Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Izuku's life has been horrible for a long time.

When he was 4, a doctor declared him quirkless, based exclusively on an extra toe joint. A research that has been outdated for more than a century.

But who cares? He was declared quirkless, so he's useless. His best friend became his worst bully. Everyone turned his back to him. The teachers said they were there to hear and help him. But they lied because that's what they always do. They never cared for him, only for the kids with powerful quirks. Not even his mother, as much as she loved him, did not believe in his dream of being a hero.

For an entire year, Izuku became the class' training dummy for quirks.

Many would think his life couldn't get worse. Well, think again. Because the next year, exactly on his birthday, another tragedy hit him. This time taking from him the only person that still loved him.

After another bad day, upon entering his home, Izuku was greeted by the vision of his dead mother, sitting on a chair right in front of the door. Face burned, and eyes missing. It was such a horrible sight that Izuku couldn't even scream. He instantly went into shock.

The only reason it didn't take days for the body to be found was that Mitsuki came to visit. Izuku stayed unresponsive for a few weeks.

The culprit was never found by the police. Inko wasn't the first victim of this particular assassin. The media called him "Eye Burner". A stupid name if you asked Izuku, but again, he couldn't even answer you at the moment.

After that, Izuku has to move in with his father.

Izuku was pulled out of school under the pretense of being homeschooled. As if.

Somehow, as if the world, or some higher being, enjoyed torturing him(and maybe it really does), this was even worse. His “father”, if he could even be called that, would mercilessly beat him in every possible chance he had.

Slaps, fists, kicks, bottles, even knives, and his fire breath quirk. Anything that could be used to hurt Izuku was used. Some days more than once. The only care Hisashi has ever shown is not to kill him.

That went for an entire year, until the day that his father, after leaving to “work”, he never said what his job was, left a paper behind.

The paper was a list of names and dates, carefully organized in chronological order. And a single name in the list almost made his heart stop.

• Midoriya Inko - 15 July.

It was his mom's death date. Immediately, praying to be wrong, Izuku went to his dad's pc and searched for the other names on the list.

All of them were dead. Murdered on the exact day on the list and in the same way as his mother. A single line caught Izuku's attention.

Presumed cause of death, burning. The eyes were probably removed while the victim was still alive.

This raised too many red flags on Izuku's head. For as much as he's only a child, he's a clever child. And his father certainly isn't a good man.

Looking to the side, Izuku saw a closed door. One that his father absolutely forbade Izuku from ever entering. But at this moment, Izuku already knows too much to be scared of this.

He opened the door and found exactly what he feared finding there. Many jars, with name tags under them, and organized alphabetically. Almost like a trophy, a single jar was in the center of the room, with two familiar green eyeballs floating inside. And if that wasn't clear enough, the name tag said the rest.

Midoriya Inko.

Those were his mother's eyes. All this time, Izuku was living with his mother's murderer. And now he knew too much. There's no way Hisashi - Izuku will never call this monster his father again - wouldn't figure out that Izuku knows, and then he will be the next victim.

With this knowledge, Izuku left the house by the window - the door is always locked, and the keys are hidden - and ran as fast as he could. In his desperation to escape, he didn't pack anything. He didn't even put on his shoes. He just ran, trying to get as far away as he could.

He thought of going to the police but immediately gave up on the idea. He had no proof, and he already knew from past experiences that the police wouldn't even hear a kid, much less a quirkless kid. If he went to the police, he would only be sent back to Hisashi, to his own death.

It's almost comical how much his life changed in only two years. From a happy kid to a homeless fugitive from a serial killer. And there's nothing he can do except learn to survive.

His next year was torture. He did learn how to survive from trash only. Because as desperate as he was, Izuku refused to steal. But his life only got worse. More than once, he got sick. More than once, he got hurt. More than once, he broke bones. Maybe it's a good thing that Hisashi got his pain tolerance and heat resistance so high because if not, he certainly would have died from the multiple fevers he had along the following year.

But somehow, he survived to his seventh birthday. A quirkless seven-year-old kid survived alone and homeless for an entire year. Guess he's not so useless, huh?

But of course, the moment he starts to get optimistic is when life will choose to remember him how cruel she was.

This time, it was in the form of two muggers that cornered him in an alley. Because obviously, the dirty shoeless kid must have something worth robbing, right?

And what could Izuku, besides crouch down and cry, while the men kicked him - like Hisashi did so many times - begging for them to stop, but they didn't.

As the tears fell down, his mind started to go blank. He saw black on the corner of his vision - Well, guess this is where I die. I survived more than I thought I would. - he felt something rising from his stomach and something at the tip of his fingers. For a moment, he lost conscience.

The two muggers, maybe satisfied with their beating, or perhaps they realized Izuku really had nothing, started to leave. But then, Izuku got up. And when the first mugger looked at him, his expression was different. And his eyes were yellow.

Izuku had an almost maniacal grin on his bloody face, and smoke was leaving his ears.

"Hey, where are you going?" Izuku asked. "You guys gave me quite the beating. Isn’t it fair that I return the favor?"

And before anyone could reply, Izuku opened his mouth and blew a fireball at the first guy. The guy immediately started screaming as his clothes caught fire. The second one turned to Izuku, but this time, the expression he saw was the same scared kid they attacked a few moments ago, except that his eyes were blue.

"Did I? How? Sorry, I didn't want to hurt you!" The second one ran to Izuku, who raised his hands in front of his face trying to protect himself from the incoming blow. But it never came. When Izuku looked up again, the man was floating in front of him, but couldn't move, like something was holding him. "Is this…" Izuku moved up his hand, and the man went up with the movement. His eyes widened. "I have… I have a quirk!" He excitedly raised his arms. Which launched the man in the air. Then he hit the floor with a loud thud when Izuku checked on him. He was unconscious. "Oh, no. I'm so sorry. I didn't… I…"

"Calm down. This isn't the time for a panic attack. We need to leave." Izuku heard a voice, extremely like his own saying.

"What, who said that?" Izuku asked, looking around, but there was no one in sight.

"In your head, dumbass. Leave first, freak out later. The police will investigate the screaming any second now. Even if it was accidental, this was illegal quirk use. And even if they let us explain, they'll call Hisashi. So. Run!" The voice urged him, and as scared as Izuku was at the moment, he's even more scared of Hisashi finding him.

So Izuku did as the voice said and ran from the alley as fast as possible. I can question my sanity later .

He ran for a good while, looking for somewhere to hide. Thankfully, his time with Hisashi and on the streets made Izuku really silent. Stealth was second nature for him. So no one saw him leaving the alley.

About ten minutes later, Izuku saw the perfect hiding spot. An old bell tower, abandoned and, some say, haunted. No one has come here for years, so as long as Izuku is careful.

After entering and making sure that he was indeed alone, he heard the voice again.

"Well, that was something."

"Who are you? And why are you in my head?" Izuku asked between heavy breaths.

"Midoriya Izuku, who else could I be?" The voice replied.

"What? But I am Midoriya Izuku!" Izuku replied indignantly. The voice simply chuckled.

"No shit, Sherlock. I thought I was smarter than that." Izuku let out an indignant huff at this.

"I'm very smart, okay!" Then he added lower. "Even if everyone says I'm not."

"C'mon, Zu." Izuku looked up at the nickname. No one calls me that since… mom. He felt tears in his eyes and buried his face in his knees. "No, please, don't cry now." The voice said softly. "I'll explain what I gathered, but frankly, this is as confusing for me as it is for you."

"Okay, but first. Are you really me?" Izuku asked, not bothering to look up again. Because this voice obviously isn't a physical person, he can make visual contact to talk.

"Yup. We both are." The voice confirmed. "I think we read about this once before."

"Like a split per- perso- Per-so-na-li-ty?" Izuku replied, struggling with the big word.

"That's the word. I have a theory." The other Izuku - gods, this will be confusing - confirmed. "You think we can find a mirror anywhere here?"

"A mirror? I doubt it. But we can probably find a water puddle, yesterday it rained so much." Izuku replied, getting up to look around. It didn't take long to find the puddle, thankfully clean enough for them to see their reflex.

"Well, this confirms part of my theory." Izuku 2 said nonchalantly while Izuku 1 watched, stunned, raising a hand to his face.

"What happened to my eyes?" Izuku 1 asked, looking at his blue eyes. "Aren't they green?"

What. The. Heck?

My eyes changed color? Is this part of my quirk? A mutation? But I used telekinesis, so I am an emitter. But maybe it has to do with our splitting. If the quirk caused my mind to split, then what does that mean? Is it possible -

"Hmmm. So this is how it feels to be on the other side of my muttering…” Izuku 2 interrupted Izuku’s 1 thoughts. “Interesting.”

Izuku one felt a hand patting his head, and when he looked up, he saw his own right hand.

“What the…” It was easy to put two and two together. “You can move my body too?”

“Looks like I can. And look down again.” Izuku 1 looked at the puddle again, and this time his right eye was yellow instead of blue. “Looks like yellow is me, and blue is you.” 

“And if you mix blue and yellow…” Izuku 1 started.

“We get green!” Izuku 2 completed. “This split was a little more physical than expected.”

“Does it have anything to do with our quirk?” Izuku 1 mused. “I thought we were emitters, not mutation.”

“I think we are both.” Izuku 2 said. “I mean, Mom was clearly an emitter, but Hisashi, I'm not so sure.”

“He can breathe fire. This is an emission. But maybe he also had some kind of mutation.” Izuku 1 mumbled.

“We gain nothing overthinking about it now. Let’s start testing.” Izuku 2 said. “Also, we need a way to differentiate ourselves. Izuku 1 and Izuku 2 are too confusing.”

“Well, yeah. But anything comes to your mind?” Izuku 1 replied.

“Let me see.” Izuku 2 replied.

For the next few minutes, Izuku 1 could hear the low mumbles on his head. Wow. He wasn’t kidding. Being on the other side of my mutterings is really weird. 

“I know!” Izuku 2 finally exclaimed. “You are Zuku. And I am Kuzu.”

“Zuku and Kuzu?” Izuku 1 asked. “Really?”

“Yup. It’s perfect. We are like two sides of a coin. So why not just invert our names. Though I will probably keep calling you Zu.”

“Hmm.” Izuku 1 thought for a few seconds. “Alright. I like it.” He smiled. “I know we are kinda the same person. But nice to meet you, Kuzu.”

“Likewise, Zuku.” Kuzu replied, and Zuku could hear the smile in his voice. “Now, how about we start testing our quirk?”

“I thought I would never suggest it.” Zuku said. “Analysis time.”

With that, they both moved on to test their limits. Starting with the telekinesis.

For starters, as they thought, his quirk was like a better version of his mother’s. Pulling things towards him is much easier than moving around. And he’s not limited exclusively to small objects. He did launch a grown adult in the air, after all.

Also, no matter what they tried, Kuzu couldn’t use the telekinesis. Whenever he was in command of the body, it was like the quirk didn’t exist.

Testing the other side of their quirk had the same results. Kuzu can breathe fire like Hisashi. But he can also let off fire from his nose, ears, and even his eyes. Also, his hair is fireproof - they discovered it after Kuzu ended up with a bonfire in his head for five minutes before realizing it - and the rest of his body was really resistant to it. Like Kuzu can’t use the telekinesis, Zuku can’t use fire.

The first round of testing ended around sunset. And with that, they had some idea of what to expect and how to start training. They decided to stay in the bell tower for the time being.

That night they talked before going to sleep.

“Hey, Zu.” Kuzu started. “We have a quirk now. We really have.”

“You think we can be a hero now?” Zuku asked expectantly.

“Maybe. But there’s Hisashi.” Kuzu replied. Because, if it were discovered that Izuku is the son of a villain, they would never be able to be pro heroes. “But now. Maybe we don’t need to.”

“What do you mean, Kuzu?” Zuku asked again.

“We aren’t useless anymore. We can defend ourselves, and maybe others…” Kuzu replied. “And we can catch Hisashi ourselves.”

“You’re saying…? But that’s too dangerous. You know how strong he is!”

“I know. We can’t dream of defeating him.” Kuzu replied sadly. “Not yet, at least.”

“Then what… Oh.” Realization finally hit Zuku. “Vigilantism. You want us to be vigilantes.”

“That’s it. We’ll need to train hard. Dominate this quirk. But think about it.” Kuzu said excitedly. “Imagine the look on his face when we catch him with mom’s quirk! When we burn his face with his own quirk!”

Zuku thought about it for a few minutes in complete silence. Kuzu would think he was asleep if they weren’t sharing a mind, and he couldn’t hear every single of Zuku’s thoughts.

“You know what. I’m in.” Zuku finally said. “We can’t be pro heroes anymore. But we can still be heroes.”

“Great. We start preparing tomorrow. We’ll need many things.” Kuzu said.

“Like what?” Zuku started.

“Well. Shoes, for starters.” Kuzu pointed, and Zuku looked down to his feet. It’s been an entire year since he last wore shoes. There aren’t many opportunities to get this kind of thing living on the streets. Especially since his priority is food and water to survive. “Some kind of mask too. We need to hide our face.”

“I think we should focus on my telekinesis for now.” Zuku said. “Until we can get fireproof clothing, we need to be careful with what we have.”

“Good idea. But for now. You should rest, Zu.” Kuzu interrupted, seeing how tired Zuku was. “I’ll keep watch while you sleep.”

“What about you?” Zuku asked sleepily.

“I can sleep later. We can always take turns. Even when you’re awake, I can sleep.” Kuzu replied. “Now, go to sleep. If something happens, I promise to wake you up.”

“Okay. Good night, Kuzu.” Zuku said and then immediately passed out from his exhaustion.

With that, the body was fully in Kuzu’s control. Kuzu, making sure that Zu wasn’t about to wake up anytime soon, got up and started looking around. Glancing one more time at the water puddle, this time both his eyes were yellow.

“Don’t worry, Zu.” He whispered to himself. “I’ll protect you. You won’t be ever alone anymore.”

With that, Kuzu started making his way to the highest part of the bell tower.

If anyone tries to hurt Zu again. Well, they’ll have to get past Kuzu first.

Chapter Text

Waking up the next day was an experience unlike anything Zuku had ever had in his life. Waking up was as if he had turned on the TV to a program already playing. It was the first time he consciously left Kuzo in charge.

His vision was normal, he could see through his own eyes, but his limbs moved by themselves. It's an interesting feeling, to say the least. Especially considering that he had access to all the senses in his body. Kuzo was carrying a stool to the bell tower. Where did he get this from?

“Good morning, Zu.” Kuzu greeted him. How did he know Zuku was awake? “Easy. We share your mind, remember? I can hear your every thought, silly.”

“Right. Good morning Kuzu. Where did you get that from?” Zuku asked.

“From our scavenging site, obviously.” So, Dagobah beach. Makes sense. “Really does. It's amazing how many things in good condition they throw on that beach.”

Entering the bell tower, the place was completely different from last night. There were several trinkets scattered on the floor. Zuku recognized a few things, like old pots and pans and even some clothes.

“Did you take all of this from the beach? Wow, how long did it take?” 

“The entire night.” Kuzu shrugged. “I went there while you were sleeping.” He yawned.

“Wait. How didn’t I wake up with all the movement and noise?”

“Well, I can’t say for sure, but I have a theory.” Zuku said, putting the stool down. “You know how I am controlling our body right now?”

“Yeah. It’s a strange feeling. Feeling my body, but not controlling it.”

“You get used to it.” Kuzu shrugged and sat down. “Anyway. While I’m controlling the body, it’s like you are in another part of our mind. While you were asleep, you probably went to a deeper part of our subconscious and disconnected yourself from the external world. With practice, we probably could do this consciously too.” He made a motion with his fingers. “Or some crap like that too, who knows how our brain really works.”

“You think you could wake me up if something happened.” Zuku asked.

“Probably. Anyway, I left the heavy things to bring here later. We’ll need your telekinesis for that.” Kuzu yawned again.

“You should sleep too. If what you said is true, then I can do my things while you sleep too.”

“You read my mind, Zu.”

“Literally.” They giggled together.

“But first. You should start training.” Kuzu said.

“Do you have anything in mind?” Zuku asked.

“It’s pretty simple. Can you try using your quirk on yourself? Like, lifting yourself in the air?”

Noticing that he was in command of the body again, Zuku closed his eyes and tried grasping the feeling he had yesterday when he used his quirk. When he felt it in his hands, he tried to direct it to his own body and raised his arms. It took a few minutes, but he felt his feet leaving the floor.

“It worked.” He said excitedly. “I did it!”

“Great job, Zu!” Kuzu praised. “We can test other things later. But for now, you need to get familiar with the feeling. So let’s try like this: For the rest of the day, you only move yourself with your quirk. No walking until I wake up, okay?”

Zuku could see how this would help with his quirk. It made sense for him. It would also help him measure his limits. How long can he keep his quirk active?

“Alright. Let’s do this.” Zuku nodded. “Now, sleep well, Kuzu.”

“Thanks. See you later.”

A few seconds later, Zuku felt as if something had switched off inside his mind. Before, even if he was quiet, he knew Kuzu was there. And just the same, he knew that at the moment, he wasn't.

“What a strange feeling. We will have to look into this in the future.” Zuku mused to himself.

He never thought before to make an entry for himself in his hero analysis notebook. But now that he has a quirk, it is a good idea to analyze it too. The problem now is to get a notebook for it.

But this is a problem to think about in the future. For now, Zuku will start practicing moving around with his quirk. If he gets good on this, maybe he could really fly in the future. That would be so cool.

Along with his training, he notices a few things. It’s not that he needs to use his hands to move things, but it’s easier if he uses them, kinda like the wizards in the movie he used to watch. They didn't need a wand to use magic, but it made it easier to concentrate. However, if he wants to rely on his quirk for locomotion, he will need to practice it without using his arms.

He practiced moving around the whole day, and by the time he felt Kuzu waking up, he was starting to feel the first drawbacks of overusing his quirk: Headaches. It's only a little pain at the moment, but if he keeps pushing, it will probably turn into a migraine soon.

Another thing he finally noticed when Kuzu woke up was how hungry he was. He was so concentrated on his training that he didn’t even hear his tummy growling like a wild animal.

Kuzu laughed when he noticed and spent the next half an hour making fun of him for it.

“Talk about a one-track mind.” He said. “We are impossible.”

But eventually, he settled down. Unfortunately, food was still a problem for them. After all, food is probably the one thing they won’t find on the beach, which severely limits their options. Even if they are about to turn into vigilantes, they still don’t want to be criminals. Stealing is not an option for them.

“Well, lucky us. There’s a temporary solution.” Kuzu said. “Today and tomorrow, a charity group will be distributing food to the homeless. A group that we fit into, whether we like it or not.”

“Come on, just try not to draw attention to ourselves.” If someone starts asking questions, it will be problematic.

“Leave it to me.” Kuzu said confidently.

“Alright. The body is yours.” Zuku said, and just like that, he was again in the passenger seat, watching as his body moved.

Though he has to hand it down to Kuzu. He moved with a confidence that Zuku never knew was possible for him. Confidence and Midoriya Izuku were two things that seemed like water and oil, but Kuzu proved that he had it on him.

Like they say, no one will question if you act like you belong here. And Kuzu acted just like that. In less than an hour, Izuku had a warm soup plate in their hands.

As Izuku started to eat, they had to hold down their tears because this was the best thing they had eaten in more than a year.

After eating, they silently went back to their base. They’ll probably stay there for a good while. Since Zuku had already overused his quirk for the day, they decided to leave the heavy lifting for tomorrow. They went to the beach and a few other things from there.

Ironically enough, clothes were something relatively common to find there. Especially kids' clothing. It's probably because kids grow up quickly. Most of them were in a pretty good state. He also found a good pair of red sneakers that fit him, finally.

Leaving aside all the garbage there. There are plenty of things that they could sell to the recycling center, so they can at least get some money. It's not much, but for now, at least it's a plan.

They return to base after mentally separating things into trash, usable, and recyclable. That night, they both end up sleeping at the same time. Although they can rest their minds separately, they still share the same body. It is impossible to escape physical exhaustion.

Since they want to keep their base a secret, they choose to go to the beach only in the morning or night. So the next day, while waiting for sunset, they start testing with Kuzu's quirk.

They want to use Zuku’s telekinesis to bring heavier things to their base, so Zuku won’t use his quirk until night. This will also be an excellent opportunity to see how his quirk works on bigger and heavier things.

As for Kuzu, his quirk is kinda straightforward.

He can breathe fire like Hisashi, but there’s more. Apparently, he can create fire from any part of his body, but any part that’s not his mouth, nose, ears, or eyes lacks a way to thrust the fire in a burst. So he can set his hands on fire, but he cannot shoot the flames.

This does not mean that it is useless, far from it. As soon as Zuku saw the fire, he began one of his muttering sessions.

The flames cannot be thrown by his hands, but he can set fire to any part of the body. Perhaps he can use this in conjunction with punches and kicks to add destructive power. In conjunction with the fire breathing would make him an excellent mid-range fighter. Also, he can set his hair on fire, his whole head actually, which would be great for intimidation. Could he control the temperature? What if I used my telekinesis to control the flames? Are we completely immune to fire, or do we still get burned if it gets too hot?

This must be the longest muttering session that no one interrupted. But Kuzu was just as excited as Zuku to test these theories, so of course, he wouldn’t interrupt.

The first thing he concentrates on is the heat. He thinks about the hottest thing he could. And immediately, he remembers a certain blond with spiked hair and explosions. Despite not being his intention, he gets a bit angry at the memory.

“Wow, look, Kuzu!” Zuku calls him, and when Kuzu looks at his hand. The flame had a green color. It didn’t hurt him, but Kuzu could see it was hotter than usual. Then the fire went back to the normal color. “What did you do?”

“I thought about hot things. And Kac - I mean, Katsuki came to my mind.” Kuzu had to explain, because although they share thoughts, they need to pay attention to hear them, and Zuku was muttering until a few seconds ago.  “It made me angry.”

“So maybe it’s related to your emotions?” Zuku mused. “Let’s try again.”

This time Kuzu thought back to his old school, all the kids ridiculing him for being quirkless, many physically beating him up, and the teachers standing there doing nothing, some even humiliating him too. His anger this time was obvious, and his yellowish flames almost turning red reflected this.

“I guess you’re right, Zu.” Kuzu said, looking mesmerized at the flames in his hand.

It still didn’t burn him, but he was starting to feel it. If he holds it for too long, he’ll probably get some first-degree burns. But how farther could it go?

Unconsciously, Kuzu thought of Hisashi. With that came to his memory, the vision of his dead mother in that chair and her eyes floating in that pot.

“Kuzu, stop!” He heard Zuku calling him, almost crying. When he looked down, the flames in his hands were a bright blue, but it was flickering into a deep purple color. “It’s hurting.” Hearing this made his anger instantly disappear and be replaced by concern.

“Shit.” As soon as the flame returned to normal, he shook his hand, putting out the fire. “Zu?”

“I’m fine.” Zuku said, but Kuzu could hear the tears in his words.

Inspecting his hands, they were burned, not too unlike Hisashi’s burns. This was at least a second-degree burn. Zuku's tears were probably more related to the memory than pain. Still, Kuzu felt bad for causing it. The silver lining is that he was testing the fire in his left hand, so they didn’t hurt their main hand.

“Sorry, Zu.” Kuzu said.

“Okay. Blue flames and higher are too much for us.” Zuku said after calming down. “Let’s try to keep the anger in check.”

“It will be best.” Kuzu agreed.

After that, they tore up one of the clean clothes they managed to get and used it to wrap the wound. They did some more tests on the quirk, but most of them will have to be left for when they can try somewhere where they won't cause a fire in the entire quarter. After they get anything useful, they could probably use the beach for that.

When the sun finally set, they went to the beach and started to work.

As it turns out, Zuku’s telekinesis is strong enough to lift most of the furniture on the beach, but not too many things at once. They’ll have to train more for that. They carry an old but still good coach, a mattress, cabinets, they also get an old stove that looks like it can be repaired, among other things. 

It takes them a few trips to carry everything, but by the end of it all, the place is finally starting to feel like home. Izuku feels a kind of pride thinking about it. Maybe things are finally starting to look up for them.

During the following weeks, they focus on various things. For starters, Izuku wants to keep studying. It is not too difficult to find a library with Internet access where he could study online. The hard part was convincing the person in charge of the library why an 8-year-old child was going to the library alone.

Kuzu tells a rehearsed sob story about how Izuku lost his parents in a villain attack (partially true, thank you very much), and Izuku was sent to foster care. However, his caretakers were horrible and abusive, so he ran away, but he still wanted to continue studying. 

By the end of the story, the librarian, a kind middle-aged lady, was crying fat tears. She ended up offering Izuku a part-time job. In exchange for helping her keep the library clean and organized, she got Izuku a library card and permission to use the library as much as he wanted. She always had a snack ready for him and paid for his help. It’s clearly an excuse for her to help Izuku. Frankly, if she thought he would accept, she would probably offer to foster him, but she never brought it up, thankfully.

It worked out much better than they were expecting, and despite the guilt Izuku felt for deceiving the kind librarian, everything worked out in the end.

From there, Izuku quickly finds free online classes to continue his education. It is not the most renowned online school, but Aldera was nothing great either.

The second thing they focus on is training their body. This one is handled by Kuzu. Since they share a mind, anything that one of them learns, both can use. 

With training, they learned to use their hands ambidextrously, so they could do two separate things simultaneously. This makes them really good at multitasking. For them, a pretty normal thing is Kuzu working out with a book, notebook, and pens floating in front of his face, while Zuku studies.

And last but not least, training their quirks. Because as serious as they are about being vigilantes, they are not idiots. To try to fight with a newly acquired quirk is to ask for death, either from them or from others.

It is only a few months later, with an improvised disguise, a skull mask that they bought cheaply at a costume store, and a lot of nervousness, that they go out on their first patrol.

Chapter Text

It was a simple patrol night, nothing weird. It was strangely peaceful, to be honest, but it’s not like he never had calm nights. Maybe I can finish earlier today and go home take a nap. But then he got a call from Tsukauchi. Spoke too soon.

Sighing, he answered the call, not that he didn’t know what it was about. Tsukauchi only calls for two things. So either everyone is dying or…

“Eraserhead. It’s them again.” Yup, just as he thought.

“Where it is this time. And how many?” Shouta asked calmly.

“I’m sending the location. It’s about 5 minutes from where you are.” Tsukauchi replied, and a few seconds later, he received the location. “7 Muggers, all tied in chains and hanging from the wall, no burnings this time.”

“Well, what do you know? On my way.” With that, Shouta hung up the call and started running.

Poltergeist and Ifrit. A famous vigilante duo from these parts that Shouta is infuriatingly familiar with. They appeared about a year ago and started simply by stopping petty thieves and the like. But then, with the experience, they started building their confidence. And with confidence, they started going after bigger fish.

They still don’t try going after full-fledged villains, but something tells Shouta this will change soon.

Barely 5 minutes after starting running, Shouta saw the scene. Just as Tsukauchi said, seven men hanging on the wall chained, no signal of burning neither in the walls nor the men. So this time, it was only Poltergeist.

Ignoring the thieves calling for help, Shouta instead took off and started running. With luck, he’ll still be able to catch up with him before he disappears again. It’s only been a few weeks that Shouta started investigating the duo, but he has yet to see one of them in person. They are slippery.

And it is by pure chance that he finds them. About ten minutes following the direction the vigilante was last seen, Shouta literally bumped into him. The only thing he sees is a white cloak and a skull mask. Then immediately, he activates erasure and sends his capture scarf. Trapping each hand on the fabric, he feels nothing when he goes to the feet.

Looking closely, Shouta sees the trick. The vigilante uses the cloak to disguise his actual height, floating with his quirk under it to seem bigger. Clever, and worrisome too. Because looking at his actual height, this kid is even younger than he expected.

To his credit, the vigilante doesn't panic. He simply looks at Shouta’s red glowing eyes and floating hair. Under the cloak and the mask, Shouta sees a pair of blue eyes.

“Did you disable my quirk?” A voice, too young to be there, asked. “That’s a really cool quirk.”

“Erasure.” Shouta said simply. “How old are you, kid?”

“I’m eight, er…?” Shouta tried his best to keep his face neutral at this response.

“Eraserhead.”

“Right. Since you’re holding me like a criminal, I suppose you know who I am, right?” The kid said, still too calm about the situation.

“Poltergeist.” Shouta replied. “A vigilante.”

“Yeah, thought so.” Poltergeist replied. The mask was hiding his expression, but Shouta had the feeling that he was smiling. “Any way to convince you to let me go?”

“Kid, you shouldn’t be there.” Shouta tried arguing. “Is the other one as young as you?” At this, the kid closed his eyes.

“He’s asking about you, Ifrit.” The kid said, looking above Shouta’s shoulder.

Shouta looked over his shoulder, surprised, but there was no one there. When he turned back to the kid, he saw a red glow coming from his throat and only had the time to let him go before a flame burst came from the kid’s mouth.

“Sorry, Eraser-san. But we need to go.” The kid replied, but his posture was completely different from a moment ago. Shouta tried activating erasure again, but the kid took off his cloak and shoved it on Shouta’s face before running away.

When Shouta freed himself from the fabric, the only trail the kid left was a burning skull mask on the floor. The kid probably flew away. Shouta could catch him if he wanted. But with a kid this young, this will be a bad idea.

Frankly, if a kid this young felt that the only way to bring justice was by doing it himself, well, society, heroes, and authorities must have failed him too much already.

This case just went from ‘slightly troublesome’ to ‘a complete headache’. But after this night, there’s no way Shouta will let anyone else take over this case.

On the other hand, Shouta caught Poltergeist, the first vigilante, who was supposed to have a telekinesis quirk. But then, he breathed fire on Shouta’s face, and before he shoved his cloak on Shouta’s face, Shouta is sure he saw yellow eyes behind the kid’s mask, but the kid’s eyes were blue. His posture was also completely different.

There is also what the kid said. “We need to go.” He said “we,” not “I,” like there was more than one person.

Looks like they are looking at this case from the wrong angle. Maybe Ifrit and Poltergeist are the same person after all. People with dual quirks are not something unheard of. But why the distinction?

Looking at the cloak on his hand, Shouta quickly recognized it. It belonged to an arsonist that was caught a few weeks ago. Every witness said that the man used a cloak like that, but he wasn’t wearing it when he was caught. The one who caught the incendiary was Ifrit. It seems he decided to keep the cloak as a souvenir. The cloak is fireproof.

The fact that Poltergeist was wearing a fireproof cape further reinforces that the two are the same. But still, Shouta will have to further investigate it. And maybe he could give the cloak back to the kid. It’s not like he had any use to a fireproof cloak.

-----------------------------------------------

As they flew away from the pro hero, Izuku made sure to take as many detours as he could before going back home, just to make sure they weren’t being followed, but as soon as they were certain they weren’t, Kuzu started complaining.

“Damn it. I loved that cloak.” He started saying. “Who was that hobo? I never heard of a pro hero like him!”

“He must be underground. It’s pretty hard to find info on them after all.” Zuku chimed in.

“You must be right.” Kuzu relented. “But where will I get another fireproof cloak now?”

“Maybe he’ll give it back to us?” Zuku tried.

“Why would he do that?” Kuzu replied. “If we see him again, I doubt we’ll escape as easily.”

“I don’t know, Kuzu. I think he let us go today.”

“It sure is weird.” Kuzu sighed. “If he wanted to catch us, I’m sure he could. But why not?”

“He seemed quite surprised when I said my age.” Zuku mused. “Maybe he didn’t want to arrest a kid.”

“It must be the case.” Kuzu replied. “What else could be. He wants to help us?”

A few seconds of silence stretched then they started laughing.

“Fat chance.” Zuku said, trying to control his laughter. “An adult wanting to help us, you’re a comedian Kuzu.”

“I know, right?” Kuzu was in no better situation. “The moment he finds who we really are, we end up either in foster care, Tartarus, or worse of all. Back to Hisashi.”

“If he wants to try to gain our trust, good luck for him.” Zuku said, sobering from his laugh. “But until we stop Hisashi, there’s no way we’ll stop.”

“You said it, Zu.” Kuzu replied. “If they want to stop us. It’s better to bring All Might or Endeavour.”

“I wouldn’t be opposed to kicking Endeavour in the face, though.” Zuku mused.

“Now you’re talking.” Kuzu replied.

“Anyway. We should probably skip our next patrols. At least until we can get a hold of who is this hero. Something tells me we’ll be seeing him again.” Zuku explained.

“Noooo.” Kuzu whined. “It was my turn to patrol.”

“Don’t be such a baby. I’ll let you have the two next ones.” Zuku tried to appease him.

“But I want to go!”

“You’re such a battle junkie, Kuzu.” Zuku shook his head. “How about I let you choose the dinner today?”

“Did that guy really pay what he promised?” Kuzu asked.

“To the last yen.” Zuku replied.

The good thing about making their name is that people stopped underestimating them based on their age. After getting famous as Poltergeist, Zuku started doing the occasional job here and there, usually using his analysis skills. Of course, he makes sure he’s not working for villains. Usually, he helps some other vigilante or the like with analyzing villains. They pay well enough for them to live in peace at least. Not having to pay rent surely helps.

“Alright, then let's eat Katsudon!” Kuzu cheered.

“Why am I not surprised?” Zuku teased.

“Because you would suggest the same.” Kuzu teased back. “I’m you, remember?”

“Yeah, yeah. You said it.” Zuku waves him off. “Let’s go then.”

“Yay, yay.” Kuzu cheered as they left the building.

With that, they quickly left their home/base and went to eat. They can work on identifying the pro hero tomorrow.

-----------------------------------------------

It takes another week until Shouta runs into the little vigilante again. This time he was looking for them. From what Tsukauchi said before, they take turns patrolling every day. Which means that each one patrol every other day. But after their first meeting, the vigilante vanished for a week, maybe to look for information about Shouta. They know his hero name and quirk. There’s not much else on the internet about him, though. It’s really hard to find information on underground heroes, after all, as it should be.

But this night, it’s actually pretty easy to find him, almost as if the kid wanted to be found. Which, considering the note that literally said, “Keep your eyes up, Eraser-san.” that one of the unconscious tugs that Ifrit defeated earlier had, it’s probably, in fact, what they wanted.

And well, Shouta indeed found them when he was looking up. Specifically, he saw a burning hand waving at him from up a building right after he stopped a mugging.

When Shouta climbed up the building, he saw the kid sitting down on the edge of the building swinging his feet.

“Hey, Eraser-san.” The kid waved at him. Shouta saw a long chain wrapped around each of his arms. Probably used in conjunction with Poltergeist's telekinesis, functioning similarly to Shouta's capture scarf. “Good to see you. Would you kindly give me back my cloak? I liked that cloak.”

Shouta simply shrugged and threw the cloak to the kid. The kid took it, then looked confused to Shouta. It looks like this isn’t what he was expecting.

“Answer one question in return.” Shouta said to the kid that was carefully inspecting the cloak. “I didn't put any tracker on it, don't worry.”

“Alright.” The kid said, staring at Shouta suspiciously. “Shoot.”

“Ifrit and Poltergeist. Are you both?” Shouta asked.

“What do you think?” The kid raised his left hand, and the chains started to dance around, then he raised his right hand, and a flame appeared on it.

Looking at the kid’s eyes, one eye was blue, and the other yellow. It was different from what Shouta saw last time. But then, the chains stopped, and his eyes were both yellow again. Shouta had a good idea of what this was about, but he still wanted to confirm it.

“Is this the part where you arrest me? Or does it come later?” The kid asked him.

“I’m not arresting you, kid.” Shouta replied. “Can I talk to the other one?”

“Wow. A single hint, and you caught everything?” The kid said, laughing. “Not today Eraser-san. But if you don’t want to arrest me, I’m taking my leave.”

Having said that, the kid simply jumped off the roof, Shouta ran to the border and looked down, but the kid was nowhere to be seen. Still, this was far from a failure for Shouta. He at least got a few things from the kid.

Ifrit and Poltergeist are, in fact, the same person. The kid must have split personality. They are aware of each other and can probably talk among themselves. And each personality has one quirk. Or maybe they have one quirk, and each personality has access to half of it. The point is: The kid has two personalities, and they are both vigilantes. It seems like their eyes change color based on which one controls the body, and they can share the control if the heterochromia is anything to go by.

Comparing this encounter with the last one, Poltergeist will probably be easier to talk to. But it seems like Ifrit is really protective of his… brother?

Gaining their trust won't be easy, but that has never stopped Shouta before.

Chapter Text

That night on the rooftop was far from the last time Shouta saw the kid. At least once a week, Shouta would meet the kid on the same rooftop. At first, it was only Ifrit that talked to him. But after a few months and a bit of bribery - Shouta soon discovered that food worked wonders with this kid - Ifrit finally relaxed enough to let Shouta talk with Poltergeist.

The first time they really talked, Shouta was surprised. The kid was as enthusiastic as he was shy. He asked at least 20 questions about Shouta’s quirk in less than a minute, and Shouta struggled to answer all of them in the end. But Shouta could easily see how smart Poltergeist is.

They talked a few more times, but Shouta still didn’t make too much progress with them. They always dodge any question regarding themselves, and Shouta doesn't want to try pushing them for answers either.

Only a year later, Shouta would learn something new about the kids. They were sitting in their usual place, Poltergeist happily munching a sandwich Shouta brought for him when the kid shared something with Shouta. It started with a simple question.

“Eraserhead-san?” The kid asked tentatively. Shouta already told them his name, but Poltergeist is too polite not to use his hero name, and Ifrit is too much of a brat to use it.

“Yes?” Shouta replied, giving him his full attention.

“Do you have…” The kid started but stopped himself. He seemed to discuss with himself, or maybe with Ifrit if he should make the question. A few seconds later, he looked at Shouta again, and he had one eye of each color. Which meant that they were sharing the control body. They only did that when they were fighting or wanted to both take part in a talk.

“Eye Burner.” He continued. His curt tone made it clear that this was Ifrit talking. “Do you know anything about him?” At that, Shouta raised an eyebrow.

“I’m not giving you information on such a dangerous villain, kid.” Shouta replied.

“Believe me, Eraserdad.” Ifrit replied. “We know how dangerous that monster is.”

“We aren’t asking what you know.” Poltergeist said right after. “Only if you know something.”

Frankly, Shouta didn’t know much. Shouta leads this case too, but finding anything on the villain is almost impossible. The villain usually attacks once every month. His victims are people of any age, gender, or ethnicity. The only similarity between them is that they all had green eyes. He probably has a fire quirk since he burns his victims' faces after he has taken out their eyes, but while they are still alive. From his M. O., he likely keeps the eyes that he plucks out as trophies.

But that's all, they have no suspects. The villain is very good at covering his tracks.

“We don’t have much.” It’s all that Shouta replied, but the kid still nodded at him. Shouta noticed him clenching his fists.

“We know we can’t catch him yet.” Ifrit started saying. “As much as I hate to admit it, he’s too much for us.”

“But he killed Mom.” Poltergeist continued. “And for that, we can’t forgive him.”

“He also hurt Zu.” Ifrit let the nickname escape, but Shouta didn’t comment on it. “For that, I can’t forgive him.” Then he turned to Shouta. “Do you think you can catch him in one year?”

“One year?” Shouta asked.

“In one year, on our tenth birthday. If he hasn't been caught yet. Then we will act.” Poltergeist, or Zu, as Ifrit just called him, explained. “We decided that when we started acting as vigilantes.”

And they are completely serious about this.

“I won’t try to stop you kids.” Shouta started. “But I hope that if it comes to it, that by then, you will trust me enough to let me help you.”

“We’ll see.” Ifrit said, nodding. “We need to go now.”

“Thanks for the sandwich, Eraserhead-san.” Poltergeist said bowing. “It was delicious.”

Then, as they always do, they jumped down from the building. By now, Shouta doesn’t even bother trying to check on them.

Well, Shouta has new things to check, though. The kid is the son of one of the victims of the Eye Burner. The villain has been active for ten years already. This kid is nine years old and has acted as a vigilante for at least two years. So this year’s victims can’t be the ones. But even so, he still has at least seven years worth of victims that he needs to check. Still, if the kids want revenge, then they must have been old enough to remember their mother clearly, so it’s probably been someone between three to five years ago. With a margin of error it is best to check between two and six years.

So he needs to find any women that died during this period that had a son. The kid is probably missing. He can work with that.

-----------------------------------------------

On the way back home, Zuku couldn’t help but be worried about their earlier talk.

“Do you think we told him too much?”

“Maybe. But even if he somehow discovers our name. He won’t know Hisashi is the eye burner.” Kuzu argued.

“Maybe he should…” Zuku almost whispered. “How many more will Hisashi kill until someone gets him?”

“You want to trust him, don’t you, Zu?” Kuzu said gently, but he still felt Zuku flinching.

“I know we said we wouldn’t trust someone that easily anymore.” He started. “But I can’t help but hope that…”

“That he’s being honest.” Kuzu completed it when Zuku stopped talking. “You don’t need to explain yourself, Zu. I know how you feel.”

“I’m sorry.” Zuku replied.

“You don’t need to apologize either.” Kuzu continued. “I want to believe in him too. But we can’t. Not yet.”

“Do you have something in mind?” Zuku asked.

“Maybe.” Kuzu replied. “We’ll give him a chance. One more year. We’ll know what he really wants by then.”

“Okay. And if in the end, we can’t trust him yet.”

“Then we cut all the ties. You already analyzed pretty much his whole combat style. Even if we can’t defeat him.”

“If he wants to catch us.” Zuku giggled. “Good luck for him.” 

With the discussion settled, they went to sleep.

-----------------------------------------------

This case is even more complicated than Shouta thought. Why is it so hard to locate a kid? When Shouta got home, instead of going to sleep as he would usually, he went straight to check on the files related to the Eye Burner case. He skidded through the victims in the period of time, but he found much more than he was expecting. As much as the Eye burner attacked anyone with green eyes, most of his victims were women. 

Kimitoshi, Hoki, Fumitaka, Koki, Midoriya, Yasukatsu, Toyokuni, Reigo, and some others were all women who had children. Shouta went through each kid's quirk too. But none of them had a quirk that could belong to the vigilantes. Fire quirks are rare enough as it is. A combination of fire and telekinesis is even more so.

Looking deeper for the parents, he found 5 possibilities.

Hoki had a minor fire quirk. Her fingers were basically a lighter.

Toyokuni could control small fires but couldn’t create them.

Reigo could move small objects so long they weren’t more than 2 meters from her.

Midoriya could pull small objects in her direction.

Yasukatsu could make light objects float.

A mutation could make any of these quirks strong enough to be the vigilante. But none of them looked like it could be.

Checking the other parent, Shouta found something interesting. Midoriya Hisashi, quirk: Fire breath, pretty self-explanatory.

So the Midoriyas had a fire and a telekinesis quirk. Could it be?

Shouta checked on their son. They had only one but his quirk. Well, there wasn’t one. He’s listed as quirkless… And dead?

Checking on, Shouta found something really weird. Midoriya Inko was found dead by her neighbor. Her son, Midoriya Izuku, was the first one to find the body, but the - at the time - five-year-old kid went into shock when he saw her body. After that, he lived with his father and disappeared from the map. It’s said that the kid was homeschooled.

But then, one year later, a fire happened in their home. It says that the father wasn’t at home at the moment, and no one knows what caused it. But a single body was found, too burnt to be recognized, but judging by the size, it was declared Midoriya Izuku. After that, the father moved to another house.

There’s something strange with this case. Shouta’s guts are screaming at him. The Midoriyas are, at the moment, Shouta’s best lead, both for the vigilante and the Eye Burner.

Still, Shouta will focus for now on keeping building trust with the kid. Hopefully, two years are enough for the kid to tell him the truth.

Chapter Text

In early July, a year after the conversation about the Eye Burner, Shouta knew his time was running out, but he still didn't have enough to know who the serial killer really was. 

His investigations into the Midoriyas did not bear much fruit either. Without a valid reason, Shouta cannot reopen the investigation into the child's death. And unfortunately, there is not a single mark on Hisashi's name to justify an investigation.

Shouta has not yet confirmed with the problem child, but he is 90% sure that the little vigilante is Midoriya Izuku. Probably stress and trauma caused a forced manifestation of his quirk. The personality disorder likely has the same cause.

The point is Shouta will meet the kid today as usual. And he is debating with himself whether he should bring up the case. To his misfortune, the kid beat him to it.

“Hey, Eraser.” Oh, great, Ifrit is always harder to talk to. It’s like Shouta is always walking on eggshells with him. “I can hear the gears on your head from the other building. What’s on your mind.”

“You.” Shouta replied before thinking.

“Me? Poltergeist? Both?” Ifrit asked, smirking.

“Both.” Shouta replied. The absence of his usual sarcastic remark made Ifrit drop his smirk, realizing it must be serious. Shouta sighed before continuing. “You know? My offer still stands. I meant what I said.”

“I’m sure you meant.” Ifrit sighed, closing his eyes. “But still…”

Shouta already brought this up a few times. The offer to adopt the kid. The first time he offered, Ifrit laughed as if it was the funniest thing he had ever heard in his life. Shouta simply dropped it at the time. But after the third offer, he knew Shouta was serious. To Shouta’s surprise, the one who denied it was Poltergeist. Putting in the kid’s words, “You don’t know who we are. If you knew it, I’m sure you wouldn’t want us.” Shouta tried many times to assure the kid he didn’t care who the kid was, but it was useless.

Shouta still brought the offer a few times, but the kid never accepted.

“A few more days. Two weeks at most.” Poltergeist snapped Shouta of his thoughts. “After that, if you still accept us…”

Shouta didn’t need an explanation to know what the kid was talking about. It was time for the kid’s plan. He’ll go after the Eye Burner.

“Problem Child.” Shouta called softly. “As I said before. I won’t stop you. But -”

“Would this help your investigation?” The kid interrupted Shouta pulling a portable camera from under his cloak. “We’ve been debating it, and we want you to have it.”

Shouta took the camera and started looking through it. The first image was of a house. The second one had a focus on the house number. The third one had the street name. The fourth photo was a hand-drawn map, showing a house with five rooms, a living room, a kitchen, three bedrooms, and a bathroom, probably the house in the photos. The fifth image was inside the house. It looked like a perfectly normal house. One would think that at least 3 people lived there.

“He lives alone. Never married again.” Shouta heard Ifrit saying. “Sometimes, I wonder if he really loved her.”

Shouta kept scanning through the pictures, detailing the house's layout, until he stopped on the first suspicious thing. The photo of an open drawer, several surgical instruments stored in it. Certainly not in the right condition.

The next photo had a closed-door, with too many locks on it. Five locks and 3 padlocks. Shouta watched the details for a few seconds, but just before moving on to the next one, he felt a tug on his scarf. He saw the kid looking at him with a troubled look on his face.

“The next ones are... disturbing.” Poltergeist said worriedly.

Shouta saw many disturbing things in his life, but he had to admit it. The kid was right. The next few photos are disturbing.

The photos, which Shouta assumed belonged to the room with the locked door, showed several jars arranged on shelves like pickle jars. But what the jars contained were eyes, specifically green eyes. 

Like all the others, the photos showed various details, including close-ups showing the jars up close and the labels with the victims' names on them. The last photo was of a jar separated from the others. This jar was labeled "Midoriya Inko."

When Shouta looked at the child again, he saw tears falling from his blue eye, the yellow eye was not crying, but he seemed no less troubled by the memory. Putting the camera aside for a moment, Shouta knelt in front of the kid and wrapped him in a hug. The kid buried his head in Shouta's scarf, and he could hear his sobs.

“Midoriya Hisashi.” Ifrit said, full of venom. “That’s his name.”

“I-i-is th-that eno-enough?” Poltergeist stuttered. “C-ca-can you…?”

“I can.” Shouta replied. “Thank you for trusting me, kid.” He added a few seconds later. “We’ll catch him, I promise you.”

They stood like that for a few more minutes until Shouta noticed the child's breathing quietening and the hiccups stopping. Then the kid pulled out of the hug. This time both his eyes were yellow.

“He was already exhausted.” Ifrit explained. “We’ve been discussing this for a few days. And I know he didn’t sleep last night.”

“I’ll have to make a few calls.” Shouta said, getting up. “But two weeks is enough to prepare a raid. I’ll make sure he’s caught.”

“Be careful, Eraser.” Ifrit said, turning around to leave. “I know I don’t need to say this. But I would know how dangerous that man is.” The next part is barely a whisper. “I lived with him.” 

“Meet me here again in a week, Okay?” Shouta said, and the kid nodded.

After that, they left. Shouta didn’t bother leaving. He immediately got his phone and called Tsukauchi.

“Eraserhead? You never call me. What happened.”

“Eye Burner. We got him now.” Shouta answered. “I’m going there immediately to discuss. But I have in my hands more than enough proofs of his identity.”

“You what?” Tsukauchi replied. Shouta is sure the man just spat his coffee. “Alright, I’ll be waiting, don’t bother knocking. The door will be unlocked.”

With that, Shouta hung up and went straight to the police station.

When asked about his sources, Shouta simply said he had found a new informant. Tsukauchi, who was already involved in the case and knew about Shouta's relationship with the vigilantes, did not question. The evidence was all there and clearly not edited footage. After much discussion, a few phone calls, and a week to prepare everything, a small team was assembled consisting of Eraserhead, 3 other underground heroes, Tsukauchi, and some policemen. A small support team has also been set up to evacuate the neighbors if Hisashi tries to start a fire to use as a smokescreen.

The raid's objective was simple: surround the house and apprehend Midoriya Hisashi. With everything decided, the date for the attack was set for July 15th.

The day before the attack, Shouta met with the child once again. He handed a tracker to the child, all he had to do was press the button on it, and Shouta would automatically receive the location. He also made the vigilantes promise not to try to participate in the attack.

And after all the preparation, the day of the attack finally arrived. On the night of July 15, Midoriya Hisashi's house was surrounded.

The attack began without any problems; the first squad, led by Eraserhead, efficiently broke down the front door and stormed in. The house's layout seemed to be exactly like the map the kid made. But no one inside. Eraserhead went for the first room while another hero checked the kitchen.

“Clear.” He said after checking it.

“Clear.” Another one yelled.

“Clear.” Came from the kitchen.

“Clear.” From the main bedroom.

The only one left was the locked room. Even knowing what was there, Eraserhead was already dreading what he would find.

“Password. You’re it.” Eraserhead said to the other hero. Password, his quirk was a minor telekinesis, two meters radius. Practically useless in combat but perfect for opening any lock. The hero himself is also one of the greatest proofs that a hero should not be judged by his quirk.

“On it.” Putting his hand above the locks, they started opening one by one. 

After opening it, Eraserhead was quick to kick the door and jump inside, erasure already activated and scanning the room. Again, it was just like the kid’s photo, tens of jars with green eyes floating around. But again, no one was inside.

“Clear.” Eraserhead announced deactivating erasure.

Damn, where is he?

A few minutes later, the entire squadron was tearing the house apart, looking for clues. The jars were all secured as evidence, as were the medical instruments. The house is obviously the right one. All the evidence against the Eye Burner is there, but no sign of Midoriya Hisashi.

He should be here. There is no way he could have learned about the attack unless he had a source in the police. But even if he had, the raid was kept secret from everyone who was not participating in it. No, he was in the house, but somehow he managed to escape. The only way this could have happened would be…

Looking at the display stand in the center of the room, where Midoriya Inko's eyes were, Eraserhead saw a carpet. He kicked the display and examined it.

“Son of a…” He called his squad. “A trap door, he must have escaped through.” Looking inside, he found a long tunnel. It was impossible to tell where it would come out, but it was clearly straight to the end. “Password, with me, we will check the tunnel. The rest follow our signal from the surface.”

After a few nods, Eraserhead jumped down and started following the tunnel, careful of any possible ambushes. About, probably, halfway through the tunnel, Eraserhead received another signal, but this one wasn’t from anyone on his squad, and he knew exactly who it was from.

“Damn it. Let’s hurry.” Eraserhead yelled and started running. Password followed him in shock; he had never seen Eraserhead lose his composure like this.

But how could Shouta not lose his composure? Because this signal came from the tracker, Shouta left with the kid. And receiving this signal today can only mean a single thing. The kid - his kid - is facing the Eye Burner and probably alone against him. Shouta never ran that fast in all his life.

Chapter Text

Izuku is many things. Vigilante, trouble magnet, trauma box, walking museum of scars, to name a few. However, a liar is not one of them. So when they promised his dad Eraserhead that they would not try to participate in the attack on Hisashi's house, they did indeed keep their promise.

However, there was no way they wouldn't watch closely. Eraserhead probably knew that, so he didn't make them promise to stay away, just not to participate.

When the attack started, Izuku was there watching everything while hiding nearby. However, after a few minutes, when there was no sign of conflict, Kuzu began to get a bad feeling. Until everything clicked. There is no way Hisashi never prepared for a situation like that. The house probably had a hidden escape route prepared.

The only thing that stopped Zuku from having a breakdown right there - because how could he have let something so simple go by, this way Hisashi will run away again, and it's his fault - was Kuzu already starting to run behind the house, still careful to stay away from the police and heroes nearby. 

Surprisingly, it was not that difficult to find the traces of an underground passage; if they had been looking for it, the heroes would probably have found it by now. Looking at the direction of the trail, Zuku deduced that it would lead to the construction site a few blocks away and immediately began to fly there, praying that he was right because if not, Hisashi would surely have escaped.

Izuku arrived at the place just in time to notice something moving on the ground and hide. They saw a hidden trapdoor open, and a very familiar figure came out from inside. Midoriya Hisashi. The man in question got out of the trapdoor, closed it, and covered it with some cement bags, then dusted himself and started walking away.

Well, it's all or nothing now. Zuku and Kuzu have spent three years waiting for the day when they would meet this man again. And now is the time. 

Justice/ Revenge.

Izuku sat cross-legged on a nearby scaffolding and took off their shoes, they wouldn’t survive this battle.

Then called the man monster.

“Hisashi!” Hisashi turned at him, and seeing the skull mask, he grinned.

“Oh. The famous vigilante came for me?” He asked. “I feel so loved today.”

“You won’t be grinning for long.” Kuzu said, then threw his mask away. They want the man monster to know who they are.

“Brat? How?” Hisashi asked, then looked at his eyes and saw one blue and one yellow. “Your eyes. The only thing worth you had. And you lost it!”

“Shut up. You won’t escape again, Hisashi.” Kuzu yelled at him. They pulled the tracker Eraserhead gave them from his cloak and pressed the button. “Let’s hope he arrives on time.”

“Calling help?” The monster provoked. “You’re still the same crybaby.”

“Oh, no, Hisashi. You don’t get it.” Kuzu said.

“The backup is not to save us.” Zuku said in a low tone.

“It’s to save you.” Kuzu completed before jumping down in front of Hisashi and discarding his cloak.

Hisashi looked at his face for a moment and took a step back. Izuku’s face was perfectly split into two expressions. His left side had a sad expression but had a smile on his face and tears coming from his blue eye. His right side had a feral grin, the yellow eye sparkling in anticipation. It was like looking at two different persons at the same time.

“Prepare yourself, Hisashi.” They said in unison. “Today, we bring justice/ vengeance .”

Saying that, Kuzu threw the tracker at Hisashi’s face, aiming at the eyes. Hisashi threw a hand in front of his face to block the projectile, but that was exactly what Kuzu was aiming for. The moment Hisashi lowered his arms, Kuzu was already in front of him, drop-kicking him in the chest, both feet glowing with green flames.

The monster’s eye widened at the attack and he took a few steps back trying to recover his breath, then opened his mouth and threw a flame wave at the kid, who took it head-on.

Hisashi grinned and was about to taunt the kid when he felt a kick to his chin, falling to the floor. He looked at the - now doing a handstand with his leg outstretched in a kick - kid who didn’t look fazed by his burning clothes and the small burns on his face.

“What was that? You should be quirkless!” Hisashi screamed, but then felt a chain wrap around his legs.

“We should also be dead. But we aren’t.” Zuku said, with his hand stretched and the chains dancing in his arms. He pulled on the chains, knocking Hisashi to the ground and pulling him close.

But Hisashi was tougher than he looked. He opened his mouth again and aimed his flames on the chains, which soon started to melt by the heat.

“You damn brat.” Hisashi yelled again, as he stood up. “When I am done with you, you will wish you had died in the dark alley you crawled through to get away from me.”

Izuku didn’t reply anymore. Instead, Kuzu summoned his flames again, this time even hotter, the yellow flames glowing even brighter than the green ones. He went to Hisashi again and punched him in the arm. The fire burned straight through his sleeve and left a first-degree burn on his upper arm.

Seeing that, Kuzu smiled. He won’t suffer any burn unless he spends ten minutes holding his yellow flames. This means that Hisashi’s fire resistance is weaker than his own. It makes sense, for as hot as Hisashi’s flames are, they aren’t even close to Kuzu’s.

“Let’s up the heat a bit more.” Kuzu said, holding both of Hisashi’s arms and summoning his flames again, this time bright blue. Hisashi’s eyes widened when he started feeling his skin burning. “So, Hisashi. How does it feel to be burned?” Then he opened his mouth and breathed a, just as bright blue, fire wave on the man’s face, who started screaming in pain. “What’s the problem? Didn’t you do the same to mom?” He asked, throwing another punch in his chin.

Then, Zuku held him with his telekinesis and threw him up before flying after him.

“This is mom’s quirk.” Zuku said, looking the monster in the eyes. He held Hisashi in place, keeping his mouth shut. “I couldn’t have asked for a better quirk.” Then he dropped Hisashi.

Looking at his hands, then at the man falling to the ground again. Izuku started remembering everything the man did to him. Kuzu felt his anger spiking. Zuku felt only sadness for what the man had become. But both emotions were at their maximum. Looking at his right hand, Kuzu called on his flames once more. This time, they were a bright purple.

“This has already gone too far.” Kuzu said and heard Zuku humming in agreement. “Alright, let's put an end to this.”

Then Zuku let go of his telekinesis, and they dropped after Hisashi, already aiming their knees at his chest.

-----------------------------------------------

Shouta found another trapdoor at the end of the tunnel, no doubt leading out. He tried opening it, but there was something heavy holding it down. Damn it, Shouta doesn’t have time to waste with this. The kid, his kid, is facing a villain and serial killer right at this moment. Shouta needs to get there before it’s too late.

Shouta started punching the door, but it didn’t budge. What the heck is holding this thing. Damn it, why doesn’t Shouta carry explosives with him? He heard a panting sound behind him. That’s right, Password is with him. He’s a professional at that.

“Explosives. Do you have it?” He asked. The hero gave him a skeptical look. “Hurry up! I need to get up there, NOW.”

This was enough to convince the other hero. Who gave Shouta a small stick explosive cluster and a detonator. Shouta didn’t waste any time sticking it to the trapdoor, and taking a few steps back - less than he should - he pressed the detonator.

As soon as moonlight came through a cloud of dust, Shouta climbed out of the tunnel, leaving a coughing Password behind him.

Leaving the tunnel, Shouta immediately started looking for the kid.

“Poltergeist. Ifrit.” He started screaming for them. “Where are you, kid?”

Shouta was searching frantically when he saw a shadow right above him. He saw someone falling when he looked up and barely had time to dodge. When he looked at the man on the floor, his eyes widened. This was Midoriya Hisashi. He was completely beaten and full of burnings. He probably had broken bones, if not from the fight, from the fall he just took. The man looked at Shouta and raised his hand.

“Help m-” Hisashi didn't have time to finish his sentence before someone landed on his stomach with both knees.

Shouta had to hide his face from the impact, but when he looked, he saw a mop of green hair, a face covered in freckles, upper chest exposed because of his burnt clothes, but besides that, the kid only had minor burns in his body. Shouta’s eyes lingered on the many scars on the kid’s chest for a moment but then looked up and saw a teary blue and an angry yellow eye. There’s no doubt about who the kid is. This is Ifrit and Poltergeist. Midoriya Izuku.

The kid grabbed the man by the collar of his shirt and brought his face closer, then he raised his right hand, which was glowing a bright purple from his flames, and started bringing it down to the man’s face.

“Kid!” Shouta said, and the kid’s hand stopped just an inch from the man’s face. 

The kid looked up and saw Shouta, then looked once more at the man’s face, then at his hands, and dropped the man back to the floor. The man hit his head on the floor with a loud thud. Hisashi wasn’t conscious anymore. The purple glow on the kid’s hand slowly dimmed.

“Eraserhead-san.” He heard the kid’s voice as the kid looked at him again. He didn’t look sad or angry anymore, only lost. “Does he deserve to live?” Poltergeist asked him. He looked at the man one more time and brought his left arm above his eyes. “After everything he did. Why shouldn’t I pluck his eyes out, as he did to mom?”

Then the kid grabbed his collar again and brought him closer. Shouta saw a purple glow on his throat as he started talking again.

“Shouta-san.” Ifrit said. “Why shouldn’t I burn him alive, as he did to mom? As he did so many times to Zu?” 

Then the kid looked Shouta in the eyes and asked.

“Why, dad? Why does this man get to live, but not mom?” And this question almost broke Shouta’s heart.

How was he supposed to answer this? Shouta’s answer will be what decides if this kid will dirt his hands with blood or not. Does Hisashi deserve to live? Frankly. Probably not. And even if he does live, the man will be forever locked in Tartarus. But this kid, his kid, shouldn’t have this monster’s blood on his hands.

“Izuku.” Shouta said, and the kid looked at him in shock, then brought a hand to his face, apparently remembering that he wasn’t wearing a mask. “Maybe this man deserves to die. Maybe he doesn’t. But one thing you can be certain of. I won’t love any less regardless of your decision.”

And these must have been the right words because the kid drops the man again and jumps at Shouta, hugging him and sobbing uncontrollably.

When the rest of the squad arrived, Shouta simply gestured to the unconscious man on the floor and asked for an ambulance to check on the kid. Shouta can see the kid has at least a third-degree burn on his right hand, but he might have other wounds.

Chapter Text

When Zuku woke up, the first thing he felt was the pain in his right hand. He looked down and saw it wrapped in bandages. Right, he used his purple flames against Hisashi. No matter how resistant he is against fire, flames that hot are bound to hurt him. He wondered how bad it looked. He tried moving his left hand to brush the bandages but felt a tug on his wrist. When he looked down, he was cuffed to the bed.

“We’ve been cuffed since we got transferred to this room.” He heard Kuzu. “Shouta almost punched the policeman when he heard it.” This brought a smile to Zuku’s face.

“I guess this is better than waking up on Tartarus. Right?” Zuku said, shrugging. “Where is Aizawa-san?”

“He left a few minutes ago, saying something like.” Kuzu cleared his throat and took a deeper voice. “This is completely illogical. This is a kid, not a criminal. Someone will lose their job.” Zuku giggled. He was about to reply when he heard someone approaching. “Let me deal with them.”

Zuku nodded and closed his eyes, passing control of the body to Kuzu. When he opened his eyes again, both were yellow. The door opened a few seconds later, and a furious duo of Tsukauchi and Eraserhead entered, followed by another policeman.

“What are you waiting for?” Shouta asked. “Uncuff, the kid.”

The policeman turned to Tsukauchi with an uncertain expression, but the detective just gave him a glare.

“Are you deaf? Uncuff the kid and leave.” Tsukauchi said angrily. The policeman nodded and immediately went to uncuff Izuku. Then he took the cuffs and left the room, ensuring to avoid both Tsukauchi and Shouta’s glares. 

Kuzu saw a small bruise on his wrist and tried to massage it with his right hand, but his fingers were immobilized by the bands. He frowned for a second and gave up on trying.

When he dropped his arm back, he felt a hand gently rubbing his wrist, and when he looked, he saw Shouta sitting next to his bed, looking at him with a worried expression. 

Everyone stayed in silence for a few minutes, nobody really knowing what to say.

-----------------------------------------------

Shouta was absolutely furious.

First, it took 5 hours just for him to be able to go visit Izuku in his room. He made sure to go check with the doctor first. The doctor went through all the injuries Izuku had, which surprisingly weren’t many. The worst part was the third-degree burning on the kid's right hand. And even it was caused by his own quirk and not by Hisashi. Other than that, he only had some minor burns. Izuku seems to have immense fire resistance. 

After that, Shouta went to check the kid in the room the doctor indicated. And what he found made his blood boil. The policeman in front of the room acting as if he were guarding a prison cell would be bad enough. But then, when Shouta enters the room, what does he find? Izuku glaring at his left arm as if it had offended him. Getting closer, what made the kid so upset became obvious. Izuku was cuffed to the bed with quirk suppressant handcuffs.

Shouta audibly gasped at this, and it was enough to get the kid's attention. The kid's yellow eyes said everything Shouta needed to know. 

When Shouta questioned the guard outside, he had the nerve to say it was just a precaution. To make sure that the vigilante would not run away again.

With that, Shouta talked quickly with Izuku and then left the room, practically spewing steam out of his ears from how angry he was. Then he picked up the phone and made two calls. The first and simplest was to call Tsukauchi. After explaining what had happened, the detective was as furious as Shouta and said he would be at the hospital in twenty minutes.

The second call was to Nedzu. Because unfortunately, if he wants to solve this problem, he will need to sell his soul to Satan, specifically the Rat Satan.

After Tsukauchi's arrival and having managed to get Izuku uncuffed, they stayed in the room in silence for a few minutes. Shouta gently massaged Izuku's bruised wrist. No one knew how to start the conversation. Shouta heard a sigh, and the kid started talking.

“I know you have questions. It is useless to stall any further.” Ifrit started.

“Alright.” Tsukauchi replied, pulling a recorder. “As you probably know, I am legally obliged to record this talk. But if you start feeling uncomfortable at any moment, we can have a break. And if needed, we can continue this another day.”

“Okay.” Ifrit replied, taking a deep breath. “Let’s get this over.” With this, Tsukauchi started recording.

“This is Police Detective Tsukauchi Naomasa of the Musutafu Police Station. Today’s date is July 16, 2XXX. The current time is 08:21 I am here with Midoriya Izuku-kun, and his current emergency foster guardian, Aizawa Shouta-san, in Musutafu General Hospital.” Then Tsukauchi gave a nod to Izuku and Shouta. “Introduce yourselves.”

“Aizawa Shouta. Pro Hero, Eraserhead.” Shouta said curtly. Izuku took a deep breath, closing his eyes, then opened again, showing a blue and a yellow eye.

“We are Midoriya Izuku. But to make it easier. I am Kuzu.” Kuzu, finally Shouta had a name to call him. “A.K.A. Vigilante Ifrit.”

“And you can call me Zuku. Vigilante Poltergeist.” Zuku said right after.

“The two vigilantes are the same person?” Tsukauchi asked, surprised. “Their statement is true.”

“We are. But we also aren’t.” Kuzu replied. “I am Ifrit, and Zuku is Poltergeist. I can’t use Zuku’s telekinesis, and Zuku can’t use my fire. We are different persons as much as we are both Midoriya Izuku.”

“Truth.” Tsukauchi said to the recorder. “Do you know how this happened?”

