcher of cold water from the fridge. The blush on his face was yet to disappear as he poured them water, directly drinking afterwards to calm himself down.

“Water?” he slid the other glass across the counter, not daring to look at Shoto.

“Thanks.”

They remained silent for a while, Izuku seated by the counter as his friend’s presence was prominent behind him. He was too afraid to speak. What if he messed things up and accidentally confessed his crush for Shoto?! His friend would surely find it weird, right? He doesn’t even know if Shoto swings that way! Oh, he was surely glad that this was his very first gay panic since he stayed in the dorms. He and Shoto had already jogged for a couple times, not every day though, since his sleep schedule was still messed up. But this was the first time that the taller boy took off his shirt so blatantly and even had the gall to look smug about it.

Izuku gulped down the rest of his water and walked over to the sink to wash the glass he used. “Did you went to class right after your morning jog, yesterday?” he asked as he dried off the newly-washed glass.

“Yeah, I did.”

He nodded absentmindedly, and set the clean glass in the cupboard. “Were you bored, or something?” he turned his head towards Shoto, leaning slightly on the sink.

Shoto shrugged from his seat. “I had nothing else to do really, and I just thought Mr. Aizawa would be early.”

“Oh, that makes sense… I guess…” Izuku mumbled with a small giggle. His watch beeped just then, showing a time of 6:30 am. “Shouldn’t we get ready for class? I still have to shower and eat breakfast,” he smiled as he sat down next to Shoto again. Thankfully, he was able to control himself now even though his crush was still very much shirtless beside him.

“Excited for the second day of class, Zuku?” Shoto smirked.

Yup, a blush dusted his cheeks, again, damn that gorgeous face. “Of course I am. Aren’t you? Yesterday, you were the first one to arrive.”

His friend chuckled, though his face was still passive. “I’m excited too. How about we meet back here soon so we could walk together?”

“Yes, please!” oh gosh, he hated how eager he sounded. “I-I mean… yeah, sure. Toshi and Kacchan already said we’d walk together, and I was also about to invite you, but you beat me to it.”

“I figured that was the case. So, I’ll see you later then,” said Shoto as he stood up and made his way out of the kitchen.

“See you!” Izuku replied and watched his crush disappear atop the staircase. That boy would certainly make his heart rate faster than a jog ever could. Was it wishful thinking that Shoto also had feelings for him, when the boy was the most open to Izuku? Even among the Todoroki family, he knew that he was the first one that Shoto calls about silly things like a new bag he bought. One that looked like Endeavor’s outfit with the classic dark blue, red, and orange.

No. He didn’t come here to win over Shoto’s feelings, although he’d certainly love that as an additional reward. Izuku was here to become a hero, to make his mom and nii-chan proud, and for them to not regret giving their lives to save him. His hand glowed in emerald green as he made a void orb and grasped it. Now back in his room, Izuku plopped down his cloud-laden bed to get a few minutes of rest before taking a shower.

The greenette was quick to finish his preparation when he had the motivation to start. A quick shower that took about five minutes, and he was able to change in under two minutes. He decided to just ask Toshi regarding his tie while they were walking to the class. Now that he was done, Izuku teleported out of his locked room and knocked on Shoto’s door. No answer after a minute of wait, and so was Kacchan’s room. Maybe they were downstairs now.

He walked down the stairs with a happy skip on his steps. Several voices were recognizable from his current position, and as he got closer, Izuku could definitely make out the voices of Kacchan and… Kirishima? That’s an odd combo, but a good one nonetheless. But what he didn’t expect to see was almost the entire class staring at him as he stepped into the living room. Several pairs of eyes (about ten) turned their attention to him, their lips curling to a smile.

“Good morning, Zuku!” they greeted simultaneously.

“Good morning…” he managed to say despite his shock. “Why are you guys all here?”

Kacchan grumbled something under his breath from his position on the couch, squished between Shoto and Toshi. He looked at Izuku with an annoyed face as he spoke, “It’s not even the second day yet, but these fuckers already wanna exploit your quirk! You can say no to them, nerd.”

“I, uh… I don’t follow.”

“It’s my idea,” Mina-san raised her hand proudly from the floor. “I prepared super early and waited here downstairs. Anyone who was about to go to class, I convinced to stay with me for a while and wait for you! Not everyone agreed, but most of us did. We’ll use your teleportation powers to go to our classroom as a class! Isn’t that great?”

Oh. So, that’s what they’re talking about. “Yeah, I could totally teleport us guys to the classroom for sure,” he said with a smile, feeling bashful when his classmates cheered. Izuku’s eyes fell unto the indifferent expression of Shoto, the annoyed scowl of Kacchan, and Toshi’s mildly annoyed/so done attitude. “But we’ve got a problem though. I don’t know a safe place to open a portal since we’ll be travelling in such a large group. If I opened it in the middle of the hallway, my quirk could slice someone in half…”

Yeah. That was quite the morbid statement for hero course students. “I-If you guys could video call someone in the room, then that problem could be avoided. Actually, I could contact Tenya-kun right now…”

“No need. Yaoyorozu’s phone is ringing,” Shoto interjected with a nonchalant voice.

“You have her contact details? That’s great then!” Izuku beamed, eyeing Shoto's phone with the girl's contact on the screen.

“I’ve had it for a long time now.”

What? How long has he had that contact? Shoto is not a social person, so what happened that made him save Yaoyorozu’s contact? Is she… his type…? Izuku’s heart just skipped a beat then. His knees buckled from the sudden loss of rhythm, and his chest tightened painfully. He was good at hiding things, so he was also able to hide the pain from his expression. It couldn’t be possible, right? Shoto tells him everything, surely that’d also include his infatuation for girls…

Izuku stared at Shoto longingly while his classmates talked amongst themselves. He doesn’t know how long his crush’s phone had been dialing Yaoyorozu, but it felt so long that he could almost suffocate from holding his breath. When she finally answered, her voice was drowned by the class’ cheers. Izuku couldn’t even make out her voice, but he knew she was talking. After a while, Shoto turned the phone towards him, showing a clear hallway from Yaoyorozu’s video feed. The entire class looked at him concerned when he didn’t respond, instead breathing heavily as if it was his last.

Kacchan walked up to him, Toshi and Shoto standing up too when Izuku’s eyes glowed fully green. “ZUKU!” his blonde friend yelled as he shook the greenette’s shoulders.

The green hue in his eyes disappeared completely, and he was able to breathe properly again. “W-What?” he asked dumbly. “Did my quirk act up again?”

“Are you alright? Did something make you upset?” said Toshi as he took out a towel to wipe Izuku’s sweat from his forehead.

Shoto stepped towards him and pat his shoulder with a smile. “It’s fine if you don’t transport the class, Zuku. Don’t feel pressured.”

Oh yeah, as if having his crush so close to him while he called the girl who could be his crush, would make him feel better. Damn these feelings.

“Hey man, you alright?”

“We’re sorry for pushing you into this without asking…”

“Stay where the fuck you are, and don’t come closer! You’ll crowd him!” Kacchan scolded when his classmates stood up from their seats. “Now let me see that stupid watch!” he turned to Izuku and took his wrist to see the radiation level in his brain.

“It’s 3% Sieverts, see,” the greenette reassured with a smile. “I can still use my quirk to transport us to the room. I just remembered something from the past, sorry…” His lie was able to satiate his friends’ and classmates’ worries. He looked at the phone that still showed the empty hallway, and concentrated on his palm to form a void orb. Satisfied, Izuku threw it forward where no one was, and it expanded to become a portal that lead directly at their classroom. The portal also showed up in Yaoyorozu’s video feed.

His classmates cheered at the gateway, saying a chorus of thanks and praises as they began to line up properly. “Um… make sure not to touch the outline of the portal please. It could slice off entire appendages.”

With the warning in mind, his classmates started to go through the gateway like it was the most normal thing to do. Izuku sat back on a stool as he watched, Toshi, Kacchan, and Shoto standing beside him protectively. If he wasn’t so bothered by the fact that Shoto had Yaoyorozu’s contact for apparently a long time, he’d find the protectiveness of his friends as endearing. All his classmates eventually entered the portal, and now it was time for the four of them to get to class as well.

Izuku went through last, closing the portal behind him as he took Toshi’s wrist in his hand. “Okay, I just gotta deliver this insomniac to his room, you guys go ahead,” he smiled and pulled the purple-head towards him. Shoto and Kacchan didn’t protest and entered the room quietly.

“Are you sure you’re fine? You might’ve been exhausted for keeping up that portal for long…” Toshi said as they walked to Class 1-B

“Of course I’m fine. I believe that self-preservation is the key to success, so I know when to stop, okay?”

His friend sighed and gave a curt nod. “If you say so.” Toshi walked backwards while turned to Izuku, fumbling with the tie that the greenette was yet to fix. "You really need to learn how to do this..." 

"But I like when you do it for me. Thanks, Toshi!"

They arrived at 1-B not long after. And same as yesterday, Yoarashi-san greeted both of them. Izuku didn’t have time to chat though, so he just waved at the bulky boy and went on his way back to his classroom. He still couldn’t believe it in himself that Yaoyorozu was Shoto’s type. Although he’s not certain yet, perhaps it’s best to think for the worst so his heartbreak won’t be as painful.

As he turned on a corner, he didn’t notice someone else coming from the opposite direction. Izuku bumped against a taller body, which would’ve caused him to fall down if the other person didn’t catch him. “S-Sorry about that,” he mumbled and looked up, his expression changing drastically, “S-Sho-san!? I uh… I mean, Mr. Aizawa?”

His uncle/teacher was looking at him with a blank stare, something that Izuku associates with negativity somehow. “I was about to get to class… I’m not late yet,” he looked at his watch to avoid eye contact. “S-See? It’s only 8:02 am…”

“Did you really think that UA didn’t have security cameras?”

“What? I-I don’t know what you mean.”

Sho-san took out his phone, showing a video of what could’ve been a security camera pointing at class 1-A’s room. It showed a portal suddenly opening, and out came his classmates. Eventually, he walked out of it too, looking confident as he pulled Toshi. “Unsupervised quirk use is prohibited. Especially yours, as per I-Island’s instruction. But you already know this, don’t you?”

Oh he hoped that Sho-san won’t tell on him.

“He told them… I can’t believe Sho-san is a tattletale. What the heck?!”

Before he got to class, Sho-san video called his dad and pulled Izuku towards him as he explained what just happened. Dad was upset of course, using his quirk so unnecessarily during his second day of school. As punishment, he would be supervised by Kacchan, Shoto, and Toshi, all three of them briefed that Izuku won’t be allowed to use his quirk outside of class for a whole month.

“I mean, it’s my quirk! I get to decide how to use it…” Izuku whined as he popped another tater tot in his mouth. It was currently lunch time, and he was seated with four of his friends that were now aware of the punishment. They got texts from their parents who were texted by Izuku’s dad. Shoto and Kacchan were seated across him and Toshi. Izuku got himself katsudon of course, along with tater tots and a box of strawberry juice. Toshi and Shoto got the same ramen, while Kacchan had spicy curry.

“I get your dad’s perspective, Zuku. If you do these favors for the class, they’d be used to just teleporting around and not actually moving,” Toshi spoke after swallowing a mouthful of his ramen.

Okay, he gets that, but it’s still frustrating. Especially since it’s Sho-san that told on him. “Yeah, yeah, whatever…” he grumbled under his breath and continued eating. “Anyways, how’s class Toshi? Sho-san said our class will be having a hero exercise with Uncle Might after lunch, how about you guys?”

His three friends looked at him simultaneously. “All Might’s what?!”

“Geez, not so loud,” Izuku complained with a chuckle. “Sho-san told me about it after he told dad about the portal. He said it was his way to soften the blow that he dealt… it’s kinda effective though, I’m getting excited!”

“Well, Mr. Vlad and I aren’t exactly as close as you are with Mr. Aizawa. So, I doubt that he’d tell me things about our class,” Toshi said with a tone just as sarcastic as his smile.

“Good point.”

“Did he tell you what kind of hero exercise it was?” Shoto asked from his seat across Izuku.

He shook his head. “He only said that we’d be using our hero costumes for it. And I can’t wait for that! I wanna see our classmates’ costumes, and yours too!”

“Hell yeah! My hero suit looks awesome!” Kacchan boasted with a pumped fist.

