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Since Izuku left over a year ago it's been hard. Even he admits it. He was one of the pillars of their class, and with him dead, it's been up to him to hold up the class. Icyhot, pink cheeks, and glasses help, but he's the de facto leader, apart from hobo-sensei. He tries, but he knows that he's no replacement for the nerd. He could never be as good as him, even with him dead.
God, he hopes the nerd didn't leave because of him, didn't die because of him. But that nagging little voice in his head is getting louder by the day, and he's not sure how much longer he can hold out.
Faintly, he wonders if this is how Izuku felt for all those years katsuki was a bully.
He sighs, entering the large room with his class and teachers and scanning the occupants. Endeavor, hawks, and best jeanist are sitting on a couch in the corner, hawks feigning nonchalance with a steely look in his eyes, best jeanist sitting straight as a board, and endeavor looking like he's barely keeping himself from incinerating someone. Facing across from them is all might and Nezu, both of whom also look about ready to kill someone. Detective dude is contemplating a notebook, and several other heroes mill around.
In the center of the room is a large table, where two people appear to be arguing. One of them is the tired dude from the provisional licensing exam, who looks just as tired, and about 10 times as angry. The other, Katsuki doesn't recognize.
They are average hight for an adult, black hair with white streaks in a side shave haircut, with the sides close to buzzed and the top a few inches longer. They have a long scar in their face, reaching from their right eyebrow to their jaw on the left side, crossing their nose.
They wear a hero costume, black with accents the same dark green as Izuku's hair, with a yellow scarf-cape-thingy that comes down to their waist. Something about the scarf rings a bell, but katsuki decides to think about it later, instead focusing on the torn sleeves of the costume, red wraps showing on their arms underneath. Their legs are also covered in red and black wraps, with sturdy red boots.
The same red as the quirkless's shoes.
The same red as Izuku's shoes.
Before katsuki can process that information, the argument seems to reach a climax, the tired dude shouting.
"We need all the man power we can get! Halfway trained is better than recruiting villains like you!" The unknown hero closes their eyes, their chest rising and falling as if they're taking a deep breath.
A distinct and familiar smell permeates the air, and the pressure in the room is suffocating, but katsuki is too focused on the mystery person, because they open their eyes and they are glowing a familiar, toxic green. Because they are filled with a cold hard steal, a determination that Katsuki hasn't seen in over a year, now mixed with a cold fury. Because green lightning flickers around their suddenly menacing form, and the tired man takes a step back, eyes blown wide with a primal terror, and black whips extend from the mystery man's hands and hold the other, arms trapped at his side.
The tired man doesn't even try to struggle. He simply freezes like a deer in headlights as the mystery man steps closer, until the two are but a foot apart.
And then he speaks, so quietly that Katsuki struggles to hear.
"They are children, and they will not, under any circumstances, be forced into this mess. If they want to fight, then that is up to them and their guardians, not you." The mysterious man's voice is a bit higher than expected, but it feels ancient, powerful, and dangerous. He lets the tired man fall unceremoniously to the ground, turning to the door.
"Oh, and about your 'villain' statement?" The man's mouth twisted into a scowl. "Let's not forget who saved you from the villain who killed the HPSC president."
The man turned to katsuki, looking directly at him for the first time, and just for a moment shock flashed on the man's face. He quickly covered it up, instead turning to hobo-sensei and the class.
"If you want to fight, that's up to you and your guardians. No one will be forced into anything." Someone starts to speak, but the man holds up a hand. "Go. Sleep on it. Come find me in the morning with your decisions." And then he's gone.
As Katsuki heads to the dorms, he wonders. Was that Izuku? Or was that simply the next holder of one for all?
Katsuki doesn't know. He knows the nerd, and he wasn't acting like himself. But then again, they hadn't been friends in a long time, and Izuku had been missing for over a year.
He sighs. A lot could happen in a year. But one thing was for certain. That quirk, that power--it was One For All.
Whether it was Izuku wielding it?
Katsuki would just have to find out.