Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The bell of the cafe jingled as Naomasa walked through, glancing around to look over the cafe’s current occupants before spotting his target, shifting quietly so as not to attract attention as he slid into the booth.

“Yagi.”

“Tsukauchi.”

The detective looked over at the pro hero across the table from him. With a cup of tea in one hand and his phone in the other, Yagi was distracted by something. “Penny for your thoughts?”

Sighing, the Number One Hero placed the device on the table, sliding it across to Naomasa to take a look as he sipped at his cup. Upside-down, the screen read:

“UA ATTACKED! Are your children going to be Heroes or Victims?”

Naomasa glanced up at Yagi. “Are you alright?”

Yagi sighed. “I'm alright, but what about the students? The press will eat them alive. And not to mention young Hagakure and young Kirishima.”

“Kirishima…the kid that got his arm messed up by that villain, right?”

Yagi huffed. “Messed up is putting it lightly. It's little more than a jagged stick at the end of a shoulder now. He's lucky that the damage wasn't at any other part; there's a chance he could still be a hero, even with the lack of an arm.”

Naomasa frowned. “But Hagakure…”

“The chances there are even slimmer,” Yagi said, shaking his head and sipping tea. “Being quirkless doesn't necessarily make you a poor hero - I mean just look at Aizawa's fighting style - but it's significantly more effort for the same result. Not to mention the discrimination most quirkless face in today's society. If she continues down the path of being a hero, it will not be easy, nor fair.”

The detective sighed, glancing up at Yagi as he slid the phone back. “So what now?”

“Nedzu is already making a new training regime if young Hagakure wishes to continue pursuing heroics, and is also working with Recovery Girl in hopes that young Kirishima will be able to continue Heroics, working around his new disability to his advantage.”

Naomasa nodded. “What else? Anything about the villain or monster?”

Shaking his head, Yagi replied. “Not yet. However, something more… disturbing, arose.”

Naomasa's eyebrows quirked. “Disturbing?”

“We found a dismembered arm in the USJ. At first, we thought it was one of the villains’, but forensics and a DNA scan found that it was… young Midoriya’s.”

Naomasa's eyes bulged in surprise. “M-midoriya-? The boy with a powerful quirk, right?”

Yagi nodded. “Yes, that one. A first year with a lot of potential, and enough strength to rival me with his quirk.”

The detective frowned. “But, last we saw, there weren't any issues with the boy. He didn't have any missing limbs, so…”

“How did he get his arm back?” Yagi finished for him. “We don't know exactly. Nedzu is guessing it has something to do with his quirk, but having the ability to manipulate space isn't exactly anywhere close to healing entire limbs. Not to mention, Aizawa said he reattached - not reset, reattached - his arm after it was ripped off the villain.”

The two fell into contemplative silence at this revelation. A first-year student with enough power to match All Might, the Number One Hero? A healing factor that worked on both himself and others, able to go so far as to heal entire limbs?

Glancing up, Naomasa spoke again. “You're sure he's not related to All for One, at all?”

“Yes,” Yagi replied. “Me and Nedzu interviewed him before the school year started. He's clean.”

Relaxing into his seat, Naomasa asked. “Then what's the issue here?”

“Well, we have a student with incredible power and potential, a healing factor, and he's only a first-year student,” Yagi said. “Do you have any idea what sort of things he would face when he makes his pro debut?”

Naomasa let that thought simmer for a little. “I'm guessing the HSPC is going to be all over him? That, and he'll be looked up to by civilians, idolised…” the man's eyes widened, looking up at Yagi.

The Number One Hero nodded. “He'll replace me.”

“Is that…not a good thing?”

“It's not,” Yagi sighed. “All Might was supposed to be the Symbol of Peace in a time when peace was thought to be impossible. To bring hope to people that we as a society would survive and thrive through said times, that there was peace and it was possible. But those times are behind us. We don't need a single symbol to push back the darkness. We need pillars, multiple, holding the line against said darkness.”

“You were the spearhead, but now we need an army.” The detective nodded in understanding. “So what now? Passing on One for All? A ninth would be quite the pillar.”

“Yes, but…” Yagi sighed. He was doing that a lot today. “I haven't found a suitable candidate yet.”

Naomasa frowned. “What about that boy Nighteye recommended? Mirio, you said?”

Yagi shook his head. “That young man has a wonderful, bright future ahead of him. My quirk would just complicate things. That, and Nighteye has the wrong idea when it comes to these things. He has built up Mirio for the sole purpose of carrying One for All, and that's not due to my choice. I refuse to strip that boy of all his accomplishments for the sole purpose of carrying my quirk.”

“And you've already asked Melissa…” Naomasa sighed. “Who else could you ask?”

The pro hero shrugged. “We’ll see, I suppose. Perhaps the upcoming sports festival will be useful to scout out candidates.”

~+~

“So, now that you've got Reversed Cursed Technique, all you've got left to master is your domain!” Gojo cheered within Izuku’s mind. The green-haired boy sighed aloud, flicking a finger to exorcise one of the curses lingering around the building as Melissa forged ahead a few metres in front of him, similarly working to exorcise the cursed spirits.

“You said domains were based on barriers, right?” Izuku asked, drawing Melissa's attention as she pushed her glasses up.

“Are you talking to the freaky guy in your head again?” The girl teased, giggling at the groan of exasperation that came from Izuku.

“Aw, I think she likes me!” The jujutsu sorcerer cheered, before refocusing on Izuku's question. “To answer your question, Yes. Domains are based on the idea of barriers, which are similar to the curtain you've learned to place outside. So, you've got a leg up on learning this stuff!”

“That so…?” Izuku hummed, continuing to follow Melissa's trail, cleaning up the occasional lingering curse that tried to flank the duo. “Then, are there any specifics? Like, things to note while opening a domain, alterations to the barrier, the cursed energy expenditure, the-”

“There's a few, but don't worry about them yet! Hell, let's not even approach domain expansions first. Instead, let's talk Simple Domains!” Gojo continued, his cheery attitude almost giving Izuku a migraine with how much of a contrast the inside of his head had against the dreary outside world. “Simple domains, or a “domain for the weak”, are a method of countering a domain expansion by establishing a small barrier of cursed energy around the user to prevent the sure-hit effect of a Domain Expansion from affecting the user. TLDR, it's a smaller curtain-slash-domain expansion that protects you against a domain expansion's instant win condition.”

“Huh, I see,” Midoriya hummed, looking out at the curtain encompassing the building Melissa and Izuku were clearing. “So they're similar to a curtain?”

Gojo nodded inside his head. “Same concept. A curtain is a barrier to keep cursed spirits from leaving and keep regular humans out. A simple domain is a barrier to keeping yourself safe from a domain expansion's sure-hit effect. It's also good to note that simple domains can be altered to give the person inside benefits, such as boosts to strength, cursed energy spend, et cetera!”

“Alright. Then, I'll focus on making barriers first, and I'll move onto Simple domains afterwards,” Izuku said.

Ahead of him, Melissa cleaned up the last of the curses - a semi-grade two that was split in half with a single good ratio strike - and turned back to Izuku. “What were you two chatting about back there?”

Explaining the concept and theoretical execution of a Simple Domain to Melissa, the girl hummed in acknowledgement and thought.

“So, it's both a self-boost as well as a counter to a domain expansion?” She asked as the curtain around the building crumbled at Izuku’s command.

“Basically, yeah,” Izuku hummed, flipping through his phone and checking the paranormal activity blog. Ever since the USJ incident, and consequently the fight with the Special Grade curse, Ryuko, the number of sites reported on the blog to have paranormal activity that did have curses had increased, and not by a small amount. “Maybe it's because of the fear the USJ incident gave people…”

“Probably, that sounds about right,” Gojo hummed in Izuku's head while Melissa nodded in agreement.

“Either way, it's still our duty to exorcise them. Was this the last one?” Melissa asked, slipping the simple metal fisticuffs she had made off and back into her bag. While the Full Gauntlet was a perfectly fine support tool, it was one registered and classified as UA property, which led to a myriad of issues that would have arisen if Melissa had taken it off campus. A few pieces of scrap metal welded together in a quick support class, however, were easy to sneak out and use for the duo's extracurricular activities.

“Yup, that's it for tonight. We're finishing earlier than usual, huh?” Izuku smiled, holding out a hand for a fistbump that Melissa gladly returned. “Anyways, time to go home?”

“Yeah,” Melissa agreed.

“Okay, tag me in, buddy!” Gojo grinned in Izuku's head, but the greenette raised his hand to stop the sorcerer.

“Hold on, I want to try teleporting this time.”

“What?” Melissa and Gojo asked in unison before Izuku continued.

“Well, I’ve been studying each time Gojo-san teleports,” Izuku explained, bringing his hands up in the teleportation warp hand sign. “The sign provides a structure for the cursed energy to flow, and combined with the bending of space and time through the use of Limitless, creates a temporary wormhole that, while highly unstable for long periods, allows Gojo-san - and subsequently, theoretically, me - to warp. Another similar application would be the trick I used on the quirk test, where I channelled blue in a tunnel to boost myself faster; here, I'm using blue to boost the person through the wormhole as it opens, as well as red to repel the interior of the wormhole, preventing it from closing in on me. At the same time-”

“Whoa, okay, pause it right there kiddo,” Gojo tapped Izuku's metaphysical shoulder. “Good job trying to figure out my warping, and I'll admit you got pretty dang close! Sadly, I'd rather you not risk your and your friend's lives attempting a stunt from just eyeballing it.” The sorcerer ruffled his student's “hair” in his head. “I'll teach ya the full trick one day, yeah?”

With a pause, Izuku nodded, much to Melissa's apparent confusion. “...so what'd he say?”

“He says I shouldn't risk our lives doing something I haven't been taught,” Izuku explains, frowning. “He says he'll teach it to me one day, but not now.”

With a small sigh, the boy's eyes switched to Gojo's familiar blue, and the sorcerer’s grin took over the boy's face. “Alright then! Got any questions for your amazing sensei before we take you home?”

“Hm…” Melissa pondered for a moment, before looking back up at him. “Were there any more tricks your friend knew about with this technique?”

Gojo thought for a little while before responding. “Not that I can think of, nope!”

Melissa sighed, stepping close for Gojo to warp them.

“Although…” the girl glanced up at the sorcerer as he continued. “Extension techniques can be discovered, so feel free to experiment. Try stuff out, mess around! Who knows, maybe you'll discover something you never knew!”

With a grin, the sorcerer made the hand sign for the warp, and Melissa found herself standing on her roof once again.

“Thanks for choosing Gojo-”

“Yeah, yeah, I get it. Bring midoriya home safely, please,” Melissa sighed, watching with a deadpan as Gojo grinned, disappearing with another quick hand sign.

“Try something out, huh…”

~+~

Returning to school was hard for Tooru.

The return home without her quirk was met with concern, some prayers, and a lot of coddling from her parents, which was to be expected, but by the third day it was rather frustrating to be treated like glass. It was just a quirk, not a disability, not any broken limbs or harmed internals, just that she was visible now.

And yet the stares and sad whispers made her feel small.

The worst part by far was the monsters.

When the second day at home rolled around and she awoke to a bug-eyed, green-grey skinned, toothy thing the size of her fist buzzing in one of the darker corners of her room, she woke the entire household with her scream.

After several checks, both from her parents, close neighbours, and a doctor, it was clear that they thought she was delusional.

“Maybe her quirk being taken had something to do with it” was what the doctor had said, and considering the fact Tooru watched their hands pass through the monsters she was seeing, even though her skin could feel whenever one of the things got close to her, she was tempted to agree.

Not to mention, she was seeing stranger and stranger things each day she stayed at home; the monsters clinging onto people who seemed perfectly fine with an ugly creature hugging their shoulders or backs; the wisps of purple that trailed off of said creatures into the air, sometimes off of people to coalesce into another one of the beasts; and most of all, the strange wisps that people seemed to give off as well, contrasting the one that she was seeing on herself.

While the people around her, parents and neighbours included, trailed soft yellows, greens, and all the nice, warm colours, her energies were trailing dark blues and closer-to-purple greens, similar to the monsters that she hated.

Still, she pushed down the feeling of wrongness, ignored the ugly…things around her, and tried to carry on her day with a smile.

A fake one, but enough to fool her parents at least.

Soon enough, it was time to head back to school. Her parents had tried to convince her to pull out, saying that being a hero was “dangerous since she didn't have her quirk anymore” and that “she should be resting after such a dangerous attack”. She knew those were valid points, but she did not want to give up. Being a hero was all about danger anyway! It was about rising to the occasion each time a threat a called, because heroes would always need to be there to save the innocent, and because as Mr Aizawa said, the world was unfair, and heroes were there to make it fair. And what kind of hero would she be if she gave up this quickly?

Thankfully, an email from Nedzu about a specialized, alternative route catered specifically to heroes with “weak” or “simple” quirks had been brought up to her parents, and they somewhat reluctantly let Tooru continue back to school.

Stepping through the gates of UA, fully visible for the first time in her life, felt different. Even though it was technically the same action she had done just a week ago, it was…different. Perhaps it was the passing glances people gave her, acknowledging that a fellow student was entering the school. Perhaps it was the sight of her own hands swinging in her peripheral vision, able to be seen by her eyes for the first time.

Perhaps it was the sinking fear in her gut about her classmate's reactions to her decision. The fear of rejection, of being shunned for not having a quirk anymore. A fear of failure, just because a part of her had been rendered useless.

Gulping down the fears, she made her way down the now-familiar halls, walking the route to her class, heart thumping the entire way. Soon enough, she stood before the tall, familiar door of “1-A”.

Taking a deep breath, she shouldered her bag again, and stepped through with a small smile on her face-

“Hagakure!”

“Tooru!”

“Hagakure-san!”

Immediately, a rush of action and the girl could barely blink before she was practically mobbed by her friends and classmates, all clamouring with shouts of concern and questions of “How are you doing?” “How are you holding up?”, all of their eyes fully on her, truly, for the first time…

And all of them accepted her with only concern on their faces. Concern for her.

Her smile grew wider, and with a quick few hand motions to settle her concerned classmates down, she spoke up. “Guys, guys, thank you for your concern! I've been doing okay, please! Just let me get to my seat, yeah?”

“Hagakure-san! Regarding your lack of quirk, are you sure you are still able to participate in heroics fully?” Iida asked, hand stiff and straight up in the air.

Ah. The dreaded question.

“I-I’ll be fine, Iida! Principal Nedzu sent me a customised training schedule to help me keep up with heroics!” Tooru spoke, waving her hands in their usual exaggerated motions of “it's alright”, trying to quell the concerns that started to rise through the class at Iidas's question.

Thankfully, it seemed it worked at the mention of Principal Nedzu's name and the custom schedule. The others of the class greeted her with wishes of goodwill that she accepted, and soon enough the class had dispersed back to their places with their friends. Breathing a sigh of relief, Tooru greeted Mina as well, giving the pink-skinned girl a big hug with thanks to her for her concern. Throughout the time spent at home, she had been the one constant that had not changed, texting and keeping her feeling somewhat normal in the changing landscape that she found herself in.

Speaking of changing landscapes…

As Tooru sat down in her chair as usual, she couldn't help but notice Midoriya and Melissa talking quietly between each other at their seats, their eyes focused on something Midoriya was showing from his phone.

Her eyes, however, were drawn to the wisps of purple-blue from Melissa and the dark green of Midoriya.

It was not just the colour either; the brighter energies that Tooru had seen felt different, with each one feeling unique to a person, similar to a quirk. For example, Todoroki's light-blue-and-hot-red energy felt simultaneously cold and hot, like a balm of spicy medication - freezing and hot at the same time. Mina's on the other hand, felt more slick, and sour, like an acid, or a lemon.

Somehow. Even though she didn't have a tongue to taste energy with.

But Midoriya and Melissa's…felt like the energies of the monsters she was seeing.

Just like her energy.

At that moment, Aizawa walked in, and the class promptly shut up, quickly slipping into their seats in well under 3 seconds. With a nod, the man went about the day’s announcements, including…

“...you will all need to get ready for the upcoming Sports Festival.”

And the class prompt erupted into chaos.

Said chaos was quickly silenced by the man’s glowing red eyes, the fearsome teacher’s gaze and floating hair instantly putting everyone back into their seats. With a huff of annoyance, the man spoke again.

“Alright. Any questions?”

“Sensei!” Iida’s hand shot up in the blink of an eye. “Are you sure the Sports Festival should still be hosted after such a dangerous attack on the campus? Surely, the security of students is more important than a simple yearly event!”

Gesturing for the stiff glasses-clad student to put his hand down, Aizawa answered. “It’s not up to me, it’s up to the Rat. According to him, continuing the Sports Festival as planned will not only show that UA is unaffected by the attack, quell concerns about the school’s safety, it will also retain the planned internship week for heroics course students.”

The class murmured in quiet agreement before Kaminari’s hand raised next. “Then, Sensei, what exactly should we be training for for the Sports Festival?”

“Anything.” The teacher deadpanned, before heading out of the classroom, replaced by the boisterous Present Mic for English.

~+~

“The hell does ‘anything’ mean!?” Kaminari exclaimed as the lunch bell rang. The rest of the class was not in as much panic, however, and Iida even answered the yellow and black-bolt-haired boy by explaining, in his usual overly stiff and ramrod-straight-back expression.

Huffing softly with amusement at the antics of her classmates, Kyoka approached Midoriya and Melissa, listening in on the two as they spoke about… Shinjuku?

“Look, I know that trip was a bust, but maybe next time-”

“Next time? Man, we have the sports festival coming up, I don't want to have to think about both that and Ryoku at the same time..”

Melissa groaned, and Kyoka sighed. “What are you two doofuses doing this time?”

The two turned to her. “We're trying to pin down and kill that Special Grade curse we met in the USJ,” Midoriya explained, and Melissa nodded.

“Huh? The who?” Kyoka frowned, before perking up in thought. “Oh! Is it the lady that took Hagakure's quirk!?”

Melissa nodded. “And as sorcerers, we must exorcise it.” And Kyoka, thanks to her quirk, picked up the angry mutter of “this time she won't get away” from the blonde American.

Midoriya nodded with Melissa's words. “Although, we do have the sports festival to get ready for soon… two weeks is theoretically possible to track down and kill Ryoku with-”

“I'll do my best.”

At the dark tone of voice, Kyoka turned to it and was surprised to see Ochako with a look of determination on her face, her hands clenched into tight fists.

Humming at the strange sight, she turned back to Midoriya and Melissa, slightly surprised to see both of them relaxing from what were fighting positions. “You two wound up too?”

The green-haired boy groaned softly while Melissa sighed.

The trio moved to the door, sliding it open-

To be greeted by a hallway packed full of students.

An eruption of shouts came from outside, and there was a giant movement from the student body outside.

“What's all this fuss about?” Kyoka stuttered, stepping back behind what she knew was Midoriya's barrier of a quirk (Cursed technique? Infinity? What should she call this now-).

