Chapter 39: Picking a Mentor
"Sooo." Taji stared at his friends as they gathered around the boardroom table on the second floor of Lambda. "Are we going to talk about it?"
"Talk about what?" Izuku asked as he took the only open seat left, at the head of the table.
Taji raised an eyebrow as he looked toward Izuku. "Take your pick? Between the Izanagi System announcement, our internship offers and your sudden move into heroics we are spoiled for choice."
"I'm not moving into heroics." Izuku replied as he made a placating gesture. "Nezu offered me a chance to take a path similar to Maijima-sensei. I'll remain within the support department and still work on analytics but I'll also be training to get a hero license."
Emily's eyes narrowed as she watched Izuku give his response. "You don't seem too excited about aiming to get a license."
"It's not that it's just…" Izuku trailed off as he tried to find the right words.
"He's being offered something that he didn't think was possible yesterday." Himiko concluded for him as she stared at Emily, desperately communicating to her without words to drop it.
Unfortunately while Emily got the message Maina didn't. "But he's already a hero! Just look at everything he did at the USJ."
"Or during the sports festival." Itsuka added as she looked at Izuku out of the corner of her eye. "We would've had a much harder time in the second event without him leading us."
"I wouldn't have made it past the first event." Hitoshi drawled as he nodded toward Mei. "He basically guided Hatsume and I through the maze."
"My babies and I could have figured it out." Mei grumbled as she looked up from her latest tinker project. "Then again I did get to test different babies against that swarm at the end." A manic light lit itself in her eye. "And they made their mamma proud."
"I could have done without freezing my butt off in our fort." Mezo gently teased with a chuckle. "Then again I did find out that Hagakure is just as much of a movie buff as I am so I'll call that a wash." One of his summoned eyes gave Izuku a wink, which the other man missed.
Ochako ignored the rest of the group, her eyes locked solely on Izuku, noticing his mixed look of discomfort and worry. "What are you worried about Izu?"
"I'm… I'm worried that it's all just some sick joke." Izuku whispered, causing everyone to look at him. "I've wanted to be a hero my whole life and just when I had accepted that I could help people in another way this drops out of the sky." He looked down toward his hands where they rested in his lap. "I keep thinking that I'm going to wake up and find out that all of this has been a lie. That it's going to be Aldera all over again…"
"You should go talk to Inui-sensei." Tsuyu offered as she gave Himiko an encouraging glance to add more but before she could Izuku responded.
"I already did." A ghost of a smile appeared on his face. "Where do you think I ran off to in such a hurry earlier?"
"That makes sense." Kashiko muttered as she gave Izuku a concerned look as she debated something to herself. Finally she took a breath and asked. "What happened at Aldera that you're worried about repeating?"
Confusion danced across Izuku's face before the cold realization of dread settled in his heart as he realized that the last part about Aldrea hadn't been in his head. "I…"
Himiko's hands slapped against the table as she stood from her seat. "He doesn't have to tell anyone if he doesn't want to!"
At the same time Ochako leaned over and gently took Izuku's hands in her own while gently tapping their foreheads together. "Fuck what anyone else might say Izu. You've earned this and nobody will take it from you."
"But what if I mess up?" Izuku muttered under his breath as a flood of tears threatened to spill.
"Then you get back up and keep going." Ochako whispered back. "You know I'll be there for you and I know that our friends will be too."
Izuku paused for a moment, the couple lost in their own world of reassurances. "Should I tell them?"
"Only as much as you want." Ochako hummed in response as she saw Mezo deliberately look away from them out of the corner of her eye. "But it's not like we're having this whispered conversation in private…"
Leaning back, Izuku saw that all of their friends were pointedly looking away from him and Ochako, most of them staring at their phones with an intense focus. He glanced at Ochako on his left and Himiko on his right before letting out a deep sigh. It had to happen eventually… "Look I want to… I want to talk about a few things."
"Izuku…" Himiko gave him a look of concern, her mouth pulling down into a frown as she stared at him. "You don't-"
He cut her off with a wave. "I want to." Izuku refocused on the rest of the table, pointedly looking away from the two women who knew everything already. "I'm sure most of you wondered at some point why Bakugo hates me as much as he does."
"Understatement of the century." Yuuko grumbled as she folded her arms across her chest as others around the table nodded.
Izuku let out a quiet chuckle before he continued. "Bakugo and I grew up together and well… we were friends when we were little, before his Quirk came in. After that… something changed." Izuku looked down at his hands. "He grew a shorter fuse, started lashing out at the smallest thing. One day when we were playing he fell and I offered him a hand up only to have him push me down and scoff at me for being weak and how he doesn't need a weakling's help."
"How old were you?" Mei quietly asked.
"Five." Izuku answered with a sarcastic laugh. "We were five when he showed me his true colors but it took me years to realize that he wasn't my friend." He shook his head. "But after that day we went from friends to bully and victim and he made me think I deserved every moment of it. He started leading the groups that would make fun of me, destroy my stuff or just use their Quirks on me." Izuku played with the hem of his shirt. "Y-you saw my scars at the sports festival most of those are from Bakugo."