“Well. We have a few theories. But let’s start from the beginning.” Kuzu replied, and Shouta braced himself for the story. “Do you know about the statistics for quirkless kids?”

With that, Kuzu started explaining their story, from before when Izuku still had only one personality. How he remembers his life before his fourth birthday. How he was diagnosed(like some kind of sickness) as quirkless, his “father” abandoned them, the bullying started at the school. And then, a year later, he found his mother’s body.

After that, he started describing his life with Hisashi. He took off his hospital gown and started pointing each scar on his body and explaining with a disturbing number of details how he got each one.

After the scars, he told them about the day Hisashi forgot a folded paper cover that had a list of all the victims of the Eye Burner and how that ended with Izuku finding Hisashi's trophy room. And then how Izuku became desperate and fled the house without taking anything.

“Why didn't you try to look for the police or a hero?” Tsukauchi asked, and Kuzu started laughing at the question.

“Police? Heroes? Are you serious?” Kuzu asked like he had just heard the most ridiculous thing in his life. “The teachers at my school did not believe that I was bullied even though I had a giant blast scar on my shoulder. Do you really think that if I went to the police station and told them that my father was a serial killer, they would have listened to me? You might, but they would never let me talk to you. What would happen is that they would send me back to Hisashi, or else I would end up in foster care. And frankly, between foster care and going back to Hisashi. At least being homeless, I had some chance of surviving.”

Now, Tsukauchi looked completely horrified. Obviously, everything the kid just said rang truth for him. And as much as it pains Shouta, he also knows that it’s true. If Izuku had come to the police, they would have been ignored the moment the word quirkless was said. And worst, they would probably have called his father, and if that had happened…

Shouta doesn’t want to even think about it.

“Anyway.” Kuzu continued. “As you know, there was a fire, and they found my body inside. It happened months after I ran away. But I am obviously here and alive right? Well, I have a good guess on what happened. After running away, Hisashi tried looking for me but never found me. If it was found that I was missing for months and never reported, he would have been investigated. Well, he must have got a kid with a similar body structure to mine, and…” Kuzu didn’t finish this sentence, but Shouta could see him gritting his teeth. “And well, around the same time, another child disappeared. He was reported dead months later, but neither the body nor the person responsible was ever found. I saw his picture in the newspaper. The resemblance was uncanny.”

After that… disturbing revelation, everyone in the room needed a break to process the new information. Hisashi's list of crimes is only getting longer by the second. Honestly, even if you only count the Eye Burner murders, Hisashi would probably end up with life imprisonment. And now we add abuse and arson to the formula.

The break ended a bit earlier than Shouta would have liked, but Izuku said he wanted to end this as soon as possible. Shouta could only think that he was trying to spare Zuku from the memories. Zuku hadn’t said a single word since his introduction.

Surprisingly, the next part was much less disturbing than the rest of the story. The year this child spent living on the streets was safer for him than the last two when he had a home and family. This is disturbing in a completely different aspect. 

After explaining the event that led Izuku to develop both his quirk and his dual personality, Kuzu delved into his theory of how the two work.

“What I am going to talk about now are just theories, after all I am not some kind of mental expert. But it is the only explanation that makes sense.” Kuzu said, and with Shouta and Tsukauchi’s nod he started. “For starters, although Zuku has retained most of our original personality, it's not like he's the original Izuku. Just like me, he has some things 'missing'.” He emphasized the quotation marks on the ‘missing.’ “It is quite simple to tell the truth, I am a different side of Izuku Midoriya's personality. I was born out of his anger. And since I’m basically his anger, Zuku cannot feel anger, hatred, or other similar emotions.” Kuzu said, then held a hand before Shouta could make a question. “Yes, I know that we both decided to go after Hisashi. And that we certainly both resent him for what he did. But it was I who wanted revenge. Zuku never hated him, because he can’t.”

“That’s…” Frankly, Shouta didn’t know what he could say.

Now that he thinks about it, he noticed Zuku crying many times in the two years he’s been interacting with the kid, but Kuzu never showed any sign of tears. But what the kid is implying is…

“Thankfully most emotions are still shared, we can both feel happiness, for example. But Zuku doesn't feel anger, and I don't cry.” Kuzu continued his explanation, he was talking lower and faster by the second, the kid will probably start muttering any second now. “I know I have most of the negative emotions, while Zuku has most of the positive ones.”

“What do you mean by ‘negative emotions’?” Tsukauchi asked.

“Zuku and I are quite opposites when you think about it. I am shortsighted, Zuku is patient. I am resentful and Zuku is forgiving. I am distrustful and Zuku is trustful. I am petty and angry and Zuku is all sunshine and smiles.” Kuzu replied simply. “I’m not saying that these emotions are bad, they are both part of us, denying them would be denying who I am.” Then, before he could get too philosophical, he shook his head and looked unsurely at Tsukauchi. “Anyway, this is my story.”

With the statement concluded, Tshukauchi turned off the recorder, but for the next few minutes, no one dared to say any word. This was honestly much more than Shouta expected. After this story, Shouta is honestly thankful the kid ended up as a vigilante because if he had turned on a villain, Shouta wouldn’t be surprised.

“Is this the part where you send us to Tartarus?” To everyone’s surprise, the one to break the silence was Poltergeist, Zuku.

“What?” Shouta asked, horrified at the kid thinking he would be sent to Tartarus. Just the prospect is terrifying.

“It makes sense doesn’t it?” The kid continued. “I am a wanted vigilante. And now you have proof of who I am. I am the son of a supervillain and serial killer. I almost killed Hisashi, no matter how much he deserved it. And I just confessed three years of illegal public quirk usage in front of the lie detector detective, so he knows it's all true. Where else could you send me?”

“Kid. Izuku. Look at me.” Shouta said, and the kid looked at him. For the first time, Shouta saw the same expression in both the kid’s personalities. It was fear. “No one is sending you to Tartarus, ok? You’re not a villain, and you’ll never be.”

“Then, what will happen to us now?” Zuku asked again.

Truth be told, what the kid said makes sense. No matter what they do, this kid has been breaking laws for three straight years. Shouta is more than prepared to start a war against the hero commission if they try to send Izuku to Tartarus, but frankly, unless a solution suddenly falls from the sky, Shouta is at a loss.

“I might have the answer for that question.” Well, the solution doesn’t fall from the sky. Instead, it falls from an air vent right above them. And it’s rat-shaped. “Am I a mouse? A dog? A bear? Who knows? I’m the Principal of U.A., Nedzu!” The Rat Satan introduced raising his right paw. And well, when Nedzu said he would be there soon, Shouta didn’t expect to be so soon. Though he shouldn’t be surprised, when it comes to the rat, nothing is unexpected.

When Shouta looked back to Izuku, his eyes were practically sparkling at the sight of the chimera, but he didn’t say anything. A few seconds later, Shouta forced a cough to get their attention back.

“Nedzu. I wasn’t expecting you that soon.” Shouta said.

“Of course. It’s not everyday you ask me a favor.” The rat replied. “And I’ve been dying to meet Mustafu’s mysterious vigilante duo for a long time already.” Then he turned to Izuku. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Nedzu…” The kid whispered half in awe and half in fear. He opened his mouth to say something else, then his left hand covered it, muffling it.

“We’ll have time for fanboying later Zuku.” Kuzu said after uncovering his mouth. Then he nodded to Nedzu again. “You said you have the answer to our question? What will happen to us now?”

“Of course. It’s pretty simple, to be honest. I have a new project that I’ve been wanting to put into practice for some time now.” The rat said, taking two identical folders from somewhere, and giving one to Shouta and the other to Izuku. “Also, Shouta-kun. The last pages have something I’m sure you’ll like.”

Shouta looked at the folder titled "Project Vigilante" for a few seconds and then started to quickly go through the pages. For now, he just wants to know what it's about, he'll have time for details later.

The project is somewhat simple. A Vigilante rehabilitation project, where, if approved, the Vigilante will undergo training at the U.A. under the supervision of a mentor - that mentor being one of the professors at the U.A..  At the end of the project, if he is deemed fit, he will receive a special Hero's license, and will be able to participate in the tests to receive an official one afterwards. The details of the studies and training are all listed on the sheets. But looking quickly, Shouta noticed that it is basically the U.A.'s hero course.
And coming to the last pages, Shouta had a more than pleasant surprise. The last papers were not about the project, but official documents just waiting to be signed. Adoption documents.

Shouta looked at Izuku who was reading the papers with an expression of disbelief, but he easily noticed the tears threatening to fall from his blue eyes.

“After everything…” Izuku whispered, then he looked at Shouta with hopeful eyes. “Can someone like me be a hero?”

Shouta looked him in the eye with all possible seriousness and said firmly.

“You are already a hero, Izuku. And one of the best I've ever met.”

And the magic happened. The floodgates opened and the tears began to fall. Shouta gently hugged him, while Izuku sobbed dozens of 'thank yous' into the hero's arms. 

After a few minutes, Izuku finally calmed down, and Shouta decided to drop the other bomb. He handed the adoption papers to Izuku and once again asked the question.

“Izuku.” The kid looked up after a few seconds of staring at the papers in disbelief. “Will you let me adopt you?”

And the second wave of tears and hugs began, this time only from one eye since Kuzu decided to join in the embrace. They both eagerly nodded at the proposal. And after all, they've been through, well. This is the only time Shouta will admit that he smiled.

Shut up. Shouta is not going soft. Only for his kid.

Chapter Text

Three Years Later.

Usually, Shouta does not listen to Hizashi's radio program, he already has to deal with the blond enough at work. But today is an exception. The reason is simple enough, Izuku is giving his first interview today. Present Mic has already called dibs on his first interview three years ago when Izuku was just starting his training. And now two weeks after the official debut of Pro Hero: Duality, the time has finally come.

Pro Hero. Shouta has felt pride before. Even though he never admits it out loud. He is always proud of his students who succeed in graduating. But Izuku, his child, is a different case. The pride he feels in him is such that let's just say that Shouta has a copy of his hero's license framed and hanging on his bedroom wall. And also a copy of the article about his debut right next to it. Shut up, he's not soft. That's not the point.

The point is that Izuku's first interview will start any moment now, and if Shouta is all set to record it, no one needs to know.

Suddenly a song starts playing on the radio, indicating the beginning of the program, and a few seconds later Hizashi's clear voice begins to speak.

-----------------------------------------------

Zuku is nervous. He’s about to give an interview at Uncle Mic’s program and he’s almost panicking. They have already rehearsed what they are going to say, just a few simple questions, kind of a way to introduce Izuku to the World. It doesn't mean that Zuku is any less nervous because of it. And Kuzu, the traitor, is simply in the back of their minds, laughing at Zuku's torment. All right Zuku, deep breaths, you can do it. It's just Uncle Mic, you will end up giving interviews to strangers, better start practicing now.

Truth be told, Zuku would love to be an Underground Hero like his father, but unfortunately for Project Vigilante to be approved, it was clearly stated by the Hero Commission that the participants needed to become Limelight Heros.

The best they could do in this situation was for Izuku to become a kind of hybrid hero. He will have a media presence, give interviews, and have his own merchandise like any other hero. But most of his personal information, as well as details about his quirk, will be kept secret by the Commission. The fact that his deeds are public means that his secrets will not last long. But at least Kuzu likes the attention, so a silver line.

Anyway, the starting song is about to finish, it's showtime.

“Showtime!” He heard Kuzu speaking from the deep of his mind.

“Hey, listeners. This is your host, Present Mic. Welcome to our show PUT YOUR HANDS UP. ” Well, Uncle Mic is as animated as ever. This at least gets Zuku to calm down a little. “And today, we have a special guest. Or should I say two?”

“Why suspense? It's not like you haven't been announcing this interview all week, Uncle Mic.” Kuzu said and had to hold back his laughter when Mic looked at him pouting.

“Well, I still need to do some suspense, little listener. This is how the show works.” Uncle Mic replied, then smiled again. “Anyway, why don’t you greet our audience.”

“Hello, everyone.” Zuku was the first one to say. “I’m the Duality Hero: Poltergeist.”

“Hey listeners.” Kuzu greeted, doing a Present Mic impression.  “This is your beloved Duality Hero: Ifrit.”

“It’s nice to be here.” They said in unison. Sometimes it’s funny how they can do two voices at the same time.

“That’s right, listeners. Here we have Pro Hero, Duality, about to do their first-ever interview. These young Pro Heroes debuted less than a month ago, and already gathered quite a good fanbase. Between their quick thinking, skillful quirk usage, and a great balance and dynamic between the two of them, they already make civilians feel safety and admiration, and villains feel fear.” Good thing the interview is by radio because the right half of Izuku's face is already completely red from hearing the praises.

“Can we please go straight to the questions?” Zuku whispered in embarrassment, but the studio microphone is so good that it surely picked up.

“Alright.” Present Mic, thankfully had mercy on his soul, and picked a paper sheat where they had most of the questions written. “We asked the listeners to send us the questions they would like answered. They sent in a lot, and our team selected the best ones. First question:” Uncle Mic took a few seconds of suspense before continuing. “You look younger than my grandson. How old are you, dear?” He read the question exactly as it was sent (including doing his best impression of an old lady.) Zuku had to cover his mouth tightly to prevent Kuzu's laughter from escaping. After they calmed down, Zuku decided to answer first.

“We are both 13 at the moment. And yes I know...”

“Aren't you too young to be Pro Heroes?” Kuzu made a mocking question.

“Yes, we are. But we wouldn't have been chosen as part of Project Vigilante if they didn't trust our abilities.” Zuku explained. They had already decided in advance that they would open the game, after all, Project Vigilante was never a secret. On the contrary, with Izuku being the first participant, and proving the success of the project, publicizing it so that it would reach other Vigilantes would be the best thing to do. “And if you think we are young now, imagine when you find out how old we started.” Thirteen years old, and they already have six years of experience between vigilantism, training, and now professionally. That's almost half their lives, and they are just getting started.

“That’s right. I may not have been your mentor during the project, but all of us in the U.A. have seen how skilled you are.” Uncle Mic said before looking down at the paper again. “Next question: When are you going to start releasing Hero Merch?” Uncle Mic looked at Izuku and grinned. “So?”

“Damn, people want our hero merch?” Zuku said, scratching the back of his head.

“Of course they want.” Kuzu replied before Mic could. “Dad said already they would.” Then he turned to Mic smiling. “That depends, my dear listeners. But I’d like to say soon. God knows that this bonehead could use a little boost of confidence.” Then he made a small “next” sign while patting his own head. Anyone who doesn't know them would find it a weird scene, but Mic is more than used to seeing Kuzu comforting Zuku. To him the scene is just plain cute.

“Alright. Now let me see.” He looked one more time at his papers and smiled. “Got a good one here. Why do you two act under the same hero name? Also, will you reveal your true name?”

“Two questions in one? We got a greedy one here.” Kuzu joked.

“Answering the latter first. No.” Zuku said simply. “We want to keep our civilian and hero lives separate. Just like Uncle Mic. No one knows who he really is.”

“We know though.” Kuzu said.

“Nephew privileges.” Zuku cheered. “And no, we aren’t blood-related. But Uncle Mic is completely our cool Uncle.” Then Zuku covered his ears as Uncle Mic let out a quirk-powered scream that caused a malfunction on his microphone.

“It looks like we are having a few technical problems here. So we’ll be back right after a small break.” Kuzu said, smirking. “Stay tuned, listeners. We’ll be right back.” Okay, Kuzu makes a damn good Mic impression.

-----------------------------------------------

Shouta was never so grateful for being alone as he is right now. It’s a good thing this interview happened on his day off. Because if people saw the smile he had on his face right now, his image would be forever destroyed. I mean, everyone kinda knows how sof- Shut up, he’s not soft, you can’t prove anything.

Anyway, each question he heard Izuku answering made him feel prouder. As much as he always knew Kuzu would be able to handle it just fine. He was a little worried for Zuku. The kid is so shy that it’s hard for him to talk to anyone his own age. His only friend, at the moment, is Kuzu, which is slightly worrying, but Shouta trusts his son.

Still, Shouta is more than sure that his kid will have all the media wrapped on his finger in less than a month. It’s impossible to resist his kid’s charm. Just like the entire police department wasn’t able to. The public certainly won’t. If he didn’t wear a mask, a single smile caught on camera would be enough, but Izuku wanted to keep his true identity a secret. Mostly because he didn’t want people to make the connection between him and Shouta, since revealing Shouta’s identity could be compromising to the underground hero.

Shouta, of course, was more worried about his kid’s safety than his own, so he completely agreed with keeping it a secret. They don’t hide that they are father and son, but no one needs to know they are both heroes.

Oh, the music is back. Looks like the break is over, back to the interview.

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“Alright, listeners. Sorry for the delay.” Uncle Mic said after his microphone was changed. “But now, let’s continue. The show must go on.”

“Alright. Where were we?” Zuku asked.

“You answered the second half of this question. Let's recap.” Uncle Mic said, then read the question again. “Why do you two act under the same hero name? Also, will you reveal your true name?”

“Well, as we said, we won’t be revealing our true name anytime soon.” Zuku recapitulated his earlier answer.

“As for the first question. Well, it’s kinda simple.” Kuzu continued. “But we won’t answer that today.” He said laughing. “Now, now. Before you start booing me. There’s a good reason for the secret.”

“It wasn’t even supposed to be a secret!” Zuku protested. “I thought it was obvious.”

“It would be if our information weren’t classified.” Kuzu replied. “But yeah, it’s not a secret, but since no one knows…” Kuzu took up a paper from somewhere and started looking through it. “It’s so much funnier to read your theories!”

“This one we will eventually tell the public.” Zuku said. “But I don’t have the heart to stop Ifrit when he loves reading your theories that much.”

“Oh, c’mon Poltergeist. They are incredible. The ones about our identities are amazing. Like, look at this one.” Kuzu said, looking at the paper. “Endeavor secret love child.” He barely finished his reading before bursting into laughter. “Like, the writer had a few good arguments, but mostly it was, ‘they both have powerful fire quirks so they must be related’.” Kuzu kept trying to control his laughter. “Can you believe that? With all due disrespect, if I were Endeavor's son I would go crazy.”

“Okay, okay. You made your point, Ifrit.” Zuku said, calming Kuzu down. “But I have to agree. Endeavor sucks.”

“Anyway. There’s some really good theories over there. Some more accurate than others.” Kuzu continued. “There are some people who have come very close to getting it right. And if someone does get it right, I commit myself to come back here and read that person's theory live.”

“People will hold you on that promise, Ifrit.” Zuku deadpanned.

“Well, listeners. Our time is almost up, but we have time for one more question, so let’s get to it.” Then Uncle Mic looked at his papers one more time and looked up to Izuku smiling. “What could you say to the quirkless or people over with weak or ‘villainous’ quirks?”

“Villainous?” Zuku asked, tilting his head to the side. “That’s the biggest bull-beep* that I've ever heard before.”

“What would a Villainous quirk be? A quirk is only a tool, how you use it is what says if you are a hero or villain. Look at me.” Kuzu said right after. “People say fire is a heroic quirk. But they forget that I could burn down the entire city if I wanted.”

“As for weak, or quirkless. Believe me, I know what you passed.” Zuku continued. “I was a late bloomer, and I have the extra toe joint - which is another load of bull-beep* should I add - so everyone thought I was quirkless. I might have a quirk now, but I felt first hand what quirkless kids feel. So let me say one thing. You’re not less or more than anyone else because of your quirk. It might seem like the world is against you now. But remember there are good people too. These are the ones you should focus on. And if you ever need help,  remember these numbers.” Then Zuku passed three different phone numbers. They were three N.G.O.s focused on helping people who suffers with quirk discrimination. “I wish I knew about them before.”

“And remember quirkists everywhere. Discrimination is a crime. And you can run away all you want, but one day you will have to face the consequences.” Kuzu added.

“Well, looks like this is it.” Uncle Mic said after closing the question. “Thank you for coming, little listener. I hope we can do it again.”

“Of course Uncle Mic. You’ll always have priority over my schedule.” Kuzu said grinning. 

“That’s right.” Zuku said right after. “I will admit, I was nervous. But this was much more fun than I thought it would be.”

“Before we close, anything else to add?” Mic asked again.

“For all the dreamers out there.” Zuku said. “Never let anyone tell you that you can't do it. It doesn't matter if your dream is to be a hero, a doctor, a teacher, a janitor, or a pizza parlor night watchman. You can do it.”

“Pizza parlor night watchman? That was oddly specific.” Kuzu teased. “But I couldn’t have said it better myself. You can do it.”

“You heard them, listeners.” Uncle Mic said, then activated his quirk. “ YOU CAN DO IT. ” Thankfully the new microphone was prepared for the sudden raise of volume, so this one didn’t break. “See you all on our next program. Same time. Same frequency.”

With that, Uncle Mic started playing another music indicating the end of the program.

The cherry on top of his day was when he got home later that day, and found his Dadzawa cooking katsudon for dinner.

Chapter Text

One Year Later.

It was their day off, no patrols, no villains, just them, their father, their cats, curled up in front of the TV, watching whatever was playing. Lazy days like that always were their favorites.

But then, how did he end up having to spend the afternoon running after a damn villain made of sludge? The short answer. All Might is a moron.

Oh, you want the long explanation? Okay, sit down, here comes the story.

As already said. It was Izuku and his Dad’s day off, they spent most of their day curled on their sofa with their cats Bastard, and Pablo (I doubt you can guess who named whom.) Since they didn’t have to patrol that night, Dadzawa had just expelled his whole class(again.)

But it was starting to get late, so Dad went to start dinner, and asked Izuku to go to the mall to get some things they were missing at home. Izuku promptly accepted and went. So far so good.

But then, he had to take a shortcut through a tunnel. That's when everything started to go wrong. Starting when he heard a voice saying.

“A medium sized vessel.” The voice immediately caught Izuku’s attention, and when he turned around, he saw some kind of slime thing crawling towards him. “You’ll make the perfect skinsuit for me to hide in, kid.”

Well, great. Just on his day off too. Izuku, unfazed by the villain (he has seen worse) sidestep when the sludge tried to catch him.

“Leave this one to me.” Zuku said, raising his arm and making a grabbing motion. The villain stopped moving and their exposed eyes widened.

“You know, there are few things that I really hate.” Kuzu started saying, while Zuku compressed the villain. “Being bothered on my day off is definitely one of them.”

Saying that, Kuzu opened his mouth and shot a fire burst on the villain, who screamed in pain. Even if he is immune to physical damage, fire is hot.

“I said leave to me, Kuzu.” Zuku said, pouting. Then he took a bottle from his grocery bag and emptied it. Damn what a waste. “Now, be a good villain and enter the bottle.” He said, shoving the villain inside the bottle.

“Great. Now we’ll need to go to the police station.” Kuzu sighed.

“Hopefully, Tsuka-san will be there. We don’t have our suit.” Zuku replied.

“At least we brought the license.” Kuzu said. “Imagine the heada-”

“HAVE NO FEAR, YOU ARE SAFE!” A voice said from the other side of the tunnel. “NOW THAT I AM…” Then he stopped when he saw just a kid there. “I’m sure I heard a screaming from there.”

“Probably from this guy.” Kuzu said, showing the bottle. “This… Whatever he is, tried to attack me, said something about using me as a skinsuit.”

“I see. I've been searching for this villain for some time already. Thank you for the help, kid.” All might replied, taking the bottle and putting it in his pocket. It seems like it will fall any second now. “I’ll bring him to the police station.” Saying that, All Might turned around and prepared to jump. Which no doubt will end up with him dropping the bottle.

“Wait, All Might!” Zuku tried to call him.

“Sorry, kid. I can't give you an autograph right now, I have to go.” He said, then jumped up.

Izuku could see the exact moment that the bottle fell down from his pocket, and the giant buffon continued without noticing it.

“Great! Just great!” Kuzu said angrily. “What an imbecile.”

“I can’t believe he used to be our favorite hero.” Zuku said facepalming. Then he took his phone and dialed his dad’s number.

“Problem child?” Their dad answered rather quickly. “Did something happen?”

“Hi dad. We are fine, but we’ll be a little late.” Zuku replied.

“What happened?” Dadzawa asked and Zuku sighed.

“Well, some kind of swamp villain attacked us.” Zuku explained. “We are fine, he didn’t lay a finger on us, and we trapped him in a bottle.”

“Then All Moron showed up and took the villain saying he would bring him to the police.” Kuzu continued. “The imbecile jumped out, dropped the bottle, and probably still didn’t notice it. So now we need to find the villain.”

“This is why I hate that buffoon.” Their dad replied. “Be careful.”

“Don’t worry. We’ll call you if we need backup.” Probably it won’t be necessary, but it’s always good to be prepared.

“Alright, kid. See you soon.” Dadzawa said, then hung up.

One problem solved, now where is the villain?

“If I were a giant mud ball trying to hide, where would I go?” Kuzu asked.

“He said he wanted to use us as a skinsuit. He probably will try to find another kid.” Zuku said. “Where would we find many kids?”

They thought for a few seconds then it clicked.

“Aldera!” They said in unison.

“Alright, let’s run!” Kuzu said.

“It’s better if we fly.” Zuku replied.

They don’t have their hero suit, but thankfully, they always carry their mask with them. That, combined with the hoodie they are wearing will, hopefully, be enough to hide their identity if they have to engage. So they fly at max speed in the direction of Aldera Junior High. But on the way, they hear the sound of an explosion. An extremely familiar explosion, despite being about nine years since he last heard it.

-----------------------------------------------

Fuck, fuck, fuck. Why is this happening to him?

Katsuki is about to die suffocated by a fucking pile of sludge. Where the hell did this damn villain come from? What's all this about a skin suit? And why aren't any heroes doing anything to help him? He saw at least three heroes coming before the villain blocked his vision as well. Why doesn't anyone do anything? 

Why don't his explosions affect this damn villain? Katsuki has never faced someone he couldn’t defeat with his explosions. What is this feeling of helplessness? He hates that feeling. Was this how Deku felt all the time? 

Fuck, why is he thinking about the nerd at a time like this? It's been almost ten years since he disappeared. At least seven since the Bakugous saw about his death on the news. The nerd died in a fire. Was it the flames, or did he suffocate from the smoke? Strange to think that he is about to die of suffocation too.

Fuck! Katsuki can't die like this. He still needs to become a hero, he has to surpass All Might and become the number one hero. He already broke his promise with Izuku once. The two of them can no longer become heroes together, and it's all his fault. When Katsuki heard about Izuku's death, he promised that he would become a hero for him too. He can't break this promise too.

But it's getting harder and harder to hold on. How long has this pile of mud been suffocating Katsuki? It can't be more than a few seconds, minutes at most, but he feels like hours have passed. 

His explosions are weakening. The outside sound is getting lower. Fuck, no! If he loses consciousness now he will be dead without a doubt.

Suddenly, he feels as if something is holding him by the shoulders and then he is being pulled from inside the villain. As suddenly as it started, he feels air again and starts coughing, desperately trying to pull in as much air as possible while trying to expel the sludge that has no doubt entered his lungs.

For the next few minutes, Katsuki is not quite sure what happened. He briefly remembers seeing a skull mask, blue eyes, and a mop of dark green hair. Very familiar hair, but it can't be. He is dead.

Still, unconsciously, Katsuki raises an arm toward the figure.

“I…zu…ku…” The last thing Katsuki sees before passing out is the mysterious figure turning around and looking at him wide-eyed.

-----------------------------------------------

To say that Izuku is furious would be an understatement. The moment he heard the explosions - extremely familiar explosions - he flew at full speed to see what it was all about. 

Imagine his surprise when he saw the scene in front of him. There were so many things going wrong there. First, the slime villain holding a child hostage, trying to invade his body by entering through his mouth and nose. And the child? Katsuki Bakugou, Kacchan. It has been almost ten years since Izuku has seen him. If only it were under better circumstances. Second, three heroes watching the scene doing nothing, because and I quote "We don't have the right quirk to deal with this villain." How can they call themselves heroes and stand by and watch a child die? And no sign of All Might. It's not possible that he's such an idiot that he hasn't noticed that the villain has escaped yet, right? Whatever the reason, the symbol of peace has not yet arrived.

Well, if these heroes won't do their job, then Izuku will have to do it for them. Without bothering to ask them to make way. Zuku immediately jumps in front of them, putting on his mask on the way, and extends both arms, focusing on Katsuki who is struggling less and less. The moment he locates the blonde, he makes a pulling motion with his full force yanking Katsuki out of the villain's grasp and holding him in his arms.

Then Zuku holds the villain and compresses him, the same way he did earlier, and puts him into another bottle. Second bottle wasted. The villain only has the moment to widen his eyes in surprise, he can't even speak a word.

Looking around, Zuku sees a burning building, probably the result of Katsuki's explosions. Backdraft, another hero present, had been trying to put out the fire since Izuku arrived. Strange priorities since Katsuki was still letting off explosions uncontrollably the whole time, anything the hero put out soon burned again because of that. But at least he was trying to do something. The same couldn’t be said for Kamui Woods, Mountain Lady, and Deatharms.

Sighing, Zuku raised his arms again, and started gathering the fire on the buildings, compressing them into a small fireball and holding it in his right hand. Then he quickly swallowed it like a pill. And went to check on Katsuki. The kid was coughing and desperately trying to gather any air possible. Putting his hand gently on his chest, Zuku tries to feel inside his lungs, and there’s no doubt he has sludge there. Looking around, the others were still just watching, so Zuku sighs again and passes control to Kuzu. He is better at this. At least he can show anger.

“Do I really need to do everything here? Can someone call a goddamn ambulance before this child dies?” Kuzu said angrily, practically growling at the other heroes. It does the work, the heroes start moving around to call the rescue. “He has sludge in the lungs. So tell them to hurry up.”

And of course, the press, which simply does not know the meaning of bad timing, chooses just now to try to interview Izuku. 

“Poltergeist. Can you make a statement?” A journalist shoves a microphone in his face. Kuzu simply pushes the microphone back, glaring at the cameras.

“I can't, I'm too busy doing their work.” He says, pointing at the other heroes, who at least have the decency to look embarrassed.

Then, making sure that the ambulance is on its way, Izuku goes to the heroes, making sure to send them a glare that would make his father proud, and starts lecturing them.

The scene is honestly comical. Four adults, staring at the ground while a child scolds them, and they look terrified. What saves them from an hour-long lecture is the voice Izuku hears coming from behind him.

“I…zu…ku…” 

Izuku was the only one who heard, being used to picking up low voices even in the middle of crowds. He turns around, looking at Katsuki on the ground with wide eyes. There's no way Katsuki recognized him, right? But he has his arm extended towards Izuku. Is that a coincidence?

Then the arm goes limp and Katsuki closes his eyes. Izuku's confusion immediately turns to concern and he practically throws himself on his knees in front of his former childhood friend.

“No, no, no, no. Come on, don't pass out now. The rescue is almost here. You're going to be okay.” Izuku tries to say but has no answer. He presses his ear to Katsuki's chest, and at least his heart is still beating. He also hears a wheezing sound coming from his lungs. Where is the damn ambulance?

Almost like an invocation, he hears the sirens approaching, and unlike the heroes, at least the doctors are fast and efficient. In a matter of a few minutes, Katsuki is in the ambulance and being taken straight to the hospital where he can be treated.

After all this, Izuku goes home, mentally exhausted after this roller coaster of emotions. And to think that all this happened because the imbecile named All Might is incapable of guarding a bottle properly.

Frankly, Izuku even forgot why he had come out in the first place. In the midst of the chaos he ended up losing all the groceries he had bought. What a waste. His father listened attentively and patiently while Izuku explained in detail everything that had happened. And in the end, they decided to order a pizza, because frankly it was already too late to cook, and they would have to go to the grocery store again for that.

One thing Izuku knows now. Katsuki is fine, and stronger than ever. He will probably go to U.A.. After all, being a hero has always been his dream. 

The biggest problem is that he will find out that Izuku is alive. Izuku is already dreading the conversation they will have. The blond will certainly be angry. Izuku only hopes that he has matured at least a little in these nine years, because he doesn't want a new scar for his collection.

But Izuku is no longer the quirkless Deku. He is a pro hero now. In an all-out fight he is even able to match his father. Not to mention that the staff of U.A. will not stand idly by if something happens. Director Nedzu's anti-bullying policy is unforgiving. If Katsuki tries anything, he won't get away with it.

The exams are nine months away. Izuku wonders what kind of class will come this time. He just hopes his father doesn't expel everyone again. Although this time Nedzu has contingencies in place to prevent this.

Chapter Text

On the day of the exam, Izuku arrived early with his father. They went soon to the staff room so everyone could be prepared to do their jobs.

What? You thought Izuku would be taking the exam? No, they won't. Izuku has technically already graduated. So from this year on, they will act as teaching assistant in Eraserhead’s homeroom. Technically, they were supposed to start last year, but a certain someone expelled his whole class, so there were no classes for Izuku to assist.

As for the exam, Izuku has two functions. The first, like the other teachers, is to keep an eye on the participants to distribute rescue points during the practical part. The second is to look out for promising students who don't have the right quirks for the test. Thus, making this biased test a little fairer.

Unfortunately, they can only choose one person to pass this way, so they have to make sure they make the right choice. Especially since the chosen one will be taking someone else’s spot. The responsibility is great, but everyone agrees that Izuku can handle it, and they wouldn't have agreed if they didn't think they could too.

The participants look relatively promising this year. Some of them already draw attention, good or bad, mostly good, though. The amazing part is how many quirks Izuku can see and analyze in a single day. Obviously, the ones with mutations draw the most attention, like the boy with the crow's head, or the one with engines on his legs, clearly a relative of Ingenium. But the floating uniform - invisibility? - draws just as much attention.

On the other hand, there is also a short boy, somehow smaller even than Izuku himself, with hair that looks like a grape bunch. This one drew attention for all the wrong reasons. He doesn't seem to be taking the tests even a little bit seriously. And all the time, Izuku could see him trying to make conversation with the girls. And they all seem to get extremely uncomfortable as soon as he starts talking. This one is a great candidate to be removed in Aizawa's purge if he gets in. But who knows?

And of course, another one that draws attention is the boy with purple hair that defies the laws of gravity, combined with dark circles under his eyes that could give Eraserhead's a run for his money. If Izuku didn't know better, he would think this kid is his dad's secret love child.

Having most of the students' files in hand, Izuku quickly looks for the ones they need to keep an eye on, and what a nice surprise, the purple-haired one has a mental quirk. Hmm, Izuku will watch this one closely.

On the written test, there is not much to comment on. Izuku takes this test every year for fun, and frankly, it's too easy. If it were up to Nedzu, the test would be much longer and more difficult. But it seems that some students would not agree with him, especially those who are literally shedding tears on the paper.

Well, this is U.A., if they are despairing just because of that, they aren’t suited for this school.

After the written test, Izuku makes a point of appearing in the auditorium where Uncle Mic is explaining how the practical test will be. They stand at the room entrance watching and have to hold back from answering when everyone ignores Uncle's asking for a cheer. Mainly because they didn’t want to call attention to themselves.  He doesn't want a certain Katsuki noticing him there at the moment. Apparently, they were not discreet enough.

-----------------------------------------------

Is this the famous U.A. entrance exam? This is too easy. It’s like the test was made for Katsuki. The written test was child’s play. Will the practical test be that easy too? Probably. Katsuki is the best, after all.

He quickly locates his assigned chair in the auditorium and sits down, waiting for whoever will explain how the test will work. U.A. exams are always a secret. Everyone who takes the test must sign a non-disclosure contract, so no one knows how it works.

It doesn’t take long for a Pro Hero to appear and explain the test. Or not, because it’s Present Mic, and he obviously will act as a radio host even there.

“Everybody say HEY!” No one replied. “Jeez. Tough crowd.”

From there, Present Mic began to explain how the exam would work. Something that can be summed up as Smash as many robots as you can before time runs out.

The robots have different values, but this is not important to Katsuki. It's not like he's going to be searching. Any robot that appears in front of him can already be considered junk.

But it seems that some don't agree with him, as a four-eyed blue-haired extra decided to interrupt the explanation to accuse the A.U. of making a mistake. This "error" would be explained in less than 30 seconds if the idiot would just let the hero finish the explanation.

Katsuki turned to him with every intention of telling him to go to hell. But he ended up saying nothing. Because in his peripheral vision, he saw someone else.

Specifically, someone who wears a black cloak covering his entire body and a skull mask concealing his face.

Poltergeist. Katsuki will never forget him. It was he who saved Katsuki from the sludge villain. But that's not why Katsuki remembers him. Don't get him wrong, Katsuki is grateful to have been saved from the villain. As much as he hates to admit it, he would have died if the hero hadn't arrived on time.

But no, the reason Katsuki remembers him so clearly is the incredibly familiar green hair he saw that day. When he woke up in the hospital, Katsuki thought he imagined it, but he saw the reports. The whole thing turned out to be recorded, so Katsuki has no doubt about his hair color.

The media went crazy. After all, nobody knows anything about the Heroes Duality, except that they are both 14 years old, probably 15 now.

Katsuki, for a moment, even considered the possibility, but there was no way. The nerd was Quirkless. Plus, he had green eyes. Poltergeist has blue eyes and Ifrit yellow. Aunt Inko had a type of Telekinesis quirk, and Hisashi breathed fire. It has to be a coincidence, Izuku is dead, no matter how much Katsuki wants to believe he isn't.

Katsuki only realized that he was staring at Hero when they accidentally made eye contact. Katsuki looked back at the auditorium immediately, blushing. No one will ever make Katsuki admit it, but he has been a Poltergeist fan since before he was saved by him. He has a poster of the hero in his room. And he’s also one of the people who created theories about why two heroes share the same hero ranking and the same name. His main theory is that of the twins. The two have a similar body structure. Before the incident with the Sludge Villain, no one had seen Poltergeist without the cloak, but Katsuki saw him up close. The body structure of the two is identical. They must be identical twins.

When people start to leave the room, Katsuki realizes that he has missed all the rest of the explanation. Fuck.

Well, he knows enough already. Destroy the robots, get points. It's enough to know that. But Katsuki is not there to pass. He is aiming for first place.

-----------------------------------------------

While the participants are split up and guided to their buses and then off to their respective test blocks, accompanied by Present Mic, Izuku goes to the judging area.

When they arrive, all the teachers are already waiting. So Izuku sits down next to his dad, who’s drinking his 13th cup of coffee of the day.

“Dad, you remember the rule. No more than 17 coffees.” Kuzu said, reaching for the bottle and pouring him a cup of coffee as well.

“I still don't know how you two like this bitter stuff.” Zuku said, glaring at the cup in their hands.

“Blacker than a moonless night.”  Kuzu started saying.

“Hotter and more bitter than hell itself…” Shouta continued.

“That is coffee.” They finished together, then made a toast and downed their drink.

“You guys are impossible.” Zuku sighed. “Anyway, has anyone caught your eye?”

“No one yet.” Shouta replied, but no surprises there. His dad is really hard to impress. “What about you?”

“A few.” Zuku replied, opening his notebook. “But let's see how they fare against the robots.” Then he looked at Nedzu. “Anyway, how many zero-pointers do we have this year?”

“One for each area.” Nedzu replied.

“Then I’ll make a bet.” Kuzu said, looking at the list of names assigned to each area. “At least one of the Zero Pointers will be destroyed. I would say that two others might be deactivated but not destroyed.”

“Interesting.” Nedzu said with a glint in his eyes. “And which ones do you have in mind?”

“Katsuki Bakugou will no doubt destroy the one in his area.” Zuku said. “Hagakure Tooru. She can get close to it without being noticed. It will be easy for her if she figures out the trick to deactivate it. It will all depend on whether she will try it or not.”

“And the other one?” Nedzu asked.

“Shinsou Hitoshi.” Zuku and Kuzu said together, then Zuku went on.

“This is more of a hunch than anything else. But that one gave me a good impression. And not just because he looks like a younger version of Dad.” He smirked at his Dad, who just rolled his eyes and ruffled his hair.

“I will keep an eye on him. But if you want, my bet. 0 villain points, between 30 and 40 rescue points. 50 if he tries to face the Zero Pointer.” Kuzu said.

“Very well.” Nedzu said, looking at his screen. “The students are ready to start.”

With that, everyone focused on the multiple screens.

“It’s showtime.” Kuzu grinned.

-----------------------------------------------

BLOODY HELL! Could this test be more biased towards physical Quirks? Destroy robots. Hitoshi's quirk is brainwashing. In a test like that, he is basically quirkless. The test already started more than 15 minutes ago, and he has not scored a single point yet. 

Maybe he would have scored something if he hadn't wasted his few chances trying to help imbeciles with no sense of self-preservation in the way of other robots. Why did he waste time doing this? Who knows, he moved before he realized it. The point is, he will never get into the Hero Course that way. Damn, this is his only chance to prove that he is not a villain just because of his quirk.

In the back of his mind, he remembers the words he heard on the radio a year ago. 

Never let anyone tell you that you can't do it . You can do it. 

“Never let anyone tell me that I can't do it.” These words became his mantra since he heard them. Even if they weren’t directed to him. Duality became a hero when he was just 13. Eraserhead is Hitoshi's favorite hero, but the Hero duo is a close second place. “I can do it.” Hitoshi said to himself again before running after another robot.

Then he heard a tremor that gave him a horrible feeling. What now?

-----------------------------------------------

Sixty points already. Katsuki is having a blast with this test. It’s like it was literally made for him. Looks like the robots are attracted by sound. To each one Katsuki destroyed, two others appeared.

Katsuki had just scored another three points when he heard a loud thud on the floor. Then another one, and another one, rhythmically, like… Steps?

When he looked, he saw a giant robot walking in his direction. Everyone immediately started running away from it. Cowards. Katsuki simply grinned.

“A kaiju robot?” He yelled, starting to run after the robot. “Now we’re talking.”

He was about to use an explosion to blast himself towards the robot’s face when he heard a voice calling.

“A little help here? Someone?” When he looked, he saw a redhead with shark-like teeth trapped under some rubble.

Katsuki remembers seeing him a few times during the test. He was punching the robots and was hit a few times but didn't even feel anything. Hardening? It is a possibility.

If that is the case, he should be fine. Better ignore him and go after the titan robot.

But just as he took the first step, a voice in the back of his mind stopped him. An infuriatingly familiar voice.

If someone needs help. Isn’t it a hero’s job to help, Kacchan?

Looking one more time at the robot, then gritting his teeth, Katsuki ran towards the redhead and kneeled in front of him.

“Oy, Shity Hair. What’s your quirk?” He asked to confirm his suspicion.

“Shity Hair? We have practically the same haircut.” The redhead protested. “My quirk is hardening. I can harden any part of my body.”

“Then do it. I’ll blow this rubble. And protect your eyes.” Katsuki replied, putting his hands on the rubble covering him.

When he saw the redhead covering his eyes, he activated his explosions and blasted all the rubble away. The redhead then tried to get up. It seems he’s okay.

“Thanks, bro. This was so manly.” The redhead grinned at him.

Katsuki was about to tell the Shity Hair to go die when they heard the giant robot again. And he was too close for comfort.

“Fuck.” Katsuki cursed, then he had an idea. “Throw me!”

“What?” Shity Hair asked.

“Are you fucking deaf?” Katsuki asked. “Throw me at the fucking robot! I’ll blow him to pieces.”

“Are you sure?” Shity hair asked again.

“We have no fucking time. Just fucking throw me!” This seemed to do the job.

Shity Hair grabbed Katsuki and threw him against the robot with all his strength. Which was a bit more than Katsuki expected. Maybe his hardening also gave him a lesser strength augment?

Anyway, Katsuki flew against the robot, using his explosions to correct his trajectory. He saw the giant 0-P painted in the robot carcass and grinned.

“OP? I’LL SHOW YOU WHO IS OP.” He stopped above the robot’s head and aimed his strongest explosion down. “DIEEEEEEEEE!”

The result was instantaneous. The robot's head could not withstand the explosion and was completely destroyed, and the rest of the robot collapsed under its own weight. It seems that this one also only had size.

The moment Katsuki returned to the ground, he heard a signal. The test is over. 

Now. How many points was the titan worth again?

-----------------------------------------------

Isn’t that thing a bit too much “Plus Ultra”?

A giant Titan Robot? Really? And this thing is worth 0 points? This school has too much money.

Nope. There’s no way Hitoshi will be facing this thing. No fucking way.

He was just turning around to flee with the others when he heard someone calling.

“Help!” No, stop Hitoshi. This is the U.A. There’s no way they will really let anyone in danger. Just run.

He didn’t run.

Before he could think logically, he started running in the direction he heard the scream. And he quickly saw it. A girl trapped under a pile of rubble. She has a broken leg, at the very least.

Hitoshi ran to her and started trying to lift the ruble to help her. He managed to raise it just enough for the girl to crawl from under it. But by the time he did, the Kaiju robot was already too close. Goddammit.

“Hold on.” Hitoshi yelled and started running towards the robot, who noticed him and aimed a punch at him.

Hitoshi jumped to the side, avoiding the punch, but the shockwave made him lose balance. He looked at the giant fist buried in the floor. This thing could have smashed him. But then he shook his head, jumped on the fist, and started running up on the robot’s arm towards it’s head. He stopped on it’s shoulder.

“Alright. I hope this thing is as dumb as it looks.” He said to himself, then brought two fingers to his mouth and whistled as loud as he could while patting the robot’s head with his other hand. The robot noticed and tried to punch him again. “Looks like it is.” Hitoshi said, grinning, then jumped down from the robot.

The fist collided with the robot’s head, smashing it. The impact also made the robot lose it’s balance and fall back. Looks like his plan worked.

Hitoshi just had the time to smile for a second before realizing something. He’s falling down to the floor. Fast. He didn’t plan for this part. Great, forget about being a hero. He’s about to die.

Hitoshi closed his eyes, waiting for the impact, but then he felt a hand pressed against his chest and the impact never came. When he opened his eyes, he saw the girl with her hand outstretched towards him, and he was floating. Looks like she saved him.

She opened her mouth to say something, but then they heard a signal. The test is over.

Sighing, Hitoshi felt his weight coming back and fell down to the floor. He looked back to the 0-Pointer on the floor. Great, the only robot he has defeated, and it's the one that is worthless.

Hitoshi just wants to go home and take a nap, if possible, for the rest of his life.

-----------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, in the judging area, everyone was open-mouthed by what they had just witnessed. All except three people. Or two people and a rat.

Shouta simply watched in his ordinary expression. But Izuku saw the moment when he lifted the corners of his mouth for a single second. Nedzu was laughing maniacally. And Izuku had an ear-to-ear grin on his face. Izuku exchanged a look with his father, and both of them nodded.

“Nedzu-san.” Izuku started. “It doesn't matter how. I want him in 1-A.”

Chapter Text

It’s here. The U.A. letter just arrived, and Hitoshi is already trembling. It was by pure luck that he found it before anyone else in his foster home. If one of the other kids had seen it, they would have either hidden it, read it, or destroyed it before Hitoshi could even know it had arrived. Even worse if his foster parents had found it. They think Hitoshi only applied for Gen ed. If they knew that Hitoshi tried the hero course… Just thinking about the punishment makes Hitoshi shiver.

But now, the letter is in his hands. Hitoshi is sure he failed the Hero test. He hadn’t scored a single point on the entire physical test. But at least he hopes he got a good enough score in the written test to get a place in Gen ed.

Running to his room before anyone else could see him, Hitoshi locked the door. Technically this room isn’t just his. But the other kid is never home at this time, so it’s no problem.

Not wanting to delay the inevitable any longer, Hitoshi tore open the envelope with a little more force than necessary. From inside it fell a metal disk. It looks like some kind of transmission device. Did everyone who took the exam get one of these? Really, the U.A. has too much money.

Examining the disk, Hitoshi found and pressed a button on the right side. And then a hologram began to be transmitted.

“I AM HERE, AS A PROJECTION.” The phrase screamed ALL MIGHT, but the person saying it was not All Might. “Damn. How can he say something like that with a straight face?”

Hitoshi's mouth was practically on the floor. But how could it not be? The one in the projection is a child, apparently the same age as Hitoshi. Most of his face is covered by a skull mask, leaving only his yellow eyes exposed, and wearing a simple red hoodie. There is no way for Hitoshi not to recognize him. This is Ifrit.

The question is. Why is a projection of Ifrit in the U.A. letter?

“Why is a projection of Ifrit in the U.A. letter?” Ifrit mimicked Hitoshi’s thoughts. “What a great question, Shinsou-kun.”

“It is?” Another voice asked, then the projection cut exactly half of Ifrit’s body. Then the right side of the image started showing another kid. This one had a skull mask exactly like Ifrit’s, but he was wearing a back cloak covering his entire body. “Nice to meet you, Shinsou-kun.” He said. “Though we aren’t meeting yet. It’s more li-”

“Anyway. Answering the question before this one starts muttering.” Ifrit cut. “As you probably know we are the Duality Hero. I’m Ifrit.”

“And I’m Poltergeist.” Poltergeist said. “And we are here for two reasons.”

“First reason: Starting this year, we will act as an assistant teacher in class 1-A.” The two keep completing each other's sentences. Is this a rehearsed speech? It’s like they know exactly what the other is thinking. Maybe they really are twins.

“Second reason: To give your exam results.”

“So without further ado.” Ifrit cleaned his throat. “Shinsou Hitoshi. In the written test, you passed with a score of 87, which puts you between the top 10 of the exams. Congratulations.”

87? That’s so much higher than Hitoshi thought he could get.

“Now, as for the practical test.” Poltergeist continued, and Hitoshi’s expression instantly fell. He knows he failed completely. “You scored 0 villain points. This isn’t enough to pass the test.” Is he mocking Hitoshi? It’s obviously not enough. It’s a 0! “But being a hero is not just about defeating villains. And what kind of hero school would U.A. be if we didn't take that into consideration?”

“Let’s take a look at some interesting images we got during the test.” Ifrit said, smirking, then they disappeared.

The projection showed an image of Hitoshi shoving another kid out of the way of a 3-pointer attack. Then another one, this time Hitoshi helping another one escape from under a building that almost collapsed. The images continued showing all the people that Hitoshi helped during the exam. The last image showed Hitoshi fighting the 0-pointer.

“Over the years, several students have passed the A.U. entrance test. The number of people who have faced and beaten the 0-pointers is smaller than expected, but still a considerable number. But no one has ever done it with such creativity.” Poltergeist explained.

“And to do this to save someone you don't even know. We can say that it certainly moves people.” Ifrit continued.

Then another clip appeared. This time it was the girl that Hitoshi helped. She was talking to Present Mic.

“Excuse me, sir.” She said. “You know the kid with purple hair? The one that seems to urgently need to get some sleep?” Is it that obvious? Hitoshi touched the dark circles under his eyes, suddenly slightly self-conscious. Insomnia is a bitch. “Can I share some of my points with him? He saved my life.”

The clip cut down before Mic could reply.

“There’s no reason to show the rest. The answer to her question is obvious.” Ifrit said. “But that’s not the point. You saved her. Your actions moved her.”

“What kind of hero school would U.A. be if we didn’t reward this kind of action?” Poltergeist said. “This is why there’s a secret part for the test.”

“Rescue Points.” They said together.

“Your bravery and your actions, Shinsou Hitoshi, got you a total of 50 Rescue Points.” Ifrit announced.

“We had a program here, made for helping the kids with mental quirks.” Poltergeist continued. “We would choose a kid and they would become part of the class until the Sports Festival. If they could prove themself in the Festival, he would keep in the hero course. If not, they would be transferred to gen ed.”

“We thought about you.” Ifrit said. “But you proved you didn’t need our help.”

“You passed this extremely biased test - please don’t tell anyone I said that - with your own strength.” Poltergeist continued. “You proved to the world you can do it.”

“I’m sure you’ll be a great hero, Shinsou-kun.” Ifrit said. “And I look forward to working with you one day.”

“Having said that…”

“Welcome, Shinsou Hitoshi.” They said together, extending their hands. “To Your Hero Academia!” Then the projection stopped.

He did it. Hitoshi really did it. He got in the hero course. He’ll be a hero. He’ll prove to everyone his quirk does not make him a villain.

“I'll be a hero.” Hitoshi said to himself, not managing to hold his tears anymore. “I can do it.”

-----------------------------------------------

The first day at U.A. came faster than anyone could have guessed. Izuku was the first to arrive. On the first day, his dad always likes to be in the class before anyone else. And Izuku will be damned if he loses the chance to see it. Eraserhead is the champion in causing first impressions. 

Not that Izuku is much different. After all, they are not waiting outside the room or sitting at their desk or near the blackboard. The place they chose to wait was literally upside down, sitting on the ceiling. Why? Simple, they want to see how many students will notice them there. And also because there is the best view of the "cocoon" in which their father is sleeping.

The first one to arrive is Katsuki, and he doesn’t disappoint Izuku in the slightest. It only takes him five seconds to look up and see Izuku “hanging on” the ceiling. Izuku simply brings a finger to their mouth, a silent request for his silence.

“Whatever.” Katsuki mumbles before going to his desk and sitting down. Then putting his feet up on the desk.

The second one arrives only five minutes later, and it’s the Lida kid. This one doesn’t notice Izuku. Instead, he goes straight to Katsuki’s desk and starts scolding him for putting his feet on the desk. Something about it being disrespectful to the one who made the desk and the heroes who used it before him. Frankly, he’s too loud, and Izuku tunned him down after the first sentence.

The students start arriving one after the other. But to Izuku’s disappointment, most don't see them up there. The only exceptions are Todoroki Shouto and Shinsou Hitoshi. But both of them send alarms in Izuku’s head. Before entering, they both scan the entire room, mapping everything and everyone. Their eyes linger for a second in each possible escape route, and only after that they enter and go to their desks.

These aren’t good signs. It’s something Izuku will have to bring to his dad later. But he really hopes he’s wrong, two abused kids, one of them being the son of the number two hero. This will be a problem.

None of them brings much attention to Izuku. When they see him, Izuku makes the same signal he did to Katsuki. Todoroki simply nodded when he saw it. Shinsou’s eyes widened for a second, but he nodded too and went to his desk, right in front of Katsuki.

Small talk soon began between the students. In less than ten minutes, groups started forming. The exception being again, Todoroki Shouto and Shinsou Hitoshi. Another bad sign. Todoroki practically closes himself in a box, so no one tries to approach him. Shinsou said in dry words he wasn’t there to make friends the moment the girl who he saved in the entrance exam tried to talk to him. Another thing to remember later.

As soon as the clock strikes 8:30, the show begins.

“If you’re here to make friends, I suggest leaving now.” Shouta starts saying. Half of the class looked horrified when they saw the yellow caterpillar getting up. The other half went to their desks and sat down. “It took eight seconds for you to notice me there and quiet down. You’re too illogical.” Shouta looks up for a second, seeing Izuku trying hard to hold his laugh. Shouta hides a smile in his scarf before continuing. “I’m Aizawa Shouta, and I’ll be your homeroom teacher. Now.” He throws a pile of uniforms on his desk and starts going to the door. “Put these on and follow me. I won’t wait. Whoever takes more than ten minutes will have detention.” Then he leaves.

The kids look awestruck by what just happened. Most of them don’t make a move. But, as funny as the situation is, Izuku will try to save them from having to face Eraserhead’s fury right on the first day. So he drops down from the ceiling right in front of the blackboard, then says.

“He’s serious. Aizawa is one of the strictest teachers you will ever meet, and he does not make empty threats.” This seems to do the magic. Most of them instantly recover from the shock and rushes for the door.

Smiling to himself, Izuku enters one of the vents in the room and goes straight to the gym. He arrives practically at the same time as his dad. None of the students is there yet.

“You know the drill, right?” Shouta asked them.

“Of course, Dad.” Zuku said, smiling. They won’t reveal Izuku’s name, nor his secret yet. They will say it after the test. So only the survivors will know. “The mask stays until anyone we need to expel is expelled.”

“You seem sure someone will be expelled.” Shouta replied.

“Oh. I have no doubt. You’ll see.” Zuku said. “Anyway. You’ll use the logical ruse card?”

“Only if needed.” Shouta replied. “And something tells me I will. How many noticed you?”

“Only three.” Zuku said. “Bakugou Katsuki, Todoroki Shouto, and Shinsou Hitoshi. I’ll need to talk to you about the last two later. I’m worried about some signs.”

“Worried as in…?”

“Abuse.” Zuku supplied. “They showed a bit too many signals already.”

“Alright. We’ll talk later. Anything else?”

“Bakugou Katsuki. I’ll probably need to talk to him after today.” Zuku said, rubbing his temple. “He’s Kacchan, you know?”

“Do I need to be worried?” Shouta asked, looking him in the eyes.

“Hopefully not.” Zuku said. “Kuzu will be there, and I’m not helpless. But hopefully he won’t attack me.”

“If he does, he’ll be expelled.” Shouta said in a dry tone. “Even if he doesn’t like you, he’ll have to respect you. You are his teacher now.”

“Duly noted.” Zuku smiled. “And I can’t expect anyone to respect me if I don’t respect myself.”

“That’s my boy.” Shouta replied, pulling him into a hug.

A hug that was rudely interrupted when they heard someone cooing near them. When they looked, they saw a pink girl with horns, a redhead with shark-like teeth, and another blond boy with a black lightning bolt pattern in his hair. The three of them smirking at the scene.

Zuku and Shouta slowly walked away and tried to recover from their embarrassment. Good thing Izuku's mask doesn't let them see how red he is. Even better, Shouta can be intimidating even in such a situation. With his eyes glowing red and his hair floating.

“One word and you will have detention for the rest of the semester.”

All three gulped and nodded.

Soon the rest of the students arrived. And Shouta began to give his usual test. The quirk assessment test. The goal is simple. To see where the students are in terms of power, control, and creativity with their quirks. And also to filter out those who clearly do not have any potential. This test is surprisingly effective.

Everything was going very well. Until some idiot dared to say the word "fun" in Shouta's presence. They dug their own grave.

“Fun? Do you think you are here to have fun in the next three years? Then let's raise the stakes a bit. Whoever finishes last will be considered without potential and immediately expelled.” It looks like the "Logical Ruse" card will be used now. Well, they deserved it.

“We have worked so hard to get here. You can't kick us out on the first day, that's not fair!” Okay, they need to shut up. NOW.

“Kuzu, a little help here?” Zuku mumbled, then felt Kuzu smiling.

“I’m on it.” Adjusting his cloak so the hood would cast a shadow on his right eye, Zuku passed half his control to Kuzu, who started talking. “Fair?” Everyone turned to him. “Tell me. Is life fair?” He took off his right glove and raised his hand so everyone could see his scarred hand. “Are villain attacks fair? Accidents? Natural disasters? No, they aren’t fair. But even so, it’s a hero’s job to save people from them.”

“This is U.A.” Shouta continued. “The teachers here have the freedom to conduct their classes as they see fit. In the next three years you’ll have to prove time after time you all have what it takes to be a hero.”

“And to do this, you had to overcome challenges no matter how unfair they may be. That is the motto of the school. Go beyond, Plus Ultra.” Kuzu said, then smirked under his mask. “They’re all yours now, Zuku.” He whispered, then gave the control back to Zuku.

“So, if you want to stay there. Prove to us you have what it takes to.” Zuku said, then nodded to his Dad.

“Well said.” Shouta nodded. “Now. Let’s start!”

“Yes, Aizawa-Sensei!” The class echoed. Good, at least they learn fast.

Fortunately, the test went smoothly. Most students excel in at least one of the tests. The exceptions being Shinsou and Mineta. 

Shinsou proves to be average in all tests. He does not excel in any test. But he doesn't come last in any of them either. If he were using his quirk, he could easily be first in all tests, but he seems afraid to do it.

And then we have Mineta. This one definitely thinks that Shouta is bluffing. He's not putting any effort into any of the tests, coming last in most of them. Not to mention his attitude towards the girls in the room who are clearly uncomfortable and avoiding him.

Seeing how hard Shouta is holding his clipboard, it is obvious that he is at his limit not to stop the exercise and expel the bunch of grapes with legs now. Izuku is not much different.

Fortunately, it doesn't take long to get to the last test. The ball toss. The last one is Shinsou, and Shouta seems to have noticed the same as Izuku because he makes sure to emphasize his words again.

“As long as you don't leave the circle. Anything goes .”

Izuku also decides to give him a little help, making sure to stay in Shinsou's field of vision. When their eyes meet, Zuku nods slightly, and Shinsou's eyes widen.

“Are you sure?” He asked Zuku.

“Absolutely.” Zuku replied, and instantly he felt his conscience slipping.

How interesting. It’s the same feeling as when he passes control to Kuzu. And how to watch from the passenger's seat while someone else is driving it.

“Use your quirk and throw this ball as far as you can without hurting yourself.”

Then his body started moving. It would be a disconcerting feeling if Zuku were not already used to it. As stupid as the prejudice is, he can see why idiots would be afraid of this quirk. Zuku, however, knows that there is no reason to be afraid.

Entering the circle and receiving the ball, Zuku soon begins to act. Shinsou is smart, he doesn't know the Poltergeist techniques, so the command was “throw as far as you can”, meaning the effectiveness of the throw depends only on Zuku. And well, throwing hard is not exactly difficult when your telekinesis can easily lift almost 30 times your own weight(and Izuku weighs around 60 kg).

Zuku and Kuzu have taken this test several times. It is one of the ways that Shouta uses to keep track of Izuku's progress, both of the physical and quirk. He has done several tests of ways to throw this ball, and the best way he has managed so far is the simplest of all. Float the ball and throw it as hard as he can. It sounds simple, and indeed it is, but effective. The 1273M on Shouta's device attests to this. The second-highest score in the room, second only to Uraraka and her (literal) infinity.

After this, Shinsou immediately releases Izuku from the brainwashing.

“This is the kind of creativity we are searching for.” Zuku said, grinning at Shinsou.

“And that’s it.” Shouta said after the tests are over. “I can’t be bothered to announce it, so see for yourselves.”

He turns his screen to the students and shows the results.

1. Yayorozu Momo
2. Todoroki Shouto
3. Bakugou Katsuki
4. Lida Tenya
5. Tokoyami Fumikage
6. Shouji Mezou
7. Ojiro Mashirao
8. Kirishima Eijirou
9. Ashido Mina
10.  Shinsou Hitoshi
11. Uraraka Ochako
12. Kouda
13.  Satou
14. Asui Tsuyu
15. Aoyama Yuuga
16. Kaminari Denki
17. Sero Hanta
18. Jirou Kyouka
19. Hagakure Tooru
20. Mineta Minoru

After showing the results, Izuku and Shouta exchanged a glance and a nod.

“Having said that.” Shouta sent the students a glare that could make All Might shiver. “Mineta Minoru, go to the Principal’s Office. You are expelled.”

“What!? You can’t do that.” The grape kid starts whining. “I can’t be expelled. I didn’t even get to touch any boobs yet.”

“You have five minutes to go to the principal's office. I won’t repeat myself.” Shouta repeated, this time activating his quirk for extra intimidation.

“Why me?” Mineta tried again. “Why not the kid with the villain’s quirk? What is he even doing there?”

“Okay. That does it.” It’s not usual for Kuzu to simply barge in. But since Zuku can’t feel anger, Kuzu always knows when he should feel angry for both. “Zu!”

“On it.” Raising his right hand, a chain slips from under Zuku’s cloak sleeve and wraps Mineta, effectively trapping him.

“Now, listen to me.” Kuzu starts. “You are being expelled for three reasons: Number one. You didn’t show any intention of taking this test seriously. I know when someone is not even trying, Aizawa knows too. Number two. In less than a single day, you sexually arassed every single girl in this class. So be grateful we aren’t calling the police, because we have proof. And number three: Quirk discrimination will not be tollerated here. So this is your last chance, you can go to the principal’s office, or I can drag you there.” With each word, Kuzu took a step closer to the grape kid, letting all the venom drip in his voice. Mineta looked, rightfully, terrified, which was exactly what Kuzu was aiming for.

“And why should I listen to you? Who are you?” But apparently not enough to cut the talk. 

“What do you mean, who am I?” Kuzu asked angrily. “Didn't the acceptance letter say?” He shot a look to the rest of the class, who looked completely confused, except for Shinsou. “Really? All Might was supposed to have introduced me in the letter.” He sighed. Just one more mess with All Moron. Doesn’t this guy have a single brain cell?

“Looks like he forgot.” Shouta sighed, then leveled the class with another quirked glare. “This is the Duality Hero: Poltergeist.”

“Ifrit and I will be assistant teachers in class 1-A.” Zuku explained as he unwrapped the chains from Mineta’s body and turned to look at the class. “And while I am just an assistant, I have Nedzu’s full permission to expel someone if I find it necessary. So rememb-”

But before Zuku could finish, he was hit in the face by something sticky, and he immediately tried to pry off his face. And surprise, it's one of Mineta's hairballs... And that it's with Izuku's mask stuck on, which means everyone can see his face.

“Fuck.” Zuku hears Kuzu saying in the back of his mind, but he’s so in shock that he doesn’t even scold Kuzu for his language.

“DEKU?????” And Katsuki recognized him. Just. Great.

“Silence!” Shouta said in his most angry voice, already trapping Mineta in his capture scarf. “All of you, go back to the classroom and wait for me. Poltergeist will be watching. If anyone starts crowding, they will be immediately expelled. Understood?”

“Yes, Aizawa-Sensei!” The class replied in unison.

Then he left, dragging Mineta in his capture scarf. Probably to Nedzu’s office. Originally, he would just be transferred to gen ed and have a chance to return to hero class if he did well in the Sports Festival. But after what he just did, he will be lucky if he is accepted in any other hero school on this continent.

“Bakugou-Kun, wait here for a moment. The rest, to the changing room and then straight to class.” Zuku said, trying to hide his trembling voice.

Just great, Izuku wanted to, at least, be the one to take off his own mask. The plan was to introduce himself at the end of the class, not like this. 

Izuku just can’t catch a break. At least it isn’t a serial killer this time.

Chapter Text

Shouta was furious. Hmm, by now, this is practically his second nature. Shouta’s moods can be resumed to either tired or furious. But still, he has a good reason. He just had to drag Mineta to Nedzu’s office after the grape boy literally attacked Izuku, and to make it better, he also ended up making Izuku lose their mask. So now, they’ll have to explain it to the entire class. Yes, this was the plan from the beginning. But still, it would be in Izuku’s time. They wanted to reveal themselves, not be unmasked.

Shouta knows the reason. It’s called Bakugou Katsuki. Izuku wanted to tell the kid on his own because Zuku thinks he owes it to Bakugou for never having reached out to say he was alive. It’s honestly stupid. Izuku doesn’t own anything to anyone, even more since Shouta knows Katsuki wasn’t Zuku’s friend. He was his bully. But Zuku never saw it like this. His kid can be pretty dumb at times.

He can only hope that Izuku can handle it for now. But it doesn’t look like that's the case. Shouta could feel the tension from outside the classroom. Sighing, he opened the door and took in the scene. The students were talking quietly among themselves while occasionally glancing at the front of the room or Bakugou's desk. Bakugou, who up to now had not shut up about anything, was quiet in his seat and promptly ignoring the stares.