“They're scoping out the competition, of course.” Bakugo huffed, before boldly exclaiming his usual spiel of how all of the people outside were “extras” to be “crushed under his boot”, et cetera, et cetera. Kyoka quickly tuned that out, preferring to focus on Midoriya and Melissa's expressions to the situation; the blonde-haired girl frowned at the spiky boy's attitude, while Midoriya had a soft expression of what looked like weariness and nostalgia at the same time, a mix of a sad and exasperated smile on his face.

Interesting.

“Wow, is this the legendary class of 1-A?” A purple-haired boy spoke up over Bakugo's claims, drawing everyone's attention. With his deadpan expression, poofy, half-awake hair, and baggy eyes, Kyoka could also picture Aizawa saying the same words. “Seems like a lot of talk from people that don't deserve to say it.”

“Hah!?” Bakugo drawled, leaning in close to the boy, almost face to face, his feral grin contrasting the lazy smile of the purple-haired boy. “Who the hell do you think you are, huh? Some low-grade punk that wants a taste of me!?”

The boy shrugged. “I don't know, all I see is an overinflated Ego and a whole lot of weakness.”

Bakugo growled but didn't make a move against him. There was still some sense in not attacking a student in broad daylight, with an audience.

“Hey!” A voice came from the middle back of the crowd, and a spiky, gunmetal-grey-haired boy seemed to be where it came from. “I'm from class 1-B next door, and we're here to let you know your days of glory are numbered, 1-A! We're gonna take you down! You think you're so tough because you survived a villain attack, huh!?”

“Who said we think that way?”

The crowd, almost raring and pumped up at the boy's words, instantly quietened down the statement. Kyoka turned to the voice, and Midoriya stepped forward.

“Who said we think we're tough?”

The crowd stuttered, unable to draw up an answer before the purple-haired boy scoffed. “You, since you're the one doing all the talk here-”

“I lost my arm in that attack.” The boy's jaw clamped shut. “My classmate did too. And another lost her quirk. Forever.”

Midoriya closed the distance between him and Shinso. “Do you hear anything from the rest of us? Bakugo's an egoist, sure, but the rest of the class? Are we shouting our achievements from the rooftops? Are we declaring that we're the strongest?”

Kyoka heard Midoriya's heart rate twitter at that last question. Next to her, she felt Melissa tensing, hands trembling unto unconscious fists at her sides. “The world just showed their hand to a bunch of teenagers. A cruel, unjust world where monsters roam the streets and there are barely enough people to hold them back. And you're here telling us to number our days? What kind of heroes in training are the staff teaching?”

At the crowd's ensuing silence, Midoriya sighed, gesturing for the crowd to clear away. “Just… don't do shit like this, please. It's been a long week, we had a hard day, and you're making it out that we're the bad guys. Next time, please think before you act.”

The crowd slowly dispersed, murmuring apologies as they did. The purple-haired boy had the decency to look sheepish, at least, but he still turned around to throw one last taunt at them as he left. “Consider this War, Class 1-A. We will be the ones to take you down.”

With a sigh, Midoriya slumped, gesturing for Melissa and Kyoka to follow as he walked towards the cafeteria.

Before pausing.

“Huh. Interesting,” he said, before turning around and staring at

Hagakure, who was staring right back at him.

~+~

“So, you too?” Melissa teased, and the yellow-haired (and wasn't that a discovery?) girl giggled. Trading stories of how they awakened their cursed energies, or at least how they found out about the world of curses and cursed techniques - in the case of Jiro - bonded the two girls quickly, especially over how similar their circumstances were; having terrible things done to them.

Midoriya did feel a bit left out, he had to admit.

“I mean, getting a murder charge and having a quirk stolen are both more interesting than being choked to death by garbage,” Gojo commented from inside his head. Huffing a smile, Midoriya took another bite of his food.

“So…” Hagakure started, pointing over at Midoriya. “What's your big deal? You've had these things from the start, and you haven't told anyone?”

Midoriya shrugged. “It's obvious that regular people can't even see cursed spirits without a curtain, why should we cause even more panic among the public with the knowledge?”

Her brows furrowed. “Right. And how does this relate!” She exclaimed, picking up her chopstick and throwing it directly at Midoriya, only for the wooden utensil to slow to a floating halt in midair.

Sighing, he plucked it out of Infinity, handing it back to Hagakure. “That's-”

“On me!”

The formerly invisible girl yelped at the mouth that formed from Midoriya's cheek, the singular blue eye above said mouth focusing on the girl as it spoke. “Yo! Nice to finally be introduced, new girl!”

Wide eyes glanced around the table, meeting only exasperated faces as the mouth continued to speak. “Always nice to have our little budding group of lucky adventurers here grow evermore~! Although, I'd say you're probably the most interesting of the bunch!”

Midoriya perked up at that. “What do you mean by that, gojo-sensei?”

“Huh? Oh, right, I forgot you can't see what I see. Hold on, I'll lend you my eyes for a bit.” Instantly, the green within Midoriya's eyes swirled into a brighter, positively glowing emerald. The iris within swirled with powerful, incredible strength, and that piercing, all-encompassing gaze stared out, cutting through an invisible veil that everyone couldn’t get rid of-

“Oh, I see.” After a moment, Midoriya spoke again, and his eyes fell back into their usual green colour.

The mouth on Midoriya’s cheek spoke up again with a grin. “Yeah! Looks like that ninja guy's theory wasn't wrong after all.”

“Theory? Ninja guy?” Hagakure's brow furrowed. Midoriya waved her off.

“Don't worry too much about that,” he said, taking another bite of his lunch. “We should be focusing more on you, Hagakure. You have a very interesting method of…cursed energy manipulation, as we would describe it.”

Midoriya went on. “From what the Six Eyes can see, your cursed energy seems to be following natural ley lines across your body. They seem to be the echoes of your quirk, or just your body's natural adaptation to your quirk. Because of this, you have much, much more control over your cursed energy than the rest of us, barring maybe the Six Eyes.”

“I'm sorry, is the Six Eyes that glowy eye thing you were doing just now? That’s so cool!” Hagakure exclaimed, much to Midoriya’s embarrassment. “Does it help you with seeing more? T-that’s a little stupid to ask, but still!”

“It’s a lot more than that, but yeah. I can see more, and it’s given by Gojo-sensei here,” the green-haired boy replied, prompting one last grin from the mouth before it returned to looking like normal skin again. “Anyways, the point is that you have a lot of potential as a sorcerer, and we,” he gestured to himself and Melissa. “Could use someone like you.”

“A-ah? Me?” Hagakure frowned in confusion. “W-why? I don't even have a quirk…”

Midoriya smiled. “Nor a cursed technique, not like me and Melissa. But cursed energy makes a lot of things possible, including enhancing your body further, making you on par if not better than people with quirks. And I'm willing to train you to harness said cursed energy, if you're alright with it.”

Hagakure gulped, hesitant. She glanced over to Melissa, who simply gave her a smile and a nod, and to Jiro, who shrugged and refocused on her food. She took a deep, resolute breath, before nodding, returning Midoriya’s question with a resolute fire in her eyes.

“Alright. I'll be a sorcerer.”

Chapter Text

“The Sports Festival’s coming up, you know?” Hagakure bounced on her feet as she spoke, the tapping of her soles echoing around UA's empty gym hall. With school let out and the sports festival around the corner, halls like these were a rarity to come by between hero and general education students trying to train. Luckily, Midoriya had snagged them, one of the last ones available for a couple of hours every other day, every week until the Sports festival day. “And I gotta get a good hand on these new powers, or else I won't stand a chance.”

Melissa nods, smiling. “You'll do great, don't worry. You got into UA’s hero course, after all! That means you've got something worth giving.”

With a new resolute huff, Hagakure nods, patting her cheeks to calm herself as best she can as Midoriya and Jirou enter the gym. “Alright. Alright! I can do this!”

The green-haired boy chuckles as he watches the two, and soon joins them in stretching, Jirou also participating in the warmup exercises.

Once they were sufficiently warmed up, Midoriya explained how their session would be going. “Since we have enough people, we’ll split into two groups. Melissa, you'll be taking Jirou on a crash course of weapon combat. Get her used to her new cursed tool.” The blonde American shoots a cheeky grin at the punk rocker, who holds her hot-rod-red guitar with a pick between her fingers and a matching smile on her face. “You two will be practising both melee and ranged combat since Melissa can benefit from it and Jirou can practice. Switch at your own pace.”

“Hagakure, you and me will be exploring your cursed energy. It's a very unique method of flow, especially since it's so under control, and I'd like to push that. See how you hold up,” Midoriya finishes, with a beaming Hagakure positively bouncing. “Once our time is up, I've got a present for Jirou before we go hunting for cursed spirits tonight.”

“A present?” Jirou tilts her head in query, brows furrowing with curiosity in her gaze.

“Something to give you a new perspective.” Grinning, Midoriya shoos the two gals off to train, turning his attention back to Hagakure.

“So! What are we doing first? Combat? A test? Oo, maybe you've got a secret obstacle course set up here!” Hagakure exclaims, giggling and looking around for her imaginary obstacle course.

Midoriya smiles, shaking his head. “No, we'll start with the basics first.” He raises an open palm to the invisible girl. “First, hit me.”

“Eh?”

“I want to see how your cursed energy reacts to making an attack, and this is the easiest way,” Midoriya explains.

“Oh. Alright!” Hagakure nods, before moving forward with a quick jab to the greenie, her fist naturally slowing down when she reaches Midoriya's Infinity barrier. When she couldn't feel her hand making any more progress, she let her arm drop. “How was that?”

Midoriya's face was split into a massive grin when she looked up. “That was exactly what I wanted to see! Thank you, Hagakure,” he smiled.

“What did you see?” Hagakure frowns, arms crossing across her front.

“Well, Gojo-Sensei was right about you being a natural with cursed energy, first off.” Midoriya raises a fist, letting his cursed energy flow and envelop it - a swirling, fire-like mass in Hagakure's eyes, with a glow of green and a hum of danger. “For us sorcerers, we channel cursed energy into our strikes. This increases the impact and speed of our attacks and is the main method we use in combat with curses. Doing so takes some level of practice, alongside learning to control and direct our cursed energy, and learning to make our cursed energy impact as our attack lands is another challenge that some sorcerers face since we picture energy differently. Take Melissa and me as examples; we needed to learn that cursed energy flowing doesn’t necessarily mean it comes from somewhere in our body and moves to another part.”

“However, your body and its natural affinity to cursed energy seem to have this manipulation of cursed energy on instinct, like muscles tensing before a punch.” The cursed energy around Midoriya's fist fades, and his smile is in full view once more. “Let's test another theory.”

Suddenly, Hagakure's eyes shoot wide open as Midoriya's other hand slams into her gut, palm-first! She coughs in shock, hand clutching her abdomen as she staggers back. When she gets her bearings again, she meets Midoriya’s gaze with a glare. “W-what the hell, Midoriya!?”

The sorcerer keeps his ever-present smile on his face. “Your natural cursed energy movement also seems to happen with cursed energy reinforcement, it seems.”

Hagakure frowned, glancing down at her abdomen. Sure enough, the flow of cursed energy in her eyes seemed to swirl around the spot where Midoriya's hit had landed. Grunting in pained agreement, she stood tall again. “So?”

He grinned. “So, we're going to practise. Your cursed energy flow is already solid, now you just need to control it. Instinct is one thing, now we need to hone them. I want you to have full control over your body's cursed energy flows by the time the Sports festival rolls around. It will flow to where you want it to when you want it to. That's the goal.”

Hagakure gulped, straightening up as Midoriya's grin grew more manic. “S-so, how are we going to do that?”

“How much martial arts do you know?”

~+~

“M-mister Shinya?”

“Yes, Eri?”

“Can you teach me how to use a sword?”

That gives the hero pause, and he turns to give his full attention to the little girl. “Why do you want to learn it?”

“B-because there's monsters out there. A-and we need to remove them, right?”

“Curses, yes. And a sorcerer must exorcise curses, yes.”

“T-then should I learn to use a sword? Li-like you!”

Edgeshot kneels before the little girl, shaking his head as he reaches out with a hand to give a tender rub to her scalp. “Little Eri, you shouldn't concern yourself with things like these.”

Eri's eyes widen, and her lower lip trembles as she looks for the right words to say. “B-but I-Izuku is exo- e-exor- removing these monsters. I-I want to help!”

Edgeshot's smile grows under his mask. “And that is a noble cause. But you are young, so young Eri. Too young to concern yourself with these things. You learning to control your technique and your domain should come first. A sword is a suitable tool for removing curses, yes, but your technique is a perfect weapon on its own. You will do more with it than any tool could ever.” Gently, he reaches out and pats the girl's hair. “And I don't have any practice swords for your size.”

Eri sniffles a little, drawing wide eyes from the pro hero, but nods in compliance, going back to slowly drawing out the yellow glow that coalesces in her palms obediently. A pause. The silence is broken with a small sigh and a pat from Edgeshot. “Although… I can buy a few wooden bokken for you to practise swinging first if it helps you.”

The little girl's eyes widen, and she beams brightly, nodding vigorously. Shinya smiles, giving her one last pat on her head before shifting back to his table and sending the last photo of the scroll to Midoriya. A scroll detailing the concept and execution of a New Shadow Style: Simple Domain.

Shinya: “It's not much, but I'm glad you reached out. Hope this helps.”

Midoriya: “Thanks a lot, Edgeshot sir! :D We'll be sure to use it well!”

~+~

Staking out in Shibuya seemed to be the best of options, Ryuko had decided after moving from city to city. Stealing money to feed her new three-legged companion was simple enough, with dead people having at least some cash left. Or, hell, just taking the food bag out of the shelves and leaving. And if anyone did see her with her haul of cat food, well.

Just served as a good excuse to get a few new quirks.

The cursed spirit sighs, lounging on the couch she is “borrowing” from a previous tenant; another boring salaryman. At least his quirk had some interesting use; a minor telekinesis quirk, he normally used for pulling pens to and from his pen holder, or for grabbing things just out of reach. Combined with a few simple mental enhancement quirks, it was proving to be a formidable addition to her arsenal. Or rather, her now noticeably-smaller arsenal.

The mere memory of her encounter with the famed “Hero Killer” still makes her non-human guts turn with disgust and hatred. Yes, the fight she had with him had pushed her far enough down the road of conviction to a new milestone, namely her domain, but still. Needing to essentially completely restart her stockpile of quirks was a pain.

Her mind whirls through her current situation. All for One is still out there, surely building even more power to deal with All Might, whatever their “grand master plan” is. The hero killer is still alive, and stronger than her. And rounding it out, Melissa and the crazy greenie are still at UA, doing God knows what.

She slumps further onto the couch, hand raising out to give her pet a good rub, a smile crossing her face as the cat nuzzles up into her fingers. While she does, her cursed technique extends a metaphorical hand, pressing another quirk into the cat, whose only visible changes are a shiver and a deeper tone of purring. A good companion needs good tools to survive, after all, and Ryuko could help with that. It was the least she could do to return the creature's willingness to follow-

A knock sounds on the door.

Immediately, the cat zipped away, blending into the dark shadows of the apartment perfectly, the only sign of her presence becoming the soft gleam of her twin eyes peeking out.

Ryuko was similarly tense as she got to her feet. Was it the landlord? The boss? Ah, fuck, what if it was one of the sorcerers? Ryuko slowly stalks towards the door, quirks swirling to the surface under her skin as she gently creaks it open…

Only to be greeted by a hooded figure, an old-school beige trenchcoat and similarly-coloured sun hat on their head, glowing yellow eyes swirling with cursed energy gazing down at Ryuko. “Good afternoon, miss.” A gravelly, almost rocky-sounding voice rumbled from the figure.

The cursed spirit gulped. “You're not one of those sorcerers, are you?” The cursed energy flowing off this newcomer surely matched what was common between Melissa and the Hero Killer.

The figure shakes his head. “No. If anything, I'm the opposite of such. We’re the same, you and I.”

Ryuko's eyes go wide. The figure chuckles, raising a hand - rocky and made of pebbles, she could see - and removes the hat settled on his head. A similarly uneven, rocky and grey face met Ryuko. “My name is Karou. There is another you have yet to meet, and we are eager for an addition such as yourself.”

~+~

“Whoa, Tooru! Where'd you get those new scars from!?” Mina exclaims, black sclera eyes wide as she looks over her best friend's newly scarred forearms, white lines trailing up and down alongside a few patches of similarly marred skin.

“Just some training injuries,” Hagakure waves off, shooting Mina a disarming smile as she stretches. “You know what they say, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger!”

“Yeah, but that doesn't mean you should be trying to get killed, girl! Unless you're planning on killing someone…” Mina teases, wiggling her eyebrows with a laugh. Hagakure snickers alongside her bestie, letting her body draw itself up from its stretched position. All around the room, the other members of class 1-A were in similar stages of prep. Doing stretches, checking their custom support equipment - as was the case for Aoyama - or mentally psyching themselves up. Or in Bakugo's case, sneering at the floor.

“Alright, guys! Let's all do our best!” Kirishima exclaims, pumping his good arm into the air and getting a cheer from similarly enthused teenagers, particularly from an immensely hyped-up Uraraka, who almost punches a hole in the ceiling with the force and height of her jump. Anxiously, the rest of the class chatter amongst themselves, excited about the Sports Festival, as well as the potential match-ups that might happen. What events were going to happen? Who were the ones to look out for from their sister class, 1-B? Who’s the poor sap going up against Bakugo-

“Midoriya.”

A voice rings out above the controlled chaos. The room quietens as Todoroki, red and white split-haired and a fire burning in his similarly mismatched irises, stares down at the green-haired boy in question. “Objectively, you are the strongest here. Your quirk has the power to rival that of All Might, and you have shown skill in your martial prowess.”

Midoriya's face remains stoic as Todoroki continues. “However, my father is sure to be watching me during this Sports Festival. So I will beat you without his help. That is my promise.” Once his words are finished, he curtly turns back to the bench, sitting back down in his usual ramrod-straight posture.

The class stands still, letting those icy words sink in.

“Geez, Todoroki, we know you're an ice prince, but today of all days?” Melissa snarked, hands on her hips. “If anything, you're just bloating Midoriya's ego! Leave some competition for the rest of us, yeah?”

“Yeah! Don't look down on us, Todoroki!”

“If your quirk is all you're relying on, you won't even get to useless Deku before I blast you and your ice to smithereens!”

“We're gonna give our all too, Todorki! Don't count us out!”

The class erupts into more enthusiastic cheers, and the frosty atmosphere is melted away with their flame of ambition. Before the noise can crescendo, an announcement over the Intercom calls for all classes to make their way onto the field, and the excited hero class gets onto their feet.

“Todoroki.” The heterochromatic boy turns to the voice. Midoriya's eyes meet his. “I am touched by your declaration of war. But today is a day of showcase, and it'd be rude of you to downplay our classmates.”

Midoriya’s cheeks quirk up in a cheeky grin. “They're the challengers here, not you.”