"Since I was convinced that it was all my fault I never told anyone and did my best to hide what I could." Izuku's eyes darted away from the group, his focus locking onto Ochako. "It was like that for years. Bakugo and I attended the same schools and all the while he used me as his personal Quirk testing dummy. He made sure to remind me I was nothing more than a Deku ." Izuku spat the word out, temporarily breaking his eye contact with Ochako. "I held against it. Thought that I could still be a hero, still help others."
The room was silent as tears started to spill down Ochako's cheeks while they all watched Izuku's face twist with anguish.
"Then one day it was just… just too much and Bakugo he… he told me to go jump off a roof and hope I get a Quirk in my next life." Izuku ignored the shocked gasps as he pressed on. "And I- it finally broke me. After school let out that day I went to a building I knew never locked their roof and…" Izuku took a shuddering breath as tears started to roll down his face before he whispered in the quietest voice possible. "I jumped."
A series of shocked gasps filled the room as everyone stared at Izuku, their faces a mixture of shock, rage, and sorrow.
"As soon as I…" Izuku shook his head sending droplets of tears flying. "After I did it I realized I'd made a mistake but it was too late. Thankfully a hero happened to see me falling and decided to step in to save me." He turned a blinding smile toward Ochako that was at odds with the rest of his emotions.
"Ocha- Uraraka you…" Rui left the thought unfinished as they and everyone else stared expectantly at Ochako.
"I wasn't even thinking I just saw someone falling and my feet simply moved." Ochako answered in a quiet voice. "I jumped to save him and barely managed to grab his hand in time." She let out a breath through her nose. "I'm just glad I was there."
"So am I." Izuku murmured before he finally looked away from her and toward the rest of their friends. He couldn't help but sigh at the mixed looks he was getting. "You all deserved to know what happened between Bakugo and I but I don't want that to change anything about this." He motioned toward the group as a whole. "I'm getting help, I finally have friends and apparently I'm going to be a hero."
It was a tense silence that followed Izuku's declaration as more than one member of the group contemplated how to get away with murder.
Looking around Izuku saw the mess of emotions that his friends had become and decided it was time to step in. To truly put Bakugo behind him. "Soooo." He proceeded to produce a thick stack of notebooks seemingly out of thin air. "With that in mind, why don't we discuss internships?"
The sudden shift from revealing his history and hurt to excitement caused more than one head to whip around in shock but only served to draw a laugh from Himiko.
"Really? After all that you just want to, what? Jump back to internships?"
"I mean kinda?" Izuku smiled sheepishly as he scratched at the back of his head. "That's why we all agreed to meet, isn't it? And unless people have a different opinion of me now I don't see why we can't just do that." He stared expectantly at the rest of the members at the table.
"Not sure how we would feel different about you." Mezo answered as the others nodded along. "And if you just want to move one…" He reached into his bag and pulled out the tablet that Tensei had given him earlier in the day. "I think I've narrowed it down between Octostar and Gang Orca."
"Two great choices Shoji!" Eyes gleaming, Izuku quickly shifted through his stack of notebooks before pulling out a pair labeled; Pro-Heroes #8 & #9. Flipping open the first he quickly turned to a page showing a sketch of a man with eight octopus arms coming from his back and sides. "So with Octostar he's a great choice if you want to focus on making the most of Dupli-Arms ability to split."
Izuku held the journal out as one of Mezo's tentacles snaked across the table to grab it from him.
"Now for Gang Orca." The second notebook was opened to the very first entry. "He's going to be the opposite of Octostar. With his advanced strength and situational awareness he would be a great choice if you want to lean more into merging your Dupli-Arms into a single mass and going for a more powerful attack."
Reaching out, Mezo took the second notebook before placing the pair open in front of him. "I was leaning more toward Gang Orca though…" He let out a chuckle. "More because he's the highest rank hero that sent me an offer."
"I was thinking of doing the same thing." Itsuka chimed in as she started to scroll through her options. "Uwabami sent me an offer and since she's rank fifteen I figured that it would be a good opportunity."
"Shoji, that's a great reason as well. Being number ten he should be able to help you figure out how to handle being a heteromorph in the limelight." Izuku didn't wait for Mezo to respond before he turned to look at Itsuka, shaking his head. "Kendo, that's a terrible choice."
"But you just said-" Itsuka started to protest before Izuku began to read something from his phone.
"Do not intern here, that's in all caps, I spent my entire internship doing nothing but being used as a prop for ads or being involved in commercials. We patrolled only one day and even then that 'patrol' was from the building we were staying in to a studio." Izuku set his phone down and slid it across the table toward Itsuka. "It seems every year she picks two or more students that she feels are the most attractive and uses them as props for her products."
Itsuka stared at the phone before she started scrolling through comment after comment under Uwabami's hero profile. "Shit…" Her eyes went wide as she gave Izuku a desperate look. "We need to tell Momo! She was texting me earlier saying that she was considering Uwabami as well."
"Just did." Kashiko answered for Izuku as she set her phone down. "I'm guessing she's going to ask for some help later."