And finally, sitting at Shouta's desk, was Izuku with their head down and their eyes unfocused and their lips moving silently. Shouta would be alarmed if he hadn't seen this happen before.

Because of the different way that Izuku's mind works, disassociation works differently for them. Technically, any time one of the two is asleep is a form of disassociation. As long as the two do not disassociate at the same time, the other can bring him back to reality.

The moving lips indicate that they are talking.

“Can someone explain to me what is going on?” Shouta asked, entering the room.

“After you left, Poltergeist asked Bakugou to wait a bit. They spoke for less than ten minutes. When they got to the room, Poltergeist said to just wait for you.” Lida explained, then pointed to Izuku. “He’s been like that since we got here.”

It seems like the talk didn’t go well. Will he have to expel Bakugou?

“Izuku.” Shouta called and put a hand on his son’s shoulder. Then yellow eyes instantly focused back and turned to look back at Shouta. “Are you okay? I can deal with this if you want.”

“Nah. We can handle it.” Kuzu replied, and Shouta saw him signing something.

‘Zu is not really fine. Expect a breakdown when we get home’ Shouta nodded, then got up.

“Alright, Hellspawn. Yes, I’m calling you that from now on. Pay attention because we’ll just explain this once.” Shouta started. “And remember, you all signed a non-disclosure agreement.”

“Well. Let’s do it then. I-” Kuzu started, but then stopped and looked up for a second, everyone followed his eyes, but there was nothing. “Are you sure, Zu? Alright.”

When he looked back at the students, he had a blue and a yellow eye. It looks like Zuku wants to participate.

“I - Well, we are Aizawa Izuku.” They started saying. “Pro Heroes, Ifrit and Poltergeist.”

The class kept silent for about five seconds before the chaos started. Everyone is trying to ask questions at the same time.

“We?”

“Aizawa?”

“Ifrit and Poltergeist?”

“What?”

Shouta sighed and flared his quirk, silencing the class.

“Now. One at a time. Questions?” Shouta said, and several hands were raised. “Just remember he’s not obliged to answer.” Then he nodded to Izuku.

“Alright, first.” Izuku looked at the raised hands and pointed to the pink girl. Probably because it was the first one he remembered the name. “Ashido-san.”

“Are you and Aizawa-sensei related?” That’s easy enough to respond to.

“Are we, dad?” Kuzu, the little shit, looked at Shouta, smirking.

“We are.” Shouta waved him off.

“Yup, this grumpy is our Dadzawa.” Kuzu continued, pulling Shouta in a side hug. “And we love him.” Shouta buried his blushing face in his scarf but didn’t try to escape the hug.

“Next.” This time Zuku called. He easily pointed to the infinity girl. “Uraraka-san?”

“Did your eyes change color? I’m sure they were both blue.” She asked shyly.

“Well, this will probably be the answer to a few questions in one.” Kuzu said. “Like, why do you have two hero names? And, why do you refer to yourself as we?”

“The answer is simple.” Zuku continued raising both his hands. on the left hand, he started moving the chains, and on the right, he created a fireball. “We are both Ifrit and Poltergeist.”

“As for the why.” Izuku closed his eyes, and when he opened them, they were both blue. The fire in his right hand died.

“You can call me, Zuku.” Zuku smiled sweetly at the students. “I am Poltergeist.” Then he closed his eyes again, and this time they were both yellow when he opened.

“And I am Kuzu. Ifrit.” Kuzu grinned at the confused students.

“Has anyone here ever heard of Dissociative Identity Disorder?” Zuku asked, and this time a few raised their hands, less than half the class.

“Well, you should read a bit more.” Kuzu chided. “Basically we have two personalities living in the same body. We call ourselves Zuku and Kuzu.”

“And our quirk is a dual quirk.” Zuku continued. “Fire creation and Telekinesis. But I can only use telekinesis, and Kuzu can only use fire creation. Hence the distinction in our Hero Personas.”

“Other questions?” Kuzu asked again. “Tokoyami-kun?”

“Are you like Dark Shadow then?” 

“Not quite.” Kuzu put a hand on his chin. “I’m sure our quirk had something to do with our… separation. But I’m not a sentient quirk.”

“What a mad banquet of darkness.” Tokoyami sat down again. 

“Anyone else?” This time, only one hand was raised. “Kaminari-kun?”

“Er… Then, who is the… real Izuku?” Kaminari asked awkwardly.

“Okay. First, I know it wasn’t the intention, but rude.” Zuku said. “Second, there’s not a real Izuku. We are the two sides of Aizawa Izuku’s personality. Both are Izuku. Anyone else?” When no one raised their hands, Zuku continued. “Great, if you have questions, you can come to me, there are some things I won’t answer, obviously, but I consider myself quite an open person.”

“And remember, yellow is me. Blue is Zuku.” Kuzu said. “Dad can tell us apart just by expression and body language, but for others, it's just a look in the eye. And if you want to talk to the other, just call out.”

“And please, don’t call us Aizawa. We don’t need to make this confusing.” Zuku said, then turned to his dad. “It seems that our time is up. I'll go ahead.”

Then he left the room at the exact moment the bell rang.

“Alright. I’ll see you tomorrow, don’t be late.” Shouta addressed the students then went after his son.

-----------------------------------------------

As Katsuki watched Izuku leaving the room, a single thought passed by his head. He fucked up.

Katsuki spent many years thinking about what he did to Izuku. Yes, he was just a brat. But this is not an excuse. After the nerd disappeared, Katsuki became even more volatile. The anger was uncontrollable, and every day it only got worse. Until the day he hurt - really hurt - one of his classmates. The details don't matter. The important thing is that someone almost died because of him.

Less than a week after the incident, the news reported a fire and a death. That day, Katsuki saw Izuku's face in the obituary. The Bakugous were practically the only ones in the funeral. Even Hisashi didn't show up at his own son's funeral, but Katsuki always knew he was a piece of shit. The funeral was held with the coffin closed. Katsuki heard his mother comment that the body was unrecognizable.

As he watched the funeral, Katsuki made a promise. He promised in front of the lapstone that he would be better. That he would learn to control his anger and that he would become a real hero. The best hero in the world.

And then, nine years later, he learns that Izuku never died. Instead, he’s the world's youngest Pro Hero, has a mental disorder, a new last name, and a quirk. When he saw the nerd, the feelings became overwhelming. It was his chance to say what he wanted before. To say he was sorry for betraying him.

But instead, Katsuki did what he always did when his emotions got too much. He got angry. And when he’s angry, he loses his filter. He said things he didn’t mean. And he hurt Izuku again.

After everyone left for the locker room, only Katsuki and Poltergeist remained in the gym. Katsuki barely registered them leaving. The only thing in his mind was one question. Is this really Izuku?

“Baku-” Poltergeist started, but Katsuki cut him.

“Are you really Izukui?”He asked, not sure of what he wanted to hear.

“Yes, Kacchan.” And this answer didn’t leave any room to doubt. Only the nerd would call him Kacchan. “I am.”

And this should be good news, Izuku is alive. God knows how many times Katsuki wished he could see him again, to say the words he never said. This was his chance to say it. Just two words.

But when he looked at that smile, that hopeful face, only old memories resurfaced. And with them, old habits came back. What he said couldn’t be further from the “I’m sorry” he wanted to say.

“YOUR USELESS DEKU.” And later, even Katsuki would be surprised by the amount of venom in his words. Why was he so angry? Shouldn’t he be happy?

“Kacch-” Hearing his old nickname only made him angrier for some reason.

“SHUT UP! DON’T CALL ME THAT!” And then, Katsuki started bombarding him with his words without letting him respond. “YOU DIED. AND THEN, NINE YEARS LATER, YOU SIMPLY COME BACK LIKE NOTHING EVER HAPPENED. BEEN PLAYING THE HERO SINCE THEN? WHAT KIND OF JOKE IS THAT? HOW A USELESS QUIRKLESS DEKU LIKE YOU EVEN DID THAT?” And with each word, the smile in Izuku’s face fell, slowly, the hopeful expression in his face disappeared. “WHY AREN’T YOU DEAD!” When Katsuki had to stop to breathe, Izuku finally said something.

“I guess it was too much to expect that you would stop hating me just because I have a quirk now.” When he looked up, Katsuki saw a single tear falling from his blue eyes. “But I never thought you really wanted me dead.”

“Wai-” Fuck, this isn’t what he meant. He doesn’t want Izuku dead. But when he tried to reply, to his surprise, the sadness in Izuku's face changed to anger, and his blue eyes became yellow. It was like looking at a completely different person.

“Go back to the class, Bakugou.” Even his tone changed. What just happened?

Katsuki wanted to say something, to ask what happened to him. But he froze when he looked at those eyes. Eyes filled with anger. It was an expression he never expected to see in this face, especially not directed at him.

So he simply nodded and turned to walk to the changing room. He could hear Izuku mumbling something to himself.

“At least he didn’t attack us. It’s a win, right?” He heard a tear strained voice asking.

“He attacked you. Not physically, but he attacked.” The angry voice replied. “I was better than we expected, but still…”

Katsuki left the question of why Izuku was talking to himself for later. Instead, what stuck in his head the moment was another thing. He thought Katsuki would attack him. Izuku was expecting to be hurt. And he wasn’t wrong. Katsuki hurt him, just not the same way Izuku was expecting.

And the worst part is that Katsuki can’t blame him for thinking like that. He never gave Izuku any reason to expect something else from him.

And now, after everyone has left, Katsuki can’t help but wonder if he’ll ever have another chance. Izuku is Aizawa-sensei’s son. Katsuki could easily be expelled for what he said today. And he couldn’t even say he didn’t deserve it.

He fucked up completely.

Chapter Text

To Zuku’s credit, he managed to keep himself together and seemed fine until they got home. They heard a purring as soon as they entered the apartment. When they looked, they saw Pablo, their white cat. They found him about two years ago, or more specifically, Zuku found him during one of his patrols. No one wanted him, the main reason being his face. Pablo was one serious case of animal cruelty. Someone sliced the corners of his mouth, and thanks to that, his face looks like he always has a Cheshire cat smile on it. Add this to the ears that look almost like horns and eyes that always seem to be judging you, and you have possibly the scariest cat in existence.

And Pablo also has the power to back up his scariness. He's one of the rare animals with a quirk. Zuku learned this the hard way. When he met the cat, he was wary of everything and everyone. When Zuku tried to approach it, he felt a headache similar to when he overused his quirk. It took weeks of leaving food for the cat until Zuku gained his trust enough to approach him without being attacked.

Pablo's quirk was named Aneurysm. A mental quirk activated by eye contact, the cat, can make the target feel severe headaches, and if held too long, it can even cause a stroke. Guess no one needs to mention how dangerous this quirk is.

But even with all this, for Shouta and Izuku, this cat is simply the sweetest thing they know, and they will fight anyone who says otherwise.

“Hey, sweetie.” Zuku said, kneeling next to the cat, who instantly jumped on his arms and started rubbing his head against Zuku’s face. “I’m fine now, don’t worry.”

“No, Zu, you aren’t.” Kuzu interrupted him.

“Will you tell me what happened?” Dad asked.

“Will you keep calm?” Zuku asked back. 

Zuku knows that his dad will be angry when he hears what happened. But he doesn't want him to expel Katsuki. Was the blond cruel with his words? Yes, he was. Did he hurt Zuku? Not physically, but he did.

But Katsuki has much more than a powerful quirk. He has the potential to be a great hero, and he’ll never have the chance to do it if his dad expels him because of this single event.

“I’ll try to.” And it’s the most he’ll get from Aizawa. Still, Zuku will try.

So, as calmly as he can, Zuku explains what happened after his dad left. He even manages not to start crying when he says the words that hurt so much to hear.

“He said WHAT???” But clearly, the words bothered his dad.

For all the talk of acting logically, Dadzawa is always the first to lose his cool when something affects Izuku. It's usually something sweet to see, but Zuku wanted it to be different at this particular moment.

“He said, ‘Why aren’t you dead?’” Not helping, Kuzu. “Among other things.”

“He’s so expelled.” Dad said, already pulling his phone, probably to call Nedzu, but Zuku held his wrist before he could.

“Stop, dad please.” Zuku said, already crying.

“Zuku, I said he would be expelled if he tried anything.” Dad replied.

“You said you would expel him if he attacked us. He didn’t.” Zuku argued.

“Physically not. But he still hurt you, Zuku. Verbal abuse is as bad as physical abuse.” Dad said back. “We can’t just let this go.”

“Zu. Stop, please.” Kuzu interrupted. “He doesn't deserve your forgiveness. Not if he doesn't apologize.”

“I know, but…”

“Please, Zu. He already hurt you too much. He’s not your friend.”

“You don’t owe him anything kid.”

Zuku knows it. Deep down, he knows it. The memories of when Izuku and Katsuki were four years old and attached by the hip are just that, memories. Logically, he knows that the only reason he doesn't resent the blond is that he is incapable of feeling anger. After all, Kuzu clearly resents him.  

But at this point, it is precisely because he is incapable of feeling anger that Zuku knows he can be logical. Yes, he doesn't owe Katsuki anything. If he hates Izuku, it's a shame, but Zuku will survive without his childhood friend. However, that doesn't mean that Zuku will let all his chances be destroyed because of this.

Reluctantly, Zuku let go of his dad’s wrist. But he didn’t give up.

“Please dad. I know you saw his potential. Just give him a chance to change.” Zuku argued again. “You don’t need to forgive him, neither you nor Kuzu need to. You don’t need to let this slide, you can give him another form of punishment, like detention. You can make him have counseling with Inui-San.”

His dad pondered for a few seconds, really pondered, then he looked at him with a serious expression. At this moment, this wasn’t his dad. This was Eraserhead.

“Why?” He asked. “Why should I give him a chance?”

“Because if you don’t. No one will.” Zuku replied in an equally serious tone. “I know what he did. I am not forgetting, nor just forgiving. But I know if someone can help him be better, it’s you dad.”

“Kuzu?” Eraserhead asked.

“I don’t want to forgive him. He hurt Zu too much.” Kuzu said, then sighed. “But… Zu is not wrong either. If we just expel him, he’ll never learn to be better. He could be a great hero, with the right guidance.”

And at that, Eraserhead sighed, then his expression softened as he put a hand on Izuku’s head and ruffled their hair.

“You two. I’m proud of you.” Dad said, smiling at them. “I’ll give him a chance. But it’ll be his last.”

“Thank you, dad.” Zuku said, hugging him.

“He’ll need to follow a few rules if he wants to stay.” Dad continued. “First one is, he’ll treat you with respect. If I hear him calling you Deku again, he’s out. I’ll be giving him a week of detention, and he’ll have mandatory counseling with Hound Dog.”

“Let me talk to him too.” Kuzu said. “I have something to say.”

“Fine. But I’ll be close this time.” Dad replied.

“That’s fine by me.” Kuzu grinned. “I just want to talk to him.”

“As much as I’m sure he deserves. I won’t let you kill him.”

“Nah, don’t worry, dad.” Kuzu replied. “It’s not like I’m trying to sneak Pablo into the school.”

“Please don’t!” Zuku pleaded, and the cat purred at the same time. “You know Pablo won’t hesitate to kill someone if we ask. You remember what happened when that thief tried to invade.”

“I remember how it took dad two hours to notice we had an unconscious man in our living room.” Kuzu teased.

“I had just returned from my patrol and hadn’t had my nap yet.” Dad defended.

“Aren't you the one who is always talking about situational awareness?” 

“On another note.” Dad tried to change the subject. But the red ears were obvious. “Tomorrow will be the first heroics class.”

“Great. A full class with All Moron.” Kuzu replied. “I can’t wait to be ignored the entire day.”

All Might is a good person and a great hero. But he has one fatal flaw. The imbecile always thinks he knows everything, and as a result, he ignores everyone's opinion. In class tomorrow, Zuku won't be surprised if he completely ignores the script and puts the students in some dangerous situation like battles with quirks before any training or safety instruction.

“Did Majima-san say something about our new costume?” Zuku asked.

“He said it will be ready by tomorrow.” Dad replied. “He also said he finished most of your support gear.”

“Finally. I can’t believe we’ve been doing this for more than a year and just now the commission approved our costume.” Kuzu huffed. “Honestly, one would think after getting a license you would get better gear than when we were a vigilante but noooooo.”

“Better late than never, I guess.” Zuku shrugged. “Anyway. I’m exhausted and we don’t have to patrol today, so I’ll go to sleep. Don’t stay up too late Kuzu.”

Then less than five minutes later, Kuzu felt Zuku sleeping in their mind.

Kuzu almost followed him up, but then he felt his phone vibrating. He got a new message, and he knew exactly from whom.

BurningDownTheHouse: Are you free?

Crazy/NotCrazy: Maybe. Is it important?

BurningDownTheHouse: Would I be messaging you if it wasn’t?

Crazy/NotCrazy: Fair enough.

Same place as always?

BurningDownTheHouse: I’ll be there in 20 minutes.

Also, prepare for a donation.

She’s hungry.

Crazy/NotCrazy: OK!

“Dad?” Kuzu called, and Shouta looked at him. “I'm going out for a while. I need to meet my Adult Problem.”

“Be careful.” Dad replied, handing him a pot of burn ointment. Great, so he knows exactly who Kuzu is talking about.

“I’ll be!” Kuzu chirped, already moving for the door, picking his coat, then putting on his red shoes.

These shoes, to this day, are still something that never fails to sour his mood. As someone who has been quirkless, Izuku knows better than anyone what they mean. It's pretty simple. Quirkless people have an extra joint in their pinky toe, so normal shoes don't fit them comfortably.

Quirkless people are about 20% of the population, but something that isn’t usually considered is that this number has been dropping with each generation. That is to say, in fact, 20% of the world's population is quirkless, but most of these people are in the elder groups. If we think only of those under 30, this percentage would be something like 2% of the population.

Making shoes for such a small group is certainly not very profitable, so most companies don't even consider it. In fact, only one company manufactures the so-called "primordial shoes" in all of Japan. And that is not the problem.

The problem is that the company owner is basically a quirkiest of the worst possible strain. His motive for making the primordial shoes is not at all noble. All the primordial shoes are made in the same bright red model. So that anyone on the street can identify someone quirkless just by looking at their feet. And since no other company even considers making shoes for the quirkless, it's either that or go barefoot, which would be just as obvious even if it were a good idea. The purpose is obvious.

It would be easier to make all quirkless people walk around with a sign on their chest or something. Izuku may be a false positive, but they still have the extra joint. Yes, Majima-san would be more than happy to make shoes adapted for him if they asked. He made boots for his costume, after all.

But he doesn't do that. On the contrary, Izuku makes a point of continuing to wear primordial shoes. Simply to prove a point. Izuku is not the first false positive to exist, nor will he be the last. They are rare, but they still exist. This whole thing about the extra joint is completely outdated nonsense. It is much more superstition than anything else. Practically anyone with some kind of bird mutation has the joint. It is a natural part of their anatomy.

One of Izuku's biggest battles is to make everyone aware of this fact. This is why they are entirely open about being a false positive. That is why they always wear primordial shoes. But that doesn't mean they like them.

Hell. If Izuku earned a coin every time someone twisted their nose at them or crossed the street after looking down and seeing red shoes, Izuku could retire and buy a mansion in the best city in Japan. This is, of course, ignoring the less discreet, who said words that should not be repeated.

But now is not the time to think about that. Kuzu needs to go out to meet a "friend."

Then about 20 minutes after leaving the house, Kuzu finds himself in a dark alley. The usual place. Looking around, there was still no one there, so Kuzu simply decided to wait.

And he doesn't have to wait long before he hears a sound and turns around just in time to catch, between two fingers, a knife flying towards his face.

“Oh, I thought I got you.” A female voice, too animated, said. “You’re no fun, Ku-chan.”

“Hi to you too, Himi-chan.” Kuzu sighed, already opening his arms to the blonde girl that instantly tackled him into a hug.

“Animated as always.” A deeper voice called, and a dark-haired male entered the alley after the girl.

“Dabi! How is my favorite arsonist doing?” Kuzu chirped, injecting as much sarcasm in his words as he could.

“It had to be Ifrit.” Dabi mumbled. “Where’s your… Brother?”

“Sleeping.” Kuzu replied, tapping his head with his index finger. “Long day.” Then he turned to the blonde girl. “And I heard you were hungry?”

“It’s been three days already!” She said.

“Alright, not criticizing.” Kuzu replied, starting to pull off his jacket. Then he turned his back to the girl. “Try not to cause a mess, please. I like this shirt. And watch out for the artery.”

The girl instantly perked up and buried her teeth into Kuzu’s neck, it stung a bit, but he’s more than used to that. With that, he addressed Dabi.

“So, what did you need to say?” He asked.

“Well, I thought you should know, since you’re working at U.A. now.” Dabi said while pulling a cigar, and Kuzu held a flaming finger for him. “There’s this new group calling themselves the ‘League of Villains’. that's been recruiting tugs everywhere.”

“Tugs?” Kuzu asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Anyone with any kind of criminal past. From a pickpocket, to a murderer;” Dabi explained. “They tried to approach me and Toga -”

“Himiko!” Himiko called, then sank her teeth back into Kuzu’s neck.

“Himiko.” Dabi sighed. “Their leader wants to kill All Might.”

“And since All Might works at U.A. now, they have an opportunity to attack, and potential hostages to use.” Kuzu said. “Well, this is amazing.”

“The tugs are probably cannon fodder.” Dabi continued. “But their leader seemed really confident they’ll succeed.”

Thinking about All Might’s condition, Kuzu couldn’t not be worried. Could these villains be aware of his weakened form? But how could they?

“If you’re telling me this. I suppose you didn’t accept his offer.” Kuzu replied.

“Of course not.” Dabi said, indignant. “I want to kill Endeavor, not All Might.”

“And you don’t want to attack your little brother’s class.” Kuzu smirked at him.

“Shut up, brat.” Dabi muttered.

“Have you considered my offer?” Kuzu asked again.

“I did, and just like I said last time. It’s impossible.” Dabi replied. “I’m not even a Vigilante, Ifrit.”

“You are.” Kuzu replied. “You use your quirk to attack other villains, this makes you a Vigilante.”

“Still impossible.”

“For now.” Kuzu sighed. “It’s slow work, Dabi. But we are getting close. Endeavor will fall. And then, I promise you, I’ll bring you back to your family.”

“I wish I could trust you, Ifrit.” Dabi said sorrowfully. “I really wish. But this is Endeavor we are talking about.”

“True, but even Endeavor can’t outsmart Nedzu.” Kuzu replied. “So please. Don’t give up yet. As long as you don’t go full villain, I can bring you into the Project Vigilante. The same goes to you, Himi-chan. So just avoid murder, and stay low.”

“Alright. I’ll trust you for now.” Dabi said, then pulled an envelope from his coat. “And here is the information you asked last week. He’s really hard to find.”

“If he wasn’t he would have been caught already.” Kuzu replied. “But there’s only so much a Vigilante turned villain can do to stay hidden. Especially if they keep acting. Thank you, Touya.”

“Don’t mention.” Dabi replied, smiling slightly. “Hey, Himiko, you’ll suck him dry.”

“That’s what she said.” Kuzu giggled.

“How mature.” Dabi said, as Himiko let go of Kuzu’s neck.

“Thank you!” Himiko said as she helped Kuzu put a bandage on the place she had just bitten

“No problem.” Kuzu said. “Now, I need to go home before dad gets too worried. Oh, Dabi, this is from dad.” He gave Dabi the burn ointment. “I can attest to its efficiency.”

“Let’s see.” Dabi replied. “Sleep well, brat. I’ll contact you if I learn anything new.”

“Bye, Ku-chan. Say hi to Zuzu for me!” Himiko chirped, and then they both left.

Well, this honestly went much better than Kuzu expected. It seems like Dabi is really opening to them. And Kuzu will be damned if he betrays this trust.

One way or another, Endeavor will fall.

Chapter Text

The second day at U.A. started almost like the first. Hitoshi arrived at the classroom fifteen minutes before homeroom started. And, by force of habit, scanned the entire room before entering. It’s always been like that for him. The only difference from the first day was that Poltergeist wasn’t ‘sitting’ at the ceiling this time, and Bakugou wasn’t in the room yet. Whatever, he doesn’t care, so he just goes to his desk, sits down, and proceeds to nap until homeroom starts.

Five minutes before homeroom begins, Bakugou enters the room, wearing an expression stuck between annoyed and fearful, interesting. He goes straight to his desk and sits down without another word. He doesn't even yell when the redhead with shark teeth tries to talk with him.

Then, soon after that, Izuku enters the room. Hitoshi takes a second to look in his eyes, trying to see which one is that. Yellow eyes, so this must be Kuzu, right? Unlike yesterday, today, he was not wearing his hero costume. Instead, he was wearing a U.A. uniform like any other student would. That is, if you ignore the tie that appears to have been tied by a right-handed person who has two left hands.

Life can be funny at times. Eraserhead has always been Hitoshi's favorite hero and still is, but Duality easily takes second place, mainly because of his involvement in anti-discrimination campaigns. After finding out about the NGOs they talked about on the radio program, Hitoshi went after them.

And what did he find out? Apparently, Ifrit and Poltergeist constantly donate 80% of everything they earn to these NGOs focused on fighting discrimination and openly take a stand against any kind of prejudice, be it against mutation quirks, villainous or quirkless.

It didn't take long for the duo to become the second-best hero, in his opinion. And now, their favorite heroes have become their teachers. Frankly, few things are more incredible.

Scanning the room, Kuzu grinned at Hitoshi for a second then sat down at Aizawa’s desk. Just like yesterday, Aizawa-sensei seems to immediately teleport to the room's door the moment the signal rings. This time, the room immediately falls silent and watches him.

“Five seconds, that’s better.” Aizawa-sensei nods at the class, which almost bursts into cheers, but a single glare with glowing eyes and floating hair silences them.

From there, an incredibly normal day follows up. Homeroom with Aizawa. Mathematics with Ectoplasm. Science with Snipe. Then Lunch. After that, it’s Study-hall, again with Aizawa. And then it’s time for Fundamentals of heroics. Before the class started, most of the students were theorizing about who would teach this subject.

Izuku looked like they wanted to be dead, which obviously meant it wouldn’t be Aizawa. So who could it be?

“I AM HERE!” Oh. There’s no mistaking this voice. “COMING THROUGH THE DOOR- ” Each word made Izuku look like he was sinking more in his chair. Seems like All Might isn’t his favorite teacher. “LIKE A NORMAL PERSON!”

“The day I see a normal person walk through the door like this will be the day I know that humanity is beyond salvation.” Kuzu mumbled to himself, and Hitoshi had to hold his snickering.

As All Might started introducing himself, Izuku looked about to start headbanging his desk. Especially when All Might introduced their costumes.

“No hero is a real Hero without his Hero Costume.”  He announced with a dramatic tone, and clicking a button on a remote, draws popped out of the wall with a hiss, numbered cases coming out along with them

Well, Hitoshi understands where he’s coming from. But isn’t Sir Nighteye’s Hero costume basically a formal suit? A costume might be important, but he makes it sound like it’s the most important thing.

Well. At least the class is excited to see their costumes. Hitoshi is excited too. He can’t deny it. And for some reason, All Might had an extra case in his hands.

“Young Aizawa?” He called Izuku.

“I said to call me…” Izuku sighed again. He’s doing that a lot today. “Forget.” He waves a hand.

“Er. Power Loader said to give this to you.” He passed the case to Izuku.

“Finally.” Izuku replied, smiling. “Now. If I’m not wrong, our class today will be at Gym Gamma?”

“Not quite, Young Aizawa.” All Might said, and Izuku’s smile instantly dropped. “We’ll be going to Ground Beta.”

And Izuku visibly scowled at that.

“Ground Beta? What are you planning, All Might?” Kuzu asked, gritting his teeth.

“We’ll be doing combat training.” All Might said like it should be obvious.

“On the first day? Without any prior training?” Kuzu asked in his most deadpan expression. “At least tell me it will be quirkless training.”

“What would be the point?” All Might asked, tilting his head to the side. Kuzu took a long deep breath then started talking slowly.

“The point, All Might. Is to not let 19 super powerful teens freely use their quirks against each other without any previous training in how to do it safely.” Kuzu replied.

“Experience is the best teacher, Young Aizawa. Don’t worry.” All Might waved off his concerns.

“You know what? I give up.” Kuzu said, then turned to the class. “Suit up and follow him, I’ll be back soon.” Then he left.

“Where is he going?” Kaminari asked.

But the question everyone had at this moment was another.

Will we really be okay?

-----------------------------------------------

But of course, it had to be All Moron.

What kind of idiot thinks such a lesson plan is a good idea? Izuku watched Aizawa's quirk assessment test first hand. He analyzed each of the students. Apart from two, no one there has any kind of adequate training to be doing combat training. Most of them probably can’t even understand how dangerous their quirks really are.

Today it should just be a review, test, and critique of the costumes. Dad is already at Gym Gamma waiting, after all. THAT'S WHERE THEY SHOULD BE GOING.

With his costume case in hand, Zuku decided that, to hell with it, and simply rose from the ground flying at full speed toward the Gym Gamma. Bad day to have forgotten his phone. He almost crashes against the door in his hurry. 

“DAD!” He’s already yelling, which startles Shouta, who barely keeps himself from jumping. Izuku would be laughing in any other situation, but now they have a disaster to prevent.

“Zuku? What happened?” Dad asked worriedly.

“All Moron happened.” Zuku replied. “He changed the schedule. The class isn’t coming here.”

“Where are they going?” Dad asked hesitantly.

“Ground Beta.” Zuku replied. “He wants to do combat training.”

“Combat… Training?” Zuku could practically see his Dad’s soul leaving his body. “Dammit. What is he thinking?”

“I have been working here for two days and I already want to ask for a raise. Taking care of an almost 50 year old child was NOT in the job description.” Zuku facepalmed. “Anyway, we need to run. Because there’s no way this won’t end with broken bones, at the very least. Can I carry you?”

“It will be the fastest way.” Dad nodded.

Then Zuku carefully lifted his Dad and took flight again, full speed towards Ground Beta. When they arrived, only All Might was there. Which means the students must be changing. At least no, they didn’t start yet.

“It looks like we're just in time. Go put on your costume. I'll take care of the imbecile.” Dad said, then Zuku nodded.

He entered the changing room just in time to hear his father kicking the door open. Dramatic as always.

The sound of the kick must have been louder than expected because the moment Izuku enters the changing room, everyone looks between him and the door with expressions caught between surprise, confusion, and fear.

“Aizawa is having a little 'conversation' with All Might. No need to worry.” Zuku said with a sweet smile that soon became a mischievous smirk when his eyes turned yellow.

“Actually, I'll bring a batch of cookies for whoever records the conversation and sends me the video afterwards.” Kuzu said as he passed through the boys to start putting on his costume.

Most of the boys had already changed and were just waiting for the rest. Zuku almost stopped for a moment to look at their clothes but decided to leave the analysis for a few minutes. When he and Dadzawa will do the critiques. But with a simple glance over it, he already knows a lot will have to be changed.

“Okay. Go ahead, I’ll meet you guys soon.” Zuku said, waving.

A few seconds later, everyone started leaving the changing room, some more skittish than others. Zuku could faintly hear his dad’s voice from outside as he ‘spoke’ to All Might.

Then Izuku put down their case and opened it carefully, already grinning at his costume. They’ve been waiting for years for this. They finally have a real hero costume, and it seems that Majima-san didn’t hold back on it.

First, the costume consisted of a Jumpsuit, similar to his dad’s - Yeah, Izuku asked specifically for it, sue him - and with the same reinforcements to protect his vital parts. The right half of the suit was red, and the left half was black, with a circular switch in the chest region.

Next, the boots were a simple and functional pair of combat boots, the left boot was red, and the right boot was black, opposing the suit's colors. The soles had several holes, perfect for the flames.

Fingerless knuckle gloves, in the same pattern as the boots, the black half of the costume wears the red glove, and the red half wears the black glove.

Two bracelets, following the color pattern of the suit.

A briefcase with five arrows, darts, some bottles of different colors, two cameras, about the size of a marble ball, and a set of 6 rings and a slightly larger one. Plus some basics, like capture tape, first aid kit, energetic cereal bar for night patrols.

A black cloak, with several pockets on the inside, similar to the one they always used. The difference being that the button that fastens it is shaped like a skull. Nice detail.

And last but not least, the mask. The skull mask has become their main symbol. There's no way Izuku would change it now. And of course, Majima-san did a fantastic job with it. The style of the mask is the same as the one Izuku has always worn. But with a bonus, protected eyes. There was also a tiny button on the side of each eye.

Quickly putting on his clothes, Izuku continued to look through the case. A note explaining the features of the costume and support gear.

Hello, Izuku. Sorry for the delay, but I finally finished your costume.

As you requested, the costume can freely change between you two as you wish. Just turn the switch on the chest. Right for black, left for red, and center for bi-color.

Testing it, when Izuku turned the switch to the left, the suit, boots, and gloves turned completely red. Then, turning it to the right, it became black. Perfect. Grinning under his mask, Izuku turned it back to the center, and the suit went back to the original half-black, half-red. Then he looked back at the note.

The gloves are for Ifrit. They have plating in the knuckles for extra punching and protection, and they are heat conductive. The entire costume and support gear must be able to easily resist up to blue flames, but I didn’t find a way to make it resist your purple flames yet.

The cloak was the simplest part. I kept the original design of your cloak and only added a few details. The black color should absorb any light, so you will be untraceable in the dark unless the person has some sort of detection quirk. The inside is full of pockets to store your gadgets. 

The arrows we talked about are stored in the case. Five arrows, they must be durable enough to withstand yellow flames without melting. But take it easy.

The vials, be careful with them, okay? The blue one is a tranquilizing drug. The yellow is paralyzing. The darts are hollow, so you can put the drug inside them. The moment they pierce the target, the drug is released. The dosage can be adjusted.

The transparent bottle has a flammable liquid. Coat the arrow, then apply a small flame, and boom. Flaming Arrow. A coating should last about ten minutes. Simply wrap the arrow in your cloak if you need to put out the fire sooner. The oxygen cut should extinguish the fire instantly.

The rings. Press them against the person, and they will trap them like handcuffs. Since you said, it’s harder to hold onto humans or animals when they are resisting.

They are designed to attach to key areas of the body. The recommendation is wrists, shoulders, ankles, and knees. The largest ring is for the neck.

The mask is reinforced, so it should give your face some protection, but it’s not too much, so be careful. The eyes are protected, and the glass is one-way only. If you press the switch on the chest, the eyes will glow in the color your suit currently is. And the mouth can open up so you can breathe fire through it. I made it to detect when you open your mouth in the right way. 

The buttons on your mask work together with the cameras. You will see an R and an L on each camera. The R camera is connected to the button on the right the L to the button on the left.

Press the button, and the camera starts recording. Any recording will be transmitted directly to the corresponding eye in the mask, besides keeping a copy of the recording on the memory card that I have installed in the hood of your cloak.

Be careful. An electric shock will fry the cameras instantly, the video recording will be safe, but these cameras are difficult to build.

Finally, the bracelets. These gave me a little trouble, but I managed to make them just as you wanted. They are strong enough to be used as a blockade against blade and bullet attacks. But that's not what you wanted them for. Your chains were adapted and placed inside them as you wanted. It was very hard to find an alloy strong enough to keep the chains thin, light and practical. You owe me a coffee for this one.

To launch the chains, you must make specific movements. Just press your fingers on the palms, and they come back. Make a drawing motion from the shoulders, and it will launch the neutral chains. They are as heavy as Nemuri’s whip and should hold as much as your dad's scarf.

Make a drawing motion from the waist, and you will throw the flammable chains, one tiny spark, and the whole chain will catch fire. Throwing your arm, like you want to stab something, you throw the grappling hook. The tip of the chain is tipped like a dagger, and as soon as it pierces something, it will open into a hook to attach to the pierced surface.

That's the gist of it. If you need any adjustments or changes, you come straight to me, right? Absolutely under no circumstances are you to interact with the pink-haired girl named Hatsume.

Hatsume? This name is familiar. Where did Izuku hear it before? Oh, well, they can look at it later.

For now, Izuku finished putting on the bracelets and the cloak. Then he slid the vials and arrows in the pockets of his cloak, in the waistline, together with a few other utility things, like a first aid kit. And of course, there is no shortage of space for Jelly Pouches.

What? He’s Aizawa's son. Of course, he eats (drinks?) this stuff.

He keeps the suit in the neutral position and goes back to the Ground Beta to meet the rest of the class.

And they enter just in time to see a golden scene.

All Might look pale as a ghost, and every single person in the room seems either confused, terrified, or both. While Dad is simply standing there with his neutral expression. No, scratch that. His lips are curved half a millimeter upwards. The bastard is loving the scene.

Kuzu is really hoping someone recorded what happened.

Meeting his dad’s eyes, Izuku tilted his head in All Might’s direction, but Shouta simply shrugged.

“Now that everyone is here. Let’s start with the… ‘Combat training’.” Shouta said with as much disdain as he could. “Since All Might has assured me that nothing will go wrong, I'll just be watching.” He gave a pointed look at All Might, and Izuku is sure he saw the giant man shiver, and his right hand twitched for a second.

“Now that you’re all ready. We can start.” All Might said.

“Sir!” Iida shouted, raising his hand. All Might nodded. “This is the fake city from our entrance exam. Does that mean that we'll be conducting urban battles again?”

“Not quite. I'm going to move you two steps ahead.” Oh, Izuku doesn’t like where this is going. “Most of the villain fights you see on the news take place outside. However, statistically speaking, run‐ins with the most dastardly evildoers take place indoors.” All Might explained proudly, and Izuku can’t help the shiver he’s feeling at where this is going. “We won’t be using robots this time.” Which can only mean one thing. And it’s bad.

"Sir, will you be the one deciding who wins?" Iida asked.

"Do we need to worry about the losers getting expelled like earlier?" Uraraka asked.

"Will you be splitting us up based on chance or comparative skill?" Yaoyorozu asked.

“Isn’t this cape beautiful?” Aoyama asked, and at that, Izuku blinked and looked at the boy. Yeah, it’s a cool cape, but it doesn’t look practical. Mental note for later.

“Calm down, calm down. I’ll explain everything in a second.” Then All Might put on a pair of glasses- Huh, what do you know? - and a goddamnit script. Couldn’t even memorize his lesson plan? Really?

“The situation is this. The villains have hidden a nuclear missile somewhere in their hideout. The heroes must try to foil their plans.” The class had quieted down by then. “To do that, the good guys either have to catch the evildoers or recover the weapon. Likewise, the bad guys succeed if they protect their payload or capture the heroes.”

Dad looked torn between trying not to laugh and trying not to facepalm. Izuku rarely felt as tired as his dad, but this is one of those times.

“We’ll be deciding the teams by drawing lots.” 

“Isn't there a better way?” Iida asked.

“It’s logical if you think about it.” Yaoyorozu replied to him. “Most of the time Pro Heroes have to team up with heroes from other agencies on the spot.”

Yes, it makes sense. Pro Heroes rarely get to choose who they team up with. But something - this something being All Might’s confused face - tells Izuku this isn’t the reason All Might decided to do it this way.

Anyway, with the explanation out of the way, they started drawing the teams. As it said, the draws were mostly random, but the last team wasn’t. Dad made sure that those three would be last and paired together. Why? Because Zuku asked him for a chance to observe them closer.

Tokoyami Fumikage, Todoroki Shouto, and Kaminari Denki. Due to the expulsion of a student, the options were for someone to fight alone or for a team to have three people. Therefore, these three will form a team.

“Sensei?” Kaminari raised his hand. “All the teams are paired already. Will someone fight twice?”

“No, young Kaminari.” All Might replied. “Instead, your team will face another person.”

“Me!” Zuku chirped.

“Exactly. The last battle will be young Tokoyami, Todoroki and Kaminari, against young Aizawa.” All Might said.

“Wait, they’ll face a pro hero?” Ashido asked. “Is that fair?”

“Absolutely not.” Zuku replied. “That's why we are making it fairer.” He raised his hand, showing three fingers. “They’ll be fighting as a trio, Kuzu won’t participate, only me. And last, I’ll be fighting quirkless.”

“How will you fight without your quirk?” Iida asked. “Isn’t that too dangerous?”

At this statement, Zuku simply lifted his mask, showing his face to the students.

“Don’t underestimate the quirkless, Iida-kun.” Zuku said, grinning. “You’ll regret it.”

Chapter Text

This "Combat Exercise" went a little better than Izuku expected. Not that it's surprising, their expectation was so low that the surprise would be if it didn't go better than he expected.

But to be fair, even with Aizawa having let All Might get on with his lesson plan, he made sure to give the class a big lecture on self-control, caution, and safety. And, probably out of fear of the hobo teacher, most took the warnings seriously. After all, nobody wants to be expelled.

Thankfully, most students suffered only light wounds.

The first match was Sero and Hagakure as heroes, against Ashido and Kirishima as villains. Sero discovered just how corrosive Ashido's acid is, and that his tape is a horrible match up against it. But, thankfully, he just had some light burns and Hagakure was simply made for this task. The moment she ended in the hero’s team, the exercise was basically won. Sadly, since Kirishima never saw Hagakure approaching, he never got to even start showing how he fights. Nobody had any doubt when the MVP went to Hagakure.

Shinsou and Uraraka as heroes, against Iida and Bakugou as villains, went better than Izuku expected. Once more, Shinsou proved how much he deserves to be there, when he tricked Bakugou into replying to him and activated his quirk. In a show of coordination and strategy, Shinsou used Bakugou’s explosions to break the floor where Iida was guarding the bomb. And Uraraka used the oportunity to touch and float Iida to the ceiling and capture the bomb. A great show of teamwork. And again, everyone agreed to consider Shinsou the MVP, since the plan was basically his. Except Shinsou himself, who tried to say it should be Uraraka. 

Mental note: build Shinsou’s self-confidence ASAP. 

The victim of this match was Uraraka, who had to go to the infirmary after her breakfast decided to drop by to say hello. Drawback of her quirk.

Satou and Ojiro as heroes, against Kouda and Jirou as villains, was really interesting. There weren't any animals that Kouda could call for help. But with the help of Jirou’s quirk, they made a sound like a dog’s whistle that called dozens of birds to help them. Again a great show of teamwork and creativity. Satou and Ojiro fought well, each in their own style, but as soon as Satou’s sugar started to run out, they ended up overwhelmed by the swarm of birds and lost. This time, the MVP went to both Kouda and Jirou.

No one was hurt too badly here, but Ojiro and Satou may have developed a healthy fear of birds.

Asui and Shouji as heroes, against Yayorozu and Aoyama as villains, could have gone better. Asui and Shouji, showed great synergy between Shouji’s brute strength with his six arms, and Asui frog-like agility. Yayorozu and Aoyama were a bit... less coordinated. Aoyama was too distracted by his cape and was ambushed and captured early on. From there, Yayorozu, barricaded herself inside the room with the bomb and used defensive strategies to buy time. With flash grenades, barricades and well-placed traps, she almost won by herself. However, with a well-matched joint attack, Shouji managed to distract her long enough for Asui to be able to jump over her and reach the bomb in the last ten seconds. Despite losing, Yayorozu deservedly took the MVP of the match.

This was the cleanest match of all, no one suffered more than a few scratches.

After each match, Aizawa commented on the key points, as well as offering criticism on what could be improved.

After this, the last match was about to begin. Zuku as hero, against Kaminari, Tokoyami, and Todoroki as villains.

As agreed, Kuzu will be sitting this one out, and Zuku will be fighting quirkless. Also, in this exercise, the villains clearly have an advantage, since they have five minutes to scout the area, and chose where to hide the bomb. All Might said that true heroes must be able to adapt to any kind of situation, and he’s not wrong. But still, this is too advanced for first years. Izuku had 4 years of experience as a vigilante, and even so, his dad only let him take part in this kind of practice in his second year of training. To regular students, this probably would be something that a third-year would do.

At least no one broke anything. Though this is probably more because most of them hold back a bit in fear of Dadzawa.

As soon as the starting signal went off, Zuku sat down, waiting for the five minutes and forming his strategy in the meantime. The reason Izuku took an interest in these three right away is quite simple. In terms of brute strength, these three have the strongest quirks in the class. However, the more powerful the quirk, the more difficult it is to control.

Todoroki's quirk is Half-Hot, Half-Cold. An elemental quirk that allows him to generate fire from half of his body and ice from the other half. Incredibly powerful, and with him being the youngest Todoroki, and with Izuku knowing what he knows about Touya. A lot of red flags are being raised here.  

But the talk about abuse will have to wait for later, now Izuku needs to see how familiar Todoroki is with his quirk.

Tokoyami's quirk is Dark Shadow. A sentient quirk, in the form of a raven made of shadows. The mere fact that it is sentient should make it extremely difficult to control. But the name Dark Shadow already gives Izuku some ideas of what their strengths and weaknesses might be.

Kaminari's quirk is Electrification. An Emitter quirk that allows him to use electricity to attack, and frankly, the scariest of the bunch. If Kaminari has good control of his quirk he can easily be one of the strongest in the class. However if he doesn't have good control it can be very dangerous for him.

Taking a deep breath, Izuku stands up and prepares his gear. Taking two darts, he puts the sleeping drug in one and the paralyzing drug in the other, then reduces the dosage to the minimum. He checks the bracelets, making sure they are working as intended. His costume is left all black, and his eyes are deactivated.

“Young Aizawa, time is up. You can go in now.” All Might called through the communicator.

Instead of running through the door or a window. Zuku calmly walks along the side of the building, following the visible electricity wiring to the power box. Grabbing his pocket knife, Izuku quickly opens the box and cuts all the wires, effectively shutting down all the power in the building, and turning off all the lights.

Everyone knows how Limelight Heroes fight, break in through the front door and Smash everything in their path. The more show-off the better. But what Izuku will show everyone are the tactics of an Underground Hero. If he can inspire some students, all the better.

Next, Zuku throws his grappling hook just below the second floor window and climbs up to it. He hears a voice from inside and stops before entering.

“It's all out.” It’s Kaminari’s voice. “But no sign of him. Todoroki is still with the bomb, right?”

“Indeed he is.” This is Tokoyami. “And he’ll freeze the entire building any second now if someone doesn’t stop him.”

“The entire building… What a show-off.” Kaminari joked. “If he does, we’ll be caught on his attack too.”

“Well, he doesn’t seem to care.” A third voice called. Oh, it’s Dark Shadow. “And frankly, I want to fight too.”

“Behave, Shadow.” Tokoyami chided. “Let’s check the next floor. He might have climbed through a window.”

“Alright, I’ll stay here and-” Then Kaminari stopped. “No, no sign of him.” Oh, he’s talking to Todoroki. It must be a communicator. “I’m on the second floor, and Tokoyami is about to go check the third.” A few seconds pass again. “Alright, we’ll try.”

“Revel in the darkness.” Tokoyami calls and starts walking again.

Zuku waits a few seconds in case someone comes back, then enters through the window. Thanks to the window, it is not too dark, but a few rooms inside, there’s much less light, which is perfect for Zuku to hide.

As expected, Kaminari is patrolling the area, his quirk sparking around his body making it glow. A good strategy, since he doesn’t have a flashlight. But it also shows exactly his position. The fastest knockdown would be to hit him with a sleeping dart.

Zuku sneaks closer to him, taking the dart in his hand, and stops just behind Kaminari. He approaches the arrow to the back of his neck, then stops, puts the dart away, and instead lightly touches Kaminari’s shoulder.

“In a real situation, you would already have been caught.” He said, then jumped back when Kaminari turned to look at him, already hiding in the shadows again.

“What the… Where are you?” He asked.

Zuku, smiling under his mask, started circling him through the room, he pressed the switch in his suit, activating the glowing eyes.

“I’m right here, villain-kun.” Zuku said in a teasing tone, then deactivated the eyes again and jumped out of the way of Kaminari's charge. “You’re too slow. Want to try again?”

“Okay, try to dodge that one.” Kaminari said, joining his hands, Zuku saw the electricity crawling through Kaminari’s body, then he directed all to the floor. “ Indiscriminate Shock 1.3 Million Volts. ” And then, there was electricity flying everywhere.

Zuku quickly aimed his grappling hook to the ceiling and reeled, avoiding the attack completely.

“Okay. I have to admit. This is pretty powerful but-” Zuku stopped talking when he saw Kaminari’s face. The boy had a hollow expression, and was walking around with two thumbs up and making an unrecognizable sound. “What. Are you okay, Kaminari-kun?” He dropped back to the floor and walked closer, but Kaminari didn’t react. “Oh, god. Did you just short circuited your brain?” Again no response. “We need to correct this ASAP.” Zuku mumbled, then took the capture tape from his cloak and gently wrapped it around Kaminari’s waist, then tied it to a wall.

“Kaminari Denki is captured.” All Might announced.

“Now, I need to keep going. Tokoyami or Todoroki will be checking this place soon.” Zuku mumbled, then, giving Kaminari a last glance to make sure he was okay, he moved on.

Finding the stairs to the next floor was quite easy. But instead of climbing, Zuku opted to wait. His patience was soon rewarded, when he heard footsteps approaching. A single person, the footsteps almost inaudible, which indicates that it is someone light. Probably Tokoyami, he must have bones like those of birds, which would make him quite light for someone that size.

When he arrives, instead of immediately looking for Zuku, Tokoyami leaves the dark room as quickly as possible, immediately going to one of the windowed rooms. Interesting choice, if Zuku's hunch is correct, Dark Shadow becomes stronger in dark places, so why give up this advantage?

Following Tokoyami, he overhears a conversation.

“Calm down, Shadow. We can't lose ourselves in a situation like this.”

“But Fumi, I want to fight. This is the perfect situation!” Dark Shadow whined.

Zuku grinned under his mask and started walking closer. What an interesting thing he just overheard.

“Interesting, want to tell me more?” He said, and two pair of eyes instantly snapped to him. Tokoyami seemed shocked for a moment, and Dark Shadow instantly lunged to attack Zuku.

Zuku sidestepped, and Dark Shadow hit the wall behind him, destroying it instantly.

“Powerful, what else do you have, little bird?” Zuku teased, and Dark Shadow lunged again, this time Zuku crouched avoiding the hit again, then took a few steps back.

“Calm down, Shadow, don’t fall for his provocation!” Tokoyami tried to reason, but Dark Shadow was ignoring him.

After a few seconds, Zuku saw Tokoyami being dragged closer. There must be a limit to the distance the Dark Shadow can travel from Tokoyami. If Zuku is going to take a guess, about five meters.

“C’mon, little bird. Catch me if you can.” Zuku provoked again, going deeper into the darkness.

“Oh, you won’t escape!” Dark Shadow said, and lunged again. This time faster, and stronger.

“The darker it is, the stronger he, or is she? they? I’ll have to ask later. Anyway the darker it is the bigger and stronger Dark Shadow becomes.” Zuku mumbled to himself, avoiding another attack. “But it seems they get more aggressive, and straightforward too. Very predictable, we will have to work on this problem.”

Then Izuku made a drawing motion starting from his waist, and each bracelet shot a chain. Swinging both chains, Zuku hit one on the other, drawing a spark that ignited the whole chain. Dark Shadow instantly shrieked and backed away from the flames.

Zuku then pressed the fingers of his left hand against his palm, pulling back the chain, keeping only the one in his right hand. And with his left he quickly pulled out one of the darts.

Swinging the chain, he made Dark Shadow retreat even further, and taking advantage of the momentum, he threw the dart, hitting Tokoyami's opposite forearm, who immediately stopped moving and fell to the ground.

“What kind of sorcery is this?” Tokoyami asked from the floor.

“Not sorcery. Science.” Zuku chirped. “I applied a minimal dosage, so you should be able to move again within five minutes.” Then Zuku approached and gently picked up Tokoyami in his arms. “I will have to capture you now, but I will leave you in a place with more light.”

Then Zuku went into the room with the windows where they had started fighting and gently placed Tokoyami on the floor against the wall. Then he opened all the windows.

“Thank you.” Tokoyami said softly as Zuku approached him with the capture tape.

“Don’t worry. I know how it is to be afraid of the dark.” Zuku said, lifting his mask to show him his smile. Then he took two Jelly pouches from his cloak and placed them on the ground near them. “I don't know your preference, but I have heard that Dark Shadow likes apples. Apple flavor is the best I have at the moment.” Then he wrapped the capture tape around Tokoyami's arm and stood up to leave the room.

“Tokoyami Fumikage is captured.” All Might announced, and Zuku smiled to himself.

“You know, if you worked together you would have a good chance of victory.” He said, then went back to the stairs before Tokoyami could reply.

Going up the stairs, Zuku started searching around. He was on the third floor, the building has 6 floors. The most obvious floor to hide the bomb on would be the last floor, after all it would take the longest to reach. But at the same time it is too obvious. Kaminari was patrolling the second floor, and Tokoyami the third. Apparently Todorooki is guarding the bomb.

Zuku decides that the third floor must not be the right one and continues to the fourth. He should have tried to ask, Dark Shadow would probably have let something slip. Oh, well, too late now.

To his surprise, he easily finds the bomb on the fourth floor just two rooms away from the stairs.

The location makes sense, considering that there is only one door to this room. Todoroki is just in front of the bomb, watching the entrance attentively. If Zuku tried to throw a dart now, he would probably hit it, but he wants to try to see something of Todoroki's fighting style as well.

Smiling, Zuku decides to throw away the stealth, he activates the eyes of the mask again, effectively revealing his position, and walks to the door. The moment he steps inside the room, he feels a cold draught and within seconds the whole room is frozen, and Zuku's feet are stuck to the floor.

“Powerful.” Zuku comments smiling. “But wasn't freezing the whole room a bit much?”

“Better not to give you any chance to escape.” Todoroki said in his inexpressive voice.

“And what will you do now? You haven't captured me yet.” Zuku provoked.

“And you can’t move.” Todoroki replied. “There’s not much you can do now.”

Oh. He is underestimating Zuku. That is a mistake you only make once. Zuku slips his hand through the cloak, he knows that the only really visible part of him are his eyes, with the black cloak, nothing else is visible in this darkness. Careful not to make any noise, Izuku picked up his javelin and threw it, hitting Todoroki right in the neck.

“Never underestimate an enemy.” Zuku said. “Your enemies will not always play fair.” In five seconds Todoroki was on the floor, asleep.

Now, to free himself, Zuku had a few tricks he could use. He could simply take of his boot and walk to bomb in his socks. He could use the flaming whip again. Or he could use the hook.

Aiming his grappling hook up, Zuku shot it to the ceiling, then pulled himself, breaking the ice from his foot and freeing himself. Then, dropping back to the floor, Zuku walked to the bomb and touched it.

“The bomb has been captured. The heroes won.” All Might announced. 

“Good job, Zuku.” His dad called in the communicator. “Tokoyami is leaving and helping Kaminari.”

“I’ll carry Todoroki then. He’ll be out for a few more minutes.” The sleep drug should last around 10 minutes. “Anything worrying?”

“Only Kaminari, but he will be sent straight to Chiyo.” Dad replied.

“We're going to have a lot to work on with this class, Dad.” Zuku replied. “Can I leave now? I want to start the analysis now to have everything ready by tomorrow.”

“No all-nighters.” His dad scolded.

“Pot. Meet. Kettle.” Zuku replied.

“You’re a brat!”

“Your brat.”

“My brat.” Dad confirmed. “Go on, I’ll handle the rest of the class.”

“Thanks, dad.” Zuku replied. “I promise to try to sleep.”

“I’ll hold you on that promise.” Dad replied, then logged out of the communication.

Smiling to himself, Zuku made way to his office - yes, he has an office - to start working on his analyses. The first thing he did was to divide the students into three groups, based on their control over their quirks. Excellent, Acceptable, and Work on It ASAP.

To no one's surprise, most students fit in, “Acceptable”. Izuku put, Yayorozu, Ojiro, and Kouda into the “Excellent” group, based on what they showed today, but if necessary, they can be moved.

The “Work on It ASAP” group, was reserved to the ones that are actively hurting themselves with their quirks, and could suffer long term damage if not corrected. Thankfully, only two students are in this group this year. Kaminari and Aoyama.

Aoyama suffers stomach aches if he uses his laser for more than one second, so Izuku needs to make sure his quirk isn’t messing with his organs before creating a strategy to work with him. Depending on what they discover, Izuku might move him into the acceptable group and ask Uncle Mic to help him with his train. Present Mic has much more experience at teaching students to learn control.

And Kaminari, this is an urgent case. If Kaminari continues to short-circuit his own brain, he may suffer irreversible damage. This is a case that Izuku has already decided to take into his own hands.

Besides Kaminari, the students that Izuku really wants to talk to are Todoroki, Tokoyami, and Shinsou. All three demonstrate the same problem but in different ways. They are afraid of their own quirk.

Todoroki, so far has not used his flames at any point, another red flag since he is the son of Endeavor. Whether this is fear, or a rebellion, Izuku has no idea, but certainly Todoroki does not have adequate control of his flames.

Tokoyami seems to be afraid of losing control, and therefore afraid of the dark. He and Dark Shadow seem to act like brothers, but at the same time, Tokoyami shows fear. Maybe some kind of trauma? Something to be questioned later.

Shinsou has serious self-esteem issues, as well as having no idea about the limits of his Brainwashing - Who was the idiot who chose that name? Izuku will talk to Nedzu later to see if it's possible to change later. - He probably never had a chance to train it.

Shinsou and Todoroki show signs of abuse. Unfortunately, until I finish building the case against Endeavor, not much can be done to help Todoroki except to keep him as long as possible away from the Flaming Garbage Can.

Now, for Shinsou, Izuku can do something. They only hope that the boy will accept their help. They know that Shinsou is in the system, and as someone who chose to live on the streets rather than end up in Foster Care, Izuku knows how Shinsou must be treated.

Facing the shelf with 19 notebooks that Izuku organized this morning before class, they pick up the first notebook, with a Pikachu on the cover, and begin to write. They have a lot of work to do and they promised they would try to sleep tonight.

Chapter Text

Shouta’s son is a brat. Why did Shouta ever let him and Nedzu meet? 

Oh, right, it was that, or Izuku ending up in Tartarus.

Unfortunately, having most of his education taken care of by Nedzu, Izuku learned many things from the Rat Satan. Exploiting loopholes was one of them. Izuku promised he would sleep, and he did. He slept at 5:30 AM when he wakes up every day at 6 AM. But he did sleep.

Which means that class 1-A will have to deal with a sleep-deprived Izuku. And a sleep-deprived Izuku is a brutally sincere and unfiltered Izuku. Shouta just hopes that no one leaves traumatized. But just in case, before Homeroom, he talks to Inui and warns him that some students may end up having to visit him earlier than planned.

But well, there are other things to take care of that morning. Like the infestation of vultures -sorry, the press- that are at the gates harassing the students trying to get some statement from someone regarding All Might as a teacher. How does the giant buffoon manage to cause trouble even when he is not around?

This means that Shouta has to stand at the entrance helping the students to get in safely. Perfect! How could his day start in a better way!

To make matters worse, upon entering the teachers' lounge, Power Loader was trying to fix the coffee maker because apparently, Shouta's #1 headache source broke it earlier. Apparently, the machine burned his hand, so the idiot punched it.

Well, no coffee for Shouta. It’s not like he wasn't already in a bad mood. 

As he enters the room - at least everyone is silent, great - he makes an announcement.

“Today, you’ll have to do a special activity.” Shouta pauses dramatically and secretly relishes on the kid's panicked faces. “You’ll elect the class representative.”

“Such a normal activity.” Most cheer, but Shouta quickly silences them with his usual Shouta glare™. “Any questions?” All nineteen students raised their hands. “You can’t elect Izuku.” Everyone lowered their hands. “Volunteers?” Why did he ask that? Immediately the class erupts in chaos, with almost everyone volunteering for the position. Shouta sighs and starts entering his sleeping bag. “I’ll take a nap. Don’t wake me up unless someone is dying.”

From there, the Shouta tunes down their discussion, only replying when Iida asks if voting is an acceptable method to elect.

“I don’t care what method you chose as long as you decide before the end of homeroom.”

Fortunately, this class is minimally logical. They end up electing Yaoyorozu as President and Iida as Vice President. Good choices.

After that, at the end of Homeroom, Shouta takes the list that Izuku gave him earlier and announces.

“Attention, Hellspawn. One by one during today's class you will be called into Izuku's office, yes he has an office, to discuss your quirk, fighting style, clothing. Izuku is a licensed and approved analyst by both HSPC and Nedzu, so I recommend you make good use of this chance.” Then he called the first one. “Yaoyorozu, you first. The rest will continue with your normal classes, someone takes notes to pass her later.”

Then he points the direction for Izuku’s office and makes his way to his next class. Whatever Izuku does, now it’s with them.

-----------------------------------------------

Yaoyorozu Momo

Five minutes after the first signal, Izuku hears the first person knocking on their door, so he puts a friendly smile on their face and calls in.

“Come in.” Then the door opens, and Yaoyorozu enters.

“Yaoyorozu-san. Congratulations for being elected.” Zuku said, pointing to the chair in front of his desk.

“Thank you, Aizawa-Sensei.” She replied shyly.

“Izuku, Zuku, Kuzu, Poltergeist, Ifrit, Duality. Pick one, but please don't call us Aizawa. It will only be confusing when my father and I are together.” Kuzu insisted.

“I know it can be a bit confusing, but in time everyone learns to distinguish between us.” Zuku offered, getting up. “Jasmine tea?”

“Thank you.” Yaoyorozu replied, nodding. “Then you can call me Momo. It’s only fair.”

“As you wish, Momo-san.” Kuzu said.

Five minutes later, each one had a teacup in their hands, and Zuku went straight to the point.

“Alright, I’ll be blunt with my question, Momo. Are you really comfortable with your costume?” Kuzu asked, sipping his tea.

“Well, not really. But there wasn’t much choice.” Momo explained. “I need to have my skin exposed to use my quirk. But even so, my costume is showing more than I expected.”

“Are you familiar with DNA suits?” Zuku asked.

“It was my first plan.” She admitted. “ But there was a note in my case saying that it was impossible to make something like that for a first year.”

“Bullshit.” Kuzu growled.

“Language, Kuzu.” Zuku scolded.

“English if you may.” Kuzu replied.

“Anyway, there’s no such a thing. I’ll bring this to Powerloader later, and we’ll remake your costume.” Zuku explained. “Your costume at the moment is unacceptable. It doesn’t offer any protection, not even Midnight is that exposed. I get the impression that this is less a case of impracticality and more a situation of perverted students.”

“Gross. We don't need another Mineta, we just got rid of one.” Kuzu continued.

“I see.” Momo replied, between shock and confusion.

“Now, I want your opinion on this.” Zuku said, telepathically pulling out one of the notebooks on the shelf. This one had a periodic table on the cover. “Your control over your quirk is already awesome, so there is not much to discuss for the moment. I have drawn some designs for your new costume, but your opinion is essential.”

The rest of the session was spent with Izuku and Momo discussing the redesign of her costume and possible Support Gear for her. At the end of the session, Izuku asked her to call Uraraka when she returned to class.

-----------------------------------------------

Uraraka Ochako

“Alright.  Who was the idiot who thought it was a good idea to put heels on a combat costume?”

Kuzu asked, looking up from the notebook with an astronaut on the cover.

“I never asked for heels. And the costume is much tighter than I thought it would be.” Uraraka explained.

“One more thing to ask Powerloader later.” Zuku sighed. “I feel that we will end up with an entire support class expelled.”

“Well, let’s talk about your quirk for a bit.” Kuzu said.

“You should start carrying nausea medicine in your belt.” Zuku suggested. “Should you need any more specific medication, I'm sure Recovery Girl can arrange it. Just talk to her. I also suggest you do some tests to make sure your quirk doesn't cause you any permanent damage.”

“Other than that, you should slowly start raising your limit. And of course do some hand-to-hand training since you need to get closer to be effective.” Kuzu continued.

“And put extra protection on your hands. A five-point contact quirk means that if someone breaks, or cuts your fingers, you are in trouble.”

-----------------------------------------------

Bakugou Katsuki

“Hey, Lord Explosion Murder.” Kuzu greeted when Katsuki entered.

“Don’t start, Kuzu.” Zuku scolded then turned to Katsuki. “Well, Bakugou, just to make things clear. What we say here are simply suggestions. You can ignore us if you want, but being a certified analyst with Nedzu’s approval we like to think we know what we’re talking about.”

Bakugou simply nodded, avoiding Izuku’s eyes. At least he’s not yelling. Izuku waited a few awkward seconds.

“Wel-”

“Izu-”

They said at the same time.

“You first.” Zuku conceded.

“Can we talk?” Katsuki asked. “About… Everything?”

“Look, Bakugou. This meeting is to talk about your hero costume, and your quirk.” Kuzu explained. “If you really want to talk. Wait for us in front of the classroom after dismissal.”

“Alright.” Katsuki nodded, then gestured for the notebook. “What do you have there?”

“I’m happy you asked.” Zuku grinned and pulled the notebook with the nuclear explosion on the cover. “Now, how do you feel about putting shock-absorbing braces under your gauntlets?”

-----------------------------------------------

Iida Tenya

“Look, Iida-kun. It’s nice that you admire your brother that much.” Zuku said slowly, trying to pass his point as clearly as possible. “But all that armor. How does it help you ? You’re not Ingenium, Iida, you are your own hero.”

-----------------------------------------------

Ojiro Mashirao

“What kind of martial art did you say you practiced, again?” Kuzu asked. “You’re pretty good at it, but maybe it's time to try varying a little, you already have some bad habits that I assume come from always fighting against the same person.”

-----------------------------------------------

Hagakure Tooru

“BOOTS AND GLOVES. HER ENTIRE COSTUME ARE ONLY BOOTS AND GLOVES.” Kuzu yelled while Zuku tried to muffle him. “Oh, no, someone will get expelled. How dare they do something like that to a teenage girl?” 

“Sorry, Hagakure-san. We should have checked this before.” Zuku bowed to her. “But this will be fixed, don’t worry.”

-----------------------------------------------

Satou Rikido

“Well, I would suggest carrying some energy gummies with you. Can’t have you falling asleep because of your quirk in dangerous moments.” Zuku said. “You should also try thinking a bit more before rushing. Brute force will not always be enough.”

-----------------------------------------------

Ashido Mina

“Have you tried having a little chat with Yaoyorozu?” Zuku suggested. “She can help you better understand the chemistry behind your acid, and from there, you can further increase your potency and/or versatility.”

-----------------------------------------------

Asui Tsuyu

“Asu-”

“Call me, Tsu. Kero.”

“Okay… Tsu.” Kuzu tried again. “I'm dying to know how the hell you found out you could spit out your own stomach, but we can discuss that later.”

“For now, tell me a little more about yourself. To what extent does your quirk affect your natural instincts?” Zuku continued.

-----------------------------------------------

Sero Hanta

“Your mobility is nothing to laugh at. And you have a huge potential for quick captures.” Zuku started. “But I have noticed a bad habit of underestimating your opponents.”