~+~

“Good morning all in attendance, and a very good day to those watching from home, and welcome to the annual! U! A! Sports! Festival!

The sports stadium is filled to the brim with heroes and spectators alike, the crowd's volume barely overcome by Present Mic's booming voice through the stadium's speakers and the various network of camera drones flitting across the stands. “I'm your host Present Mic and we are joined by Eraserhead up here in the announcer's booth! Now, ladies and gentlemen, please put your hands together to welcome the show's stars today, the first-year cohort of UA!”

The enthusiastic cheers of Present Mic have the crowd roaring as the students step out of their respective tunnels. They are not very much in alignment or any form of organisation, much to Ilda's frustration. 1-A and 1-B led the charge (which was more like a walk or a trot. There was not much charging happening), followed by the general classes of 1-C to 1-G, the support classes of 1-H and 1-I, and the remaining business classes.

“Let's hear a round of applause for the first-year cohort of UA!”

The cheers roar even louder, and Midoriya winces, glancing over at the rest of his classmates who don't seem to be taking it much better, Jiro especially. The punk rock girl has her hands over her ears, eyes squeezed tight behind her new black-and-purple glasses. Making the cursed tool hadn't been too hard; a bit of cursed energy mixing here and a simple reinforcement seal - courtesy of Edgeshot's extensive clan notes - and they were set and ready for battle.

Jiro's expression when she saw a cursed spirit was firmly captured in a photo, saved in Melissa's phone. Much to her chagrin.

“And another round to introduce our referee for the events, the R-rated hero you all know and love, iiiiiit’s Midnight!” The dominatrix-clad hero rises alongside her referee platform, giving a playful wave and kiss, winking to the fans in the crowd and sending the cheers to greater heights. Said cheers quickly quieten down with a snap of her Cat o’ Nine Tails and a clearing of her throat into her mic, and Midnight speaks.

“Alright, everyone! Let's kick things off with our student pledge from the top scorer of the Entrance exam!” She cheers. “Coming from Class 1-A, please welcome to the stage; Midoriya Izuku!”

“Oh, Midoriya got it?” “That's the guy from the war declaration!” “Class 1-A, always the glory hogs…” “I heard he's stronger than Endeavor’s son!”

While whispers break out from the student body, cheers erupt from the stands as Midoriya makes his way up to the mic. Much to the chagrin of one seething Bakugou and a slightly more scowly Todoroki. Midnight greets Midoriya with a smile, gesturing to the stand and microphone. “Don't be afraid, just let the words flow.”

“I can't afford to be afraid out here…” Midoriya mutters back, and Midnight's smile grows wider. As she steps back, the green-haired boy takes her place, taking a deep breath as he does. As if a spell is cast, the crowd shushes themselves, and the silence settles once again.

“Today is a day to showcase. ” Midoriya starts, looking up into the stands. “A day to showcase the strength of UA, of its students and our potential, and to showcase ourselves to the world and say that “I am here”.”

“We showcase ourselves to the monsters that roam our streets, to those that need to see our light, and to those that need a path. We showcase ourselves as the future, the ones next, the ones to look out for. So, to my fellow students from all courses; hero, support, business and general… I hope you all showcase yourself too. The world's eyes are upon us, but I believe we won't back down.”

Raising his right hand, his fingers clench into a fist. “We'll keep pushing! And when we hit our limits, we'll push past those too! And go beyond!”

His hand punches into the air as he exclaims to the crowd and students before him. To the cameras watching, broadcasting to the entirety of Japan and the world alike. To a little girl watching the television with sparkles in her eyes, to a snarling man with a hand over his face, to a grinning, patchwork woman twirling a marble between her fingers.

“Say it with me! Plus!”

~+~

”ULTRA!”

The stands shake with their enthusiasm, and the entirety of class 1-A and even a small portion of the general education classes follow suit, pumping their fists into the air with a resounding cheer.

“Wow! What an amazing speech from Midoriya Izuku! It's just getting my spirits all FIRED UP! Wouldn't you agree Eraser?” Present Mic's voice booms out, and a sigh comes beside him.

“We'll see if he can walk the walk,” Aizawa speaks, drawing laughter from his co-announcer.

Midnight taps the mic as she returns to the stand. “Alright, and for the first event of the Sports Festival!”

With a turn and a wave of her hand, the screen behind her lights up into a spinning roulette wheel, whirring to life and running through its various options with a chiming jingle. Midoroya manages to spot options like “Mass Paintball”, “Item Battle Royale”, and “Sink Or Swim” flashing by before it finally stops, landing on…

“The Obstacle Race!” Instantly, a wide shot of the stadium is put up on the screen as Midnight explains. “Outside the stadium is a 4-kilometre obstacle course. The first 42 students to clear this course can advance to the next stage! Of course, it's not called an “obstacle” race for a reason, so, be on your toes, everyone! Now, to the starting line!”

The students broke up from their class groupings, heading to the drawn white line in front of a narrow corridor and taking positions.

Melissa shoots Midoriya a grin as she passes him, giving him a tap on the shoulder with her fist as she moves to the back of the crowd. With a smile, Midoriya looks around the rest of the students, spotting Jiro’s purple hair somewhere in the middle and Hagakure’s yellow-green a few students from Melissa.

“Three!”

“So, what's the plan here?” Gojo asks from inside Midoriya’s head.

“Two!”

“Wait for the chaos to blow over, and run on people’s heads.”

“One!”

“Ha! Sometimes I love the way you think!”

“GO!”

Instantly, the mass of students flood forward in a massive wave… and immediately run into problems.

“Get out of the way!”

“Dude, you’re in MY way!”

“God, it’s so cramped in here!”

With such a narrow hallway and the sheer number of hundreds of students, the outcome of a massive jam in the middle of the halls was obvious, at least in hindsight to those stuck in said jam.

Suddenly, the floor of the entire corridor flashes and freezes into a sheet of ice. The students all exclaim their surprise as a dual-haired boy shoots off over the mass on his ramp of the frozen liquid.

“Sorry, but I have to win, by any means.”

“WOW! Todoroki instantly freezes the competition in its tracks! Talk about a cold shoulder!”

“The true competition is just beginning. Not everyone was so easily fooled.” Aizawa drawls over the speakers, gesturing to the sudden surge of students through the mass of those frozen in place! Yaoyorozu zooms out on a scooter; Mina skates out easily with acid beneath her boots; Jiro blasts chunks of ice out from under her feet with her jacks, using the new road to rip up more opportunities for covering the ground.

With a leap over the crowd and a punch to the ice, Melissa clears the way with a massive line of her technique, shattering the sheet of ice and racing off on her newly paved path with Hagakure hot on her heels, using the way she cleared to her advantage.

Carefully, Midoriya infuses his cursed energy into Infinity, leaping off out of the crowd and imbuing the technique onto his feet, stepping onto the barrier between him and the students beneath him tentatively at first, and then faster and faster until he clears the crowd, hitting the floor and dashing off again.

“And the first of our competitors reach the next obstacle; The Robot Inferno!”

As more cheers erupt from the stands, spectators excitedly glued to the massive screens broadcasting the progress of the students, Todoroki eyes the massive wave of robots rising from the dust. Small, wheeled and melee-based one-pointers; more scorpion-like two-pointers; bulky missile-pod-clad three-pointers…

And a veritable legion of massive, hulking Zero-pointers, towering over the approaching students.

Todoroki scoffs. “This is what they faced during the entrance exam?” With a wave of his hand and a massive crackling , the first of the Zero-pointers that had raised their hand to strike was flash-frozen!

“And a DEVASTATING show of strength from Todoroki, right out the gate! As to be expected of a recommendation student, and the son of Endeavor!”

“Tch.” Coldly, the ice prince slides on with his sheets of ice, not bothering to look behind him as the icy structure of the Zero pointer crumbles and shatters under its weight, treating the newly emerging rush of students with a glacial collapse!

“ICY-HOT!”

And yet, Bakugo blasts out of the ice shower, blowing away the debris as he clears the field solo, explosions popping in his palms as he rockets through, locked onto Todoroki like an ice-seeking missile. Below, the rest of Class 1-A is also following his lead; Ojiro, having cleared the crowd with several powerful jumps, now bashing through robots, weaving between swipes and ducking below the Zero-pointer's massive - but slow - attacks; Kirishima using his blunt and immovable arm as a frontal battering ram, smashing through robots like a greatsword cleaving through a crowd; Kaminari was shocking his way through the crowd, blasting apart bot after bot with his powerful yellow electricity.

“Looks like 1-A is truly giving their full Plus Ultra, clearing their way through the Robot Inferno like it's nothing else! Is there anything that can stop these kids!? Well, maybe it'll be THE FALL!”

The massive chasm gives the heterochromatic boy pause, just for a moment. Rock pillars connected by rope stretch across the massive pit, seemingly the only feasible way across…

With a huff, Todoroki’s hand raises an ice bridge between two of the massive rock formations, sliding along easily from pillar to pillar, continuing to sprint where he can to compensate for his quirk’s slowing speed with each foggy breath. While he is still a fair bit away from his limits, there is still a chance that the slightest loss In speed could be the undoing of his lead, and with his promise to Midoriya…

“I won't lose.”

~+~

A quick shot of Blue clears up the last of the bots in his way, and Izuku dashes forward through the remains of the Robot Inferno. Melissa and Hagakure were a good distance ahead, having just reached the Fall, and Izuku’s grin just grew wider.

Racing past the two, he shoots them a two-fingered salute, stepping out onto plain air with Infinity beneath his feet, not once breaking his stride. As the two shout in surprise and annoyance, he refocuses on the competition ahead. Above him, Bakugo continues to blaze through the sky, and Todoroki's form only grows larger and larger as he closes the distance. No one else is close, not with the massive lead Todoroki put between them at the start, and Bakugo's concussion force keeping him going strong even as the rest of the class was slowed down at least a little.

The lead will not last, Izuku promised.

With a pull of Blue again, Izuku funnels its force into Infinity again, just like the quirk apprehension test what felt like an eternity ago, and in the blink of an eye-

Todoroki’s eyes widen as he feels the familiar ripple of Midoriya’s quirk, and he breaks his stride for just a moment to glance at the green-haired boy now pulling up beside him, running on midair as he stakes on.

Izuku grins at the split second of shock on Todoroki's face, before letting Blue tug him forward again, much to the enraged roars of a Bakugo above him.

“WHOA there dear viewers! Am I the only one spotting the blur on the field!? It looks like Midoriya is truly living up to his hype, taking the field back with a flash! Well, the next obstacle is sure to put a stop to his speed, because who's going to run through the MINEFIELD!?”

“Mines!? Oh, boy, whatever will we do!? It's so over! We'll never win…” Gojo mourns from within Izuku's mindscape, before dropping the act with a snicker. “So what's your new plan?”

Izuku let himself pause, just for a moment. The smart option, and the frankly safer one here, would be to encase himself with Infinity and make a run through the field. But running across a field like that would not only force Infinity to run for a rather long period, it would also leave himself vulnerable to the fast-approaching competition of Todoroki and Bakugo.

On the other hand…

Izuku brings up Blue once again, controlling the attractive force carefully to ensure none of the mines he dredges up detonates mid-air.

“How does shock and awe sound?”

~+~

Just as Tooru and Melissa make it across the Fall alongside some of the other students, a massive BOOM sounds from ahead of them, and a flying green-haired figure is barely in sight before disappearing into the newly-formed clouds of pink smoke.

Melissa's fists clench tighter, and Tooru watches as the blondie’s cursed energy glows brighter, her own racing heart racing faster to match. “Midoriya…”

Tapping her on the shoulder, Tooru shoots her a grin, and the blonde visibly shivers for a moment. “If he's gonna be crazy, we'll just have to be even crazier, yeah?”

Melissa frowns but nods anyway. “You got a plan?”

“No, but when has Midoriya ever?”

“...fair.”

When the two get to the minefield, they are not alone. At the front of the pack are Todoroki and Bakugou, as would be expected, blasting at each other even as Present Mic calls a first-place finish for Midoriya. Tooru slows first, seeing the massive crater left behind by Midoriya's explosive stunt, and huffs a grin. Beside her, Melissa looks out upon the sporadically exploding mines, frowning as she watches the slowly shrinking figures of the two other leaders.

“At this distance, we can't catch them…” She sighs, turning to Tooru… who hefts one of the mines in her arms. “...what are you doing?”

“I was thinking,” She smiles, dropping the mine to the floor, much to a flinching Melissa’s concern. “If you can channel cursed energy into a ray or an explosion, what would happen if you channel it into an explosive? ”

Melissa's eyes go wide. “...and that's what you've done here?”

Tooru shrugs, the ever-present grin continuing to stagger her senior-in-sorcery. “What do we have to lose?”

“...fine.” Melissa relents after a pause. “But if we're gonna go big or go home, then we're going big .”

Tooru watches as the glasses-clad girl's fist curls again, a familiar ten lines appearing on the surface of the mine as her grin grows to match Tooru's.

“Better hold onto your hats.”

~+~

“And another explosion on the course! It's more of Class 1-A, and it looks like Miss Shield and Hagakure are taking a page out of Midoriya’s book! What have you been teaching these children, Eraser!?”

“Not this. UA does not teach, nor encourage its students’ self-destructive behaviours such as this. However, appropriation of battlefield equipment, either ally or enemy, is different. Creative use of said-”

“Still, WHAT THE HELL!?”

Rapidly falling through the sky after her brief, albeit highly explosive, flight, Melissa's mind was equal parts screaming alongside Mic, planning and scrambling for her next move, and writing her last will all at once.

“To be fair how are they going to read this it's in my head and I'm about to be splatter.” Melissa signs off on the mental paper, watching as Todoroki and Bakugo rapidly approach. Or more accurately, she and Hagakure rapidly approach them.

Channelling the fear into her cursed energy, she lets it swirl into her fist, and another brilliant, stupid, completely insane plan comes into her head. “BRACE!”

In the few frames before impact, she manages to see Hagakure cover her head with her arms, and with a punch aimed precisely between the other two competitors and an explosion of her technique, she lets her cursed energy rip. “Cursed Technique Extension: Collapse!”

And the world detonates.

As Todoroki and Bakugo are sent flying apart, Melissa and Hagakure carry their movement forward with the force of dozens of mines behind their backs, shooting themselves at and across the Finish Line!

“An explosive surprise second and third place from Shield and Hagakure! Incredible work from Class 1-A, grasping victory from the jaws of defeat, no matter the odds!”

“A risky plan, but one that paid off in spades.” Aizawa begrudgingly agrees.

Down on the field, Melissa groans as she draws herself to her feet, feeling dirt and dust sticking to her body as she stands. Hagakure is fairing about the same, still breathing but choosing to stay on the floor instead.

A shadow comes over the two, and Melissa glances up to see Midoriya standing above them. “Need a hand?”

Shaking her head, she takes the offered hand. “I think Hagakure might need it more.”

Groaning, the girl in question raises a shaky thumb from the dirt. Before the hand slumps back onto the grass. “Never. Again.” Melissa manages to hear before the roaring of the crowd finally fades back into focus.

Soon enough, Todoroki and Bakugo are sliding into fourth and fifth place respectively, much to the explosive boy's ire. The rest of the forty-two slots are filled up with students fast, as the now-empty minefield served as little more than a small speed bump for even the general education students. Unfortunately, the leader board was still filled with hero course students, with the majority of the slots being classes 1-A and 1-B, and only two from the other courses; one Shinso Hitoshi - the purple-haired boy who had declared war -, and a Hatsume Mei, a support course student.

Judging from her portrait and the practically vibrating, bursting at the seams and equipment-clad girl on the field, Melissa could guess how she got through when others hadn't.

“Give a round for the winners of the first round!” Midnight called, and the stands answered with explosive enthusiasm, the noise almost deafening as they cheered.

“And now, for the next event!” Once again, the roulette wheel spins, chiming its cutesy death bell as the students watch.

“It’s time for the Calvary Battle!”

Chapter Text

“A black flash?” Hagakure asked, punching through another weak curse as its death squeal echoed through the tunnel.

“When you imbue cursed energy within a millionth of a second, yes, a Black Flash occurs,” Melissa explained, watching Hagakure carefully. With the new amount of Sorcerers the Group now had, they had decided to split up, covering more ground on the amount of cursed spirits they had to kill. For tonight, Melissa and Hagakure were paired.

“Huh. That sounds difficult.” Hagakure replied, letting the cursed energy swirling around her fists dissipate.

“Only ever done that once. When it mattered, yes, but I can't do it at will. No one can, from what Midoriya and Gojo tell us,” Melissa shrugged. “It's the most powerful attack we have, at least to our current knowledge. And being able to do it isn't exactly an easy thing to do.”

“Hm. Anything else I should know?” The yellow-haired girl asked, swatting a fly head out of the air as the two continued through the place, into the alleys.

“Something about Domains and Simple Domains, I'm not sure. Midoriya will need to explain it to you, he's been doing more reading than me. Edgeshot also knows, but that's different.”

“Edgeshot!? Like, the Number Five Pro-hero, the Ninja Hero, Edgeshot?” Hagakure turned to look at Melissa, bewildered. “He’s related to this too?”

Melissa nodded. “Last remaining member of the Three Great Sorcerer Families, the Kamo clan specifically. He's got a ton of scrolls of history and an armoury of Cursed Tools.”

“...wow.” The girl paused. “Any more secrets?”

“That's all I can think of, for now at least.”

Hagakure nodded, watching as a rather large curse rounded the corner, its bugged-out eyes and massive, multi-tendriled fingers moulded unnaturally onto its body as its massive mouth gurgled and screeched.

“You need help for this one?” Melissa asked.

Hagakure shook her head. “I wanna challenge myself tonight.”

~+~

“A team event?” Midoriya hummed as he watched the rest of the students scatter into groups, all of their eyes on the newly-crowned ten-million-point student.

“Yeah, and you're the biggest target,” Melissa grinned. Midoriya shrugged.

“Sometimes it's tough being the best, what can I say?” He teased, getting a punch on the shoulder from the blonde beside him.

“Teaming up with you seems to be a death sentence…” Hagakure frowned. “But you have Limitless. You're quite literally untouchable.”

“Yes, but there's no guarantee I'll be able to hold the technique for the entirety of…what, ten minutes? That's a long time…” Midoriya shrugged.

“...I can't tell if you're fucking with us or not, Midoriya.”

“Ten-Million!”

Suddenly, a pink-haired girl barreled out of the crowd, stopping barely in time to avoid a head-on collision with the group.

“You need to let me on your team!” She exclaimed, goggle-covered eyes wide as she grinned up at Midoriya.

“...I’m sorry, introductions-?”

“Mei Hatsume! Inventor extraordinaire and founder and owner of Hatsume Industries! Please let me join your team! I have many babies to help you!”

The group's eyes collectively shot open. “H-hold on, what babies-?” Melissa started, and Hatume only grinned wider.