"That's fine." Izuku sighed as he sank deeper into his chair. "I already figure I'm going to be living here until the deadline passes." He got out of his chair and moved toward Itsuka. "Was there anyone else on your list that you found interesting?"
"Well I was looking at Ryukyu…"
From either side of him, Himiko and Ochako watched him go before the former turned toward the latter. "Are you going to tell him?"
"About Miruko?" Ochako shook her head. "Not right now. We're going to hang out tonight and I figured I'd bring it up then." She sighed. "Sharing an internship like that is going to be something that we need to discuss between just the two of us."
"Fair enough." Himiko huffed in response before she turned to her right and toward Tsuyu. "So who are you thinking of going with Tsu?"
"Well, kero, I have a few options…"
++++++++++++++++++++
It was a silent 1-H that watched their fellow member begin to move among the heroics students, offering his thoughts on any of the internship choices they brought up.
"He's not coming with us to I-Island." Maina quietly remarked, causing the others to turn to look at her.
"He said he would consider it…" Taji weakly protested before trailing off with a sigh. "I guess we're losing class dad after all."
Rui nudged their friend with an elbow. "Midoriya won't just abandon us and you know it. Besides, he was clear earlier that he's going to do a dual track."
"If anyone could pull it off." Yuuko added as she looked over at a startlingly quiet Mei. "Everything ok Mei?"
Mei remained silent for a moment longer before she slowly nodded her head. Turning, she gave Yuuko an excited smile. "We've just been presented with a rare opportunity."
Yuuko turned to give Maina a confused look only to get a shrug in response, though it was Rui who answered for the group. "What do you mean?"
"Izuku is going to be training with a hero during internship week." Mei bluntly responded as she gave her classmates an expectant look.
This time Maina answered. "And?"
Despite nearly vibrating in her chair with excitement Mei gave them all an exasperated look. "He told us that Miruko sent him an offer and she's the number five hero."
"And?" Taji repeated as Mei started to grow even more excited.
"And he's going to need a costume!" Mei excitedly answered as she pulled a notepad from her pocket and began to scribble on it. "He's going to be running around with the number five pro hero and we're the only class with availability…" She stopped speaking only to give them an expectant look.
"OH!" Yuuko exclaimed as she slapped her hands together. "We can make him a costume."
"We're going to make the debut costume for the first Quirkless hero and the first costume of H Industries." Mei responded with a manic laugh.
"H Industries?" Maina asked as she leaned over to catch a glimpse of Mei's ever growing list of needed supplies.
"Izuku didn't think that I should name it after myself since we're all going to be working together after school." Mei answered dismissively as she continued to focus on what she was writing.
"Don't we get any say in this?" Taji grumbled to Yuuko, causing her to laugh.
"Did Izuku earlier in the year?"
Taji sighed. "Fair point."
"Shouldn't we ask for his input?" Rui interjected as they held up a hand, looking toward where Izuku and Hitoshi were speaking. "I'm not saying we don't do this but it will be his costume."
"He does need input and he will get it." Mei nodded sagely before a wicked grin took over. "Because I have. THIS!" She produced a well worn notebook with a flourish before placing it on the table next to her own notes and in the middle of the group.
Taji was the first to ask what they were all thinking. "When did you even have time to steal his notes?"
"Borrowed." Mei scoffed as she ignored the first part of Taji's question. She quickly flipped the notebook open until she stopped on a page filled with sketches of a certain green haired support student. "I borrowed his notes." She motioned toward the paper. "See, he has so many ideas we can borrow from."
"We shouldn't be doing this." Yuuko protested as she stared at the notebook, her hands moving toward the sketch paper in her backpack as she spoke.
"Probably not." Maina added as she rolled her chair next to Mei. "Move over."
Taji stared at his classmates before shaking his head and moving to join them, spotting Mezo's inquiring look as he did so. He turned toward the heroics student and mouthed 'not a word'.
Mezo, shaking his own head, grinned before turning back toward his conversation with Kashiko.
Satisfied, Taji leaned over and pointed toward one of the designs. "I think this would be a good starting point."
++++++++++++++++++++
"Alright I think that's everyone." Izuku turned to look at Ochako next to him. "Well almost everyone." She gave him a quick smile before he returned to his notes. "Let's see we have; Tsu with Selkie, Shoji with Gang Orca, Emily with X-Less?" He looked up and over toward the woman in question.
"I need to work on my laser control and his Quirk is perfect for that." Emily shrugged as she closed her personal holo-tablet. "He might be a small-time hero but he has the skills I want to learn."
Izuku simply shrugged. "Makes sense to me." He continued. "Itsuka is going to work with Ryukyu, Hitoshi with Eraserhead-"
"I guess I get to find out what Aizawa-sensei is like after all." Hitoshi's smile was at odds with the sigh he gave as he spoke.
"I'm sure you'll be fine." Himiko laughed. "It's not like he can expel you from U.A. on an internship."
"Unlike your choice in Nezu." Izuku quipped back for Hitoshi as he shook his head. "I still don't know why you accepted that, I said it as a joke." He paused. "Actually, I'm still lost trying to figure out why he offered in the first place."