“This kind of thing usually takes care of itself after the third time you have your ass handed to you by someone who seems weak.” Kuzu interjected. “But how about not letting it come to that?”

-----------------------------------------------

Jirou Kyouka

“You urgently need noise cancellers.” Kuzu said. “And just like Present Mic, your quirk will benefit immensely from proper support gear.”

“I will schedule a conversation with Power Loader, and pass the notes I have to him. He will certainly know what to do.” Zuku continued.

-----------------------------------------------

Aoyama Yuuga

“First of all, take this note and go to Recovery Girl.” Zuku said as soon as the french boy entered. “Until I am sure how your organs respond to your quirk I can't give you any useful advice, so we will do some tests and then we can discuss the results.”

-----------------------------------------------

Kirishima Eijirou

“Bare chest? Really?” Kuzu deadpanned. “I’m not sure about what your idea of manly is.”

“But there’s a line between manly and dumb.” Zuku continued. “I know they say that men live less, but still, you don't need to try to prove these statistics.”

“So how about we sit down and discuss how to keep you protected and at the same time maintain all your manliness?” Kuzu cheered.

-----------------------------------------------

Shouji Mezou

“You, my good sir, have one of the most versatile quirks I have ever seen.” Kuzu said.

“And you are very quiet, have you ever thought of practicing stealth?” Zuku suggested. “As a scout you would be unstoppable.”

“Not to mention that your strength leaves many heroes in the dust.”

-----------------------------------------------

Kouda Koji

“Don't worry, I can sign.” Zuku said softly. “Let me ask you. Can you communicate with any type of animal?”

‘Any real animal.’ Kouda signed. ‘Doesn’t work on people with mutations for example.’

“Interesting, and versatile.” Kuzu praised. “What about insects? Are they considered animals?”

-----------------------------------------------

The last four are probably the most problematic. But Izuku came prepared.

-----------------------------------------------

Tokoyami Fumikage

“Hi, Tokoyami-san.” Zuku greeted as soon as he saw the crow's head on his door.

“Good morning, Zuku-sensei, Kuzu-sensei.” Oh, interesting. Tokoyami is the first one to greet both.

“Take a seat. We have much to talk about.” Kuzu pointed at the chair, and Tokoyami quickly sat down.

Then Zuku picked up an apple and gave it to Tokoyami.

“Can you call Dark Shadow? I want to talk to both of you.”

Tokoyami nodded then the familiar shadow crow emerged from his stomach and curled above his shoulder. Tokoyami gave the apple to the shadow, which immediately started pecking at it.

“Let's start with the easy part.” Zuku pulled the notebook with a crow on the cover. “Your costume is great. Well planned, and offer protection in the key parts.”

“I imagine that the cloak serves to cast a shadow to help Dark Shadow, am I correct?”

“Your assumptions are correct.” Tokoyami confirmed.

“This is Fumi, always worrying about lil old me.” Dark Shadow nuzzled Tokoyami’s face, who looked away but didn’t deny.

“Well, I have a question for Dark Shadow.” Kuzu said. “Yesterday, during the training, you ignored Tokoyami’s commands and charged at us. Why?”

Who would have thought that a crow-shaped shadow would have the ability to look ashamed?

“It was dark.” Dark Shadow said shyly. Kuzu raised an eyebrow, and Tokoyami started explaining.

“Dark Shadow is greatly affected by brightness. He’s docile when it’s bright, too much light, and he becomes timid.” The raven boy explained. “But when it’s dark, the opposite happens. He becomes vicious and unruly.”

“Hmmm.” Zuku scribbled a few lines in the notebook. “And do you have any idea of why he acts like that? Do you share feelings?”

“No, we don’t.” Dark Shadow said. “I am a quirk, but I have my own mind and feelings.”

“We could test this with Shinsou-Kun's help later.” Zuku started muttering. “I wonder if he could brainwash Tokoyami through Dark Shadow responses, or the opposite. Would one of them be able to snap the other? What ab-” He was interrupted by a karate chop on the head. “Ouch. Kuzu!”

“You were muttering again.” Kuzu shrugged.

“Meanie.” Zuku pouted, then looked back at Tokoyami. “How bad can it get?”

“If it’s too dark, I might lose myself completely.” Dark Shadow admitted.

“It happened only once.” Tokoyami explained. “Dark Shadow went completely berserk and started attacking anything that moved. We ended up hurting our father. After that…” He didn’t finish, but it wasn’t necessary. 

Izuku saw his files. Tokoyami is in foster care, and the implications are clear. Fortunately, Tokoyami shows no signs of abuse or neglect, but Izuku knows how cruel the system can be to children who have weak, mutations, or so-called "villainous." quirks, and Dark Shadow fits in two of these cases. Even without signs, Izuku will at least check to see if he is really safe.

“That is why Fumi sleeps with a nightlight.” Dark Shadow continued.

“How old were you?” Zuku gently asked.

“Eight.” Tokoyami replied.

“Clarifying. Thank you for telling us.” Kuzu nodded and threw another apple at Dark Shadow, and the crow immediately perked up and snatched the apple in the air.

“Whatever they told you, Tokoyami. What happened was not your fault.” Zuku continued. “You were only a kid, and still is.”

“As for the problem at hand.” Kuzu continued. “We’ll help you with it.”

“Help us?” Dark Shadow asked. “How?”

“It depends on what you are willing to try.” Zuku explained. “The first thing you need is to overcome the fear of your quirk.”

“I don’t fear Dark Shadow.”

“Not in the traditional way.” Zuku continued. “But yes, you are afraid. If you didn't you wouldn't have problems with the dark.”

“We’ll help you control Dark Shadow, even when there is absolutely no light.” Kuzu continued. “And also help Dark Shadow to control himself.”

“But for this we will need extra time. Would you be willing to meet us at the Field Omega on Tuesdays after class?” Zuku asked.

Tokoyami pondered for a few seconds, absentmindedly petting Dark Shadow. Then after a few seconds, he nodded.

“Very well. There’s no harm in trying.” He said, and Dark Shadow nodded along with him. Izuku smiled brightly at them.

“Remember, Tokoyami, none of this is mandatory. If you feel that it's not working for you, you can tell me and we'll stop, no hard feelings.” Zuku explained, and Tokoyami nodded again. “You can go back for now. Would you mind calling Todoroki next?”

“As you wish.” Then Tokoyami got up and left the room.

-----------------------------------------------

Todoroki Shouto

The heterochromatic boy entered the room about five minutes later. Face inexpressive as always, he nodded at Izuku, who gestured for the chair in front of him, and Todoroki sat down.

Zuku pulled out the notebook with two men in navy suits on the cover facing each other. One in a red suit with lava on the background and the other in a white suit with blue sleeves with snow on the background.

“How are the classes going, Todoroki-Kun?” Kuzu asked first.

“Just fine, Sensei.” Todoroki replied. “What do you want to discuss?”

Now, this will have to be handled delicately, so they decided to start with the lesser of the many problems that seem to have the same origin.

“For starters, your costume.” Zuku said. “Denied. Frankly, I don't know who approved it, but he should be fired.”

“What do you mean?” Todoroki asked in visible confusion. Does he really see nothing wrong?

“Todoroki, the biggest drawback of your quirk is frostbite. And you see nothing wrong with going into the field with half your body frozen?” Kuzu deadpanned. “Are you serious?”

“You are resistant to temperature variation, not immune.” Zuku continued. “Frankly, this problem would be easily solved if you used your fire to balance your temperature.”

“NO!” Todoroki slammed his hands on the table. “I’ll never use it.” Then he started getting up. “This is a waste of time.”

“Sit down, Todoroki!” Kuzu commanded. “If you want to ignore what I have to say, that is your choice, but at least you will listen to me.”

Todoroki hesitantly sat back down, his eyes focusing on anything other than Izuku's. As long as he’s listening, Izuku will not chide him for it.

“Tell me Todoroki, are you being serious about this? Being a hero?” Zuku asked.

“Of course I am.” Todoroki replied.

“Are you, though? Let's get down to the facts.” Kuzu said harshly. “You refuse to use your fire. Which means that no matter what you try, you are only using half of your potential. How is this being serious?”

“I won’t use his quirk!” Todoroki repeated. This is practically a mantra by now. “I don’t need his quirk!”

“Do you really believe that?” Kuzu continued.

“You don’t know anything.” Todoroki said. “You don’t know what Endeavor did.”

“Believe me, Todoroki. I know a thing or two about bastard parents with fire quirks.” Kuzu replied

“You…” Todoroki stopped and blinked at him. “What?”

“Do you know about the eye burner?” Zuku asked.

“Serial killer. He terrorized Musutafu for more than 10 years. Killed people with green eyes. What does this have to do with anything?” Todoroki was confused, but Izuku had his full attention.

“His quirk was fire breathing.” Kuzu explained, then arched his head upwards and blew a small flame. “Pretty self-explanatory.”

“Wait. Are you?”

“Midoriya Hisashi. That was his name.” Zuku said. “Midoriya Izuku. That was our name before Shouta adopted us.” Then he looked Todoroki in the eyes and asked. “So, do you really think we don’t understand you?”

Todoroki hesitated for a few seconds, going through what Izuku just told him.

“He wants me to surpass All Might.” He finally said. “He did everything for this goal. He bought my mother and forced her into a quirk marriage. My three older siblings, he considered all of them failures. My oldest brother died because of him. I refuse to be his tool.”

“I just showed you my quirk, Todoroki. The quirk I inherited from a villain who is locked up in Tartarus. Do you think this quirk is his?” Kuzu said. “It is not. My sperm donor could only breathe fire. I can breathe and create fire from any other part of my body. My flames can reach temperatures he never dreamed of reaching.” He jabbed a finger in his chest. “This quirk is not his. It is mine.” Then he pointed at Todoroki. “That quirk is not his. It’s yours. And fuck whatever Endeavor tries to say. He won't last long.”

“I…” Todoroki looked down at his hands again. “I don’t know if I’m ready yet.”

“And you don't have to be.” Zuku said gently. “I will not force you to do anything. But we will work until you can use your flames comfortably. And if you want to surpass All Might, it will be of your own free will, not his.”

“On Wednesdays, starting next week, meet us at Field Omega.” Kuzu continued. “And every time you find yourself thinking that your quirk belongs to Endeavor, I want you to repeat these words, ‘This quirk is mine, and Endeawhore can take his opinion and shove it straight up his ass.’” Todoroki actually chuckled when he heard this.

“Alright.” Todoroki nodded, then he took a deep breath and continued. “This quirk is mine, and Endeawhore can take his opinion and shove it straight up his ass.” His lips curved into the smallest of the smiles. “This is kinda nice to say. Therapeutic.”

“I know right.” Kuzu grinned.

“Please stop corrupting him, Kuzu.” Zuku chidded. “And Todoroki, hang on just a little longer. Endeavor can do whatever he wants, he will face the consequences of his actions.”

“Okay.” Todoroki nodded. “Can I go now?”

“Just a second.” Zuku said, then scribbled something on his notebook, tore the page, and gave it to Todoroki. “If you want to treat these bruises that you are hiding, give this note to Recovery Girl, and she will know what it is about. No questions asked.” Todoroki nodded and got up to leave. He stopped at the door and gave a last glance at Izuku.

“Thank you, Sensei.”

“You don’t have to thank me, Todoroki.” Zuku waved at him. “Any teacher here would have done the same.”

“But no one ever did it before. So thank you.” Todoroki nodded again.

“You’re welcome.” Kuzu replied. “Now, get going, there’s two more problem children to deal with, and we’d like to end this before lunch.”

“Right. Lunch Rush said he would make Katsudon today, and we’d hate to lose.” Zuku said, almost drooling.

“I’ll be going then.” Todoroki said.

“Can you call Kaminari next?”

“Sure.” Then he left.

-----------------------------------------------

Kaminari Denki

When Kaminari entered the office, there was an aquarium filled with water, a faucet on Kuzu's table, and no fish.

Izuku gestured for him to sit down. Kaminari sat down and looked into Izuku's eyes for a few seconds. Oh, he’s trying to figure out which one he’s talking to.

“Hey, err…” He tried greeting. “Zuku?”

“Both.” Kuzu said, giggling. “Look, a blue and a yellow eye.” He leaned closer so Kaminari could see better.

Before starting to argue, Kaminari picked up his phone and asked.

“Hey, could you give me your number?”

Zuku raised an eyebrow but wrote it on a paper for him.

“Here, why?” He asked.

“Iida wants to make a group chat for the class. But no one has your number.” Kaminari explained while putting the number on his phone. “And yeah, I know you are technically our teacher, but you’re also the same age as us, so we wanted to include you. Aaaaand…” Zuku got a message on his phone, and there was a video archive attached to a new number when he looked. “Kuzu owes me a batch of cookies.”

Zuku checked the recording briefly. It was the recording of what Dad said yesterday to All Might during class. Oh, they’ll have to play this tonight. This will be better than a film night.

“Perfect.” Kuzu grinned at Kaminari. “I’ll bring your cookies tomorrow.”

“Right. What is this?” Kaminari pointed to the aquarium.

“It's for a demonstration. We'll get to it.” Zuku said, then opened the Pikachu notebook. “So, Kaminari-kun. Let’s start with your costume?”

“Sure.” Kaminari said, slightly nervous.

“I like your costume. It’s simple, stylish and functional.” Kuzu explained. “My only recommendation is that you order some kind of plating to wear under the costume. You can never have too much extra protection.”

“It’s a nice idea.” Kaminari smiled.

“Now, the elephant in the room.” Kuzu started, and Kaminari’s smile fell. “Your quirk is short-circuiting your brain.”

“Yeah. It happens when I go over my limit.” Kaminari said, scratching the back of his head. “I end up like you saw for about an hour. But that is all. It’s not so bad.”

“It is that bad, Kaminari.” Zuku replied. “Brain damage is no joke, it can cause you permanent damage if not treated.”

“And that is what we are here to solve.” Kuzu continued.

Zuku stood up and put a disposable cup under the faucet.

“Let's suppose that this is you. The water would be the electricity inside your body.” Zuku explained. “By the way, are you a battery or a generator?”

“I’m a what now?” Kaminari asked in visible confusion.

“Do you generate electricity or just store it?” Kuzu explained. “Depending on the answer, the route to take will be different.”

“Oh, I see.” Kaminari smiled again. “I generate it.”

“Great, back to the example.” Zuku pointed to the aquarium again. “Having your quirk under control, you can decide how much power you want to use, similar to this tap.” He opened the faucet slowly, and the cup started to fill. “But the way you’re using it,” Zuku raised his arm towards the tap. “It's like doing this.” He pulled his arm, ripping the tap from the aquarium, and Kaminari rushed to get out of the water’s way. “There is no control, and in the end, you are depleted and can't do anything else, even if we disregard the.... 'airhead mode.'”

Then he raised his arm again, collecting all of the spilled water and pulling it back into the aquarium, then putting back the tap.

“Any question?” Kuzu asked.

“I've been trying to control my quirk for a long time, but I don’t know what to do.” Kaminari said. “There are quirks like mine in my family, but none that powerful.”

“The more powerful, the harder to control.” Zuku nodded. “Our first course of action is to find a way to keep all this electricity away from that pretty head of yours.” He flickered Kaminari’s forehead. “I have some exercises in mind. Are you free on Thursdays?”

“I guess.” Kaminari replied.

“Great, next Thursday. Meet us at Field Omega after class.” Kuzu said. “And call Shinsou for us please. He’s the last one.”

“Alright, it’s a date then.” Kaminari said, getting up.

“If you pay for dinner, of course.” Kuzu winked, and Kaminari blushed, rushing out of the office.

Kuzu laughed, seeing Kaminari running, if he’s not ready to be flirted back, he shouldn’t try.

-----------------------------------------------

Shinsou Hitoshi

As soon as Zuku saw the mop of purple hair on his door, he instantly gestured for the chair.

“Hello Shinsou-Kun.” He greeted, pulling the notebook with a purple cat on the cover.

“Hi, Sensei.” Shinsou replied, but there was something strange with his voice. It seemed strained.

Zuku looked up from the notebook and took on Shinsou’s expression. The kid looked just as neutral as Shouta always is. But unlike Izuku's dad, Shinsou doesn’t have years of experience as an underground hero to better his poker face. Zuku could see the slightly pained expression on his face and leaned a bit closer to have a better view.

“Sensei?” Shinsou said in surprise, leaning back, but Zuku put his hands on his cheeks to stop him.

“Don’t move.” Zuku said softly, but he could already feel Kuzu’s anger spiking.

And honestly, if Zuku could feel anger, he’s sure he would be furious right now. How could he not be when he sees the marks on Shinsou's face? Barely concealed by a poor attempt at makeup, above his nose, on his cheeks, and chin.

These scars are more than familiar to Izuku. They saw it many times when Uncle Mic was not wearing his makeup. There’s only one thing that can cause it.

“Muzzle.” Zuku said in shock, and Shinsou’s eyes widened instantly. The kid pulled back from Izuku and covered his face with his hands.

“Shinsou-Kun.” Kuzu said in silent rage. Not directed at the kid. No, he could never get angry at a kid for being hurt. The fury was directed at whoever hurt him. “Who did this to you?”

Chapter Text

“Shinsou-Kun.” Kuzu said calmly. But he couldn’t fool Hitoshi. His sensei was furious at something. “Who did this to you?”

Could this day get any worse?

Who is Hitoshi kidding? Of course, it could. That’s just how his luck is.

Yesterday was such a great day. Hitoshi got to use his hero costume, and he watched from the first row while his sensei traumatized the number one hero.

He participated in combat training and managed to win against Katsuki Bakugou and Iida Tenya. His day had been so good. Hitoshi should have known it wouldn't last.

It was when he arrived in his foster house, he will never call that place home, that things have started to derail. His Foster Parents somehow discovered that Hitoshi was not in Gen Ed as they thought. And they were furious.

Nothing that Hitoshi didn't expect from them. They shouted and berated, but nothing he wasn't used to hearing. They said, over and over again, how Hitoshi would never be a hero, that he was just a villain, that he stole the place of another child who could be a real hero, that he must have cheated somehow.

But then they said they would end this farce. That they would talk to the principal and reveal whatever trickery Hitoshi had used. Hitoshi knew this was impossible, that they couldn't convince the most intelligent creature in the world that Hitoshi had tricked him. But at the time, he was in shock, and because of this, he made his biggest mistake. He spoke.

There was only one rule in that place that must never be broken. Hitoshi is never allowed to talk to anyone. Not a word was to come out of his mouth. The moment the first word left his mouth, he felt the fist on his face. And as expected, it bruised. But the punch was not the worst part. The hateful words were not the worst part. The worst part was the muzzle.

The punishment for Hitoshi saying anything was to wear that damn muzzle all night. That thing was rusty, too tight and clearly not made for humans. The result was always the same, cuts on his face that he is forced to try to hide with makeup.

Usually, Hitoshi does a good job hiding the marks. But this time, between the bruise, the muzzle on his face, and his usual insomnia, he didn't sleep at all. He was tired, still is, and he must have missed something because of that. Izuku saw it and immediately deduced what caused the injuries.

“These marks… Shinsou, we know what these marks are.” And now Kuzu is furious. It's over. Hitoshi will be expelled. He will never be a hero.

“Shinsou-Kun. Look at me.” Zuku called him, gently putting a hand on his chest. “Now, try to match breathing. In… and out. Great job, keep going. That's it. In… Out…”

It took a few minutes, but eventually, Hitoshi calmed down enough to focus back on the room. Izuku was looking at him worriedly, and he could taste iron in his mouth. He must have bit his lip again.

“Shinsou.” Kuzu said. “You earned your place in the hero course. You are one of our students, and no one will ever take this from you, okay. If you didn’t have potential, dad would have expelled you on the first day. And if you didn’t have the morals, I would have expelled you.” He said gently but firmly. “You’ll be a great hero, Shinsou, but you’re still a kid.”

“Could you let us help you?” Zuku asked.

Hitoshi thought about it. For many minutes he kept silent, mulling over it. Could he ask for help? This is Duality. They are known for helping people like Hitoshi. He knows they’ll try. But what if they fail? Hitoshi’s foster parents don’t need any more reason to hurt him. He fears what they’ll do if they get any.

Every single foster home he’s been to before was the same. There must be a reason for that, right? Does he even have the right to ask for help?

“Y-y-y-you d-d-do-don’t understand…” He stuttered. It was like his throat was closing. Not a single word came out. Zuku gently held his hands and brought them in front of their face.

‘Would this help?’ Zuku signed.

‘You sign?’ Hitoshi signed back.

‘Most Underground and Twilight Heroes do.’ Zuku explained. ‘It’s good to have a non-verbal way of communicating. And Uncle Mic is practically deaf.’

‘And dad will go deaf soon if he continues to be friends with Mic.’ Kuzu added.

Hitoshi smiled and immediately felt a pain in his face. Right, he still has the bruise from yesterday, and it hurts. Izuku noticed, and it brought them back to their previous talk. What should he tell them? Is it right to tell? If Hitoshi says it, and they really find his foster parents guilty, then what about everyone else?

Yes, the other children have also been cruel to Hitoshi. But is it fair to take away their home just because of that? Wouldn't that be selfish? Wouldn't he be acting like a villain? No, he can’t do that. He’ll be a hero, not a villain.

‘It’s not that bad.’ He signs with his trembling hands. ‘They fear me, but this doesn't happen daily.’ He tries his best to downplay the situation because it’s not that bad, right? This is what everyone ever said to him. They must be right. Right? ‘And it’s just with me. They treat the other kids right. It’s because they fear my quirk. And I know it’s scary. They don’t want me to take their free will. I understand that. It-’

“Shinsou-Kun.” Zuku interrupted him. “It’s not right. They shouldn’t fear you. And they shouldn’t hit you. Ever.”

‘But it was my fault!’ Hitoshi tried again. ‘I know the rules. And I broke them. I’m not allowed to talk and I tried to. It-’

“You’re not allowed to talk?” Kuzu interrupted again. “Shinsou, that’s…”

“Horrible.” Zuku completed. “What else did they do?”

‘No. Please. I can’t say it.’ Hitoshi was getting desperate. ‘They are cruel. But the other kids shouldn’t lose their homes because of me.’

“Their fault, Shinsou, not yours.” Kuzu replied firmly. “No victim-blaming here. Their actions will bring them the consequences. You have no fault here.”

“And the other kids won’t just lose their homes.” Zuku appeased. “I don’t buy for even a second that they are completely innocent. I know better than most how cruel kids can be. But they’ll be relocated to a new, better foster home.”

“At the moment you may be the only one experiencing abuse at their hands.” Kuzu said. “This is more than enough reason for us to send them to jail. But leaving that aside, what about when another kid like you comes along? What if the lack of consequences makes them bolder and they start abusing other kids?”

And that is a good point. They are like that with Hitoshi. They will be like that with the next child with a "villainous" quirk. Duality has a chance to stop them now before it gets out of hand. It looks like Hitoshi will have to take a gamble.

Making up his mind, Hitoshi raised his trembling hands and started signing. 

‘I don’t want to say it.’ He started. ‘I can’t say it. But in my room, hidden in a box under the third bed.’ No his bed, because Hitoshi doesn’t have a bed. ‘Everything I have is there, including my diary. I wrote everything they did since I got there three years ago.’

When he finished, he finally looked up, and Zuku had a determined look in his eyes.

“Shinsou, Thank you for trusting us. You’re not going back to that place.” He said firmly. “I promise you this.”

Then he got up and gently guided Hitoshi to the door. Hitoshi finally noticed how tired he was feeling after telling someone. He was exhausted, but it was like a weight had been lifted from his back at the same time. It was nice.

He silently followed Izuku’s lead, and they ended up in the infirmary, where Izuku gestured him to sit down in one of the beds and went on to find Recovery Girl to treat his face.

The old lady came a few seconds later and planted a kiss on Hitoshi’s cheek, who immediately felt the pain vanishing, and all his exhaustion crashing into him at the same time. He promptly passed out in the bed, seeing Izuku leaving the room with his phone in hand.

-----------------------------------------------

Shinsou needs help, and there’s only one hero that Izuku would trust with this problem. As soon as Izuku saw Shinsou sleeping, he excused himself from the infirmary, already calling his dad’s number. The purple-haired kid might not know yet. But the moment Izuku saw the muzzle scar on his face, he had already decided this would be his new brother.

“Izuku?” His dad answered, and Izuku heard a few young voices in the background. It seems that he answered in the middle of class.

“Dad, please tell me you still have your emergency foster license.” Zuku immediately asked.

“All the teachers here have them, except one.” His dad confirmed.

Nedzu always made this clear. Every teacher and Pro Hero working at UA must have an emergency foster license. The only exceptions being Izuku because he’s still a minor, so he can’t get one, and All Might, who doesn’t even have a teaching license. It makes Izuku wonder why so many exceptions are being made for the man. It can’t be just because he’s the number one hero. Nedzu is not this kind of person - rat, bear, or whatever he really is. You get the point.

“That’s great. Because I just found my new brother.” Kuzu replied to him. “And I won’t let him go back to that place.” He was met by a few seconds of silence, then heard a door closing.

“Alright, where are you?”

“Infirmary.” Zuku ignored the muttered “Of course you are.”

“I’m coming. How bad it is.”

“One word. Muzzle.” Kuzu said, and then they heard only silence followed by hurried steps.

“Fuck.” And if that’s not reassuring. His dad rarely swears. “ETA one minute.” Then he hung up.

Izuku entered the infirmary and looked down at the bed where Shinsou was currently sleeping. Then he eyed the security camera on the wall, knowing Nedzu would be watching them right now.

‘Send me everything you have.’ He signed. ‘I’ll burn that place to the ground.’

-----------------------------------------------

Hitoshi woke up to two people talking close to him. The first thing he noticed was that his face wasn’t hurting anymore, and he didn’t feel as tired anymore. Then he remembered where he was.

Izuku brought him to Recovery Girl so she could heal his face. And Hitoshi also told Izuku everything about his foster home. He promised Hitoshi that he would never come back there.

Talking about Izuku, one of the voices Hitoshi is hearing is clearly his, the one looks like… Aizawa-Sensei?

“Absolutely not.” He heard Izuku barking. “He’s not stepping back into that place for any reason that isn’t to get his things.”

“I know, Kuzu. I don’t want him there either.” Aizawa-sensei replied. “Which leaves us with the second option.”

“Tsukauncle.” Izuku completed. “No one will be able to deny the accusations if he backs us up. But then Shinsou-Kun would have to testify…”

“How long can he push back the interview?” It was still Izuku’s voice, but the tone changed.

“If it’s not an urgent case. He can wait for a few weeks.” Aizawa replied.

“Alright. Push it back for as long as you can. I’ll keep an eye on that place.” Izuku said. “I just need a single evidence of what these monsters did.”

“I’ll call Tsukauchi after school.” Aizawa continued.

“Great, I’ll prepare the smores.” Izuku replied, and Hitoshi could hear the mischief in his voice. But before Aizawa could reply, Izuku was already entering the infirmary again and seeing Hitoshi awake.

“Shinsou-Kun!” He cheered and practically jumped at Hitoshi, who was still too sleepy to say which one was that.

“Let him breathe, Problem Children.” Aizawa said, entering after them. Izuku looked at his dad pouting, and Hitoshi had to look to the side. A Pro Hero doesn't have the right to be so cute.

He also couldn’t help the slight pang of jealousy he felt seeing their interaction. How nice it would be to have something like that.

“How are you feeling?” Izuku asked gently. Hitoshi looked at him and found two blue eyes looking back at him.

“Like shit, but a bit better.” Hitoshi replied. “At least my face isn’t hurting anymore.”

“That’s good.” Zuku smiled at him. No one ever smiled at him like that. “Do you want to talk now? You can rest more if you want.”

Hitoshi pondered for a few seconds. It’s better to have this talk now. There’s no way Hitoshi will be able to rest if he doesn’t know what will happen to him. Izuku said he won’t have to go back to his foster home. But then, where will he go? Any other foster home will be the same for him.

“Shinsou.” Aizawa-sensei called, and Hitoshi’s attention immediately went to his sensei. Hitoshi never saw him wearing such a soft expression. “You’ll be safe now.” 

Hitoshi tried to say something, but the words wouldn’t come, so he raised his hands and started signing.

‘What will happen to me now?’

“You’ll come with us.” Aizawa replied. Zuku next to him, smiling.

Hitoshi’s eyes widened so much that he felt they could jump out of his face. Going home with his senseis? Are they serious? But for how long? They’ll get tired of him sooner or later. Everyone eventu-

A flicker on his forehead brought him back to reality, and he saw a pair of yellow eyes looking at him, firmly but holding the same gentleness as the blue ones.

“Stop overthinking.” Kuzu said. “Dad doesn’t say things he doesn’t mean. It would be illogical to do so.”

“You don’t need to worry, Shinsou-Kun.” Zuku continued. “You can stay with us for as long as you want. And if it doesn’t work out, we’ll find a place where it will. Your safety and happiness are our top priority.”

And how would Hitoshi not believe? He knows Eraserhead is an entirely logical person. He wouldn’t lie to him unless he gains something from it. But there’s nothing to gain from lying about this, so it must be true.

‘What time is it?’ He asked instead.

“Lunch started a few minutes ago.” Zuku replied. “How about I go gr-”

Zuku was interrupted when an alarm started sounding, and Hitoshi saw exactly the moment both he and Aizawa tensed at the sound.

“Level 3? What the heck.” Kuzu said as Aizawa got up.

“I’ll go check, you protect Shinsou.” Then he ran to the door.

‘Level 3?’ Hitoshi asked.

“It means someone unauthorized entered UA.” Zuku explained. “And by the chaos, I’m hearing soon enough this place will get pretty cramped.” Then he turned to Recovery Girl and asked. “Granny Chiyo, will you need help here?”

“Don’t worry dear. You can go ahead and leave.” She dismissed.

Izuku helped Hitoshi to get up and left with him.

“Is it safe to leave when there is an intruder?” Hitoshi asked, looking around worriedly.

“Don’t worry. The only reason someone would invade would be to either get classified information or attack someone specifically.” Kuzu explained. “If they want information, they’ll go after the teachers' lounge or one of the teacher’s offices. And if they are targeting someone… I’m here to protect you.”

Hitoshi nodded and kept following him. At some point, Izuku stopped to look at their phone and scowled before turning to Hitoshi.

“Damn vultures. It was just the press.” Kuzu said angrily. “I’ll leave the job of discovering how they got past the UA gates to Nedzu.”

“For now. You can take a nap in my office. I have a very comfy couch there.” Zuku smiled. “Dad said he’ll bring lunch there for us.”

They returned to Izuku's office, where Hitoshi lay on the couch in the corner of the room while Izuku returned to her desk and began writing in the notebook with the purple cat on the cover. 

Hitoshi tried to sleep, but there was one more thing on his mind that he couldn't stop worrying about. Something that was making him steal glances at Izuku almost every ten seconds.

“You can ask whatever you want, Shinsou.” Zuku said, looking up from his notebook to give him his attention. Hitoshi then decided to just ask. He already said too much. What is one more question?

“I know Aizawa is fine with me being at his home. But what about you?” Hitoshi will be intruding at his home. Is Izuku really fine with that?

“Of course I am. It was my idea.” Zuku replied without an ounce of hesitation. He meant every single word. “Oh, Shinsou, you have no idea how long I've been asking dad for a brother, and having you as my brother will be perfect.”

“Perfect? How can you say that? You barely know me!” Shinsou asked, more harshly than he wanted. But it was the truth, they barely know him, how can they say it’ll be perfect?

“Call it a hunch if you want.” Zuku shrugged. “I’ve been a hero for a long time, you know. And one thing I know to trust is my instincts. I’m sure you’ll be a great brother, Shinsou.”

The silence stretched, but it wasn’t awkward. Instead, while Hitoshi mulled over his words, he felt his eyelids getting heavier and sleep catching up with him. But before sleeping, he had one last thing to say.

“Call… me… Hitoshi.” Then he fell asleep, missing the grin on Izuku's face when he said that.

Chapter Text

Thankfully, the rest of the day went on without any more drama.

Izuku spent the rest of the period working on training plans while Hitoshi slept in his office. The session with Hitoshi was interrupted by the situation with the muzzle, but it's nothing they can't discuss later. After all, the training plan for Hitoshi is already practically complete in his mind. And Izuku has no doubt that his father will want to train Hitoshi personally. May God have mercy on the soul of Izuku's new brother.

By the way, who will be the big brother?

Izuku quickly pulls out Hitoshi's file aaaaaaand…

July 01? Hitoshi is older by just two weeks?  Damn. Izuku would have liked to be the big brother. But, hey. Since he’s the little brother, he can request piggyback rides, right? This is how it works, right?

Well, being the little bro doesn’t mean that Izuku will be any less protective of his new brother, no way. If someone tries to mess with Hitoshi, they’d better be fireproof.

It is almost time for the last bell. Which means that Izuku will have to meet Katsuki, as they said earlier. This meeting is what will make or destroy their relationship once and for all. Better just get it over with.

Getting up from his desk, Izuku walks to Hitoshi and gently shakes him. The purple-haired teen wakes with a startle but relaxes when he meets Izuku’s eyes, first focusing on the yellow, then on the blue.

“How long did I sleep?” He asks, rubbing his eyes. It’s been just a few hours, but his eyebags already look better.

“The rest of the period.” Zuku replies and raises a hand to stop him from panicking. “Don’t worry, Toshi. You needed the rest. I’m sure you can get notes from your classmates about what you lost. And dad won’t let you fall behind the class.”

“Okay. You’re right…” Hitoshi says, taking a few breaths to calm himself. Then he registers what Zuku just said and looks up. “Toshi?”

“You don’t like it?” Zuku asks worriedly. “I didn’t mean to offend you. If you’d like, I can call somethi-” This time is Hitoshi, who raises a hand to interrupt him.

“It’s okay, Zuku.” He said, blushing slightly. “I was just surprised. Nobody ever gave me a nickname other than 'villain'.”

“Well. They are stupid.” Zuku replied. “You aren’t a villain, Toshi.”

“I feel that I should pay in the same coin. But your name is already kind of a nickname.” Hitoshi said, looking at Izuku from up to down. Then he saw his restless posture, practically hopping in place, and smirked. “Bunny!”

“Bunny?” Zuku’s instantly went red. “Why am I a bunny?”

“If you can stop yourself from hopping in place, I can find you another nickname.” Hitoshi pointed.

“HAHAHA. He got you, Zu.” Kuzu laughed. “If he’s a bunny, what am I?”

“Let me think…”

“An asshole. This is what you are, Kuzu.” Zuku mumbled.

“Wow, didn’t know Bunny could swear.” Hitoshi said.

“And no one will believe you. Ever.” Kuzu replied. “He’s an even bigger chaos gremlin than me, but no one believes when I say it.” Zuku simply turned his head to the side and stuck his tongue out. The intended target was obvious.

“Why, Fox, of course.” Hitoshi interrupted their bantering. 

“Fox?” Kuzu asked. “That’s… Pretty fitting, actually.”

“It’s perfect. You’re just as cunning as one. And sly too!” Zuku said.

Then they hear the bell ringing. Dismissal time.

“Hey, Toshi. We need to take care of some business before we go home. Can you go to the teachers' lounge and tell Dad that we'll be in the usual place?” Zuku asked, not giving much away as to what these businesses are about. “It may take a while, so I'll see you at home, okay?”

“Okay, Bunny.” Hitoshi replied, getting up from the couch.

They left the office together, and Izuku walked Hitoshi to the teacher’s lounge, then went straight to his classroom. As expected, Katsuki was waiting just outside the classroom, hands in his pocket and his usual scowl on his face. They must have had P.E. earlier because he’s also really sweaty.

“Hey, nerd. About fucking time. I thought you wouldn’t come.” He greeted, Izuku nodded at him.

“Follow me.” They said and started walking, refusing to elaborate.

Katsuki frowned but started following him through the corridors. They walked for about ten minutes in awkward silence on the Nedzu approved labyrinth until they got to a big door. It looked like one of the gyms.

“Where are we?” Katsuki asked as Izuku pressed a button at the door.

A panel opened at the wall, and Izuku made a wait motion for Katsuki, then put his face in the retinal scanner. The door opened, and he gestured for Katsuki to follow him inside.

“Welcome to Field Omega.” Kuzu said as they entered. “Or, as I like to call it, our personal playground.”

“What the…” Katsuki said, taking on the place.

“This place was a gift from Principal Nedzu after we accepted the teaching assistant position. Every UA employee has something like this.” Zuku explained. “Aizawa and his Hell Course, Snipe and the Range, Thirteen and the USJ. Ground Beta is technically All Might's.”

“This place has everything we need to test, analyze, and train the most problematic quirks you can imagine.” Kuzu continued. “All-proof dummies, obstacle course, targets for short and long range, cameras everywhere so I can analyze the footage afterward and from various angles. You got the point.”

“And why did you bring me here?” Katsuki asked.

“To talk, like you wanted.” Zuku replied. “This place has cameras. But it's the only place that Nedzu won't be watching unless we ask him to. But first.” Izuku went to a closet and threw a change of clothes and a towel to Katsuki. “That should be about your size. The showers are there, take a shower, and then we'll talk.”

“What?” Katsuki said indignantly. “Are you saying that I stink?”

“You smell like caramel, and we both know it, Katsuki.” Kuzu replied. “But this isn’t why we are asking for you to take a shower.”

“Just humor us this time, Katsuki.” Zuku said. “Please?”

“Fine.” Katsuki huffed, picking up the clothes and going to the shower.

As Katsuki went to the shower, Izuku walked through the installation to pass the time.

“You really think this will work?” Kuzu asked while they walked.

“It’s just a theory, but you know it makes sense.” Zuku replied.

“You always want to see the best in everyone, Zu.” Kuzu mused. “I hope you’re right. I won’t just forgive him if it is. But I’ll hate him a little less.”

“Coming from you, that is the equivalent of heavenly forgiveness.” Zuku joked.

“Shut up, Bunny!”

“After you, Fox!” Zuku stuck out his tongue.

They glared at nothing (each other) for a few seconds, then burst into laughter. After that, they waited for Katsuki in comfortable silence.

A few minutes later, Katsuki came back with a towel draped on his shoulders. He seemed much calmer than before.

The two stopped in front of each other. Izuku said nothing, just letting Katsuki collect his thoughts and decide what he wanted to say. The silence lasted for about five minutes, but when it was interrupted, Kuzu almost fell backward in surprise.

“I’m sorry.” Katsuki said. But the real surprise is that he bowed to Izuku. “I am sorry for how I treated you when we were children. For ruining our friendship. And for what I said the other day. I don't want you dead. I never did.”

Izuku kept silent for a few seconds, but Katsuki didn’t look up at him, only he kept bowing.

“Damn it. I hate when you’re right, Zu.” Kuzu mumbled. “Raise your head Katsuki. Don't bow to me.” He said, and Katsuki got up again, studying Izuku’s expression carefully.

Then Kuzu unceremoniously sits down on the floor, gesturing him to follow.

“First things first.” Zuku said. “I forgive you, Katsuki.”

“You what?” Katsuki asked, confused.

“You’re too easy, Zu.” Kuzu said, then addressed Katsuki. “Well, you never did anything unforgivable. But I’ll truly believe you’re sorry when you prove it.”

“That’s fair.” Katsuki nodded. “And fully intend to prove to you.”

“Well, we can start by discussing something I noticed.” Zuku replied. “While this in no way justifies what you did to me. I think it might not have been completely your fault, Katsuki.”

“What do you mean?” Katsuki asked.

“Do you remember how we were before you got your quirk?” Zuku asked. “You have always been harsh. But you weren't aggressive. That changed right after you got your quirk.”

“We all know how your quirk works.” Kuzu continued. “You sweat nitroglycerin and ignite it causing explosions. But did you know that nitroglycerin is toxic to the human body?”

“Of course, I know it.” Katsuki replied. “But my body is immune to it.”

“Not completely.” Zuku shook his head. “Your quirk won’t kill you, that’s true, but your body still recognizes it as a toxin. And when your body is exposed to a toxin, you get stressed, and the stress trigger adrenalin. The adrenalin activates your fight or flight responses.”

“And we both know your default response is fight.” Kuzu completed. “The only reason you never knew that is because Aldera quirk counselors must suck.”

“Quirk counseling was optional.” Katsuki replied. “I tried a few times, but I gave up. The only thing they worked on was to make my explosions stronger, and I didn’t need their help for this. I didn’t want to get my quirk even more volatile. I already hurt someone with it.”

“Then they suck even more than I thought.” Kuzu said.

“Try thinking about it for a second.” Zuku ignored Kuzu’s commentary. “How were you feeling before showering, and how are you feeling now.”

“I was much more… Irritable before. I didn’t want to talk. Because I felt that I would blow if I did.” Katsuki explained, then looked at his hands. “You might be right.”

“You took some anger management sessions, right?” Zuku asked. “What, it’s all on your file. Just because Dad doesn't read the students' files to avoid bias doesn't mean that I don't either.”

“It’s so fucking weird to have a teacher my age.” Katsuki groaned.

“You’ll get used.” Kuzu shrugged. “Anyway, back on topic. Anger management.”

“It sucked. The hag tried several, but we couldn't find a single therapist who wasn't more interested in my quirk than my problems.” Katsuki explained. “Most of the techniques I use, I found on the internet. The therapists were useless.”

“If you can give me their names later, I will do something about it.” Therapy, especially related to children, is a serious business. A therapist should not be prejudiced in any way. “And well, as we talked about the other day. Hound Dog is a good option.”

“We can schedule a session for you in a few days. But it's up to you.” Kuzu said. “Are you afraid of trying?”

“Afraid? Me? I'm not afraid of anything. You can schedule it for the earliest available date. I will prove to you that I can change.” Katsuki replied. “I still have much to make up for you. But when I’m done, I hope we can be friends again.”

“I still hate you.” Kuzu said. “But I'll give you the benefit of the doubt.”

“I am looking forward to it.” Zuku smiled. “And welcome back, Kacchan.”

Katsuki’s eyes widened as he looked at Izuku, then he grinned. After that, they parted ways.

Checking his phone, there was just a message from his dad. Looks like he went with Hitoshi to his foster house to pick up his things. It’ll probably take a few hours for them to get home.

Izuku then decided to go home to prepare dinner. They are sure that Shouta and Hitoshi will arrive tired and emotionally drained. Hopefully, Dadzawa won't punch anyone.

On the way, they pass Nedzu and Majima, examining what is left of the UA barrier. Whatever destroyed the barrier surely is powerful. It was not the work of an acid, nor was it brute force. The barrier has been reduced to, literally, dust.

The press has no one with a quirk capable of doing this, so who broke the barrier, and what did they want?

Izuku has a bad feeling about this.

Chapter Text

“Are you sure you want him?” The woman asked for the tenth time since Shouta got there. And he’s been there for less than half an hour, for god’s sake!

Calm down, Shouta, don’t punch anyone. Don’t punch anyone. Don’t punch anyone. Don’t punch anyone.

“Yes. I’m sure I want him.” Shouta replied between deep breaths. 

Since they arrived, Shouta sent Shinsou to his room to gather his things, while Shouta went to talk with the foster parents. The moment Shouta showed he was one of UA’s teachers, they instantly assumed that Shinsou was in trouble and being expelled. They said some… concerning things, to say the least. These idiots aren’t even trying to hide the abuse. They are sure that everyone will agree with them, and it’s infuriating. The last time he felt so much like punching someone was years ago when he saw Izuku handcuffed to that hospital bed.

Especially because Shouta knows that they are mostly correct. Quirk discrimination is so ingrained that most people see nothing wrong with it.

But to the dismay of these idiots, Shouta is not the majority. He has already been through the same thing as Shinsou, and he will never let this child go through something like that again. 

Forget about fostering. Bring the adoption papers yesterday!.

Just as the woman was about to open her mouth again. Probably to ask if Shouta is sure one more time, Shinsou opened the door and entered the room. The couple immediately tensed as the kid entered. The look in their eyes is so full of hatred and disgust that Shouta feels seconds of throwing up right here.

“You got everything?” Shouta asked, eyeing how he had only a single bag and a small box. Not to mention his school bag that is in Shouta's car.

“Yes. I go-” Shinsou started saying but stopped when he saw his faster father getting up and running with his fist raised. He took a step back, throwing his hands in front of his face to protect himself.

But Shouta was faster. He caught the fist and twisted in a painful angle, making the man scream in pain.

“If you ever raise this hand against a kid like this again, I’ll make it so you can never use it again.” Shouta spit, full of venom, then shoved the man backward. “Let’s go, Shinsou.”

The kid nodded, not wanting to risk saying anything, and started following Shouta.

“Wait.” The woman called before Shouta could leave. When Shouta looked, his blood boiled again. “You'll want to take this with you.” And in her hands was A. FUCKING. MUZZLE.

Don’t punch anyone, Shouta. Don’t punch anyone. Don’t punch anyone.

Don’t!

Punch!

Anyone!

“I don't need that.”

“But his quirk is-” She tried arguing but shut her mouth when she saw Shouta’s red eyes and floating hair.

“I know what his quirk is. I’m his homeroom teacher if you already forgot.” He snarled. “And I’m also a Pro Hero. You better remember that this place will be investigated for neglect, child abuse, and quirk discrimination.”

Then he left without sparing her another glance. Shinsou pressed a notebook in Shouta’s hands as soon as they entered the car. It must be the diary Izuku commented earlier.

The drive home was silent. Shouta was still trying to calm down, while Shinsou didn't seem to want to say anything. Eventually, Shouta managed to calm down enough to know he wouldn’t snap at anyone who didn’t deserve it. So he tried to say something.

“Do you like cats?” He tried, and it seemed like it was the right thing to say. Shinsou instantly perked up.

“Do you have cats?” He asked hopefully.

“Two cats. Pablo and Bastard.”

“Bastard? Your cat’s name is Bastard?” Shinsou asked, holding his laughter.

“You’ll understand when you meet her.” Shouta shook his head, focusing back on the road.

They didn’t talk more until they got to the apartment. But fortunately, the silence wasn’t awkward.

After parking the car, Shouta guided Shinsou to their apartment.

-----------------------------------------------

Hitoshi was nervous about this. He followed silently after Aizawa, but he couldn’t not worry. Aizawa said he didn’t do things he didn’t mean, but who’s to say how long it will take for him to regret fostering Hitoshi like so many others did? Hitoshi can’t get attached. It’ll only hurt more afterward if he does.

Entering the apartment, the first thing Hitoshi noticed was the familiar red shoes at the entrance. A well-known fact was that Duality is a false positive, previously believed to be quirkless. When Hitoshi discovered that, his respect for the hero grew even more.

Aizawa unceremoniously kicked off his boots and entered. Hitoshi followed after him but took his shoes with a bit more care and left them near Izuku’s at the entrance before following.

The apartment wasn’t anything impressive. Not what anyone would expect from a hero’s house, but exactly what anyone would expect from Aizawa. A simple living room with an extremely comfy-looking couch in front of a tv. A cat tower in the corner and not much decoration. The most surprising thing was the many pictures hanging on the walls. Mostly in a dark background, probably nighttime. They were mostly pictures of a tired-looking Aizawa and a much shorter Izuku wearing his old skull mask.

“You can drop your bags anywhere. I’ll show you your room after dinner. Bathroom is the third room to the left.” Aizawa explained. “Then we have my room. Knock on it before entering. Izuku’s room, if the sign on the door is green, you can enter. If it’s red, knock. My office, I barely use it. And guest room, which from now on will be your room. Kitchen is right there.”

Hitoshi started hearing a low humming coming from where Aizawa pointed. His curiosity won, and he approached it. He saw Izuku in front of the stove. He was wearing headphones and humming a familiar tune that Hitoshi was trying to recognize. From the wonderful smell, he seems to be making curry. Perched on the counter beside him was a white cat watching everything intently.

“Hi, Toshi.” Izuku greeted him without turning around. He lowered the fire then pressed a button on the headphone before taking them off. “Dinner is almost done.”

Izuku turned around, and Hitoshi saw his blue eyes as he started walking towards Hitoshi. The cat jumped on his shoulder and started eyeing Hitoshi suspiciously.

“Right, right.” Zuku said, patting the cat. “Toshi, this is Pablo, my cat. Pablo, this is Shinsou Hitoshi, my new brother.” At the word brother, the cat’s gaze softened.

Hitoshi took a good look at the cat’s face, instantly noticing the scar in his mouth made him look like he was smiling. Whoever did that to a cat, Hitoshi hopes it’s burning in hell for it. 

Carefully, Hitoshi raised his hand and offered to the cat, who hesitated for a second then nuzzled it, meowing softly.

“I met him less than a minute ago. But I would kill for him.” Hitoshi said, not taking his eyes off the cat.

“He’d kill for you first.” Zuku replied, smiling. “You’re something else, Toshi. It took me weeks for Pablo to let me even get close, let alone touch him. But he already warmed to you.” Then he looked at Pablo. “Food’s ready. Can you get bastard for me?”

Pablo nodded and jumped off his shoulder, running somewhere, while Zuku turned back and turned off the stove. Then he raised both his hands towards the cabinets, and plates, cups, and cutlery started floating towards the table.

“How convenient.” Hitoshi muttered in awe.

“I know, right?” Zuku giggled. “Sit down. I’ll call dad.”

Hitoshi did as he said and randomly chose a chair, then sat down. A few seconds later, Zuku came back, followed by a yawning Aizawa and Pablo, who was carrying a small black cat in his mouth. This must be Bastard.

The moment the black cat was put on the floor, she looked at Hitoshi, and… grinned? Then she ran at him and scratched his feet, making him jump in surprise.

“Ouch.”

“This is Bastard's baptism.” Zuku said, laughing. “Everyone that enters this house must go through it.”

Hitoshi looked under the table, and the cat was still there, licking her paws innocently.

“Is this why you call her Bastard?” He asked.

“Oh, Toshi. You didn’t see half of it.” Kuzu replied. “Small tip. If you have anything fragile, never let her enter your room.”

“This is a mistake you only commit once.” Zuku muttered sadly. Hitoshi can feel a story here. Maybe he’ll ask about it later.

“Anyway. Let’s eat before it gets cold.” Kuzu said, clapping his hands. “Zuku's curry is to die for.”

“It’s not that good.” Zuku replied sheepishly. “You and Daddy can't make anything but coffee.”

“A great coffee.” Kuzu said.

“Agree to disagree.” Zuku shrugged.

During the entire conversation(Hitoshi will need some time to get used to seeing a person have a whole discussion that looks like a monologue), Aizawa was practically asleep in his chair. Izuku didn't even bat an eye, simply serving him a plate of curry. He did the same for Hitoshi and only then served himself.

Hitoshi tastes the first warm spoonful of curry. Kuzu is right. This is delicious. He felt something strange on his face, his vision blurring slightly, and reached over to check. To his surprise, he felt something moist in his eyes. Tears?

Why am I crying? This isn’t the first time I have eaten curry. It can’t be the taste. I didn’t cry after eating Lunch Rush food. So what is happening with me now? Why do I feel so happy?

Izuku and Aizawa were smiling softly, but none of them commented on the tears, despite clearly having noticed them. Hitoshi is more than grateful for that.

After dinner, Izuku shows Hitoshi the guest room (his room now?) and promises that they will go out and buy decorations and furniture for the room over the weekend. Frankly, just having a real bed is already more than he could ask for. And he's tried to say this, but Izuku won't budge, and Hitoshi is too exhausted to argue. To his surprise, as soon as he puts his head on the pillow, he falls asleep. First time in weeks that his insomnia has not struck. And the first time in months that he doesn't have nightmares.

-----------------------------------------------

As soon as Izuku realizes that Hitoshi has slept, they silently leave the room and close the door. They find their father on the couch, grading some papers, probably from class 3-A. He said something about them having to write an essay for the laws and ethics class. Izuku unceremoniously throws themselves on the sofa next to him.

“On a scale of one to ten. How bad was it?” Kuzu asked. Shouta stopped his grading and pressed his palms against his eyes.

“A seven.” Shouta replied.

Yikes. It’s worst than Izuku hopped.

“Do I want to know?” Zuku asked.

“I’m sure you don’t.” Shouta shook his head. “But I know you will.” He picked up a notebook and opened it on a random page. “I only read the first page. And I already want to commit murder.”

Izuku took the notebook and started reading the entry.

One of the kids said to the monsters that I talked.

“Monsters?” Zuku wondered.

“Looks like this is what he calls the foster parents.” Shouta replied. “The father is the Ogre. The mother is the Witch.” Zuku nodded and continued to read.

I didn’t talk. I know I’m not allowed to, but they don’t believe me. I can’t even explain that it’s a lie because they don’t let me talk and don’t know JSL. They Muzzled me again. This Muzzle hurts so much, it digs on my face like claws, and it’s hard to breathe. They said I’ll have to wear it the entire weekend. I don’t want to.

This was one of the first entries, two years ago, the date indicates. The page has a few wet spots like he cried while writing.

I’m hungry. But the monsters don’t let me take off the Muzzle, and I can’t eat with it. Even without it, they never give me food. I have to sneak and pray for them not to catch me, or else they’ll force me to wear the Muzzle again. All this just because of my quirk? Why everyone is so afraid of my quirk? I’M NOT A VILLAIN!

This already looks bad enough, but to Izuku’s despair, it only gets worse.

… It’s been a week since I ate anything…

… I dreamed of my parents again. They called me a villain and abandoned me…

The Ogre punched me today. I didn’t even do anything. He just entered the room, saw me, and punched me in the face. Why does he hate me that much?

The Witch made me put my hand on a boiling water pan. Is this fun for her?

They started randomly deciding to Muzzle me. It doesn’t matter I didn’t talk. Not anymore…

I overheard the monsters talking earlier. They said a new kid is moving soon. They don’t have enough beds, so they’ll give my bed to the new kid. Looks like I’ll be sleeping on the floor again…

They locked me out of the house…

I found a sealed sandwich in the school trash can today. First lucky break in months…

The following entry surprises Izuku more than he expected.

I heard Present Mic’s program today. He was interviewing those new heroes, Ifrit and Poltergeist. They said that they don’t believe in villainous quirks. That everyone can follow their dreams, no matter what they do. “Never let anyone tell you that can’t do it. You can do it.” they said. I’ll be a hero and prove to everyone I’m not a villain. This is my dream.

Unfortunately, things didn’t get better after that.

The Witch made me wash the entire kitchen using a toothbrush, my own toothbrush. I never even eat here. Is she running out of ideas?

Fuck! Somehow they heard that I’m to applying to UA. I had to lie to them. They think I’m only applying to gen ed. They are sure I’ll fail. Otherwise, they wouldn’t let me try. If they know I’m trying the hero course, I don’t even know what they’ll do. But I’m sure I won’t like it.

The Ogre punched me again today. Shouldn't they fear me if they are so sure I’m a villain? It makes no sense. If I grow to be a villain, wouldn’t it be better for them not to be on a possible revenge list? No. Stop. Don’t go there, Hitoshi. You’re not a villain, and you’ll never be. You’ll be a hero and prove they are wrong.

I can do it. I know I can.

Zuku was crying after reading it. Kuzu was boiling in anger. But this is how it has always been for them. Zuku can’t offer anger, only tears. Kuzu can’t offer tears, only anger.

“Dad.” Kuzu said, closing the diary. “That place… I’ll burn that place until there’s not left.”

Dad simply sighed and got, gesturing for Izuku to follow him. They followed him to the rooftop of the building. No one needed to say anything. They did that many times. Nobody ever goes up there, so they can spar as much as they want. Perfect for letting out some steam, and at this moment. Both Shouta and Kuzu need to.

They spar for a few hours, just enough to calm down, and then go to sleep.

-----------------------------------------------

The next day, Shouta and all of class 1-A find themselves in front of a bus, ready to leave on a field trip. The class knows that this is for special training, but they don't know exactly what. It’s a surprise, after all.

Rescue training at USJ. By now it’s a tradition, every class has to do in their first week. After all, it won’t do for future heroes to forget what are their real duty. Heroes are too focused on flashy fights, villains, and hero rankings. But a hero's duty will forever be to protect and save.

Shouta admits that he slept through most of the bus ride, ignoring the conversation among the students.

Upon arrival at the USJ, the first problem soon appeared in the form of Shouta's number one source of headache. The idiot All Might has spent all his time going after purse-snatchers, and now he won't make it in time for training. Great!

As always, Thirteen gives their speech about how the powerful quirks that could save millions of lives could also be easily used to kill, so the kids must learn to use their quirks carefully and responsibly. Many previous classes used to ignore these concerns. But this class again showed promise. With only a few exceptions, every one showed that they were thinking seriously about the speech.

After that, they go inside, but as they enter, Izuku's phone starts ringing as they enter.

Shouta watches as Izuku picks up his cell phone and frowns as he looks at the number before answering.

“Dabi? You never call. What’s happening?” Dabi? The vigilante Izuku has been helping? What is happening?

Dabi said something on the phone, and Izuku’s eyes instantly snapped to the fountain at the center of the building. His frown morphed into a panic expression as he hung the call.

“Dad, we need to evacuate.” Izuku said, pointing to the center.

Shouta followed his hand and saw a small swirling purple mass of mist. 

“What is that? Did the training already start?” Kirishima asked.

The purple mass started growing, stretching from one side of the center all the way to the other. And out of it came several dozens of Villains. Some that Shouta recognized and others that he didn’t. Right in the forefront was a man – early twenties, long, unkempt blue hair, bloodshot red eyes – and the person who was obviously making the portal that the villains were walking out of. Tall, dressed in a bartender suit, seemingly made entirely out of the same purple and black mist that the portal was made out of.

But what was really worrying was the creature that followed the blue-haired man. A black humanoid monster with a very muscular body covered in scars. His brain was exposed on the top of his head, his large eyes around it, and a beak-like mouth with an array of sharp teeth.

The creature was, for lack of a better word, terrifying. But now it’s not the time to worry.

“Everyone, stay back!” Shouta commanded, and everyone fell silent when they heard the tone. “This is no training. Those are real Villains!” He said, falling into a battle instance.

No villain will touch his students.

Chapter Text

For Izuku, receiving a call on his personal phone is already something strange. After all, the only people with his number are class 1-A, the UA staff, and a certain pair of vigilantes. Seeing Dabi's call is even more strange, as he has never called before. Not to mention that he knows about Izuku's work as a teaching assistant.

In short, when Izuku answers the phone, he is confused, to say the least.

“Dabi? You never call, what’s happening?” Zuku asked as soon as he answered the call.

“Izuku! Finally. I don’t know where you are, but you need to act now. The League o…” The call started cutting “USJ any second now… portal… hundreds…” The call dropped. Izuku's phone was dead.

Then something caught Izuku’s attention at the center, by the fountain. A small purple mass started to expand quickly. Izuku called his Dad as soon as he noticed.

“Dad, we need to evacuate.” He said, pointing to the mass.

Shouta followed his pointing and saw it at the same as the rest of the class.

“What is that? Did the training already start?” Kirishima asked.

The mass expanded and started looking like a portal. Dozens, maybe hundreds of villains, started coming out of it. Some known, others were unknown to Izuku. But the blue-haired man with hands on his body, the mist man, and the humanoid creature were clearly the most dangerous of the group.

“Everyone, stay back!” Dad commanded, the same tone he uses to direct civilians when on duty. “This is no training. Those are real Villains!” He said, falling into a battle instance.

The blue-haired man stepped forward, eyes looking for something.

“Where is he? He should be there.” The man said, scratching his neck, then looked at the students. “Where is All Might. I can’t kill him if he’s not there!”

“According to the schedule you stole yesterday he should be there.” The mist man said. “Should we leave?”

“No! If we kill a few students I’m sure he’ll appear.” The blue-haired man replied.

This was enough to spring everyone into action.

“Thirteen, Duality. Protect the students.” Dad said, preparing to engage the villains.

“Don’t you dare die on me, Eraserhead!” Kuzu said. 

“You know me better than that, Ifrit.” Eraserhead replied, smiling.

“No true hero is a one-trick pony.” Ifrit said. “We’ll be back. Hang in there.”

With a single nod, Dad jumped down at the center, capture scarf already in motion.

Izuku didn’t waste any time, passing the control to Zuku. They took flight and went after the students running for the door. But they stopped in front of the door when a mass of purple mist appeared. The mist man came from the portal.

“I’m sorry, but I’m not allowed to let you escape.” The mist man said. “We are the League of Villains, and we are here to kill All Might.”

Ok, but why is he telling them their plan? Are these villains so confident that they will succeed, or does this mist guy have other plans?

“And how do you expect to achieve that when All Might is not even there?” Poltergeist asked, slowly moving to the front of the crowd.

“It doesn’t matter, I have a job to do, and I’ll do it.” Mist man said and started slowly spreading his - are those even arms? It all looks like mist.

Thirteen prepared to attack, but Kirishima and Katsuki jumped towards the villain first.

“You should consider that you would be beaten by us before you get the chance.” Kirishima said behind the smokescreen created by Katsuki’s explosion.

But as the smoke dispersed, the villain didn’t have a single scratch.

“How dangerous. I need to remember that even if you are just students, you still are UA’s golden eggs.”

“Move away, now!” Ifrit commanded, jumping in front of them.

“I’m sorry about that. But my job is to scatter you all.” The black mist started expanding. “Let’s see if you can survive!” Then he shot the mist towards the students.

Ifrit opened his mouth, throat glowing a bright green, and sent a fire wave towards the villain, but the fire disappeared as soon as it touched the mist. Then, other villains jumped out of the mist and pushed the students before entering again.

By the time the mist receded, the only students left were Sero, Satou, Uraraka, Ashido, Shouji, and Iida.

“Physical attacks can’t hurt him, and he warped everyone.” Poltergeist mumbled. Ifrit could see many portals opening around the building, which means that the students must still be there. “But is completely incorporeal? He must have some physical part in his body.” He started floating. “Thirteen, evacuate the students. Iida-Kun, as soon as you’re out, I need you to run to the school and warn the teachers.”

“But it would be a disgrace as the vice class rep to run and - ”

“You’re not running, Iida.” Ifrit said. “You are calling for reinforcements, which can be the difference between life and death in this situation. Now. GO!”

Then Poltergeist lunged for the mist guy, concentrating his telekinesis at the air around him. It’s much harder to grab things that aren’t physical, but it’s not impossible.

As he attacked, Thirteen and the students started running for the door. Ifrit saw another portal forming on their way.

“Poltergeist, switch!” He called, and they switched control.

Ifrit shot the grappling hook and used it to dive at high speed, fists already burning a bright blue, and he punched through the portal, just as he saw the yellow eyes of the mist man, who grunted and receded.

“Physical attacks don’t hurt him, but he’s not immune to heat.” Poltergeist mumbled. “Switch back.”

Poltergeist tried pulling on the mist, but it was too unstable to get a feel on it. Not even smoke is that hard to subdue. Glancing behind his back, he saw Thirteen disintegrating the door and the students leaving.

“You’re more problematic than we thought.” The mist man said. “Looks like the students escaped. I must warn Shigaraki Tomura.” Then he went through another portal.

Seconds before he disappeared, Poltergeist noticed some kind of metal plate attached to the mist. This must be his physical part. But before he could grab on it, the villain disappeared.

“Damn, it!” Ifrit cursed. “We lost him.”

“He said he needed to warn Shigaraki Tomura.” Poltergeist replied. “I’ll bet my Present Mic plushie that this is the handyman’s name.”

“Handyman? Really?” Ifrit snorted. “Is this the best you could think?”

“Shut up!” Poltergeist blushed. “We need to go help, Dad.”

“Right on.” Ifrit replied, and they flew to the center where Eraserhead was engaging the villains.

-----------------------------------------------

Villains. Of course, they are being attacked by villains on their first week. To make things worst, they were all scattered around, and Hitoshi ended up in the Squall Zone with the bird boy and the stone boy. This is just Hitoshi’s cursed luck again.

To make matters worse, he can't help but worry about Eraserhead. He knows that the hero can handle himself, as he said, "no hero is a one-trick pony," but still, Hitoshi knows Eraserhead better than most. He is at a complete disadvantage in long battles or against many enemies. Not to mention that that creature, whatever that thing was, gave him the chills.

Still, most of the villains here are easy to deal with. Tokoyami is taking them almost single-handedly. How can these villains be so confident they can kill All Might when they are being defeated by kids?

“Hey, Tokoyami, grab one of them for me.” Hitoshi asked.

“Understood.” Tokoyami replied, sending Dark Shadow, who quickly grabbed one of the villains.

“So.Want to tell us your plan?” Hitoshi asked the villain.

“Why would I -” The villain’s face blanked.

“Let’s try again. What is your plan?”

“I don’t know.” The villain replied.

“Great.” Hitoshi groaned. “How the villains plan to kill All Might.”

“The creature has been brought here to fight him.”

Oh, great. The villains are just cannon fodder. The creature is the real problem.

“We need to keep going.” Hitoshi said.

Tokoyami nodded, and Dark Shadow smashed the villain’s head on the floor, knocking him out.

They can do nothing to help now besides praying for Aizawa and Izuku’s safety.

-----------------------------------------------

Izuku almost choked on air when he got to the center. The creature was pinning Eraserhead to the ground, his arm shouldn’t bend like that, and there was blood on the floor. The blue-haired man was talking to the mist man. And at the pond not far from there was Asui and Todoroki, also watching the scene.

The handyman was talking angrily at the mist man. He turned his back to Eraserhead like he wanted to leave. But then he turned to the pond and lunged with his hand outstretched towards Asui.

Izuku immediately jumped, but he won’t get there on time. The villain closes his hand around Asui’s head, and… Nothing happens. The villain turns back to Eraserhead.

“You really are cool, Eraserhead. Noumu.”

The creature raises Eraserhead’s head again and prepares to bash on the floor again. But at least Izuku is close enough to that. Before the Noumu could finish, Ifrit was on him, both feet glowing a bright purple, and dropkicks the creature that screams and drops Eraserhead. Then in a quick motion, he shots a chain and pulls the handyman from Asui.

“Duality.” The villain says. “So sensei was right. Both Dualities are the same person.” Sensei? Who’s that? “Doesn’t matter, you’ll die here too.”

“Asui, Todoroki. Get Eraserhead and run!” Ifrit says and lunges towards the villain.

“Don’t let him touch you.” Asui warns him, jumping towards Eraserhead. “He disintegrated Aizawa-sensei’s elbow.”

“Got it.” Ifrit replies.

He stops right in front of the villain and throws a blazing punch at his gut.

“Agh. You brat. Your agility stat is too high.” He whines, then tries to grab Izuku, who parries the attack with his arms, avoiding the fingers, and kicks him to the side of the head. The attack makes the hand on his face fall down. “No, father!” Izuku jumps back as the villain hurries to recover the hand.

What the heck? Father? This is the hand of his father?

Izuku glances around. It seems like Asui managed to get Eraserhead. And at some point, Katsuki and Kirishima arrive. They are holding the mist man.

“You’ll pay for that. Noumu!” Izuku turns around, and before he can react, the Noumu is already punching them in the chest with enough force to throw them several meters. They collide against a wall and almost pass out right there. They sure have at least a few broken ribs for that.