“Mine too!”

Lunch didn’t really last long after that, so the four friends went on their way to their respective classrooms. Toshi insisted that Izuku don’t deliver him after lunch, he said it made him look like a baby, which was weird since the greenette was the baby in their group, apparently. Izuku grumbled at that but didn’t argue. The three of them settled down their seats just as the bell rang, their classmates already seated before they did.

All Might arrived shortly after, in the flashiest way possible too. His classmates gawked at the sight of the number one hero, he could tell that even Kacchan and Shoto were fanboying deep inside. Izuku also awed and gaped, but only because Uncle Might’s silver age costume was so refreshing to see again. His personal favorite was the original young costume of course. It just had that certain unspeakable charm.

“For my stay in UA, I’ll be teaching Hero Basic Training!” Uncle Might proudly announced and puffed his chest. “This course will take most of your units, and as a start, we’ll be doing combat training!” he pressed a button on a remote he was holding, and their hero costumes slid out of panels from the wall. “Now change into your hero suits, and let the show begin!”

Izuku was quick to change from his uniform, and into his suit. He managed to avoid staring at Shoto as he changed, which drastically increased his changing time. Now that he had his hero costume on, he took a moment to admire how he looked at one of the mirrors. The entirety of his gear was created by his father and sister, so the design was fairly stylish. He wore a full black Kevlar suit, with green streaks on some places. His hero costume included bracers on his wrists that provide a useful function for his void orbs, a diamond-shaped respirator, and nii-chan’s logo with his colors on either side of his shoulders.

He liked is costume, especially the Loud Cloud emblems. Now, he could bring nii-chan with him in the battlefield.

“Damn, nerd. You look like a fucking pro already,” Kacchan praised with a teasing grin as he walked up to Izuku. “Did uncle design that along with Melissa?”

“Yup! They most certainly did. I also like your costume. You look really awesome!”

Kacchan smirked and huffed proudly. “Of course it’s awesome, I designed it.”

The rest of the class’ costumes were also quite a delight to see. Tenya-kun’s suit looked super cool since it was a homage to Iida-san’s hero costume, Shoto looked… comfortable and still quite handsome (he won’t admit that out loud), Kirishima-kun looked dashing and suggestive, and Kaminari-kun… well, he looked exactly like his room.

As they walked out and made their way to Ground Beta, Izuku got a glimpse of the girls’ hero costumes. And boy were they amazing. Uraraka-san’s suit fit her quirk quite well, Tsu’s costume was as bright as her personality, Yaoyorozu was as suggestive as Kirishima was, Mina-san looked like an alien queen, and Hagakure-san and Jirou-san were… he doesn’t know how to describe it.

Izuku eyed Shoto carefully. He wanted to see his crush's reaction when he sees Yaoyorozu's costume. And when the dual-haired boy did notice, he was indifferent about it. No small smile, smirk, or blush. Is he just hiding his feelings so well...? Izuku asked himself. 

“They say clothes make the man, and you young men and ladies, are heroes from this moment on!” All Might declared as the class walked into Ground Beta. 

Okay, time to focus now. There's no room for jealousy in this course.

“Here, we will conduct your first exercise, a classic chase between hero and villain. Since the more dangerous villains have a higher probability of attacking indoors, this training will take place inside a building as well! As such, you’d be divided into groups of two for 2-on-2 battles between a villain team, and a hero team,” the hero explained with a huge smile.

Did Uncle Might rehearse this? Izuku thought to himself as he stifled a chuckle.

“Now then, it’s time to draw lots!”

After the teams were made and roles were assigned, Izuku was partnered up with Uraraka-san in the hero team. But he also has Tenya-kun and Kacchan as opponents. He doesn’t know if he should be thankful about that fact. On one hand, at least he knew how his opponents fight and their quirks. On the other hand, Kacchan was very difficult to deal with during an official match with no boundaries, and Tenya-kun might be difficult to catch due to his speedy nature.

As their classmates followed Uncle Might to the observation room, Izuku thought of a plan to effectively win the exercise. He had the building lay-out in his hand as he mumbled incoherent words. Beside him, Uraraka had a scared look on her face as she tried to listen to what he was saying.

“Um… Zuku. Shouldn’t we start planning our attack? And I haven’t memorized the building lay-out yet,” she chuckled bashfully.

Izuku looked at her with hazed eyes, before focusing back to reality. “Oh right! Sorry about that…” he scratched his neck sheepishly. “I actually memorized the lay-out of the building, and I’ve got a plan to win this. Hopefully…”

When the match officially started with Uncle Might’s signal, Uraraka used her quirk to lift herself and Izuku to the third floor. The greenette already knew that Kacchan would want the bomb at a higher floor, but he wasn’t sure which one. Starting from the middle ground was a safe bet, and they would also be able to hear if someone approaches from the lower or upper floors.

As they traversed the third floor, his grip on Uraraka-san’s wrist was tightened out of anxiety. He could feel his nerves crawling in anticipation for the moment that Kacchan spots them first. His other hand already had a void orb, ready to grasp in emergency. When they turned on a corner, Izuku barely registered Kacchan’s hand that was outstretched towards their faces for an attack.

He managed to grasp the void orb in time, making him and Uraraka reappear on the other side of the hallway. “You alright?” he asked worriedly.

“Yeah. We warped just in time for that.”

Kacchan turned back around to stare at them with a coy smirk. “Come on now, Zuku! I’ve been waiting for an official match, and I will kick your ass this time!”

Izuku relaxed his stance, giving his friend a sickly sweet smile that was borderline mocking. “You really think you can beat me, Kacchan…?”

The blonde’s eye twitched, “Why you little NERD!” his friend made a beeline for him while accelerated by explosions.

He chuckled at Kacchan’s angry response and made a void orb on each hand. He tossed one towards Uraraka-san to warp her away, and he grasped the other for him to dodge the attack. Izuku’s body reformed behind his friend, ready to deliver a kick. Kacchan dodged his attack though, simply angling himself so that the kick missed completely. And since he regained his footing first, the blonde shot his quirk towards Izuku.

The greenette crossed his arms to cover his face, the heat resistant costume tanking most of the damage for him. When Izuku’s footing was stable, he flipped, and ducked, and turned to dodge the barrage of attacks that came his way. None of Kacchan’s attacks connected, but he was also unable to deliver an attack of his own.

Both of them were panting, but Kacchan was more dangerous this way due to the nature of his quirk. Accumulated sweat meant accumulated power. “Are you— really… really sticking to your cowardly tactics, Zuku?!” his friend yelled between breaths. They were still in the third floor, but their surroundings was battered and destroyed with how frequent Kacchan used his explosions.

“It’s called strategy, Kacchan,” he said with a playful roll of his eyes.

From his earpiece, Uraraka-san confirmed the position of everyone in the building. “Iida-kun is at the fifth floor, on the fifth sector from the map.”

Oh wow, he knew Kacchan could be predictable when he’s pumped up, but not this predictable. “Copy that, initiating phase two,” he managed to say before the blonde lunged at him again.

“You really have the balls to ignore me right now, huh Zuku?!”

“Sorry about that! Just had to tell my teammate something,” he grinned and ran away towards the direction of a window. “Bye, Kacchan!”

The blonde didn’t hesitate to follow Izuku as he fell out the window. Kacchan accelerated his descent with explosions, but even then, he didn’t manage to catch Izuku as the greenette made a portal that transported him to the building’s rooftop.

“DAMN YOU NERD!”

Izuku only giggled as multiple explosions came from the base of the building, which was Kacchan trying his best to kill his downward momentum before hitting the ground. It didn't long for another set of explosions  toset off from the bottom. Izuku looked down, staring curiously as his friend flew up towards the rooftop. He waited patiently with arms crossed until Kacchan reached the apex of the building, and directly went on the offensive.

The numerous explosions just right above Iida caused the boy to become panicked and disoriented. “Bakugou?! What’s going on up there?!” His questions were answered with unintelligible cussing, which frustrated him even further. This was part of the plan. With the speedy student now distracted by the sounds of explosions and curses from his earpiece, Uraraka easily sneaked up to him and tapped his shoulder.

“Ahhhhh… W-What’s happening?!” Iida said in a flustered tone as his body began to float.

“Apologies, Iida-kun. But the hero team shall win today!”  

Uraraka took hold of the boy’s calves and took out her capture tape. She pulled down Iida, slamming him to the ground easily now that he’s weightless, and tied his feet when he became light-headed from the fall.

“Villain Tenya Iida is captured!” All Might’s voice boomed through the speakers.

Izuku grinned at the announcement, which made Kacchan more agitated. “ZUKU!” His attacks got faster and more reckless, which also made it dangerous for Izuku. But the greenette was able to contend with Togata-senpai, whose speed was far superior than Kacchan’s. He managed to widen their distance with flips and warps, until they were edge to edge on the rooftop.

“Uraraka-san, prepare for delivery.”

“Copy that.”

As expected, Kacchan closed the gap by using his explosions. But before he could get close to Izuku, the greenette made a portal which transported his friend to the fifth floor. With the acceleration he was going, Kacchan didn’t notice Uraraka who was waiting to tap his forearm from the side. Her quirk activated in an instant, making the blonde weightless, and much faster to hit the wall.

He managed to react though, and pointed an explosion forward. Instead of killing the momentum, what he did was slam himself against a pillar due to zero gravity. Kacchan’s stupefied state gave Izuku enough time to warp into the room and wrap a capture tape around his friend’s wrists.

“Villain Katsuki Bakugou is captured.”

The hero pair looked at each other with a huge grin as they high fived. “Plus Ultra!” Izuku and Uraraka walked together towards the fake bomb, a huge smile plastered on their faces as they touched it at the same time.

“The villain team is captured, and the bomb is secured. The hero team wins the match!”   

Chapter Text

Approximately ten years ago.

Pain and suffocation.

Those were the first things that he remembered when he woke up.

His non-existent eyes gaze at the surroundings, but all he see was black. Not black because of darkness, no. But black ‘cause light could no longer enter his eyes. “W-What happened to me?” his voice was weary. Unlike the commanding tone that he was used to hearing from his own lips.

“Sensei, you are awake…” a familiar voice spoke from beside him. “You have been asleep for three months after your battle with All Might.”

Three months? He was in a vegetative state for three months?! “How did you find the means to heal me? Or rather, keep me alive at least…” Although he cannot see at the moment, he could very much feel the various wires that littered around his body, as well as the respirator that he seemed to need in order to breathe.

“It was no easy task… Weaker healing quirks didn’t have any effect on your injuries. All Might really went all out this time.”

A breathy chuckle escaped All for One’s lips. “You misunderstood, Garaki… It was not All Might that dealt this damage. It was the boy, Izuku Midoriya,” he said with a sadistic smile, “His distress allowed him to release a blast of green energy that almost disintegrated me, and also nearly killed All Might.”

“H-He did this?” the doctor asked in disbelief.

“Oh yes. I’m quite sure that his quirk is capable of so much more in the hands of someone imaginative.”

“I see…”

The ensuing silence that followed gave Dr. Garaki time to check the vitals of All for One. He was in a stable state for now, but the doctor doesn’t know if there were side effects to being exposed with such intense radiation. After taking some blood samples, the doctor went out of the room to conduct some tests on it. Left alone, All for One basked in the dreadful soundlessness of the room he was in.

What’s happening to him now was similar to what he’s done to others in the past. Capturing and leaving heroes inside dark cells so that they’d beg for mercy, and follow his bidding. How the tables have turned. And all because of a young boy born with a mutated quirk. His thoughts halted when he turned towards the general direction of the door.

“Doctor, you’re back early…” he grumbled when the telltale sound of the door opening reached his ears.

The footsteps stopped. “I’m afraid I’m not the doctor, sire. I am but your humble servant…” A deep, unfamiliar voice replied.

“Who are you? I believe your voice is unfamiliar to me.”

“I am—”

“I named him Kurogiri for now,” the doctor’s voice interjected. He entered the room right after the being who had a tray of food on his hand. “He was there in the same site where I found you, Sensei.”

All for One could feel the stranger’s quirk, a mangled mess of genetic mutation. “Kurogiri, was it?”

“Yes, Sensei.”

“Come close… I want to see your quirk.” At the command, All for One felt the presence of someone beside him. Although he couldn’t really see, he had a quirk that heightened his smell and hearing. By using another sensory quirk, the villain was able to discern the shape of Kurogiri. He almost appeared fog-like, ever flowing and ever changing. A fascinating appearance indeed.