“I'm glad you asked!” With a rush of motion, the girl pulled out a comically huge case, dropping it onto the floor and letting it hiss open, revealing all manner of different items, equipment, and strange-looking tools. From hover boots, a net gun, and even a couple of sword-like batons. “All manner of equipment! From Hatsume Industries’ patent-pending Net Gun to our wonderful Exo-leg prototype! I have all matter of equipment for any of your needs!”

Melissa shares a look with Hagakure and then glances at Midoriya. As she expected, the green-haired boy had a grin, albeit a smaller one than the one she was used to seeing on him. “...Midoriya, no.”

“What? You don't want to make a team with me, might as well take someone willing to take me, you know?” Midoriya replied, walking over to Mei and patting her on the shoulder. “Welcome to the team. I'll be glad to have you, at least.”

The pink-haired mad inventor only grinned even wider.

“Another five minutes to make your team, competitors!”

Midoriya glanced between the two. “So. What's it gonna be?”

Hagakure and Melissa shared a glance.

“...fine.”

The blonde American spoke first, stepping to Midoriya's side, and Hagakure followed close after. “I'm just securing my win, don't take it the wrong way.”

Midoriya grinned. “Sure.”

“Ooo, the top three on my team? My babies are going to grab ALL the attention!” Mei squealed excitedly, ushering them to the case in question. “Hurry, hurry, take your picks! As many as you want!—I need all the coverage I can get!”

Melissa nodded, taking a closer look at the equipment on display, before taking what looked to be a simple stick with a button on its side.

“Ooh! That one's a favourite! Press it!” Mei urged, and Melissa obliged. With a metallic Clink-Bzzt! the object extended into a baton, buzzing with a soft electrical hum. “Shock absorbent and charged with the force of a taser! Also features a patent-pending shock-absorb-and-convert system that lets users charge the weapon with just their impacts!”

“Hm.” Flipping the baton between her hands, Melissa grinned. “Perfect.”

Taking a look through the case herself, Hagakure picked up a set of mixed martial arts gloves. “Anything special about these?”

“Ah, those babies! Baby number 71, the Vibration-Discharge gloves! Absorbs kinetic energy along the arms and wrists on impact, and then discharges them when you hit with the pads here!” Mei grinned that crazy smile of hers, tapping the pads above the knuckles of the gloves. “More bang for a hero's buck!”

Hagakure matched the pink-haired girl’s smile with one of her own. “I can work with these.”

“And that's time, people! Take your positions on the marked boxes with your teams!” Midnight called, and the group got into formation; Melissa taking the front while Hagakure and Mei took up Midoriya's sides, with the green-haired boy settled atop them. Across the field, Bakugo’s ever-present snarl greeted Midoriya's grin, Todoroki's stoic face an icy dagger through the tension.

Class 1-B was mixed amongst themselves, split up across five teams with class 1-A matching their numbers, albeit with an odd-out team of Shoji and Tsuyu, and a team with the purple-haired gen era student atop the shoulders of what seemed like a combination of 1-A and 1-B.

“Alright, students! Remember the rules of the Cavalry Battle! If your rider ever touches the floor with any part of their body, they are considered disqualified and - by extension - their entire team is eliminated as well! You move onto the next round by gaining enough points, which are dictated for the team by the headbands on the rider at the end of the ten-minute round!” Bakugo's snarl only grew larger at the mention of “headbands”, and Todoroki's brows narrowed.

“On your marks!”

Melissa's fist clenched around the baton.

“Get set!”

Hagakure's grin grew.

“Go!”

~+~

“Why the hell should I trust you?”

Ryuko's gaze narrowed at the newcomer. With how powerful his cursed energy felt, she knew she wouldn't be able to win in a head-on fight. However, running could prove useful…

“Well, we both crave similar desires,” Karou smiled. “I wish for the crumbling of the world. The… Destruction of humanity, and then myself.”

Raising an open palm, a swirl of fire and rock formed, rippling and glowing and swirling in a miniaturised calamity. And with a clenching of his fingers, the show was over with a burst and a rumble of fire. “There is no greater joy to me than the destruction of humanity, and that is why I request your services.”

“Hm.” Ryuko… didn’t know how to feel about this. On one hand, she had targets of her own, not just humanity as a whole. All Might, for one, and that Sensei guy, All for One, as her next target. Their quirks would be most wonderful for her taking. On the other hand, helping bring the destruction of humanity kinda went against the whole “take every quirk” thing she was happy was going on. “Why should I help you?”

Karou shook his head. “You mistake my intentions, miss Ryuko. I am here to offer an alliance, not a request for help. We are both curses, striving for our own goals, but I would rather know I can avoid conflict than have to fight a fellow curse. And an alliance would help to further our personal goals; you will receive aid if you require it against a sufficiently difficult foe, and I will receive another weapon of destruction.”

“I am no one's weapon. Not anymore.” Ryuko snarled, watching with narrowed eyes as Karou nodded.

“Of course, Miss Ryuko. But consider us friends, perhaps. Not a master and a servant.” Karou smiled, raising a handout. “So, are we in agreement?”

A promise of alliance. Alliance with a fellow curse, to further both our goals. Ryuko paused, considering her options.

If she accepted, she'd get a new ally, supposedly two. In turn, she'd lose… little to nothing, as long as they didn't get in her way.

If she didn't, nothing was stopping this curse from obliterating her where she stood.

“Alright.” She finally nodded, taking the cursed spirit's hand and shaking it. “What about our third friend?”

“Been here the whole time.”

Ryuko spun, eyes wide as the new figure made himself known. Blue skin, black and orange irises that peeked out from behind a pair of crossed glasses, and a pure black, spiked halo settled on grey hair that glittered in the un-light he emitted. With his open coat, Ryuko could see the orange tint of the jacket's interior lining, and a black, frozen ooze in the figure's chest that settled a set of teeth, its not-jaw open and wide around an upright cross.

And in his arms sat her companion, purring happily as the figure's fingers combed through its fur.

“H-how did you…” Ryuko watched with wide eyes as the newcomer gently let the cat down onto the floor, smiling as the pet purred and nuzzled his bare ankles.

“Get in here? Simple tricks, but I can't exactly explain it to you.” He shrugged, raising his hand for a shake. “Chaos, a pleasure to be of your acquaintance.”

Ryuko’s hands shook as one rose to shake the newcomer’s. This curse… it felt old , like a primordial being. A force of nature, something that she assumed was what regular humans felt when they came across her or Karou. “Right…”

Chaos’s smile split into a grin. “Now that introductions are over, we’ve got some work to do.”

“How do y’all feel about a trip to Deika City?”

~+~

After the initial explosion of action attempting to grab Midoriya’s headband, resulting in one class 1-B team being eliminated in the chaos, Tooru watched as the rest of the teams started to fight amongst themselves. With over half the timer gone in the chaos, Midoriya’s Infinity kept the majority of the teams from reaching theirs, and working his technique in tandem with Hatsume’s hover boots gave the team some serious mobility, keeping them fast enough to react to almost everything the other competitors threw at them.

Almost.

“FUCKING DEKU!” Bakugo roared, blasting his way across the field and slamming into the immovable Infinity, before having to swiftly backpedal from Melissa's dangerous swipes.

“He just doesn’t give up, does he?” Tooru noted, watching as the blond explosive rocketed around the arena before coming for another pass. Only to be shot down by a nearby Class 1-B team by another blonde boy, one with a smarmy smirk and another loud mouth.

“...I guess he’s distracted now.” Melissa smiled, watching as the other class took the heat of Bakugo’s explosions. With the attention off them-

A rush of ice swept the field, and Todoroki and his team raced across on Ilda’s legs, swiping headbands left and right with ease as the frozen competitors struggled to keep their riders from falling. All the while, the split-haired boy’s attention was solely focused on…

“Midoriya.” Skating to a halt, Todoroki glared the green-haired boy down. The boy in question returned the icy stare with a grin.

“Yo.”

“Kaminari!” Todoroki called, and a grinning thunder-struck-haired boy shocked to life, yellow electricity crackling from his body. At the same time, Yaroyozu’s quirk sparkled to life, and a massive rushing blanket was pulled over Todoroki’s team.

“Roger! Indiscriminate shock, 40 thousand volts!” As the rest of the teams struggled to escape the ice, the new rush of lighting sent the rest of the field spasming, riders holding tightly onto their “horses” as they righted themselves, barely keeping afloat.

Of course, Midoriya’s Infinity kept the group from the worst of it, the sparking rippling over Infinity before dispersing without much hassle. Tooru watched, legs jittering with adrenaline and anticipation as Todoroki's team skidded to a halt, staring down their adversary. Ilda’s serious expression greeted her nervous grin, alongside Yayorozu’s determined stare and Kaminari’s…slightly dopey expression.

“Of course, an attack like that wouldn’t faze you,” Todoroki grunted, raising his hand and letting frost wash over his skin. “But that’s not the plan here.”

With another flash freeze, the floor is a shock of ice, a cone of dry ground behind Midoriya's team being the only remnant of the original arena before it became a skating rink. Tooru's eyes widened.

“I wonder how long you can hold your quirk for?” Todoroki grimaced, nodding to Yaoyorozu. The black-haired girl's Creation sparkled again, and almost half a dozen pin-less grenades popped out into the air!

A half second later, they erupted into whispy black smoke, filling Tooru's vision. “What's their plan here?”

“Stall us out,” Melissa said, her own eyes darting around cautiously. “They don't know if Midoriya has a limit to Infinity, and they're willing to bet that he does.”

At the same time, Melissa tapped Midoriya's foot. “Hey, how long can you hold Infinity for, anyways?”

“With the Six Eyes active? Indefinitely. But for now… I'd say a couple minutes at best.” Midoriya replied, keeping his own eyes out for anything. “Heads on a swivel, everyone. Anything happens, shout.”

“Can't you Blue this away?” Tooru asked.

“Not without risking collateral damage.”

A crackle was the only warning the group had before a rush of ice slammed across Infinity, now close enough that Tooru could feel the icy temperature difference in the air.

“Melissa!”

“Already on it!” She replied, and a blast of Collapse shattered the ice surrounding them, just in time to clear the group's vision to a small barrage of even more grenades!

The stun grenades exploded with blinding lights and loud bangs, leaving Tooru seeing spots as Todoroki's group closed in!

Once again, Infinity met them head-on, the immovable object the group could not overcome. Todoroki almost snarled as he backed out of range, eyeing Midoriya and the headbands. All the while, the green-haired boy’s ever-present grin matched Todoroki's ferocity, his hand raised with Infinity’s hand sign.

“You’ll have to try harder than that, Todoroki.” Midoriya smiled.

“Welcome to the final stretch, Competitors! Only thirty seconds left to go!” Present Mic called overhead, and Todoroki's furrowed brows only deepened.

Just then, Iida spoke up. “Todoroki. I have one last trump card, but after I use it I will be immobile until the end of the match.”

The heterochromatic boy spared Iida a glance before nodding, frost crawling up his hand again. “Do it.”

With a nod and a tightening of the team's grips on their centre horse, the engine boy's quirk roared to life, orange bursting out of his afterburners, before KWEEEN-ing into a sharp, powerful blue!

”Recipro BURST!”

In a flash of motion, Todoroki’s team blurred with speed, rushing towards Midoriya and the others!

Tooru barely had time to yelp and duck before they whizzed past, and her heart clenched as the wind rushed along behind them. As the rush of icy smoke cleared, she looked back at Todoroki’s team…

And breathed a sigh of relief. Todoroki’s left hand smoked and trembled… but was still empty.

Midoriya’s hand dropped to his side, and a shaky breath left him too as Present Mic called time. “That speed almost got us…”

Melissa glanced up at him. “Really? Wouldn’t Infinity have stopped him?”

Midoriya tugged his headbands off, glancing up at the scoreboard; first place. “The trick for Infinity is to keep turning it on and off - saves the effort while maximising the amount of uptime. But…”

“It relies on you being able to turn it on and off in time.” Tooru finished, nodding and helping Midoriya down from his “saddle”. “That’s smart, Midoriya.”

“Yeah, well, it almost didn't work.” He shrugged but managed a weak grin. “Almost.”

“Congratulations to all the competitors that have made it to the finals! Alright ,folks, we're going to have a short lunch intermission before moving on to the next round, which will be…!”

The wheel came across the screen and spun again, before cracking, light rays shining out between the gaps, and bursting open to reveal the golden words on red-and-blue.

“One on One Battles!”

“Wait!”

A voice rang out from across the field, and Ojiro stepped out from his qualifying team of five. “I'd like to resign from the One on One battles.”

The crowd burst into murmurs before Midnight raised her Cat ‘o Nine tails with a snap. “Ojiro, do you have a reason for withdrawing?”

“I… I don't remember most of the second round, and I believe I should have made it to the individual battles by my merit, not someone else's,” he said, glancing at Shinso before continuing. “So, I'm withdrawing from the competition so my spot can be used for a more honourable opponent.”

“Then, I'll withdraw too!” Another boy spoke up, one that Tooru did not recognize, but the camera on the screens called “Nirengeki Shoda. “I don't believe that I deserve my place in the battle tournament, for similar reasons to Ojiro.”

” Whaaaat's this!? Surprise withdrawals from two hero course students!? And both from Shinsou Hitoshi's team too! What will the call be!?”

Midnight seemed to ponder for a moment, before smiling wide and nodding, almost swooning from her empire's stand. “Such sportsmanship, such honour! Why, I simply must allow these gentlemen to give up their post! However, I'll need two representatives from the runner-up team, team Kendo, to replace our resigning competitors.”

After some discussion amongst themselves, the grey-haired boy from the declaration of war and a vine-haired girl with praying hands stepped forward, and the crowds cheered as the screens cut to their various advertisements.

~+~

“Midoriya.”

Stopping mid-stride, Izuku turned to face Todoroki. “What is it, Todoroki?”

“I need to speak to you.”

Melissa stepped between them, eyes glaring from behind her glasses. “No need for psychological warfare, Todoroki. Save it for the arena.”

The boy’s frown only deepened. “It's not about the match. And I wish to speak with him alone.”

As Melissa opened her mouth again, Izuku stepped forward, patting her shoulder. “Chill out, Melissa. You and Hagakure can go eat first. I'll catch up.”

Melissa's eyes darted between the two boys, before sighing and tapping Izuku’s hand to let it release her. Once the two were out of earshot, Midoriya turned his full attention to Todoroki. “So, what do you want to tell me?”

“You… you made me break my vow, even without using your quirk offensively.”Todoroki's left hand raised, touching the scar across his face as he spoke. “Do you remember what my quirk is called?”

“Oooh~ we're gonna get some backstory! This is so exciting, my student's first traumatic backstory!” Gojo exclaimed from within Izuku's mindscape, and the green-haired boy just rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, I remember. It's Half-hot, Half-cold. Although I'm not sure what your fire could have done, you should have used it last round,” Izuku replied in the real world, looking at the serious and… slightly sombre heterochromatic boy. “And what do you mean by a vow?”

“I…” Todoroki's eyes shifted, looking down at his shoes. The silence grew. “...I was born from a quirk marriage.”

Izuku’s eyes widened slightly, but he didn't interject. Todoroki continued. “When I was born, my father only cared that I was what he was looking for. A tool for him and his legacy to surpass that of All Might. His spite took my childhood from me and my….. brother.. He understood what it was to be raised like a weapon. He died… because of Endeavor.”

A beat. “My mother…she hated me because of Endeavor. She was the one who gave me this scar, which branded me with her hatred of Endeavor. So, I made a vow to never use my father's quirk.”

“But you - Izuku Midoriya -You made me break that vow today.”

Izuku watched as Todoroki's hard gaze sharpened to a point. “Somehow, your mere presence alone overrode my conscious mind, and forced my body to activate my father's quirk.”

“...huh?”

“Don't play dumb with me,” Todoroki practically growled, stepping forward. “When I had Ilda use his ultimate move, I reached my hand out as we passed. I felt the headband. Your quirk hadn't been activated in time..”

Izuku perked back slightly but stood his ground. “So you did figure out my trick…”

“And yet… when my hand almost touched the headband… my body was forced to activate my father's quirk, even for a split second. So, here is my true question for you.”

“Who are you, Midoriya Izuku?”

Chapter Text

“Say, Hagakure?”

“Hm?” Tooru turned to the voice, finding herself looking at Ochako. “What's up, Uraraka?” 

“Are you okay?” The yellow-haired girl blinked in surprise. 

“What are you talking about, Uraraka? I'm fine!” Hagakure replied, trying to smile as cheerfully as possible-

“You're different, Hagakure.” 

That died in a moment. 

“You're not as cheerful anymore, and you've been injured a lot recently. Even during the two weeks before the sports festival, you were different in class. You were training harder, but you moved slower…”

“...What actually happened to you Hagakure? Are you okay?”

Tooru couldn't find it in herself to reply. Her hands shook at her sides. Hands that had been stained by blood. Not her blood, not the blood of humans, but blood nonetheless. Her mind raced with images of sorrow, of people pitying the “poor quirkless girl”, and the monsters that plagued these sorrowful people and the streets. 

Who was she anymore? No, what was she? That question had been going through her mind ever since she started training. Ever since that curse had taken her quirk. Ever since she had killed her first curse. Nothing was the same, and yet everything remained the same. 

Even though Midoriya, Melissa and Jiro had been excellent help with dealing with this craziness, the question remained in her mind. 

Who, or what, was Tooru Hagakure? 

A hero? A sorcerer? A poor, quirkless girl? 

A killer?

On the outside, Hagakure sighed. “S-sorry, Uraraka. I've just been really tired… and the whole losing my quirk thing has been kinda hard on me and my family…”

“Oh, Hagakure…” The brown-haired gravity girl walked over, hugging Hagakure as the girl stood on shaking legs, trembling arms snaking their way up to return Uraraka’s hug with her own. The two stayed like that in the comforting silence for a bit, before mutually pulling away. 

Hagakure gulped down the last of the receding panic, slowly pulling away from Uraraka’s embrace. “T-thank you, Uraraka.” 

She smiled. “It's no problem Hagakure, really. I'm always happy to help. Are you feeling up to competing?”

Tooru nodded. “Y-yeah, just a… a little shaky, but I'll be alright.”

Just then, the Intercom crackled to life above the two, and Present Mic's ever-cheery voice came over. “Yo yo yo our beloved listeners! Please tune in to our various screens to see the placings for the One on One battles! Competitors in the first round, you have thirty minutes remaining before your battle begins! Plus Ultra!” 

~+~

In the cafeteria, Melissa stared up at the television as it flickered to the bracket placement. 

Beside her, Jirou hummed. The punk rock girl had been eliminated during the Cavalry battle - taken out by one of Todoroki's many ice attacks - but chose to stick with the rest of the class to cheer them on. “Ilda… and then probably Todoroki. Sero's kinda outclassed there…”

Melissa nodded, taking another bite from her Onigiri. “Yeah, but Ilda is no slouch either. He'll be difficult.”