“How is that thing moving? That kick would have killed a normal person.” Ifrit says.

“That thing is obviously not a normal person.” Poltergeist replied, forcing himself to get up. He coughs blood. “Damn it... I think… we have a… punctured lung.”

“This will be… a problem. I need to breathe… to use fire.” Ifrit replied.

“Let’s go.” Poltergeist said, choosing to ignore the problem for now. He discards the mask since it’s making it harder to breathe and starts floating back to the battle.

‘We need another strategy.’ Poltergeist says through their shared mind since it’s better than talking at this moment. ‘Your kick didn’t do anything, so it must have either super regeneration or some kind of shock absorption.’

‘Use the arrows.’ Ifrit suggests. ‘If it has shock absorption, we can try to pierce it. If it has super regeneration we can try to overwhelm it.’

Poltergeist nods and opens his cloak, floating the five arrows in front of him. He dips the arrows in the flammable solution then Ifrit puffs a small flame, lighting the arrows.

He locates the Noumu, who was about to attack Kirishima, and sends three arrows that pierce through his chest and both arms. The Noumu screeches, and Izuku can see him quickly regenerate from the burns.

‘So it really has super regeneration, in that case…’ 

Poltergeist raises both hands and sends all arrows simultaneously, piercing the creature in multiple places. But he doesn’t stop at that. Moving his hands in a series of movements reminiscent of a conductor in an orchestra, the arrows keep circling the creature, constantly piercing it. The damage is consistent but not enough to overwhelm the super regeneration.

‘It’s not working.’ Ifrit comments.

‘Then how about this.’

Poltergeist throws both grappling hooks at the creature’s chest, then uses his telekinesis to wrap the creature on the chains.

‘You can’t use your fire like that. But there’s plenty of fire for us to use there.’ Poltergeist spins in place, using the chains to throw the Noumu in the direction of the Conflagration Zone, then flies after the creature.

This creature, who hurt his Dad…

Izuku doesn’t hear when All Might burst through the door.

There’s no Zuku and Kuzu. For a moment, they don’t feel each other. Izuku feels the anger burning into them. They feel the tears in their eyes, both at the same time. They didn’t feel anything like this since their quirk manifested. But now is not the time to think about this.

Izuku stops right above the Noumu and kicks him with all his force in the exposed brain, releasing the chains and sending the creature crashing through the ceiling to the floor. But they aren’t done yet.

Izuku raises both arms, crossing them in front of their chest, and screams.

“HELLFIRE!”

And takes control of all the fire in the zone. As the fire starts gathering, they change color to a bright purple and spin like a tornado around the Noumu. Izuku keeps it for at least five minutes before releasing it. The fire dies as soon as it’s released. The Noumu, or what remained of him, is on the floor. If it can regenerate from this, it’ll take some time.

Izuku starts coughing blood again and falls to the ground. He passes out before hitting the floor.

Chapter Text

Zuku is not sure how long it took for him to wake up. But when he does, it’s to a heart monitor beeping annoyingly at his ears. He really doesn't need that now, not with the headache he’s feeling at this moment. Where is he? And why?

Oh, right. Villains attacked the USJ, and they fought that creature.

Is everyone alright? Thirteen? The students? Toshi? God, is his Dad okay?

Zuku practically jumps from the bed before feeling a pain in his chest. He looks around and finds himself in a hospital room. A window reveals that it is already night. But that’s not important now. He needs to find his family. Make sure they are safe. Nothing else matters right now.

“Wow. Izuku, calm down.” Someone said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Zuku grabs the hand, snapping his head towards the person, and he sees a familiar mop of purple gravity-defying hair.

“Toshi?” He whispers, gently letting go of the hand. “Are you okay?”

Hitoshi starts laughing.

“I’m not the one in a hospital bed, bunny.” He says. “Everyone is okay, Zu. The only ones hurt in the attack were you and Aizawa-Sensei. He’s right there.” Hitoshi points to a bed right next to Zuku's, where a person resembling a mummy is lying. “He’s pretty banged, but the doctors said he won’t suffer any permanent damage.”

Zuku lets out a relieved sigh. Dad is hurt, but he’ll be fine. Everyone else is fine too. That’s great news.

“He looks like a mummy.” He hears coming from his own mouth.

“Kuzu? When did you wake up?” Zuku asks.

“Two minutes ago.” Kuzu replies. “I was about to try to calm you down when Toshi started talking.” Then he turns to Hitoshi. “What about the villains?”

“The thugs were mostly caught.” Hitoshi explained. “The creature was also caught. The mist guy, and the hands guy escaped. The heroes arrived not long after you dragged that thing away from the center. Everyone saw the purple tornado.”

Izuku nods and keeps silent for a few seconds.

“Hey, Toshi. Could you bring me a water cup?” Zuku asks.

“Okay. Be right back.” Hitoshi replies and leaves the room.

As soon as Hitoshi leaves, Kuzu sighs and asks.

“How can you even breathe like that?”

“Not sure, better not to question.” His dad replies.

“How bad was it really?”

“You died for two minutes.” Shouta replies, completely serious. “The doctors had to perform an urgent surgery.”

“I take it, you didn’t tell Toshi.” Zuku sighed. “Guess it’s for the better. Something happened, Dad.”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you remember our tests with our quirk?” Zuku asked. “Moving fire with my quirk is the most I can do.”

“I can control the heat, but I need to be touching the fire for that.” Kuzu complemented. “But when we fought the Noumu. We controlled all the fire in the Conflagration Zone.” Kuzu raised his left hand, Zuku raised his right. “I think…”

“It was only for a few minutes.” Zuku continued. “But I’m sure I felt anger…”

“We became one again.” Kuzu said. “I’m sure of it.”

“We’ll figure out what happened Izuku.” Shouta assured. “I promise you.”

“I know.” They replied together. “What about the school?”

“We’ll have two days of break.” Shouta explained. “So we’ll be back monday. Your only injuries were the broken ribs and punctured lung so you should be discharged in the morning. Then we’ll go home.”

“I’m sure you won’t be discharged just yet, dad.”

“No. But they can’t trap me here.” Shouta replied. If his face were visible, Izuku is sure he would be smirking.

“Sometimes I wonder who is really the kid here.” Zuku muttered.

“I’m back.” Toshi said, entering the room with a glass of water, which Zuku graciously floated towards himself.

“Thanks, Toshi.” He smiled then downed the glass. He hadn't noticed how thirsty he was until now.

With Toshi back, Izuku and Shouta dropped the heavy subjects since they didn’t want to worry the kid. It took some convincing, but eventually, even the insomniac surrendered to exhaustion and fell asleep.

The next day, first thing in the morning, Tsukauchi entered their room. Nothing surprising since he probably would want to get Izuku’s statement about the incident. The surprising part was seeing a black-haired, scarred man following the detective into the room.

Dabi entered without any ceremony, like he wasn’t a wanted vigilante, and sat down at the chair in front of Izuku’s bed.

“Toshi…” Izuku called, and the purple-haired boy nodded.

“I’ll wait outside.” Then he left the room.

“I would say I’m surprised. But I’m not.” Zuku said, eyeing Tsukauchi. “Hi, Himi-Chan.”

“Hi, Zuzu!” “Tsukauchi” replied in a downright bizarre tone to hear coming from him. “Hi, Eraser-Chan.”

His dad didn’t reply. Instead, he kept pretending to be asleep.

“As much as I would love to hear how Himi-Chan got Tsukauncle’s blood. I’m sure you didn’t come here to that.” Kuzu said. “What do you know?”

“Yesterday, the league approached us again.” Dabi started explaining. “They wanted us to help on the attack, but we refused again.”

Tsukauchi’s face started melting until a familiar blonde head became visible.

“They were so mean. Shiggy wouldn’t even let me stab anyone!” Himiko pouted. “And they didn’t let us leave until they were about to attack.” Then she transformed back.

“As soon as we left, I called you. But it was too late.” Dabi sighed.

“What the fuck?” They heard coming from the door. Hitoshi was there with another Tsukauchi, the real one this time, alternating between the two Tsukauchis in the room. “Do you have a twin?”

“I can assure you that I don’t have a twin.” Tsukauchi replied. “And I would love to know when you got my blood, Himiko.”

“Hi, Tsu-Chan.” Himiko said, dropping the transformation completely.

Zuku lifted a finger, throwing his Dad’s capture weapon around Hitoshi’s eyes.

“Himi-Chan.” He said, looking to the ceiling. “Tell me you brought your clothes this time.”

“Oops.” She giggled.

“Transform yourself into me, please. I refuse to continue this conversation until you get dressed.” Zuku said. “Toshi, I’ll explain this later.”

“Alright…” Hitoshi said, sounding completely weirded out. “I’ll be right there if anyone needs me… Or don’t.” Then he left again, not even bothering to take the scarf off his eyes.

After he left, everyone eyed each other for a few seconds. Then Kuzu shrugged and looked back at Dabi while Himiko transformed into him. Tsukauchi mumbled something about needing coffee.

“Anyway.” Kuzu said. “Tsukauncle, you know these two. Dabi was telling me what he discovered about the League of Villains.” Dabi sighed then resumed his explanation.

“Their attack failed. But I’m sure they won’t be giving up anytime soon.” He said, then pulled a few pictures from his coat. “For now, they only have three real members. Shigaraki Tomura is the leader.” He pointed to the photo of the blue-haired man from the attack without the hands covering his face. “Kurogiri acts like his caretaker.” He pointed to the mist man. “And the last one is the one Shigaraki calls Sensei, but he never showed his face.” He points to the picture of a monitor. “I heard him talking to Shigaraki while with them, but he only talks through this monitor.”

“Oh, and this Sensei is the one that made the Noumu thing.” Himiko chirps in. “I heard they saying that it is completely braindead, and only obeys what Shiggy tells it to do.”

“They brought it to fight All Might.” Zuku said. “But I don’t think super regeneration would be enough to defeat the Symbol of Peace.”

“Super Regeneration. Shock Absorption. Super Strenght. And Super Speed.” Dabi corrects. “For someone who was dealing with one of the biggest informants in the underworld you would imagine that Shigaraki would be careful what he shows me. But no, he bragged non stop about the thing yesterday.”

“Multiple quirks?” Zuku almost jumped. “How is that even possible?”

“Damn, All Might. You said he was dead!” Tsukauchi muttered.

“Who’s dead?” Kuzu asked.

“I need to make a call.” Tsukauchi said, getting up. “Rest for now, Izuku.” Then he went for the door. “You too, Eraser.” Shouta only grunted in response.

“It’s better if we leave too.” Dabi said, getting up. “But I have one more thing for you.” He pulled one more envelope from his coat and gave it to Izuku. “He’ll change location again soon. But there are two possible cities that he’ll move to next.”

“Thanks, Dabi.” Izuku smiled, but his eyes didn’t leave the envelope. A single word was written on it. “Stendhal. I’ll find you soon.”

-----------------------------------------------

Hitoshi is still trying to understand what the hell happened earlier. No one seemed surprised but him, so whoever this girl who had turned into the detective was, they knew her. When he asked Izuku, he simply said she was a friend.

Fortunately, this was the only strange event of the day. As Aizawa predicted, Izuku was discharged not long after. With strict guidelines to avoid any kind of physical activity for at least another three days.

Aizawa should stay in the hospital for at least one more day. But after Izuku promised to keep an eye on him, the Underground Hero was eventually discharged as well. The fact that he threatened to escape through the window also helped.

Anyway, they went home, and the rest of the day was spent with them taking a nap on the couch. Pablo hasn't left Izuku's side since they got home. It is more than evident how attached the cat is to the boy.

Zuku had neither the motivation, nor the condition, to cook, so they ended up ordering food for delivery. And after dinner, Izuku decided to gather everyone in the living room to watch a video. Within the first few seconds, Hitoshi already recognized the video. It was the recording of the second day of class when Aizawa basically threatened the Symbol of Peace.

Aizawa had a “completely done with everything” look on his face. All Might didn’t lose his smile, but it was evident that he was cold sweating under the glare. The camera moved towards the teachers, and a few murmurs could be heard in the background.

“Young Aizawa. I’m sure they’ll be fine.” All Might tried to argue. “They are hero students.”

“First years hero students, All Might!”Aizawa replied. “They’re yet to have a single lesson in quirk control and safety measures. You want to randomly throw them to face each other, in a closed space. And you’re sure they’ll be fine? The third years do this excercise and even so they can’t avoid a few accidents, you moron!”

“Young Aiza-”

“Call me young Aizawa one more time and I’ll break your arm.” Aizawa snapped.

All Might actually shiver at this.

“Aizawa.” He said carefully. “Everything is under control.”

Aizawa huffed, his expression torn between tired, angry, and completely done. Then he saw the students, looked directly at the camera, and to everyone’s shock, he grinned.

Izuku started laughing, and Hitoshi looked at him.

“It’s time for a logical ruse.” Kuzu said.

“Very well.” Aizawa addressed the students. “You’ll follow his plan lesson, since he’s so sure it’s safe.”

“It’ll be-” All Might started, but Aizawa cut him.

“And since everything safe, let’s make a compromise.” Aizawa said. “For every student who has to go to the infirmary I will break one of your fingers.”

“Youn-” Aizawa glared, and All Might chocked on air. “Aizawa isn’t this a bit - ”

“Everything is safe, right?” Aizawa asked but didn’t let him answer. “Then there’s nothing to fear. Carry on with your lesson. I’ll be just observing.” He went closer and said in the most menacing voice everyone ever heard coming from him. “Closely.”

The video cut a few seconds later.

Izuku was wheezing like a tea kettle.

“Dad.” Kuzu said, looking at Aizawa. “Never change!”

“You know me, Kuzu.” Aizawa grinned.

After watching the video(At the time, it was scary. But seeing it now, Hitoshi agrees that it was hilarious), the rest of the afternoon became a movie session. Specifically, Disney and Pixar after Hitoshi admitted that he had never seen any of their movies. Which, according to Zuku, is unacceptable.

Wall-E, Finding Nemo, Lion King, Brother Bear. They watched these movies and some others. And Hitoshi reluctantly admits that he loved every one of them. They continued the session until, in the middle of Frozen, Hitoshi fell asleep. The next day he woke up in his bed.

----------------------------------------------

Because of the muzzle problem, followed by the alarm and the attack on the USJ, Izuku and Hitoshi could not have the same discussion Izuku had with the other students. So they decided to have it now since today is Saturday and Izuku can't go back on patrol for at least two more days.

Shortly after breakfast, Izuku and Hitoshi meet in Izuku's room. Izuku sitting on his bed, the notebook with the purple cat floating in front of his face. Hitoshi sitting right in front of him.

“All right, Toshi.” Zuku started. “Let's start with your costume. The inspiration is obvious, after all it is the same as mine. Dad is incredible. And as expected, simple, practical, functional. I would say, perfect.”

“You didn't ask for any support gear. Why?” Kuzu asked.

“I didn’t know what to ask for.” Hitoshi replied.

“Normal. Most first years don't know what to ask for. Statistically speaking, less than 20% finish the course without making some major change in costume and/or support hear.” Zuku said, tracing his pencil through the notebook. Then he showed the sketch to Toshi. “I can think of two items that might help you. First: Persona Cords.” He showed a sketch of a mouth mask. “Simply put, this device will disguise your voice and also allow you to imitate other people's voices.”

“But let's leave that one for later.” Kuzu said, turning the page. “You may have noticed the similarity of this mask to a certain object that I am sure you don't want to use again. So until you have had a few therapy sessions, best to avoid any potential triggers.”

“Therapy?” Hitoshi asked.

Kuzu closed the notebook and raised an eyebrow at Hitoshi.

“Yes, therapy, Toshi.” Zuku said gently. “What you went through, both in your life, and at USJ, was something traumatic.”

“Because of the USJ, all students will be required to attend at least one session with the Hound Dog.” Kuzu explained. “After that it is their choice.”

“But remember one thing, Toshi. Therapy does not make you weak.” Zuku said. “Since Dad adopted us. We go to therapy weekly.”

  “It helped us learn to cope with many of our problems.” Kuzu continued. “You don't have to continue if it doesn't work. But could you at least try?”

Hitoshi thought for a few seconds, alternating his focus between the blue and the yellow eye. Then he nodded slowly.

“Okay. I’ll try.”

Zuku jumped and hugged him.

“Thanks, Toshi. This is all I ask for.” Then he opened the notebook again. “On another note. I think you will like this one.” He showed a sketch of a capture scarf, the same type as his dad uses. “What do you think?”

“A capture scarf?” Hitoshi’s eyes practically shone under his eyebags.

“I tried one of these once. But I have zero talent with this thing.” Zuku said. “My chains work much better. But you, Toshi. I think you will do well with one of these.”

“I’ll ask dad to help you with it later.” Kuzu said. “I think he can help you with more than this though.”

“What do you mean?”

“With all due respect Toshi. But you are a stick with legs.” Kuzu replied. “I am not saying this to offend you. It is impossible to build muscle mass when you are actively being starved, and can't leave the house for anything. It's not your fault and I know how hard you've worked for your chance.”

“But this doesn't change the fact that you will need to stay on the same level as the others. The difference is that we will support you.” Zuku continued. “We have to develop a training routine for you.”

“Ours is inviable for you.” Kuzu said. “Our training is focused on muscle mass, as Zuku takes care of our mobility. But in your case, it's good to keep the muscles at a level that doesn't compromise your mobility. Unless you want an All Might physique.”

Hitoshi frowned, and Kuzu started laughing.

“Eww. No, thanks.”

“As expected.” Zuku laughed. “I would suggest gymnastics and/or dancing too. It helps with flexibility.”

“I don’t think I would be a good dancer.” Hitoshi replied.

“I didn't think so either. But nowadays nobody beats me at breakdancing.” Kuzu replied. “It is especially useful for incorporating kicks into my fighting style.”

“Really?” Hitoshi asked. “Actually, I didn’t have any chance to see you really fighting. What is your style?”

“Close quartes. Uncomfortably close.” Kuzu replied. “In short, I get as close as possible. That way I can stop attacks before they even start. You noticed that I'm relatively... compact.”

“That’s one to put it.” Hitoshi chuckled.

“Oh, shut up. Not everyone can be a giant.” Kuzu replied. “Anyway, that means that most villains have a reach advantage over me. But from the moment I'm in their face, that advantage becomes a disavantage. It's like using a spear against a sword, if the swordsman gets close enough, the advantage of the spear is completely lost.”

“I think I get it.” Hitoshi nodded.

“It works because of our short stature. But it won’t work for you.” Zuku said.

“As for what will work for you.” Kuzu smirked. “I think I have a few ideas. If you’re open to try them.”

Hitoshi mimicked the smirk and they started planing.

Chapter Text

Monday came faster than expected, bringing Shouta and Izuku back to the UA. They were waiting in the teachers’ lounge, although Izuku had to go to the infirmary for a check-up with Recovery Girl before class. If all is well, she will heal the rest of his wounds.

As Shouta reviewed his lesson plan for the day, the door opened, revealing the big idiot, All Might, who entered the room in his powered-up form despite everyone there knowing his true form. The clueless buffoon basically didn’t notice all the professors staring daggers at him and just walked in, pulling a subject with his usual smile. At their desk, Izuku held one of their notebooks so tightly that the hardcover was beginning to bend.

“Good morning everyone.” All Might said, going to his desk, where he sat down and deflated. “It was a tragedy what happened. But fortunately everyone is fine.”

Terrible words. Izuku slammed their notebook down hard on the table, got up, and walked over to All Might’s desk.

“Good morning, All Might. Do you mind buffing up for a second?” Kuzu said, smiling sweetly.

“Okay?” All Might said, confused but obliged. “Why thou-”

A punching sound echoed in the room. Everyone turned their heads and saw Izuku with their clenched fist slammed at All Might’s cheek. Then Shouta noticed the blue eyes. All Might is screwed.

Most people fear a lecture from Kuzu, but the one they should fear always has been Zuku. There’s something really terrifying in being lectured by someone that can’t get angry no matter what. It just means that his arguments will never be clouded by anger. This, in addition to his expression of “I’m not angry, just disappointed,” never fails to bring guilt even in supervillains.

“Everyone is fine you say?” Zuku said calmly. “Dad almost lost his vision and his quirk. Can you repeat that to his face?” He pointed to himself. “I died for two minutes. Can you repeat that to my face? Asui was almost disintegrated. Can you repeat that to her face? Can you repeat that for all the students who had to fight for their lives much sooner than they should have for the simple fact that YOU don’t take your work seriously?” His tone of voice did not change for even a second.

“Young Aiz-” All Might tried, but Zuku raised a hand to stop him, then his eyes turned yellow.

“How is your search for a successor going, All Might?” Kuzu asked, and All Might cough blood. “What? The time you spend working has been gradually decreasing. Then, a few years ago, you came to Musutafu and settled here. And now you have become a teacher in the biggest school for heroes in Japan. Your time limit was the only piece I was missing, and after finding out, your plans became obvious.” He waved his hand dismissively. “So I will ask again. How is your search for a successor going? Did you find any candidates?”

“Well, I-” Zuku slammed his hands on the desk.

“To hell with the answer. You are a teacher, All Might. The moment you accepted the position, you committed yourself to be a mentor to all the future heroes that will come out of here. You have many enemies, and the moment you accepted this position, all the students gained a target on their backs. So the least you could do is to take your position seriously. Teach the students what it is to be a real hero. If you can even remember what it is. And be here to protect them in case something like this happens again.” Then he started leaving the room. “I’m going to Recovery Girl, see you in class, Dad.” He left massaging his wrist. “Damn it, Kuzu. Did you really have to punch so hard? It’s like his face is made of steel.”

Shouta would have found the scene hilarious if he was not also furious with the hero. Still, he managed to feel proud of what his son had just done. Few would have the spine to say something like that to the face of the number one hero. At least the idiot had the decency to look guilty after hearing the lecture.

“All Might, please come to my office.” Nedzu’s voice came from the speaker.

If All Might looked ashamed before, now he looks terrified. He gets up and leaves the room looking like a prisoner going to the execution chamber. Serves him right. Shouta is not a vindictive person. I mean, yes, he is. But at least this time, everyone agrees that All Might deserves whatever will happen to him.

-----------------------------------------------

“Jan Ken Po!” Izuku yelled, pulling scissors on his left hand and rock on his right.

“Damn.” Zuku mumbled. “All right, so let’s use my energy.” He sat down at one of the infirmary beds, and Recovery Girl kissed his cheek. The pain he was still feeling in his chest dimmed, as did his energy. As Zuku started yawning, Kuzu assumed control.

“Thanks, Granny.” He said, smiling at the old lady. “I have no idea how much Nedzu pays you. But it is not enough.”

“Can’t say you’re wrong dear.” She sighed. “I wish Nedzu was a little less paranoid with his staff. I could really use some help here.”

“Maybe you could try…” Zuku yawned. “Scouting some students… for a work study… I know healing quirks are… are rare, but you never… know when you’ll… find… someone… wi…”

“He fell asleep.” Kuzu chuckled. “But I think it’s a good idea. Even if there’s no one with healing quirks, you might find someone interested in medicine.”

“You bring a good point, sonny. I’ll bring this up with Nedzu at our next meeting.” She said, giving Kuzu a few gummies. “Now, go on. And don’t forget to have your Dad come here after class. We need to do three more sessions to finish his healing.”

“Yes, Ma’am!” Kuzu saluted, then left the room.

As he approaches the classroom, Izuku soon hears the commotion. Homeroom started five minutes ago, and it seems that the room is already making their opinion evident about Shouta being back in his state. Not that Kuzu disagrees with them, but his father is so stubborn that what’s the point of even trying?

Just before Kuzu opens the door, the sudden silence indicates they have received a Shouta Glare™, something Kuzu wanted to be inside to see what it looks like with Shouta covered in bandages. A red-eyed mummy is something he had never imagined.

Opening the door to the classroom was like opening the gates to the land of chaos. If the students were worried about Shouta, the moment Izuku opened the door, it was as if everyone was holding back from jumping on him. In Dark Shadow’s case, he didn’t hold back and jumped up to hug Izuku.

And there goes another ten minutes spent calming the students down - Yes, he is fine. No, he doesn’t need any more rest time. Recovery Girl has already cleared him - only then Shouta can explain what happens now.

“You all did very well with what happened, but the fight is not over yet.” And with that, the tension in the class doubled. “The sports festival will take place in one month.” And chaos started again. Is it impossible for this class not to explode after every announcement Shouta makes? Probably.

Well, to preserve his Dad’s eyes (he shouldn’t be using his quirk), Kuzu decides to test one of Zuku’s ideas. He knows that he can spew fire from his entire body, including his eyes. 

Kuzu puts his hands on the table and does his best imitation of a Shouta Glare™ while concentrating his flames in his eyes. The expected effect is achieved, and everyone immediately becomes quiet. Successful experiment.

He smiles and puts his hand in his Dad’s scarf, where he knows he keeps his eyedrops. Letting fire out of your eyes can be intimidating, but drying the water from inside the eyes is not pleasant.

“Is that how you feel every time you use erasure, Dad?” Kuzu says, dripping the eye drops into his eyes. “Very unpleasant.”

“You get used to it.” Shouta waved him off.

“No one will address how scary that was?” Kaminari asked. “I prefer Sensei’s glares.” All the students nodded in acknowledgment.

“Back to the Sports Festival.” Shouta said. “The School Board decided to keep the Festival despite the protests of some teachers. Myself included.”

“And me.” Kuzu replied. “But what can we do?”

“To ensure the safety of the students, some precautions will be taken. The Festival is being postponed by two weeks, to give the students more time to prepare. In addition the usual security will be increased fivefold. So the only thing you have to worry about is training as much as possible.” Shouta explained.

“Remember, the Sports Festival is the perfect opportunity to catch the eye of the Pro Heroes and secure internships.” Kuzu said. “Of course, not everyone will be able to make good impressions, and we also have those who want to go Underground. For those, I guarantee that you will also have internship opportunities. But regardless of your plans. Go Beyond.”

“PLUS ULTRA!” The class cheered with him, and the bell signaled the end of homeroom.

After that, classes went on as usual. Nothing much happened during the day, which is good, both the students and the teachers deserve a rest after what they have been through. Apparently, there was some commotion in front of the room at snack time. But if something serious had happened, Toshi would have warned them. Zuku woke up near the last period.

After class, Izuku, Shouta, Toshi, and Chiyo go to Field Omega to perform some tests. Well, Toshi is there because he wanted to wait for Izuku and Shouta instead of going home alone. And Granny Chiyo because she is the only one who knows how to operate the mind scanner they need to use.

The tests are simple. After calibrating the machine, Zuku does a few simple movements. Kuzu repeats them. Then Zuku does other movements while Kuzu has overall control, and then Kuzu does the same. They have done these tests before.

“Well, sonny. Nothing has changed since the last scan. Your brain continues the same.” Granny said, looking at his brainwaves. “Whatever happened, it seems to have been only temporary.”

That’s honestly a relief. Izuku doesn’t know what they would do if they were in danger of merging again. Their dual personalities are already so ingrained that they have no desire to become one again.

“Do you think you can reproduce?” Shouta asked them.

“I can’t tell. We don’t know what exactly was the trigger.” Zuku said.

“Clearly it had something to do with the villains. I remember that I was furious with that creature for hurting you like that.” Kuzu explained.

“I had forgotten what it was like to feel anger. But seeing you like that was like seeing Mom in that chair again. Except that instead of going into shock, this time I attacked.” Zuku said. “Some kind of trauma response maybe? That is what separated us, could it meger us again?”

“It makes sense, but how could we possibly tes...” Kuzu’s eyes slid to the kid in the corner of the room, ignoring the conversation for his cell phone. “Toshi!” Toshi jumped and looked at them in surprise. He wasn’t expecting to be called.

“Problem Children.” Shouta warned. “You don’t intend to ask him to force you into a PTSD attack, do you?”

That was the plan, but it didn’t seem like Shouta would let them try. Still, this is a perfect moment to test some theories.

“Don’t worry.” Kuzu waved as Toshi approached. “Hey, Toshi. Ever wondered how your quirk would affect someone like us?”

“No?” Toshi replied.

“Then let’s try now. Brainwash me!” Kuzu said. “Also, let’s talk about this name later.”

“Er… Okay. Kuzu?”

“Right he-” Kuzu’s eye unfocused.

“Interesting.” Zuku said. “So he’s under your control, but I’m still fine. Does this mean that your quirk recognizes us as two separate individuals?” Then he flicks his own forehead.

“Huh, neat.” Kuzu said as he snapped out of the mind control. “Looks like we are your natural counter, Toshi.”

“Well, it is an interesting reaction, but why test this now?” Toshi asked.

“Because we need your help to test something else.” Zuku gave a summarized explanation of what happened at the USJ. “We want to know if you can force us to do it again.”

“Is it safe? What if you can’t split up again?”

“I doubt that this is the case.” Kuzu shrugs. “If we took that risk something would have changed the first time.”

“If you are sure.” Toshi takes a deep breath. “Are you ready?

“Aye!” They say together, and their face instantly blank.

It’s the second time Zuku feels it. He has so many tests he wants to do. What are the limits of his quirk? What counts as an answer? Would a non-verbal response work? Does a grunt or groan count? What if the person says something, but it is directed at someone else?

“Alright, I’m in control. What do I tell them to do?” Toshi looks at Shouta.

“Keep the command simple, tell them to merge.” Shouta replies without taking his eyes off Izuku.

“Okay.” Toshi turns to the duo again. “Zuku, Kuzu, merge.”

Izuku doesn’t move or do any action for a few seconds. Which leads Toshi to think it didn’t work, but then Chiyo gasps, and when Toshi turns to her, she is watching the device in her hands with full attention.

It happens quickly. The moment they hear the command, they both retreat into the depths of their minds. Then Zuku finds himself in a different place, a large empty white room. Automatically, he starts walking, and he sees another person coming toward him. A yellow-eyed Izuku, moving just like him. The two of them stop facing each other, just like looking in a mirror. The two raise their arms and approach each other. The moment their fingers touch, they find themselves back at Field Omega.

One second, Zuku and Kuzu could sense each other normally. In the next, the constant presence disappeared, but at the same time continued. Izuku knew he was alone, but he didn’t feel alone. What a strange feeling. It had been so long since they had felt complete like this.

Focusing outside, he notices Shouta and Toshi staring at him with surprised expressions. Toshi pulls out his cell phone and takes a picture of Izuku’s face. A few seconds later, Izuku feels his mind being released, and then it is as if something pulls him violently in two opposite directions. The feeling disappears as quickly as it appeared, and Zuku and Kuzu begin to feel each other again.

“Well. This was something.” Kuzu mumbles. “Are you okay, Zu?”

“I’m fine, don’t worry.” Zuku shakes his head. “A little disoriented, but nothing serious.”

“Well, sonny. This was definitely something.” Granny Chiyo said, showing them the scanner.

Izuku clearly remembers the results the scanner always showed them. Izuku’s mind is divided into three sectors. The right sector is where Zuku is. The left sector is where Kuzu is. And in the center is like a communal room. The person in control of the body is in the center sector, and both can’t be there simultaneously.

Izuku constantly has two signs active in his mind, representing Zuku and Kuzu. But what Granny Chiyo showed them was different. The moment Toshi gave the command, the two signals headed for the central sector of the mind, and as soon as the signals touched, they merged together.

When Toshi released their minds. The two signs repelled each other back, each to their own sector. Which explains the feeling they felt after the separation.

“Wow.” Zuku mumbled. “It’s like our minds refuse to unite again.”

“But it can be done.” Kuzu added. “We did at the USJ.”

“And it lasted longer than now.” Zuku continued. “We will have to practice.”

“We can start trying to go to that place again.”

“It’s a good start.” Zuku nodded.

But of course, this will have to be fitted in between patrols and classes. Starting tomorrow, Izuku starts the after-school training sessions with the students. And they have one month to prepare them for the sports festival. Tokoyami is the first, and he has a great darkness to overcome.

Chapter Text

Tuesday after class, Izuku didn't waste a second. As soon as the class was released, they practically grabbed Tokoyami's arm and dragged him to Field Omega. Call them over-eager if you want, but they have a lot to work on and only 4 weeks until the Sports Festival.

If they can't finish everything by the Sports Festival, it's not a problem. But after the festival comes the week of internships, and the Sports Festival is the students' big chance to get the attention of a good hero. Izuku wants to give them the best chance possible.

Pleasantries apart, they cut straight to the chase. The first thing Izuku needs is to better understand how Dark Shadow works, and for this, they have some questions prepared.

“So, Tokoyami-Kun. The first thing I need to know is:” Zuku started. “How many times have you two lost control? And how does it feel when it happens?”

“To a lesser degree, too many times to keep score.” Tokoyami explained. “But we lost ourselves completely only once.”

“It was horrible.” Dark Shadow chirped in. “After losing control, we don’t remember what happened. I just remember being extremely angry with something.”

“For me, it was as if I had lost consciousness. My vision darkened. I could hear as if I were underwater. When I came to, I only had my surroundings to guess what had happened. Everything was destroyed, and my father passed out in front of me.” Tokoyami explained worryingly coldly. Izuku made a note for later and nodded.

“Okay, and how long does a rampage last?”

“Until some light source stops us. Or until I pass out from quirk exhaustion. Whichever happens first.” Tokoyami said. “The darker, the bigger and stronger Dark Shadow gets. But he uses proportionally more energy.”

“And is he dangerous?” Zuku asks, careful with his wording. “To you, I mean.”

“I would never hurt, Fumi!” Dark Shadow squeaks indignantly.

“Stop, Dark Shadow.” Tokoyami chides the quirk, then turns back to Zuku. “He never hurt me physically. The only damage he ever caused me was exhaustion, but it would be wrong to blame him for that.”

“That’s good to know.” Zuku smiles at them.

This means that even when he loses control, Dark Shadow is still loyal to Tokoyami. Maybe he’s not as uncontrollable as they seem to think.

“Alright, Tokoyami, we’ll need to perform a test here.” Kuzu said, exchanging control with Zuku. “I want you to let Dark Shadow lose, so we can see how he gets when he loses control.”

“You what???” Tokoyami asks worriedly, his eyes widening comically. Kuzu almost starts to laugh, but his concern is to reassure his student.

“Calm down, and look there.” Kuzu said, pointing down to a separate room. “This is the control room. From inside we can control everything in the training camp. From the dummies to the intensity of the lights. Before starting the training, I need to know what we are dealing with.”

“You won’t hurt anyone, Tokoyami-Kun.” Zuku reassured. “We promise you.”

Tokoyami hesitated for a few more minutes, but eventually, he nodded. Zuku beamed and gestured to the locker room. Five minutes later, Tokoyami was in his PE uniform, and Izuku was in the control room, both ready to start.

“Okay, Tokoyami.” Izuku's voice echoed through the loudspeakers in the gym. “Summon the Dark Shadow. We will do it as follows:” The cameras were all pointed at him. Ten different monitors showed the room from various angles in the control room, all focused on the Tokoyami. “I will dim the lights little by little and try to pinpoint the moment when your control slips. Keep calm and remember: you won't hurt anyone.”

Tokoyami nodded, and a few seconds later, the shadow crow was in front of him. Izuku slowly slid the light-level control knob down, paying full attention to the cameras. They observed Dark Shadow's size increasing in proportion to the decrease in light. The growth is apparently exponential rather than linear. But is light really the only factor in his growth?

The moment when Dark Shadow's eyes turned red is the moment when Izuku was sure that he was no longer in control. Tokoyami's eyes lost focus as if unconscious, yet he was still standing. A few seconds later, Dark Shadow wrapped itself around Tokoyami like an armor, covering most of his features. Izuku watched for a minute, but neither Tokoyami nor Dark Shadow moved. Interesting.

Izuku pressed a button, and from a secret entrance, one of the 1-pointers from the entrance exam entered the arena. In a second, a head made of shadows turned toward the robot, and a talon larger than him smashed him to the ground. 

“Interesting.” Kuzu cackled, not unlike Nedzu, and pressed several other buttons, releasing all sorts of robots, moving dummies and targets into the arena.

“I think we had too many tea parties with Nedzu-San.” Zuku muttered.

Every robot and dummy that moved was instantly attacked by the quirk, but the immobile targets were not touched except as collateral damage. With each target that appears, Dark Shadow shouts something almost indistinguishable before attacking. But Izuku can pick up a few words like “Small fry,” “Stay away,” “Hurt,” and “Fumi.” Together these words form an interesting mental picture, to say the least.

After about ten minutes of non-stop attacking, Dark Shadow begins to slow down, his size also decreases slightly, but it doesn't seem to be from exhaustion. Watching more closely, Izuku noticed that he had stopped shouting so loudly, and his attacks seemed much less vicious. He continues to destroy any robot that approaches him, but now he's not attacking everything that moves.

While Kuzu watched and commented on what he saw, Zuku quickly wrote everything down in his notebook. Finally, having observed everything he could, Izuku slowly turned the lights back on, noticing that the moment Tokoyami seemed to regain his consciousness, the light was lower than when he lost it. Unlike his usual enthusiasm, Dark Shadow seemed much more tamed. Tokoyami was panting, but otherwise, he just looked confused by all the robot wrecks around him.

Zuku excitedly jumped back into the arena to share his remarks. With what he saw here, he has a good theory about the workings of the Dark Shadow.

“Well, Tokoyami-Kun. I have a good idea what to do now.” Zuku grinned, giving Dark Shadow an apple. “From what I observed, your quirk works like this. Tell me if this makes sense.” He took the notebook and started reading his theory.

Dark Shadow absorbs emotions. Especially those that Tokoyami rejects. These emotions are strengthened by the darkness. 

The emotions Tokoyami suppresses the most are anger and fear. These two emotions together cause Dark Shadow to attack everything that moves in a frenzy in an attempt to protect his master from the dangerous and hated enemy.

Tokoyami's reason for losing consciousness during the frenzy is mental protection. This way, he is not completely exposed to such high levels of anger that it would overflow onto him.

The rejection is unconscious, so neither of them ever noticed. And that is why Tokoyami shows so little emotion all the time.

By the end of the explanation, Tokoyami seemed to be in shock. But this is understandable after all he had just discovered.

“That makes sense.” Tokoyami said, exchanging glances with Dark Shadow. “You always show the emotions that I lack.”

“Am I stealing your emotions?” Dark Shadow asked softly.

“No, you’re not.” Kuzu said. “You two are kinda like us.”

The two looked at Kuzu in surprise.

“We never explained this to the class, Kuzu.” Zuku chuckled. “Our emotions are separate and shared at the same time.” He explained. “For example, I’m incapable of feeling anger. So no matter how angry Kuzu is, I am not affected.”

“But shared emotions do affect us when at extreme levels.” Kuzu continued. “The first time Pablo, our cat, let Zuku pet him, he was so happy that I almost started dancing with him.”

“In your case, you started to suppress your emotions very early, right? Your parents didn't like it very much when you cried, did they?” Zuku asked.

“No, they didn’t.” Tokoyami confirmed. “Even when they were there, Dark Shadow was the one who was always with me.” And obviously, his emotional support did not improve in foster care at all.

“In other words, you have always learned that emotions are unwanted, but a child who represses his emotions will ALWAYS end up with a breakdown. In your case, it was the first time you lost control.” Zuku sighed. “Frankly, how can a parent treat their own son this way?”

“Anger and fear. These are the emotions that you suppress the most.” Kuzu said. “We gathered that from Dark Shadow's reaction during the frenzy.”

“He kept yelling things like ‘Small fry! Stay away from Fumi!’ and ‘You won’t hurt Fumi!’” Zuku made his best impression of the shadow bird. “Fear and anger together make the Dark Shadow extremely overprotective. Darkness amplifies him in all factors, which includes the emotional. The result...” Zuku pointed to the robot's remains scattered. “He’ll attack anything that moves.”

“That’s so much…” Tokoyami said, exasperated. “What do we do now?”

“First course of action. Therapy.” Zuku said. “You have practically 15 years of bad habits to undo. You need to learn to accept your emotions.”

“Hound Dog's doors are always open.” Kuzu said. “But if you prefer, the UA has a list of approved psychologists. They all have their background intensively checked for any hint of discrimination or prejudice. But the final choice will always be yours. Apart from the mandatory session because of the USJ, you only continue if you want to.”

“We will think.” Tokoyami said, scratching Dark Shadow’s head.

“If you want to continue with Hound Dog, just talk to him after your session. But if you want to try another psychologist, just talk to Aizawa, and he will give you the list. He also has partial custody of all his students, so he can approve whatever you need.” Zuku explained. “And finally, at least once a month, I advise you to book one of the gyms and go there to let off steam. You may have noticed that Dark Shadow seems a lot calmer. Letting off some of his pent-up emotions certainly helped him.” Tokoyami nodded.

“Now, back to your training!” Kuzu clapped. “The best we can do at the moment is to work slowly on your limits.”

“Just as we did today, we will lower the light levels slowly.” Zuku explained. “We stop when you start to lose control and train like this until you master yourselves. In doing so, we gradually raise your limits until the point where darkness is no longer a problem.”

“What a mad banquet of darkness.” Tokoyami muttered under his breath. But he didn’t seem opposed to the idea, just a bit reluctant.

“We also suggest you add a support item to your costume.” Kuzu said. “You need some backup for an eventual emergency. Something that can generate light and calm the Dark Shadow. A simple flashlight would help, but we can be creative with this.”

“And last but not least. You need to train your body.” Zuku continued. “Your biggest weakness is how much you depend on Dark Shadow. If someone can get past it, you are finished.”

“This part is not our specialty. I will leave this training to Dad.” Tokoyami slightly palled at the mention of Aizawa. A single week and most of the class already feared Shouta that much, and he just had to expel one student. That’s a new record! “I'll let you know when we can start. After all, Dad will want to train some others. I will probably announce it to the class during Homeroom in a week or two. Anyone who is interested in more than welcome to join, but expect at least four people along with you.”

“Who will they be?” Zuku smirked. “Sur-pri-se.”

“Now, we have another half hour to train, so why don't we start now?” Kuzu said. “Let's start with the basics. Sit down and concentrate on Dark Shadow and his emotions. Try to feel them and pull them back to you. Focus on the simpler ones first.”

Under Izuku's direction, Tokoyami spent the rest of the training trying to follow instructions and feel his emotions. They didn't get very far, but any progress is progress.

Chapter Text

Wednesday was always a highlight of their week. Why, you ask. Simple, Wednesday is tea day with Nedzu-San. This has been a tradition for at least three years now, and how could they not love it? Drinking tea, playing chess, practicing analysis, and plotting the demise of their enemies. You know, the usual.

Izuku was jumping up and down on their way to the director's office. As usual, as soon as they raise their hand to knock, the door opens by itself. This trick stopped surprising them in the second week, but the principal never stopped using it. To be fair, the only ones who are no longer surprised are Izuku, Aizawa, and Yamada, all former students of the Rat Satan.

Izuku enters without much ceremony and sits down in his usual chair right in front of the principal's desk. As usual, a fresh cup of tea awaited him. Jasmine, Zuku's favorite.

“Good morning, Izuku.” The rat greeted cheerfully, then gave his animalistic grin that he avoids showing most people. “I'm sure you're eager to get started, so we can skip the pleasantries” He pressed a button under the table, opening a secret compartment with two black folders.

“Absolutely.” Kuzu replied with his own grin. His primary inspiration was his dad, but that doesn't mean his grin seems any less intimidating than the principal's.

“Unfortunately, to continue the Flaming Garbage Can project we depend on yet another mistake by our target. Not that this is difficult to happen. But that doesn't mean that we can't focus elsewhere for the time being.”

The first folder, entitled "Flaming Trash Can," is the case they have been working on for the last three years. Progress was slow, but in those three years, they’ve been gradually undermining the credibility of the number two hero. Spreading a few rumors, revealing numbers and statistics that the Commission tried to hide, a video here and there recorded when the hero thought there was no one.

With all their progress, they are just waiting for Endeavor himself to seal his coffin. One more slip is all they need for this. Of course, Endeavor’s PR team is not sleeping on the job. They have been extra careful to prevent this from happening. In short, at the moment, they are in a war of attrition.

They could end it all right now. Nedzu and Izuku have more than concrete evidence of Endeavor's abuse of his family. All it takes is one statement from Touya (backed by Tsukauchi), and it's all over. But if possible, they want to avoid involving the family. They have already suffered too much because of the so-called hero. They don't deserve all the public on their backs, let alone having to deal with the vultures.

They will only use this if, by the sports festival, they can't get anything else against Endeavor. The second folder, entitled “Project Vigilante”, is basically a list of all the known Vigilantes who have a chance of being invited to participate in the project.

But from the looks of it, Nedzu doesn’t intend to work on any of these projects today. Instead, he has put a new folder in front of them. This one is entitled "League of Villains."

“Let's start from the beginning.” The principal said. “What do we know about them?”

Well, time to analyze.

Izuku begins to remember everything he has collected about the villains. The reports from the students and teachers, what Dabi and Himiko revealed, and what they witnessed themselves are enough to shed light on the case. And the conclusion that Izuku comes to is that there is something very strange here.

“From what we have collected. They have only three members. All the rest of the villains were just cannon fodder.” Zuku started explaining, already pulling a notebook to write his theories. “Their goal was to kill All Might, and to do this they brought a multi-quirk bio-engineered weapon made exclusively to fight him.”

“They clearly did not plan things very well. Even if we consider that they somehow knew that All Might was weakened and that the creature would be able to kill him, practically any other hero could beat the creature. It had an exposed brain!” Kuzu said, exasperated. “Thirteen could disintegrate the creature in seconds. No super regeneration would save it from that. Snipe would have no problem shooting the brain. Mic could literally blow it up. Even I would have no problem continuing to burn it if it hadn't taken me by surprise.”

“And that's the weirdest part.” Zuku said thoughtfully. “Their plan makes no sense.”

“What do you mean?” Nedzu asked.

“Kurogiri appeared in front of us when we were trying to evacuate the students.” Zuku explained. “He scattered the students around, and tried to stop Thirteen from escaping. But that's all, he didn't seem to be fighting seriously for even a second. As soon as the students were through the door, he gave up on them instead of giving chase. With his quirk chasing them would be easy.”

“And then we have Shigaraki.” Kuzu continued. “He is a walking contradiction. Within minutes he noticed Dad's tell and the timing of his quirk. Most would never notice. This points to high intelligence, and a strategic mind.”

“But also, he simply bragged and passed on all the details about the creature to Dabi. The same Dabi who is basically one of the best-known informants in the underworld.” Zuku said. “We were far away so we couldn't hear what he said. But Dad said he constantly used gaming slang. According to him, the terms he used are commonly used in RPGs and strategy games.” The fact that their Dad is secretly a gamer is a secret that he thinks Izuku doesn't know.

“He clearly knows who Dabi is. After all, he has approached him a few times trying to get him to join the league.” Kuzu sighed. “Shigaraki makes no sense. It's like he wanted their plan to fail.”

“And finally, the so-called Sensei.” Zuku said. “Whoever they are. They are the key to the mystery. Tsukauncle knows something, and apparently so does All Might. But none of them told us anything yet.”

“All we know is that this Sensei is someone powerful and influential enough to secretly create a creature with multiple quirks that only moves when ordered to.” Kuzu summarized. “And that apparently All Might thought he had killed them.”

Nedzu actually shows surprise at this information. Worryingly, nothing surprises the Rat.

“You know something, don’t you, Nedzu-San?” Zuku asked.

“I know, but I can’t share it with you yet.” Nedzu replied. “Sorry, Izuku.”

“Well, this just became more troublesome then.” Kuzu sighed, then looked up. “It seems that our time is up. We’ll try to gather information, but I doubt we will find anything.”

“Be careful Izuku. If it's really who I think it is. He's dangerous.” Nedzu warned.

Izuku got up and left the room, giving a salutation to the principal.

Someone dangerous enough that Nedzu had to warn him. Well, Izuku definitely won’t disregard it.

-----------------------------------------------

Izuku was strangely quiet. As soon as the last bell rang and the students started to leave, the teaching assistant appeared at the class’ door and asked Shouto to follow him. But all the way there, he didn't say a single word. Shouto saw his lips moving, so probably both sides of him were having a silent conversation. But about what, Shouto couldn't even imagine.

Not that he is trying very hard. He is too busy overthinking what is about to happen. He knows they are going to train. But what kind of training will it be? His only references are his sessions with Endeavor, and frankly, Shouto doesn't know if his ribs can handle something like this today. 

Since the USJ, Endeavor has gotten even more brutal with his training. The amount of bruises Shouto has when he finishes his training has doubled overnight. He is constantly on the verge of fainting. To the point that Shouto is beginning to fear that he will end up like Touya.

His thoughts are interrupted by a door opening. He enters, following Izuku, who immediately heads for a locker. A few seconds later, he returns with a cold compress and hands it to Shouto.

“I live with Eraserhead. It is impossible to hide wounds from us, Todoroki-Kun.” Zuku said, smiling.

“Just take it, no questions asked.” Kuzu continued.

Shouto nodded, accepting the compress and pressing it against his chest. The relief was almost instantaneous. He could have done it himself if it wasn't so exhausting to keep his quirk activated constantly.

Unceremoniously, Izuku sits down on the floor, crossing his legs, and gestures for Shouto to sit in front of him. Shouto copies him. When he sits down, Izuku already has their notebook in hand. Where did they get it from? Do they have a secondary quirk? Some kind of summoning, maybe?

“Well, Todoroki-Kun.” Zuku calls him. “I wanted to do some tests with your ice before I started. But seeing the state you are in now...” Zuku grits his teeth before continuing. “Let's keep things small for now.”

Shouto opens his mouth to argue but then closes it. He is right. Shouto is in no condition to try anything too taxing at the moment. Especially knowing that he will have to train with Endeavor again when he gets home.

“Let's start with your fire then.” Kuzu said, and before Shouto could reply, he raised a hand. “Let's just do some simple exercises. I have some theories about your quirk, and I want to test them.”

Shouto takes a deep breath, then nods. Kuzu smiles at him, then raises his left hand.

“I didn't always have control over my flames.” Kuzu explains with a small green flame dancing in his hand. He places his other hand over the flame and begins to move it as if he were modeling clay. “One of the first things I realized is that my emotions affect temperature. Especially anger. The first time I used it, I ended up with a second-degree burn on my hand.” He opened his hands, and the flame was shaped like a rabbit. “It wasn't very serious, but I felt terrible for making Zu suffer yet another burn.”

Shouto watched the rabbit, surprised at the level of control Kuzu showed. Is it even possible for him to achieve something like that?

“How?” He asked.

“Lots of practice.” Kuzu smirked. Then his expression softened as the rabbit vanished. “I'm not going to sugarcoat it, Todoroki. Fire is dangerous. It is much easier to safely immobilize someone using your ice than your fire. Just look at your sperm donor. He has the highest capture rate among all the heroes. And the highest property damage rate. And the highest fatality rate, villains, civilians, and other heroes alike.” Kuzu sighed. “Frankly, he acts like a caveman. Uga, Uga, me use hot fire, villain is gone.” Then he starts laughing, which makes Shouto laugh too.

“Oh, my god. That was perfect.” Shouto says, wheezing. They sober again a few seconds later, and Kuzu goes back to his explanation. He takes off his left glove and shows Shouto his scarred hand, the same he showed the class during the quirk assessment test.

“That was the last time I completely lost control of my emotions. This scar is a memory of how dangerous my flames are even though I am resistant to them. Imagine what they can do to someone with no resistance.” Kuzu explained.

Shouto’s mind instantly went to Touya. Shouto was really young when his brother was alive, but he remembers the scars vividly.

“Before I teach you power, I want you to learn control. If my theories are correct, your level of control can far exceed mine.” Kuzu said, raising his index finger and a small flame appeared in it. “Try lighting a weak flame, such as a lighter.” 

Shouto nodded and raised his left index finger, but nothing happened. He tried to concentrate more, thinking about the feeling of warmth. But all he could remember was the burns that Endeavor had caused him. Instinctively his hand began to shake until he felt another hand on his. He looked up and saw a pair of blue eyes looking at him with kindness.

“It’s okay Todoroki-Kun. Remember what we said?” Zuku said softly. “Repeat after me. ‘This quirk is mine, and Endeawhore can take his opinion and shove it straight up his ass.’”

“This quirk is mine, and Endeawhore can take his opinion and shove it straight up his ass.” Shouto said. “This quirk is mine, and Endeawhore can take his opinion and shove it straight up his ass.” He repeated as his hand stopped shaking.

This quirk is mine, and Endeawhore can take his opinion and shove it straight up his ass.

This quirk is mine, and Endeawhore can take his opinion and shove it straight up his ass.

He kept mentally repeating it and slowly calmed down. Then he tried lighting the flame again, and this time he did it. When he saw the small flame on his finger, he felt much more proud of himself than he had ever felt before. Zuku put his hand above the flame and looked at Shouto, smiling.

“Warm.” He said. “You see, you are nothing like Endeavour, Todoroki. That man's flames only cause suffering. Yours are warm as an embrace, you just have to learn to use them to protect instead of destroy.”

“Thank you.” Shouto said, watching the small flame on his finger, ignoring the feeling of something wet running down his face.

After that, they decided to stop the session here. They still had some time, but Izuku insisted that Shouto go see Recovery Girl before returning home. And Shouto couldn't refuse, not with those concern-filled eyes looking at him.

-----------------------------------------------

As soon as they were sure that Todoroki was far enough away not to hear them, Kuzu screamed, followed by a full-force punch to the ground.

“Fucking Endeavor!” He punched the ground again, leaving a fist mark on the soft floor. “How can someone like that be a hero?” He lifted his fist again, but a hand caught before he could punch again.

“You’re going to hurt yourself, Kuzu.” Zuku said, gently holding his hand. Then he sighed. “I envy you sometimes, Kuzu. I wish I could feel anger for what he did.”

“I have enough anger for both of us.” Kuzu replied gently. “You are perfect just like you are, Zu.”

Zuku smiled, then steeled his expression.

“Guess this changes the plan, right?” Zuku said, already pulling his phone.

“Oh, you bet.” Kuzu replied, dialing Nedzu’s number. The Rat answered the call quickly, and Kuzu immediately started talking. “Nedzu-San. Change of plan. Endeavor needs to fall this weekend! And we already have a plan.”

Chapter Text

On Thursday, Izuku decided to observe the class closely all day. The reason for this is called Kaminari Denki. After reading his file and checking some of his old grades, Izuku saw some suspicious things, to say the least.

Kaminari barely passed in subjects such as science and mathematics. But in English and literature, his grades were brilliant. His reports on some books were as deeply thought out as Izuku's own quirk analysis, and according to the English tests the students took in the first week, he is practically fluent.

In short, Kaminari's notes in some areas are brilliant, while in others, they are abysmal. Izuku wants to observe exactly why. The blond definitely doesn't seem to be the lazy type. A procrastinator perhaps, but not lazy.

Izuku discreetly kept an eye on the blond man during class, carefully keeping note of his interactions during the lessons.

The first class was Physics with Snipe. Kaminari, like all the other students, took his notebook to take notes. But the slightest noise seemed to distract him. Whether it was someone whispering near him or a fly flying near him.

On another note, yes, Tsu's frog instincts include eating flies. Half the room was horrified by the scene.

Back to Kaminari, every time something distracted him, it would take him a few minutes to get back to writing his notes, only to be distracted by something else. Out of curiosity, Zuku floated one of his cameras over to watch his notes, and in the entire class, the teenager barely wrote five lines in his notebook. When the end-of-class bell rang, he looked startled, as if he hadn't noticed the time passing.

The next class, in English with Present Mic, was totally the opposite. Mic's classes are as eclectic as the loud blond himself. It starts with him rearranging the chairs into a circle to have all the students directly in his line of sight. Most of the examples used in his explanations included everyday situations and many stories about journeys where the language difference caused funny scenes.

Any and all conversations among the students were encouraged to be held in English as a form of practice. If anyone had any doubts about terms or expressions, Mic would immediately notice and help.

Some students were still taking notes, but most were entirely focused on the explanation. And unlike the previous class, Kaminari was barely distracted during this one.

So engaging lessons help him with the distraction problem. Noted.

During Study-Hall, Kaminari, along with Kirishima, Ashido, and Sero, gravitated toward Katsuki, surprisingly forming a study group. Katsuki proved to be an amazingly patient teacher while helping them with mathematics. And despite having difficulty with the subject, Kaminari progressed during the period.

Art with Midnight was a middle ground. Not as eclectic as English but much more engaging than Physics. Kaminari was distracted a few times during the class but didn't struggle with the subject nearly as much.

Finally, Ethics and Laws, with Eraserhead, seemed to be physically painful for the blond. By the end of the class, he could barely write two lines of notes. It was as if the professor was speaking in an alien language. The essay on the laws of public quirk usage that Aizawa assigned to the next class almost brought him to tears.

As everyone was gathering their things to leave at the end of class, Kaminari was slumped on his seat, with his face buried in his arms. Izuku went up to him and gently shook him to get his attention. The blonde practically jumped in fright until he saw Izuku and blushed with embarrassment. Izuku did not comment and asked him to follow.

On the way, Kuzu guiding while Zuku discreetly wrote a note, Kaminari filled the silence by talking about a horror movie he watched over the weekend. Something about a guy in a hockey mask who hunted down and killed teenagers at a campground.

Upon entering Field Omega, Izuku guides Kaminari into another room with various machines and gestures to a chair. Kaminari nods and sits down while Izuku looks for a specific device. A few seconds later, Izuku places a chair in front of him and sits down with a multimeter in his hand.

He hands the wires to Kaminari and asks him to hold them between the fingers of his right hand.

“This is a multimeter made by Powerloader to keep track of students with electrical quirks. All the data collected goes directly to the servers where I can calmly analyze it later.” Zuku explained. “I don't know the limits of your quirk, but frankly, from what I've seen, it's dangerously high.”

Kaminari looked down in shame, but before he could sulk much, Kuzu put a hand on his shoulder.

“You have nothing to be ashamed of, Kaminari. You have one of the most powerful quirks I’ve ever seen. If you could already control it completely, I'd be scared.” Kuzu said.

“Kaminari-Kun. Which do you think is easier, controlling the recoil of a pistol, or that of a sniper?” Zuku asked.

“A pistol is much lighter, and the bullets have much less power.” Kaminari said. “A sniper is heavy, the bullet much stronger, controlling the recoil is much more difficult.” Then he smiled. “FPS.”

“That’s right, Kami.” Kuzu smiled. “Your power is like a Sniper. Much more powerful, but much more difficult to control. But once you learn how to work it, you''ll be nigh unstoppable.”

“And for that, let's start training.” Zuku continued. “We have seen how high your voltage can reach, but how low can you go?”

“For example, if I gave you a cable now, could you charge a cell phone?” Kuzu asked.

“Oh, that’s easy.” Kaminari replied, picking a USB cable on his backpack and sticking it into his mouth, then on his phone. “I always do that.”

“Interesting.” Kuzu said, then approached the multimeter wires. “Open your mouth for a second.” He put the wire in Kaminari’s mouth and then checked the voltage. “Five volts. no variation.” Then he pulled the USB cable and checked again. It didn’t change. “Can you do it with your hands too?”

“Not quite.” Kaminari replied. “Last time I tried, I blew my phone.”

“Which leads me to believe that certain parts of your body have a different energy output. The voltage in your mouth is much lower than in the rest of your body, perhaps a protection because it is near the brain.” Zuku muttered. “Alright, hold the wire between your finger and try the lowest output you can get.”

Kaminari nodded and did as he said. Zuku checked the device. It instantly lit with 20.000 Volts that started gradually lowering as Kaminari concentrated on reducing the output until it reached about 1.000 Volts and froze it there, varying between 900 and 1.100 Volts.

“Can you say how much you’re using?” Zuku asked.

“I would say, about 1.000 Volts.” Kaminari replied.

“And how do you know that?” Kuzu asked curiously.

“Just a feeling.” Kaminari said. “I can also estimate the voltage of an outlet or wire just by touching it.”

“So, another part of your quirk.” Zuku replied. “That’s so cool.”

“The human body works with electrical signals, if you train yourself enough to recognize these signals, you will never need to worry about using too little or too much electricity.” Kuzu continued. “Okay, next test.”

Izuku ran excitedly into another room and returned with another device, this one full of wires, electrodes.

“Alright, shirt off.” Kuzu said, making Kaminari blush.

“Kuzu, tact!” Zuku chided. “We need you to put these-” He showed the electrodes. “so we can see how your electricity runs through your body.”

“Alright.” Kaminari replied, taking off his blazer and shirt.

Kuzu nonchalantly started sticking the electrodes, on his chest, over the lungs and heart, in the belly over the stomach, in the arms and forearms, and in different parts of the head.

“Alright.” Zuku said, taking a deep breath. “I need you to charge your electricity and try to circulate it throughout your body. Keep the voltage as low as possible, we don't want you to short-circuit your brain.”

Kaminari nodded, and his body started glowing, just like when he used it to make light during the battle training. Soon all of his body was encased in electricity, making his hair stand up because of the static.

Zuku kept his eye on the device while Kuzu observed Kaminari glowing. They kept it for about five minutes until Zuku deemed to have enough data and told him to stop.

As Kaminari got dressed again, Zuku's brain raced a mile a minute, his mouth and hand just as fast as he wrote down and mumbled everything he observed with this quick test. But can you blame him? This quirk is amazing!

“Kaminari!” Zuku called animatedly. “Your quirk is incredible!”

“Thanks?” Kaminari replied, a little taken aback.

“Has your quirk counselor discussed with you how it works?” Zuku asked, and Kaminari shook his head. Zuku sighed, a bit disappointed. “Are they giving anyone a quirk counseling license these days?” Then he pointed to a screen that started showing the image of a human body. “This is you.” Then, the body lightened up. “This is you when you activate your quirk.”

“And this means?” Kaminari asked, not sure where this was going.

“Wait for it.” Zuku replied, typing a few things on the keyboard, then the video reset and slowed down. This time, Kaminari can clearly see the moment the light started from his chest, started traveling all over his body and back to his chest, then repeating. “Your quirk basically turns your heart into an electricity generator, Kaminari. The moment you activate it, each heartbeat sends an electric current through your veins, and that's how energy travels through your body. Low voltages are easier to control, so you can concentrate them on just one limb. But when you try a stronger attack, you get out of control. The electricity travels through your veins and literally leaps out of your body. The short circuit happens because a voltage above your limit passes through the brain.”

“Wow.” Kaminari looked attentively at the image. “Then how do we fix it?”

“Now that we know why and how your quirk works, we work on a way to control it.” Kuzu explained. “You have managed to reduce the voltage on your hands to about 1.000 Volts, the first thing we will do is try to reduce it further.”

“Reduce it? Why?” Kaminari asked, tilting his head in confusion.

“As I said, your output is directly connected to your heart.” Zuku explained. “This means that in a fight, where your heart will inevitably speed up, your output will inevitably increase as well. Now, what happens if you exceed your limit in the middle of a fight against a villain?”

“Then…” Kaminari’s eyes widened. “My brain short circuits, and I become vulnerable in the middle of a fight.”

“And then you are dead, or captured and used as a hostage against your allies.” Kuzu completed. “Let's make sure that never happens, shall we?”

“Alright. What do I do?” Kaminari asked.

“To begin with…” Zuku started rummaging through a few drawers in the room. “Where did I leave them? Aha!” 

He pulled out a stack of batteries, each with a different number, the largest of which had a 1000 and the smallest a 100. Each pack had ten batteries.

“Training batteries, hold them between your thumb and forefinger and then run an electric current through them. The number on them is the appropriate power. 10% margin of error. Pass a too high current and the battery will overcharge, but relax, it won't explode. Too low and it will not charge. If you can maintain the right voltage for 5 minutes, it will turn green.” Kuzu explained. “The goal is simple, until the sports festival, your minimum output must be 500 Volts. When you can fill up five batteries in sequence without burning any, you can go to the next one.”

“In addition to control training, I have a suggestion for you.” Zuku continued. “With an adequate level of control, you could immobilize the majority of villains you meet with a single touch, similar to a taser. But for this, you need to train more in close combat.”

“Of course, this part is Dad's specialty.” Kuzu said, smirking when Kaminari paled. As he should, if there is one place Aizawa is ruthless, borderline sadistic, it is in training.

“And finally, tutoring.” Kaminari paled even more at that.

“Tutoring?” He asked. “You mean like academicaly?” 

Zuku sighed. “Kaminari, do you know what ADHD is?” He asked.

“ADHD?” Kaminari asked. “Mom said it isn’t real. It’s just an excuse.”

“She’s wrong!” Kuzu huffed. “ADHD is a completely real disorder. And from what we observed today, we think you might have it.”

“Of course, to be sure we will have to do a real diagnosis.” Zuku explained. “I will talk to Granny Chiyo, and if everything goes well, you can undergo the exams tomorrow.”

“But regardless, it is obvious that the teaching methods of most teachers are not working well for you.” Kuzu continued.

“I’m just dumb like that.” Kaminari shrugged. Kuzu gave him a karate chop on the head.

“Nope!” He said like he was talking to a child. “No self-depreciation here.”

“But -”

“No buts.” Zuku interrupted. “You are not dumb, Kaminari. Your grades in English and Literature are more than enough proof.”

“Nobody is good at everything.” Kuzu continued. “You struggle with some subjects and have an easy time with others. This is normal for everyone.”

“What matters to us is to help you reach your potential.” Zuku said. “Yours and everyone else's.”

Kaminari nodded but said nothing more. He looked quite dumbfounded.

-----------------------------------------------

Hitoshi was walking home. The distance is only about a 10-minute walk from the UA. Putting it into balance, frankly, walking is better than returning with Aizawa driving. All the respect that Hitoshi has for the hero is not enough to make him want a repeat of the experience. Hitoshi is not suicidal, thank you very much.

Anyway, for having love for his own life, he was walking. And because he was walking, he passed the entrance to an alley just in time to hear someone yelling and went to check it out.

He found a man with a gun pointed at a tall, scrawny blond man in the alley. Seriously, somebody give this guy a hamburger. He looks like a scarecrow. And for someone with a gun pointed at him, he was pretty calm. Simply trying to reason with the assailant.

Watching the scene for a few seconds, Hitoshi tried to talk himself out of it. The right thing to do is find a policeman or hero and ask for help. Hitoshi still doesn't have a license.

“Shut up and give me everything.” The mugger yelled again. “I’ll shoot!”

Oh, screw it, he’s doing this.

I just hope Aizawa or Izuku can bail me out. If I lose my spot at the hero course because of what I’m about to do…

Chapter Text

Hitoshi approaches the mugger silently, forcing himself to remain calm. If he makes a mistake here, someone will get shot. As soon as he gets close enough to make sure that the robber is in range of his quirk, he calls his attention.

“Excuse me, Mr.” He calls. The mugger turns around to look at him but keeps the gun pointed at the scarecrow guy. “Can’t you just drop it and leave?”

The guy frowns at Hitoshi.

“Shut u-” Hitoshi smirks as the man’s expression blanks. Got it .