"Look, if the rat wants to teach me how to mess shit up who am I to protest?" Himiko's words were met by a mad cackling over the gym's speaker system.
"I hate it when he does that." Ochako hissed as she looked around the room as if expecting Nezu to pop out of the walls.
"He did warn us that he would have cameras watching us here." Izuku responded, clearly not phased by the dean's antics, he turned to look at Kashiko. "Sekigai, still going with Ragdoll?"
Kashiko nodded as she scrolled through the information on her tablet. "Search is the closest that I'll get to Chart." She grinned. "That and since she's a member of the Wild Wild Pussycats it's going to be like having a whole team of mentors."
"Having their different perspectives could work." Izuku hummed as he thought to himself for a moment before the inevitable mutter storm took over. "Tiger is going to be able to test you physically while Ragdoll should have insights into your Quirk. Add in Pixie-Bob's Earth Flow creations you won't be lacking targets for Chart to try and keep track of. Mandalay is the only one that might not be directly involved but with her telepathy she might use that as some sort of training or warning system to test you."
A chuckle escaped Izuku as he lowered his hand from his mouth and looked at Kashiko once more. "How do you feel about cat motifs?"
"Midoriya I'm well aware of how the Wild Wild Pussycats dress." Kashiko responded as she rolled her eyes. "I'm just hoping they let me get away with something small like adding a cat paw charm to my belt."
"I doubt it." Mezo muttered to Tsuyu next to him, causing the woman to let out a soft croak.
Izuku smirked at the comment before glancing at his notes. "And that just leaves…" He turned to look at Ochako. "You still haven't said who you're going to go with Chako."
"I actually wanted to talk to you about that." Ochako glanced around the room, making sure to maintain eye contact with each member of 1-A for a second, before she settled onto Izuku once more. "But maybe later?"
"Ok?" Izuku's confusion was plain to see. He nodded his head slowly as he composed himself, suppressing his curiosity, and looked out at his friends. "So that's everyone." He grinned at the rest of 1-H. "Well almost everyone."
Yuuko waved him off. "Oh don't worry about us Izuku. We're only going to be taking off what is essentially a support student's paradise to intern with an elusive professional by the name of David Shield."
"I've never wanted a self duplication Quirk more." Izuku muttered under his breath but just loud enough for everyone to hear.
Laughter filled the room in response to his comment only to double as Himiko loudly added. "I'm sure we can ask Togeike if you can borrow hers."
++++++++++++++++++++
"You stole my only intern prospect." Emi playfully shouted as she entered her and Shota's shared apartment. "I could have taught him so many tricks to get people to laugh but nooooo he wanted to train with the hobo in a scarf."
A groan escaped Shota as he leaned his head over the back of the couch to look at Emi. "What are you talking about?"
Ignoring her boyfriend, Emi continued. "At least he's a polite one. He sent me an email thanking me for my offer but informing me that he was choosing a different hero to intern under." Her smile turned massive as she moved to stand over Shota. "He even ended the email asking me to tell you that he looks forward to learning from you."
Shota stared up at Emi from his seat, curiosity warring with perpetual exhaustion until the former won. "Who are you talking about and how the hell did they know we were dating?"
"Your intern for next week, one Shinso Hitoshi." Emi let out a boisterous laugh at the shocked look that Shota was giving her. "What, didn't you send him an invitation?"
"What did you do?" Shota groaned. I'm going to need a drink.
"Nothing." Emi's grin somehow grew even larger. "I just told that dear old dean of yours that you miss teaching so much that it might be in your best interest to have an intern."
"EM!" Shota growled as he straightened up and glared at the woman in question. "I told you that when it was just us!"
"And I'm tired of having you mope about because you let your own guilt get to your head for too many years." Emi shot back as her smile slowly faded. "Sho I'm worried about you and I know that Nezu has some sort of plan in place but you've hardly moved from the couch since the first day of the festival."
"I went to work."
"And when you got home you slept here instead of in bed with me." Emi's response was quiet and controlled but the emotion lacing though it nearly caused Shota to reel back. "I know you care about those kids and don't think I don't see how that Bakugo bastard's attack has affected you."
Moving around the couch Emi sank into the cushions next to Shota before she reached over and gently placed a hand on his face. "You made a mistake. You saw something that wasn't there and thought you knew what was best." She paused before quietly adding. "You were worried that you were going to be the reason that another Oboro happened."
"I-" Shota started to respond before the words got caught in his throat. "They need to know that this isn't a game…"
"And that comes with time and training." Emi responded as she made a soothing noise, pulling Shota into her as she did so. "You've always blamed yourself for his death, Sho, but it's time to move on."
"If only it were that simple." Shota whispered as he leaned into Emi.
"If only." Emi hummed as she gently started to run a hand through his hair. "But everything requires taking that first step. Talk to Rui."
"I'm not sure I can." Shota quietly replied before quickly adding more context at the disbelieving look Emi was giving him. "He's a colleague for one and I'm going to be out of town for a while."
"Oh." Emi's hand resumed her ministrations as she stared down at Shota. "Can you tell me where you're going? What about your new intern?"