Now that All for One was mostly familiar with how Kurogiri looked like on the outside, he reached in deeper and used his quirk to identify this being’s own quirk. An amused chuckle escaped his lips as he identified everything. His dark laugh echoed in his chamber, unknowingly sending shivers to the doctor and Kurogiri. “I know exactly who and what you are…” he said deeply, “Would you mind leaving the doctor and I for a bit.”

When Kurogiri closed the door, All for One turned to the general direction of doctor Garaki. “I know exactly who that was. The caretaker of Izuku Midoriya, a hero student from UA. Shirakumo Oboro…”

“What? But… he seemed extremely suggestible. Did he have memory loss?”

“Perhaps,” All for One shrugged, “He was there when All Might fought me in the skies, helping the hero gain foothold with the use of his power. But that’s not all. When Midoriya’s quirk exploded, it seems like that boy was the one most affected. His entire genealogy has been mutated, thus altering his quirk into what it is now…”

“A warp quirk!” the doctor exclaimed. “Kurogiri has a cloudy, almost mist-like portals.”

That just confirmed his suspicions, All for One was extremely pleased. He may have lost Midoriya for the time being, but now he’s got a warp of his own by his side. And if his theory was correct, it’ll be as potent as the boy’s Void Master. “Mankind has always been in the mercy of radioactive substances. The one who controls radiation and space, will be able to control everything else…” Oh he couldn’t wait to get his hands on the boy now.

Present day.

 It’s been quite an eventful day for Izuku. The indoor team exercise yesterday was very enjoyable for him since he could finally test his powers against peers. Everyone was great, and their quirks were amazing to see in battle. But the day was also tiring, so Izuku went to sleep without even eating dinner with the class.

After a good night’s sleep, his morning jog with Shoto yielded with both of them agreeing to train together as well. How could Izuku decline a request to be alone with his crush, he simply couldn’t. One could even say that he agreed too eagerly, he just hoped Shoto didn’t find him too desperate. They prepared for school after that, and unlike last time, they went the old fashion way.

His classmates didn’t wait for him downstairs this time, since they all know the trouble he’s in for agreeing to that. Shoto, Kacchan, and Toshi walked with him to class where Sho-san (he should really start calling him Mr. Aizawa) told them that it was time to choose their class representative. It was a big responsibility that only the most capable hands could handle. So naturally, Izuku’s vote went for Yaoyorozu.

Although he didn’t want to admit it, she was efficient, smart, and beautiful. No wonder Shoto has his eyes on her, as much as he hated to admit it. Granted, he never actually asked his friend about it, Izuku thought he’d just think of the worst right now when his heart isn’t romantically attached to his crush yet. But to his surprise, the rest of the class didn’t have the same opinion as him (regarding Yaoyorozu’s class standing that is, not his efficiency as a girlfriend).

Most of the class voted for him, about fifteen votes in total. Yoayorozu was the next one with five votes, accounting for twenty votes total. But seriously, him? As class rep? Izuku hardly had the sense of responsibility his classmates thought he had, he was actually quite childish most of the time. Of course, he voiced this concern in class, but Mr. Aizawa told him that the result was absolute. Izuku was now declared as class rep, with Yaoyorozu as his deputy.

He really didn’t have a choice on the matter, so he gratefully accepted his role. Currently, it was lunch time, and he was lining up along with Kacchan, Shoto, and Toshi. It didn’t take long before it was their turn, and Izuku got himself a rice bowl with some spring rolls. “Okay, usual seat here we come,” he said mostly to himself, but his friends heard.

They didn’t comment on it as they walked towards the empty table at the middle. Not really the middlemost part of the cafeteria though, those were apparently reserved for the Big Three and their friends, aka Togata-senpai. Izuku hadn’t greeted him since going to UA since he was too shy to approach a third year so casually. Shoto and Kacchan walked fast towards their table, Toshi mostly matched his pace with Izuku’s.

“Ugh, Mineta! Why won’t you leave us alone?!”

The greenette’s gaze immediately shifted to the voice. It was the table where Hagakure, Yaoyorozu, and Jiro sat along with a few other first years. Oh dear, that small grape was making girls uncomfortable again. Izuku had already talked to him in the second day of classes, but it seems that his casual suggestion wasn’t enough to begin change inside Mineta. He sighed, and looked over at his friends who were also staring at him and stopped on their tracks.

“Zuku, is something wrong?” Shoto asked.

He begrudgingly nodded. Izuku’s eyes scanned the area for a moment and saw Shoji-kun standing nearby with his own tray in hand, also staring at Mineta. “Shoji-kun!” he smiled and walked up to him, “Can you hold this for a moment? I gotta do something for a bit.” His classmate didn’t even question it and simply held on the greenette’s tray with another set of hands.

Izuku’s palm glowed green as he made a void orb. He didn’t hide his intentions as he walked up to Mineta, the standing students parting to make way for him. With a light toss, the void orb landed on Mineta, promptly warping him away from the very upset ladies. “Sorry about him… I’ll make sure he doesn’t do it again~” he said with a very innocent smile that seem misplaced considering what he just did. “Well, see you later.” And with that, he created another void orb and grasped it, also teleporting away to where he sent the purple pervert.

Immediately after, rushing gusts of wind continuously assaulted Izuku as he was free falling from several kilometers up in the sky. The sound of the wind was deafening, but the feeling of being freed from gravity was liberating. He took it upon himself to teach Mineta a lesson, and this was what he had in mind. Which was to say, make the purple pervert fall down from heights that only planes and rockets ever reached.

Izuku wasn’t even bothered by the loud screams and cussing of Mineta who was just a few feet below him. “Calm down Mineta!” he yelled, his loud voice barely audible from their current predicament. “Let’s use this time to reflect on things, shall we?” By now, the greenette had positioned himself in such a way that he could fall side-by-side with his classmate.

“Y-YOU’RE INSANE MIDORIYA!”

He rolled his eyes, though it hurt due to the extreme winds around him. There was no way they could talk like this, luckily he brought the goggles that he requested from Yaoyorozu last time. He got it crafted for the purpose of intimidation, which was why he strapped it on his belt every time he leaves. One for him, and one for the other person that he has falling with him. “Put these on! And you can lower your voice slightly, you know?! I’m not deaf!” Izuku’s screaming voice managed to calm down the short boy, albeit very little.

As instructed, Mineta put on the goggles given to him. Even with his unusual proportions, the goggles fit perfectly. Izuku also put on his own pair, and now he could properly look at the purple pervert. “You can see now, right?” he asked and maneuvered himself so that he could hold his classmate’s hands. With their close proximity, they could now hear each other clearly by just raising their voice. But all that Izuku could hear was the brat’s incessant screaming.

“Stop yelling or else I’ll warp away and you’ll fall to your death!”

That finally shut him up, thank goodness. “Listen up! We’ve got less than a minute before we fall to our deaths so I’ll keep it short.” Izuku ignored the loud scream of Mineta just then. “From now on, you will not do any gesture that bothers girls, don’t make sexualizing comments, and don’t say offensive statements! Nod twice if you understand!”

Mineta was terrified but he still nodded, making Izuku smile a bit. “Now repeat what I just said.”

“W-WHAT?!” a single stare managed to make the purple boy gulp down in fear. “I-I will not do any gesture that bothers girls, won’t make sexualizing comments, and won’t say offensive s-statements!”

Izuku nodded with a smile. “Good! Now if I see you making girls feel uncomfortable again…”

“YES, YES. I totally understand!”

The greenette narrowed his eyes, both hands still holding Mineta. Their acceleration was steadily rising and it won’t be long till they hit the ground. Even so, Izuku still wasn’t relenting and wanted the purple boy to suffer more, not like he’d actually let him fall to his death though.

“MIDORIYA! We’re very near the ground now, warp us already!”

“Hmm…” he teased with a cheeky grin. “You haven’t learn your lesson yet.”

“I HAVE. I TOTALLY HAVE!”

Just when they were a few meters from the ground, Izuku pulled his right hand from Mineta’s harsh grasp and created a void orb. They warp a few meters back up the air to get himself repositioned and threw another void orb that expanded to a portal beneath them. This in turn created a portal by UA’s building that pointed upwards, conveniently decreasing their momentum as they eventually stepped on the building’s rooftop.

Mineta seem to not grasp the situation fully, mainly because Izuku was lifting him from the back of his shirt which might’ve given the impression that he was still floating. “We’re on solid ground now. Didn’t you notice?”

For someone his age, the purple boy was so light that Izuku could lift him with one hand. Though the moment he flailed around and started yelling ‘put me down!’ significantly made it harder to lift him. “Okay, okay, geez. I hope you’ve learned your lesson now?” The greenette’s voice was as cheerful as usual, but his smile didn’t reach his green eyes at all. Mineta’s teary wide eyes and frantic nods satisfied Izuku for now.

“Let’s get back to lunch then. As class rep, I’m responsible for the wellbeing of 1-A. Which also includes you Mineta, wouldn’t wanna continue the day with an empty stomach,” he singsonged and skipped towards the door that led downstairs. His classmate ran after him, his tiny legs working their best to catch up to Izuku. The cafeteria was still bustling by the time they arrived, which made sense considering they weren’t even gone for three minutes.

Izuku walked to the table where Shoji was sitting and shot him a smile. “Shoji-kun! Thanks so much for holding onto my tray,” he bowed his head gratefully and took his food.

“It was no problem, Zuku-kun. But I’m afraid your hair is quite messier than usual…”

“You think so? I think it’s the same actually! Okay anyways, gotta go, thanks again!” he casually brushed it off and looked at Mineta who was standing beside him. “Get your food and sit at our table, Mineta-kun! We’re still not done talking after all.” Like an obedient subject, Izuku’s classmate walked timidly behind him and got himself a bowl of ramen. The pair soon arrived at the table where Izuku and his friends always sat.

Shoto was the first to look at him, pointing a finger towards his hair. “Cotton ball,” he spoke in nonchalance, “You look like a giant green cotton ball.”

Kacchan’s attention shifted to him as well, “Pfft, you do look like a green cotton ball. Like after it’s used to wipe vomit or something!” he cackled.

“Ew. You use cotton balls to wipe your vomit? Shouldn’t it be a rug?” Toshi chuckled as he swallowed his food.

“Shut up Eyebags!”

Izuku shook his head fondly and took a seat beside Shoto. Mineta scrambled up to sit beside him afterwards with just a single look from the greenette. He acted like nothing was wrong at all and started to eat the food he ordered. But his friends were still staring at him, and towards the newcomer that sat down unannounced.

“Zuku. There’s a stray pervert beside you.”

“Hey, stop acting like you’re better than me! Midoriya almost dropped me to death from hundreds of miles up in the air, he’s insa—”

“A responsible class rep! Right, Mineta-kun?” Izuku asked with a smile. He was so genuine about it, his eyes even seem to sparkle. But the purple pervert knew the threat behind those words and demeanor.

After that little fiasco, the three friends resumed their lunch and was quite happy with their meals. Only a few minutes remained until their next class, but they had time to spare since all of them were fast walkers. Izuku, who was done with his food, was playing with his chopsticks and plate absentmindedly. Kacchan and Shoto looked at him with visible confusion, but no one interrupted his childishness. He was even making sound effects, totally unaware of the stares. Toshi on the other hand, was lightly waving his fingers at the greenette, hoping to catch his attention.

But still, Izuku was quite occupied. He imagined that his chopsticks were giant poles of judgment that he poked on his leftovers. It took him several seconds to notice that he was being watched. A blush crept on his face as his eyes slowly trail towards Kacchan and Shoto who were still staring. “H-Have you just been staring at me this whole time?”

“Yes. Don’t let us disturb your childish time, Zuku. Come on, keep playing~” Kacchan teased with a cocky grin.

“Y-You! Kacchan I hate you so mu—” Before he could embarrass himself further, an alarm blared within the cafeteria. The annoying sound was paired with red emergency lights all over. “There has been a level three security breach. All students, please evacuate outdoors promptly,” informed a robotic voice.  Safe to say that the cafeteria exploded into hysteria afterwards, students from all years scrambling up and about for the exit. Shoto, Kacchan, and Toshi stood up.