“Give me the gun, carefully.” He orders and the mugger does as he says.

As soon as Hitoshi picks up the gun, he removes the clip, the loaded bullet, and clicks the safety lock. Since it’s only one person, Hitoshi can keep control for a few hours as long as no one bumps into him. He picks up his phone and starts calling Izuku.

“Hi, Toshi.” They answer quickly. “Did something happen?”

“Hi, Izuku… Which one am I talking to?” Hitoshi replies.

“This is Zuku.” Zuku explains. “Kuzu is reviewing our training plan for tomorrow.”

“Hi, Toshi.” Kuzu greets.

“Anyway, I doubt you’re calling just to hear our voice.” Zuku says. “After all, we’ll be seeing each other in a few hours.”

“I wish it was the case.” Hitoshi replies. “So I may have just engaged in an act of Vigilantism.” He explains and instantly hears Izuku getting up.

“Send us your location.” Kuzu says.

“And don’t leave, it’ll be worse.” Zuku adds. “Did you call the police?”

“Not yet, you’re the first one I called.” Hitoshi explained. “And there’s a civilian that was being mugged.”

“We’re coming.” Then they dropped the call.

Hitoshi instantly sends his location to Izuku’s number and turns to keep an eye on the mugger, who hasn't moved since Hitoshi’s last command.

“Young Sh-” The man starts, then coughs in his hand. “I mean, Young boy, why did you do that?”

Hitoshi turns around and sees the skinny man looking at him curiously. Not a hint of fear or disgust, just confusion and curiosity. So Hitoshi deems it safe to answer his question.

“He was pointing a gun at you. I couldn’t simply do nothing, you know. I want to be a hero.” Hitoshi shrugged.

“But you used your quirk illegally, won't that get you in trouble?” The man pointed.

“Probably will.” Hitoshi sighed. “I’m just hoping they won’t expel me. But I don’t regret helping someone who needed it.”

“Even if it costs your dream?” The man said, and Hitoshi nodded slowly.

The two were silent for a few seconds. When the silence started to get awkward, Hitoshi opened his mouth to say... something. But before he could say anything, the man coughed up blood that splashed onto his suit. And Hitoshi’s face. And his mouth. This surprised them both, especially Hitoshi, who frankly didn't expect to end up accidentally drinking the blood of a stranger.

But before he could ask if the man was fine, someone dropped down in the alley and made a beeline to Hitoshi. Hitoshi instantly recognized that black cloak. In just a second, Izuku was already fussing over him.

“Toshi! Are you hurt? Do I need to call an ambulance? Oh my God, this is blood. I’m calling an ambulance.” Zuku said quickly, and Hitoshi stopped him before he pulled up his phone.

“I’m fine, Bunny. This blood is not mine.” He pointed to the skinny man, and when Zuku saw him, he frowned. Do they know each other? Then Zuku turned back to Hitoshi. “What happened? Don’t hide anything.”

Hitoshi knew better than to lie, so he told them exactly what had happened since he left to go home, walking because he has a love for life. He heard a sound coming from the alley, and when he checked, he found a robbery in progress. He considered leaving and looking for a hero but was afraid it would be too late. Then, how he got the mugger's attention caught him with his quirk and disarmed him.

“I’m sure there were other ways to deal with the situation.” He says, avoiding Izuku’s eyes. “I could have attacked by surprise and taken his weapon without using my quirk. But then, a single mistake and someone would have been shot. Using my quirk was the safest way to do things without anyone getting hurt.”

“Hitoshi, look at me.” Kuzu says, and Hitoshi looks at him. “What you did was dangerous and irresponsible. If something had gone wrong, someone could have been killed. Not to mention that vigilantism could cost you your spot on the hero course that you fought so hard to get.” Kuzu scolded. Hitoshi looked down as he felt tears gathering in his eyes. “Having said that.” 

Hitoshi felt arms around his shoulder. When he looked up, Izuku, one eye each color, was hugging him. “Well done, Toshi.”

“What?” Hitoshi asked in complete disbelief. Well done? What does he mean by “well done?”

“You knew the risks, and you knew the possible consequences. Yet you risked yourself to save someone else. That's heroism, Toshi.” Zuku explained. “We are not supporting vigilantism, don't get it wrong. I really hope it doesn't happen again, but you have done well.”

Hitoshi nodded, wiping the unshed tears from his eyes, while Izuku took a zip tie from his cloak and used it as a makeshift handcuff to restrain the mugger.

“What now?” Hitoshi asked.

“I'll take care of it, you go home. If Dad asks about the blood,” Izuku pointed to the skeleton man Hitoshi had forgotten was still there. “just say that you bumped into Yagi-San and he had another accident. This time he doesn't have to know it happened, but if it happens again...” He didn’t need to finish the sentence. “Count about ten minutes then let him go, Okay?”

Hitoshi nodded and left the alley, going back home. Hitoshi knows Aizawa (probably) wouldn’t expel him over this. But still, after being scolded by Kuzu, he didn’t want to be scolded again by an angry Aizawa. Thankfully, he has a brother willing to cover for him this time.

-----------------------------------------------

As soon as Hitoshi left the alley, Zuku turned to Yagi and stared at him for a few seconds. The blond looked like he wanted to stick his head in a hole, and Zuku felt Kuzu laughing in the back of his mind. Frankly, he is so petty.

“Ran out of time again, All Might?” Zuku asked, and as the blond started to sweat cold, he took pity on him and looked away. “At least this time, it was because you were in class.” He muttered, then asked. “What did you think of him?”

“Young Shinsou?” Yagi asked, and Zuku nodded. “He has a good heart and a good head to match. He reminds me a little of Young Aizawa.” The blonde replied. “I think he’ll be a good hero.”

“And his quirk?” Kuzu asked, raising an eyebrow.

“It's powerful, and it has a lot of potential.” Yagi replied thoughtfully. “I'm not going to lie. I'm not the most unbiased person in this world. I underestimated his quirk in the beginning because it wasn't physical. But his victory over the young Bakugou opened my eyes.” Then he sighed. “You were right, Young Izuku. I’m not doing a good job as a teacher. And for that, I’m sorry.” He bowed.

“It's not me you have to apologize to, All Might.” Zuku replied. “If you want to apologize to your students, start by getting a real teaching license. You can only work as a hero for three hours a day -”

“Two and a half, actually.” All Might replied, and Zuku raised an eyebrow. “My time limit is lowering, and fast. This is why I need to find a successor.”

“Well, in the time when you can't work, start taking classes. With effort, you can get a real teaching license in just two years. And since you are already working, unlike me, you will already have the necessary experience.” Zuku explained. “Just put the same effort into teaching as you put into heroics. Go beyond. Plus Ultra.”

“You are right, young Izuku. Thank you.” Yagi replied, smiling. This smile was different from his All Might smiles. It seemed a lot more sincere.

“You welcome, All Might.” Zuku replied, then after thinking for a few seconds, he gave him a piece of paper. “That is my number. If you need help with anything, or just want to talk, just call.”

All Might nodded, and they went their separate ways. Izuku dragged the mugger who had just come out of Hitoshi's brainwashing to the police station.

“He seemed honest about wanting to do better.” Kuzu said as they walked home.

“He’s All Might.” Zuku replied. “He's dumb, oblivious, naive, and many other things. But a liar is not one of them.”

“If only good intentions were enough.” Kuzu sighed.

Arriving there, Izuku quickly dropped off the thief, filled out the report, and left before he could risk running into Tsukauchi and having to explain what really happened. As much as he loves his uncle, he definitely doesn't want to have to find a way to bypass lie detection to cover up an act of vigilantism by his brother. Not today.

After that, Hitoshi owes him one. Maybe tomorrow, he will ask Toshi to carry him home. It would be a good payment. And despite his short stature, Izuku is much heavier than he looks. After all, his clothes hide well the amount of muscles he has.

.

.

.

The next day, classes went normally as expected. After the last bell, Izuku waited at Field Omega since Hitoshi already know where it is. And not even five minutes after the bell, Hitoshi was walking in. Izuku had previously registered the biometrics of his four students so that they could enter even if he were already there.

Izuku soon guided him to the field center, where they had enough space to do the tests. Izuku has two goals with this training. The first and most important is to build Hitoshi's self-confidence. Izuku knows firsthand what years of abuse and bullying do to a person, but he also knows that these wounds can be healed. They will leave scars, just like the muzzle marks on Hitoshi's face, but they will stop hurting one day.

The second goal is to test and train his quirk. Due to the nature of his quirk, Hitoshi has never had the chance to test what he can and cannot do with it. That changes now. Izuku's brother will have all the support and help he had the chance to have in the past.

But the first thing to do is something else. Izuku hands Hitoshi a form that Nedzu gave him earlier. A form to change the name of his quirk. Hitoshi takes the form and looks at Izuku with one eyebrow raised.

“What is that?”

“I have to ask, who named your quirk, Toshi?” Zuku asked.

“My father. Right before he gave me away, he went to register my quirk, and demanded to call it ‘Brainwashing.’” Hitoshi explained.

“Fucking quirkists.” Kuzu growled. “He’s an idiot. And if your quirk is brainwashing, I’m the Pope.”

“Brainwashing would cause permanent changes in the person’s mind. You can control someone’s actions temporarily, but you can’t, for example, change their personality.” Zuku explained. “If I had to suggest a different name, I would say hypnosis or sleepwalking. They both fit what you do. The way the person you control loses consciousness as if he were asleep, and the way your commands make him move is like someone hypnotized, or sleepwalking.”

“Wow, this makes sense.” Hitoshi replied. “I feel like people would fear my quirk much less if it had a different name.”

“No use in dwelling on the past.” Kuzu said. Even though Zuku could feel he was trying hard to keep his anger in check.

It’s hard to say if it’s good or not that the Shinsous gave Hitoshi away. On the one hand, this added abandonment as one of the traumas that Hitoshi had to go through repeatedly. But on the other hand, if they had kept Hitoshi, the abuse he suffered probably would have come from them. And how much worse could it have been to suffer at the hands of his own parents? The truth is that the only silver lining in this story is the part where Hitoshi was taken out of the abusive environment and now can receive all the love he has always deserved.

Shaking his head and focusing back on Hitoshi, Izuku smiles softly as he sees Hitoshi struggling with the name. After thinking for a few minutes, he finally writes a name and gives the formulary back to Izuku.

“Hypnosis? Is this your final choice?” Kuzu asks to make sure. Changing the quirk name a second time would be extremely hard.

“Yup.” Hitoshi nods. “It is simple, and I can use it to misguide how it works. Hypnotists hypnotize people in many ways, I can use this to hide my activation requirement. Maybe I should start carrying a pocket watch.”

“Your choice.” Zuku laughs. “Let’s start then?” Hitoshi nods.

Izuku hands him a list of commands and explains what they will do.

“Our first test will be about how your commands work. In this list, I have written down several commands that I want you to tell me to do.” Kuzu explains. “Some commands are things I can easily do but Zuku can't, others are the opposite. There are also commands that include using our quirk. Basically, we want to see how specific your commands can be.”

“First, you hypnotize only me. Then only Kuzu. And lastly, both of us at once.” Zuku continued. “In the future, we will ask Ectoplasm to help you find out how many you can hypnotize at once. But for now, let’s start.”

“Alright.” Toshi nodded again. “You ready, Bunny?”

“Ready when you are.” Zuku replied, and then his mind blanked.

-----------------------------------------------

Hitoshi watched for a few seconds as Zuku's eyes became blank, indicating that he was under his control. Not that he needs this indication, he can sense when someone has been caught in his mind.

From there, they followed the list of commands, from the simple ones - Close your eyes. Clap your hands three times. Jump on one foot - to the more complex ones - Dance for three minutes. Recite the last poem read in Yamada-Sensei's class. Say step by step how to prepare noodles. - and the results were interesting, especially when it came to quirk tests.

Every now and then, Kuzu would appear to say something. It's kind of strange to see someone who was previously blank-eyed and irresponsive suddenly get back to normal and start talking out of nowhere. But it is also strange to see someone's eyes constantly changing color and that same person talking to himself. Izuku is strange, and this is normal.

The simple commands were all easily accomplished. The commands that included memory varied according to Zuku's memory. Since he wasn't in Yamada's class today, he didn't know the poem, so he kept silent. But when he asked for the step-by-step preparation of noodles, he explained it flawlessly. As for dancing, it depends on the dance. Zuku is skilled in break dancing, so it was easy for him. But being ordered to dance ballet... well, disaster is not enough to explain it. At least Hitoshi managed to record some excellent blackmail material for the future.

Hitoshi can stimulate memory, but he can't make someone remember something they really forgot. 

And finally, when it comes to quirks. Even under Hitoshi's command, Zuku can't use fire, and Kuzu can't use telekinesis. When controlling both simultaneously, if Hitoshi gives a command without a specific target, the command will be carried out by whoever is most apt to do it. When he asked them to fly to the ceiling and back, Zuku used his telekinesis to do it. But when he asked them to make a complete turn around the field, Kuzu did it.

Also, something strange is that his quirk is stronger than he remembers. Hitoshi was sure that he needed an answer to trigger it. But tests now have shown that the smallest verbal response, even a groan, works.

Upon receiving a command, the hypnotized person will carry it out exactly as Hitoshi ordered. When he told Izuku to jump as high as possible, Zuku flew and hit his head on the ceiling. He needs to be more specific with the commands to avoid accidents.

In a few hours, Hitoshi has learned more about his quirk than he has in his entire life, and he is unsure how to feel about it. He should be happy, but he feels frustrated. He can't help feeling that he should have learned this years ago.

At the end of the tests, he releases Izuku, and the two sit down and talk about what they have learned. Hitoshi explains his frustrations about how far behind his colleagues he is, and Izuku assures him that he will quickly catch up with the others. Quickly doesn't feel quick enough, though.

In his frustration, Hitoshi clenches his fists and feels as if there is an energy running through his arm, but he dismisses it as being in his head.

“Toshi?” He barely hears Izuku calling as he punches the ground in frustration.

What he hears, however, is the sound of the floor breaking. And what he feels is an absurd pain in his arm. When he looks at his arm, it is completely purple and moving in a way that should not be possible with the existence of bones. Maybe it's the pain, maybe the shock, but all Hitoshi can do is scream.

“WHAT THE FUCK?????????”

Then he passes out.

Chapter Text

Hitoshi has officially gone insane. It's the only explanation because there's no way he could have suddenly developed a super-strength quirk powerful enough to create a crater in the ground and turn his arm into jelly. It was definitely all a dream. He will wake up in his bed at any moment.

See? He’s waking up. Look, it’s his…

Wait. This isn’t the ceiling of my room. And this isn’t my bed. It looks like an infirmary bed. And why is my arm in a cast? Don't tell me it wasn't a dream.

As Hitoshi tried to figure out what the hell was going on here, he didn't even notice someone coming in until he had a pair of arms wrapped around him and felt his head hit something that looked like a wall.

“Toshi! Thank god you’re okay!” He looked up and saw Zuku hugging him and rambling non-stop. “I didn’t know what to do, so I brought you to Recovery girl as soon as possible. I mean, I know first aid, but your arm was completelybrokenthankfullyGrannyChiyowasstilltheresoshetreatedyouand-”

Hitoshi won’t even pretend he got half of what Zuku just said. But he was obviously worried about Hitoshi, so Hitoshi puts his hand on his arm to get his attention. Zuku stops talking immediately and looks at him with watery eyes full of concern.

“I’m fine, Bunny.” He assured. “But I don’t know what happened. Actually, how long did I sleep?”

“Two, maybe three hours.” Kuzu chimed in. “Between the tests we did earlier, and the stamina that Granny Chiyo used to heal you, you were completely exhausted.”

“Were it not for your constant state of insomnia I would say that you would have slept at least eight to ten hours.” Zuku completed.

“As for what happened. We were just discussing it when you woke up.” Kuzu said. “Would you like to hear it now? Or do you prefer to discuss it tomorrow?”

Hitoshi really thought about it for a while. He's still pretty tired, so maybe it's a bad idea. But he really needs to know what happened. Brainwashing - no, scratch that - Hypnosis is a mental and mental only quirk. It doesn't make any sense that Hitoshi would develop super strength at such a level that he would shatter his own arm. He's not an expert on quirks, but he's pretty sure that's not how they work.

Damn, he should leave it until tomorrow. But if he doesn't find out what happened now, he won't be able to sleep (He probably won't be able to sleep anyway, but he doesn't need this worry to make it worse.)

“I want to hear it now.” Hitoshi finally said.

Kuzu examined his face for a few seconds, looking for something, then he sighed.

“Alright.” He said. “Can you walk? Here, lean on me.”

Then he helped Hitoshi get up and supported him on the way to the teacher’s lounge. When they entered, Hitoshi saw Principal Nedzu, Aizawa, Recovery Girl, and the skeleton guy - Yagi, he thinks - from yesterday. For some reason, Aizawa was giving the skeleton guy a murderous glare.

Izuku guided Hitoshi to the sofa and then addressed the rest of the people in the room.

“Well, Toshi. You know, Aizawa, Granny Chiyo, and Principal Nedzu.” Kuzu said, then pointed to the skeleton guy. “And this is…”

“Hello, young Shinsou. I’m Yagi Toshinori.” He said, getting up from his chair. Then, he... Inflated? “And I AM HERE!”

No one will ever make Hitoshi admit that his chin almost hit the ground. The skeleton guy that Hitoshi saved from a mugging yesterday is All Fucking Might!

“All Might? You’re All Might?” Hitoshi asked, looking at every other person in the room. No one else seemed to be surprised, meaning they knew it already. “Wait! Did I commit vigilantism and risk losing my place in the hero course to save the number one hero?”

“Vigilantism?” Aizawa asked, then Hitoshi heard Izuku mouthing a “later” to him.

“Yeah. It's a long story.” All Might - or should he say, Small Might? - replied with a sheepish smile.

“A long story that you’ll explain.” Aizawa said, then turned to look at Hitoshi. “It has to do with what happened with your quirk today.”

“It's a state secret or something.” Zuku said. “So regardless of your decision at the end of it all, what is discussed here, stays here.”

Hitoshi nodded, then All Might started explaining. And he wasn’t kidding. It was a long story. Like, beginning of the quirk age, long.

Long story short, two brothers, the older one, had possibly the most overpowered quirk in history, being able to give and steal quirks. The younger one was presumably quirkless.

The older brother started a war against the world in his attempt to fight against the prejudice that the minority who had quirks suffered in the beginning. And apparently, he was also an overprotective brother, to the point of locking his younger brother in a vault most of his life to "protect" him.

The older brother took pity on his younger brother and gave him a stockpiling quirk, which in turn turned out to reveal that the younger brother was never quirkless as imagined. His quirk alone had no effect, being only a quirk that could be passed on. But with the addition of the stockpiling quirk, it became what is known today as One for All.

With his quirk, the younger brother opposes the older one. The two fought, and the younger brother eventually died. But before the confrontation, he passed the quirk on.

The second user did the same and died the same way, and so it went on until All Might, the eighth user, fought and won. But not without cost; the victory cost him his stomach and a lung. He can only maintain his muscular form for two and a half hours a day, which greatly restricts how much heroism he can do in a day. Frankly, how he is even alive is nothing short of a miracle.

All Might believed he had killed All for One and was looking for a successor to keep the legacy alive. However, the appearance of the League of Villains, specifically the Noumu thing, indicates that All for One may still be alive.

Which brings them to what happened yesterday. All Might was out of time when the mugger approached him, or in other words, defenseless (how ironic.) When Hitoshi saved him, combined with what he said, it made All Might consider him as a possible successor. The thing about One for All is that the quirk can be forcefully given but not taken, and it is passed on by DNA. When All Might accidentally spit blood into Hitoshi's mouth(by the way, gross), he accidentally gave the quirk to him.

Okay, there is so much here to unpack.

“So, you want the quirk back?” Hitoshi asked. “How do I give it back?”

“Not quite, Young Shinsou.” All Might replied. “I want to ask you if you would accept to be my successor.”

And at this moment, Hitoshi might have become Kaminari because his brain short-circuited.

“Excuse me?”

-----------------------------------------------

Shouta was not happy. Not in the least. First, he got a call from Izuku. 

His son was desperate because something happened during his training session with Hitoshi. Apparently, Hitoshi's arm simply started glowing, and Hitoshi punched a crater in the ground and shattered his own arm. Now, Shouta is not an analyst like Izuku or Hizashi, but even he knows that quirks don't mutate like that. Hitoshi's quirk is mental, and while some mental quirks eventually develop a physical aspect, Hitoshi's definitely does not fit into this. 

When he arrived at the infirmary and found Nedzu talking to Izuku, he knew that his suspicions were correct. The rat, for the first time since Shouta had met him, did not beat around the bush and immediately told them to go to the teachers' lounge, that what had happened would be explained.

Most of the teachers had already left. Shouta was the first to arrive, along with Izuku, Chiyo came next, and then Nedzu. The last to arrive, and Shouta knew he was responsible as soon as he entered, was All Might.

Izuku explained what happened, and recognition instantly flashed in All Might's eyes. Although before explaining what happened, the giant spent at least five minutes freaking out, saying things like "how did this happen?" and "this shouldn't be possible."

When the idiot finally calmed down enough to explain about his quirk - he had to be convinced by the principal that "Yes. the Aizawas need to know, since they are Shisou's family now." - Shouta regretted not bringing his headache pills today.

All Might had just started his explanation when Izuku - who apparently left one of his cameras in the infirmary - warned that Hitoshi was waking up and ran - sorry, powerwalked - to find him.

A few minutes later, Izuku and Hitoshi entered. Hitoshi seemed fine, tired, but Hitoshi and tired are practically synonymous at this point. Upon seeing his foster - hopefully soon to be adopted -  son, Shouta allowed himself to let out a sigh of relief.

The relief didn't last long because shortly after, All Might began to explain exactly what had happened. The fact that the passage of the quirk was an accident that even All Might had no idea was possible was the only thing that kept Shouta from jumping on him and strangling him with his scarf.

But then, All Might asked Hitoshi to become his successor, and Shouta almost lost control. And while Hitoshi tried to process what he had just heard, Shouta decided to ask his own questions.

“Yagi.” All Might, who seemed to have forgotten who else was in the room, snapped his head to Shouta and promptly started to sweat. “You know what you’re asking him, don’t you?”

“Aizawa.” All Might sputtered. “I know this is sudden, but-”

“I don’t care it’s sudden, Yagi. This isn’t the problem.” Shouta cut him.

“The problem, All Might,” Kuzu complemented. “is that you are asking my brother to inherit an immensely self-destructive quirk that comes with the ultimate supervillain as a bonus.”

“Can you even teach him to control the quirk? What would be your advice?” Zuku asked.

“I would say, clench your buttcheeks and yell smash!” All Might replied. “This is how I do.”

A few seconds of silence passed, which was interrupted by the sound of a slap. Everyone turned to Zuku, who had facepalmed hard.

“Should have know.” Zuku muttered. “All Might, did you have this kind of problem when you received the quirk?”

“No.” All Might replied. “I could use 100% from the get-go.”

“And that is where the problem lies.” Zuku said. “You're a genius. There's nothing wrong with that, but geniuses don't understand the difficulty of things that come easy to them.”

Hitoshi suddenly raised his head and interrupted them.

“Can you give me some time to think?”

“Of course, my boy.” All Might replied, smiling.

“Ultimately, whether or not Toshi will accept is his choice.” Kuzu said.

Having said that, Izuku got up and guided Hitoshi out of the room. Shouta wasn’t sure where he was guiding him. But Shouta can call him later to know.

“Let's make a few things clear here, All Might.” Shouta said, turning a quirked glare at All Might. “Who else knows?”

“My former mentor Gran Torino, Sasaki, and Naomasa.” All Might replied.

So, Tsukauchi knows about the secret too. Makes sense, he’s a good friend of Yagi, and it would be impossible to hide it from him.

“Fair enough. Let's start with something simple, whoever Hitoshi wants to tell the secret, he will tell it.” Shouta said, raising his hand to interrupt when All Might opened his mouth, probably to argue. “I understand how dangerous this Yagi secret is. However, you have a network of people you trust enough to know. Hitoshi will need his.”

“All right.” All Might conceded.

“Second.” Shouta continued. “Even if Hitoshi becomes your successor, he will be his own hero. The path he chooses to follow, you will respect. Be it Limelight, Twilight, Rescue, or even Underground.”

“This will not be a problem.” All Might nodded. “Several of the past users were Undergrounds. My mentor was Twilight, but she had almost no press presence. When I accepted the quirk, I wanted to become the Symbol of Peace, but I won't impose this on my successor. I just want to keep the legacy alive.”

Great, so they are on the same page here.

“And lastly, if he refuses, you will not try to convince him otherwise. The final decision is his, and you respect it.” Shouta said. “And if he accepts, I refuse to let him have to deal alone with a 200-year-old supervillain. I know it's out this is out of your control, but we will do everything possible so that he doesn't have to deal with this All for One.”

“On this, we both agree.” All Might said firmly. “I promised on Nana’s grave that I would be the one to end this war once and for all. I may be wounded and limited now, but the promise still stands. My successor will not have the responsibility of dealing with that monster on his shoulders.”

Shouta nodded at him, satisfied with the answer. Despite the two of them not really seeing eye to eye. Despite how much Shouta still thinks he is an idiot. He can admit that as a hero, All Might deserves his respect, if nothing else, for his determination.

Chapter Text

Waking up early on Saturday should be illegal. But unfortunately, it isn't, and Nedzu loves to do things on the edge of the law. After the whole situation with One for All had been explained, Shouta still had to patrol that night (with a migraine, by the way.) He's sure that the rat does it on purpose just to annoy him.

The reason for this meeting was not even important, a simple update on the security of the sports festival. A meeting that could have been an e-mail. Sighing, Shouta continued his way through the halls until he reached the familiar door. Placing his hand on the biometric scanner, he heard a beep, and the door opened.

Immediately the temperature rose, and Shouta felt sweat beginning to form on his forehead. Inside the room, there was molten robot debris everywhere. The short green-haired figure that Shouta loves so much was at the center of it all.

Flames danced around him, moving at his signal, attacking each approaching robot and then retreating behind him, accumulating in a shape resembling a snake with several heads. The flames moved like a snake attacking with each arm movement, and the robot unlucky enough to be in the way was incinerated.

Deciding to announce his presence, Shouta activates his quirk, and the multi-headed snake disappears in a cloud of smoke. Noticing his quirk failing, Izuku turns to the entrance. Shouta gets a good look at a pair of green eyes that soon change to the usual blue and yellow.

“I feel that I should be amazed at how quickly you are learning to control this merging thing.” Shouta said, approaching and throwing them a water bottle. “But by now, I should be used to it.”

“It just feels natural.” Zuku shrugged, taking a sip of the water. “Like it should have always been like this.”

“How long can you keep it?”

“Fifteen to twenty minutes at most.” Kuzu replied. “More than that, and we start getting headaches like when Zu overuses his quirk.”

“This limit should increase over time.” Zuku continued. “But for now, this is our maximum.”

“Don’t push yourself too hard.” Shouta replied. “Rest is important too.”

“You’re one to talk, Mr. 'I had two hours of collective sleep this week.’” Kuzu teased.

Before Shouta could retort, Izuku's cell phone started ringing. Izuku answered the call and began to grin maniacally a few seconds later.

“Tomorrow, then?” Kuzu asked. “Alright, I’ll get everything ready.” Then he hung the call.

“We got him!” Zuku said, turning to leave the room.

Shouta went after him as the cleaning bots started entering the arena. Whatever this is about - Who is he kidding? Only one person, or rat, can make his son grin like that - someone is completely screwed.

-----------------------------------------------

Crazy/NotCrazy:

 Hey, Dabi!

BurningDownTheHouse:

Duality.

Crazy/NotCrazy:

 So dry. 

You make it seem like you aren’t happy to hear from me.

BurningDownTheHouse:

Maybe because I’m not?

Every time you text me. It’s to give me more trouble.

Crazy/NotCrazy:

Oh, I’m sure you’ll want a part on this one. 

I have here a couple of tickets to the arrest of a certain flaming trash can.

Interested?

BurningDownTheHouse:

 What? You got him?

Crazy/NotCrazy:

 He can’t escape that one.

Let's sweeten the deal.

You come with us tomorrow. 

And I'll let you personally put the cuffs on him.

BurningDownTheHouse: 

And the catch?

Crazy/NotCrazy:

The other Todorokis will be there as well.

Look.

I will not force you to talk to them or reveal your identity.

But they will see you.

And although I don’t know if Shouto will recognize you.

The others probably will.

BurningDownTheHouse:

Can I bring Himiko?

Crazy/NotCrazy:

She would come even if I said she couldn’t.

But tell her that if she stabs anyone, I will confiscate all her knives.

BurningDownTheHouse:

…

Fine. I’m in.

I can’t run forever.

Might as well deal with this now.

-----------------------------------------------

Anxiety and anticipation.

These two words sum up perfectly how Dabi was feeling at that moment. Both feelings only increase as the car he is in turns the corner, and the Todorokis' residence comes into his view.

In the car’s back seat, Himiko was playing with a knife, doing various stunts that should not be done in a moving car. Izuku was in the passenger seat, watching the scenery go by with a casual smile on his face. And Aizawa, driving like the crazy driver he is. How someone who has driven through fifteen stoplights and almost ran over someone seven times in less than three miles has a driver's license is one of the great mysteries of this world. Ironically, when he saw a cat in the street, he stopped the car and waited for it to pass.

Finally, they parked in front of the classic Japanese-style house. Looking around, Dabi noticed several plainclothes policemen positioned in other cars on the street. Tsukauchi, who wouldn't let go of his overcoat and hat for the world, was on the other side of the street with… Was that Nedzu? Izuku said the principal was part of this case, but Dabi didn’t think he would be present at the arrest. 

And along with them were - Dabi's heart leaped when he saw them - the three Todoroki siblings. Fuyumi and Natsuo have not changed so much from what he remembered. But Shouto did. Not only in height, but his posture was also different than he remembered.

Dabi's hands began to shake at the thought of talking to them. Won't they hate him for abandoning them? As much as he had spent years trying to convince himself that he no longer cared about his old family, he never could. He still cares for them. And he doesn't know what he will do if they reject him.

And after all this time, does he even have the right to be Touya again? What if -

“Stop overthinking, Dabi.” He heard it at the same time as he felt a hand squeezing his. Then he felt something sharp poke him in the rib. “Or I’ll stab you.”

Dabi chuckled at it. Only Himiko can take a reassurance and turn it into a threat.

“You want to talk to them now?” Zuku asked, turning that blue eyes at him.

“No. Let’s deal with the old man first.” Dabi replied.

“As you wish.” Kuzu said, giving Dabi a pair of quirk suppressing handcuffs. Then he glanced at his phone. “Endeavor suspects nothing. He doesn't care enough to realize that Natsuo and Fuyumi are gone, and he thinks Shouto is at UA for extra training.”

“Alright. It’s showtime.” He said, slipping to his Dabi persona.

“Showtime.” Kuzu grinned at him.

“Go on, Dabi-Chan.” Himiko pushed him towards the entrance.

Izuku, Dabi, and Aizawa walked toward the front door. Izuku grabbed a sheet of paper from somewhere - probably the same place where he keeps his notebook - and then rang the bell. 

A few seconds passed before they heard the door being opened, and here was the man of the house. As always with his flaming mustache, if someone had said he slept like that, Dabi would probably have believed them.

Endeavor looked confused at the three men standing in his doorway. He knew Aizawa and Izuku but did not seem to recognize Dabi. Before he could say anything, Aizawa activated his quirk, wiping that ridiculous mustache off his face, and Izuku began to read the sheet in his hands.

“Todoroki Enji, you are under arrest for the crimes of corruption, abuse of power, multiple homicides, whether intentional or not, quirk marriage, domestic abuse, and child abuse.” Izuku explained.

“But what are you talk - ” The moment Endeavor raised his arm toward Izuku, Dabi, with immense satisfaction, slapped the cuffs on him. Izuku ignored him and continued reading the sheet.

“You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have a right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you.”

The Miranda Warning? Dabi is sure this isn’t used in Japan. Is Izuku just playing with him?

“What a piece of crap this is. Let me go immediately!” Endeavor demanded.

“No, I don’t think I will.” Izuku replied, smirking at the man. “You have gone unpunished for too long. Time to face the consequences of your actions, Endeavor.”

“It won't stay like that! I am the number 2 hero!” Endeavor replied.

“Oh, how cute. He still thinks his position will save him.” Izuku grinned at Dabi, then his smile vanished, and he pinned Endeavor with a glare. “Do you really think that the commission will continue to cover for you? Do you think they wouldn't throw you under the bus to save face? Well, they may try, but this time it will be impossible. Even they cannot deny evidence backed up by the truth squad. Especially when you have someone who has come back from the dead just to testify against you.” Endeavor’s eyes widened at this.

“It's over, old man.” Dabi said with a lazy smirk. “You lost.”

Endeavor stared at Dabi for a few seconds until recognition flashed in his eyes that widened so much that Dabi thought they would jump out of the sockets.

“Touya?” He asked.

“Miss me, Dad?” Dabi asked. “What am I talking about? Of course, you didn’t.”

Endeavor opened and closed his mouth several times, looking like a fish out of water. After trying to say something for a few seconds, he just shook his head and followed Aizawa silently towards the police car at the end of the street. They could have stopped the car in front of the house, but no one wanted to miss the chance to have Endeavor do a walk of shame in handcuffs.

Surprisingly, Endeavor got into the police van without much fuss. Maybe it was the shock of seeing his supposedly dead son in front of him. But regardless, he was put in the police van and taken out of there. Aizawa went along with the police, and Izuku stayed behind, probably to stay with Dabi.

Turning again to where the other Todorokis were, his eyes met Fuyumi's, and she gasped. Dabi took a deep breath and started walking toward them. Time to face the past.

-----------------------------------------------

Looking through the car's mirror, Shouta saw Enji, who refused to look up. Shouta has been a hero for several years, and even before that, in all his life, he had never seen Endeavor act so subdued.

“What happens now?” Endeavor asked, still not looking up.

Shouta thought for a few seconds.

“It depends on the judge's decision.” He explained. “Natsuo and Fuyumi are already of age, so they can live independently if they choose. As for Shouto, he has three possibilities. If Todoroki Rei is declared stable and he wants to live with her, she will have custody of him. Otherwise, he can choose between Touya or becoming an UA ward.”

Technically speaking, the second and third options are basically the same. When everything is resolved, and Touya is properly declared to be alive, he will be placed in Project Vigilante as Izuku and will become an UA ward. If Shouto wants to live with him or become an UA ward as well, he will live at the school anyway.

“As for you. Frankly, despite all your crimes, your sentence will end up being very short. 25 years at most.” Unfortunately, most of his crimes can be justified as accidents. After all, he is a hero with a highly destructive quirk. “The commission will try to cover it up as much as possible. They don't want the public to know why you are being arrested. But one thing is certain, Endeavor. You will never get your license back.” Shouta smirked and stared at him through the mirror. “You will never be the number one hero.”

Endeavor did not answer, but Shouta saw him clenching his fists on his knees. 

Shouta's smile widened at this. Let him suffer.

Petty, he knows, but he never denied that he was. And in this case, it is more than justified. After all, this man abused one of his children for years.

Not that he will admit to anyone that he sees them that way. But all his students are his children.

-----------------------------------------------

Izuku kept their distance while Dabi talked to his family. They and Himiko were close enough to intervene if something went wrong but far enough away to give them privacy. Tsukauchi and Nedzu walked away for the same reason. Fortunately, their concern was unnecessary.

Izuku watched Dabi approach the Todorokis with a shy smile on his face. He said something, and the three of them froze, but it wasn't bad. Fuyumi covered her mouth as she tried to hold back her tears. Natsuo was a little less shy and immediately tackled him in a hug. Shouto literally froze. A trail of ice appeared beneath his feet. 

But the hesitation did not last long. In a few seconds, the four siblings were in a group hug.

Izuku smiled and, placing his hand on Himiko's shoulder, guided her away from there to give them the privacy they needed. They have a lot to discuss, but Izuku knows they will be fine.

Chapter Text

The week that followed was, to sum it up in one word, chaotic. The Endeavor trial was extremely rushed by both Nedzu and the HPSC, which tried its best to keep the case out of the press.

This caused the trial to begin the very next day. The trial lasted three days, not because it was a difficult decision but because of the number of witnesses brought to testify against Endeavor. Most of them were civilians who lost their property or loved ones as “collateral damage” from the actions of the “hero.”

On the last day, all the Todorokis were also called to witness. One by one, they told of their experiences with their father's neglect and abuse. The last to testify was Touya, who told everyone about his experience with Endeavor’s “training” that led to his supposed death.

All statements were made in the presence of Mr. Truth and with Tsukauchi present in the room, which was enough to validate each of them.

Endeavor's sentence was decided to be 25 years in Tartarus, where he will have to undergo weekly anger management therapy sessions. He will have a chance for parole in 15 years in case of good behavior. However, he will never get his Pro Hero license back, regardless of what happens. Endeavor is officially retired.

With the sentence given, the HPSC had no way to hide it anymore. So they did exactly what Izuku predicted they would do and threw all the blame on Endeavor to save face. The speech made to the media was that they had been investigating the former hero and found out about his crimes, the HPSC will not tolerate this kind of behavior, and blablabla. Baloney, but their turn will come one day.

Because of what happened, Shouto Todoroki was given a week's leave from school. In which he and his siblings were finally reunited and reconciled with their mother.

After the examinations were done, Rei was deemed stable enough to leave the mental institute. However, she did not consider herself fit enough to regain custody of Shouto. After a family discussion, it was decided that Shouto would live in the UA together with Touya, who would become his legal guardian.

Touya and Himiko have finally agreed to join Project Vigilante. Touya will be mentored by Present Mic. With Himiko, it was a little more complicated.

Because of her quirk and acting skills, Himiko wanted to go into Underground with a focus on Undercover missions, which is not a problem. Izuku was only forced to be Limelight because he was the first participant in the project. So he ended up being the face of the project.

But at the same time that she demonstrated extreme skill as an Underground, Himiko also showed a quick mind and analytical skills far above average. She also showed great interest in the support area. Ultimately, Himiko will have a dual mentorship. Her mentors will be Aizawa for Underground and Majima for support and analysis.

The two will live at UA as school wards. Despite having lived on the street, Touya has kept up with his studies, having graduated online. As such, he will only be part of class 1-A in heroics classes. On the other hand, Himiko will be enrolled in the class in Mineta's place despite being a year older than the rest of the class.

Class 1-A accepted their new classmate easily, especially after it was explained that Himiko would be part of the same project that trained Izuku. And Himiko almost immediately assumed the role of class big sister. The crazy big sister who will stab anyone who gets out of line, but still.

The weeks until the sports festival went by quickly, and Izuku couldn't be prouder of the students' progress. Aoyama and Hagakure began quirk counseling with Yamada, who specializes in hard-to-control quirks. Aizawa started an extra class in quirkless fighting, open to anyone interested (in and out of the hero course). Tokoyami, Kaminari, Todoroki, and Hitoshi all decided to join.

And speaking of Izuku's personal students, their progress has also been incredible. Their control is still far from perfect, but it's much better than it was a few weeks ago. It's been three heroic classes since Kaminari last fried his brain. Tokoyami has shown more emotion, and Dark Shadow has become much less agitated since they started therapy. Todoroki has begun to tentatively use his fire in training.

And Hitoshi, taking into account that he now has not only one but two quirks to master, we can say that his progress is the most impressive of the group. After accepting All Might's offer, he immediately began training with One for All. Of course, with Aizawa ever-present and one blink away from erasing the quirk, should Hitoshi risk injury again.

Izuku's analyses, as always, shine here. If we ignore the whole history and legacy of One for All, we will see that the quirk is nothing special. It is just a stockpiling quirk. Theories about All Might's quirk are many on the internet. But from what Izuku sees here, it is easy to tell that it is not a strength enhancer.

One for All is simply energy. An almost infinite source of energy that continues to grow stronger with each new user. Izuku also theorizes that perhaps All Might is not as quirkless as he thought.

Many presumably quirkless people actually have quirks that are either so weak as to be imperceptible or have activation requirements so specific that the user has never been able to activate them. Izuku theorizes that All Might's case is the former.

The muscular form of All Might has all the characteristics of a transformation quirk. If Izuku is correct, this was All Might's original quirk, but he could only activate it after it was strengthened by One for All. In the same way that Hitoshi's quirk was strengthened by One for All.

Anyway, Hitoshi's training was much more focused on control than power. After all, brute force for Hitoshi will always be plan b. The primary plan is to try to hypnotize the enemy and make them surrender without the need for confrontation. Not to mention that Hitoshi decided to pursue the career of a Twilight Hero, so he doesn't intend to try to become the number one hero. He doesn't need to call attention to himself.

-----------------------------------------------

A little too early for Hitoshi's taste, the morning of the sports festival has begun. At the Aizawa residence, everyone was getting ready to leave when Izuku's phone rang.

“Duality speaking.” Izuku answered the call, and his smile soon dropped. “I’m on my way.”

“Where to?” Aizawa asked.

“Hosu.” Izuku replied. “We need to go now. They saw Stendhal.”

“Be careful Izuku.” Aizawa said. “You know he won’t be easy.”

“We know, Dad.” Izuku nodded and went to the door. “We will be coordinating with Team Idaten for this mission.”

“Say hi to Tensei for me. And call me as soon as the mission is over.” Aizawa replied. “I don't care if it's in the middle of the third event. I'll answer you.”

“We will. Make sure to get the recordings from Nedzu. We will watch this festival if it is the last thing I do.” Izuku said as they stepped out of the door, then they stopped, turned to Hitoshi, and tackled him into a hug. “Good luck, Toshi. You’ll do great today.”

Saying that they left and jumped off the fucking balcony. Hitoshi almost had a heart attack as he ran up to the balcony and looked down. He then saw Izuku flying at high speed in the direction Hitoshi assumed was Hosu's.

“Do they always do that?” Hitoshi asked.

“No, usually Kuzu does a little show before jumping.” Aizawa shrugged and returned to his coffee mug. “They were in a hurry.”

“How come you are not gray yet?” Hitoshi asked as he pulled himself a mug.

“I met them when they were eight, and the first time we talked they jumped off a building.” Aizawa replied. “If I had a nickel for every time they almost gave me a heart attack I could fill a swimming pool and swim in the money.”

“That’s rough.” Hitoshi commented.

“You haven't seen half of it.” Aizawa sighed tiredly. “Anyway, Izuku left and I doubt you want burnt toast for breakfast before the sports festival. Get dressed up and we'll get something to eat before we go.”

Hitoshi nodded and went to his room to put on his uniform.

-----------------------------------------------

How the hell did Hizashi manage to hook Shouta into the commentator's booth?

That's the last time Shouta bets with him on Uno. Damn loud blond cheater. To make matters worse, he won’t even have Izuku's company as expected.

Shouta looks at his cell phone for the 20th time in the last hour. Obviously, Hizashi notices.

“C’mon, Shou. The baby will be alright.” Hizashi said, smiling. “You know he’s capable.”

“I know, Zashi.” Shouta sighed. “But it’s Stain we’re talking about. How many victims has he already made?”

“I stopped counting after the thirtieth.” Hizashi replied. “But Izuku has been studying his patterns for years. Not to mention all the information Dabi was able to dig up. If anyone can catch Stain, it's him.”

“On that we agree.” Shouta smirked. “And where’s Touya?”

“‘I'd rather die than be a commentator on this thing.’” Hizashi said, emulating Dabi's voice. “So he’ll be assisting Nemuri instead.” He said, grinning.

“I imagine that he is re-evaluating his life choices at this very moment.” Shouta replied.

(In a preparation room, a heavily scarred man glared at the "uniform" he would be required to wear for this event and vowed revenge on all involved.)

“Oh. Totally.” Hizashi grinned. “Oh, it’s about to begin.”

“Well.” Shouta sighed. “Let's get it over with.”

-----------------------------------------------

The sports festival was about to begin, and everyone's nervousness was apparent. At least half of the students were pacing around in the waiting room. Others, like Bakugou, were a bit more subtle in their anxiety. The blonde disguised his nervousness with confidence, but it only takes a little attention to realize how many times he needed to grab a special handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his hands.

Hitoshi was also anxious, but for different reasons. To be honest, he didn't even intend to get past the first event. His control over One for All is still basic at best. But at the same time, there is someone he wants to impress. Someone who, at this moment, is in another city on a mission.

By the way, who the hell is Stendhal? Izuku had mentioned that name a few times but refused to elaborate when Hitoshi asked. The only thing he knows is that whoever he is, he is dangerous.

“Tokoyami, Kaminari, Shinsou.” Hitoshi looked up and saw Todoroki looking straight at him. “Objectively speaking, I think I am stronger than you. However, the four of us were trained by Izuku.”

“Your point?” Hitoshi asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I owe him a lot. And I intend to prove that it was worth it.” Todoroki replied, and Hitoshi could swear his eyes were glowing from how intense they were. He never saw so much emotion in his bicolor colleague. “Consider this a declaration of war. I intend to go all out to defeat you.”

Kaminari closed the case he was looking at. He had a choker on his neck that looked like just decoration but was, in fact, the new support gear made to keep his electricity away from his brain. 

Students in the hero course can use up to two pieces of support gear as long as it has been pre-approved by the principal, Powerloader, and their homeroom teacher. Most didn't take much advantage of this, but Hitoshi saw that the case Kaminari was looking at had something other than the choker. Whatever it is, the loud blonde has a card up his sleeve.

“Well, what can I say to that?” Kaminari grinned. “I accept the challenge, dude. I will show you what I am made of.”

“I prefer to hide in the darkness. But this situation requires us to show ourselves.” Tokoyami nodded.

“We’ll make Izu proud of us!” Dark Shadow chirped.

Hitoshi smiled as he made his decision. He adjusted his capture scarf on his neck and turned to Todoroki. 

“Very well, Todoroki-kun.” He sent his best impersonation of Aizawa’s grin. “But I don’t intend to lose. And I’m sure no one else intends to lose either. So it’s better if you give your all.”

“Guys, it’s time.” Iida said and started organizing the students into a single line to enter the stadium.

It was not originally Hitoshi's plan to attract attention. But after that declaration of war. Let no one ever say that he is a coward.

-----------------------------------------------

Izuku was sitting on top of the tallest building in Hosu. On his mask, each eye showed the images of one of his cameras flying at high speed through the city's alleys. To capture Stain, the Idaten team sent several heroes and sidekicks specialized in speed, but Izuku is the only one who can fly.

In the same way that 90% of the heroes with fire quirks were concentrated in Endeavor's agency. 90% of the flying heroes are part of the Hawks' agency. Unfortunately, Team Idaten doesn't have anyone who can fly despite its many highly mobile heroes.

This deficiency meant that Izuku alone ended up in charge of patrolling the city from the skies. Their cameras can focus on two places at once, but their search radius is still limited. But this minor inconvenience will not stop Izuku.

Stendhal often attacks heroes who patrol alone. To minimize the chances of a surprise attack, each hero is moving with at least two sidekicks. Each alley is being carefully searched for any clue to his whereabouts.

“Ingenium speaking.”Izuku heard on his comms. “I have visual contact with the target. Sending location.”

Izuku received the location on his phone.

“Duality speaking.” Izuku replied. “On my w-”

“He saw me and is running away!” Ingenium said. “I’m giving chase. Ingenium out.”

“Wait, stop, Ingenium! Don’t go alone!” Izuku said, but there was no reply. “Damn it.”

“We need to hurry.” Zuku said. “No other hero can keep up with Ingenium.”

“When he reaches Stendhal, he will be alone.” Kuzu said. “At least he left his tracker activated.”

“Five minutes. Northeast from here.” Zuku said. “We can get there in two. C’mon.”

Then they jumped from the rooftop and started flying. 

No hero will be maimed today. Not if they have something to say.

Chapter Text

Todoroki is usually someone inexpressive. Like, no one in the room has ever seen him show any kind of expression beyond his usual disinterest. So imagine everyone's shock when he just fell to the floor and started rolling around laughing as if he had just heard the best joke of the century.

Hitoshi is sure that this has something to do with the guy who entered the stadium together with Nemuri-Sensei. He definitely looks uncomfortable wearing that tight outfit that looked like a male version of Midnight's costume. Wait, is he wearing heels?

“Hey, isn't that the guy who takes the heroics class with us?” Kaminari asked. “The one who showed up with Toga?”

“Oh, right. Touya, isn’t it?” Kirishima replied. “Isn’t he Todoroki’s brot - Oh!” He snapped his fingers, then looked back at Todoroki.

“I c-c-can’t b-believe -” Todoroki said while wheezing like a tea kettle. “T-Th-They managed to g-get hi-him to wear s-so-something other than jeans and an oversized hoodie.”

Meanwhile, Touya was alternating between sending his brother the dirtiest look he could muster and glaring at Midnight. Good thing he doesn't have laser vision.

Midnight, completely unfazed by the situation, cracks her whip to get the students' attention. At least Todoroki has stopped laughing, although he is still shaking, trying to hold himself together while avoiding looking at his brother.

Hitoshi turns his attention back just in time to hear Present Mic finish announcing the classes and pass the voice to Midnight. Because apparently, someone thought it was a good idea to put the 18+ Hero as the host of an event full of hormonal teenagers. 

Nedzu is a sadist.

“Now for the student pledge! Welcome to the stage, the person who scored the highest on the Entrance Exam! Bakugou Katsuki!”

Bakugou takes the stage with all the confidence he constantly exudes. Hitoshi has mixed feelings about the angry Pomeranian. Izuku explained his story a few weeks ago, and Hitoshi is not petty enough to hold the sins of a five-year-old child over his head. Especially since Izuku has already forgiven him. But on the other hand, Bakugou definitely needs to have some humility tea. He is powerful but not invincible.

“I just want to say…” Bakugou starts as soon as he gets to the microphone. “That I’m going to win!”

The booing starts instantly, but Bakugou ignores it and smirks into the microphone. He has just painted a gigantic target on his back, and he is loving every second of it.

-----------------------------------------------

“Well, no one can say that this one lacks confidence.” Hizashi sweatdropped.

“Let's just see if he has the skills to back up his claims.” Shouta said in his usual bored voice.

“All right! Let’s put this show on the road!” Hizashi announced. “Now, my fair Midnight, what will be the first event?”

“I'm glad you asked, gentleman.” Nemuri said, then cracked her whip again. 

Then a giant wheel was raised from the ground and started spinning to sort out what the first event would be. It was just a show for the audience. The three events have already been decided in advance, and all the teachers already know. But for the students, it will be a surprise.

“An Obstacle Course!” Hizashi cheered. “Four kilometers, several obstacles along the way. Who can overcome the challenges and finish first?”

The students all began to mingle in the starting line, and Shouta took this moment to check his phone one more time. Damn, still nothing from Izuku.

“So, Eraser. What do you think the students should pay attention to first?” Hizashi asked.

“The tunnel.” Shouta replied dryly.

“…”

“…”

“Could you… elaborate?” Hizashi asked after a few seconds of silence.

“No.” Shouta replied.

“Eloquent as always.” Hizashi muttered. “Alright, listeners! Let’s put this show on the road!”

Shouta glanced once again at his phone. Still nothing.

“Stay safe, Izuku.” He muttered to himself and then turned back to pay attention to the event just in time to see Todoroki literally freeze the competition.

-----------------------------------------------

Zuku is fast. He has spent several years training his mobility, both in his time as a vigilante and during his training with Shoua. In the air, he is second only to Hawks. 

But even with all his speed, he cannot teleport. Getting from point A to point B takes time. And even though he can make this five-minute travel in just two, it still feels like it's taking hours.

When he finally arrives at the place where Ingenium's signal had stopped, he quickly feels the panic coming on. No sign of Stendhal, no sign of Ingenium. Looking at the ground, Izuku finds a small piece of a tracker device.

“Damn it, Ingenium. That's why I told you to put this under your helmet!” Kuzu yelled, then tuned into his own comms. “This is Duality!”

“We found Ingenium’s tracker.” Zuku continued. “It is in the middle of the street, and there are no signs of combat. He must have lost it in his pursuit.” 

“Roger that.” One of the support heroes answered. “We are sending the other Sidekicks to expand the search area.”

“Perfect, we'll leave the tracker here. It has been about two minutes since the signal stopped moving. From their speed, we would say to make a search radius of one to one and a half kilometers.” Kuzu replied. “We'll resume our search from the sky.”

“If we find him, we will activate our tracker. Keep the paramedics ready.” Zuku said, already taking flight. “And remember to pay close attention to the alleys. That's where he strikes.”

“Roger that.” The support said. “Good luck, Duality.”

“Thank you.” They replied together. “Duality out.”

Wasting no time, Zuku sent out the right camera and let Kuzu watch the images as he flew and checked alley by alley.

“Where are you, Ingenium?”

-----------------------------------------------

Ten million points? That's a lot of points. Even if you count all the other points combined, it won't reach that total. In other words, whoever has that band is guaranteed to be the first place. 

Well, in a cavalry battle, the best thing to do is to recruit good allies. But since Shouto is basically the target, most of the students are avoiding him. Hmm, this could be a problem.

“Hey, Todoroki!” Kaminari calls him.

Shouto turns around and sees the blond man approaching with Tokoyami and Shinsou right behind him. What do they want? They are against each other, aren't they?

“Soooo.” Kaminari starts. “I was thinking. Since, you know we are all -” Hitoshi puts a hand on his mouth to interrupt his rambling.

“We will face each other, and that is obvious. But we have the same Sensei. Since this is a group event, why don't we take the opportunity to show what he has taught us?” Shinsou explained. “The last event will probably be one-on-one fights. But this event is a good chance to show our teamwork.”

Shouto thought about it for a moment. Shinsou has a good point. They have never worked as a team before, but Izuku always emphasizes how important teamwork is.

“If we are going to do that.” Shouto says. “Let's make it memorable.”

“Oh, I like how you think.” Shinsou smirks. “You are the rider?”

“No, I'll be on the left and Kaminari on the right. We'll take care of the defense.” Todoroki explains. 

“Which leaves Tokoyami in the front. Dark Shadow is best suited to steal points after all.” Shinsou says.

“Much of the class still underestimates you. But you are the most agile.” Kaminari says.

“And you can dominate the mind of anyone foolish enough to approach carelessly.” Tokoyami adds his two cents. “So you should be the rider.”

“Perfect.” They say together.

“Alright, time’s up!” Midnight announces. “Let’s start the cavalry battle.”

“Time to make chaos!” Dark Shadow chirps, and they take positions. “IZUCREW, ASSEMBLE!”

-----------------------------------------------

Oh, These four teamed up.

“Prepare for chaos.” Shouta sighed.

“Looks like your problem child's problem children teamed up.” Hizashi grinned. “ALRIGHT, LISTENERS! Let’s start the cavalry battle. We have a few interesting teams in the game. Let’s see what they’ll do.”

Shouta could have sworn he saw the eyes of these four gleaming with mischief. What are these problem children planning?

As soon as Midnight announces the start of the game, more than half of the teams immediately zeroes onto Team Shinsou, obviously aiming at the ten million headband. But if only it were that easy.

Todoroki steps on the ground, hurling his ice in all directions, but unlike the indiscriminate attack of the first event, this one had a target. As the ice spreads, he steps with his other foot, launching a wave of fire that melts the ice creating a massive water puddle.

Kaminari goes into action right away by rubbing his hands together like a defibrillator and then pressing his palms into the water on the ground. To conclude the attack, Dark Shadow shields the team because, apparently, shadows don’t conduct electricity. The light from the attack stuns him, but he resists.

Impressing Shouta is difficult, but even he admits that it was a nice combo.

“And with this Shinsou team combo, all the reckless attackers who ran after the ten million points without strategy are stunned.” Hizashi announces. “But look, they are not finished yet. Now, team Shinsou is running between the stunned teams while Dark Shadow steals their bands. But they already have the ten million points. They don't need more.”

“A logical strategy. Even with the ten million points, it is always good to have a backup in case they end up losing it.” Shouta replied.

“Is that a compliment I hear?” Hizashi smirked.

Shouta ignored it and looked back at the arena. Team Shinsou had four matching grins. Very familiar grins.

“Oh, god. The rat is multiplying.” Shouta said under his breath.

It is obvious that they learned that grin from Izuku. But the one who corrupted Shouta's son was the Rat.

“And look at that. The other teams have started to recover from this initial attack and are already moving again.” Hizashi said. “The cavalry battle is just beginning.”

-----------------------------------------------

Hitoshi smiled as he fooled yet another team of idiots. It's amazing how a simple jab at their pride and they'll respond to anything. The most impressive part is that the Bakugou team has not tried to attack them head-on so far. Apparently, the Pomeranian has decided to go after the copycat from class B.

“And two more minutes.” Mic-Sensei announced.

Hitoshi grinned and looked to Todoroki, who nodded at him.

“Time for chaos.” Hitoshi grinned as he took off the ten million points headband. “Hey, guys.” He called, and everyone looked at him. “Catch!” He threw the headband over his shoulder.

All the teams started running, but before anyone could get there, Todoroki launched the biggest attack Hitoshi had ever seen him make toward the headband. The other teams had to shield their eyes. The temperature in the arena dropped to the point that most of them began to shiver.

“But what is that? Team Shinsou literally buried the ten million points in a giant iceberg.” Mic-Sensei announced. “Is that even allowed?”

“No rule says that it’s not.” Midnight shrugged.

“Problem Children.” Aizawa-Sensei said, and Hitoshi has been living with the teacher long enough to recognize the fondness in his voice.

“I wonder if anyone can get through the iceberg and get the points.” Dark Shadow said. “Nah. No one here is capable!”

The provocation worked, and half the teams started attacking the iceberg while they quietly moved out of the way now that they were no longer the primary target.

“Tunnel vision will not help them.” Tokoyami said. “Time for the final assault.” 

Saying this, Dark Shadow immediately lunged at the same time as Hitoshi threw his scarf, grabbing as many Headbands as possible while Mic-Sensei began the final countdown.

“10 - 9 - 8 -” The teams attacking the iceberg made a desperate last push to try to get through. After all, most of them had zero points. “7 - 6 - 5 -” Oh, look, there’s Bakugou, blasting himself towards Hitoshi to try and grab his headbands. “4 - 3 - 2” Bakugou reaches his right arm to attack Hitoshi and… “1. AND IT’S OVER.” He falls facefirst into the dirt.

“Alright. The cavalry battle is over.” Midnight announces.

“In the end, no one had the ten million points. Now, let's take a look at the scoreboard.” Mic says. “In first place. Team Shinsou, consisting of Shinsou Hitoshi, Tokoyami Fumikage, Todoroki Shouto, and Kaminari Denki!” The audience cheered as Hitoshi made an exaggerated bowing motion. “In second place, Team Bakugou, consisting of Bakugou Katsuki, Kirishima Eijirou, Ashido Mina, and Sero Hanta! In third place, Team Asui, consisting of Asui Tsuyu, Iida Tenya, Uraraka Ochaco, and Hatsume Mei!” The audience decreased in volume when team Bakugou was announced but came back in full force when team Asui was announced. “And last but not least. In fourth place, we have the Yaoyorozu team, consisting of Yaoyorozu Momo, Shouji Mezou, and Aoyama Yuuga. And since this team had only three members, one of the members of the fifth-place team will go to the next round. So, Team Monoma, choose a member.”

After a short discussion, they decide that Monoma will move on to the next round.

“Alright. The third event will start after lunch period.” Midnight says.

“You heard it. For those of you who didn't pass, don't worry. We still have many recreational activities that everyone can participate in. As for the third event, these are the brackets.” Mic said.

SERO HANTA VS TODOROKI SHOUTO

KAMINARI DENKI VS YAOYOROZU MOMO

IIDA TENYA VS HATSUME MEI

ASHIDO MINA VS ASUI TSUYU

AOYAMA YUUGA VS TOKOYAMI FUMIKAGE

KIRISHIMA EIJIROU VS SHOUJI MEZOU

MONOMA NEITO VS SHINSOU HITOSHI

URARAKA OCHACO VS BAKUGOU KATSUKI

“We'll be right back after the break!” Mic announced, then turned off the microphones.

Hitoshi accompanied his friends to the cafeteria to get food, but on the way, he checked his phone. Izuku didn't send any messages, not that he expected anything. Even if Izuku is back by now, they surely wouldn't want to distract Hitoshi from the event. They are considerate like that. Still, at least an “I'm fine” would be nice to receive. Hitoshi is worried about them.

Hitoshi sighs and then runs to catch up with his friends. He hopes Izuku will be proud of the chaos they have created here.

-----------------------------------------------

“Found them!” Kuzu announces as they fly through the alleys. “They are on the camera.”

“Let’s go.” Zuku says. “Status?”

“Ingenium is down. We need to hurry.” Kuzu replies. “Stendhal is monologuing now. But as soon as he's done, he'll want to finish the job.”

“Then we better be faster!”

“Hang in there, Ingenium.”

Chapter Text

SERO HANTA VS TODOROKI SHOUTO

Being the first to fight, Shouto stepped into the ring as soon as he heard his name being announced. Sero was already in position and prepared for the fight. Well, prepared is not quite the right word. Anyone with eyes could see that he was sweating bullets. As Mic-Sensei introduced the fight - Shouto wasn't paying attention - Sero flashed him a shy smile.

“I don't think I can defeat you.” Sero said. “But I’m not about to give up without trying.”

“Very well.” Shouto nodded to him. “I respect you, and for that I'll give it my all.”

“From class 1-A Todoroki Shouto, versus Sero Hanta, also from class 1-A.” Midnight announced, then cracked her whip. “Start!”

Sero immediately lunged at Shouto, throwing his tape to try to trap him. Shouto smiled and stomped hard on the ground with his right foot. Immediately the ice took over the rink burying Sero in a huge Iceberg. Shouto blinked a few times.

“All right, I overdid it a little.”  He said.

“Sero, can you move?” Midnight asked. Sero tried to break free from the iceberg, but he gave up and shook his head after a few seconds. “Todoroki Shouto is the winner.” 

The crowd began to shout encouragement to Sero as Shouto approached and began to melt the ice slowly so as not to cause a thermal shock to his classmate, who was shivering from the cold.

“Sorry about that.” Shouto said with a small smile.

“N-N-No problem, d-d-d-dude.” Sero said. “T-T-Thanks for t-t-taking m-me s-se-seriously.” He gave Shouto a trembling grin.

“Can my pretty assistant help us here?” Midnight said with a smirk. 

Touya climbed into the ring, flipping her off on the way, and started helping melt the ice. He almost fell three times. Seriously, how the hell did someone manage to make him wear heels? More importantly, how is that person still alive?

Shouto had to hold back from laughing again. As soon as he managed to get Sero off the ice, he supported his classmate and took him to the infirmary. He felt the temperature rise and saw a flash of blue behind him as he left.

“Your brother is scary.” Sero said, looking over his shoulder.

“Maybe.” Shouto hummed. “But after today I have blackmail material for the rest of his life.”

Sero laughed, but Shouto was being completely serious.

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KAMINARI DENKI VS YAOYOROZU MOMO

Boy, wasn't that a little bit too much, Todoroki?

Denki was watching the result of the first fight on the small TV in his waiting room while waiting to be called for his fight. Todoroki certainly raised the audience's expectation level with this power act. Unfortunately, no other student has the raw power to compete with this, except perhaps Tokoyami on a moonless night.

But well, before worrying about Todoroki, he has to win his own fight. Yaomomo is a powerhouse in her own right. The fight won't last long, but it will undoubtedly be tough.

Mic-Sensei starts announcing the next fight, and Denki heads to the arena. For a moment, he looks at the case by the door but decides that it's not time yet. Besides, against someone like Momo, that's not what he needs.

When Mic announced him, Momo was already in the arena waiting for him. Denki puts on his usual friendly smile and walks up, shooting finger pistols at Momo.

“No hard feelings no matter who wins, right?” Denki asks.

“Of course not.” Momo smiles, then as Midnight starts counting, she takes her battle instance.

“Start!” Midnight cracks her whip.

Denki immediately shoots toward Momo, trying to prevent her from having time to create anything. Covering his fist with electricity, Denki sends a punch, which Momo blocks with her right arm. To Denki's surprise, she doesn't even seem to feel the shock that would normally knock anyone out. Focusing on her arms, he realizes that they are covered by something. Oh, insulating gloves, clever one.

Momo quickly creates a staff and lunges against Denki, who begins to dodge a hail of attacks. She has the advantage in range and is protected against long-range electrical discharge. Denki also can't just unload everything and hope for the best. If he short circuits his brain, it's gone.

However, one does not survive three weeks of Spartan training with Aizawa without learning new tricks. With a smile, he waits for Momo to make a lunge with the staff and holds the staff between his arm and his back.

When Momo tries to pull the stick, he just lets it go, which makes her lose her balance since she was expecting resistance. By the time she recovers, Denki is already in front of her, placing his hands on either side of her head and releasing a small electrical discharge. Momo unceremoniously falls to the ground, unconscious.

“Yaoyorozu is unable to continue. Kaminari Denki is the winner.” Midnight announces.

Kaminari looks around, blinking. Did he really beat Momo? The audience's cheers say he did it.

Smiling, with much more sincerity now, Denki raises his hands in celebration. He really beat one of the best students in the class.

When the med bots come up in the arena, he helps put Momo on the stretcher and follows them to the infirmary. He only suffered a few minor bruises that Recovery Girl healed without serious problems. Momo should wake up in half an hour or so. All things considered, this is one of the sports festivals with the lowest injury rates so far. And RG certainly appreciates it.

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IIDA TENYA VS HATSUME MEI

Poor Tenya ends up being tricked and used as a test dummy to show off Hatsume's various inventions in the longest fight of the entire festival.  After this, Mei leaves the ring, and Tenya moves on to the next round.

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ASHIDO MINA VS ASUI TSUYU

Unfortunately for Tsu, she ended up with probably the worst match up possible at this festival. Mina knows her too well. As the fight begins, Mina covers herself with acid. A simple acid that makes the body numb when in contact with the skin. And that works on Tsu's tongue.

Without being able to use his greatest asset, this fight quickly becomes a clash of agility. Between Mina's fluid dance-like movements and Tsu's leaps, the fight ends when, in a moment of carelessness, Tsu slips on the trail of acid that Mina has left on the floor, and this opening allows Mina to push her out of the ring.

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AOYAMA YUUGA VS TOKOYAMI FUMIKAGE

“Dark Shadow.” Fumikage called on the way to the arena. “I think it’s better if you stay hidden during this fight.”

“But Fumi, Why?” Dark Shadow asked, sounding slightly hurt.

“It’s not your fault.” Fumikage replied, petting the Shadow Creature’s beak. “But Aoyama's quirk is literally a light laser beam. The majority of the class has not yet realized our weakness. Isn't it better to hide it a little longer?”

“You…” The quirk started but stopped mid-phrase. “You’re right, but will you be alright?”

“You protected me my whole life.” Fumikage said. “Let me protect you for once.”