Jirou shook her head, swatting the thought away. “Nah, you're stronger than him. Todoroki is gonna be your real challenge.”

Melissa shook her palm flat in a “so-so” gesture. “Depends. I can deal with his Ice using Collapse, but if I can't outlast his ice, he will overpower me eventually.” 

Jirou nodded along, poking at her noodles with her chopsticks. “So it's kind of a toss-up for you?”

Melissa shrugged. “We'll just have to wait and see.” 

Looking back up at the bracket, the other names catch her eye. “Shinso and Midoriya… the purple-haired gen-ed boy?”

“Not just any gen-ed, since he made it this far,” Jirou commented, looking at Melissa. “Who do you think is gonna win?”

“Maybe Shinso's got an ace up his sleeve.”

“Or he's going to get bodied. You know how strong Midoriya is, he's untouchable!” Jirou gestured with a flat-out, miming pressing against an invisible wall. “With his, you know, the whole thing.”

Melissa hummed noncommittally. “Yeah, but quirks are bullshit. Infinity only blocks physical attacks, and according to Gojo, there are types of attacks and weapons that bypass Infinity too.” She shrugged. “I'm just not underestimating people.”

Jirou thought about it before nodding. “That sounds like you, yeah.” She shrugged, receiving a jab to the shoulder in retaliation. 

“Any who, Hagakure is shaping up to be going against Bakugou, assuming she doesn't get tricked by Mina,” Melissa pointed out. “She should be able to keep up with Mina, but it won't be easy.”

“You think all that training with Midoriya is paying off?” 

“It'll have to if she wants to stay in the running. She's going up against the strongest, after all.” 

~+~

Izuku Midoriya was anything but qualified for this. 

Reincarnate a being deemed The Strongest within his body? Sure. Learn that the world is infested by monsters that are his duty to kill now. Great. Wonderful. Realise there are others like him out there and even bigger monsters? Fantastic. Just another day in the office. 

Stare down an emotionally traumatized icicle of a boy as he probes the barriers between normalcy and the monsters Izuku swore to kill. Nope.

“I'm… afraid I don't know what you're talking about, Todoroki,” Izuku finally spoke, green eyes meeting the heterochromatic grey and blue. Blue, just like Gojo's. Wasn't it just some irony that another member of the strongest in their class had blue eyes?

“Personally, I think I pull the look off better,”   Gojo grinned from within Izuku's mind. 

“You are not normal. The bags under your eyes are not befitting of a student, and your quirk is supposedly the manipulation of gravity and its concepts, yet you have demonstrated abilities that relate to nothing of the sort,” Todoroki continued, his icy stare feeling more like an interrogation than a ‘small chat’. “The black sparks from your fight with Bakugou, your willingness to eliminate the villain during the USJ Incident. Additionally, you and Melissa have been rather close, and she has similar abnormalities.”

“Hoh boy… he's going to town, isn't he?”   Gojo watched as Izuku steadily grew more disturbed. 

“Hence, unless your quirk shares some similarities with that of a stranger’s, Melissa, you are objectively an anomaly. An incredibly powerful one, with potential greater than anyone - let alone my father - could predict. So, I'll ask you again, Midoriya. Who are you?” Todoroki pressed, stepping forward even closer, almost to an uncomfortable margin.

Almost. 

Discomfort was needing to wash the purple blood that stained his hands nightly. Discomfort was hearing the keening, pained-filled cries of dying not-humans. Discomfort was taking bodies and possessions of those he couldn't save and returning them, or in some cases, discarding them appropriately. 

Curses were scarier than this. 

“...I'm afraid I can't answer that question, Todoroki. Not because I don't have an answer, just… because…” Izuku paused. “You wouldn't be able to live with yourself if I told you.”

Pushing past the boy, Izuku only spared him one more glance, waiting for the inevitable protest. But nothing came. He sighed. “Live your life, Todoroki. There's enough of a burden on your shoulders as is.”

As Izuku walked away, Todoroki's eyes burned into his back, narrowed with clenched fists at his sides. And yet, he let the green-haired anomaly walk away. 

“Phew… you two seriously needed to go all anime protag, huh? Complete with the traumatic backstory and the no-look walk-” </em>

“Gojo-sensei, just…” Izuku shook his head, letting his hand run down his face. “Not now. We've got a competition to finish.”

“And I'm confident you'll do perfectly fine, my student! After all, Izu-kun is the best sorcerer around~!”  

“Where the hell did that name come from?”

 " Just a little something, think nothing of it.”   Izuku could almost see the cheeky grin Gojo had on his face. “You know, we used to have a little competition back in Jujutsu High, back in my day. An exchange event between schools, where they'd duke it out in different events! I remember back in my year…”  

Izuku sighed as Gojo went on retelling his stomping of the Exchange Event back during his period alongside his “best friend” - a figure that showed up frequently in his stories but would never be named, no matter how many times Izuku questioned. His mind shifted back to other matters, namely the sports festival coming up, and the curses still at large. With Internships on the horizon, there was sure to be a run-in with them, either by him and the other sorcerers or by one of his classmates. 

And he could only pray to unanswering gods that it would be the former. 

~+~

“Have you ever heard of the belief in gods?” Chaos grinned, stepping off the train with Ryuko and Karou at his sides. “Made by humans to give them hope, a series of almighty beings that symbolized good virtues. All fake, of course, but a wonderful thing that spurred on so much change and destruction. Of course, quirks came as a form of change, the greatest one in hundreds of years, which means that belief is gods can - and already has - influenced quirks.”

“Is all this supposed to end up somewhere?” Ryuko frowned, still eyeing the civilians around them. While some of them did have moderately intriguing quirks, it would still be a big waste of time and cursed energy to piss off some heroes by blowing the whole place up. Plus, it would probably raise even more attention to their presence among the sorcerers, which was something to be avoided at least for now.  

“I'm getting to it, calm down,” Chaos’ smile didn't so much waver as they continued walking. “What I mean to say is, quirks are kind of like god. Great, powerful, and able to bring all sorts of change. And this place…”

The name “Deika City”, in bright neon yellow hanging above the train station's exit, greeted the cursed spirits. “Is a place of great change.”

Karou let out a gravelly sigh. “Always the dramatic one, Chaos.”

“Hey, all the world’s a stage!” The demon-like continued, leading the pack. “And this place is scripted to have one hell of a climatic arc. When the curtains rise upon this city, the towers come toppling down, and the actors all make their moves, it will be incredible.”

“What, you can see the future?” Ryuko's furrow only deepened. “That's crazy.”

“What's crazy is the amount of hell this place raises…” Chaos grinned wider, looking around the city as they walked through its streets, the tower of Detnerat gleaming in the distance. “If ya know, ya know.”

“Chaos, what is the reason for visiting here?” Karou grunted, watching the civilians passing them. “The lack of destruction this city has faced… I wish to correct it.”

Chaos tapped a hand on his shoulder. “Patience, my friend, patience. This place will be nothing but ruins by the time we're done with it… but not now. No, today is a day for our newest member to shine.”

Turning to face Ryuko, Chaos gestured to a billboard with a massive name and company across it. “Detnerat? The support equipment company?” 

“They're more than just a company,”  Chaos continued, having a smile that seemed normal to the human eye, but in reality, lacking emotions possessed by a being, handing Ryuko a book titled ‘ Meta Liberation War ’. “They're a cult, if anything. Worshipping the word of a dead man like the martyr he became.”

“...and this concerns us, how?” 

“Well, what better way to deal with a cult than by giving them a new god to follow?”

Ryuko's brows furrowed. “I don't follow.”

“It's simple: You are a being made of quirks, something that this Meta Liberation Army of ours despises. But, your cursed technique has the thing they all absolutely want; a virtually infinite, all-powerful store of their Meta Abilities. So, you infiltrate their ranks, show off a little, get their trust, and then you'll have as many quirks as you'd like.” Chaos grinned. 

Ryuko considered the idea. It had some merit, and if anything Chaos was saying had any truth at all - behind all the showman metaphors and the fancy, head-spinning words and dialogue he used - there was a serious amount of value Ryuko could get from a plan like this. 

“Alright, I'm in. But how do we start this?” Finally, the curse spoke, and Chaos grinned. 

“We cause a bit of trouble, make a debut for yourself. How about… dealing with the Hero Killer you ran into?”

~+~

Stain, formerly Stendhal, real name Chizome Kamo (no that was no longer his title to claim) Akaguro, was in a rough spot. 

Being one of the few remaining sorcerers, curses were his duty to exorcise. At the same time, his new duty was that of cleansing, of ridding the world of these fake heroes, these costumed cowards who use the idea of Heroism for profits and personal gain. 

Currently, those two objectives are going against each other. While Hosu was a plentiful city with many of those fakes to cull, there was practically zero amount of cursed spirits, since most of the city was aware of the large Pro Hero presence. (He admitted this was his fault, but the culling could not be stopped by simple numbers and a public viewpoint. The fakes had to pay  for the stains they had left on Society.) 

Meanwhile, the rest of the country remained un-patrolled as curses popped up like mad in the ensuing panic of the USJ. Alongside a recent uptick in crime rates, the highest the country had seen ever since the Symbol of Peace returned to his home roots, the streets were beginning to see more eyes in the dark.

While he was no longer a member of the Kamo clan (not that it would matter with just him and his cousin left), he was still a Sorcerer and the strongest one of late at that. And the true enemy, the monsters that hid in the dark, needed to be culled. Enough of his energy had been wasted on these fakes and with the appearance of that Special Grade curse… 

Chizome shook the thoughts from his head. Doubt led to death in battle, and having these thoughts weighing him down would not help him now. 

His mind went to other things. Like the appearance of the domain out of nowhere, as well as the recent news of randomly placed dark domes. Veils, he recognised, but by who? Not his cousin, certainly, since the news had reported on these veils appearing in twos, sometimes threes, and while his cousin was proficient in barriers himself, making multiple veils was impossible for him, as far as he knew. 

So, there were new players in the game. And the board was shifting.

A few days ago, Chizome had detected two traces of cursed energy, powerful cursed energy, around a building in the slums of Shibuya. Closer inspections yielded no results, beyond a dead body and the aforementioned traces of cursed energy. The former was that of the special grade he had encountered, Ryuko, but the latter… 

An unknown third party. Powerful, too, based on the fiery-bordering-explosive trace left behind, pulsing and burning even without its owner’s presence. The sort of power of yet another Special Grade. The mere thought of there being another one of those monsters roaming the world once again sent chills down his spine and made him want to grip his katana. 

While not having lived for the Golden Age of Sorcery, the Kamo Clan's remaining texts and various documentation were rather in-depth with how things had been, with a recorded history of all different kinds of techniques, sorcerers able to dismantle first-grade cursed spirits of the modern era like they were nothing but flyheads. Of the three Great Sorcerer Clans in their prime, the conflict between their prized Limitless, Ten Shadows, and Blood Manipulation. The imbalance of the Six Eyes. 

If the existence of even one Special Grade cursed spirit was able to threaten a city, what about that of two? 

Chizome let out a sigh. No use thinking of what-ifs and potential danger, he decided. If those Special Grades decided to appear before him, he would cut them down then, along with anyone else who stood against what he stood, or against him. For now, there were other priorities. 

Like culling the prey clad in silver armour below him. 

~+~

“Alrighty-o, ladies and gents! Welcome back to the U.A. Sports Festival! You're tuning back in for the First Round of the One on One battles, can I get a YEAAAAH!?”

Hitoshi Shinso is torn between wincing and rolling his eyes at the flare and theatrics going on around the stadium. The crowd, the cameras, the giant floating Jumbotron with his name and face on it as he walks out onto the field. 

Teenagers fighting teenagers. On television. In a stadium. For sport. Fun.

“But this is for more than just sport,” Hitoshi reminded himself. This was for a chance, a true chance, to become a hero. To be more than a kid with a “villain” quirk. To show that he was more. 

And maybe to fuck with some of those pretentious hero course students, yeah, sure. But he'd never say that aloud. Starting with the biggest fish in the pond. 

While Present Mic riled the crowd above him, Hitoshi could only focus on the green-haired boy across from him.

Midoriya Izuku. 

Whispers in general education spoke of someone who tore a zero-pointer in half. Some said his quirk made him virtually immortal. One of the gen Ed students heard from his friend of a friend that he destroyed another hero kid, literally, on his first training class. Another whispered that he was the one who saved everyone during the USJ Incident. The boy across him had gained a reputation, one that was well-known across UA.

Hitoshi couldn't care less. 

Midnight looked over at the two contestants. “Boys, you both ready?” 

Midoriya nodded. Hitoshi followed.

“Let's have a good match, yeah?” Hitoshi spoke. 

Midoriya nodded. “Yeah.”

Hook, line and sinker.

“Begin!”

Hitoshi let his quirk snag onto Midoriya, watching as the Strongest of Class 1-A's eyes glazed over and his arms fell slack. He watched for a moment before he let the grin he was holding back climb over his features.

“Well, that was easier than I expected,” Hitoshi sighed, letting his hands slide into an easy rest in his gym uniform’s pockets. “Now why don't you turn around and walk off the stage?”

Midoriya complied, turning around and taking a step, his next foot raising for the next step-

And then paused. Stopped, and placed the raised foot back down again. Then he turned, and Hitoshi saw his eyes were Blue.

“And who exactly are you calling…easy?” 

The boy who stood across from him, with the power of the Strongest and all the knowledge and willpower to make it work. 

The change in posture, leaning casually with all his weight on one leg. The uncharacteristic, smug-ass grin on his normally semi-warm and smiling face, the stride - not a walk - as the man approached. 

“W-what- who-!”

“You're kinda scrawny for someone in a one-on-one battle, aren't ya?” The man noted, continuing his approach. “Kinda surprised you've made it this far, but with a technique like that I really shouldn't be.”

“How did you get out?! I had you under-!” 

“Ah? Oh, that! Turns out, I technically count as another mind to your quirk. Wouldn't ya know,” the man wearing Midoriya's body shrugged. “On that note, I must say that your quirk is positively the most interesting one so far! Looks like something similar to that of the Inumaki Clan and their technique, with the voice and commands and whatever. Hell, maybe Edgeshot was right with the whole quirk and cursed energy thing because I can almost-”

Confusion and anger warred within Hitoshi's mind, and in the split second the green-haired skinwalker kept talking, the anger won out. Hitoshi knew he had no training, but at least a thrown punch was better than nothing-!

His fist slowed to a stop as it approached Midoriya. 

It was a strange sensation. He could still feel his fist travelling, could feel his muscles tensing as he pressed harder, teeth grinding and anger roaring in his mind. It wasn't like punching a concrete wall, more like pressing into a cushion, except the cushion just went on forever. 

The man tsked as he watched the fist approaching but never arriving. “Man, if you wanted to fist bump, you could have just asked! Here, I'll help.” The fist from Not-Midoriya connected with him alongside a small explosion sound effect, as provided by said Not-Midoriya. 

As the man stepped away, Hitoshi's arm went slack. “Who… what… are you?” 

His grin widens. “Me? Call me...Gojo.”

Chapter Text

“One hell of a show, Midoriya,” Jirou greeted as he returned to the stands to a grinning 1-A. 

The sorcerer only had a nervous chuckle to respond. “Sorry, kinda… lost myself for a moment.”

Ojiro nodded from behind Shoji. “Yeah, that's what being under Shino's quirk feels like. Although, I'm surprised you managed to get out of his control, Midoriya.”

“Yeah, man! That was super manly of you!” Kirishima exclaimed, almost jumping out of his seat with enthusiasm. “Really showing us how you're the ace of all of us, huh?”

Behind him, Bakugo tched.

Melissa shook her head, although a smile adorned her features. “Don't need to point out the obvious. Besides, setting the standard just gives us more reason to go further, right guys?”

“Yeah! Plus Ultra!” Ochako cheered, letting 1-A echo the phrase with fervour. 

“Hah!” 

Izuku turned to see where the exclamation had come from, watching a blonde haired boy - Neito Monoma, his mind fed him - half chambered over the plasti-glass divider between the two hero course classes, his head and shoulders making it over the top to speak. “Is there discourse between the ranks of the mighty 1-A? Oh, how wonderful! Continue to bicker and fight amongst yourselves, stand helplessly as we, Class 1-B, rise higher than you lot will ever see- Hurk!”

A toned arm wrapped around Monoma's neck, dragging the boy back from the barrier, replacing his smug-ass grin with a weak, apologetic smile from an orange-haired girl. 

“Sorry about him! Monoma’s always been a bit of an egotist,” the girl said, waving a hand. “I’m Itsuka Kendo! Class 1-B representative.”

“Ah- nice to meet you,” Izuku responded. “I'm Izuku Midoriya, class 1-A. Our class representative is Yaoyorozu,” he continued, pointing to the black-haired girl who gave a polite wave back as she stood to get ready for her bout. “It's nice to see you're not like… Monoma, was it?”

Kendo just sighed, shaking her head. “Yeah, he's been upset about the difference in our classes since day one, practically obsessed with “taking you guys down a peg or two”, especially since the USJ attack. I-I hope you guys weren't too badly hurt by that or anything…” 

The silence between the two classes echoed. Finally, the call for Aoyama came over the stadium, and Midoriya perked up. “We… will manage. We’re hero students after all, right?”

Slowly, the rest of the class nodded behind him, although some glances went to Hagakure for a brief moment. “Y-yeah! We just gotta pick ourselves up again! A few villains won't be able to keep us down!” 

Uraraka cheered, and the rest of the class smiled and echoed her sentiment. Itsuka watched, before nodding with a determined smile of her own. “Well, I expect you all will give your best when we battle again whenever we get the chance. Looking forward to it!” And with that, she dropped back behind the wall again, turning her attention back to the battle about to commence. 

Izuku dropped into his seat as well, turning to the arena once more as Yaoyoruzu and Aoyama walked out onto the stadium. 

~+~

Hitoshi was… conflicted. 

“A bit slow, but good effort!” Gojo grinned, watching as Hitoshi crumpled and wheezed from the singular strike to his solar plexus. “You've got guts, kid. But, your body's not keeping up.” 

Coughing, Hitoshi stood and groaned. “H-how…” 

“Physical training, something you're lacking. I can teach technique and form all I want, but if you're not able to perform fast enough, it won't make a difference, not where you’re standing.” Gojo shrugged. “Tell ya what - if you wanna get stronger, really push yourself to be a hero like you said, come to gym Beta after school on… Wednesday? Wednesday. Wednesday is good. Hell, if you want, meet us at Takoda Beach once this is all over. Then your real training can start.”

Hitoshi got to his feet fully, staggering but ready as best he could, Gojo's words of advice echoing in his head. “Legs wide, a firm stance is what you want. Hands forward, and face your target. Don’t be wide and face them with your chest, you face them with your shoulder. Smaller target profile.”

“Oh?” Gojo grinned in the present. “You still kicking?”

Hitoshi grunted, the only sound he could make with how the pain coursed through his fragile frame. Gojo grinned. 

And suddenly, he was infront of him, fingertips inches from his sternum. 