Izuku gestured for them to sit back down. “No point in joining the stampede. I’ll pop out and back to see what’s wrong, keep your phones on.”

“Don’t think we’ll let you go alone,” said Shoto as he grabbed the greenette’s arm. “I’ll come with you.” His friends were still standing despite his instruction.

“I don’t need protecting Shoto…”

“You’re still prohibited from using quirk outside of classes, y’know?” Toshi spoke with a raised eyebrow.

Kacchan nodded and pulled their purple friend back down. “If you go with IcyHot, we won’t stop you.” Toshi nodded in agreement.

So they’re not even giving him a choice. “Okay, fine. We can go together. Tell the rest of the class in our chat to stay put until further orders. When emergency arises, make sure that you guys move in pairs. And when I don’t return, call dad immediately.” Izuku gaze shifted towards the different tables where his classmates sat, nodding at them in reassurance before grasping Shoto’s hand and teleporting away with a single void orb.

The pair reappeared on the rooftop, the very same one where Izuku and Mineta was earlier. From there, they got a clear view of what’s going on, and it slightly disappointed the greenette. “Reporters… seriously?” he took out his phone, snapped a picture, and sent it in their class group chat for everyone to see. “Well, looks like there’s no need to panic.” Izuku chuckled slightly and was about to make a void orb when a debilitating migraine hit him like a truck.

Because of his weak constitution, he immediately fell on his knees at the pain. His vision blurred and it felt like needles were piercing his skull, so he gripped his head in a failed attempt to ease the pain. Shoto was on his side promptly, crouching beside Izuku and holding his shoulder steady. “Zuku, what’s happening? How do you feel?” his voice was softer than usual.

“L-Like… my head is imploding slowly. Get my bag. I left my radipen there.”

Shoto had a rough idea of what the greenette was talking about, “Okay then. What else do you need me to do?”

At the question, Izuku tried his best to look at his friend with a reassuring smile. “Stay away from me now… I can’t control m-my qui—” It was quite fortunate that Shoto’s reaction time was polished, otherwise, a strand of emerald energy would’ve warped his head away from his body. He was able to dodge it with a backflip, his normally stoic face showed concern and fear. An understandable reaction from the scene before him— not even a second after Izuku told him about his quirk going haywire, and his friend was already surrounded by a greenish haze.

“Zuku! Can you hear me!”

Of course he couldn’t. He was there on the floor of the rooftop, screaming his lungs out as he try to contain the damage his quirk would surely do. In a last attempt gesture to make sure that Shoto was at least safe, Izuku threw a void orb at him that managed to warp his friend back to the cafeteria. He wasn’t worried about himself. Worst case scenario was that he’d pass out for a few days, but the stakes his friends would face because of him, was quite dire.

Shoto reappeared inside the cafeteria before he even realized it. He stumbled against a table, righting himself before his gaze fell unto Bakugou and Shinsou, looking distressed beyond measure.

“Where’s Zuku, Icyhot?” Bakugou practically growled his question.

“At the rooftop. He’s quirk’s gone haywire, and I don’t know why,” he replied promptly as he gathered his wits. Both Toshi and Bakugo were quick to act, the former getting the radipen from Zuku’s bag while the latter texted someone on his phone.

“Squirt,” Toshi spoke darkly as he addressed Mineta, “Make yourself useful and tell Yaoyorozu about the situation.” The small boy was quick to follow the instruction and scurried away. All three boys were incredibly worried for their friend, but they needed to be careful with the situation. They approached the rooftop from the side, using Shoto’s ice to lift all three of them. As expected, the rooftop was messed up, the stairway leading to it wrecked and unrecognizable.

Green swirls danced along with the wind, forming a mesmerizing image that enveloped the entirety of the rooftop. Whatever the green wisps touch, disappears into the wind, its whereabouts unknown even by the caster. At the middle of this void storm was Izuku, crouched down and breathing heavily. “Zuku! Can you hear me?!” Toshi screamed amidst the whirring and sounds of tearing paper.

Using the Brainwash quirk, Toshi could snap Zuku out of his rampage. They have tested it multiple times, and it has always worked. I hope it works perfectly again... Shoto thought as they waited in anticipation for the greenette’s response. Suddenly, all the chaos subsided. It was rather anticlimactic when Zuku’s swirls simply disappeared. “Did he respond to your question?” Shoto asked Toshi.

“He replied with a small whisper... That’s all it took to calm his mind,” the purple-headed boy sighed in relief.

The trio of friends jogged towards Zuku, using an ice bridge made by Shoto to cross the gap. The rooftop’s flooring was so unstable by this point, thanks to being chaffed by the greenette’s quirk. Shoto made sure to patch up the cracks with ice to delay its inevitable destruction. Bakugou and Toshi moved in sync as they grabbed Zuku’s dazed self, awakening him from the brainwash and moving him to their friend’s ice platform just before the rooftop collapsed in on itself.

Izuku’s face was reddened and stained with tears when he opened his eyes. Somehow, he was inside the school infirmary surrounded by his three best friends. They were talking atop each other, seemingly in argument while Izuku regained his wits. “What’s going on...?” he asked weakly as he tried to sit up. An action promptly stopped by Recovery Girl. His friends went quiet as they looked at Izuku with a worried expression.

“Hey, Zuku. What’s the last thing you remember?” the healing hero asked.

The scrunched face and squinted eyes made it known he didn’t remember much. “There was an emergency alarm... but I confirmed it was just some reporters. Then I blacked out. I probably had a severe migraine and caused trouble again, right? Was anybody injured? I’ve got connections to I-Medicals, they’ll be more than ha—”

“Woah! Slow down, Zuku, geez.” Toshi calmed him by putting both hands on his friend’s shoulders. Of the three best friends of Izuku, Toshi was the one that resembled a ‘normal’ friend. He was caring and empathetic, unlike the emotionless Shoto and brash Kacchan. 

“No need to worry. Everyone is accounted for, you’re the only student that needed medical attention. And the damage you dealt to the building did not injure anyone” said Recovery Girl as she moved the three boys away from Izuku. “Don’t crowd my patient please, he’s fine now as you can see. You should return to your classroom and inform Aizawa about this.”

When the elderly nurse and Izuku were finally alone in the infirmary, a sigh escaped Recovery Girl’s lips.

“Umm... did you just say that I damaged the building?”

“Why, yes you did dear. The rooftop of Wing A has collapsed onto the floor beneath it.”

Oof, that was certainly a lot to process. Izuku’s mind took a while to reboot, taking in the information he just heard. Heroes should never damage properties, and here he was, not even a hero yet, and already making collateral damage. Payment for that is no joke, and not to mention that he has no idea why a migraine hit him in the first place. Maybe he should investigate its origin to prevent further dangers.

While Izuku’s thoughts swirled inside his head, Recovery Girl went to her desk drawer and took out a bunch of gummies before handing them to the greenette. “It’s just the first week and a mishap already happened. What would the I-Island council say when they finally get the news of how UA failed to protect itself from a mere mob of reporters.”

Izuku knew it wasn’t really the fault of the school, but the fact remains that civilians managed to trespass into the most prestigious hero school in Japan. He just hoped that dad won’t be too mad about the accident, and the expenses needed to fix the rooftop and the topmost floor. Not to mention the incident that caused the damage (his quirk going bonkers) would make both his dad and sister worried.

“Did you tell dad about... this? I wanted to talk to him to soften the blow a bit, cause he could be kinda, sorta, slightly overprotective...” Izuku chuckled nervously.

Turns out, the school did call his dad. But thanks to his friends, everyone on I-Island were calmed down before everything could spiral into madness. In the end, the council decided that a visit would be unnecessary. A simple cheque and some official documents are all they need to sort out the problem, especially since Izuku was fine. While the greenette fiddled with the sheets for a bit, he didn’t notice Recovery Girl walking out of the infirmary for a moment. Only when she spoke up did he realize he was unfocused again.

“Zuku dear, Principal Nezu wants to have a word with you, if you don’t mind. He’s actually outside right now,” the nurse said kindly, putting her wrinkled hands on Izuku’s knee.

Izuku’s face paled. Why did the principal want to meet him? Would he be expelled for destruction of school property? He could still apply for Shiketsu if that happened, right? Well, no need to worry about what’s gonna happen. “U-Um, he could come in…” Izuku decided.  

The door opened to reveal a mouse-bear-dog creature, with a smile plastered on his cute squishy face. Beside their chimera principal was a tired Sho-san. The pair sat down on a small bench across the student. Izuku looked away from the calculative gaze of the principal. He didn’t feel comfortable being studied by someone who could be considered as the most intelligent being in Japan.

“How are you faring Zuku?” Sho-san asked and broke the tense atmosphere.

Izuku looked at the pair now, playing with his hair sheepishly as he replied. “I’m doing alright, Sho— I-I mean sir... Once my migraine is treated with pain medication, I’m back to my normal self.” That was embarrassing. Although the principal knew of their close knit relationship, it still felt embarrassing somehow.

“That’s wonderful news. From what the I-Island council told me, this sort of thing only happens when you are exposed with someone possessing a warp quirk, correct?” Nezu asked this time, purposely ignoring the reddened face of Izuku.

“Uh, yeah. Someone with a warp quirk must have also thought of teleporting away from the cafeteria.” He won’t fault them for that of course, his quirk just had some unfortunate drawbacks alongside its overpowered nature.

“That’s the problem, Zuku. No one in UA possesses a warp quirk apart from you,” Mr. Aizawa sighed.

What...? No one has a warp quirk in UA? But that definitely felt like his quirk’s side effect. He didn’t leave his portal for too long either, nor did his watch register abnormal levels of radiation. Is he losing control over his own power? That couldn’t be. Why did his quirk show its instability now that he was away from the scientists that studied it?

“Perhaps it was one of the reporters or civilians,” Sho-san inquired thoughtfully.  

“Whatever the case, we’re glad you’re alright. Don’t worry about the damages, we’re already in contact with I-Island.”

“So I’m not getting expelled for destruction of property?”

The chimera chuckled lightly. “Why no. If anything it was our fault for letting those reporters trespass, thus exposing you to the only weakness of your quirk. Don’t worry, we will ensure that this incident does not repeat in the future.”

Izuku sighed in relief. “Thank you, sir.”

“So Zuku, are you sure you’re completely fine now?” at the greenette’s enthusiastic nod, Sho-san continued, “If that’s the case, you’ll be allowed to attend the special exercise tomorrow. Make sure to get plenty of rest, you will need it.”

Chapter Text

Okay, I have been a terrible author. I will admit that while I did write up Chapter 14 LAST YEAR (damn that was so long ago), I was unable to post it due to personal circumstances. College has been hard and thus has taken a toll on my mental state. Factor in my crumbling social life, frustrations about existence, and trauma that somehow came back... you'll get this version of me. Abandoning everything and just becoming a numb husk of what I'm supposed to be. 

That is to say I have ignored this part of my life for so long. I'm sorry for doing that. I know the pain of having to wait for a story to finish, and I subjected you all to that. Please allow me to formally apologize for such behavior. It was unprofessional of me to go on radio silence. 

However, now I have started to get back my resolve. I still have my outline on how to finish the story, so I will be doing just that in the next couple of weeks. I'll be taking a break from life itself, which means I will be able to focus on this story. But only once July comes around since June would be full of shit I need to address. Apologies for that. 

I promise, (this one I don't plan on breaking), that I will post the succeeding chapters of this story. While I'm at it, I might even start a new book still in the MHA fandom. It's an idea that been bugging me for weeks now. Rest assured though that this story will receive regular updates once July is in our midst, even if I do decide to start a new story. 

Of course, I wouldn't be surprised if you guys lost interest or don't believe me. Even so, I'll finish this story, even if it's just for myself. It's always lovely to see notifications in my email when someone puts a Kudos here, really reminds me that maybe I actually did write something enjoyable.

Chapter Text

Unforeseen Simulation Joint, known to heroes as the USJ, is a world-class training facility that trains the best rescue heroes. And today, it’s Class 1A’s turn to learn the ways of rescue. They were all dressed in their hero costumes and ready to be mentored by Thirteen and Sho-san. Izuku remembered that Uncle Might said something about also being a part of this, but the three fingers that Sho-san held up to Thirteen seemed to suggest that his uncle had used up his hero time for today. He is such a goof, that man.