"I still want to know how you convinced Nezu to put my name down." Shota felt a shiver run down his spine. "On second thought I don't." He refocused on Emi's face. "I'm going to Osaka and he's going to have to come with me I guess."
"Why Osaka?"
"Nezu has something he needs done there and I'm apparently the one to do it." Shota let out a bone-weary sigh. "But it will have to be delayed a week so I can help my new intern." He lowered his voice to a grumble. "Apparently."
Emi, using her well honed skill at ignoring Shota's grumbling, pressed on. "Is it related to the reason you're no longer teaching but still on Nezu's payroll?"
"Yes." Shota sighed as he stared at Emi for a moment. "Trust me Em this task is…" He shook his head. "...if Nezu is right it's going to change things."
"Do I get to know?"
"I can tell you when I get back." Shota answered as he leaned even further into Emi's embrace. "I'll be sending Shinso back without me and staying in Osaka for a while longer."
"How much longer?"
Shota was already shaking his head before Emi finished her question. "That depends on my task."
"Then I'll just hope you finish it quickly." Emi whispered as she continued to hold Shota close.
++++++++++++++++++++
"Thank you everyone for coming." Mezo gave the assembled group in front of him a smile. "I know that Tsunotori and I were a bit vague on the details but that's what this first meeting is for."
"Right!" Pony added as she bounced on her hooves. "I know all of us saw some of the comments from the sports festival and well… we wanted to make sure that everyone here had a friend to talk to."
"We actually wanted to have this meeting before the festival , kero, but Nezu said that there wasn't time." Tsuyu made sure to maintain eye contact with everyone in the room. "The next best thing was to make sure everyone knew someone before our internships."
The students looked around for a moment before Togaru spoke up. "I mean we're all in the heroics courses so it's not like we're strangers to each other."
"We can talk to our classmates." Manga added while Shihai nodded along.
"We can. But outside of this room how many of them can relate to the comments that heteromorphs like us get?" Mezo asked as he created eyes to look at multiple people at once. "While I'm sure I can talk to my friends, will any of them not in this room really understand how being called a beast makes me feel? Or snide remarks about calamari?"
Silence greeted Mezo as the assembled students from both 1-A and B thought through their past experiences.
"I mean nobody's ever been like that with me." Mina chimed in as she glanced toward the door. "While I'm happy you thought about me I'm not sure I belong here."
Pony shook her head as she stared at Mina. "Ashido, how many people have called you something along the lines of pinky or the like?"
"I mean it happens all the time." Mina replied with a nonchalant wave of her hand. "I got used to it ages ago. Though one bastard did call me his bubble gum baby and grrrr." She grit her teeth.
Toru reached over and took Mina's hand in her own. "I think that's what they're getting at Ashido."
Mina stared at Toru for a moment before an embarrassed blush turned her cheeks purple. "Oh."
"People used to give me apples at lunch and I never understood why they were laughing because I love apples." Pony gave Mina a sympathetic smile. "This is what we wanted this group for. To point out the discriminatory jokes or comments that we have gone numb to."
"I think this is a good idea." Kojiro commented as he looked toward his fellow 1-B classmates. "Vlad King might have some idea about Quirk discrimination but anyone here will be able to relate more to what we go through." His eyes turned downcast as he stared at the desk in front of him. "I doubt he's had to deal with people crossing the street just to avoid him."
"Or, kero, someone asking if they should grab you a heat lamp." Tsuyu added as she nodded her head. "We were originally going to have this meeting after our internships but we managed to convince Nezu to help us in that regard." She gave Mezo a nod, causing him to split his arms into a dozen tentacles holding stacks of paper.
"We asked him if it was possible to get a list of heroes that have… [Well…] shady histories when it comes to heteromorphs." Pony nodded toward the papers that Mezo was handing out. "If you see any of these heroes in your offers you might want to avoid them."
"Should we just stick with people who have heteromorph Quirks?" Dark Shadow asked as he read the paper over Fumikage's shoulder.
"If you want to." Mezo answered as he retracted his tentacles. "We didn't make this group to tell you who to pick or that we should think of this as an us versus them situation. We simply wanted people to remember and know that there are others within similar experiences."
"Well we are going to accept Hawks' offer." Fumikage responded as Dark Shadow nodded his head. "But if anyone needs someone to converse with, Dark Shadow and I will make ourselves available."
"I might not have someone as cool as Dark Shadow hanging around me all the time but same!" Toru giggled as she watched Fumikage blush and Dark Shadow preen. "I'm just happy you guys thought to include me."
"How could they not Hagakure? Everyone knows you're the life party." Mina laughed as she pulled her best friend into a side hug. "So do we have a name for this little get together?"
"{How about the HSG - Heteromorph Support Group?}" Koji signed as he looked toward Mezo, Tsuyu and Pony.
"The HSG sounds good to me, kero." Tsuyu nodded her head a few times. "Anyone object?"
The room grew quiet as the assembled students waited for someone to present another option but after a minute of silence Pony clopped a hoof onto the floor.
"Then the first meeting of the HSG is over."
++++++++++++++++++++
Despite knowing that Ochako was coming over Izuku couldn't help but be startled when someone knocked on his door.