Hitoshi’s eyes went wide, both hands coming down in a cross to block the hit-!

The following punch shook Hitoshi hard, forced him skidding back, almost tiping him over-!

But he stood his ground, legs trembling in exhaustion as he groaned and looked up at his opponent, ready again-

“Hitoshi Shinso is out of bounds! Midoriya advances!”

The crowd's roars almost dulled out his senses. Hitoshi glanced down. The white line was in front of him, a few feet from his shoes. 

Across that line, Gojo gave a two-fingered salute and turned around, walking back to the tunnel as his hands slipped into his pockets. 

“Don't forget my offer, ‘kay?” 

Hitoshi's eyes went back to his hands. His arms, that shook with pain from the “practise” blows Gojo had landed on him. 

Who was this guy? Clearly, Midoriya knew something about him, considering he had something to do with his own head, and the fighting style… 

Hitoshi's eyes drew back to the arena, where two more hero students were during it out, a baton-and-shield wielding girl lunging after a sparkly, laser-shooting blonde, her protection weathering the brunt of any lasers that didn't miss her. With his recent bout against Gojo, he could see the details that showed martial prowess, just a little. How the girl's motions were fast and steady while the boy kited with light and wobbly movement. How her swings steadied at the end of their path rather than shaking like the boy’s legs. How she raised her shield in time with attacks that couldn't possibly be predicted, her mind focused on the flow of combat. 

An offer to teach him the flow of combat… it was one he couldn't refuse, considering the lack of experience he had. Gojo had said it himself, he was a scrawny, untrained kid carried on the back of a gimmick quirk. If he wasn't, that'd be a different story. Maybe he would have lasted better against The Strongest, disregarding that his gimmick worked. Maybe he'd be a better hero, able to cover his weaknesses. Maybe Gojo was right. 

Although, Gojo’s words did confuse him. Calling his quirk a Technique instead of a quirk. The mention of an “Inumaki clan”? And name dropping Edgeshot, a top 10 hero, and a theory said hero had?

His mind whirled as he settled back into his seat more fully. This was some shit… 

~+~

Melissa frowned from the stands, watching as Yaoyorozu advanced easily onto the next round. Not much of a surprise, the results of the round. Yaoyorozu wasn't a recommended student for no reason, and up against the untrained Aoyama there was a slim chance he would have come out on top. 

Although, her mind wandered. The next few rounds were practically shoe-ins; Hagakure had no reason to lose to Mina, given how brutally she had been trained with Midoriya and Melissa herself. Simple slip-and-sliding Mina wouldn't be able to keep up. 

After that, Kaminari could feasibly take down Bakugou… In theory, at least. The explosion boy’s combat skills would probably keep that from happening though, and after that… 

Melissa blocked high, sweeping low quickly with a leg and watching Hagakure back away, respecting the threat. So far, the two had gone toe-to-toe, the formerly invisible girl's surprising dexterity and strength helping her to keep up with Melissa, even though the latter had spent more time with Midoriya training. That, and with Hagakure's natural cursed energy proficiency in the mix, led the girl to proving her worth in combat quickly. 

Again, Melissa dashed in, meeting Hagakure's firm defence with precision, decisive blows that knocked her arms aside, forcing the girl back. Both girl's shoes tapped quickly across the floor, keeping firm bodies upright to block another blow, another kick, another swipe between the two. It was times like this, with a flow of combat, that Melissa wondered if she was dancing. 

A palm strike to her midsection had her on the defensive again, and the two broke apart. Immediately, Hagakure was on top of her again, lunging with a front kick that kept Melissa's guard up, even as she moved to return with a cross-

To a body that wasn't there.

Hagakur's body twisted rled in the air, spinning off the blocking arm and evading the cross that followed through, leaving Melissa wide open! Instantly, her cursed energy wrapped tight around her body, reinforcing for the hit-!

That just tapped against her abdomen. 

Melissa immediately struck back, grappling Hagakure with her arms while the girl was close, hoisting her above her head before slamming her back-first onto the floor, knocking the wind out of Hagakure's lungs while also getting her into a pin.

As Hagakure struggled in Melissa's grip, the girl held firm easily as the girl's weak blows glanced off her cursed energy reinforcement, and eventually Jiro called the match. Letting the girl go, Melissa spoke up.

“What the hell was that?” Hagakure brushed herself off as she got to her feet. 

“What do you mean?”

“You know what I meant. Your punches are weak, Hagakure! Do you want to hit me or not!?” Her brows furrowed. “I thought we've already talked about pulling punches.”

Hagakure shook her head. “I-I wasn't pulling my punches. I don't know why it just…”

“Well, it's an issue to cover nonetheless.” Midoriya approached, bringing water and towels. “You're doing better than last time, at least. Good work, Hagakure, but I agree with Melissa. You're pulling your punches here, even if you're saying you aren't.”

The yellow-haired girl nodded with a sigh. Midoriya continued. “I will say that your cursed energy output was fluctuating a little during your bout, but I can't say anything for certain without the Six Eyes. For now, just keep it in mind the best you can.”

Melissa sighed. Maybe it was nerves? Hagakure's cursed energy had been impeccably controlled since she came under Midoriya's tutelage, up until a couple days back, when she went on her first curse hunt. Melissa had noticed that sometimes she'd struggle with even simple curses, but it was never a real point of concern. 

Until now, at least. 

“What's on your mind?” Jirou poked at the girl from over her shoulder. “You've got that thinking face again.”

Melissa frowned, turning to her. “What?”

The earjack girl just grinned. “You and Midoriya have these thinking faces that you wear whenever you're thinking about something you can't change. Plus, your heart rate was going a bit…different.”

“Didn't know that,” Melissa hummed. “It's nothing, really. Just… I'm worried about Hagakure.”

“That's not nothing,” Jirou said. “You're scared she won't beat bakugou or something?”

“Like I said, she'll have to bring her A-game.” Melissa shrugged. “I'm more worried about her cursed energy output. It was fluctuating a little the last time we sparred. Her speed and training won't help her if she can't land any hits that matter.”

“Huh,” Jirou frowned. “No easy way to fix that, I'm guessing?”

Melissa shook her head. “She'll have to settle it herself before the match if she wants to stand a chance. Bakugo isn't going to go easy.”

Jirou still looked concerned, but nodded as she settled back into her seat. “Only time will tell.”

~+~

The shuffle of concrete. Shoes scuffing across the stone and cinder. 

Stain stood from atop his watch on the roofs of Hosu, the freshly-sharpened knife in his hand finding its place in its rightful sheath. His senses returned to him, drawing back from the quiet hum of a sleeping city, now sharpening to the newcomer on the rooftop. The moon was dim, blocked by clouds, and the lighting from the streets was at his back. But he didn't need light to see the newcomer.

“A visitor,” he spoke aloud, words ringing in the darkness. “I can see you. No use hiding.”

Silence. Then, movement. Messy yellow hair, tied into twin buns. A schoolgirl cardigan uniform, albeit one marred with blood. A bloody box cutter. Grinning red eyes, and fanged teeth. 

The girl giggled, eyes sparkling with glee as she raised her hand to cover her blood-streaked mouth, the knife in said hand glinting in reflected streetlight. “I finally found you Mister Stain~!”

Stain's brow raised. A hero? No, she had clearly killed before, the blood trail was standing before him. A fan? Perhaps, but it still wouldn't explain the blood… 

A fanatic, then. Stain pushed down a smile. 

The girl grinned wider, raising her kitchen knife. “Give me your blood!”

With a blitz of speed that even caught Chizome off-guard, the girl was in his face, slashing a strike that he barely had enough time to deflect. He retaliated with a kick, sending the girl sprawling, but within a moment she was rushing forward again. 

Drawing one of his longer knives, Chizome continued to defend against her wild swings, battering her back after each exchange. And yet, she didn't back down. Her ferocity continued to increase, lunging with stabs and all manner of other wild attempts. Chizome couldn't help but be impressed, at the very least. While untrained, the girl was fast, surprisingly so, and with her unpredictable movements even had Chizome unable to find a safe angle to attack. 

Finally, the girl slowed, just for a moment, long enough for Chizome to counter attack with a quick slice to her shoulder- 

One she returned in kind, her blade finding a chink in his makeshift armour to draw blood. 

With a surprising show of strength, Chizome was shoved away, the vigilante villain Stumbling for a few scarce moments before he righted himself again, the villain almost snarled, looking at the girl as she sniffed her blood-covered knife and…moaned? The expression of anger melted from his face as he watched her hungrily lick the knife, feeling his technique flare under the surface… And nothing. Nothing happened, not even a bit of cursed energy resonating. 

“...who are you, girl?” Chizome frowned, wiping the blood he had splattered onto his face in the clash. The girl giggled, continuing to lick at the knife for a few crazed moments before she looked at Chizome again.

“I'm Himiko Toga, mister stain~ sorry to barge in so…” She took a breathy sigh. “...suddenly, but I couldn't resist you anymore~”

“...what did you seek me out for?” Chizome said, sheathing his dagger. 

The girl - Toga - hugged her knife with both hands, still giggling like the deranged fanatic she was. “Your blood, of course~” Again, she took a moaning sniff of her now-clean knife. “Your delicious, wonderful blood~ the purple blood you spilled at that apartment was different, but I could still taste your blood~ I had to have it, you see!”

Stain was silent for a beat. “You wished for my blood?” 

“Mhm!” Toga nodded excitedly, hair bobbing up and down. “I smelled you nearby, and I heard you were in Hosu, so I came here as fast as I could… and it was worth it~!” She giggled again, tapping excitedly on her feet. …Was she high? “All that time, and waiting, and feeling so hungry and now I've finally drank mister stain’s blood~!”

Chizome… looked closer. Opened his senses to the girl before him. While her emotions of pure glee and bliss were easy to decipher, there was something else… there. Just a hint under the surface, beneath the giggling manic energy… was the pulse and thrum of Cursed Energy. His eyes widened. This girl was a sorcerer, clearly. But she didn't have a clue that she possessed cursed energy, let alone to the true extent of her powers. If anything, she had simply been acting on her primal urges, using cursed energy like how a human ran off adrenaline highs. 

With a tentative, metaphysical hand, his cursed energy reached out. Not a flare, nor a flood, more of a… prod. And Toga twitched, the girl juddering in place as her cursed energy rippled. Chizome “hm"ed under his breath as he tried again, this time watching as the girl shivered and her cursed energy curled around her. 

Finally, he imbued his cursed technique into his hand, reaching out to a surprised Toga, searching. His blood was imbued with his technique, always, even when shot out at blinding speeds or dripping out of a wound. And yet… 

A ping. Toga blinked in surprise, looking down at her uniform for a moment. Then back at Chizome. “Mister stainy? What was that?” 

Chizome lowered his hand with a frown. “Your…technique, neutralized mine. And yet, I can still feel my blood inside you.” Cautiously, Chizome approached the girl. Toga started, her hands clutching the box cutter tighter. It seemed that the high had worn off the girl; she was noticeably more shaky, her eyes wide with a palpable fear as Chizome stopped a number of steps from her. 

This girl… was very interesting. A bloodlust so overpowering that it overwrote her natural instincts and senses. A need to drink blood, to hunt, that was so powerful it encouraged her to seek out a known killer, even tracking him through a crime scene. And a level of cursed energy that showed signs of use, although unrefined. While there was no doubt that she would be powerful as a sorcerer…

Chizome held out his arm, fist closed. “You wish for my blood, correct?”

The girl's eyes widened in surprise, and she blinked, looking between Stain and the presented limb. Slowly, she nodded, stepping closer and opening her mouth, hesitant with her movements. Her box cutter twitched in her grasp, and that was all the warning Chizome received before it plunged into his skin in a blur of motion. The spike of pain surprised him, and Toga was upon the wound instantly, moaning as her tongue slithered out and practically slurped up the blood dribbling out of the wound. All the while, Chizome watched carefully, controlling his blood flow as Toga feasted upon it, her cursed energy almost… purring, from the way it thrummed under her skin, content and satisfied as the girl sipped. 

An apprentice, perhaps. The thought surprised Chizome for a moment, but he let it simmer in agreement. With another sorcerer at his side, and one with similar ideals, there was strength in numbers. His lip quirked in a small smile as Toga continued to drink, and he let her. 

The police and ambulance sirens wailing beneath them echoed on. 

~+~

Tooru huffed as she watched the slipping, sliding Mina, the acidic girl using her impeccable balance and quirk to dip and dive in and out of her range, landing weak hits and keeping herself safe. This was getting bothersome. While the fight had not been going for long, it was clear that between Tooru and Mina, Mina had the mobility advantage while Tooru held her strength and close quarters capabilities over her classmate. While the two had their strengths, it wasn't a good matchup for Tooru on the arena; open space, no corners or cover or close quarters to force Mina to make a mistake. 

…unless. 

Cursed energy coiling, Tooru raised her fist, impacting the floor and launching debris into the air. With a quick spin kick, the makeshift projectiles flew across the arena, blunted and clouded in dust from the impact. Mina yelped, slowing in her progress as the rocks almost knocked her off-balance with their surprising force. The pink-haired girl's eyes clenched tight, raising her arms to block the attack and shield herself from the dust-

Giving enough time for Tooru to close the gap. 

Bursting out of the cloud, she grappled the unprepared girl, getting a yelp as she continued through with her momentum, not stopping even as Mina elbowed into her back in a futile attempt to stop her. With a final yell of exertion, Tooru tossed Mina out of the ring and onto the grass with an “oof”. 

“Mina ashido is out of bounds! Tooru Hagakure advances!” Midnight exclaimed, and the crowds cheered in reply. 

As Present Mic chattered about the amazing match above, Mina sat up slowly, taking Tooru's offered hand with a smile. “Good match, Tooru! You're a lot faster than before, huh?”

The girl offered her bestie a weak chuckle as she returned her smile. “Y-yeah, I guess I am…”

As the two stepped off the arena, Mina spoke up again. “Say, Tooru, you're not pushing yourself or anything, are you?”

The yellow-haired girl looked surprised as Mina continued. “You've been disappearing after class, showing up with bruises and scratches and stuff… and don't think I don't see the bags under your eyes.” Mina turned to her, black sclera and yellow irises positively glowing in the dim light of the tunnel, reflected in the sunlight from outside. It reminded Tooru of what it felt like to be under Midoriya’s Six Eyes, but not as piercing. 

“I-I…” She gulped weakly, breaking the staredown first and turning her gaze to her feet. To the hands that swung at her sides. The ones marred by blood, and exposed by a monster. A patchwork face, a snarling cackle, a marble twirling between mismatching fingers. “...I don't know.”

Her body stiffened as Mima came in for a hug. “Girl, we know it's been tough on you that you lost your quirk. You know you don't need to push yourself too hard, right?” 

Weakly, Tooru nodded. Her arms returned the hug, even as her mind drifted. “...I know.”

As Mina drifted away, her ever-present smile returned. “Besides, you kicked butt out there today! That tackle move? That was awesome! How strong are you now, girl?” She joked, reaching out a hand to squeeze Tooru's bicep, drawing a yelp and giggling from the girl. 

“You said it yourself, I've been t-training,” She smiled, even as her heart thumped in fear. “Say, you should head back up to the stands first. I-I gotta use the bathroom.”

“Oh, alright! I'll see you there, bestie!” Mina grinned, sending her a playful wink as she skipped off. Tooru let out a shaky exhale, heading to the washroom herself.

The glaring white and clean, polished surfaces gave Tooru a bit of whiplash. Compared to the outside, the perfectly white and reflective tiles gave her pause. It felt… sterile. 

And the mirror showing a girl she didn't recognise was not helping. 

For the longest time, Tooru had been invisible. Literally. She got used to never getting a wave from her friends when they passed her in the hallways. To getting weird looks from people on the train when they saw a floating school uniform. To the knowledge, the truth, that she would never know what colour her eyes were. Nor her hair, her skin, if she had freckles…no, she would be a piece of talking, empty space, for as long as it took for her to figure out how to get her quirk under control. 

That day will never come now. 

Her eyes were a cool green, yellow and pink. Her hair matched, although the light that filtered through them made it seem the flitter between the first two colours. Pink tips rounded out her ensemble, and she didn't have freckles. Only dark bags from the numerous sleepless nights. They had started from the day of the USJ incident, and with the new responsibilities she found herself burdened with, they only compounded the issue. 

She approached the mirror, eyes locked on her own. Looking at her body and face in full again. How her arms were more toned than she knew, how her skin was marred with healed scars and off-coloured patches. She felt more than saw, the damage that her new state had put her in. Yes, she was stronger and faster and better than before, and the thrum of Cursed Energy under her skin proved that. But… the girl in the mirror didn't smile anymore. Maybe she couldn't, not with the warring conflict of her mind and her heart, nor the conflict that spilt purple blood on her hands. Everything was just… off, like some dial had been twisted the wrong way in her head and left there, uncomfortable but livable. 

As an echo of the intercom came from the door, announcing the next match between Bakugou and Kaminari, Tooru splashed her face with water, rubbing some of the dirt from the battle off. There were better places and occasions for deep self-introspection. Especially during the sports festival. She sighed, letting the familiar thrum of her cursed energy, her new quirk, her second chance, ground her. 

She had not come this far to fail now. 

Chapter Text

“Aaaaand Bakugou blazes through Kaminari, ending the round with a decisive knockout!”

The matches went by quickly. Mei lost to Ibara, albeit after a lengthy show and tell of her various inventions that did little to captivate the audience, but she was clearly there for show and not to win. Tetsutetsu and Kirishima had a “manly” one on one brawl that ended in a tie, although a later arm-wrestling contest put Kirishima as the winner. 

As for Sero and Todoroki… it took a bit to get the arena back in shape after the glacier. 

Melissa shrugged and stretched as she stepped out into the roaring crowd again, shaking her joints loose as her feet padded onto the arena. Ilda walked in across from her, body ramrod straight as ever, taking things serious. Her eyes narrowed on the engines protruding from his calves. While her classmate’s strength was no joke, her cursed energy could probably hold up against any strike he could throw at her. At least, from a standstill. With a running start, there was no guarantee. Depending on how fast he could go from a standing stop, there might be enough power from those engines to bulldoze her right out of the arena. Not to mention the sheer concussive force behind each kick of his; the same force able to shatter metal robots like tinfoil. 

As Ilda bowed in respect, she returned the gesture with a quick nod, watching as the glasses-wearing boy settled into a sprinter's start. She shifted her body to match, raising her arms but tucking her elbows close, her legs braced not unlike an en garde. Palms facing outwards, her cursed energy rose in her chest, spreading to her limbs with a tingle.

“Ready? Begin!”

As the cat-o-nine-tails fell, Melissa watched as Ilda blurred, his warmed engines roaring in a bang of orange flare and sent him forwards. Fast.

But Melissa knew how Fast felt like. 

She slipped to the side, letting Ilda whizz past, blocking the arm that came out on either side of him to catch her. With a quick stumble, Ilda had recovered, immediately bursting back at her with another bang. 