So, instead of dwelling on the fact that his uncle is absent because of irresponsibility, Izuku’s eyes scanned his surroundings. It was a truly massive facility that made Izuku wonder about the time it took to build. Maybe Cementoss helped? That’s plausible. And he was totally not freaking out over Thirteen, no way. It’s not like he fanboys over space-related quirks because his own quirk is the manifestation of wormholes.

As the space hero explained how quirks can be both helpful and dangerous, which Izuku was already painfully aware of, he was feeling a sense of unease. He couldn’t really explain it, but there seems to be an itch in his brain that ate away his focus. He tried to ignore it in favor of listening to the hero’s closing remarks. It’s probably nothing, he decided as his eyes shifted back to Thirteen. But the speech was over. A humble round of applause resounded in the building when the space hero finished her words.

“Please step forward, Midoriya,” Mr. Aizawa’s voice cut through the claps of his classmates.

Izuku’s eyes widened, pointing at himself in question. When his teacher nodded, he shrugged and walked over to stand beside the man. “Today, all of you will be in the hands of Midoriya. Your safety, your performance, and the use of your quirk will depend on the leader you have chosen.” Izuku gulped. The foreboding message became even scarier for Izuku when Sho-san grinned with that mischievous glint in his eyes. “Let’s hope you don’t regret choosing him.”

Great, thanks a lot Sho-san. Now his nerves were messed up like a yarn tangled by a kitten.

Izuku saw Kacchan snickering at the back, and even Shoto had an amused smile on his face. Good to know some people were at least entertained by his predicament. “Can you tell us the objective, sir?” the greenette finally mustered the courage to ask, trying not to grumble at Sho-san while standing in front of his classmates.

“The objective of the exercise is to rescue training dummies throughout different hazardous environments. I’m talking about ruins, flood, conflagration, and mountainous terrain. And you, Midoriya,” Mr. Aizawa paused to look down directly at the greenette. “You will be responsible of giving your classmates their roles in this exercise.”

Yep. This was totally shaping up to be a stressful day.

“Um, Mr. Aizawa. Isn’t that a little too advanced for us? The first week of school isn’t even over yet,” Asui voiced her concerns, which Izuku wholeheartedly agree with. He could just hug his frog classmate for siding with him. 

“That may be so. But there is no better teacher than experience.”  

That response was so Aizawa-coded that Izuku had no choice but to steel his resolve. He breathed out a determined sigh as his mind started whirring with ideas on how to successfully finish this exercise. Maybe it won’t be so bad after all. With all the interesting quirks at his disposal, he could turn this exercise into something fun. “How many minutes do I have for planning, Mr. Aizawa?”

His teacher grinned at his resolve. “You’ll have five minutes.”

Izuku has heaving and slick with sweat as he transported the last dummy from the flood zone to the lobby of USJ. When Hagakure helped him set down the dummy in their makeshift evacuation area, that’s when he let out a long sigh of relief. “How long did it take us?”

“About sixteen minutes, give or take,” replied Hagakure as she looked at the stopwatch given to her.

That’s good. They were able to rescue all ten dummies in the flood zone before the recommended elapsed time of twenty minutes. Since the dummies had the risk of drowning, Izuku mobilized the most efficient of his classmates’ quirks when it came to rescue. This included Jiro, Shoji, Asui, Tokoyami, Uraraka, and Shoto-kun, along with Izuku at the forefront making sure that his classmates were always positioned optimally.

“Were any of the dummies broken— er, injured I mean.”

Hagakure giggled but she shook her head. “Nope, all of their display monitor are functional and none of them display a red alert.”

Izuku pumped his arm in a silent celebration. He had been slightly panicked with how quick they were with the rescue that he thought some of those dummies broke apart, but maybe they’re sturdier than they seem. “Alright, that’s good. I’ll go back and segregate the flood team for now, see you soon!” Izuku waved at the invisible girl and disappeared through a portal. 

This was the heart of his plan. His quirk bridging the gap between the different zones while Hagakure, his one classmate whose quirk is more suited for stealth than for rescue, managed a makeshift evacuation area by the fountain lobby. By using his portals, he could give assistance to anyone anywhere as long as he had a clear vision of where they were. He does so by getting a bird's eye view of the facility by free falling in the air. 

After saying goodbye at Hagakure, Izuku stepped through his quirk’s gateway and was greeted by the flood team with bated breath. All Izuku did was give them a thumbs up, and everyone erupted into cheer. He didn’t waste any more time though, as he separated the flood team to the different hazard zones that still needed help. Jiro and Uraraka were sent to the ruins zone where Mineta, Sato, Iida, Ojiro, and Kaminari were already patrolling.

Meanwhile, Tokoyami, Shoji, and Asui were sent to the mountain zone to assist Aoyama, Sero, Koda, and Mina. After a few moments, Izuku was left alone with Shoto-kun in the flood zone, and if it weren’t for his anxiety about the exercise, he knew he’d be anxious about something else. Something tall and angsty. “Well, we should also head out,” the greenette grinned and tossed another portal for them to step through.

Like a true gentleman, Shoto-kun let him pass first. The environment that greeted them spurred Izuku’s fiery determination, fitting now that they’re in the conflagration zone to assist Yaoyorozu, Kacchan, and Kirishima. Crackling flames assaulted their ears, and the smell of burning wood wafted in the hot air. Luckily for Izuku, his hero suit has thermal insulation, and his mask could also filter out smoke, so he already has resistance to the sizzling surroundings. “What’s the situation?” he spoke with a voice louder than usual.

“We’ve narrowed down the search to this final building!” replied Yaoyorozu who was clad in fire-resistant gear and a gasmask (something she made earlier before the exercise started). She pointed at the tallest burning tower in the area. About ten stories high. Although there were only three of them beforehand, their skillsets and natural affinity for the fiery environment allowed them to rescue multiple dummies.

“Took you long enough, Zuku. We’re busting our asses here while you played around the water with Icyhot!”

Shoto-kun tilted his head at Kacchan. “We didn’t play in water, Bakugo. We saved drowning people.”

“Drowning people is a bit much, Shoto-kun,” Izuku chuckled bashfully, then cleared his throat and glared at his explosive friend. “Anyway! Let’s get this over with. Kirishima-kun, you’re with me, we’ll go up looking for dummies. Kacchan, search from above.” The shift in the class rep’s tone spurred the students to take a serious expression. As instructed, the blonde started his search from the top floor after Izuku teleports him up there. Kirishima meanwhile, acted as vanguard for Izuku as they entered through the entrance.

If it wasn’t for his topnotch gear and his classmate’s hardening quirk, traversing a burning tower would be nearly impossible. “Are you holding up okay, Kirishima-kun?” Izukuu asked lowly, trying to gauge the boy’s discomfort.

The redhead gave him a thumbs up and a wide grin. “You’re counting on me man, so I will hold up until we finish this!”

Izuku could only return the thumbs up and firm nod, feeling more confident now that he’s with a reliable teammate. Kirishima led the way through the floors as they climbed up, checking every corner so that they don't miss anything. Izuku could feel his sweat accumulating within his costume, and his eyes tearing up from all the smoke. But their biggest threat would be dehydration, as the boy could feel his throat starting to dry out. Looking at his partner, Kirishima also seems to be thirsty.

They needed to finish fast.

When they rounded a corner in the third floor, Izuku spotted a foot of a dummy. He threw a void orb at it, and the blue dummy emerged beside them. “Found one! We need to bring it down this instant. We can’t bring it with us.” Kirishima nodded instead of giving a reply. They walked over to a destroyed part of the wall and looked down at their classmates. “Get ready for a delivery,” was all the warning he gave before he used a void orb to teleport the dummy beside Yaoyorozu.

Now that they found one, only three more dummies needed to be found.

“Found two dummies hugging each other like idiots in the sixth floor. I’ll bring them back down,” his friend's voice popped out of the comms. 

Okay, only one more dummy left to find. “Thanks, Kacchan. We’ll cover the rest of the floors.” After that much needed good news from his friend, Izuku switched his comms and searched with Kirishima once more. They were already entering the fifth floor, which would guarantee that the last dummy is somewhere in here. It’s the last dummy. How hard could it be to find a blue human-sized dummy in a burning building?

Izuku was getting exhausted, the heat was beginning to be too much for his skin, his throat, and his eyes. Even Kirishima was starting to struggle. But he knew they couldn’t afford to be clumsy, even if Thirteen and Sho-san were monitoring their every movement, ready to stop the exercise at any moment with hidden cameras. The sound of falling rubble alerted the greenette. His gaze immediately zeroed in on the noise, and found the slightest hint of blue from behind the wall that just broke down.

“There it is!”

His sudden yell prompted Kirishima to also look at the same direction. The redhead was eager to confirm the target as he shove through the fallen rubble, his hardened skin brushing off the temperature and the debris. When he reached the area behind the wall, his grin widened as he turned back to Izuku who lagged behind him. “We found it! And it’s functional!”

Hell yeah! Izuku tightened his fists as he ran forward to transport the final dummy of this zone. But as he took a step, the burnt floor caved in.

His survival instincts kicked in, and he immediately grasped a void orb to teleport right beside Kirishima. The sound of ripping paper tore through the crackling flames as he reappeared right by the redhead, his hands immediately reaching for Kirishima’s arms for support.

“Woah, woah, man. Are you alright?” asked the boy as he steadied Izuku. The shorter of the two took a few breaths before he nodded in affirmation.

“That was scary, but it was my own clumsiness. Thanks for catching me, Kirishima-kun!” he brushed it off with a light chuckle and walked pass a concerned Kirishima. Izuku decided not to dilly dally and tapped unto his comms. “We found the last dummy, we’re heading back now.” All it took was for him to nod, and his classmate immediately knew what to do. The redhead held Izuku’s outstretched hand before they disappeared in a flash of green.

When they reappeared down the building, Shoto-kun and Kacchan were busy redirecting the flames and falling debris from the small area that they occupied for evacuation. Yaoyorozu was the first to greet them with a smile. “I’m glad you guys made it without any accidents. Well done!”

No accidents... yeah right. Kirishima had a knowing grin and Izuku averted his gaze at their classmate’s remark, but neither of them said anything.

The greenette handed the dummy to Yaoyorozu before he called his two friends. “Time to head out, you guys! We’re done here!” Both boys grunted in agreement and followed instruction. All the members of the conflagration team passed through Izuku’s portal that connected to Hagakure’s evacuation site. They all helped adjusting the dummies, apart from Izuku who had drank some water and cooled down himself. He was getting ready to head to the other zones.

“If you’re going, then I’m going. Don’t think you can leave me behind, Zuku.” Kacchan spoke up as he approached the boy.

Izuku knew that his friend would ask that. And judging from Shoto-kun’s approaching form, he’d also ask the same. He sighed, a small smile forming on his lips as he looked at his friends. “Let’s get going, then.” With a flick of his wrist Izuku threw a void orb that opened to a portal by the mountain zone. Before disappearing through his quirk, he turned back to his classmates. “Yaoyorozu-san, Kirishima-kun, please have some rest for now. We’ll be back soon with the other dummies. Hagakure-san, thank you for taking care of the evacuation zone!”

The mountain zone’s team had been requesting help for the last two dummies, but Izuku was busy helping the flood and conflagration zones. Now that those were done, he could finally  offer some help. Kacchan and Shoto-kun immediately ran over to where their classmates gathered, Izuku following closely behind. “Hey guys, what do you need?”

“We need to remove that big chunk of rock. There’s two victims inside, but none of us can fit in that small opening,” Asui replied from the side of the cave where the entrance was covered. The rock was approximately ten feet tall, sealing the cave. Upon a closer look, Izuku could indeed see through a gap that two dummies were huddled together. It would be easy to just teleport in and out of there, but he wanted his classmates to expand on their own abilities first.

Izuku looked down at his watch, the display showing that he had zero radiation in him, as well as the time elapsed since their exercise began. “We still have about twenty minutes before deadline, and those dummies don’t display a red alert. With all the people and quirks gathered here, I’m sure you guys could come up with a plan. Unless you want me to–”

“Get out of here, Zuku! I’ll lead these extras and grab those fuckers inside, myself.”

The broccoli head smirked. “Just call me if you guys need something else.”