Dark Shadow squeaked and curled around Fumikage.

“Alright, but you better win.” Dark Shadow replied. “Otherwise, I will tell everyone about that time you cried when that egg cart toppled over.”

Fumikage gasped. “You wouldn’t dare!” 

“Just try me.” Dark Shadow.

“I was five!” Fumikage argued.

“My cousins! What are you all doing? Someone call an ambulance!” Dark Shadow mocked then started laughing.

Fumikage glared at his quirk for a good five seconds before snorting and starting to laugh too.

“You are terrible, Dark Shadow.” He said, shaking his head.

“And you love me!” Dark Shadow replied.

Fumikage did not grace him with an answer. Instead, he steeled his expression and said in a serious tone.

“Don’t worry, Dark Shadow.” Fumikage said right as he was about to step into view. “Light shall never conquer the darkness.”

Fumikage steps into the arena as Present Mic announces it. Aoyama was already there, spinning and waving to the audience. When he notices Fumikage, he turns and gives a salute which Fumikage responds with a slight bow.

“3. 2. 1.” Midnight cracks her whip. “Start.”

Aoyama wastes no time firing his laser at Fumikage, but, already expecting it, the crow dodges it with a step to the side. Aoyama tries again, but Fumikage dodges in the same way. They do this dance for a few minutes. Aoyama shoots, and Fumikage dodges, but he doesn't move closer to try to attack.

Fumikage realizes that his classmate is starting to get frustrated, and his attacks are becoming more frequent and desperate. Until Aoyama makes a mistake and shoots a laser for more than a second. He instantly realizes his mistake as he drops to his knees, covering his stomach with his arms.

Seizing the opportunity, Tokoyami quickly covers the distance between them and dropkicks Aoyama right in the face. The impact is enough to send them out of the ring. Still, even if it wasn't, Aoyama doesn't get up.

“Aoyama is out of bounds. Tokoyami Fumikage is the winner.” Midnight announces.

Dark Shadow appears and wraps himself around Fumikage, screeching his cheers.

“What a mad banquet of darkness.” Fumikage says as he steps out of the ring and helps put Aoyama on the stretcher.

But despite his words, anyone could notice the smile on his face (as big as it is possible when his head is that of a raven).

-----------------------------------------------

KIRISHIMA EIJIROU VS SHOUJI MEZOU

This fight can be described in one word, “Brutal.”

It is no secret that, in terms of physical strength, Kirishima and Shouji are probably the strongest in the class. Kirishima is basically a wall, while Shouji attacks like a machine gun with his six extra arms. In the end, Kirishima's toughness held up well, but as the saying goes: Water dripping day by day wears the hardest rock away.

When Kirishima finally reached his limit and had to let go of the stiffening, Shouji grabbed him and threw him out of the ring, winning the match.

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MONOMA NEITO VS SHINSOU HITOSHI

It must be karma. It's the only explanation. Only karma explains Hitoshi having to face the biggest asshole he's met since he came to UA right in the first round. Some bored God wants to make Hitoshi taste his own medicine. 

Now, Hitoshi knows that he is also an asshole. His quirk depends on making people respond, and the best way to do that is to get under their skin. But even Hitoshi has a line and taunting someone using a traumatic experience definitely crosses that line.

When Hitoshi climbs into the ring, Monoma is already waiting for him with his bastard smirk on his face. Hitoshi ignores Present Mic’s introduction, accessing what he knows about his opponent.

Monoma's quirk is some kind of copy quirk. Hitoshi saw Monoma copy Explosion and Hardening during the cavalry battle. He seems limited to three, maybe four quirks at a time and must have a time limit on the copies. Five minutes? Ten? He doesn't show any physical indication of which quirks he has copied at the moment.

“3. 2. 1.” Midnight counts. “Start!”

Monoma stomps hard on the ground, which softens as if it was made of mud. The trail reaches Hitoshi, who begins to sink as if in quicksand. Nice quirk. Izuku would be having a field day here. Hitoshi smirks and looks Monoma dead in the eyes.

“Is that all you got?” Hitoshi asks. “For someone so determined to prove himself superior to us. You are not all that.”

“Oh. I’ll show you who’s the best.” Got him. Hitoshi smirks.

Hitoshi sends his scarf towards Monoma, but it hits some kind of invisible wall and stops.

“Oh? Can’t the great class A get past my barrier?” Monoma taunts. “Why don’t you give up.”

“You are so dumb that you don't even know that you have already lost.” Hitoshi says, smirking. He waves his hands in some weird motions just to confuse his opponent(and the audience.)

“What are y-” Monoma starts.

“Sleep.” Hitoshi says, snapping his fingers. He grabs Monoma’s mind right after the snap.

“Now, you will carefully return the floor to normal.” Hitoshi says, and Monoma steps on the floor again, hardening it back to normal and releasing Hitoshi.

“Great job, now turn around and walk out of bounds.” Monoma wordlessly turns around and walks out of the ring.

“Monoma is out of bounds. The winner is Shinsou Hitoshi.” Midnight announces.

Hitoshi makes an extremely exaggerated spin and bows towards the announcing booth. He hears a snort for a second before Mic starts talking again. He starts to leave but then remembers Monoma. He raises his right arm for all to see and snaps his fingers, releasing his control over Monoma.

“Better luck next time.” Hitoshi says as he leaves the arena. “Asshole.”

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URARAKA OCHACO VS BAKUGOU KATSUKI

Let no one ever underestimate Uraraka again.

Launching a meteor shower on the enemy was a genius strategy, and frankly, if her opponent was anyone else, it probably would have worked. Unfortunately, against Bakugou's immense firepower, that strategy was not enough.

Still, anyone observant enough would be able to notice how much Bakugou's hands were shaking after the fight. This match was much more even than most people think. Alas, Bakugou won, so he’ll be Hitoshi’s next opponent. 

Joy!

-----------------------------------------------

Shouta feels a shiver run down his spine and checks his phone once more. Still nothing from Izuku. Damn. He almost slams his head on the sound equipment in his frustration.

“Damn it, kid. You better be alright.” Shouta whispers as Hizashi announces the next matchups.

TODOROKI SHOUTO VS KAMINARI DENKI

IIDA TENYA VS ASHIDO MINA

TOKOYAMI FUMIKAGE VS SHOUJI MEZOU

SHINSOU HITOSHI VS BAKUGOU KATSUKI

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Three arrows fly aiming directly at the shoulders of the noseless man, who was about to turn Ingenium into a cosplay of the Excalibur stone. Izuku knows how potentially lethal that attack was, but if there's one thing he's discovered about Stendhal, it's that anything less won't be enough to hold him back.

And as expected, Stendhal notices the attack and blocks the arrows while retreating further down the alley. He looks over and soon notices Izuku who has positioned himself in front of Ingenium.

“A kid?” He asks, then frowns. “No, you’re not just a kid. Duality, right?”

“Wow.” Kuzu says, injecting as much cheerfulness in his voice as possible. “Stendhal has heard of us?”

As they talk, Zuku discreetly sends a camera to examine Ingenium. He’s conscious, but he seems to be paralyzed. Seems like Izuku’s theory about Stendhal’s quirk was right. He really can paralyze his victims, but what is the trigger?

“Stendhal… No one called me that for a good while.” Stendhal says. “You were a vigilante like me. Why protect this fake?”

“I have met many fake heroes, Stendhal.” Zuku explains calmly. “A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of sending Endeavor to Tartarus. But Ingenium is definitely not one of the fakes.”

“Of course he is!” Stendhal yells.

“You know, we always admired you.” Zuku says, ignoring what Stendhal just said. “When we started as vigilantes, your name on the streets was like a legend. Everyone spoke with wonder and admiration of the mysterious vigilante who was in a different place every week.”

“But if there was one thing they all shared it was. When Stendhal was in the area, civilians felt safer than any hero made them feel.” Kuzu replied. “Unfortunately this legendary vigilante disappeared shortly after we started, but we always wanted to meet you.”

“When the Hero Killer began to act, we were in denial for quite a while.” Zuku continued. “Because surely someone so heroic would not have simply become a villain out of nowhere.”

“Ever since we became heroes, we have been looking for you.” Kuzu said. “The Vigilante project accepted us, it would surely accept you too. But then the Hero Killer appeared.”

“My dad was the teacher of several of your victims.” Zuku explained. “He doesn't like to show it, but I know how much he mourned the death of each of them.”

“What is your point? Are you trying to convince me to give up my crusade?” Stendhal asked, raising his katana. “These fake heroes are the reason for society being what it is today. I won't stop until I kill them all. The only one who can kill me is the one true hero: ALL MIGHT!”

“Yeah, I figured that was the case. But I had to try.” Zuku shrugged.

“You are one of the few good heroes, child. Leave and I'll let you live.”

“By doing this I will be abandoning Ingenium. That would definitely make me a fake hero. Real heroes don't question who they save, they just save.” Kuzu said.

“Besides, we have a reason to talk so much.” Zuku smiled innocently.

“Each second we keep you talking…”

“Is one more second for the other heroes to get here.” Kuzu grinned.

This was enough push for Stendhal, who immediately charged at Izuku with his Katana. Izuku narrowly dodged the attack. He felt the katana scratch his chest but fortunately not deep enough to draw blood.

“In one-on-one, you certainly beat us.” Zuku said. “Especially since we are protecting a hostage.”

“But do you have time for that?” Kuzu asked. “The heroes already have our location, they will be here any second now.”

As if on cue, they hear footsteps approaching the alley, and at this moment, Izuku makes a mistake. For just a second, he takes his eyes off Stendhal, but that is long enough to lose sight of him. And when he least expects it, Stendhal is in front of him, swinging his Katana in an arc and hitting Izuku in the stomach.

“They’re here!” Someone calls and rushes into the alley.

“Tch. You have escaped this time, Ingenium.” Stendhal says, looking at the fallen hero. “But there won’t be a next time.”

With that, Stendhal runs out of the alley, easily missing the heroes into the city.

Izuku pressed their fingers to his stomach, and when they looked, they were red with blood. Looking down, they see the blood quickly dripping onto the floor.

“Damn.” Zuku says, pressing his back against the wall and sliding to the floor.

“Dad is going to kill us.” Kuzu completes.

As they hear footsteps approaching and paramedics running, his vision darkens. The last thing they see before losing consciousness is Ingenium's haunted expression as he says something that Izuku cannot hear.

Chapter Text

TODOROKI SHOUTO VS KAMINARI DENKI

Kaminari and Todoroki look at each other face to face. Shouta can easily see how nervous Kaminari is even though he disguises it well. Shouta can also see what was in the case that Kaminari has been so secretive with his colleagues until now.

Of course, Shoua already knew what was there. He was one of those who approved the gear. But it doesn't change the fact that Kaminari has been acting as if it were a state secret. Now, as Midnight prepares to start the fight, Kaminari, positioned with a sword in his right hand and a shield in his left prepares for the fight. If you pay attention, you can see the signature on the shield saying "Hatsume Industries."

Todoroki curiously observes the weapons in his classmate's hands. Shouta can feel the same curiosity emanating from the rest of his Hell Class. And being honest, he will never admit it out loud. He is curious too. Shouta has seen the diagrams and knows how this weapon works, but knowing and seeing it in action is quite different.

“3, 2, 1. Start!” Midnight cracks her whip.

As soon as the fight starts, Todoroki opens up with the same attack he used against Sero in an attempt to end it as quickly as soon possible. Kaminari, with sparks dancing in his right hand, inserts the sword - which absorbs the electricity - into the shield.

The shield detaches from his hand and molds itself into the sword's blade as Kaminari swings it over his shoulder and slams it down hard, releasing all the accumulated electricity in a shockwave that crashes into the ice. The resulting explosion sends out a mixture of steam and cold air that obscures the arena from the audience.

When the cloud began to dissipate, Kaminari was in the same place. The sword and shield now fused together as one long axe. Todoroki was at the edge of the ring, the impact not throwing him out only because he managed to create a wall of ice in time.

Todoroki throws another wave of ice, and this time Kaminari swerves to the side and swings the axe over his head, hitting the wall of ice. When he uses his electricity, the blade starts spinning like a chainsaw cutting through the ice easily and clearing the way.

Kaminari runs at Todoroki with his axe in hand, but Todoroki raises his left hand, throwing a wave of flames at him. Kaminari stops, puts his arm over the axe blade, and pulls the handle. The blade returns to its shield form, and Kaminari quickly defends the flames while continuing to run toward Todoroki. When he's practically on top of Todoroki, Kaminari tries to bash him with his shield, but Todoroki jumps to the side.

Todoroki tries once again to bury him in an iceberg, but this was his biggest mistake.

Kaminari, already anticipating this move, had already started to load the sword and insert it into the shield again. Repeating his first attack, he discharges all the accumulated electricity that crashes into the ice, generating an explosion even bigger than the first.

When the fog cleared, Kaminari was halfway across the ring with his sword stuck in the ground for support. Todoroki was outside the ring.

“Todoroki is out of bounds. Kaminari Denki is the winner.” Midnight announces.

Kaminari looks around, taking a few seconds to realize that, yes, he has indeed won, and then raises his sword in celebration as the audience cheers. Todoroki stands up and watches for a few seconds, clearly disappointed by his defeat, but he doesn't look angry. He gives a little smile before leaving the arena.

-----------------------------------------------

IIDA TENYA VS ASHIDO MINA

From the creators of the "Exit Sign Iida," we present "Bull Iida."

The only thing missing was that Ashido was wearing a red cape for this fight to be considered a real bullfight. Iida, being the straightforward person that he is, constantly charged toward Ashido with all his speed while the dancer calmly dodged each attack. He really needs to pay more attention to the space around him, though. Iida didn't realize he was being led out of the ring until he was announced the loser of the fight after one of his charges.

-----------------------------------------------

TOKOYAMI FUMIKAGE VS SHOUJI MEZOU

Bad matchup for Shouji. As strong as his six arms are, Dark Shadow feels no pain and doesn't back down from the rain of blows, just slowly pushing Shouji out of the arena.

Unfortunately, Shouji is not fast enough to avoid the shadow and loses the duel.

-----------------------------------------------

Between this fight and the next, Shouta's phone starts ringing, and Shouta gets up to answer it without even checking who it is. Hizashi doesn't even bat an eye as Shouta runs out of the room.

“Hey, Shou.” Tensei? It's been years since Tensei called. They always talk by message.

“Tensei?” Shouta cannot hide the concern in his voice. Tensei was commanding the operation for Stain's capture. If he is calling instead of Izuku, it means… “What happened? Is Izuku fine?”

“Stain escaped.” Tensei sighs and tortuous seconds of silence that feel more like hours as he tries to think of what to say next. “And Izuku is in emergency surgery.”

“Where!?” Shouta can't hide the desperation in his voice. He barely hears Tensei say Hosu's general hospital. “I’m on my way!” And he hangs the call.

-----------------------------------------------

SHINSOU HITOSHI VS BAKUGOU KATSUKI

As soon as Bakugou climbs into the ring, he puts his hand in his ears and pulls something out of them. Hitoshi watches curiously but doesn't comment. 

“Prepare to die, extra.” Bakugou sneers.

“I won’t be the one dying here, Kacchan.” Hitoshi replies, but surprisingly, Bakugou doesn’t say anything else.

“3, 2, 1. Start!” Midnight cracks the whip.

Bakugou propels himself onto Hitoshi with his blasts and starts the fight with a right hook. By now, everyone in the class has probably figured out this habit of his. Hitoshi owes himself and responds with a judo throw over his shoulder that he has been on the other side so many times.

“This won’t work, Kacchan.” Hitoshi provokes, but Bakugou ignores it.

How the heck he didn’t reply yet? Since when can the Pomeranian stay quiet? It’s like he’s not even heari… Wait!

Hitoshi makes a sign with his hand, fingerspelling one word. Bakugou simply flips him off.

‘Fuck me. Of course you are deaf.’ Hitoshi signs. ‘How come no one noticed until now?’

Bakugou stops his attacks for a moment and shrugs before signing back.

‘I’m sure Izu knew. He’s the one who used to tell me I would go deaf because of my quirk.’ Then he smirks. ‘And it’s not my fault none of you extras have eyes. My hearing aids aren’t even discreet.’

‘Of course.’ Hitoshi shakes his head. ‘Alright, plan B then.’ Then he quickly takes up his stance and throws the scarf at Bakugou.

Bakugou answers the attack with a blast towards the ground that propels him upwards out of range of the fabric. Hitoshi smirks and locks eyes with Bakugou as the blonde dives at him.

Straightening his stance, Hitoshi dodges the attack with a side-step jump and takes the opportunity to land a knee on Bakugou's chest. Bakugou recovers quickly and attacks again without giving Hitoshi time to breathe.

Hitoshi manages to avoid direct damage from most explosions but still suffers from the heat. There's no way to escape this without at least a few burns.

Bakugou attacks again, but this time Hitoshi is prepared. He trims the palm strike followed by an explosion and holds Bakugou by the wrist, throwing him over his shoulder and onto the floor.

Without giving him time to recover, Hitoshi throws the scarf again, and this time he manages to trap Bakugou, who begins to struggle. Unfortunately for him, it will take more than a few explosions to break free.

Throwing his scarf up, he throws Bakugou and plunges him headfirst into the concrete. He repeats this move twice more, then turns and throws Bakugou out of the ring.

“Bakugou is out of bounds. Shinsou Hitoshi is the winner.” Midnight announces.

Repeating his theatrics, Hitoshi spins in place and bows to the announcing booth. He ignores Bakugou and leaves the arena. If he tries to help, the blond will only get even angrier. The fact that he didn't try to attack again shows that he accepted defeat with dignity. 

To Hitoshi's surprise, as soon as he leaves the arena, he finds Aizawa standing in front of his waiting room. Hitoshi opens his mouth to question, but as soon as he sees Aizawa's worried expression, he closes it.

“Ingenium just called.” Aizawa explains. “Izuku is in surgery.”

It's like someone has thrown a bucket of cold water on him. Hitoshi stays silent for a few seconds without knowing what to say. Finally, he nods and continues toward the waiting room.

“I'm going to change.” He says.

“If you leave now, you’ll have to withdraw from the festival.” Aizawa says. “I only told you because it wouldn't be fair to leave you in the dark about this.”

“It doesn’t matter.” Hitoshi replies. “Even if I stay, I won't be able to concentrate on the next fight.”

Aizawa nods and lets Hitoshi pass. Ten minutes later, the two are in the car with Aizawa driving at full speed and probably breaking a few dozen traffic laws. Fortunately, the whole of Japan is watching the sports festival, either live or from home, which means the streets are practically empty.

-----------------------------------------------

Hizashi looks at the message he received from Nedzu and frowns. Shouta and Shinsou left without telling anyone. Shouta is not one to do that. For him to leave like that, it can only mean that he has an emergency, and the only kind of emergency that can make Shouta lose his composure like that is when it's related to his son.

Hizashi can only sigh and hope that the little listener is okay. Meanwhile, he goes back to announcing.

“Okay, listeners. Now, for the next matchups we have...”

KAMINARI DENKI VS ASHIDO MINA

TOKOYAMI FUMIKAGE VS SHINSOU HITOSHI

In normal circumstances, Bakugou would step in Hitoshi's place, but he refused to continue after losing. As hot-headed as he is, no one can say he’s not honorable.

“Shinsou Hitoshi had a family emergency and will be withdrawing from the festival because of this.” Hizashi explains. “Therefore, Tokoyami Fumikage wins the match by WO. Now, moving on with the matches.”

-----------------------------------------------

KAMINARI DENKI VS ASHIDO MINA

Denki was worried since he heard that Shinsou was withdrawing from the festival. Mic-Sensei said it was because of a family emergency. Shinsou rarely talks about his family. Denki only knows what he heard at a glance. Shinsou lives with a hero and his son, and he never said who the hero was, only that he is Underground.

Strangely, Aizawa didn't comment at all during the Shinsou and Bakugou fight, and it seems that he hasn't come back yet. Could it be that he went to escort Shinsou? But why would their teacher do that?

Denki shakes his head to bring himself back to the moment. Mina has arrived in the arena and is not an easy enemy. For this fight, Denki chooses not to use the charge blade, Mina is too fast, and the weapon is heavy. Using it here would be a bad idea.

“3, 2, 1. Start!” Midnight cracks the whip.

Mina goes up surfing on acid to increase her speed. Denki dives to the side to avoid a kick that would hit him right in the face and responds with a kick that Mina dodges easily. She continues to use the acid to skate across the ring; before long, the floor is full of acid. Unfortunately for her, she has forgotten one small detail. Acid is conductive.

Rubbing his hands together and concentrating his electricity, Denki shoots lightning at the ground and lights everything up. The electricity quickly hits mina as she skates, causing her to lose her balance and slip out of the ring.

“Ashido is out of bounds. Kaminari Denki is the winner.” Midnight announces.

KAMINARI DENKI VS TOKOYAMI FUMIKAGE

-----------------------------------------------

KAMINARI DENKI VS TOKOYAMI FUMIKAGE

The last fight of the festival was somewhat anticlimactic. 

Unfortunately for Tokoyami, Denki countered him in every way possible. His electricity generates enough light to knock out Dark Shadow, and if Tokoyami tries to attack him head-on, he will be electrocuted. In the end, the duo tries but loses.

Frankly, Denki needs to double-check the brackets a few times because he can't believe he won. He, Kaminari Denki, has just won UA's Sports Festival.

-----------------------------------------------

The awarding of medals occurs smoothly. All Might makes a dramatic entrance and hands out the medals, starting with third place. Since Shinsou is absent, he will have to pick up his medal later; having withdrawn or not, he is tied with Mina for third place.

In second place, Tokoyami receives the medal, and Dark Shadow celebrates excitedly.

And in first place, Denki still can't believe he won. But receiving the gold medal leaves no room for doubt.

After the Award Ceremony and closing, the whole class goes home in high spirits.

-----------------------------------------------

The atmosphere in the car is tense. Hitoshi and Aizawa have not exchanged a word during the entire trip. Not that it was long. The trip to Hosu that would usually take about an hour - an hour and a half with traffic - was done in half an hour. That's how much Aizawa was in a hurry.

The hospital parking lot was practically full, the only parking space being a tight squeeze between two cars, but not even this made Aizawa slow down. Instead, he applied the parking brake while the car was in motion, causing the car to drift and stop exactly between the two cars. If Hitoshi hadn't been so worried, he would probably have been impressed with this parallel parking worthy of an action movie.

Having parked, Aizawa practically jumps out of the car and runs into the hospital, with Hitoshi scurrying not to be left behind. When he enters, Aizawa is already at the reception desk with his hair floating as he talks to the receptionist, who seems on the verge of a panic attack. Without much to do, Hitoshi sits down and begins the waiting game.

Chapter Text

Two hours. Two. Fucking. Hours. That is how long Shouta had to wait for news about Izuku. No one informed him anything other than "He is still in surgery" and "We will let you know as soon as he is out."

Shouta knows that his reaction is illogical. He knows how hospitals work. He has been in them more times than he would like to admit. But no matter how illogical he is being, all logic disappears when it comes to his child. Hell, after the USJ, the only reason Shouta was calm when Izuku woke up was that he was high on tranquilizers and analgesics.

By now, Shouta must have walked a few miles, pacing in circles in front of the reception desk. Shinsou is sitting close enough to hear any updates but far enough away to be ignored by most. He seems on the verge of hypnotizing Shouta to try and calm him down. Which would be pretty hypocritical of the insomniac who hasn't stopped tapping his foot for a second since they arrived.

“Aizawa?” With the speed in which Shouta ran to the nurse who called him, anyone would think he had a speed quirk. The nurse, apparently much more experienced than the receptionist, didn't even bat an eye. “Aizawa Izuku is in the hero wing. Follow me.” Shouta didn't need to look to know that Shinsou was right behind him. On the way, the nurse asked. “Would you like a summary of his wounds now?”

“Yes, please.” Shouta nodded

The nurse hummed, picking up a clipboard and starting to read without stopping walking.

“His only wound came from a horizontal cut on his belly, made by a sharp weapon, according to Ingenium it was a katana. The cut was deep, but fortunately his costume is well done. If not for her, the cut could have been even worse.” The nurse explained. “Fortunately, we have no shortage of type O blood here, so we were able to transfuse it quickly. But he needed emergency surgery. The katana cut right through his stomach, but thanks to several quirks that I won't waste my time or yours explaining, we were able to reconstruct the organs in time. All in all, he was lucky. The heroes were nearby and brought him here immediately. If it had taken ten minutes longer, his condition would have been much worse. He is expected to recover soon and the only thing he will carry with him is a scar.”

Hearing this, Shouta allowed himself a sigh of relief. Izuku is fine.

“Thank you.” Shouta nodded again.

“Don’t mention it.” The nurse smiled at him, then showed him the right door. “He will need to spend the night under observation, but if his condition does not worsen, he should be able to go home. Just remember to keep the wound clean and bandaged and monitor for possible infection. It is recommended to wait at least a week before trying any kind of quirk to speed up the recovery. Other than that, just make sure that he rests and avoids any kind of strenuous activity. He doesn't want his stitches to open. His stomach has basically been rebuilt, he will probably have little appetite for the next few weeks, it is important that he eats light meals. He may have a fever.”

“Izuku doesn't get fevers. It is impossible because of his quirk.” Shouta commented. “What we have to keep an eye on is something else.”

“And I figure you know what to do.” The nurse replied.

“It has happened a few times in the past.” Shouta nodded. “It’s rare, but it happened.”

“Okay. You can go in. When he wakes up just call me.” Having said that, she left. Shouta took a deep breath and opened the door.

Upon entering, he immediately saw the bed where Izuku was lying, still unconscious and dressed in a hospital gown. This sight immediately brought Shouta back to memories of the first time he had seen Izuku like this, just after the incident with Hisashi. Since that time, this has happened only a few times; incredibly, Izuku is good at keeping himself safe. Or rather, Zuku is good at keeping Kuzu safe, and Kuzu is good at keeping Zuku safe.

But as rare as it is, it has happened a few times. Hero work is dangerous, and sometimes it is impossible not to get hurt. Still, it never gets easier for Shouta to see Izuku unconscious in a hospital bed. That hyperactive kid shouldn't be so still.

Shouta silently approaches the bed and just watches for a few seconds as Izuku's chest slowly rises and falls. Izuku was a little paler than usual. Placing a hand on his forehead, Shouta noticed that his skin was cold. His skin is always at an above-average temperature. That is one reason cats love him so much. 

But Shouta had expected this. Izuku's organism behaves a little differently than other people. Technically, his normal body temperature is what most would consider a high fever. His fevers are different. Instead of his body temperature rising, it falls. Izuku doesn't get fevers. He gets hypothermias. 

Meanwhile, Shinsou silently dragged two chairs to the edge of the bed and sat down on one of them. He hasn't said anything since they left the sports festival, and it doesn't look like he will say anything for the moment. He just silently watched Izuku. Shouta waved his hands in front of him to get his attention.

‘It’s okay.’ Shouta signed as soon as Shinsou looked at him. ‘He’s okay.’

Shinsou nodded and looked again at Izuku. He started to sign without looking back at Shouta.

‘I know.’ He sighed. ‘Logically, I know he’s fine, but…’

“You’re still worried.” Shouta said aloud this time. Shinsou nodded again. “I’m the same.” Shinsou turned his face back to him so quickly that Shouta feared he would have whiplash. “Nobody knows better than me how capable he is. But that will never stop me from worrying about him. Worrying is a dad's job. I will always worry about all of you. Just as I know that he will never stop worrying about us.”

Shinsou kept silent for a few seconds, then his eyes widened as what Shouta said finally registered. He hesitantly raises his hands again.

‘All of you?’ He signed tentatively, then looked back to Izuku. “Us?”

“Yess, Problem Child 2.” Shouta smirked. “Do you think I won't worry about my son? Or that he won’t worry about his brother?”

“You mean it?” Shinsou finally speaks. As tears gather in his eyes.

“I never say things I don’t mean. Unless it’s a logical ruse.” Shouta smirks then looks Shinsou in the eyes. “Of course. If this is what you want.”

“Yes!”

Shouta puts his arm around Shinsou's shoulder and pulls him into a side hug.

“I would say welcome to the family. But we already considered you family from day one.” Shouta said. “We are just making it official now, Shinsou.”

“Then call me, Hitoshi.” Shinsou Hitoshi replied. “If you are going to be my dad, it makes sense to use my first name.”

“As you wish, Hitoshi.”

-----------------------------------------------

This time, Kuzu and Zuku wake up at almost the same time. Just a few seconds of difference. Right away, they notice something. They are trembling. Kuzu tries to move, but their arms and legs are numb, and although they have just woken up, they feel oddly drowsy. 

"Cold..." Kuzu slurred - wow, his voice is slow - and the whole room went silent. Hmm, suddenly Kuzu realized that there was someone talking right next to the bed. He looked over and saw Dad and Toshi. “Hi?”

If asked in a few days, Kuzu will totally blame the painkillers. He is usually much more eloquent than that.

“If I wasn't afraid of busting your stitches I'd be crushing you in a hug right now.” Toshi said, approaching carefully and wrapping his arms around Izuku. 

Hugs are more of a Zuku thing, but that doesn't mean Kuzu will turn a free one down, he may not go out of his way to ask for hugs, but that doesn't mean he doesn't like them either. And at that moment, honestly, a hug sounds incredibly nice.

Izuku practically melts in the hug. Warm. Was Hitoshi always this warm?

“No, I'm not. You are cold.” What? Kuzu wasn’t mumbling, was he?

“I think it was me…” Zuku slurred. “But I’m too tired to care right now…”

Toshi giggled as he pulled away from the hug, and Izuku immediately missed the warmth. Before they could think much about the cold, they felt a weight on their heads, and something white appeared in front of their eyes. When Izuku looked up, they saw their Dad putting his scarf on him. Izuku smiled as they buried their face in the scarf.

Then Zuku suddenly remembered something and quickly turned to his Dad.

“Ingenium!” He said quickly. “Is he okay?”

“Tensei is fine.” Shouta assured. “His armor protected him from the worst of the attacks. He had only scratches.”

“That’s good…” Zuku sighed in relief. “I’m so glad he’s fine.”

“We can discuss what happened later.” Shouta said. “When you are not so tired.”

“The nurse said that you can be discharged tomorrow morning.” Toshi explained. “As long as there are no complications tonight.”

“Great.” Kuzu replied. “I hate hospitals.”

“I know, problem child.” Shouta replied, ruffling his hair. “Go back to sleep.”

And isn't that a tempting offer? Izuku certainly feels tired. Nodding, Izuku lies back down, and in a few seconds, he falls asleep.

-----------------------------------------------

The night passed without any incident or complication, and once Shouta was sure that Izuku would not wake up, he quickly returned home to get some things for Izuku. Including Izuku's favorite comfort hoodie that he’s sure his son would want.

The next day, as soon as possible, Shouta heads off to sign Izuku's discharge while Hitoshi helps him get ready. He then goes to Izuku's room.

Upon entering the room, Shouta has to hold back his laughter when he sees how Izuku is dressed. One would think that the boy is getting ready to travel to Alaska. He was dressed in a winter coat, heavy gloves, a scarf, and a cap, and he was wearing two pairs of socks.

Shaking his head, Shouta goes to him and crouches down, showing his back.

“What?” Izuku asked.

“You’re not walking like this, problem children.” Shouta replied. “It is either that, or a princess carry. Your choice.”

Izuku grumbles but climbs onto Shouta's back. But Shouta knows that they are just being dramatic. If there is one thing that Izuku loves, it is piggyback riding. And this is easily proven when Izuku practically melts on Shouta's back as soon as he is comfortable.

Shouta calmly takes Izuku and puts him in the car, and then drives home. As he arrives and gets out of the car, he notices Hitoshi staring at him as if he has suddenly grown a second head.

“Is something wrong, Hitoshi?” Shouta asked, raising an eyebrow as he went to open the back seat door.

“Something wrong? Something wrong, he asks.” Hitoshi says, flailing his arms. “You knew how to drive like a normal person all along? Then why do you always drive like a maniac?”

“I have no idea what you are talking about.” Shouta snorted.

“Dad is a sadist if you still haven’t noticed, Toshi.” Izuku said.

“I don't know why I expected an answer.” Hitoshi said, shaking his head.

“Let’s go.” Shouta said.

“Eep!” Izuku yelped as Shouta pulled him up and put him in a princess carry.

Shouta carried Izuku into the apartment, with Hitoshi following close behind, laughing all the while at the expression of betrayal on Izuku's face.

Upon entering, Shouta immediately places Izuku on the couch and goes to the kitchen to start preparing some tea - he wants Izuku to rest, so no coffee - while Hitoshi keeps Izuku company. When he returns to the room with the tea - the same tea that Nedzu always presents him with, and he almost never uses - he finds one of the cutest scenes he has ever seen.

Izuku is on the couch curled up like a burrito in a blanket, with Pablo nuzzling his face while Hitoshi laughs at him. Shouta juggled the tray in one arm and, with the other, grabbed his phone to take a picture. Unfortunately, this time he forgot to turn off the sound, which meant that Izuku saw it and turned to him, pouting. Shouta laughed and took another picture of his expression.

“Dad! You traitor!” Kuzu said dramatically.

And meanwhile, Hitoshi just laughed at the whole situation. A few minutes later, Hitoshi helped Izuku untangle himself from the blanket enough to free his hands and hold the teacup.

Watching the scene, it was as if all the worry that Shouta had been feeling disappeared. Izuku will be fine. Shouta just needs to be here to help him recover. As for the Hero Killer, he better hope he never crosses paths with Shouta. Nobody messes with his family.

Chapter Text

After a short break, it was time to go back to school. As Hitoshi walks to the classroom, Izuku is right behind him. Literally behind, his arms around his chest and his face pressed into Hitoshi's neck as they walk. The last few days have been interesting, to say the least. Hitoshi knew from day one how touchy-feely Zuku was, but these last few days, he has taken it to a new level. To the point that Hitoshi is considering changing his nickname from Bunny to Koala.

Izuku came to school today, 70% out of stubbornness and 30% out of Shouta not wanting to leave him alone while he is sick. At least at UA, if something happens, Recovery Girl is around. They can also take a nap in the Teachers' Lounge afterwards. This is the safest place to be right now. Despite arriving an hour early, they surprisingly were not the first to arrive. This post goes to Iida, who was already at his desk.

As soon as he saw Hitoshi and Izuku, Iida stood up and practically ran towards them, stopping in front of Hitoshi and bowing at 90 degrees.

“Sensei! Thank you!” Hitoshi blinked, and he could see that Izuku wasn’t any less confused.

“Why are you thanking me, Iida-Kun?” Izuku asked, looking from above Hitoshi’s shoulder.

“My brother told us what happened.” Iida explained. “If it weren't for you, my brother would be seriously injured and maybe even dead. You saved his life and his career!”

Izuku looked at Hitoshi for a second and then let go of him, walking to Iida.

“Raise your head Iida-Kun.” Zuku said gently. As soon as Iida lifted his head, Izuku hugged him. “I didn't do what I did to be thanked. I did it because it was right. And I am glad that Ingenium is okay, he is one of my favorite heroes.”

“I still thank you.” Iida replied. “I don’t know what I would do if I had lost him.”

“Then it’s good you don’t need to know.” Kuzu said, pulling out from the hug. “You’re welcome Iida.”

“I wish you a good recovery, Sensei.” Iida said.

“I’ll be fine.” Izuku said, smirking at Hitoshi. “My family is making sure that I rest.”

Iida nodded and went back to his seat. After that, Izuku went back to... hanging on Hitoshi. Hitoshi has to admit that seeing the confused expressions on his classmates was hilarious.

Until Todoroki came in. Izuku immediately raised their head like a predator who had just located his prey and jumped on Todoroki, hanging on his left side with their head resting on his shoulder.

“Huh… Izuku?” Todoroki said in confusion.

“Warm.” Izuku said, snuggling closer.

Hitoshi feels a slight pang of jealousy at this action, but the feeling fades quickly when he sees Izuku's happy face, and seconds later, he’s laughing with the rest of the class.

-----------------------------------------------

Shouta stops in front of the door to the classroom one minute before the class starts. As usual, he intends to enter exactly on time, not a minute early, not a minute late.

This time, however, he has one more student accompanying him. A student who will certainly be a headache. Why did he agree to Vlad's idea anyway?

The day after the sports festival, shortly after he had taken Izuku home, Shouta was at school for a meeting with the Staff. The same one that takes place every year, where they go over the internship offers the students have received. The purpose of the meeting is simply to filter the offers to ensure that no student goes with any hero who ends up hurting them. Be it for prejudice or lack of ethics.

The school has rarely had to veto any offer, but even so, it is a safety issue.

Right after the meeting, Shouta wanted nothing more than to go home, but he was interrupted by Vlad King, who wanted to discuss something with him.

“Aizawa. Your class has only 19 students, right?” Vlad asked him.

“Technically.” Aizawa replied. “Himiko is the twentieth student, but since she is part of the rehabilitation program, she is not an official student. Why?”

“Well… You see…” Shouta was not in the mood for dilly-dallying.

“Spit it out, Vlad!” 

“I want you to take one of my students!” Vlad said.

Shouta blinked and stared at Vlad for a few seconds before sighing.

“Who, and why?” Shouta asked calmly. Because he knows the other teacher well. Vlad is not the type to give up on a student.

“Monoma Neito.” Vlad replied.

Shouta's years of training as an Underground Hero is the only thing that makes him able to keep his poker face. At the beginning of the year, Shouta wanted Monoma in his class, but Vlad insisted on having him in 1-B. Since Shouta had already gotten Shouji and Jirou, the other two Vlad wanted, he gave in on this one.

“I know, I know. You were right.” Vlad sighed. “Monoma has potential. Much more than he realizes. But I am not the teacher who will be able to help him reach that potential, Aizawa. You are.”

Despite the friendship/rivalry relationship between the two teachers and them constantly acting like they hate each other, everyone knows they have the same priority. Still, Monoma is a delicate case.

“As I said, unofficially, Himiko is the twentieth student. If you want to transfer him into my class, you'll have to take one of mine.” Shouta explained. “I have an idea who it might be, but I'll have to talk to him. You talk to Monoma, if they both accept, I am sure that Nedzu already has the paperwork ready.”

“Thank you, Aizawa.” Vlad said.

“Don’t mention it.” Shouta waved him off. “Just promise to take good care of my kid and I will do the same with yours.”

“Deal.”

Apparently, Vlad had no serious problems getting Monoma to agree to the transfer. But at the same time, Monoma doesn't seem exactly happy with the decision. The way he walks behind Shouta with his head down while keeping his spine straight says a lot.

Frankly, why does Shouta always end up with the problem children?

“I’ll enter and announce you.” Shouta said about ten seconds before the bell. “You can enter when I call.”

“Alright.” Monoma replied with a fake smirk.

Shouta sighs. One more for therapy. As soon as the bell rings, he opens the door and enters dramatically. Maybe he should add a cape to his costume. For dramatic effect, you know?

To Shouta's satisfaction, everyone falls silent as soon as the door opens. He scans the entire room and holds back his laughter when he sees Izuku sharing a chair with Todoroki, hanging on his left arm.

As expected, a cold Izuku becomes a heat-seeking missile.

“Before we begin, I have an announcement to make.” Shouta started. “As you can see, Aoyama is not in the room. No, he has not been expelled.” Many students sigh in relief. “Aoyama was transferred to class 1-B. The decision was accepted by all involved. In his place, please welcome your new classmate.”

On cue, Monoma opens the door and steps in. Half of the class gasps seeing him.

“As you can see, I decided to grace your class with my superiority. No need to thank me.” Monoma said.

“I think most of you already know him, but this is Monoma Neito. Get along well.” Shouta said. “Monoma, go sit down.”

Monoma nodded and went to his desk. The class reaction was mixed. Most were indifference and curiosity. Some smiled at their new colleague. Two of them (Hitoshi and Bakugou) glared at him until he sat down. Something to discuss later. And, of course, to the surprise of 0 people, Izuku gave his million-watt smile and waved at him.

With that out of the way, Shouta begins discussing the internships and showing the offers. Todoroki, Kaminari, and Tokoyami received thousands of offers. Hitoshi did not receive as many, but that was to be expected considering his quirk and the fact that he had withdrawn from the competition. Bakugou and Ashido also received a good number of offers. The others received far less, and some zero.

After explaining about the standard list of offers for those who haven't received any, Shouta announces the next step.

“You have until the end of the week to fill out the form and give it to me. Choose well, many first years end up regretting their choice for the internship.” Shouta said. “Now it is time to make one of the most important decisions of your career.” He smirked. “Hero names.”

The class cheered, but Shouta quickly silenced them with a quirked glare.

“Don't take it lightly.” Izuku said, kinda sleepy. “Your hero name can be changed later, but the first name usually ends up being the one you will be known by forever.”

“He’s right.” Shouta said. “I’m no good at that, so I’ll have someone else help the class.” He ignores his brat’s giggles. “Choose your name wisely or else-”

“You’ll have hell to pay later!” Midnight said, barging into the room. “You don’t want to end up with something like Eraserhead, do you?”

And at that, Izuku full-on laughs. Shouta should never have told him his hero name’s origin story.

“As a name, you will probably want something simple to remember and that suits you. You can also use a pun, or something to mislead your opponent.” Izuku explained.

“Actually, you never told me.” Hitoshi said. “How did you chose your name?”

“We didn’t.” Izuku shrugged. “As everyone knows, it was never a secret, we became a hero through a vigilante rehabilitation program created by Director Nedzu. The Project Vigilante.” Hitoshi nodded. “In our time as vigilantes, we rarely said anything to the criminals we arrested. We alternated our patrols, one day Zuku, the next Kuzu. This is the main reason why they thought we were two people. But we never gave anyone a name to call us.”

“But you do have a name.” Ashido said. “Poltergeist, and Ifrit.”

“About a year after we started. We were in the middle of a patrol when we first heard this name. Apparently, because of the way Zuku attacked criminals by surprise with whatever objects were around, they started calling him the Poltergeist.” Kuzu explained. “My case was funnier. They called me Ifrit because they said I looked like a demon.”

“Although we never chose those names, once people started using them they never stopped. The same will happen to you, so be wise.” Zuku said. “And if you want help, we are right here!”

Shouta nods and gets into his sleeping bag.

“Don’t wake me up unless someone is dying.” Shouta says and closes his eyes. The class doesn’t even bat an eye, too used to his antics by now. Hmm, he needs new tricks.

-----------------------------------------------

Izuku was about to fall asleep again when he felt a gentle nudge on his shoulder. He looks up and sees Todoroki with a troubled expression on his face.

“Hey, Todoroki. Need help?” Kuzu asks.

“I’m not sure…” Todoroki starts. “What name I should choose.”

“What do you have in mind?” Kuzu asks.

“I was thinking of going with my name…” Todoroki replies. “But…”

“Yeah, no. Bad idea.” Kuzu says. “I will always advocate keeping your civilian and hero identity as separate as possible. Use your name as your hero's name and soon you won't know which one is you.”

“Then, what should I do?” Todoroki asked.

“There’s many names you could choose.” Zuku chirps in. “Think of something that has to do with you- Personally or quirk - wise. Like... I don't know, FrostFlame?”

“Your naming sense sucks, Zuku.” Kuzu laughs.

“I’m not the one who named our cat ‘Bastard’, am I?” Zuku replied.

“No, that was Dad.” Kuzu replied. “You are the one who called our Present Mic plushie ‘Mini Mic.’”

Zuku gasps. “We don’t talk about Mini Mic!”

“I think I know what name I’ll choose.” Todoroki said. “Thank you, Kuzu. Thank you, Zuku.”

“No problem, Todoroki!” They say together.

“... Call me Shouto.” Todoroki said after a few seconds of silence.

“No problem, Shouto!” They say again.

Due to a lack of volunteers, they go by seat order. The first was the newcomer, Monoma Neito, who got Aoyama's place on the first chair.

“Phantom Thief!” He proudly announces, and Midnight quickly approves.

Ashido’s “Allien Queen” is denied, so she goes with “Pinky.”

Tsu chooses “Froppy” as her name.

Iida chooses “Turbo.”

Uraraka decided to be “Uravity.”

Ojiro went by “Tailman.”

Kaminari chooses “Chargebolt.”

Kirishima goes by “Red Riot.”

Kouda chooses “Anima.”

Satou chooses “Sugarman.”

Shouji goes by “Tentacole.”

Jirou chooses “Earphone Jack.”

Sero chooses “Cellophane.”

Tokoyami chooses “Tsukuyomi.”

Shouto goes next, and his choice is “Freeze-Burn.” Not the most creative, but who are they to judge?

Hagakure goes simply by “Invisible Girl.”

Kaachan is denied from being “Lord Explosion Murder” and “King Explosion Murder” before settling on being “Ground Zero.” Good choice.

Then Toshi goes next, and Izuku gives him their full attention. Toshi has been incredibly secretive about his name choice.

“The Symbiosis hero: Talkdown.” This name completely fits him. Toshi gives them a shy look as he says it, and Izuku replies with a big smile.

Next, Yaomomo chooses “Creati.”

And the last one is Himiko, who animatedly skips to the front of the class.

“The actress hero. Impersonation.”

With the names chosen, all that remains is to choose with whom they will do their internships.

Chapter Text

Hitoshi groaned as he began to look through the stack of offerings on his desk. He didn't receive nearly as many as Kaminari and Todoroki, but he still had over 500 offers to choose from. The offerings were well organized. First, the name of the hero who sent the offer, then the agency's name (if they are from one), and then the city they operate in. The list being organized alphabetically also helps.

He first took a quick look over the names and separated the ones that caught his eye from those he obviously wouldn't want to go. Most of the names he doesn't recognize - Hitoshi is not a hero nerd like Izuku, but he considers himself to be at least knowledgeable in the field - which means they must be Undergrounds.

Not knowing what kind of hero most of them are makes it difficult to make a decision now, so Hitoshi opens his notebook and starts writing down the names that catch his eye. 

Hitoshi froze for a few seconds when he saw one of the names and discreetly lifted his head to look at Izuku. Manual operates in Hosu, the same city where Izuku encountered and was wounded by the Hero Killer. Hitoshi frowns and writes the name as one of his options. 

What Hitoshi doesn't notice is the worried look that Izuku gives him.

…

Hitoshi jumps up when he hears someone knocking on his door suddenly. He was so focused on his notebook that he was not paying attention to his surroundings. Dad would get on his case about his situational awareness. But being fair, he should be allowed to let his guard down inside his room.

“Come in.” Hitoshi calls out while hiding the notebook under his pillow.

The door opens slowly, and Izuku enters with a shy smile on his face.

“Hi, Toshi. Can we talk for a moment?” Zuku asks.

“Sure.” Hitoshi replies, and Zuku comes closer, pulling the desk chair closer to the bed, and sits down, crossing his legs on it.

“So. Have you decided who you're going to intern under?” Zuku asks.

“I’m not sure yet. There’s so many options here…” Hitoshi says, staring at the stack of papers on his desk. 

Zuku pulls the first sheet of paper into his hand and begins to read.

“I take it that you don't know most of these names.” Hitoshi nods. “Most are Undergrounds, as you probably assumed, but I don’t think many of these are good matches to you. Can I?” Zuku says, pointing to the marker on the table. Hitoshi nods again. “May I see the ones you have already considered? The ones in that notebook that you’re not trying to hide under your pillow?”

"Damn heroes and their hawk eyes." Hitoshi grumbles, picking up the notebook and passing it to Zuku, who opens it and starts to read.

“Ms. Joke is a good one. She loves to get on Dad’s nerves, but they are good friends, and she’s a great hero.” Zuku comments. “Password could be great too. Especially if you want to learn more about infiltration and lock picking. He is one of the few that Dad respects who don't work with him at UA. Especially if you want to learn more about infiltration and lock picking. Then we have…” Zuku stops and frowns for a second before schooling his expression and looking at Hitoshi. “Why Manual? Your quirks are not similar in the slightest, and he’s not an Underground hero. He’s a good hero, but I doubt he can teach you anything.”

“Well.” Damn it, how does he explain that? “I thought he could teach me to-” Then Hitoshi feels a flicker on his forehead.

“Toshi, stop, please.” Zuku says in a sad tone. “Don’t go that path, it’s not worth it.”

And Hitoshi has just been read as a book. Looks like he’s not as good at hiding his feelings as he thought he was. Or maybe it is just Izuku who is too observant.

“But he… You almost…” Hitoshi tries to formulate a sentence, to explain how he feels, but he can’t. So he just lowers his head.

“Toshi, look at me.” Hitoshi leans his head up and meets a pair of blue eyes filled with understanding and sympathy. “Do you remember, Hisashi?”

Hitoshi remembers. It happened a couple of weeks ago when they received a letter from Tartarus sent by Izuku's biological father, Midoriya Hisashi. Hitoshi had never seen Izuku so upset. That week, Izuku explained to him that Hisashi was a serial killer and the one who killed Izuku's mother.

“I remember.” Hitoshi noded. “You went to Tartarus a few weeks ago to visit him.”

“What we didn’t tell you, is that we were the ones who caught him.” Zuku replied. “It was right before Dad adopted us.”

“What happened?” Hitoshi asked, not sure where Izuku was going with this.

“Hisashi is the reason we became Vigilantes in the first place.” Kuzu entered the conversation. “We had different reasons, but the same objective.”

“Different reasons?” Hitoshi asked.

“As you know, I can’t feel anger. Sometimes it sucks!” Zuku said. “There are many things that I feel should make me angry, but I simply can't.” Then Zuku laughed. “Like, the man who killed my Mom. I can’t even get angry at him.”

“I, on the other hand, feel enough anger for both of us.” Kuzu continued. “The difference between us was quite simple. Zuku always wanted justice. I wanted revenge.”

“We trained for a whole year before we started. Dad spent three years trying to win our trust.”  Zuku explained. “And we decided to trust him.”

“We broke into Hisashi's house. We mapped out the whole house, photographed everything that could be used as evidence against him, and gave it to Dad.” 

“Dad made us promise we would let it for the heroes. And we promised.”

“But the bastard had an escape route planned. A secret tunnel under the house.” Hitoshi could see a glow on Kuzu’s throat as he got more worked up with the tale. “We didn’t know about the tunnel, and he almost escaped because of that.”

“So we followed him. We found him. We fought him…” Zuku said.

“And what happened?” Hitoshi asked.

“We won.” They said together, then they showed Hitoshi their scarred right hand.

“That was the price.” Kuzu explained, then he lowered his head. “If Dad hadn’t stopped us, we would have killed him.”

“The only reason Nedzu-san was able to put us on his program despite how much the commission hated us, was that we never killed anyone.” Zuku continued. “If we had killed him. It doesn't matter who he was, we would be in Tartarus in the cell where he is now.”

“And let me tell you something, Toshi.” Kuzu said. “Beating him like that didn’t help at all. It didn't erase all the abuse we suffered at his hands.” 

“It didn't take away the scars and burns that we still have because of him.”  Zuku said.

“It has not lessened the anger I feel toward him.” Kuzu continued.

“And it certainly didn't bring Mom back.” Zuku finished, then looked up at Hitoshi again and smiled. “So please, Toshi, don’t go down this path. It won’t help.”

“Then…” Hitoshi looked at them. “What do I do with this anger? He hurt you. I can’t just forgive him!”

“Anger will not just go away.” Kuzu noded. “But you can learn to work with it.”

“There’s nothing wrong with feeling anger. Just don’t let your anger control you.” Zuku smiled. “And if you need help…”

“That's what family is for, isn't it?” Kuzu finished.

“Okay.” Hitoshi said, picking the notebook from Izuku’s hand, then he picked a pen and scratched Manual’s name from the notebook. “I promise I won’t go after Stain.”

“Great!” Zuku grinned. “Now, back to your internship. I’ll mark the ones I think could benefit you the most. Though, I have a feeling I know who you’re going to intern under.” He started to mark a few names on each page with a yellow marker. On one page, he used a red marker on a single name before returning to the yellow one. “If you have questions about any of these heroes, you can ask Dad or us.”

“Dad?” Hitoshi asked.

“Dad ignores most of the new Limelight heroes. But there isn't an Underground he doesn't know about. He says it's because he likes to know who he might run into during his patrols.” Kuzu explained. “And it kinda makes sense. If it’s someone he doesn’t know, it’s probably a vigilante. Dad is not opposed to working with them, but he likes to know.”

“Okay.” Hitoshi says. “Thanks for the help, Bunny.”

“Anytime, Toshi.” Zuku grins and gets up from the chair, leaving the stack of papers on the desk and putting the chair back in the right place.

Hitoshi picks up the stack and starts reading the names that Izuku has marked. He has narrowed the list down to about fifteen choices which Hitoshi quickly marks in the notebook. However, when he gets to the name marked in red, he wonders how the hell he didn't see that one before.

Eraserhead - Loud Cloud Agency - Musutafu

And well, now that he is thinking logically again. Never will Hitoshi miss the chance to intern under his favorite hero. After all, there is only one other hero he could consider choosing over Eraserhead, and they are in the next room.

-----------------------------------------------

“Sensei, is he really a good choice?” Tomura asks the monitor on the wall right after Kurogiri teleports the Hero Killer back to Hosu. “Our interests conflict. He worships All Might, we are trying to kill him.”

Shigaraki Tomura is not stupid.

Short-tempered? Yes.

Childish? Maybe.

Stupid? No. 

“He has influence. An influence that you can take advantage of, Tomura.” A deep voice replies from the monitor.

Despite the way he acts, Tomura is intelligent and strategic. In the online world, he is one of the best players in any strategy game. That's why he knows that having the Hero Killer in the league is a mistake. No matter what Sensei says.

“I understand, Sensei.” No, he doesn’t. The Hero Killer won’t help them. The way he attacked Tomura and Kurogiri minutes ago is enough proof of that.

Tomura looks at the bar counter where Kurogiri was robotically cleaning a glass. All the glasses are already clean, but he still keeps cleaning them.

“This is a great opportunity, Tomura.” The monitor replies. “Don’t disapoint me.”

Then the monitor turns off, and a red light appears.

“A great opportunity my ass!” Tomura shouts, slamming his hands on a table that immediately disintegrates.

Unlike what most people think, Tomura is usually calm. But there is something in him that generates uncontrollable anger. An urge to destroy that won't go away until he acts on it.

Kurogiri continues to clean the glasses, not batting an eye on the decayed table. A few minutes - and tables - later, the red light on the monitor vanishes, and Tomura’s anger starts to dim.

“I can’t feel him anymore.” Tomura says. “It’s safe for now.”

As soon as he says this, Kurogiri puts the glass on the counter and sighs.

“How do you feel, Tomura?” Kurogiri asks.

“Like a puppet.” Tomura replies. “The Hero Killer. There is no way Sensei thinks this could work.”

Tomura is smart. He knows when he’s being manipulated. This fury he feels is not natural. It always comes after talking to Sensei, and it’s always accompanied by a feeling of being watched. Damn the day that child decided to follow the first stranger who showed him kindness.

“What will we do?” Kurogiri asks, and despite his monotone voice, Tomura notices the concern in his tone.

The only good thing that came out of it was meeting Kurogiri. At first, the mistman acted like an NPC, only responding when spoken to. Always repeating the same meaningless actions. His only duty was to be Tomura's caretaker. 

But that began to change about a year ago. Kurogiri slowly began to show a personality of his own. The first time he confided in Tomura was when he admitted to hearing a voice in his head. As if there was someone else with him.

Tomura found this strange and decided to investigate. With Kurogiri's help, he entered the laboratory of the Doctor who is always with Sensei, and there he found the files on Kurogiri. This is how he discovered that Kurogiri was a Nomu.

With this discovery, Kurogiri tried to communicate with the voice in his head. He discovered that the voice belonged to the person who was used to create him. Whether he’s alive or is just a vestige of his former personality is a mystery. But they decided that it would be better to hide this from Sensei. Who knows what he will do to Kurogiri if he finds out? Tomura cannot lose him. Kurogiri is the only one who really cares. But it is only a matter of time before Sensei suspects something.

Tomura might be a villain, but even he has things he wants to protect.

“Kurogiri, we played Sensei’s game for far too long.” Tomura says. “It’s time to steal the joystick.”

“We need to play carefully.” Kurogiri replies. “And we’ll need allies.”

“I have someone in mind.” Tomura smirks. “But first I need you to keep an eye on the Hero Killer. He's too unhinged, we can't let him join the league. If my plan works, we make sure that Stain stays out of the picture and we get a chance to talk to our possible ally.”

“As you wish, Young Master Tomura.” Kurogiri bows and then leave in a mist portal.

“I said to cut the Young Mastar crap.” Tomura mumbles, smiling.

Chapter Text

“WHAT. A. BORE!!!!” Izuku screamed at the empty apartment.

It was only the first day of internships, and Izuku was already dying of boredom. The worst of his wounds had already healed. However, Granny Chiyo said he had to wait at least four more days before he could be cleared for patrols again. The result is that while everyone is in the internships, training, and learning, Izuku is stuck alone in the apartment with nothing to do.

“Damn Stendhal! If it weren't for him we could be training Shouto right now!” That was the original plan. Right after the sports festival, regardless of how he did, Izuku was going to send Shouto an internship offer.

Although fire quirks are pretty common, finding a hero with a fire quirk that is not part of Endeavor's agency is almost impossible. With the scandal of Endeavor's arrest, the heroes of Endeavor's agency had to rush to scrape together the rest of the trust they had left so that the agency would not close. With so much work ahead of them, internship offers were the last thing on their minds.

Unfortunately, Izuku's forced medical leave also meant no heroes available with a similar quirk to Shouto's to intern under. In the end, he accepted Present Mic's offer, which was a great idea. Not only is Mic already mentoring Dabi, but he also has a lot of experience with difficult-to-control quirks. As an analyst, he is second only to Nedzu, although Izuku is fast approaching his level.

Alas, boredom.

Who knew that being alone at home could be so dull? There are only so many fights in the news for them to analyze before they lose the fun, and in the last week, when they couldn't patrol, they advanced the whole lesson plan until the final exams. If they don't find something to do soon, they will end up making homemade bombs in the kitchen. Dad won't be happy if he comes back and finds the house on fire... again.

(“It happened ONCE.”

“One too many times, Izuku.”)

Salvation comes in the form of a ping on their phone. Looking at the message, it is from Majima.

“Majima-San finished repairing our costume!” Zuku cheers. “And he said he added the piece we asked for.”

“Great!” Kuzu replies. “Let’s check it out.”

“Alright. Pablo!” Zuku calls the cat. “We're going out for a while, take care of the house, and don't let the Bastard break anything, okay?”

Pablo nods and meows in affirmation, and Izuku takes a moment to scratch behind the cat’s ear before leaving towards UA.

-----------------------------------------------

Hitoshi has lost count of how many times he has kissed the mat since he started training. Now he is used to it. Training with Izuku and Shouta, who love to do judo throws, means he’s constantly being thrown to the ground. But at the moment, he’s constantly being thrown to the ground by Eraserhead while another Eraserhead watches.

Fighting with Himiko is an interesting experience. The girl can be more chaotic than all the Izucrew(the name stuck, sue him) combined. But seeing her using her quirk is fascinating.

Himiko is a fantastic actress. Hitoshi caught a glimpse of her abilities that time in the hospital, and he really believed she was the detective. But now, he is seeing everything firsthand. In transforming into Eraserhead, she has managed to perfectly emulate the tired hero's mannerisms. 

From the tone of his voice, the way he walks, and even his fighting style. The only thing she can't do is use the capture scarf with the same mastery, but Eraserhead has already said that it took him 6 years to master the weapon.

“That’s enough.” Eraserhead says after Hitoshi kisses the floor again.

Then Himiko-Aizawa grins and morphs back to her original form. The biggest problem with Himiko's quirk is that she must be naked to transform. Otherwise, the clothes of the person she has transformed will appear on top of hers. But this problem was solved in a very interesting way.

Her hero costume is quite simple. It appears to be a simple girls' school uniform, similar to the one she was wearing the first time she and Dabi arrived at UA. But with some new technology, once Himiko begins to transform, her clothes dematerialize and are stored in a small device that she carries like a necklace - courtesy of I-Island, this technology is not yet available globally - and as she untransforms, the clothes return to her body.

She skips over to Hitoshi and offers him a hand to get up. Hitoshi sighs but accepts the hand, standing up and panting.

“That was a bit better.” Dad says amusedly. The sadist. “For now, go take a nap. I’ll bring you somewhere tonight. It’s important, so make sure to get some rest.”

“Okay!” Hitoshi salutes and goes to take a shower. Then he goes straight to bed. Whatever Dad has planned, if he says it's important, it's because it is important.

…

A few hours later, around ten in the evening, Hitoshi and Himiko, dressed in their costumes, followed Shouta down a deserted street paying full attention to the hero. Hitoshi much more than Himiko.

“All right.” Shouta raises a hand, and they stop, then he looks Hitoshi dead in the eyes. “The place where I am taking you is an area I usually only talk about with third years. But if you want to be an Underground or even a Twilight Hero, you must know about it.” Hitoshi nods.

“Oh, we are here!” Himiko jumps, pointing to a building ahead. “I love this place.”

Hitoshi looks and finds a Cafe. Hanging on the front is a black flag with a white painted Peace Sign waving in the wind. Shouta notices him looking at the flag and nods.

“You might have seen these flags in a few buildings before. They indicate neutral areas.” Shouta explains. “Before we go in, a few rules.” He raises a finger. “First, no names or relationships while we are here. I am Eraserhead, you are Talkdown, and she is Impersonation, don't forget.” Then he raises another finger. “Second, no matter who you might see there, don’t try anything. I'll explain the rest inside.”

“Understood.” Hitoshi nods again.

Shouta nods approvingly and gestures to them to follow him. He opens the door and enters. The place was empty except for a customer or two in the corners. Shouta went straight to the counter and greeted the attendant. A man apparently over 50, with a large scar from his forehead to his nose. He was pale with black eyes and black hair. As soon as he saw Shouta and Himiko, he smiled and waved.

“Eraser, Draculina. It’s been a long time.” He greeted.

“Scarface.” Eraserhead noded.

“Hi, Scar-Chan! Oh, and it’s Impersonation now.” Himiko waved excitedly. The man - Scarface, apparently - narrowed his eyes and looked between Himiko and Shouta a few times, then he grinned and nodded at Himiko.

“So, you’ve finally accepted?” He asked.

“Yup! Me and Dabi. We are gonna be heroes!” Himiko replied animatedly.

“Good. You’re gonna be one of the good ones.” Scarface said. “I’ll miss my best informants, though.” Then he looked at Hitoshi. “And who’s that?”

“This is Talkdown. My intern for the week.” Shouta explained. “I’m showing him the ropes.”

“Alright.” Scarface ducks under the counter. “Grade?”

“Third grade.” Shouta replies. “And I'll have the usual. Same for him.”

“The usual for me too.” Himiko chimed in.

“Alright. You can use table seven.” Scarface replied. “I’ll be there soon.” Then he disappeared to where Hitoshi assumed it was the kitchen.

Hitoshi followed Aizawa to one of the corners of the cafe, where there was a table with a number seven above it. They sat down, and Shouta immediately began to talk.

“As I said outside. This place is a neutral area. Do you have any idea of what this means?”

Hitoshi does have one, and judging from what Shouta said outside, he’s probably right.

“This place serves villains too, right?” Hitoshi asks.

“Villains, Heroes, Civilians, Vigilantes, Informants, Morally Gray.” Shouta says. “As long as you don’t break the rules, you’re welcome here. They’ll serve you, no questions asked. This is a cafe, but there are other places, like bars, clubs, and clinics.”

“Scarface is one of the nicest people we’ve met.” Himiko says. “Don’t let his face fool you, he’s a softy.”

“Glad to know you still like me.” Hitoshi almost jumps in surprise when he hears the voice behind him. Damn it, he usually has better situational awareness than that. “Two coffees, black like Eraser’s soul.” Himiko giggles as Scarface puts a cup in front of each one. “And one Bloody Mary, for the lovely lady.”

“Wait, isn’t Bloody Mary an alcoholic drink?” Hitoshi asks.

“Not this one.” Scarface replies. “But it has actual blood.”

Himiko sips the red drink and smiles.

“Perfect as always, Scar-Chan!”

“Good to know.” Scarface smiles and then looks at Eraserhead. “This one is in the house. Consider it a gift to the newbie.” Then he leaves muttering. “And Eraser never brings his wallet, anyway.”

“Scarface is a retired Sandman. One of the best I have ever crossed paths with.” Shouta explains. “Anyway.” He waves him off, then takes a sip from his coffee. “Damn, I missed this coffee. As I said, as long as you follow the rules, you are welcome here. And for an Underground hero, these places are essential.”

“When we were informants, Dabi and I mostly met people here.” Himiko explained. “Remember how he asked for a grade?”

“Eraser said it was third grade.” Hitoshi replied.

“That is the degree of confidentiality of the conversation. We have four grades.” Eraser explained. “Fourth degree means we won’t be discussing anything serious. Anyone can hear us without any problem. In these cases, he’ll just let us sit whenever we want to.”

“Then we have third degree.” Himiko continued. “It means we won’t be discussing any secrets. Like, just now we are just explaining to you how this place works, it’s no problem if anyone hears us. But we still would like some privacy, so he guided us to an area where there’s no one.”

“Second degree, means we’ll be discussing business.” Shouta adds. “Confidential or not, Scarface will make sure no one can overhear us.” Then he sighs. “First degree is the rarest to be needed. The ones who usually uses it are the Yakuza and the like. Basically, he’ll set a separate room for your meeting, and uses a thousand other security measures to make sure it’s safe. Not even him will know what you discussed.”

“And of course, the higher the degree, the more expensive it will be.” Himiko said. “Third and fourth degree are for free. But second and first are quite expensive. And I’m not talking about money.”

“Not money?” Hitoshi asks. “Then what.”

“Something to know about the Underground, Kid.” Shouta says. “Transactions made with cash are actually quite rare. The only kind of deal that is always made with money is drugs. Money is the least valuable thing here.”

“And what do they deal with?” Hitoshi asks.

“Mostly two things.” Shouta raises two fingers. “Information, and favors.”

“Remember how Eraser-Chan said to not use names?” Himiko asked. “That's because the informants who frequent here only need one name to find out everything about you and your family. Eraser-Chan's name is probably one of the most valuable secrets in the Underground. Last I checked, Giran was offering seven favors to anyone who could find out. Dual-Chan's is worth five. In the right hands, five favors from Giran could raise a new crime lord.”

At that moment, the bell rang, indicating that someone was coming in. And when Hitoshi looked up, only Shouta's scarf quickly holding him back prevented him from getting up from his chair. Because the person who just entered was the Hero Killer himself, Stain.

“Don’t!” Shouta said firmly. “No matter what, Talkdown, personal vendettas must stay outside.”

Hitoshi snapped his head back to Shouta, intending to yell at him. How can he be calm when the person who hurt his son is standing right in front of them?

But then he saw his Dad's expression. His teeth clenched as he held the cup so tightly that it was about to break. Beside him, Himiko also barely contained her fury. But none of them did anything as Stain discussed something with Scarface, took a key, and then went up the stairs to the second floor.