With a grunt of effort, Melissa let her cursed energy Ratio the floor, slamming a stomp into the weak point. With a crumble, the ground gave way, and suddenly unstable terrain halted Ilda’s approach. Instantly, Melissa was upon the boy, light footing on the rocky ground keeping her mobile enough to grapple him, pinning one arm to his back and his legs in a hold, her other arm wrapped around his neck in a choke - albeit one without pressure. 

“Yield, Ilda,” Melissa said, keeping her pressure on his neck and body steady amidst the boy's attempts to shove her off. A blow to the side of her head almost made her snarl, and her chokehold got tighter. “Call it! You're done.”

The boy continued for a moment. Then, his body relaxed. “I yield.”

“Ilda tenya is unable to move! Melissa shield advances to the next round!”

Melissa's hold relaxed, and the boy gulped down air as he sat upright. “That… was a good bout, Melissa. I'm glad I lost to you.”

She smiled, standing and extending a hand to help Ilda up, which he took. “Always the honorable one, huh? I'm glad I, uh…had such a great opponent?” 

Ilda laughed. “I understand where you're coming from, Melissa. And thank you.”

With a bow, the Ingenium boy walked back down his tunnel. Melissa watched for a few moments before returning the way she came herself. It really was a good bout, in Melissa's books. Things went according to plan, Ilda was honorable and behaved cordially, even when pinned and unable to fight. She played her cards right and both of them left on good terms after a fair fight. 

Then why couldn't her hands stop shaking?

The adrenaline pulsing through her body continued to thrum beneath her skin, her cursed energy humming on the surface like a purring motor of a machine. A machine of death, that is. Death she wrought, suffered, and more. 

Melissa walked down the hallways of the sports stadium, her mind trying to focus on the sound of her breathing. In through her nose, out through her mouth. She ducked into a washroom, splashing her face with water and taking a deep breath. She looked up.

And bit back a scream from the face in the mirror. 

She took another deep breath as the grade-four cursed spirit croaked. A flyhead, it's bug-eyed face watching the blondie with a croak. With a pulse of cursed energy, she crushed the small beast, letting its death wail echo for a moment. How many of these were there? The question almost scared her. Like a never ending nightmare. Nightmares she saw in the flesh, that she fought every night. Nightmares like the patchwork woman of monsters that took her friends’ powers and forced innocent people into deaths, terrible and out of a sense of joy. 

For every once of those nightmares she cut down, ten more took their place. For every dozen she killed, another three dozen would fill the gaps. The cracks she saw in humans, seeping cursed energy… they wouldn’t close. Hell, people didn’t even know about them. They would keep going and going and going, and she was but a single soldier standing at the gate of hell, working day in and day out to seal those demons under a lock and key that was forever decaying.

What was the point? 

Sure, there was so much to be lost, but what was the point of fighting a world of hate, generated by the very world she had to defend? Maybe it was the cursed energy talking. Maybe it was the hatred and anger and all the fear boiling in her core, fueling her strikes, influencing her mind. But still… 

She sighed. It wasn’t worth the thought process. And as the announcement overhead called for the next fighters to head to the arena, she too made her way back to the stands. Maybe she’d look back at this whole conundrum and think about how much of a waste of her time it was. 

God, she hoped so. 

~+~

The UA sports festival. An event cowed by many as a massive, bigger-than-the-olympics showing of the next generation. Opportunities abound and endless possibilities for everyone, no matter if they were watching or competing. 

It would be a travesty to miss out on such an opportunistic moment. 

As with every sports festival before it, All for One watched. Even without eyes, with his senses and quirks, he stalked the screen. A simple quirk detecting colours filtering through a light source - even while their eyes were closed or, in All for One's case, complete lack thereof - made this simpler, and a host of auditory boosting sensory quirks also assisted. 

The festival helped him keep track of whether All Might, the blasted oaf, had passed on the power of One for All into a successor. That, and the arising of other interesting characters and quirks, if they showed themselves. Thus far, this year's first year sports festival truly was something. 

After the events of the USJ, and more importantly the revelation that both Cursed Spirits and Sorcerers were less than dead, there was much to do. Getting his hands on cursed energy and a way to weaponize such a valuable resource was first on the agenda. Now, collecting energy that was essentially “nature”, with it being pure energy formed by “negative” emotions, was challenging. There just weren't many instruments, let alone records of techniques to base research off of. Plus, there was barely any evidence that these creatures and societies existed in the first place. 

At least, until the doctor reported the first of the “domes". 

From records of the USJ, these domes - from what All For One could tell - were signs of cursed spirits. Ryuko, the curse without a leash any longer, had been the creator of that one, but camera footage from several months before the USJ incident proved that she was not the only one capable of such feats. 

While said footage had not been able to pinpoint who exactly was behind the domes, it did prove their existence. Conclusion: there were others similar to Ryuko or the boy Shigaraki had stated to be the one to take down Nomu. 

Very interesting. 

Doctor Garaki came around the corner then, handing test results on the latest batch of Nomu, as usual. All For One spoke from behind the mask as the doctor stepped away from his medical chair. “Doctor Garaki, I have another… assignment for you.” 

The good doctor perked up immediately. “Yes, sir?”

“I have a hypothesis about some of the new developments. Do you perhaps have any disposable Nomu ready for us?” All For One's labored breathing made speech difficult, but not impossible. Through quirks like Talk-Fast and Thought Projection, he made do. 

The doctor hummed, tapping at a tablet in his hands before he gave an answer. “Hm, yes. I could reconfigure number 71 and number 08 for you, sir.”

All For One nodded. “See it done. I would Like them to act as… reconnaissance for us. The board is shifting, Doctor, and I'd rather not be caught unawares.”

“Of course, sir. I don't need to remind you that for every nomu that we use for your new focus, it's another less to assist us in Phase 3.”

“Yes, Doctor, I am aware of that.” All For One replied. “Put sensory quirks in number 71 and 08. When you see another one of the domes, send one of them into it. Record what you can, perhaps extract some samples if possible. Then, report them directly to me.”

“It will be done, sir.” Doctor Garaki grinned, stepping back out into his lab.

If All For One could move more than his fingertips, he'd steeple his fingers. There wasn't much one could do to prepare for the unknown, but perhaps uncovering what said unknown was first would help. With any luck, All For One would get an edge on these new annoyances, and put his plans into motion in full. 

Taking One For All, and getting rid of that oaf, All Might, once and for all. 

~+~

“Aaaaand welcome back from the commercial break, dear listeners, to the U.A Sports Festival! We're moving onto the quarter-finals now, our Top Eight students going head to head, duking it out for a spot In the semisa! Eraserhead, do you have anything to say to the wonderful viewers and audience in the crowds!?”

“...the stakes are higher. The margin for error for the students has gotten smaller.”

“...Anything else?”

“...”

“Well, you heard it here, folks! Our wonderful students are going to have to really go Plus ULTRA for these rounds now! And to kick it off, our strongest contender steps into the ring once more; MIDORIYA IZUKU!”

Gojo laughed at Izuku's tired sigh. “Now that's an entrance! Come on, smile a little! Give the crowds a wave, kid, they'll love you for it.”

Izuku glanced over to the roaring crowd, obliging Gojo's encouragement. The sound of cheers only grew even more deafening as he did, and the green-haired boy almost winced with the volume. 

“And on the other side of the ring, the Creation Queen herself, maker of all matter of weaponry and utility, it's YAOYORUZU MOMO!”

The pristine, black haired girl smiled and gave a small wave herself, stepping into the ring to face Izuku. “Please do not go easy on me, Midoriya.”

Izuku smiled wide. “I wouldn't dream of it, Yaoyoruzu.” 

Midnight looked between the two, receiving ready nods, and let the match start with a snap of her Cat ‘o Nine tails. “Begin!”

With a shimmer of pink, purple, blue and white, Yaroyozu’s arm sparkled to life, a metal bo staff forming effortlessly. She brandished it, waiting for Izuku… who was simply watching in return. His arms were stanced, palms open, at rest in a ready position with one hand facing forwards and it's pak upwards, his other arm resting in the elbow crest of the first. 

The two sized each other up, no movement from either fighter. Then, with a spring of action, Yaoyoruzu dashed in quick, her bo staff flashing forward with precise, deft strikes, slashing and thrusting and swiping. Strikes that Izuku blocked, parried aside or swept away from his body with his palm. Yet, each time one strike was foiled, Yaoyoruzu was quick to disengage, preventing Izuku from having any clear opportunities to counter attack or punish. Left, right, thrust, left, low, low again, left. Each time, Izuku's hands easily kept the impact from reaching body, and each time Yaoyoruzu would recover readily. A dance of martial prowess, one that the two kept up for several moments before breaking apart. 

One particularly powerful lunging thrust from Yaoyoruzu's staff sent Izuku backwards, retreating a few cautious steps back as the girl stood her ground. Since the bout began, the two had mostly stayed close to the centre of the arena, but it was clear that in martial skill, they were still on equal terms. If they wanted, it could go on for longer, but there were other matches that needed to happen, and a stalemate would be boring.

Fine by Izuku. To him, letting Yaoyorozu have her time in the spotlight was perfect. Between the two of them, it was clear she was outmatched, hopelessly so. Yet, he wanted to let the girl have her time to shine. That was the point of the Sports Festival, after all, and he would be remiss to sabotage his classmate on such an important occasion for her. 

Sure enough, Yaoyoruzu soon stepped forward again, this time with both her arms sparkling with her quirk’s power. In the blink of an eye, half a dozen smoke grenades had been flung out into the arena, covering the floor and hissing grey smoke into the air, blanketing Izuku's vision. 

Izuku Watched carefully, extending his senses into the fog, trying to listen out for footsteps, breathing… but it seemed Yaoyorozu had anticipated this; she was quiet, quiet enough to keep even Midoriya's cursed Energy senses from finding her. Maybe if he had six eyes-

“Nope! That would be cheating, my dear apprentice!” Gojo replied cheekily, and Izuku let out a huff. Of course… still. Six Eyes wasn't the only trick up his sleeve, even if it was the Ace. 

“Cursed Technique amplification: Blue.” His cursed energy heeded the call, a small swirl of the power of negative space coming into form, just enough to disrupt the air and swirl away the smoke in a quick flourish-

And give Izuku the sight he needed to stop Yaoyorozu’s staff from bashing into his skull with Limitless. Yet, even facing down the Immovable Object that was Infinity… Yaoyorozu smiled. Quickly, she pushed off the attack, hopping away and landing with grace, readied for the next stage of the fight. 

Izuku returned her expression with his own. This fight was over before it started, and they both knew that. It was time for the final Act. 

“Cursed technique reversal.”

Yaoyorozu’s eyes went wide as red light sparkled from Izuku's outstretched fingers, crouching and quickly forming a solid three inch thick titanium plate, shielding herself from the blast of red! Yet, the sheer force of the impact pushed the surroundings aside, forcing the girl back instantly-

And over the boundary, just by the inch. 

“Yaoyorozu is out of bounds! Midoriya Advances!”

“WHAT A SPECTACULAR SHOW! Strategy, tactics, a brilliant display of martial prowess all in one match! Whaddya Say, Eraser!? Impressed yet?”

“...the match's outcome was set from the start, but Yaoyoruzu did perform adequately considering the circumstances.”

The raven haired girl in question gave a small sigh as she stood up from behind her protection, taking the outstretched hand of Midoriya in a respectful handshake. “Thank you for taking this seriously, Midoriya. I'm glad you allowed me a chance to shine.”

The green-haired boy smiled. “It's no biggie, really. Let's head back to the bleachers; I'm sure Melissa and Todoroki will have a much more… eventful fight than us.”

“Indeed, and I look forward to watching your apprentice perform.”

Izuku stuttered to a stop, turning his head to the still-smiling Yaoyoruzu. “A-apprentice?”

Inside his mindscape, Gojo laughed uproariously. “A-A-APPRENTICE! BWAHAHAHAHAHA! She thinks you're Melissa’s teacher!”

Izuku sputtered as his head exploded in hysterics, perfectly matching the expression on his face. “W-whoa! That's too far Yaoyoruzu! I-I’m not Melissa's teacher! We-we’re just training partners! Yeah!”

Yaoyorozu’s smile didn't diminish. “Of course, Midoriya. Of course you're just partners, after all, you helped Melissa gain control of her quirk, didn't you?”

“Hrrk!” Izuku stalled, any response catching in his throat. He couldn't say anything about quirks, on account of the fact that both he and Melissa… really didn't have any. Cursed Energy just worked as a suitable likeness of the effects of quirks, and it just so happened that yes, he did help Melissa “gain control of her quirk”, to an extent. “I-I… yeah… but I'm still not her teacher!” 

Still, Yaoyoruzu continued to walk away, leaving Izuku to look at her disappearing form with a sigh of disappointment… and a still-laughing incorporeal voice in his head. “Are you done?”

Gojo’s laughs slowly died into Goblin Giggles (giggles appropriate to that of a gremlin, goblin-like creature), and Izuku groaned aloud. “It's not that funny!”

“...it kinda is.”

“No, it's not. Come on. It was a joke, why are you laughing so hard?”

“‘Cause it's a really good joke! Even better, because I'M the actual sensei here! Oh, my Young Padawan has finally grown, perhaps you are now worthy of the title of Jedi Knight to gain a Padawan of your own!”

“Oh, can it.”

As Gojo's laughter continued to echo in his head, Izuku's mind went to the upcoming fight; Melissa Versus Todoroki, huh? Of course, Melissa would probably come out on top, but the question was if she could ration enough energy to last the rest of the rounds, especially if she faced Izuku or Hagakure next. Cursed energy reserves alone wouldn't be enough, of course, but having more never hurt anyone. 

“Not to put down Todoroki either, it's just that his quirk - at least in its current state - is a poor matchup for Melissa, especially since she can use Collapse at smaller powers now too…” Izuku muttered to himself, smiling. 

This would be fun to watch. 

~+~

This would not be fun to fight.

Melissa stared down Todoroki across the arena, her hands clenching and unclenching at her sides in preparation. Between Todorki's ice and martial prowess - something not to overlook, considering he had been trained since a young age by the Number two pro hero - he was a formidable opponent. Especially with his fire mixed in, although that seemed to be a bit of a wild card. In theory, Ratio's Collapse could deal with his Ice, and Cursed Energy would be the tipping point against him in close quarters.

In practice, she was about to find out.

“Begin!”

And with a snap-crackle, the floor was a flash of icey blue, before a rush of frost covered half the arena! Todoroki took a frosty, misted breath as he watched his handiwork, his right arm gleaming with a sheen of ice. That was that…

And the frost burst splintered, cracked and exploded out with a crunch. Melissa stepped out of the ruins, taking a breath of chilly air that burned her throat, refocusing her eyes onto the split-haired boy across from her. “Is that all you got?”

Todoroki's brow furrowed. His hand raised, and again, a line of frost shot out into the arena, right before another crackle of ice spiked into the air-

Only for Melissa's form to duck out of the cool smoke, rushing forward to close the gap!

Again, Todoroki's ice met her halfway, but her cocked back fist let another Collapse fire off, shattering the barrier before it even had the chance to fully form! Todoroki’s eyes went wide, his hand twitching as an icy spear formed in his hand, just in time to parry another punch from Melissa!

The two disengaged,Todoroki’s shivering form twitching. In another blur of motion, Melissa dashed in again, her strike deflected by the ice weapon in Todoroki's hands. Up close, the bi-coloured hair boy was immediately forced on defence. Even with the distance that the spear granted him, he found himself slowly being driven back by the powerful strikes that forced his quirk to rebuild the spear each time. And each time, Melissa’s unstoppable approach made his hands tremble in both quirk exhaustion… and fear.

Was this how he was going to lose? On the biggest stage, against the apprentice of the Strongest, not even the Champion he had vowed to destroy? The panic settled into his bones, a shock of emotion that didn't flash on his face, but shook through his body, reverberating the blows that he braced himself against. 

Melissa only seemed to grow in stoic determination, meeting Todoroki’s defences with unwavering, unstoppable defence, critical as ever with each strike, her fists easily enough to splinter any icy construct that Todoroki mustered. For every foot of distance the spear granted Todoroki, Melissa made sure to take two steps when she shattered the ice. 

And he was running out of room to backpedal. 

With a final flash of ice, Todoroki blasted in front of him with sheer frost, indiscriminate with his aim! Melissa's eyes went wide as icicles formed on her glasses and around her arms, forced to back away as Todoroki recuperated. Despite the frost clinging to her figure… she couldn't help but grin.

“Where's your confidence now, Todoroki?”

The bi-coloured boy barely glanced up, his breath hard even as it misted and clouded in the air through the cold shudders wracking his body. 

“Weren't you the one saying you would take down Midoriya? Huh!? Come on then, I'm just another classmate for you to step all over aren't I!?” Melissa roared, her fists balling tight. “You won't even take me seriously, won't take ANY of us seriously! I'm giving it my all out here, and you're just trying to skid by with half your power! BullSHIT! I'll keep coming at you until you're eating the dirt, fire or not!”

“Shut up!” Todoroki shouted, his hand blasting another glacier of frost that Melissa blew apart in an instant again, her approach unimpeded. 

“I'll shut up when I'm on the floor, but you haven't even got close to that today, Todoroki! Come on! Where's that “half my power is enough” bullshit now? Is this enough? Enough for you to lose, maybe!” Melissa shouted, closing the gap and grabbing Todoroki by the shirt, dragging him in front of her as the green of the out-of-bounds approached. She sneered as Todoroki clawed at her, punching and kicking what little he could, attacks she seemed to just shrug off with ease. “Come on, you still got half of your quirk left in you!”

“Its not my quirk, it's my father's! And I refuse to let him-!” 

A punch to his gut silenced the rest of his sentence in a choked gasp. “Your father is a goddamn idiot. It seems genetic too, since you're following his own footsteps! It's not your father's quirk, it's yours, isn't it!? Do you have Hellflame or do you have Half-Hot Half-Cold!?”

…Todoroki's eyes widened. His mind raced. His father… not him. Not Hellflame. Half-Hot, Half-Cold… A spark. Then, a roaring flame. 

Melissa leaped back as Todoroki's form erupted in a pillar of fire, her arms raising to block the debris and light show from blinding her. As the fire died down, Endeavour shouting something from the sidelines, she watched the half-iced, half-fiery boy step out into the arena proper once more. 

“You're a goddamn idiot, Melissa,” he huffed, both arms alight with the full might of his quirk. “Although, I guess I have to thank you for making me understand it now.”

Melissa only grinned wider, her face manic as her cursed energy roared into being. “Glad to hear it, Todoroki… now, hit me with everything you've got!”

Todoroki didn't change his expression, although his lip twitched in a smirk. Both hands raised, and a burst of frost flame shot forward! Melissa readied herself, her Cursed Technique… lighting up the sky, a massive ratio forming across the air itself. 

“Cursed Technique Extension: Thunder!” 