“Raccoon eyes! Use your acid to melt the edges of that rock. You, sparkles! Dent the shit out of that rock so we could pull it out. Bird brains, tentacles! You’re the muscle, pull out that rock while Icyhot pushes it with his ice from the inside. Frog face—”

As the blonde barked his orders, Izuku found himself smiling at his friend. He was rough around the edges, but he has the makings of a good leader. So, he left the mountain zone in Kacchan’s capable hands and portaled to the ruins zone instead. There, amidst the shadowy terrain covered by toppled buildings, the ruins team worked like a well-oiled machine. Mineta’s purple balls were littered around the area, holding up concrete pillars and steel beams. Izuku whistled at the sight, appreciating that little runt’s contribution.

From where he stood, Izuku could see Sato was lifting off a huge pillar like it weighed nothing. Probably Uraraka’s quirk. While Jiro was saying something to Iida and Ojiro before they entered the destroyed building. “How’s the rescue going, guys?” He asked as he approached, giving his classmates a small wave and grin.

“Everything’s great! The last dummy is inside this building, and Jiro already located it!”

“That’s amazing you guys! You don’t even need any more help, but I still wanted to check up on you.” Izuku replied with bashful chuckle as he approached Uraraka who stood on the sidelines.

Jiro grinned and gave him a thumbs up just as the boys ran inside. “We work surprisingly good together. Even with that perv,” she said rolling her eyes at Mineta talking with Kaminari. Their blonde classmate was busy taking care of the live electrical wires scattered around the vicinity while talking with his friend. He was surprisingly focused on his task despite that.

As expected, this group really was the most optimal for this zone. Izuku caught himself grinning proudly at this small victory. He looked down at his watch to see how much time they have left. His eyes widened.

Then, his heartbeat quickened.

“What...? Where’d this 79% came from...?” Izuku whispered, horrified as he looked at the radiation percentage on his watch. He was in zero radiation just moments ago, and he didn’t use his quirk that much. The greenette breathed deeply, trying to gauge his wellbeing. If a migraine strikes, then he’d have to use his radipen or else it’ll endanger his classmates (but he doesn’t want to do that, it’s too painful damn it).

Maybe he should contact Sho-san. Yeah, he should definitely do that. He messed with his comms to try and reach the correct channel, yet all his ears could pick up was static. What the heck is going on here? Thinking that he might’ve gotten a faulty unit, Izuku turned to his classmates. “Uraraka-san, Jiro-san, can you contact Mr. Aizawa for me? All I get is static.” The two nodded, but their expressions turned to confusion since all they could hear was also static.

Right that moment, a sharp pain assaulted Izuku’s head. It’s the start of a terrible migraine. He looked down at his watch and the radiation levels have reahed 87% now. Something was seriously wrong. Before anything else, Izuku unhooked his radipen from his pants and rolled up his sleeve, before plunging the pen right at his forearm. The pain made him hiss, but he could feel his migraine disappearing. He couldn’t even offer sympathy at Uraraka and Jiro who both looked horrified at what he was doing to himself.

“Something’s gone wrong with the exercise, but I don’t know what.” Izuku grunted and put back his radipen by his pants as he addressed his classmates. “Call the others, alert them quietly.” The spot where he injected the needle was starting to sore, but he bit through the pain and looked around them. Uraraka called over Kaminari and Mineta to stand nearby, while Jiro went to get Iida, Ojiro, and Sato.

Just as they all gathered together, a bullet shot through the air. Izuku didn’t have time to react as it hit his throat. Panic set it in at that moment and Sato used his strength to block another barrage of bullets with a piece of a broken wall.

He was breathing harshly. He couldn’t make out what was happening and he couldn’t feel his body. Izuku’s shaking hand went to touch his throatm but was instead met with his steel mouthguard. There at the side, his fingers felt a dent and a warm sensation. It didn’t hit me. I got saved by my equipment. His eyes focused again, and he looked at the scared expressions of his classmates as they hid from an onslaught of bullets. The concrete that Sato used as cover was sturdy enough to protect them, but Izuku knew they couldn’t hide forever. He could faintly hear manic laughter from the other side, and he felt his own blood boil over.

With a resolve to save his classmates, Izuku grasped a void orb and reappeared several meters up in the air. With a momentary glimpse at the battleground, he saw five unfamiliar men. Two of them using light machine guns, while the other three stood there like idiots. He didn’t know who they were, whether or not this was a part of the exercise. But one thing he knew, was that they pissed him off.

He teleported himself right behind the strangers and didn’t hesitate to deliver void powered kicks to the two gunners. If he was immoral, he wouldn’t have held back and broken the necks of those pricks, but he pulled back his strength and only sent them away flying. The three remaining strangers looked at him with surprise and took on sloppy fighting stances. “May I ask who you people are? Is this a part of the exercise?” He asked with a slightly respectful tone in case they are indeed an extra layer to the exercise, though he seriously doubts it.

“You’re doing a hero exercise, huh? Sorry to burst your bubble, little hero, but we’re here to kill as much of you as we can!” As if to confirm his villanous nature, the burly man set off his quirk which produced a bunch of blades on his body.

So, villains have infiltrated USJ after all... That explains the jammed communication system, but the mystery of his radiation spike remains. “You’re nothing but amateurs. I hope you have a good time in prison,” was all he said in retaliation before he reappeared behind the blades-for-skin and threw a void orb at him. The villain blinked several meters up in the air, free-falling to his death. His screams reached down below where Izuku grinned at the last two remaining villains, “Sleep well.”

A bluish blur slammed against one villain, and the other one was hit on the body by a debris covered in purple balls. The blur being Iida, and the debris covered in Mineta’s quirk was thrown by Sato. Izuku gave them a thumbs up before opening a portal to let the falling villain land safely, albeit still painfully, on the ground. With all the villains incapacitated, Izuku finally let out a breath of relief.

“W-What just happened? Why did they try to kill us?!” Mineta, in a true cowardly fashion, ran up to the greenette with tearful eyes.

He could only let out a sigh. “USJ has been infiltrated by villains, and from the looks of it, our communication is down.” Izuku tried his comms again only to be disappointed. On his watch, another problem arose. He was back to 53% radiation even though he had just used his radipen. It seems like one of the villains has a warp quirk or something.

“Villains? Then, what should be our course of action, Midoriya? Should we get backup?” Asked Iida with a clear headed tone, though Izuku could see in his eyes that he was just as afraid as Mineta.

“How about our other classmates? Do you think they’re alright?”

“This is bad news...”

Izuku knew there were too many variables to consider before arriving at their next course of action. He wants to confirm his friends’ safety, but he knew that calling in backup would be far more valuable. But what if the backup arrive too late? The teachers were in classes, after all. What about Sho-san and Thirteen? Do they know what’s happening, are they fighting villains? This is becoming way too stressful for Izuku as he started to breathe more erratically.

“Zuku!” Uraraka got his attention, her face worried. “You’re mumbling and panicking. You don’t have to worry too much, they’re fine.”

A semblance of light sparkled in his eyes again, rational thought cutting through his panic. Uraraka’s right. His friends and his mentors were strong. They could definitely handle these villains. With newfound determination, he nodded his head and shifted his gaze to where the fountain plaza was. But his eyes caught something else. A dark coagulation of energy, each pulse shooting a sharp pain in his head. From the darkness, several figures walked out, definitely about sixteen or so from an eyeball count.

“A warp quirk...” He whispered with wide eyes as he took his radipen, and injected it on his let forearm once more. “More villains are incoming, prepare yourselves. I’ll cover you guys. Trust me and attack.” At his confident remark, his classmate’s quirks stirred alive. Kaminari was sparkling all over, a teary-eyed Mineta held his pop-off balls, Jiro had her earjacks posed, while Ojiro, Iida, Sato, and Uraraka held a fighting stance.

Oh these villains are so screwed.

Bakugou knew something was wrong when Zuku suddenly stopped responding to the comms. They already rescued the last dummy in the mountain zone, and was waiting for the nerd to transport it. Honestly, they could just walk towards the fountain, but the damn extras were way too lazy. Fucking idiots. He was leaning on a large rock as he waited for his friend to respond, his signature scowl directed at anyone who annoyed him. Bakugou’s patience was already running thin when a swirl of black smoke condensed in the middle of a flat area.

Maybe it was a gut feeling or something in the air, but he immediately knew that it was bad news. The swirling darkness almost resembled a misty cloud, something that looked oddly familiar. Then from the darkness, out came several extras. So it’s a warp quirk, fuck! “Look alive extras! We have company!”

All conversations stopped as everyone began to notice the black swirl. The strangers that walked out looked like a bunch of villains, scrawny and creepy, burly and creepy, and then there’s also crazy and creepy. Even with their painfully obvious agenda, Bakugou wouldn’t judge someone just by their face. At least Zuku told him not to. So, he nicely asked, “Who the fuck are you?”

“Ha! What a vulgar mouth for a hero wannabe. I guess everyone’s unique.”

Bakugou felt his eye twitch and his palms detonated tiny sparks. “What the fuck did you just say?”

“Hey, hey… Who are you guys?” Sero asked again in behalf of Bakugou.

Instead of replying immediately, the guy at the front grinned maliciously. “We’re here to kill you. So at least make it entertaining.” The immediate charge of the villains startled a curse from Bakugou. Luckily, his classmates weren’t idiots as they quickly switched into fighting positions. The frog and tentacles charged with him, while the rest stayed behind for ranged support. The low level thugs fell one after another with every explosion he released.

Behind them, another group of villains emerged, though they were smaller in number. Bakugou was about to yell something when Icyhot stepped forward with his right foot. Their entire backdrop got enveloped in ice. That damn shithead sure knows how to be flashy, he grinned at his friend. 

As the dual-haired boy took care of their rear, frog face caused the villains to lose footing as she jumped from face to face, and the smaller opponents had no match for the hulking figure of tentacles. With some dumb luck, some of the villains managed to get past the three and headed for his other classmates. That’s where flat face, bird brains, and sparkles offered their aid. Dark Shadow clawed at any enemy that got close, Aoyama just blasted away villains, while Sero’s tape trapped the others. Bakugou grinned when he saw that the villains stood no chance of defeating them. Even raccoon eyes was handling them well despite having to protect the animal whisperer.

One of the thugs had the fucking audacity to bring a gun and aimed at Bakugou. He maneuvered himself with explosions to confuse the shooter, but the bitch must have been an idiot. She shot twice, completely missing Bakugou and hitting her allies instead. “Hey flat face! Tape up this fucking idiot!”

“Who you calling flat face?!” Sero shouted, but complied nonetheless.

The few remaining villains have been taken care of, and wrapped in Sero’s tape. Bakugou took it upon himself to interrogate the thugs, “So losers, tell me why the hell you decided to ruin our class? You better answer me, or I’ll blow up your skulls to oblivion,” he threatened with little explosions going off on his palms.

“Woah! We won’t do that, we’re heroes Bakugou,” Mina reasoned.

“I think he’s just saying that to scare them,” said Asui.

"I think he's serious and we should also tie him up," deadpanned Todoroki as he leaned against a part of the iced wall where he enclosed the villains. 

Their classmates' eyes collectively shifted to the dual user at the casual remark. But Bakugou glared at him and pointed a finger. "Shut your trap, Icyhot. You're the insane one, giving your victims hypothermia there!" 

But Todoroki was unfazed and just shrugged his shoulders before melting the ice, and letting Sero tape them up.

Bakugou palmed his face, frustration clear in his expression. He had no time for this. The others were also surely in danger, but if their opponents were like these freaks, there’s no real trouble. With a feral grin, he turned back to the tied villains, “I might not kill you, but I have other ways to make you talk. Recovery Girl can easily fix you when everything’s over.”

The group of twenty looked horrified, and were shaking within their binds. A woman with full black eyes looked the most scared, considering Bakugou was directly looking at her. It was the same bitch that shot her allies. “You. The stupidest in here. Tell me why you’re all here.”

The woman let out a pathetic whimper. “T-They didn’t give us the full details! B-But the one thing they said is to look out for a green haired boy. They said he’s the target, and should be left unharmed.”

Bakugou’s thoughts halted. The only green haired boy in their class was Zuku. But how did they even know about him? All his information were disclosed by I-Island knowing he could be a target because of his quirk. Bakugou’s fists clenched as he glared at the woman. “Please! That’s all I know, don’t hurt me please!”