"Coming." Izuku called as he stood from his desk, giving his newest notebook one last glance before making his way toward the door. He closed the short distance and opened the door to reveal a nervous looking Ochako. "Everything ok?"
"Kinda?" Ochako answered as she looked past Izuku and into his room. "I've just… well we've never hung out in your room before so…"
"Oh." Izuku's cheeks flushed a light red before he took a step to the side and motioned for Ochako to enter. "Well we're just going to talk so…"
"Right." Ochako gulped before she leaned up and placed a tender kiss onto Izuku's lips and entered his dorm room. Her nervous pout quickly turned into a small smile as she looked around, taking in the various hero posters on display as well as the wall of notebooks that flanked a well organized desk.
"You know I expected more merchandise."
"Hehe well there was more." Izuku rubbed at the back of his head as he moved to stand next to Ochako. "I felt it was time to get some actual sheets instead of hero ones and, well, I had to move the models out for their own safety."
"Mei?"
"Mei."
The obvious confirmation to her question caused Ochako to giggle as she made her way across the room and toward Izuku's desk. "So I wanted to talk to you about some things." Glancing down she spotted what looked to be a work in progress drawing of her. "Drawing me again?"
"You are too beautiful not to." Izuku smoothly replied as he crushed the embarrassed feeling in his gut. "Besides, I need a new drawing for a new notebook."
"A new notebook?" Ochako asked as she reached down and turned the object in question to its cover to read; Internships Year One. "I should have known."
"You should have." Izuku chuckled as he gave her a concerned look. "So what did you want to talk about?"
Ochako gave the drawing one last glance before turning around and leaning against the back of the chair, staring at Izuku. "A few things." She looked around, nervously biting her lower lip. "I'm not sure where to start."
"Why don't we start by sitting down." Izuku offered as he started toward a spare chair only to stop as Ochako sat down at the end of his bed. "Chako?"
"Don't be like that, we've sat on my bed before." Ochako responded, her natural blush darkening slightly. "Come on." She patted the space next to her.
Izuku stared at her for a moment before he took his place next to her. Reaching out, he took her hands in his own. "What did you want to talk about?"
Ochako paused for a moment before letting out a sigh and asking in a quiet voice. "What do you think about the Izanagi System?"
"I think that there's more to it than they're telling people." Izuku immediately responded. "It might be All for One or something else but they're leaving something out and I don't trust that." He shook his head. "I don't have any interest in putting myself at risk like that."
"I wonder how many will." Ochako whispered as she leaned into Izuku, resting her head on his shoulder.
"Most." Izuku softly answered as he leaned his head against hers. "People are going to see it as a miracle. An answer to their prayers."
"I-if I hadn't told you about All for One would you?" Ochako quietly asked as she nuzzled into the crook of Izuku's neck.
"No." Izuku replied as he twisted his head around and placed a loving kiss onto the crown of Ochako's head. "Maybe before we met, before I reached my breaking point, I might have but not now."
"I see." Ochako was silent for a moment as she forced down her nerves before she gently whispered. "Miruko sent me an offer."
Izuku froze at her words before suddenly bursting into motion as he pulled Ochako into a massive hug. "Chako, that's great news!" He proceeded to lift her off the bed and spin her around, all before giving her a searing kiss.
Dazed by the kiss, and dizzy from the spinning, Ochako leaned against Izuku to keep herself upright. "You're ok with me interning with Miruko?"
"Why wouldn't I be?" Izuku innocently asked as he cocked his head to the side. "She's an amazing pro hero and she never sends out internship offers. The fact that both of us got one is…" Izuku waved a hand about as he failed to find the word he was looking for.
"Unheard of?" Ochako supplied with a smile.
"Exactly!" Izuku exclaimed as he let Ochako go, causing her to stumble at the sudden lack of support, and charged toward his desk. Scooping up his notebook and producing a pen from somewhere, he quickly jotted down something in Ochako's entry before turning the page to his own. "We're going to be working together again." Izuku grinned as he finished writing.
"Just the two of us and a teacher." Ochako smiled at Izuku's antics as she retook her seat at the edge of his bed.
"And as tough as All Might was, I'm willing to bet that Miruko is going to be ten times worse." Izuku added with a chuckle as he set his notebook down before making his way over to rejoin Ochako. "We won't be able to coast through this."
"When have we ever coasted through anything?" Ochako countered with a giggle at Izuku's still overly excited demeanor.
"Never." Izuku replied before a sad look worked its way across his face. "We really haven't had time to train with just the two of us."
"We haven't had a lot of time for just the two of us in general." Ochako involuntarily muttered under her breath causing the both of them to stiffen.
Izuku stared at her for a moment before slowly nodding his head. "We really haven't."
"You know…" Ochako shifted around so that she was facing Izuku instead of looking toward the wall. "...we are alone now."
Her words caused Izuku to turn as well, the pair now mirrored one another as they sat at the end of his bed. The young couple stared at each other before Ochako made the first move. Reaching up, she looped her arms around his neck as she leaned up to give Izuku a kiss, one which he greedily reciprocated.