~+~

“One hell of a round, ey?”

Chaos grins. “Oi, yeah, you, I'm talking to you.”

“Now, you may be wondering, “Where the hell was the author these past few months? Well, he's a busy guy, with a busy school life and a ton of projects to work through, as well as…”

He looks around conspiritously, before leaning in with a whisper. “A massive gaming addiction. Seriously, this guy has issues. That, and inspiration is a hell of a drug… one that comes and goes. Anywho, he hasn't forgotten about ol’ us, so don't worry your little heads about it. He's still got most of this under control… most of it.”

Chaos shrugs. 

“Anywho, I'll see yall in… what, a chapter or two? Ryuko and Karou have real important stuff to get to, plus… a hero killer to catch. Although, Hosu might be more interesting than yall think…”

He snickers. Tah tah~.

Chapter Text

Todoroki awoke to blank walls and the smell of rubbing alcohol. 

“So… I lost.”

He took a breath, sitting upright… and promptly dropping back onto the infirmary cushions as the pain shot through his arms. Grunting, he resisted the urge to reach for either of the sore muscles, relaxing back against the sheets. 

“...yeah, I wouldn't want to move after all that either,” A voice to his side spoke up, and the bi-coloured hair boy tilted his aching body just enough to see… Melissa. “It sucked.”

“...but you won, didn't you?”

She shrugged, wincing slightly as she did, her right arm's skin red and raw. “At a cost, yeah.” 

Despite the pain, a small smile formed on her face. “...was a good fight though.” 

Todoroki didn't reply, simply slumping back into the bed and facing the white-tiled ceiling. Quietly, he let out a sigh, nodding the best he could while he was lying down. “Yes, it was.”

The two sat in silence, the quiet hum of the air conditioning the only thing to fill the room. 

Finally, Melissa spoke up again. “Hey, Todoroki?”

A beat. “I… I'm sorry for what I said out there. I mean, not all of it, I'm pretty sure I said some pretty good points out there, but… What I said wasn't exactly the nicest thing, and I think it was a bit much for anyone. Although I'm… I'm not going to take it back. I think you need to hear it, Todoroki. You're a really strong hero, and you could do so much with your quirk, and seeing you only use half of it, handicap yourself out there… I couldn't take it. It passed me off, and I just… I shouldn't have said that much, but I think you needed to hear it-”

“I…” Todoroki's voice gave Melissa pause. “I understand your feelings, Melissa… in hindsight, I was being disrespectful as well. Your outburst was fully warranted.”

A beat. “I… thought our fight was a good fight too.”

Melissa couldn't stop the smile on her face as she settled back into her squeaky, uncomfortable infirmary bed. 

“And… thank you, I suppose. For helping me use my fire.”

Her eyes widened at that, shooting a glance over at the bi-coloured hair boy, whose stoic face remained emotionless as ever. With a sigh, she slumped back into the bed again. Maybe getting some rest before the next fighters was a good idea.

~+~ 

After Cementos cleaned up the stage of the rubble, melted concrete and ice, the Sports Festival continued. Ibara took down Kirishima with little difficulty, able to entangle and entrap the rocky boy who couldn't get out of the binds fast enough, despite a valiant show of bravery in tearing straight through the green shrubbery for a while. Nevertheless, the round ended in a resounding victory for the Class 1-B member.

This only left one last match for the semi-finals. 

Tooru walked out onto the arena's newly reconstructed floor, her footsteps echoing in her mind's eye. Bakugo’s blood-red stare met her across the concrete floor, his face a mask of calm, but the ever-present blaze of fury and anger collected behind those burning eyes. Cursed energy rarely came from regular humans in droves, but the sheer intent of anger behind Bakugo could probably fuel a few cursed spirits… ones that Tooru could see buzzing closer - flyheads, at most a grade 3 - high above his head but feeding nevertheless. 

Turning her attention back to the bomb-boy before her, the echoing sound of the stadium slowly faded away. Cursed energy raced through her body at her call, rising to shield her arms and fists as Midnight yelled… 

“Begin!”

Quiet. Then, all hell broke loose.

A blast of explosive nitroglycerine lit the stage with fire and flying concrete, smoke filling the air as the impact slammed into Tooru… only for her to not be there as the smoke cleared. 

With a blur of speed, the not-so-invisible girl practically appeared out of thin air behind Bakugo, forcing him to blast again to get space! And yet-

A powerful impact to his ribs made him spit, blasting wildly in all directions in response and forcing Tooru to back off. Yet, as the arena filled with dust, concrete debris and smoke, it became increasingly difficult to see…

When the scuff of concrete sounded from behind him, Bakugo blasted blindly into the blackened air, lunging to catch… nothing. Suddenly, a pair of arms wrapped around his midsection, his eyes going wide before Tooru’s body heaved, SLAMMING him into the concrete floor with a full-blown suplex! Dazed and head spinning, Bakugo’s right arm was grabbed easily by Tooru in a grapple, disarming his right hand and keeping the explosive palms from facing her. 

“Yield!” Tooru cried, hair full of dust and soot as sweat glistened off her from the exertion… Yet Bakugo only sneered. With a blast from his free hand, he whipped the two in a twisting frenzy of movement, spinning them in the air and slamming Tooru into the floor, almost dislocating his own arm, before Tooru let go from the impact, bouncing back to her feet as Bakugo gripped his almost-twisted arm. 

The two stared each other down now, smoke clearing as they panted, taking breaths… before Tooru bolted forward again, her sheer speed making Bakugo’s eyes go wide in surprise, blasting at her again even as her fist slammed into his one good arm. With one arm almost out of commission, the new barrage of blows that landed on him just made it even harder to keep up with Tooru’s assault, relentless as kicks, jabs, and hooks slammed into Bakugo’s body, his already aching form and dazed head not lending well to blocking the barrage.

A jab. A step backwards. Counter the wild, explosive swing. Again. Again. Cursed energy came to Tooru’s fists easily now, punching over and over and over. A rhythm, easy enough to keep up now, just like she had practised with Midoriya and Melissa and Jiro. Yet… the chitter of flyheads ticked at her. Their teeth clacked together, their eyes beady and unfocused, yet their incessant, grubby hands clutched at the cursed energy of the crowd, of Bakugo. His fear of losing, his raging against the world, the crowd's roaring enthusiasm for violence, so much violence… 

Her cursed energy faltered. The next punch landed with barely a third of the impact of the last. Her mind blurred. Anger… anger. Hate. Fear. Love, blending into hate, into fear, into anger, round and round and round again. Cursed energy surged through her form, following familiar pathways that her quirk once travelled through. Heart racing, blood rising fast, heat pooling into her form, more and more, cursed energy threatening to completely overwhelm her-

Blood. 

A drop of red splattered right onto her knuckles. Tooru's eyes went wide, and her assault halted, Bakugo stumbling backwards slightly from the bracing he had been doing against the blows. Her body shook, still in the heat and afterburn of adrenaline, but with none of the momentum. Heart pounding, head light with something akin to nausea. 

One of the bruises of split skin across Bakugo's body had spat out the globule of red. One of the many, many new and red bruises. The blonde pomeranian looked on the verge of collapsing, yet his rageful gaze remained, ego being the only thing between him and collapse. Yet, it was clear the fight was over. 

With a trembling hand, Tooru closed the distance again. His fingers twitched at his side, sparks popping like small firecrackers. Yet, the damage from the fight had taken its toll. With an almost gentle hand now, she pushed him onto the grass, Bakugo’s unresponsive limbs unable to support his own weight as his back met the floor.

“Bakugo is unable to continue! Hagakure moves on to the next round!”

Deep breaths. Deep breaths. That’s all that Tooru could try to focus on as she watched medical bots roll out a gurney to bring the explosive boy into the infirmary… even as his eyes remained fixed on Tooru. Hate-filled eyes. A mouth fixed in an expression of grit, of pain, but eyes that burned like sparking, ignited bombs. A passion for hatred… something the fly heads above him continued to guzzle eagerly as his cursed energy flowed into them, invisible to him and ever-expanding. 

Invisible like she once was. Invisible like the war she's been thrown into. Invisible like the lines of fate that drew sorcerers and death in parallel. 

Shaking off what jitters she could, Tooru turned and walked. Away from the arena, away from Bakugo's retreating form. She didn't stop walking until she was at the washrooms, elbows deep in the sink's running water. Dirt and grim came off easily, as well as the droplet of blood that had landed on her. 

But the weight of the blood dug into her heart. Her soul. All the blood she'd spilt… her own blood, red and pulsing with life, yet bound to death and all other forms of terrible rage. The blood of monsters, purple and oozing and unnatural, was tied to the same death she knew and prescribed so well. And now, the blood of others. A human. The very people she was sworn to protect, weren't they? 

What sort of a sorcerer does that? 

What sort of hero? 

What sort of person?

Her arms shook. The sink cracked. Her eyes went wide, releasing her unconscious grip from the porcelain lest more of the splinters spread from the indents in its surface. 

Deep breaths. 

Breathe.

With one last sigh, Tooru left the bathroom… even as eyes leered at her from the darkness. 

~+~

Ryuko hummed as she breathed in the fear-riddled air of Hosu. With how much the Hero Killer was a threat in the city, heroes were working overtime to try and quell the panic, and all that did… was fill her cursed energy with even more flavour. 

“You feel it too, yeah? The winds of change…” Chaos grinned beside her, glancing down upon the city’s hustle and bustle. Karou’s rocky exterior rumbled beside the two of them, fiery orange glowing beneath his skin. 

“This city has… much potential for destruction. I would be happy to oblige in it,” he grinned. Well, as much as a face made of rubble and misshapen concrete could count as a grin. Ryuko hummed, contemplative as her kitty companion curled around her neck, purring happily. 

“Now, how are we supposed to find this… hero killer? Last I remembered, he found me, and it wasn’t exactly an easy fight.” Ryuko frowned, her fingers curling with the memory of poisoned blood and an incomplete domain expansion. It was a necessary awakening, and one that, while Ryuko was thankful for… the experience itself wasn’t exactly something she wished to relive. 

“That was alone, and when you weren’t exactly… at your best. Now, we have strength to spare, yeah? Between Karou and me. Besides…” Chaos leaned in, his ever-present cheeky grin somehow stretching even wider. “...getting a shot back at that hero killer would be one hell of a move, wouldn’t it? Plus, when he’s out of the picture… ain’t nobody gonna stop you then.”

…Suspicious, definitely. Curses are supposed to be selfish to grow stronger. That’s what Ryuko’s plan was. Chaos and Karou were only extra hands to help her, as equals, and make sure that she grew stronger, got all the quirks, took down Sensei and All Might. With Deternat put in her sights too, after the hero killer was settled, she’d go after them too… 

“...why not go after Deternat first? We’ve been running across so much of Japan for a goddamn fetch quest, when I could have been taking quirks this entire time?” She frowned, glaring over at the blue-skinned angel. The curse in question didn’t even flinch, just stepping away from her with his stupid-ass smile. 

“Because, just taking quirks willy-nilly like that was how you got caught in the first place, right? Sure, you could just take down as many as you’d like, but once you run into some of the sorcerers - especially that Gojo clan boy from UA - you might be punching into a wall you can’t break,” Chaos said, shrugging with a nonchalance that belayed the seriousness of the idea. “That, and it just wouldn’t be much fun for the audience, now would it~?”

Chaos grinned. Ryuko sighed. He… had a point. 

“Now, about this hero killer… it’ll take a while to find him. His last kill was… recently, so we’re actually late to the party here. But, good news, from what the winds of change are telling me…Things are gonna be one hell of a time for everybody when he shows up again.” Chaos spread his arms wide, gesturing to the city sprawling out before them. “This is where the real fun begins, where we-!”

A scuff of feet. The shimmer of spacetime. A set of hands covered a familiar face as he stepped out onto the rooftop, snarling as his fingers twitched at his sides. The smoky, wispy figure beside him pulsed quietly, tightening a bowtie and straightening his shirt. The boyish face hidden behind grey hands twitched in anger as Ryuko turned to face them. 

“...You.”

Chaos’s eyebrow ticked. Surprised. Karou’s grin didn’t diminish much, but the rocks around his arms pulsed ever so slightly brighter. Ryuko, on the other hand… grinned widely. 

“Well, look who it is… the little manchild. What’re you here for, hm?” She said, spinning around like a villain in her chair. 

“What are you doing here, traitor! And who are these losers you brought along with you? Some no-name crooks, no doubt… What’s your plan here, huh? Going after the hero killer, too?” He sneered, fingers itching at his neck as he glared down at the trio. 

Karou’s fingers clenched as he stared at the newcomers, but he didn’t act. Chaos, on the other hand, just smiled, as usual. “Wouldn’t you like to know, weather boy? We’re here on official business that doesn’t bother you and your little trope of villains. You don’t gotta worry your little head about it, we won’t be in your way yet. You’ll come later.”

Shigaraki practically growled, his fingers itching faster as he took a step closer to the trio… only for Kurogiri’s hand to hold him back by his shoulder. “Master Tomura, remember what Sensei said. We’re here to negotiate, not kill.”

“Tch. Fine.” The grey-haired manchild spat, cursing under his breath. “Keep your secrets, monster-fucker. Just remember your place, beneath the league of villains. You and your little… Whoever the hell.” 

And with those parting words, the manchild retreated with his warper… and Ryuko couldn’t hide the grin on her face any longer. Such a pathetic manchild, she would never understand what that “Sensei” of his saw in that guy, nor what the goals of such a crazed individual and his servant/surrogate son would do… but it didn’t matter to her right now. 

“When all this is done, those guys will be a thing of the past… and I’ll have nothing to stop me.”

~+~

“AAAAAND OUR U.A. SPORTS FESTIVAL GOLD WINNER, GIVE IT UP FOR MIDORIYA IZUKU!!!”

The podium rose from the middle of the arena, crowds cheering and roaring in at an almost deafening volume, and atop the stone stood the top three - the sorcerers in plain sight. 

Izuku glanced at Melissa and Hagakure - Melissa standing at second place while Hagakure stood beside Ibara in third - and let out a quiet sigh. A sound that was easily masked by the massively cloudy landing of All Might, arriving in the arena to “Distribute the medals!”, much to the chagrin of a mid-presentation Midnight. 

The number one hero stepped up to the third-place winner with a smile, saying a few words before moving on to Melissa. 

“You know, for as good a teacher as All Might is, I’d still like to say I’m better,” Gojo grinned behind Izuku’s eyes, clearly enjoying the show he was having. “Which, all things considered, isn’t that great. I mean, honestly-”

“Gojo-sensei, you aren’t jealous, are you?” Izuku snickered, speaking to the man residing in his head. 

“Whaaat~? No, couldn’t be me. I mean, when I was born, people kiss-assed me all my life! I wouldn’t wish that upon anybody-” 

“Young Midoriya!” All might exclaimed, placing the gold medal around the green-haired’s neck with that ever-gleaming smile of his. “It has been a marvel to watch you grow. You have truly shown the entirety of U.A., and now the world, what kind of incredible strength you hold. As the number one hero, I can’t help but hope that you never let such talent go to waste.”

Returning the smile wasn’t too hard. The hard part was trying not to grimace. Even without the supernatural sight that Six Eyes granted Gojo and Izuku, it wasn't hard to see the waning cursed energy that hung around All Might's form. Feelings of regret, of pain and suffering draped the hero similar to his Silver Age costume's cape. The only thing holding back curses from chowing down was the quirk energy - “you gotta admit it fits, right? It isn't cursed, it isn't positive, but it's present with all these quirks!” -  that burned bright like a hot furnace. Bright enough for Izuku to almost avert his eyes… almost. 

“Thanks, All Might,” he managed to say, bowing to the teacher as he turned back around to face the crowd. And with a final, resounding, boisterous send-off for the first year U.A. Sports Festival… 

“PLUS ULTRA!” / “Thank you all for your hard work!”

…much to the upset crowd. And with that, the first year U.A. Sports Festival officially came to a close.

“...thank god.” 

Izuku hummed as Melissa groaned, heaving her freshly-healed body as sore muscles stretched after the long day of activities. Her fight with Ibara was difficult, but between ripping up the floor of the arena and Ratio’s pure destructive power, the vines couldn’t hold a candle to her “quirk”. Meanwhile, Hagakure had the unfortunate pleasure of fighting Izuku for third place - another display of martial prowess, leaving the former invisible girl in the dirt. 

“...at least you got to the ones in the first place,” Jirou scowled, kicking a loose pebble as she walked. 

“Come on, Jirou, you did great for yourself! You’ll get better at it eventually. Besides, head-on combat not being your strong suit is perfectly fine for you. You'll have better opportunities to prove yourself in the future!” Hagakure exclaimed, grinning widely. Somehow, despite the beatings she had endured that day, her spirits were surprisingly high. 

Jirou just sighed. “Right, but I kinda feel like I'm just… not keeping up with the others. Like, you guys get all this crazy sorcerer bullshit, and I can barely even keep up with cursed spirits on a good day…” Her shoulders hunched, dejected and clearly a little upset. 

The trio of sorcerers in question didn't have much of a response, although Izuku could feel Gojo's pondering - some form of quiet voice in his head he couldn't fully parse the words of, but could sense his presence nonetheless. 

“We'll think about that sometime later, Jirou. Just… lighten up a bit, yeah? We can find some easy cursed spirits for you to vent on tonight,” Izuku tried to comfort the earjack girl to moderate amounts of success. The idea of bashing cursed spirits did bring her spirits up, but the thought of dealing with stronger ones still shook her. Stronger ones than the others could kill. 

Never mind that. 

“Oi, Midoriya!”

A voice came from behind the four, one that Izuku recognised… and turned to face. 

“Shinso, good to see you.” 

The purple-haired boy panted as he came to a running halt. After a moment to catch his breath, he stared up at the group, eyes steeled despite his exhaustion. “Did you mean it? Like… training me. And… making me a hero.” Shinso asked between gasps for air. 

The second part of his request made Izuku furrow his brow in surprise, yet the smile on his face didn't leave. “I don't remember saying that… but this feels familiar, don't it?” Gojo grinned within his mind. Behind Izuku, the trio of girls shared glances with each other, but chose not to question it.

“Yeah, I did. Good to see you're enthusiastic,” Izuku smiled, before turning to his friends. In a low tone, enough that Shinso couldn't hear, he spoke. “Hagakure, Melissa, how about you two take patrol for tonight? Jirou, you can help me out with Shinso here.” 

Melissa's questioning look was turned onto Izuku now, glancing between the new guy and her fellow curse-hunter. The Limitless user simply grinned, shrugging as he spoke up again. “I figure it'll be harmless to… acquire a new student. I trust you guys to take care of the curses anyway - unless anything goes wrong. You've got my number.”

Finally, Melissa nodded, giving Midoriya a quick punch as she started dragging Hagakure away. “Don't take too long.” 

Finally, Jirou and Midoriya turned to Shinso, who just about managed to catch his breath and stand up tall. “Now, rookie… let's get this on the road.”