“Tch. It’s Zuku…”

“But what would they want with Midoriya? Is it because of his quirk?” Tokoyami asked behind Bakugou. The rest of the mountain team stood with the bird boy, also worried for their class rep.

“Whatever the reason, we can’t let them get to him. But these villains are losers, Zuku can take them on, so I’m not worried.”

“That is true… Midoriya will be quite hard to catch with his warp quirk, ribbit,” Asui agreed tapping her chin. Beside her, Koda also nodded vigorously.

"They have another thing coming if they think Zuku is an easy target." Todoroki whispered with an amused expression. 

Their little conversation was interrupted when the PA system of the USJ came to life. “Greetings, hero students. We are the League of Villains, and we invited ourselves to your little exercise for one reason only— to retrieve the student Izuku Midoriya. If you didn’t run away with your handy quirk, Midoriya, I suggest you teleport to the fountain. It will be a shame if Thirteen and Eraserhead meet their demise so early in their careers.”

Bakugou felt his blood run cold at the threat. Whether or not they were serious about it doesn’t matter. Zuku’s self-sacrificing bullshit would surely take the bait. He needed to make sure the nerd doesn’t do anything that he’d regret later. “Hey extras! Let’s go save our fucking class rep.”

Chapter Text

Shigaraki was never a patient guy. Maybe in the past, he was. But not anymore. Not since he had been under the tutelage of Sensei. His master had always taught him that the world never gave handouts, you need to create opportunities for yourself. And right here in the USJ, that was exactly what he did. A feral grin materialized on his rather dry lips as he gazed over at the unconsious bodies of Eraserhead and Thirteen. The Nomu he brought immediate apprehended the two by simply injecting them with a tranquilizer. These NPC have got nothing against the boss monster he brought with him.

Sensei had given him an important mission to retrieve a student named Izuku Midoriya. The only explanation he was given was that the boy’s quirk was powerful. He didn’t care much about it aside from the fact that he’d finally get to wreak some havoc and debut his villainous self to the world. Well, to the NPC’s (UA students) for now. “Kurogiri, are you sure that brat is still here? That wannabe could’ve fled with his quirk already,” came out the raspy question from Shigaraki’s chapped lips. He had already tapped into the PA system and gave an ultimatum about killing these two pro heroes, but the brat hasn’t showed up yet.

“Be patient, Tomura Shigaraki. The boy will come. That was how Sensei perceived his personality since he is rather attached to Eraserhead,” replied the gaseous creature beside him.

Of course Shigaraki knew that. But he’s still impatient. His fingers went up to his neck, scratching the already irritated skin out of frustration. The minions he gathered up were causing some ruckus all around them, but none were yet to come back with a prisoner. He was debating if he should join the fray or at least release the Nomu against these hero students. It’d be faster, and he could also get a kill streak since these are literally canon fodder against his quirk.

But where should he start? His eyes landed unto a mountainous terrain where several explosions went off earlier. He grinned and was about to command Kurogiri to open a portal for him, when the sound of ripping paper reached his ears. The villanous man didn’t even have time to react when a kick suddenly hit his side. Fucking hell?! The force of the attack made his body fly several meters and finally crashed against a wall. He felt his anger reaching a fever pitch as he shouted a command at the Nomu. “Kill this brat and bring me his head!”

“Tomura Shigaraki!”

The destructive man ignored the sudden yell of his caretaker, not caring about the consequences of going against Sensei’s command for the time being. Right now, his mind was filled with rage. He didn’t like getting hurt. And this hero wannabe cheated by sneaking up on him. “KILL HIM! KILL HIM, NOW!”

After Izuku led the ruins team to a flawless victory against impromptu ‘visitors’ he immediately transported the remainder of his classmates back to the fountain area where Hagakure, Kirishima, and Yaoyorozu currently were. Out of everyone in 1A, this group of three had the least battle potential against an army of mobs, especially now that Yaoyorozu had exhausted her lipid reserves. So he prioritized confirming their safety more than anything else. However, Iida was given a different mission. Izuku had transported him back to the main campus of the school to get reinforcements.

Meanwhile, he had tasked himself of retrieving Sho-san and Thirteen from the clutches of the enemy. Of course he was met with harsh rejection from his classmates since he is the villains’ target, after all. But he had the warp quirk, and they didn’t. So he went along with the plan he had in mind. He knew his own skills, and when push comes to shove, he could always teleport away. Even if he had to constantly inject his radipen to prevent the buildup of radiation because of another warp quirk user nearby, he was confident that he’d survive.

When everyone else had been transported, Izuku made his move.

He let himself fall freely from the high ceiling of the USJ with the use of his portal. Using the state-of-the-art visor that his father had crafted for him, he was able to see the number of villains down below, as well as pinpoint where Sho-san and Thirteen were. His eyes narrowed. There, just beside a hulking creature. It seems like the villain from the PA system spoke the truth about that, the heroes were indeed unconscious. The only way to retrieve them was through a distraction.

And that’s when Izuku teleported himself to greet the guy who seems to be the head honcho. The large creature over there was more than likely to be prepared for sneak attacks, so he needed to open up holes in their defense. But he didn’t expect this hand-guy to be so fragile, geez. Izuku was momentarily worried that he had killed the villain accidentally. Luckily, the fragile guy survived, and was conscious enough to say such an outrageous command.

Izuku didn’t have time to create a void orb when a large fist hovered just inches between his head. I’m dead, he thought as he kept his eyes open, ready to accept it.

But the pain didn’t come. Instead, he was enveloped in a green haze and promptly reappeared several meters away from the hulking figure. A Nomu as that villain called it, whatever that is. Although his mind was still reeling from the fact that he should’ve been dead— if it weren’t for some lucky malfunction with his quirk, he switched his stance to assume a fighting position.

“You dodged it. That’s annoying... Nomu, get the brat,” the hand-guy ordered again.

Now that Izuku had an idea how fast that thing was, he properly dodged it this time. He reappeared a few meters above it, and aimed a void orb right at the thing. It would normally be the speed of his throw, but he used his bracers this time. Whirring against his wrist, the support item formed a hollow tunnel that propelled the void orb to the speed of a high calliber bullet. It touched the arm of the Nomu, but the green haze disappeared in an instant, rendering his teleportation useless.

Surprised by the Nomu’s immunity to his quirk, Izuku materialized back on the ground with wide eyes. What the heck?!

The monster dashed towards him again as he dodged the same way, but this time he delivered a void-power axe kick into the thing’s head. A shockwave was released from the impact, but the Nomu was unfazed and simply ran towards him again.

“That’s right! Your weak attacks mean nothing against my Nomu. He was bio-engineered to withstand even the blows of All Might!” the villain boasted with a manic laugh.

Okay, that was a problem. Alright, it was time to switch it up. When the Nomu came at him again, Izuku waited until the last moment of avoidable impact before he opened a portal that sent several tens of meters into the ceiling.

“WHAT?! Kurogiri, get my Nomu back!”

Grinning at the effective distraction, Izuku blinked in and out, the unconscious bodies of Sho-san and Thirteen now safely cradled inside the classroom of 1A. Good thing that his visual image of how the room looked before they left remained accurate, or else an object might’ve interfered with his warping. As if on cue, the door to the classroom opened, revealing Iida and Recovery Girl.

“Gran Gran!” he exclaimed, remembering the endearment he had given her. “Please take care of Sho-san and Thirteen! I’ll return to USJ and get the rest of my classmates!”

Before they could even reply, Izuku opened another portal and jumped towards it without hesitation. While midair, he used his radipen on his arm to rid himself of all radiation before he went all out. Now that he had a bird’s eye view of the villains, he rained down void orbs on their general area. But just as it almost went in range for him to expand them, a black mist materialized to catch his attack. The result was nullification of the two warp quirks interacting.

Izuku reappeared on the ground with a surprised look while the villain looked at him with a smug grin. “There you are you slippery bastard. You thought we came here unprepared? We have researched you, Midoriya... and we brought counter measures against your quirk.” That villain boy looked so puncheable with that grin on his stupid face, covered up by that stupid hand. Seriously.

“You noticed it too, didn’t you? Your quirk cannot directly interfere with my Nomu.”

He clicked his tongue in annoyance. Izuku did notice it. The monster’s skin neutralized his void energy, so the only way to reposition it was by making it pass through his portals. Now that he thought about it, there was a purple hue that danced on the Nomu’s skin when his void orb was dissolved. Was it the warp quirk of this mist dude? He’d have to look into it later. Izuku assumed another fighting stance, a void orb pulsating on each of his palms.

Looking back at the entire fight, the Nomu thing seemed to only move when it was given a command. Otherwise, he stayed completely still like a robot. It’s possible that it can’t think on its own, considering that the villain called it a bio-engineered monster earlier. If that’s the case, all he needed to do was get rid of that hand-guy, then this Nomu would be useless. He hoped he was right on that as he reappeared beside the hand-guy to deliver a powerful kick to his torso.

But the speed of that Nomu thing is unbelievable. It reacted to his attack and delivered a counter punch which would’ve ended Izuku had he not blinked away. Having void orbs at the ready for a surprise attack and retreating was a perfect hit and run tactic. It seems like it won’t be easy though, that monster was just too quick.

Before he could think of another approach, a cloud of darkness enveloped the area. A sudden sharp pain made its way to his head, making him stumble. You’re kidding me?! Izuku hurriedly looked at his watch. It displayed [89% Sv]. Even though he had just used the radipen, the radiation in his brain had already reached dangerous levels because of this warp villain alone. He conjured a void orb on his hand and planned to retreat to safety. It took him longer than usual because of his migraine, but the moment he was about to grasp it, a black mist shot out to his hand and neutralized his quirk.

“Don’t think we’ll let you escape, Izuku Midoriya.” A deep voice called out, glowing yellow slits forming on the darkness around him. “You will be a gift to Sensei. Try your best to resist.”

Izuku let out a shuddering breath and prepared two void orbs in each hand, but he realized that he had just made a fool of himself. Using his quirk around this warp villain was worsening his migraine. So, he dematerialized them and tried to talk to the villain. “Sensei? So the creepy hand-guy isn’t your boss?” Izuku spoke as he subtly took out his radipen.

“I can hear your insults you little brat,” came a voice as the darkness that surrounded Izuku parted to let the Nomu and the hand-guy enter the dome.

Great. It’s three vs. one inside an environment that was already weakening Izuku. “May I at least ask your name? You already know mine...” he reasoned, messing with his radipen and injecting it behind his left thigh, away from the villains’ eyes.

The hand-guy grumbled, scratching his neck in annoyance. “You are such a brat. Nomu get him.”

Izuku didn’t have a second to react. Before he could summon a void orb, the Nomu’s massive hands clamped around him like a vise, lifting him effortlessly. He struggled, but the creature’s grip was unyielding, locking him in place like prey caught in a predator's claws. His arms were pinned, useless, and his quirk was paralyzed. The Nomu wasn’t crushing him—yet—but the ominous restraint told Izuku all he needed to know: escape was impossible, and something worse was coming.

An unsettling chuckle slithered through the air, making Izuku’s stomach drop. “So… pinning your hands is all it takes, huh? Sensei had it figured out.” The villain sauntered over to the Nomu, casually patting its skin, his pinky raised in an almost ridiculous manner. Odd, but Izuku didn’t have time to dwell on it. “You begged for an introduction, didn’t you?” He leaned in close, pressing four fingers to Izuku’s elbow, thumb poised above. "Tomura Shigaraki. Pleasure’s mine… hero." The last word spilled from his lips like poison. Then, his thumb fell, and a wave of excruciating pain shot through Izuku.

A raw feral scream escaped his throat as the pain registered, his vocal chords stretched to the limits. Amidst all of it, Shigaraki’s own cynical laughter blended into Izuku’s pained scream. Izuku thrashed against the Nomu’s hold, trying to escape from the excruciating torture. He had no idea how long he was screaming, but by the time he stopped, the pain had subsided. Shigaraki grabbed his face with a pinky raised, making Izuku’s hazy eyes focus on the red eyes that belonged to the villain. “That’s what happens if you cross me brat. Now we’re even from you kicking me.”

Izuku felt tears falling down his eyes as frustration washed over him. He looked down at his elbow where the villain had touched him, seeing a grotesque display of decaying skin. He was too weak to even resist now. Not only is his right hand useless for battle now, but he can’t even escape the Nomu’s grip, and his migraine was worsening every second.