The shifting battle of lips and tongues lasted for a few minutes, only ending as Ochako pulled back from Izuku, causing him to let out a needy whine.
"Chako?" Izuku asked, his voice a husky and full of want.
Ochako was silent for a moment as she worried at her lower lip before giving herself a nearly imperceptible nod. "Izu can we try something?"
Izuku's eyes went wide and a blush quickly consumed his face as his mind thought up the possible implications her request could mean.
Sensing and seeing his reaction, Ochako's cheeks quickly took on a matching shade of red. "N-Not like that! I… I was just wonderin if I could have some of your blood?" She quickly flashed him her fangs. "I don need it as often as Himiko but… well…" Ochako trailed off as she gave Izuku a sheepish smile.
"Oh." Relief and a little disappointment were laced through Iuzku's tone as he stared at his girlfriend. "Of course you can Chako." He gave her a warm smile before holding out his arm.
"I-I was actually thinkin I could try it from your shoulder." Ochako lowered his arm before leaning in and placing a slow kiss on the crook of Izuku's neck. "S-so t-take your shirt off."
"Huh?" Izuku tensed up as Ochako started to play with the hem of his shirt. "Chako. Don't."
"Why?" Ochako muttered as she started to run her hands over his abs, growing more and more confident with each passing moment. "I don't care about your scars Izuku." She gently started to bunch his shirt higher. "I want to see them."
"B-but they're-" Izuku started to protest before Ochako claimed his lips.
"They're part of you and I could never dislike them." Ochako finished for him as she pulled back and shoved his shirt higher before coming to a stop. "I'll stop if you really want me to." Ochako whispered into his ear before gently nibbling on it.
"D-don't stop." Izuku moaned as Ochako resumed rubbing at his chest, bringing his shirt even higher. Lifting his arms, he allowed her to fully take it off as he watched her through hooded eyes, chuckling slightly as she aggressively threw it to the side.
Her task accomplished, Ochako leaned back and began to stare at the marred surface of Izuku's torso. Sensing Izuku's lingering hesitancy she leaned forward once more and began to gently trace the long healed craters and lines that marked him.
"I'm sorry you have these." Ochako whispered as she continued her task. "But they show that you've survived. That you're still here." She shifted around, her hands still dancing across his torso, until she was behind him. There she hesitated. "Are you still ok if I bite you?"
"Yes." Izuku responded as he twisted his head around to kiss Ochako, though he only got her nose. "Feel free love."
"Thank you." Ochako murmured as she shifted to her knees and lowered her mouth to his shoulder. Giving it a gentle lick, she waited to allow the anesthetic components in her saliva to numb his shoulder before her fangs bit down in a flash.
Ochako's eyes fluttered closed in bliss as the electric taste of ozone filled her mouth. A moan slipped out as she drew a mouthful of blood before swallowing it and taking another. Time seemed to slow before a shutter ran down Izuku's spine, breaking Ochako out of her euphoric trance and causing her to separate from him.
"Shit I'm sorry Izu." Ochako quickly inspected where she had bitten him before looking at his face. "Are you ok?"
"Yeah I'm fine." Izuku tiredly responded as he wrapped an arm around Ochako before falling back into his bed, pulling her with him.
"IZU!" Ochako shrieked as she felt herself fall into the mattress next to him. "Izu we can't do this."
"Do what?" Izuku asked innocently as he wrapped his arms around her. "Cuddle and fall asleep?" He leaned over and placed a delicate kiss onto her forehead. "We've done it before."
"On accident." Ochako weakly protested as she leaned into his arms.
"Then we can do it on purpose." Izuku whispered in response as he pulled her closer. "I'll let you go if you really want me to." He murmured in a tired voice.
"Never." Ochako replied as she nestled into him, her eyelids drooping.
++++++++++++++++++++
"I can't help but feel that this is going to be an ongoing problem." Naomasa sighed as he stared at the very thin folder of information in front of him. "We have nothing to go on, let alone enough to get a search warrant."
"Kid, we don't have time to get a warrant." Sorahiko thunderously tapped his cane on the ground. "If that damn demon is making a move like this he's already twenty steps ahead of us."
"We don't know that it is him." Toshinori replied as he turned to look at Chiyo. "Theoretically is it possible that someone has figured out how to transfer Quirks?"
"Theoretically?" Chiyo let out a contemplative hum before she nodded her head. "I would say that in the most theoretical sense it would be possible." Seeing the shocked looks from the three men in the room she held up a hand. "BUT we would be talking about expansive testing and research that would span decades if not a century." She shook her head. "If someone cracked the complex genetic code that would be required to remove, let alone give, a Quirk we would have known about it long before now."
"So that leaves two options." Nezu chimed in as he tapped his cigar against his ashtray. "Either the Izanagi System is a front for All for One or Detnerat somehow managed to get ahold of a copy of All for One."
"Couldn't they capture All for One?" Naomasa asked, clearly not believing the question himself as he did so.
"No." Toshinori instantly responded as he folded his arms across his chest. "It would be impossible to hold All for One against his will. The number of Quirks that he has stolen, let alone his own mental capacity." He shook his head.