When Stain was out of sight, Shouta sighed.

“Believe me, I want to go after him right now.” Shouta said. “But neutral areas have rules, and they must be followed.”

“What happens if you break then?” Hitoshi asked.

“It depends on the person in charge. Scarface has a very simple policy. Breaking his rules results in banishment.” Shouta sighed again. “But most of them have many favors cashed with powerful people. In the past, countless heroes, villains and vigilantes have been assassinated for thinking they were above the rules.”

“Yeah.” Himiko nodded. “I witnessed it once. It was in a neutral clinic. One of the vigilantes tried to attack a villain who was being treated…” Himiko shivered. “What they did to him was not pleasant to witness by any means, but after that, no one ever tried to break the rules again.”

“Even at the risk of just being banned. This place is the best source of information you can find. For an Underground Hero, losing something like this is suicide.” Shouta finished, then he downed the rest of his coffee. “I think this is enough for today. Let’s go back to the agency.”

“Alright.” Hitoshi nodded and followed Shouta, glancing once more at the stairs Stain had just climbed. “Heroics are much more gray than I thought.”

“There is a saying that Underground Heroes are just vigilantes with paychecks.” Shouta replied. “This is one of the reasons. It is a little earlier than I wanted you to see. But it is important that you understand.”

“The Underground is like a community. We have our own rules. Villains are accepted here. But those who have goals, whether you approve of them or not. Killers who kill for the sake of killing are not well regarded.” Himiko pointed back to the Cafe. “A few months ago a villain was banned from all neutral areas in Japan at the same time. He killed only for the pleasure of killing. He tortured a couple of heroes live on TV for hours before killing them. This kind of person is the one we despise the most.”

Hitoshi nodded as they went back to the agency. When they arrived, Hitoshi went straight to bed, but it took him a while to get to sleep. He had a lot on his mind.

-----------------------------------------------

Upon returning home, with his new outfit in hand, Izuku was surprised to find Pablo on the table staring at a letter on top of a package. The only way it could have gotten here is if someone had entered, but the door had no sign of being opened, and if someone had entered, the cameras would have caught it and reported it. This building may not look like much, but many heroes live here. Security is second only to that of UA.

Izuku carefully took the letter and looked at it. There was no sender, but it was addressed to Izuku. The only thing written on the envelope was “Not an enemy.”

Taking a deep breath, and ignoring the package for now, Izuku opened the letter.

Chapter Text

Inside the envelope was a simple letter, handwritten on a notebook sheet. The handwriting was messy, as if the person who wrote it was in a hurry, and at the same time had trouble holding the pen. The message itself was simple, a phone number and a short message.

I have information that I think you will be interested in. Inside the package there is something for us to communicate with. Don't try to call, I won't answer.

Signed: A potential ally.

Having read the letter, they turn to the package. While Kuzu carefully opens the package, Zuku opens a window and prepares to throw the package if necessary. Kuzu's sigh of relief says it's unnecessary, so Zuku focuses on the package as well.

Inside the package was a simple telephone of no recognizable brand. The kind of untraceable model that a few people in the underground use. The interesting thing is that there’s only two informants who know how to get one of those, Dabi and Giran, and with Dabi out of the underground that means this phone came from Giran, and he doesn't do business with just anyone. Whoever this "potential ally" is, they have good contacts.

Turning on his phone, Izuku quickly checks the applications. The only thing installed was an encrypted chat app, and it had some unread messages. Opening it, the sender of the messages was marked as ???. Really? Not even an alias?

Sighing, Izuku opened the messages.

???:

As I said in the letter, don't even waste your time trying to call this number.

The first information I have is about Stain.

He is still in Hosu, and will attack in two days. 

His target is Ingenium, since he is the only one who has escaped from him.

The League of Villains is involved, they will create a distraction for the attack.

But Stain is not yet a member.

The result of this attack will decide whether he joins the League or not.

Expect to have to deal with at least a few Nomus.

About the League, I also have a list.

They are trying to recruit more people.

But unlike the USJ, this time they want quality instead of quantity.

These are the ones they are on lookout for.

Attached to the next message was a picture of a list of names.

“

Sensei said that we will have a quest in a few months, so he wants me to find possible party members. At the moment these are the most plausible members.

Stain - Civilian name unknown

He’s too unhinged, and idolizes All Might. Our ideals clash, but Sensei insists on recruiting him.

Hikiishi Kenji - Magne and Sako Atsuhiro - Mr. Compress

They work practically together. If I can recruit one, the other won't be difficult.

Bubaigawara Jin - Twice

He thinks he is just a clone created by his quirk. Recruiting him can be difficult, but with the right words, it’s possible.

Iguchi Shuichi - Not a villain yet

He openly demonstrates his support for Stain. If the alliance with the Hero Killer works, it will be easy to recruit him.

Toga Himiko - No alias and Dabi - Civilian name unknown

These two have joined a reform program, so it is unlikely that they will accept to join the league.

”

This is all I have at the moment.

That's a lot more than Izuku had.

XXXX-XXXX:

Just who are you?

Izuku wasn’t expecting a response, so when he saw a texting bubble, he was surprised.

???:

Someone involved with the wrong people and wanting out.

But I can’t just leave.

They have someone I want to save.

XXXX-XXXX:

I take it you're with them then?

This complicates things a little.

But if your information is true, we can help you.

???:

I am counting on it.

Sensei is too powerful.

Alone maybe I could escape, but...

XXXX-XXXX:

Let’s start small.

I’ll contact you in about three days.

???:

Great.

XXXX-XXXX:

By the way.

How did you find my house?

And how did you enter without being killed?

???:

Your cat is a menace.

But we were faster so he couldn’t kill me.

Still, my messenger has a pretty bad headache now.

As for discovering your address…

You don’t need to know this yet.

XXXX-XXXX:

How mysterious…

The other person didn’t reply anymore.

Great, now Izuku has a mysterious contact inside the League of Villains. This will be a headache, and they can’t deal with it alone.

Looking at the clock Izuku saw that it was not yet six o'clock. By now Dad will have finished his training, but he must be sleeping to get ready for patrol. Calling him is not an option and frankly, Izuku doesn't want to distract him from his week of internships. Hitoshi needs this experience.

But they have another contact who will be delighted to hear about this new development. A deity in rat form.

-----------------------------------------------

The second day of internships went just as well as the first. Hitoshi spent the day kissing the floor, only this time instead of fighting an Aizawa/Himiko, he fought a shorter Aizawa/Himiko. And well, if Himiko copied Eraserhead's fighting style well, she copied Izuku's even better. Just ask his ribs. They will definitely bruise.

At night Hitoshi had his first patrol, he basically practiced parkour for most of the night, but he’s getting better. Who knows, maybe soon he will be able to do the Spiderman maneuvers that he has seen Eraserhead do with his scarf. But hey, he got the chance to arrest a mugger. And without a scratch too!

Something suspicious though is how silent Izuku has been. They text every night asking how the training went and what they did on the day. However, knowing Izuku it’s very strange for them not to spend hours on a tangent about everything that happened during the day. 

When Izuku is quiet, they are usually up to something. They should rest for at least another week, and Hitoshi really hopes that they aren’t planning an early return. He probably should bring his worries to Dad, but he probably already knows, right? He has been taking care of Izuku for so long. It should be fine.

-----------------------------------------------

Interning with Eraser-Chan has been the most fun Himiko has had in years. She never thought it would be possible to become a hero but Izu-Chan never gave up on her or on Dabi. Accepting his offer was the best thing she ever did.

It has been weeks since she became ward of UA, and they have never let her starve. Maybe she should find it strange how much blood they have access to, but being a hero school, accidents probably happen often, and she can't be the first person with this kind of need to go there. It must be normal.

But anyway, training with Eraser-Chan has been amazing. Hito-Chan is so much fun to talk to, and he fights so well, in ordinary situations Himiko would probably have serious trouble against him. But Izu-Chan and Eraser-Chan are on another level. While she pushes them around, Hito-Chan doesn't stand much of a chance. This is actually a very recent development.

After Himiko stopped starving, her quirk went through an evolution. She had always had a natural ease in acting like the person she transforms into, but after evolution she discovered that this also applied to other skills. It's nothing magical, to impersonate someone she needs to know the person well and how they act, but it can be said that Himiko is a genius at acting. And she can mimic the basic aspects of the person's fighting style almost perfectly.

For example, while transformed into Eraser-Chan, she fights exactly like him. But she doesn't have enough training to use the scarf, that part she can't just mimic. Same with Izu-Chan's chains, especially since her quirk can't copy Zu-Chan's telekinesis.

But anyway, she is learning much more than she ever thought possible. And all her classmates have accepted her, they are so much nicer than the kids at her old school. The teachers too, Maji-Chan and Nezy-Chan, are helping her with analysis, and they say she's good at it!

And to think that she was on the verge of becoming a villain. Where would she be today if the boy she attacked that night had not been Zu-Chan? Would she have killed someone? Frankly, she is afraid of the answer.

But now is not the time to think about that. Now is the time to get back to training, tonight they will go out on patrol and there is a lot she can teach Hito-Chan.

If she's going to be a hero, she's going to be the best hero possible.

-----------------------------------------------

Training with Present Mic is so different from training with Endeavor. To begin with, the only thing Endeavor was trying to teach him was how to make his flames more powerful. But since the internships began, the only thing Mic has taught Shouto and Touya is how to control them. In his words, "Your flames are already super hot. Half of that power is enough for 90% of the villains you will encounter in your career. What you have to learn now is how to use the right power for each situation."

His methods are actually quite similar to Izuku's, if not a little less specialized. Definitely much better than those of the Flaming Trash Can. Izuku's comment about Endeavor acting like a caveman makes more sense every day (When Shouto said this to Touya, for a moment he thought his brother would choke to death laughing).

The training is effective, this he cannot deny.

-----------------------------------------------

Touya never thought it would be possible to use his quirk without getting hurt. Well, he also never thought that one day he would be Touya again, but here we are.

He has spent years on the streets running from his past, creating his persona as Dabi the informant, and trying to gather enough dirt to bring down his sperm donor. It all went downhill the day a green-haired boy came into his life.

Maybe it was because he is Shouto's age, maybe he reminded Touya of himself. Whatever the reason, Touya soon became attached to that child. And a few months later he showed up with another child following him, a blond girl. When Izuku explained her situation, Dabi agreed to take care of her for a while. She never left(He didn’t want her to leave, but he will never admit that.) 

And now, years later, here he is. Endeavor is in jail. His family is safe. And Touya is training to become a hero, no longer for his father's approval, but of his own free will. He has come back from the dead, and he doesn't intend to waste this second chance.

He won’t be Dabi the informant and vigilante anymore. Now he will be The Reborn Hero - Phoenix.

-----------------------------------------------

Interning with Hawks is… Well, it’s an experience.

His and Fumikage's personalities could not be more different. But well, the same can be said for Dark Shadow, and they make a good team. 

Even with his eccentricities, the experience that Hawks possesses is the real deal. And unlike All Might, Hawks know how to pass on this experience in the form of lessons. Fumikage is definitely learning new tricks. And he is much more in tune with his quirk.

Interesting, if someone had asked Fumikage in the past to describe his relationship with Dark Shadow, he would have said that they are partners, and on the best days, friends. But since he began training with Izuku and came to understand Dark Shadow better... Well, if someone were to ask that question nowadays, Fumikage's answer would be that they are brothers.

It is so freeing not to have to be afraid of the dark anymore.

-----------------------------------------------

When Izuku suggested this hero for Denki's internship, he only hesitated for a second before accepting. Then, as he researched this hero, he became a little more hesitant. Lightning Rod is a hero he had never heard of, and apparently this hero is not even in the top 500. He’s part of a small agency that Denki never heard of. Why would Izuku suggest someone like this to him?

But despite his reservations, Denki decided to go with him. Izuku hasn't given him a single bad suggestion yet, so it's worth trusting him.

Upon meeting the hero, Denki soon understood why. Lightning Rod was a tall middle-aged man with red hair and eyes and a constant expression of boredom. His quirk is actually quite similar to Denki's. However, he does not generate his own electricity, he needs to absorb it and store it in his body. Also, he is a walking lightning rod, any kind of electrical discharge is attracted directly to him.

Despite his low rankings, Lightning Rod is an extremely efficient hero, his success rate on takedowns is over 95%, and he boasts an amazing 99% in rescue rate. Frankly, Denki is surprised that he is so low in the hero rankings. When he questioned why, the answer was:

“The school I graduated from pushed all students to Limelight, but I wanted to be Underground. I only went to that school because it was closest to home. If I had tried UA, I would have had to take the train every day, it would have been a pain in the ass. Although I am Limelight, I keep out of the media. My debut was catching a pickpocket, when I catch a villain I make sure to stay out of the cameras, and I always work with other heroes who get the spotlight.”

In short, on paper Lightning Rod is a Limelight hero, but in practice he acts like an Underground. The only people who know him are those who work with him.

At this stage, Denki is learning different ways to apply his quirk with his support gear. Lightning Rod was very impressed with the creativity behind the charge blade that Denki used at the sports festival, and how well Denki was able to use such a complex weapon.

Lightning Rod first taught Denki how to use the Wire Gun. A simple weapon in the form of a bracelet that fires a copper wire. When fired, the wire attaches itself to the target, which creates a bridge to release his electricity. An alternative for medium to long range combat should the need arise, plus the wire avoids wasting energy, meaning Denki can lower his output and still keep the desired results.

Despite his initial reservations, Denki definitely does not regret choosing Lightning Rod as his mentor.

-----------------------------------------------

It's today. Everything is ready, and Stain is already in place. Tomura and Kurogiri watch the city from the top of Hosu's tallest building. The plan is simple, Tomura will cause the distraction with his Nomus, and Stain will use the opportunity to quietly kill his target.

Tomura frowns at the thought of the Hero Killer. He talks so much about real heroes, but is willing to use chaos and possibly dozens of innocent lives just to kill one of the so-called fake heroes. Hypocrite.

What has Ingenium even done to be considered a fake hero?

As soon as the hour comes, Kurogiri opens a portal, and four Nomus come out of it.

“You have your orders.” Tomura says to the Nomus. “Obey it.”

And the Nomus goes into the city.

Tomura pulls a phone from his pocket, being careful not to touch it with his five fingers, and opens the chat app.

???:

It has begun.

A few seconds later, the reply comes.

Duality:

And we are ready for it.

Tomura grins and pockets the phone. As soon as he hears the sound of fighting, he turns to Kurogiri.

“They are here. Get ready to leave as soon as I say.”

“The portal is ready. I just need to open it.” Kurogiri replies.

“Now, you just have to catch Stain, Duality.” Tomura says. “Don’t mess this up.”

Chapter Text

Izuku watches Hosu from the top of a building. Four Nomus have been released in the city. They seem weaker than the one at USJ, but still, underestimating them is a mistake. Of course, Nedzu knows this.

After discussing the possible informant with Nedzu, it was decided that UA teachers would be summoned to assist in Hosu's attack. Thus, Present Mic and Eraserhead are in town at this time with their interns. Also, Snipe is on top of one of the buildings for support, and Thirteen is with their team to handle the rescues.

Should Izuku be here too? Of course not. After taking the information to the principal, he told Izuku to return to rest and said they would take care of the case. Did Izuku decide to completely ignore the order? Heck yes, they did. In their defense, if they wanted them not to get involved, they should have made them promise not to get involved. Izuku never breaks their promises, but if they didn’t promise anything… Fair game.

(And Nedzu is too smart to have missed this one. Not making Izuku promise to stay home is basically permission coming from the Rat God.)

Just to make sure that everything is right, Zuku sends his cameras in two directions. The first following Eraserhead, and the second following Present Mic. And it’s at this moment that he notices something strange in the Nomus' behavior.

They're causing property damage all over the city. But not a single person is hurt. They see a Nomu heading towards a group of civilians, but they completely ignore them in favor of destroying the store they were standing near. One of the Nomus even punches away a stand that was about to fall before returning to destroy everything.

“Hmm. Something smells fishy here.” Kuzu mutters.

“We can think about it later.” Zuku replied. “Any sign of Stain?”

“It doesn’t look like Toshi’s group will find him.” Kuzu said. “They are too focused on helping with the evacuation since they aren’t really suited to fight the Nom- Oh, shit.”

“What?” Zuku asked, alarmed.

“A flying Nomu. It separated Himiko from the rest of the group.” Kuzu explained.

“Well, she’s not one of the best for nothing.” Zuku said. “She knows to be careful.” Then he sucked a breath. “And Shouto is separated too. We should keep an eye on him.”

“Alright, let’s move.” Kuzu said. “We need to find Ingenium too.”

“He knows he’s Stain’s target. So he must be carrying his tracker.” Zuku replied.

“If he didn’t lose it again.” Kuzu muttered.

“Stop jinxing, and let’s go.” Zuku scolded as he jumped from the building and started flying.

-----------------------------------------------

Why, even when they are on forced medical leave, do the Problem Children somehow remain at the center of the problems?

Somehow, Izuku has been contacted by someone from within the League of Villains who wants to change sides, and the first information they pass on is about an attack on Hosu that is meant to be a distraction while the Hero Killer finds and kills his target.

Shouta, accompanied by Himiko and Hitoshi, has been put on lookout for any sign of Stain while helping with the evacuation. This is the best thing to do since neither Eraserhead nor his interns are really suited to take on the Nomus. 

Problem number one came in the form of a flying Nomu that eventually separated Himiko from the rest of the group. Problem number two came from the fact that neither Ingenium nor Tenya is responding to communications. Problem number three came in the form of a silhouette in the sky that Shouta would recognize from anywhere. One that certainly shouldn't be here.

God damn it, can’t Shouta have just a single week without the Problem Children living up to their name?

“Oh, they’re so grounded.” Shouta mutters.

“What?” Hitoshi asked, looking up.

“It’s nothing. Don’t lose focus, Talkdown.” Shouta replied, shaking his head. “Let’s check the next alley.”

Then he takes off, Hitoshi stumbling to follow him. Shouta is kinda worried about Himiko, but she’s skilled, and he knows it. She should be alright.

-----------------------------------------------

So... How did Himiko end up in this situation?

It was supposed to be something simple. Help the civilians evacuate while they keep an eye out for Stain.

Well, she found Stain. The problem is that she found Stain about to finish that hero who dresses like a Native American. To make things worse, Ingenium and Tenya are paralyzed on the ground and will probably be the next target.

With no time to waste, Himiko takes one of her knives and throws it at the Hero Killer, but he obviously blocks it. Still, the opening is enough for her to charge in and force him to retreat.

“Why do so many fakes insist on standing in my way?” Stain says angrily.

“Sorry, Stainy.” Himiko says in a cold sweat. “I can’t let you kill them.”

“Another kid.” Stain mumbles. “Leave now, and you can keep your life.”

“If I did that, I wouldn’t be a hero, would I?” Himiko replies.

“Well said. Then…” Stain grins. “Show me your determination.”

With that, Stain charges at her with his katana in hand, and Himiko barely has time to draw her knives and block the attack.

“Don’t let him cut you.” She hears Ingenium's warning and takes a step back to avoid the second slash of the blade.

Narrowing her eyes, Himiko goes on the offensive, delivering a barrage of slashes and stabs that Stain skillfully blocks. But she gives no rest and continues to attack.

“You’re not half bad, kid.” Stain says. “But I can’t lose here.” Then he throws a knife at Tenya, still paralyzed on the floor.

Himiko's eyes widen, and she jumps in front of the knife that ends up lodged in her left arm. Stain immediately grabs the knife and pulls it violently. Himiko grits her teeth, refusing to scream despite the pain.

“You are worth living.” Stain says as he brings the knife closer to his mouth. “But these fakes will die today.” He opens the mouth, but just as he’s about to lick the blood on the blade, a fire beam is shot, and he has to dodge again. “Another one? How many more will interrupt me?”

“I heard fighting coming from an alley. I came to check thinking it was another Nomu.” A monotonous voice says.

“Freeze-Chan!” Himiko cheers as Todoroki enters the alley.

“Impersonation.” Todoroki nods at her. “This looks like a nasty wound.”

“I can still fight.” Himiko replies, smiling.

“But you don’t need.” Another familiar voice says. “We'll take it from here.”

Himiko looks up and is surprised to see Izu-Chan landing right behind them.

“Dual-Chan?” She asks. “Shouldn’t you be-”

“You again?” Stain’s yell interrupts them. “You almost died last time. If we fight now, the weakest will be curled.”

Izu-Chan ignores Stain and walks with their eyes closed, stopping in front of Himiko. An expression of concentration on their face.

“We can talk later.” Izu-Chan says. “You two, get them out of here and call rescue. I’ll take care of Stain.”

Then they open their eyes, and Himiko sees briefly a pair of almost glowing green eyes.

“These fakes won’t escape ag-” In just a second, Izu-Chan is in front of Stain, grabbing him by the face, covering his mouth, then they fly up, taking Stain with them.

“You heard them.” Todoroki says, looking up the way Izu-Chan flew. “We need to get them to safety.” He looks at her and frowns. “We also need to bandage that arm.”

Himiko looks at her arm and also frowns. It’s bleeding more than she thought.

“Let’s go.” She gets up with Todoroki’s help and applies pressure on her arm.

Before she leaves the alley, she takes one more glance in the direction Izu-Chan flew. She hopes they’re fine.

-----------------------------------------------

Kuzu is very familiar with the feeling of anger.

Izuku flies at high speed, carrying Stain, who, surprised at being grabbed like that, forgets to attack.

Zuku doesn't really understand the feeling of anger.

They stop on the roof of a building, and Izuku drops Stain.

But now, united as they have not been in a long time, Izuku is furious. How dare this man hurt their friends? How dare this man hurt their family?

They stop on the roof of a building. Izuku drops Stain and stands facing him.

Izuku tried to talk to him, but it didn't work. Stendhal is dead. The man in front of them is Stain the Hero Killer.

“Anything I wanted to say to you, I said the last time we met.” Izuku says in a sad tone. “So let's just get this over with, okay?”

Stain doesn’t reply. Instead, he lunges with all his speed, stopping in front of Izuku and slashing his stomach, exactly like he did last time. But this time, Izuku doesn’t even move as the katana hits, and when Stain jumps back, there’s no blood on the blade.

“What?” Stain says, looking at his blade. “How?”

“The same trick won’t work again.” Izuku grins and lunges at Stain.

Stain barely avoids a kick to the face and tries to cut again, this time hitting the chest, but fails to draw blood again. When he looks at Izuku's severed costume, he notices a metallic sheen.

“A chainmail.” Stain snarls. Izuku simply smiles and throws his cloak at Stain in a swift movement.

Stain cuts through the cloak, but when he looks, Izuku is no longer there. Suddenly he feels a kick to the chin that throws him back a few feet. Izuku takes advantage of the momentum and aims another kick at Stain's knees.

Stain blocks the kick using his katana, but Izuku lights his leg with his hottest purple flames that melt the blade in seconds. Feeling the heat, Stain drops his katana and jumps back. Izuku quickly puts out the fire before he can burn himself.

Stain pulls two knives and throws them at Izuku, who blocks them by breathing a wall of fire that melts the knives. As the flames subside, Izuku looks at Stain and smiles.

“You will have to try a little better than that.” Izuku says as he lunges at Stain again.

Stain pulls two other daggers and lunges back at Izuku.

-----------------------------------------------

With the last Nomu subdued, Shouta finally has time to go after Himiko. Fortunately, they had the foresight to activate the trackers on Himiko and Hitoshi's phones. Thus, if the phone is with her, Shota will find her.

Following the tracker, Shouta finds not only Himiko but also, Todoroki, Tensei, Tenya, and Native. Todoroki was bandaging Himiko's arm while the other three were on the floor.

“What happened?” Shouta asks as soon as he’s in hearing reach.

Himiko looks up at him, then looks behind her toward an alleyway.

“Stain.” Himiko says. “I found him about to kill them.” She points to the three on the floor. “So I had to try fighting him.”

“When I arrived, he was about to lick the knife he used to injure her.” Todoroki continued. “I imagine this is how he activates his quirk.”

“What happened to Stain?” Shouta asks, looking around.

“Izuku arrived.” Todoroki replied. “He grabbed Stain and dragged him somewhere.”

“Of course he did.” Shouta replies, pinching the bridge of his nose. “What direction he go?”

Himiko and Todoroki point south, then Shouta looks at Hitoshi.

“Wait here with them.” He quickly shoots his scarf up, using it to get to the rooftop, then starts running south.

-----------------------------------------------

The sound of metal hitting metal echoes through the roof. Izuku repeatedly attacks with his chains as Stain blocks blow after blow. 

Both Izuku and Stain are panting. Despite his immense skill, Stain is an ambush fighter like Shouta. If the fight goes on too long, he will soon tire.

  And Izuku is beginning to feel the mental strain of holding the merge for a long period of time. Their mind is already trying to force themselves apart again. Breathing heavily, Izuku stops their attack, leaning on one knee with their hand on their forehead.

“Not yet.” Izuku mumbles. “Keep together. Just a little longer.”

Stain seizes the opening and tries to attack again, but Izuku recovers in time and rolls away from the knife. Immediately, Izuku throws their chains, wrapping them around Stain's two arms, pulling him closer and connecting a punch to his face.

“It's time to put an end to this.” Izuku mutters.

Izuku pulls Stain closer again, wrapping their chains around him many times, completely immobilizing his arms. They then throw Stain over their shoulder and slam him into the roof with all their force. They repeat the movement by slamming Stain on the roof again and then spinning and throwing him upwards without letting go of the chains.

Izuku flies after him and stops in midair. With Stain still hanging on to his chains, he begins to spin vertically, increasing his speed. Then he breaks free of the air and comes down still spinning, slamming Stain again with the added momentum of the spin.

When Izuku returns to the ground, he immediately drops to his knees, and their eyes return to their blue and yellow coloration.

“Is… Is it… over?” Zuku asks breathlessly as they watch if Stain will get up.

“I think -” As Kuzu was about to reply, Stain started to get up.

“YOU WON’T DEFEAT ME.” Stain screams. “YOU WON’T DEFEAT ME. NO ONE WILL DEFEAT ME UNTIL I FINISH MY MISSION.” He keeps screaming, and Izuku can feel the bloodlust increasing with each word. “I MUST CURDLE ALL THE FAKE HEROES. THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN KILL ME. IS THE ONE TRUE HERO! ALL-”

Before he can finish, someone jumps on him.

“You talk too much.” A familiar tired voice says. But Stain doesn’t hear. He’s completely unconscious now. “What do I do with you, Problem Children?”

“Dad?” Zuku asks, trying to get up, but he stumbles and falls down due to tiredness.

“I’m here, Izuku.” Dad says, grabbing him before he falls and hugging him carefully. “It’s over, and everyone is safe.”

“Thanks.” Kuzu mutters as his eyes start to drop. “I’m glad.”

They can feel their Dad smiling as he rubs Izuku’s back.

“Oh, and Izuku.” Dad mutters. “You’re grounded.”

Chapter Text

Izuku wakes up in a hospital room... Again. This isn't about to become a regular thing, right?

Sighing, Izuku tries to remember what happened, but the truth is that they don't remember very well. They know what they have done. When they found Himiko and Shouto in that alley. Himiko getting up to keep fighting even though she was wounded. They didn't want to leave any chance. They merged and went in.

But after that, the next thing they knew, Stain was rising up with a paralyzing bloodlust. And then their Dad stepped in and knocked the Hero Killer out for good. Frankly, the fact that their memories while merged are kind of blocked is a big inconvenience. But anyway, they can worry about that later. Like, when they have to give their statement to the police. Damn, this will be a headache.

Turning his head, he realizes that there are other beds in the room. Himiko is in the next bed, Iida in the next, and then Ingenium. Izuku is sure that Native was also in the attack, but he is not around. Shouto, and Present Mic were also in the room, but no sign of Touya.

“Izu-chan!” Himiko yells as soon as she sees Izuku awaken. “You’re finally awake! I was so worried!”

“Lower please, Himi-chan.” Kuzu replies. “We are fine, but we have a migraine.”

“You’re lucky it’s just a migraine.” They heard a gruff voice, and looked up to see their Dad, and he doesn’t look happy. “The doctor said that if you had pushed your brain any further you would have had a CVA.” Oh, this explain the migraine. Looks like they really pushed their luck this time, huh. “Other than that, you managed to get through the fight with only a few bruises.”

“Wait.” Ingenium interrupts. “You’re saying that he fought against Stain and didn’t get cut?” He looks at Izuku with wide eyes. “How?”

“Armor.” Kuzu says shrugging.

“We asked Powerloader to make a Chainmail for us.” Zuku elaborated. “It’s light enough to move without problems, and offers protection against Stain’s blades. But of course, not being cut doesn't mean that his blows didn't hurt.”

“Tell me about it.” Kuzu muttered as he poked at his belly and winced.

“We can discuss more later. You’re not escaping, Izuku.” Shouta said glaring at Izuku. “But first, there’s someone here who want to talk to you guys.”

As if on cue, the door opened, and an oficer with a dog’s head entered. Chief Tsuragamae.

Truth be told, Izuku loves Tsukauchi like an uncle, and Tamakawa is not far behind. But apart from those two, Izuku's relationship with the police is neutral at best. Unfortunately, with the exception of a few people, Quirkism runs wild in the police force. That people like Tamakawa have managed to reach such a high ranking despite all the discrimination is nothing less than a testament to their efforts.

Chief Tsuragamae is someone Izuku has never talked to personally. They have no idea what kind of person he is. But it took him half as much effort as Tamakawa to get where he is, then he must take his job seriously.

Tsuragamae could be a little more to the point. I mean, what is the point of telling them the Vigilantes' history? The students will see it in history soon enough. Not to mention that the only real students here are Shouto, Iida, and technically, Himiko. It is when he starts talking about the consequences of vigilantism that Zuku decides to interrupt.

“Just a moment please.” Zuku says. “What exactly are you implying?”

“Well, these kids fought Stain, and they don’t have a license.” Tsuragamae replies. “What they did was Vigilantism.”

“Wrong!” Kuzu says. “They did nothing wrong.”

The Chief opens his mouth to argue but Zuku continues talking.

“Formula was with Ingenium when they were attacked. And he had his mentor’s permission to use his quirk.” Then he points to Shouto. “Same to FreezeBurn, Present Mic gave explicit permission for him to use his quirk, and he didn’t really fight Stain.” He points to Himiko. “The only one who engaged was Impersonation, who, didn’t use her quirk at all during the fight, but even she had, she also had permission from Eraserhead.” Then he points to himself. “And finally, the one who fought and defeated Stain were us,” He points to his Dad. “and Eraserhead. And as far as I can tell, we both have a license. So, no. No vigilantism here.”

Finishing speaking, Izuku holds the gaze of Chief Tsuragamae, and for several seconds neither of them blinks. Until the chief looks away, letting out a bark that sounds a lot like laughter. When he looks at Izuku again, his serious expression is completely gone.

“It's exactly as he said.” Tsuragamae says smiling. “Since all of you had permission to act, there won’t be any repercussions. All that’s left is to decide what will be disclosed. Everyone here participated in the capture of the villain.”

Immediately, Himiko raises her hand.

“I’m wanna be Underground, so please don’t say anything about me!”

“And I’m already Underground.” Dad says.

“I didn’t do anything besides being saved.” Ingenium says and Iida nods along.

“Me neither.” Shouto says right after. “All I did was stop him from paralyzing Himiko.”

“I wasn’t even there.” Uncle Mic chimed in.

Izuku blinked at them.

“Really?” Zuku said.

“Alright then.” Kuzu sighed. 

“How about you say, Duality defeated the Hero Killer with the help of an Underground hero.” Another voice said, and when Izuku looked, Hitoshi was at the door with a thermos and a stack of disposable cups. “It's the truth, and it doesn't divulge Dad's name.”

How come no one thought of this?

“Good enough for me.” Kuzu shrugs.

“That’s perfect!” Zuku says with much more enthusiasm. “Dad?”

“Sounds fine.” Dad says, then points at the thermos Hitoshi is holding. “I really hope this is coffee.”

“Definitely is not tea.” Hitoshi replies smirking as he gives one cup to Dad.

“Well, if everything is settled, I will let you rest.” Chief Tsuragamae gets up and bows to Izuku. “On behalf of the police department, I thank you for the service you have given the city of Hosu.” Then he turns and leaves the room.

“Well, that’s new.” Kuzu says a few seconds after the chief leaves.

“I mean, a few officers had thanked us before. But no one ever bowed to us.” Zuku continues. “Much less someone of his position.”

“Stain has killed or maimed more than 40 heroes already. It’s thanks to you that no one else will fall victim to him.” Dad said ruffling their hair. “You did good, Problem Children.”

“I guess we did, huh?” Zuku says.

“We'll never get used to that, will we?” Kuzu mutters.

“I doubt.” Zuku snorts.

Dad laughs and ruffles their hair again.

“Go back to sleep, Problem Children.” Dad said, then smirked. “We can discuss your punishment later.”

Izuku opens their mouth to argue, but then they remember that they almost had a stroke because of their recklessness.

“Okay. That’s fair.” Kuzu says.

“I can’t really remember the last time we were grounded.” Zuku replies.

“I do.” Kuzu smirks. “It was after the pink shell inc-”

Kuzu is interrupted by Zuku slapping their mouth shut while his right cheek reddens.

We DON’T talk about the pink shell incident, Kuzu! He yells in their mind, while Kuzu laughs at him.

Sure, sure. Kuzu replied.

Zuku holds releases their mouth, and after a few seconds of silence, he sighs in relief.

“I won’t tell anyone how the pin-”

“Kuzu!” Zuku screams and shoves a pillow in their head to muffle their voice.

Everyone in the room starts to laugh as Zuku tries to fuse with the pillow in embarrassment.

“Ok, now I’m really curious about this story.” Hitoshi says.

‘I tell you later.’ Kuzu signs since he can’t talk right now. ‘It’s hilarious.’

“ ‘o, ‘t’s n’t;” Zuku says, with his voice still muffled. “ t’s ‘bar’s’in’.”

Ultimately, it was decided that Izuku will be under house arrest until he is completely healed. The only place he is allowed to go is to UA since he still has his classes to assist. To make matters worse, Dad has also decided that this time he will heal naturally, so no Recovery Girl to speed things up. It will be at least a week before all the bruises are gone. A long, tedious week.

-----------------------------------------------

Tomura hasn't been happy like this for years. The plan worked even better than expected. The heroes responded quickly to the Nomus and with that the attack was resolved without much damage. Of course, Tomura ordered the Nomus not to attack civilians, only the properties and other heroes, but still, the damage was almost minimal. And to make things better, that hypocritical idiot Hero Killer has been caught and will rot in Tartarus for everything he did.

But of course, the world can't let him be happy for long.

Tomura suddenly feels a wave of irritation wash over him. He knows what is coming, so he casts a quick glance at Kurogiri, who nods and takes his position, beginning to act robotically. Washing glasses that are already clean. A few seconds later, the monitor lights up, and Sensei's voice resounds through the room.

“Tomura.” Sensei greets. “Looks like the Hero Killer won’t be joining us, after all.” He doesn't sound angry, but Sensei never shows his emotions in his voice, so it is impossible to tell. “We’ll have to find replacements.”

“I already have some possible party members.” Tomura said, then he showed his list.

“I’ve also been looking into them.” Sensei replied. “They are good choices, but I know you can do better. For instance, there are two good choices for you.” He snaps his fingers, and the printer - which Tomura is sure has been broken for weeks - prints one sheet of paper.

Tomura picks the sheat and has to hold himself from frowning when he sees the names on it.

“Of course, Sensei.” Tomura says. “You always know the best choices.” Then he puts the sheat on the counter. “I’ll be talking to Giran tomorrow. If everything goes right, we’ll be ready to attack at their summer camp.”

“I’m sure you won’t disappoint me, Tomura.” Sensei says in a gentle - fake - tone, and the monitor blacks out.

Tomura waits for a few minutes until the irritation passes, then he grabs the sheet and decays it.

“Good choices?” Tomura screams. “They are just murders! They have no restraint! We’ll have to bust one of them out of a mental institution!”

“Tomura?” Kurogiri called. “Who did he suggest?”

“Moonfish and Muscular. This won’t end well.” Tomura replied facepalming. “As long as we let Muscular kill people, he should be easy to deal.” He sighed. “The problem is that we can’t let him kill anyone.”

“Will we have to start phase two sooner than planned?” Kurogiri said.

“No, not yet.” Tomura shook his head. “For now, let’s proceed as planned. Did you locate the first one already?”

“I have his location, we can go as soon as you’re ready.” Kurogiri replied. 

“Then let’s go now. I doubt Sensei will try to contact us again so soon.” Tomura replied.

“As you wish.” Kurogiri nodded and opened a portal.

Chapter Text

Monday brought with it the end of the internships and with that the entire class 1-A was back. The students excitedly discussed what they had done and learned during the internships, and also gossiped about their mentors.

Well, after living with a hero for a week you inevitably discover certain peculiarities about him. For example, apparently Hawks have a habit of entering through his agency window, but the problem is that, just like birds, he can't perceive glass very well. According to Tokoyami, he has knocked on the glass window seventeen times during the week.

Shouto, as usual, doesn't share many words, but his tiny smile says everything Izuku needs to know. At the opposite end of the spectrum, Kaminari is sharing every last detail of his internship.

“But if we’re talking about interesting events.” Kaminari looks at Shouto with sparkling eyes. “You were in Hosu, right?”

“I didn't do much.” Shouto replies. “Touya and Yamada-Sensei handled most of the Nomus, I just helped with the evacuation.”

“And Izu-sensei was the one who defeated Stain.” Kaminari adds. “With the help of an under…” He shifts his gaze to Hitoshi. “ground hero. Was it Aizawa-Sensei? Were you and Toga there too?”

“NDAs.” Hitoshi says, making a zipping motion in his mouth. “Can’t say anything.”

“Oh, c'mon. I want to hear. Stain is so intimidating, but in a way, he's kinda cool.”

“Kaminari!” Hitoshi glares at him.

“Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean like that!” Kaminari tries to defend. “It’s just-”

“It’s okay.” Izuku cuts. “We understand where you are coming from. We will be the first to say that we admired Stendhal.”

“His determination and goal could be called admirable.” Kuzu sighs.

“But he resorted to murder to achieve these goals, and even worse, he killed innocent people.” Zuku continued. “Well, we will always admire Vigilante Stendhal. But Stain was a villain and needed to be stopped.”

“Something to always remember. The line between a hero and a villain is thinner than you think.” Kuzu says.

“Be careful not to cross it. Because once you cross it, coming back will be almost impossible,” Zuku completes.

This serious talk lowers the mood of the class, who spend the rest of the time until the beginning of the class thinking about Izuku's words. When Shouta enters, the class is completely silent.

From there the class runs normally, and Shouta announces the midterm exams. Which leaves at least half the class panicking, even more so when he announces that anyone who doesn't pass won't go to summer camp.

Classes run normally, with a lesson back in heroics class where the students have their big chance to show off what they have learned in the internships. Incidentally, this lesson, in the form of a race, works much better than the battle trials of the first class. It’s clear that All Might is taking his duty as a teacher much more seriously.

In the weeks leading up to the mid-term exams, the class enters a new routine of study and training. For the students who are having trouble academically, study sessions are held, led by Momo, Iida, and surprisingly, Katsuki. The usual groups also train together. Izuku doesn’t stop with the weekly training sessions with his personal students.

They have all made great progress this week, and Izuku makes sure they know it. Just because Shouta doesn't like to hand out compliments doesn't mean that Izuku will do the same.

-----------------------------------------------

The Written Exams were scary to say the least. Hitoshi is confident that he did well; the various study sessions he attended ensured this. Unfortunately, this same confidence seems to be lacking among some students in the class. More specifically, the members of the self-proclaimed Bakusquad, not including their leader.

But after the theoretical exams, come the practical ones. If Hitoshi got a nickel for every time a classmate asked him if he knew what the practical exam will be, he could retire. He has no idea what the practical exams will be, and it's not because he doesn't try. Unfortunately, Shouta didn't say anything, and as much as Izuku is a terrible liar, lying by omission is apparently another story.

What do they bring them to one of the fake cities - seriously, where does this school get so much money from? - of UA for the practical exam. The rumor going around the school is that the exam will be fighting robots, but Hitoshi doesn't believe this for a single second.

Yes, for Hitoshi, fighting robots would be torture, but for most students it would be too easy. Taking into consideration the villains who turned the school into a target, the fact that the school principal is Nedzu, and that Izuku is directly involved in the plans. No, definitely not robots.

Seeing Nedzu jumping out of Shouta's scarf was enough to almost give the class a heart attack. Hitoshi personally found it hilarious, but he didn't dare laugh.

“Welcome to the midterm practical exams.” The rat/mouse/bear/dog/thing cheered. “Does anyone have any idea what the test will be?”

“Robots!” Kaminari and Ashido cheered together.

“You are right, that is the test we usually have for the first years. But this year will be different.” Nedzu replied, and Kaminari and Ashido froze in mid-air in their cheering poses. “In view of recent bad guy attacks, we have decided to change the exams as a way to ensure that you are prepared for what you are about to face.” Then he gestures to Shouta who sighs.

“Dramatic rat.” Wow, Dad, that’s kinda hypocritical, don’t you think? “For the practical exams, you’ll form pairs, and fight against a teacher. The pairs and who you will fight have already been decided. ”

“Against a teacher? But then we have no chance!” Ashido exclaimed, probably remembering what happened in the first heroics lesson. If Zuku defeated three of them without even using his quirk, what chance do they have?

But they are much better than they were that day. They have all trained hard for this.

“To make things fairer, all teachers will wear this.” Shouta showed a pair of wrist weights. “They are half our weight and will serve as a handicap to us. All teachers will use it. As for the match-ups, they will be...

Kirishima and Satou vs Cementoss.

Asui and Tokoyami vs Ectoplasm.

Iida and Ojiro vs Power Loader.

Yaoyorozu and Todoroki vs Eraserhead.

Uraraka and Toga vs Thirteen.

Kaminari and Ashido vs Nedzu.

Jirou and Kouda vs Present Mic.

Hagakure and Shouji vs Snipe.

Sero and Bakugou vs Midnight.

And last, Shinsou and Monoma vs -” With the teachers left here, you only have two possibilities, and frankly, Hitoshi is rooting for it to be against All Might. But when he looks at his brother's smirk, his hope is already gone. “Ifrit.”

“Wait, Ifrit?” Monoma asks. “Not Duality?”

“Nope.” Kuzu replies. “Poltergeist will be sitting this one out, it will be just you and me.”

“My condolences.” Shouta mutters, but Hitoshi hears, to his own horror. “Moving on-”

“Wait, what do you mean ‘My condolences’?” Hitoshi asks.

“I said no such thing.” Shouta replied, hiding his face on his scarf, but Hitoshi has spent enough time with him to know that this means he's laughing. “Moving on. The tests will be done semi-consecutively. The first pair will enter, the second will start ten minutes later, and so on. While waiting for your turn, you can watch the other tests in the observation room.” 

…

Ten minutes later, everyone was in the observation room waiting for the first fight to start. The students were either with their pair planning or waiting for the first test to get a sense of the kind of terrain they will have to deal with. Or in Kaminari's case, annoying Hitoshi.

“Bro, I can't believe you got the easiest test.” Kaminari whined. “Nedzu is terrifying, I have no idea how I’ll survive this.”

“The easiest test?” Hitoshi raised an eyebrow. “I’m fighting Ifrit, you know?”

“Yup. As I said, the easiest.” Kaminari replied, grinning. “Imagine if it was Poltergeist? He’s so scary.”

Hitoshi could try to reason with him, but Kaminari's test is the sixth while Hitoshi's is the last. Regardless of how long he takes, he will probably be back in time to watch his test. He will see how terrifying, for completely different reasons, Kuzu is. Moreover, if he thinks that Nedzu's student won't know that he said this, he is completely mistaken.

“If you say so.” Hitoshi simply shrugs.

Looking around, Hitoshi finds Monoma and approaches him. Truth be told, Hitoshi and Monoma don't see eye to eye. From the first time he saw them meet when Monoma came to tease the class before the sports festival, Hitoshi has kept the same opinion. Monoma is an asshole. After the sports festival, where Hitoshi beat Monoma, they hardly spoke to each other, but every time they interacted, it ended in a fight.

Taking a deep breath, Hitoshi approaches.

“Monoma, we need to -”

“Oh, look who decided to grace me with his sweet presence.” Monoma interrupts him. “Have you finally realized that you can't achieve anything without the help of the superior student?”

Hitoshi feels his left eye twitch. Why of all people did he have to be put right up with him? What sin had he committed in his past life to deserve such punishment?

“Lord, please give me patience. Because if you give me strength, I'll need bail money too.” Hitoshi mutters to himself, then takes another deep breath.. “Look, man. I don't like you, and you don't like me. But like it or not, we're going to have to work together. Because I can tell you one thing for sure. Kuzu will show us no mercy.”

Monoma glares at him, but Hitoshi holds his stare, refusing to be the first to look away. After about 20 seconds, Monoma scoffs and looks away.

“Fine.” Monoma replies. “Since you live with the guy, you must know something. Does he have any weaknesses?”

“The only weaknesses I can think of are two things that are out of our reach.” Hitoshi explains. “And even if they were within our reach, to mess with them would be to sign an obit certificate.”

“You’re referring to?”

“First, their hoard.” Hitoshi replies. “Basically, everything they keep is stored in their room. No one can go in there without his permission. This is actually a weakness of both of them. Izuku is possessive like a dragon with their things.”

“And the second one?” Monoma asks.

“Easy. Zuku.” Hitoshi replies. “They are completely codependent on each other.”

“Right, as interesting as the information is.” Monoma replies, waving a hand. “It will not help us here. Don't you have anything else? You literally live with him!”

“Let me think...” Hitoshi says, then he snaps his fingers. “Oh, I know one. Kuzu’s main way of locating is through sound. His vision is not the best. His flames are quite bright, because of this his eyes are most of the time adjusted to withstand this brightness.”

“Then we can try to sneak by him.” Monoma replies.

“If you can be quiet, his eyesight may not be the best. But his hearing is great.” Hitoshi says.

“What about your quirk?” Monoma asks.

“Response-based. If he doesn't answer me I can't activate, and he knows our quirks well.” Hitoshi replies.

“Great, so we are going for this test practically quirkless.” Monoma grumbles. “I guess I can try to copy his quirk.”

“For that, you will have to touch him, and he covers himself from head to toe. The only uncovered area is his fingers.” Hitoshi explains. “It’ll be hard, but not impossible.”

“Anything else?”

“A word of advice, don't try to fight him head-on.” Hitoshi warns. “Even disregarding his flames, which are even hotter than Endeavor's, he ties with Eraserhead in quirkless fighting.”

“Ok. In that case. I have a plan.” Monoma says, smirking.

Hitoshi has a bad feeling, but frankly, Monoma's plan must be better than the nothing Hitoshi has, right?.

Chapter Text

It didn’t take long for the fights to start, some were very quick, while others took all the time available, but everyone watching was paying full attention.

Kirishima and Satou VS Cementoss

Kirishima and Sato fought bravely and came close. However, they both fell into the same trap. They rushed through the middle of the main street, hoping to rush Cementoss from the front, but they didn’t have enough energy to get through his endless barriers, nor could they think outside the box to devise another strategy. In the end, the first duo was beaten by quirk exhaustion.

Asui and Tokoyami vs Ectoplasm

Their battlefield is a labyrinth, and they start in the center. And Ectoplasm is brutal in the test. Right off the bat, he summons dozens of clones practically on top of them. Although he has improved a lot, Tokoyami’s weak point still is melee combat, especially against multiple enemies attacking from all sides.

Tokoyami and Asui make an excellent team, employing evasive maneuvers while taking down the clones and moving to the exit. In the end, they win the fight with an ingenious strategy by Asui that allows them to evade Ectoplasm’s Giant Bite Detention and capture him with a sneak attack from Dark Shadow. The students’ first victory.

Iida and Ojiro vs Power Loader

This is probably the funniest fight of all. Iida and Ojiro take their practical exam at a dirt field laced with pitfalls from Power Loader. The ground constantly collapses in front of them as Power Loader digs through the ground. 

The strategy they decide to employ is simple, reckless, and effective. Iida carries Ojiro on his back and uses his Recipro Burst to try to outrun the traps before they can be triggered. Near the end, the ground in front of Iida collapses, and he leaps over it. With his Recipro Extend, Iida throws Ojiro into the escape gate and then keeps Power Loader occupied, giving Ojiro the window needed to escape. Second victory for the students.

Yaoyorozu and Todoroki vs Eraserhead

This match-up was well planned. Both Todoroki and Yaoyorozu have the same problems. They rely too much on their quirks. Against Aizawa, who can erase their quirks, they will have to think outside the box.

The second point is centered specifically on Yaoyorozu. After her loss to Kaminari in the first fight of the sports festival, Yaoyorozu’s self-confidence took a heavy blow. Yet she remains one of the brightest minds in Class 1-A. This examination also aims to restore her self-confidence.

At first, they have a solid strategy, but like any strategy, it does not survive contact with the enemy. In a few moments, Shouta places them in his line of sight, erasing both quirks. And in close combat, Shouta is simply superior to both of them. They wisely decide to retreat and regroup with the help of a flashbang that Yaoyorozu carries with her.

In the end, Yaoyorozu manages to gather enough confidence to share her plan, which ends with Aizawa trapped in his own scarf. They handcuff him, and with that, another victory for the students.

Uraraka and Toga vs Thirteen

This match was chosen with Uraraka in mind, as Thirteen is the perfect person to exploit the weaknesses of Uraraka’s quirk. While the duo was chosen because of Toga. While Toga would have no problem fighting most teachers, let’s just say she has a weakness for cute girls. And for her, Uraraka is the cutest girl in 1-A.

Both spend most of the fight on the run, trying to reach the exit. To try to confuse Thirteen, Toga drinks some of Uraraka’s blood and turns into her, but this doesn’t help much.

Near the end of the thirty minutes, both are clinging to a railing, trying not to get sucked into Thirteen’s black hole, when Toga finally has an idea and looks at Uraraka smiling.

“Hey, Ura-Chan. I have an idea.” Toga says.

“Anything you have is better than nothing!” Uraraka screams back.

“Alright!” Toga says and lets go of the railing, immediately diving toward Thirteen, who stops their quirk so as not to disintegrate it.

With the momentum of the dive, Toga hits a kick to Thirteen’s chin and already maneuvers herself, pinning them to the ground. Uraraka quickly recovers from the surprise and runs to them, helping to restrain Thirteen and soon putting the handcuffs on them.

Kaminari and Ashido vs Nedzu

To sum up the situation in one word. CHAOS!

Ashido and Kaminari ran around the city like headless chickens, while Nedzu caused chain reactions with his wrecking ball. For the first 20 minutes, Kaminari and Ashido just run around trying to find a way through. They are about to give up when Kaminari remembers a detail. They are up against Nedzu. Winning in a head-on fight is impossible, simply because it will never be a head-on fight.

Nedzu is Izuku’s mentor, and if Kaminari has learned one thing, it is that they would not give them a challenge that they have no chance of completing. Thinking for a moment, Kaminari sees a possibility if this city is as detailed as it seems…

“Mina, melt the floor!” Kaminari calls.

“What?”

“Trust me, just do it!” Kaminari insists. Ashido looks at him hesitantly but does as he said, opening a hole in the ground, and they found, just as Kaminari expected, sewers. “Ha, I knew it! Nedzu is too meticulous not to put sewers in his fake city.”

“Down here, we will be safe from the wrecking ball.” Ashido cheers.

“But we have less than 10 minutes to escape.” Kaminari replied. “We need to find the escape gate, now.”

“The gate is that way, but if we go through this maze, we will never arrive.” Ashido nods as she points south.

“Then let’s go in a straight line.” Kaminari replies, grinning. “We just need to melt our way out.”

Ashido nods again, and they leave. Ashido pushes her quirk to the blink of exhaustion, but they get to the escape gate with barely a minute left.

Jirou and Kouda vs Present Mic

Teenagers can be pretty cruel, even if accidentally. 

For Jirou and Kouda, this was an extremely difficult battle. Voice simply outclassed both of their quirks. The fight was almost lost until Kouda managed to overcome his insect phobia. Unfortunately, Mic did not achieve the same feat.

That fight ended in victory for the students and a possibly traumatized Present Mic.

Hagakure and Shouji vs Snipe

Hagakure and Shouji hide from a barrage of bullets in a large corridor filled with stone pillars. The weights don’t really limit someone who fights using firearms. And the moment any of them leave cover, bullets will rain down on them.

Snipe throws a smoke bomb and fills the arena with smoke, using the opportunity to approach the column where they are hiding while shooting. At that moment, Shouji switches cover to another pillar and realize that Hagakure has disappeared. Understanding her plan, Shouji comes out of hiding and runs at Snipe, who stops him with a shot to the foot.

Shouji raises his hands, which causes Snipe to lower his guard, and suddenly he’s handcuffed. When Snipe looks back in surprise, first a pair of pink gloves become visible, followed by a simple white bodysuit.

Shouji was just as surprised as Snipe. After all, Hagakure hadn’t told anyone when she had learned to refract light to make her clothes invisible too.

Bakugou and Sero vs Midnight

This match was one of the most difficult to decide. Since the beginning of the year, Bakugou has improved greatly in terms of ego, but he still has serious problems with teamwork. Of the whole class, the only person he would normally work well with is Kirishima. Sero is part of Bakugou’s group of friends, but this is not enough to ensure good teamwork.

Another point is that Bakugou is primarily a short-range attacker. Not that he doesn’t have some mid-range alternatives, but his usual fighting style is to charge up and yell “Die!” Against Midnight, coming close is automatic defeat, which will force him to think of another alternative. 

Sero has a problem of always keeping his first impression. This often results in him giving up before he even starts or underestimating his opponent. And if there is one underestimated teacher at UA, it’s Midnight. This is part of the point of her Hero Persona, to make opponents underestimate her, and she is very good at it.

As expected, Sero underestimated her right away, and the only reason he wasn’t caught in Midnight’s sleep gas was that Bakugou literally blew him out of the way. After a screaming session, they backed away from her. As hot-headed as Bakugou is, he’s also intelligent and strategic. He realized right away that he wouldn’t be able to win in a head-on battle. However, winning by running away is something he couldn’t accept.

In the end, despite all their efforts and an ingenious trap made using Sero’s ribbon and Bakugou’s gauntlets, they were caught by Midnight’s sleep gas and ultimately defeated.

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Denki returns to the observation room just in time to see Shinsou and Monoma leaving for their testing area. Shinsou briefly congratulates him on his victory before nervously following Monoma out of the room.

Denki is glad he didn’t get too many injuries from his fight with Nedzu. After all, this is the test he most wants to see. Of the “brothers,” Denki is sure that Zuku is the scariest, but he has never seen how Kuzu fights.

Since their training is focused on quirk control, they never sparred. All his experience with grappling comes from his training sessions with Aizawa, where he is usually paired with Todoroki or Tokoyami. Since Shinsou has more experience than them, he usually ends up against Aizawa himself.

What Denki has apparently forgotten and will soon be reminded of is that Kuzu is a short-range fighter and has known Aizawa since he was 7, as well as being directly mentored by him since he was 10. If he thinks Ifrit is not scary, he’s in for a big surprise

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Hitoshi and Monoma enter the test area and wait for the bell for the test to start. And as luck would have it, they are in a city, the very type of terrain that is Kuzu’s specialty. He’s coldly sweating as he looks around, scouting the terrain.

He really hopes that Monoma’s plan works because while it would be possible to expect some mercy from Zuku, Hitoshi knows that Kuzu won’t show any. His breath hitches for a second when he hears the warning. The exam is starting.

“Okay, time to die.” Hitoshi mutters and starts running into the city with Monoma right behind him.

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Kuzu is sitting on top of a building in the fake city, just waiting for the test to begin, his mask right beside him. With his eyes closed, he felt a gentle breeze on his face, swaying his curls. No matter how many patrols he has done, the moments of anticipation before starting are always his favorite.

“Hey, Kuzu.” Zuku calls him. “I know it is useless to say this, but go easy on them.”

“Relax, Zuku.” Kuzu says, smiling, as he stands up and puts the mask on his face. “I won’t traumatize anyone...” He undoes the button on the cloak and drops it on the roof of the building. “Much.” Zuku sighs.

The signal to start the exam sounds, and Kuzu smirks as he turns the switch on his chest. His jumpsuit, boots, gloves, and bracelets change to the color red. He walks calmly to the edge of the roof.

“You know what you’re doing. Have fun.” Zuku says. “I’ll let you concentrate.”

“Alright.” Kuzu then jumped down the building, sending his grappling hook to the next building. “Show time.”

Chapter Text

Ifrit watched the fake city, calmly waiting for his victims students to come. There are several paths that students can take to try to pass, but playing the role of the villain has its advantages.

For example, villains don’t have to worry about collateral damage. So using arson to block the paths and force them to take a route that will lead them to Ifrit is perfectly acceptable.

Closing his eyes, Ifrit focuses on all the sounds around him. The sound of crackling flames is the most prominent noise. And he really needs to concentrate on recognizing any other sound in this environment.

He doesn’t hear anything. Impressive, not that it’s a surprise, Hitoshi has always been sneaky and silent. The surprise is to learn that Monoma is capable of silence as we-

*Thunk* … *Clank* …

…

It seems that he spoke too soon.

…

“Are you an idiot??” Ifrit heard Hitoshi whisper yell.

“Where did this can come from? Is Nedzu really THAT meticulous?” Monoma said a bit louder.

Yes, Nedzu is that meticulous.

Sighing, Ifrit followed the voices, which grew louder as the discussion became more heated.

-----------------------------------------------

Hitoshi knows well that Izuku lives by the motto “Plus Ultra,” but this seems a bit much even for him.

Being the sneakier of the two, Hitoshi was the one who took the lead. And what he noticed right away was an orange sky and that the temperature seemed to rise as soon as they entered. A few blocks later, the reason became clear. Ifrit had started several fires in the buildings, forcing Hitoshi to either take the only route available or risk passing through entire streets in flames. It’s evident that Ifrit is guiding them along the path he wants them to follow. And Hitoshi bets his capture scarf that Ifrit is waiting tight at the end.

But with no other choice, Hitoshi follows this path, keeping close to the walls and always looking up. Airborne ambushes are Duality’s specialty; even without Poltergeist, Hitoshi is sure this hasn’t changed.

As soon as he locates Ifrit, he holds his breath and signals Monoma to stop. He points to the end of the street, where Ifrit was with his eyes closed, probably focusing on the sound. Hitoshi points to an alley conveniently not on fire and slowly enters. Hitoshi leads the way, paying double attention to every step he takes. Things were going well until…

*Thunk* Monoma accidentally kicks a can on the floor. *Clank* The can hit a wall.

The sound made was minimal, but at that moment, it sounded like the biggest noise on the face of the earth.

“Are you an idiot??” Hitoshi whisper-yells at Monoma.

“Where did this can come from? Is Nedzu really THAT meticulous?” Monoma asks louder than Hitoshi.

“Shut up, idiot! He’ll hear us.” Hitoshi says back, even louder.

In retrospect, starting a discussion at this point was a bad idea. But Hitoshi was already very stressed about this examination. He was bound to snap at some point. Completely forgetting that Ifrit is literally on the next street, the two begin to argue, which soon becomes name-calling. Again, not the brightest moment of either.

“Hey.” They hear it just above them and immediately fall silent. “Are you two even trying?” They slowly raise their heads, and just above them, they see Ifrit hanging upside down from a chain, in a pose similar to Spider-Man.

The mask, plus the dim lighting in the alley, made it impossible to see his face. But even so, Hitoshi knew that he was grinning underneath the mask. The only thing visible is two yellow lights, which Hitoshi believes are his eyes. Without saying another word, Ifrit shakes his arm, and the chain retracts into his bracelet, causing him to fall right between them, balancing on his hands. 

Hitoshi barely sees a glimmer, and suddenly he feels a burning in his chest and is flying toward a wall. He briefly sees the same thing happening to Monoma. When he regains his breath, he notices a footprint-like burn on his costume, right on his chest. And in front of him, Ifrit wriggling back on his feet.

Ifrit starts walking to Monoma, and Hitoshi takes advantage of the opening to try to attack him.

“You’re too naive.” Hitoshi hears, and before he knows it, he’s off the ground and falling on top of Monoma.

“I suppose you don’t want to answer a question for him, right?” Monoma’s voice asks.

‘Nice try, Toshi.’ Ifrit signs at him. ‘Looks like the voice modulator is working.’

Hitoshi and Monoma barely have time to roll to the side before one more kick would hit them. Ifrit politely waits for them to stand up and then makes a “come” motion with his hand. Monoma and Hitoshi look at each other and nod. The first choice of the day they completely agree on. They take a stance and narrow their eyes… Then turn and run.

In the corner of his eye, Hitoshi sees Ifrit raising a finger.

“1, 2, 3…” They turn the corner, and Ifrit’s voice is drowned out by the sound of the crackling flames.

“Is he following us?” Monoma asks.

“He was counting, I think he is giving us a headstart.” Hitoshi replies.

Suddenly they begin to hear laughter, or rather a maniacal cackling. They stop running and slowly turn around. The image they see will be in their next nightmare. Ifrit’s head was engulfed in flames, and he chased after them as he spun his chains, also on fire.

“NOPE!” Hitoshi screams as he turns around and starts running.

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Ifrit is having the time of his life. When on patrol, he always needs to take down and capture the villain as quickly and efficiently as possible, so he usually doesn’t have time to enjoy it. But here, he has never had so much fun on a hunt. Toshi’s reaction when he saw Ifrit approaching with his head and chains on fire was completely hilarious.

Ifrit pursues them relentlessly until they split up at a fork in the road, each going their own way. Without much time to lose, Ifrit follows Monoma, and taking advantage of the blond’s distraction, he climbs the rooftops.

Shortly afterward, Monoma stops running and looks back. Seeing no one, he sighs with relief. He doesn’t even look up. Didn’t Hitoshi warn him about Duality’s preference for aerial ambushes? Well, regardless of who is to blame, Monoma is an easy target at the moment.

Finding a good angle, Izuku throws his grappling hook and swings with the chain, aiming a kick at Monoma’s back. The attack knocks Monoma down, and Izuku immediately takes advantage to wrap him in chains and hang him from a pole.

“Your plan was decent. If you had managed to keep quiet, you probably would have been able to get past me.” Ifrit says as he scans the area for Hitoshi. “But you still miss the point of this test.”

“What do you mean?” Monoma asks.

Ifrit opens his mouth, but before he says anything, he closes it and smirks.

‘Nice try.’ He signs, then he looks around and starts talking, addressing no one in particular.

“Thinking about the pairs and their match-ups. What did they all have in common?” Ifrit says. “Why put the two students who hate each other the most, against someone who basically prevents them from using their quirks? What is the point of this exam?”

Without saying anything else, Ifrit leaves Monoma hanging and goes into an alley, pretending to go look for Hitoshi. He goes back to the rooftops.

It doesn’t take more than a minute for him to see Hitoshi appearing. Unlike Monoma, Hitoshi stares at the rooftops all the time, and Ifrit has to lie down so that he is not visible. As much as he loves red, this isn’t a good color for sneaking around.

“Where’s Ifrit?” Hitoshi asks Monoma.

“He just entered that alley.” Monoma jerks his head towards the alley Ifrit entered. “I think he went to search for you.”

“Alright.” Hitoshi says and tries to loosen the chains holding Monoma.

Ifrit chooses this moment to jump off the building with the same attack that knocked Monoma down. Monoma’s eyes bug out, and he shouts at Hitoshi.

“Behind you!”

Hitoshi doesn’t question. He just rolls out of the way. Ifrit hits the kick right on the pole that Monoma was hanging from, knocking the pole down. 

“Not bad, Toshi.” Ifrit says. “But tell me. Why aren’t you giving your all?”

“I am giving my all.” Hitoshi replies, frowning.

“Really? Because as far as I can tell, you have one more trick up your sleeve.” Ifrit says, smirking. “Ninth.”

Hitoshi’s eyes widen at this, and he looks at Monoma, who is still trying to regain her bearings after the fall.

“What are you doing?” Hitoshi asks.

‘You won’t win if you don’t use it, Toshi.’ Ifrit signs at him. ‘What are you afraid of?’

“You know what happened last time.” Hitoshi replies.

“And I also know how much you trained since then.” Ifrit says. “So…” He jumps at Hitoshi. “Show me what you can do!”

Hitoshi’s eyes glow, and his body is covered with purple sparks. Ifrit grins and attacks with a flaming kick. Hitoshi quickly dodges and leaps toward Monoma, grabbing the chains and breaking them with One for All.

“The gate, hurry!” Hitoshi shouts at Monoma, then lunges at Ifrit again.

Monoma gets up and starts running while Hitoshi attacks Ifrit furiously. With the addition of One for All, Ifrit has to be much more careful with his attacks, but in terms of experience and skill, Ifrit is still far above him.

Ifrit parries one of the punches and responds with a judo throw. But to his surprise, Hitoshi responds by twisting in the middle of the throw and hitting a kick to Ifrit’s face, which takes off his mask at the cost of a dislocated shoulder.

Ifrit looks at Hitoshi, confused. That move was completely illogical. Hitoshi dislocated a shoulder, only to land a kick that barely hit Ifrit. Ifrit loosens his chains and approaches Hitoshi to restrain him when he feels a touch on his face. He looks to the side and sees Monoma touching him.

“Gotcha.” The blond smirks and raises his arms, and Ifrit’s chains begin to move on their own, wrapping around him and trapping him. “Your quirk is quite handy, Sensei.”

Hitoshi gets up quickly, wincing from the pain in his shoulder, and runs up to Ifrit, quickly slapping the handcuffs on his hands.

Looking between the two, Ifrit smiles softly as the voice announces.

“Shinsou Hitoshi, and Monoma Neito captured the villain!”

“A little help here?” Kuzu says as he gets up, still wrapped in chains.

“The magic word?” Zuku teases and starts laughing at Kuzu’s pout. “Alright, alright.”

Zuku loosens the chains that are retracted into the bracelets and pulls the keys from Hitoshi’s pocket, unlocking the handcuffs. 

Then Kuzu walks over to Hitoshi and, being careful of his dislocated shoulder, picks him up in his arms to take him to Granny Chiyo.

“Congratulations Toshi. I’m proud of you.” Kuzu says with a soft smile.

And if anyone notices tears in Hitoshi's eyes, Kuzu politely ignores them.

Chapter Text

The sky was beginning to darken, indicating the end of the afternoon and, with it, the end of the Ifrit patrol. All in all, it was a very quiet afternoon. Day patrols generally have fewer criminals than night patrols, especially on routes that heroes usually take. Few criminals have the courage, or the nerve, to commit crimes in broad daylight.

“HELP!” Unfortunately, “few” doesn’t mean “none.”