“Kurogiri. Take us back home already, I’m done here.”

“What about the minions you assembled, Tomura Shigaraki?”

The villain clicked his tongue in disdain. “Those were just canon fodders for me to get my prize. Let’s just g—”

Shigaraki’s command was cut off by a series of explosions somewhere in the distance. Izuku’s head shot up, his green eyes literally glowing with hope. It was definitely Kacchan. Even amidst the pain on his elbow and in his head, the greenette couldn’t help but smile as he looked at Shigaraki.

“What are you smiling at you little brat? Those explosions mean that this building is going down.”

“It’s Kacchan,” he argued.

“What’s a Kacchan?”

The series of explosions were getting closer, until a part of the dark smoky dome around them collapsed to reveal the feral grin of the explosive blonde. “WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING TO OUR CLASS REP?!”

Kacchan’s scream served as the battle cry of his classmates as a chilling wind wafted on Izuku’s face before a pillar of ice shot at Shigaraki. “Shoto-kun!”

With the ice serving as distraction, Kacchan knocked off the warp villain who seemed to be enclosed in some kind of metal brace. In a few moments, Shigaraki and the Nomu were surrounded by Izuku’s classmates, while their only form of escape was sealed off. The greenette looked at the villain with a smirk, his adrenaline working its best to keep him from feeling the pain he was supposed to be suffering. “It’s over. Either you let me go, or face the wrath of 1A.”Shigaraki groaned in annoyance, his fingers clawing at his neck in an unsettling way, as if the motion could scratch away all the nuisances around him. But instead of backing off, he casually strode toward the captive greenette, pressing four fingers against Izuku’s uninjured elbow.

Izuku’s heart skipped a beat, panic surging through him like a cold wave. His eyes widened in horror.

“Ugh, you hero wannabes are really starting to piss me off.” Shigaraki’s voice was laced with disdain, his head tilting in lazily. “So here’s the deal—either you let my ride go, or your class rep loses a limb. It’s simple.” His pinky hovered ominously over Izuku’s arm, ready to seal his fate. "Your choice."

A collective gasp rippled through his classmates, the air thick with shock and fear. Kacchan’s eyes flared with fury, his face twisted in a scowl as sparks crackled from his palms, dancing dangerously close to the warp villain pinned beneath him. He was stuck. Izuku’s safety was at the forefront of his mind, but releasing Shigaraki’s “ride” now would only make things worse. Every instinct screamed to blast the villain into oblivion, but he hesitated, his jaw clenched in frustration. They had no clue what quirks that giant monster or that blue-haired psychopath wielded. One reckless move, and Izuku could be done for. He needed to be smart, even though every fiber of him screamed to act.

Meanwhile, Izuku’s breaths grew shallow, his chest tightening with each ragged inhale. His mind was spiraling, still reeling from the searing pain of his decaying right elbow. His confidence had crumbled, replaced by a suffocating fear. His gaze locked onto Shigaraki’s raised pinky. One touch. Just one touch, and his arm would be gone. He couldn’t bear the thought. The decay... the unbearable sensation of his flesh disintegrating. It was too much.

Izuku's panic spiraled, each breath coming faster, shallower. Green wisps around him flickered and danced wildly, growing stronger with every second. His ears buzzed, drowning out the noise around him, leaving only a deafening, high-pitched ring. He had no idea that his watched now registered a 100% radiation levels in his brain. He barely noticed the Nomu’s grip tightening, crushing him further. All that filled his mind was one desperate, all-consuming thought: escape.

Escape the pain. Escape everything that hurt him.

The world around him blurred, his vision tunneling as that need swelled inside him, consuming every shred of reason. And then—something snapped. A flash of green light erupted from the Nomu’s hand which held him, and in an instant, Izuku vanished.

Moments later, he stood several meters away, free from the Nomu’s grasp, his body trembling as the adrenaline coursed through him. He didn’t know how it had happened with his hands bound and unable to create a void orb, but in that heartbeat, he had escaped.

Izuku’s eyes glowed in a toxic shade of green as he glared at the Nomu and at Shigaraki. A void orb manifested in each of his palms, his right elbow resisting his movements because of the pain. But he didn’t care. “You.” He growled, his voice feral and faltering from anger. “You will never lay a hand on me again!”

Shigaraki stood frozen for a moment, dumbfounded. He had thought the mission was over the moment Midoria was captured by his Nomu. But now, all these flies had flocked together, buzzing around just to irritate him. His lips curled into a sneering grin as his eyes locked on Izuku. "You just made things easier for me, Midoriya." With a mocking laughter, he barked an order.  "Nomu, kill that blonde brat."

Before the Nomu could react, Izuku clenched his fist, the void orb in his palm glowing faintly. In a blink, he reappeared beside Kacchan, grabbing him and teleporting them both out of harm’s reach. The Nomu's grotesque form paused mid-motion as his claw reached out to where his prey was supposed to be, confused as it tilted its head. But before it could make a second move, ice shot up around its legs, freezing it in place. A cluster of sticky purple balls followed, trapping the beast further against the ice.

“Shoto-kun! Mineta!” Izuku called out, relief flooding his face as he smiled widely.

His classmates arrived in force, those he had sent to find Kirishima, Hagakure, and Yaoyorozu. With almost all of Class 1-A surrounding Shigaraki and his lone Nomu, the odds of the villain retreating without any more fight were very good.

But Shigaraki simply cackled, his tone dripping with mockery. “You think you’ve won?” His eyes gleamed with cruelty. "You're the only one giving me trouble, Midoriya. Now, with more targets, you've just led your classmates to their graves." His voice darkened as the warp villain materialized beisde him again. Seems like he got away when Izuku saved Kacchan. "Nomu, kill everyone but that brat!"

Izuku’s mind raced, his quirk pushing past its limits as his brain worked furiously to keep up with the chaos unraveling around him. The Nomu broke free from the flimsy confines that held it as soon as it heard Shigaraki’s command. Izuku’s eyes followed the Nomu as it moved to swipe its massive claws at Mineta’s small body. But before its attack could connect, a dark mass coagulated and took the strike instead.

"Graaah! This... creature!" Dark Shadow growled, his voice strained but defiant. "It dares to wound me?! I won’t... yield so easily!” Tokoyami’s sentient quirk spoke furiously, though his voice wavered in fear. "Fumikage... I... need your strength...!"

“Thank you, Tokoyami, Dark Shadow!” Izuku said with a grin as he reappeared in front of the Nomu, void orbs at hand.  

“Look here, Midoriya!” Shigaraki yelled as he moved from his spot, dodging Sero’s tape and Shoto-kun’s ice. He moved swiftly, still not as fast as the Nomu, but fast enough to get close to his classmates.

“Don’t let him touch you!” Izuku yelled, torn between knocking out Shigaraki and stopping this Nomu. If he went for Shigaraki, the Nomu would be too much to handle for anyone in his class. It was bio-engineered to fight Uncle Might of all people! Meanwhile, all they need to do is dodge and attack Shigaraki from a distance.

“M-Midoriya!” Kaminari’s urgent voice alerted Izuku once again, looking to see a group of his classmates trap inside a dome of the warp villain’s quirk.

The battlefield was full of chaos. Almost all of 1-A was engaged in combat with the villains. Izuku had thought they stood a good chance—it was nineteen against three, with Iida the only one absent after rushing for reinforcements. But he had underestimated their enemies. Explosions from Kacchan, the freezing winds of Shoto-kun, beams of light from Aoyama, and Tokoyami’s shadow all clashed against the villains, yet the tide of battle barely shifted.

In the center of it all, the Nomu stood as the foundation of destruction. Without it, Izuku knew Shigaraki would be vulnerable to long-range attacks, and the warp villain would be easy to corner, as Kacchan had shown. His plan was clear: take out the Nomu, and the chaos would crumble.

With a goal in mind, Izuku decided to trust in his classmates while he dealt with this Nomu. It will only take a couple of seconds, but he really didn’t want to use this aspect of his quirk. Green wisps of energy enveloped him as Izuku raised his arm bracers, aiming at the monster. “I truly am sorry for this.”

The next moment, his void orbs shot through the air, colliding against each other with pinpoint accuracy just inches away from the Nomu. A pseudo-blackhole formed at the collision point, warping the space around the creature. Its limbs twisted in grotesque ways, folding unnaturally under the intense pressure. The battlefield fell silent, everyone momentarily frozen by the sight. Even Shigaraki paused, his wide eyes fixed on the monstrous scene. Not even the warp villain’s protective layer could shield the Nomu, its defenses slowly eroding as space itself tore it apart.

“MY NOMU! YOU BRAT!” Shigaraki screamed with primal rage and dashed towards Izuku, ignoring the rest of his classmates who flinched away from the villain.

Izuku hled his stance, ready to have a scuffle with the villain. But before he could even get close to Izuku, three gunshots disrupted the serene chaos of USJ, hitting Shigaraki on his hands and forearm.

It was the reinforcements Iida asked for! Izuku looked at the entrance where the heroes gathered, noticing a dangerous aura from his Uncle Might. “Fear not young heroes, for I am here!”

This prompted the warp villain to stop tormenting the group of 1-A students he had inside his dome, and went to Shigaki’s side to shield him from further damage. “Oh no you don’t!” he yelled, tossing a void orb at the darkness. When it hit, the two opposing energies cancelled each other out and left Shigaraki unguarded. Another shot striked the villain. This time square on his forehead.

Shigaraki’s body went limp and the warp villain scrambled in panic, the dark mists shooting out in all directions. “HOW DARE YOU! Tomura Shigaraki! He’s just a child! Leave him alone! Leave Zu— Tomura alone!” The villain’s quirk went haywire, the mists of black swirling around them in a frenzy.

The students scrambled back, the sight of the Nomu’s destruction forgotten as they watched the chaotic storm of darkness that was Kurogiri. Pieces of the ground got chipped away as each wisp of black touched it. Eroding the battlefield in a way eerily similar to Izuku’s uncontrolled quirk. His eyes widened, looking down at his watch. The radiation in his brain was still in 100%... his brain should be fried and malfunctioning— but Izuku felt lighter.

As the pro heroes evacuated his classmates, none of them could reach him. Izuku stood still, enveloped in his own green energy, counteracting the destruction Kurogiri’s quirk wrought. “I can do this...” he whispered to himself, unaware that his friends and teachers were shouting his name, trying to get his attention. But Izuku was too focused. He threw and expanded his void orbs, meeting Kurogiri’s chaotic mist head-on, canceling out the quirk storm out bit by bit. The storm raged on, but Izuku didn’t flinch. He would see this through to the end.

Izuku put his palms together, concentrating his quirk into a singularity of space. The only way to counteract this malestrom of energy was to subvert it with similar amount of force. He knew that he was risking his safety by doing this while his watch was warning him about his radiation levels. Even his own body protested in pain, the injury on his right elbow still fresh from Shigaraki’s quirk. But it was the adrenaline in his veins that kept him going.

“Get away from here!” his voice carrying over the chaos as he glanced back to ensure his classmates and teachers were clear of his quirk’s radius. Once certain, he stood firm and planted his feet shoulder–width apart as his knees bent for balance. He drew back his arms and bent his elbows as he cupped his hands in a spherical shape. The weight of the void orb thrummed between his palms, pulsating with the strength of his quirk. Looking at the target, at the warp-villain’s twisting form that craddled Shigaraki’s limp body, he knew what needed to be done. Izuku twisted his torso, shifting his whole weight forward as his arms surging surged outward to release the blast.

Izuku’s void orb expanded rapidly to eat away at the black mist, the walls of USJ echoing the sound of ripping paper from the collision. It was a maelstrom of energy that released shock waves throughout the facility. After a few moments passed, everything went silent as Kurogiri’s cloudy apparition steadied once again. It sat still, craddling Shigaraki who was bleeding profusely from all the gunshots. Izuku’s eyes widened, taking a step closer to the pair.

However, he didn’t even get to say anything as the warp-villain created another portal for them to escape to. Izuku acted too late, the void orb he made out of panic colliding with the ground where the villains had previously been.

It was over. Finally it was over. The enemies got away but at least everyone was safe. At the very least, at least he was safe. His eyes gazed over at the collective of heroes and friends staring at him wide-eyed. “It’s over... finally...” he sighed in content, a defeated smile on his face as he finally collapsed on the ground.