"I thought you killed the bastard years ago." Sorahiko aggressively pointed his cane at Toshinori. "Are we sure he's back?"
"Sensei, who else could have put multiple Quirks into Nomu?" Toshinori countered with a sigh. "I thought I took care of him but the existence of Nomu and this Izanagi System prove that he remains at large."
"So then if we know this new blasphemy is controlled by All for One we need to treat it as a real threat." Sorahiko looked around the room before settling on Nezu. "Do we have a plan?"
"At the moment our options are limited." Nezu sighed as he puffed on his cigar for a moment. "Since Detnerat is a public company they will show off their creation to shareholders soon but an event like that won't give us the in-depth look we require."
"That having been said, I've already heard talk from the HPSC about sending an investigation team to inspect the system. Nezu turned to look at Chiyo. "They are going to send out a request for medical personnel some time next week I'd imagine."
"I can't leave campus." Chiyo huffed as she glared at the dean. "The students need me around to keep them in one piece."
"I think we need an engineer for this, not a doctor." Sorahiko gave Chiyo his most apologetic look, that is to say he lessened his scowl. "No offense to present company, but this creation seems to run on mechanics more than medicine."
"We should be more concerned with getting someone on the team, regardless of their speciality." Naomasa interjected, cutting off Chiyo's response in the process. "Anyone from the HPSC won't know what to look for. At least in regards to traces of All for One."
"So then we need an expert engineer who we can trust with the full secrets of All for One and thus by proxy One for All." Nezu turned an expectant look at Toshinori.
"I can think of someone who might fit that description." Toshinori let out a tired sigh. "I just hope he forgives me for lying to him over the years."
Nezu let out a cackle. "I'm sure he will forgive you. Now." Nezu's paws flew across his keyboard before he gave Toshinori a predatory smile. "Will you be traveling as All Might or Yagi Toshinori?"
Toshinori stared at Nezu for a moment, clearly confused, before answering. "When will I be going?"
"Next week of course." Nezu answered as he typed out the name Yagi Toshinori. "I'll send you on the same plane that we chartered for class 1-H and members of 2-H and 2-I." As he spoke the sound of a printer booting up filled the room before a single sheet of paper was spat out, only for him to snatch it a second later. "There we go, one boarding pass for Yagi Toshinori, U.A. professor escorting our students to the island."
Toshinori stared at Nezu for a moment before letting out a sigh and shrugging his shoulders. "I guess I'm going to I-Island."
++++++++++++++++++++
"So you see Jade Lion that it's important to make sure people see you while on patrol." Kouki, otherwise known as the pro hero Mane, said as he escorted his intern down the streets of Deika. "People like us need to stick together."
"People like us?" Akina asked as she held a hand out to her side, stopping Kaishin's annoyed growl dead in its tracks. "What do you mean?"
"Lion based heroes of course." Kouki let out a growling laugh. "Anyone who's part lion or has a lion Quirk is part of the same pride in my eyes." He grinned down at Akina before continuing on. "And a pride always has to look out for its members."
"Right…" Akina shared a look with Kaishin before shrugging and moving on. "So do you normally patrol Deika?"
"Well that question has a complicated answer." Kouki laughed.
"How the hell is it complicated?" Kaishin growled under his breath, making sure that only Akina heard him. "It's a yes or no question."
"How's it complicated?" Akina asked for the pair, fighting back her grin at Kaishin's snark as best as she could.
"See I'm set to patrol both here and in Okayama." Kouki waved toward a group of civilians as they walked past. "I spend a month there before spending a month here."
"I thought heroes had their set cities and were only called elsewhere when they were needed." Akina raised an eyebrow as she stared at Kouki. "So how are you moving between two cities so often?"
"I'm technically a ronin hero." Kouki replied, his smile now appearing somewhat forced. "I just move between the two cities instead of going across the country."
I thought Miruko was the only ronin hero… Akina thought to herself before nodding along, more than content to allow Kouki to talk.
"You'll actually find that most, if not all, of the pro heroes in Deika rotate between here and other cities." Kouki continued, oblivious to his intern's disinterest. "Like myself, many find that this is the best city in the country. It really is a place where we can express our Meta abilities to the fullest."
Kaishin tilted his head to the side as his eyes narrowed while Akina raised an eyebrow. "Meta ability?"
"Oh, just another name for a Quirk. People used to call them Meta skills or abilities." Kouki laughed as he let Akina down the next street, continuing to wave at the citizens along the street as he did so. "As you spend more time here in Deika you'll find that most people prefer to remind themselves of their roots." He flashed Akina a confident smile before turning away.
"I don't remember anyone using that term before we came here." Kaishin eyed Kouki warily. "Don't trust him, little one."
"Don't worry, I don't." Akina muttered under her breath as she followed along, once more the feeling that someone was watching washed over her. "Do you feel that too Kai?"
"Yes." Kaishin grumbled as he sniffed at the air, his head going from side to side. "There are too many smells I can't pin them down."
"Then we'll just have to keep on our toes." Akina answered as she too started to look around.
What both Quirk and human missed the shadowy outline of three people watching them from across as many different roofs.