CHAPTER 3: REUNION

"They're going to take Earth for themselves and claim it as their new home."

All Might let those words sink in. Inko gasped and stared at Izuku, as if he would tell her that it was not true. When he didn't say anything to contradict or challenge All Might's words, Inko just covered her face and started muttering unintelligibly to herself. Praying, perhaps.

For his part, Izuku couldn't afford to let panic or denial get a hold of him. He was training to be a pro hero, which meant he needed to keep a cool head and try to find a solution, no matter how dire the situation. His analytical brain was already working at full speed.

An alien invasion. It sounded crazy at first, but when he really thought about it, it wasn't that different from a villain attack. Contrary to how it was depicted in the movies, Earth wasn't completely helpless. They had powerful war weapons and thousands upon thousands of trained heroes with strong Quirks all over the world. At the very least, they wouldn't go down without a fight.

They already had some intel on the attack, so all they needed to do was contact the authorities and coordinate a defense strategy, preferably on an international scale.

"Would the authorities even believe us, though?" Inko asked softly, and Izuku realized he had been talking out loud, as usual.

His mother made a good point, though. Everyone had always laughed at the idea that All Might had been abducted by aliens. Even if the former Number One Hero returned and tried to warn everyone about the impending invasion, would anyone take him seriously? Or would they claim that he was going senile or that his skull had taken too many hits?

"Maybe we can start with people in positions of power that are closer to us," said Izuku. "The principal, for example, or Detective Tsukauchi… What do you think, All Might?" He called out, having noticed that his mentor was strangely quiet.

While Izuku had been thinking, All Might had stood up and walked over to the nearest window. It took him a moment to respond to Izuku, and he looked uncomfortable.

"Oh… I was just wondering if fighting them like villains would really be the right thing," he said.

"They are villains," Inko pointed out, getting increasingly angry. "They want to take over the Earth, and they'll annihilate us or… or at least force us to work for them or something! That sounds villainous enough to me!"

"Realistically speaking, our chances in a direct confrontation aren't very good," said All Might. "We have weapons? They have better weapons. We have strong Quirks? They have advanced technology. We're smart? They're smarter."

"We can still try! We can't just let them take our planet from us without a fight!"

"Even if we beat them," All Might went on, unfazed, "they're still an entire race of intelligent beings with feelings and beloved ones, with nowhere to go. It just doesn't sit right with me to treat them like villains. They're just trying to survive."

Right, he had almost forgotten that All Might had made friends with some of them. The same friends who had apparently brought All Might back just so he could warm Earth's authorities and save his planet from his friends' own race.

With a sigh, Izuku joined his mentor by the window.

"What do you suggest, then? A diplomatic mission, maybe? Do you think we could convince the aliens not to invade?"

All Might didn't reply, instead choosing to stare at the sky out of the window. Izuku followed his gaze and contemplated the stars. A starry sky had always been a fascinating, relaxing view, and yet Izuku couldn't relax now, knowing what or who was up there with them, with their eyes on the Earth.

"I don't know," All Might finally said with a sigh. "All I know is that we don't have much time left to decide."

xxx

Needless to say, Izuku didn't get much sleep that night. His eyes kept darting to the window in his bedroom, half expecting to see a fleet of alien ships coming to invade Earth. Closing the curtains didn't help; any little noise from outside made him jump.

He couldn't even bring himself to be excited about the fact that All Might was sleeping on his couch in the living room.

Apart from the paranoia, his brain was still busy coming up with possible strategies to defend Earth against the attack. At one point, he gave up trying to fall asleep and got his notebook to write down his ideas. Before he knew it, the sun had already risen and it was time for breakfast.

His mother looked like she hadn't gotten any sleep either. Dark rings surrounded her eyes and her hands shook slightly, although she tried to hide it. Her smile was strained when she greeted him.

All Might, on the other hand, looked well-rested and more chipper than he had any right to be, given the circumstances. "First time in two years that I've slept on something soft and comfy," he explained. Izuku was unsure how such a tall man could be so comfortable on a small couch, but then again, he didn't know where All Might had been sleeping while being held captive by aliens.

While they were eating breakfast, Izuku said, "I have to go back to the dorm and get ready for school. Do you think you still have your stuff at the teachers' dorm?"

"I have no idea," All Might replied, and then he sighed. "I wouldn't be surprised if they gave it all away, though. At any rate, I'll have to talk to the principal." He paused, and then added, "Nedzu is still the principal, right?"

Izuku nodded, his mouth full. All Might looked relieved. He did have a lot of trust in Nedzu, so Izuku assumed that All Might was glad to have one more ally he could count on.

"I suppose they have hired someone else to replace me, too," All Might remarked.

"Oh… yeah…" Izuku murmured vaguely, wondering if he should tell All Might any more. The retired hero seemed to be in good spirits, and Izuku didn't want to risk ruining his mood, not knowing how he would react.

Speaking of which, how would everyone react to seeing All Might, after two years missing?

"All Might, I just had a great idea!" said Izuku, with a wide grin.

xxx

Izuku was glad to see that all of his classmates — even Katchan — were waiting for him in the common room, just like he had asked in his text message. They all turned to look at him when he arrived, some of them looking confused, some worried, some bored and impatient, and some were even relieved.

He couldn't help but grin in excitement, and seemingly, that helped put at ease those who were worried, although they still appeared to be very confused.

"Midoriya, there you are!" said Iida, gesturing robotically with his hands. "What is the reason for this urgent meeting? Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong! Everything is great, actually!" replied Izuku, eager to reassure them. "I have an amazing surprise for you guys!"

"Well, get on with it, then! We're going to be late for class," said Iida, ever the strict class representative. Meanwhile, several other students leant closer, their curious eyes fixed on Izuku.

Izuku stepped to the side of the door, his arms extended like a magician about to perform a magic trick, and shouted, "Now!" This effect was enhanced by the poof of smoke that followed.

He kept his gaze on his classmates, watching their reactions. Even the more stoic ones widened their eyes as a muscular figure over seven feet tall seemed to materialize in front of them, trademark grin in place.

"I am here!" All Might's booming voice filled the room.

The room was silent for three whole seconds before Ashido screamed.

"Whaaaaaat?!"

And then everyone was surrounding All Might and talking at the same time. Several students actually embraced him, forming a group hug. Uraraka started sobbing.

Amidst all the noise and tearful embraces, All Might laughed, hugging back and patting the students on the head.

"Look at you! You've all grown so much!" he remarked. "So many familiar faces… Uh, wait, that one is new," he said, pointing at the only student who hadn't moved from his spot, leaning against the wall, typing on his phone as if nothing were happening.

"That's Shinso," said Kirishima.

"He was invited to join the Hero Course last year after Mineta was expelled for, um, inappropriate behavior," Yaoyorozu explained.

"Mr. Aizawa personally vouched for him," Kaminari complemented. "He's cool."

"Oh, yes, I remember him from the Sports Festival," said All Might. He approached the quiet teenager and extended his hand for a handshake. "Congratulations on making it to the Hero Course, my boy!"

Shinso eyed the offered hand suspiciously, barely spared a glance at All Might's face, and returned his attention to his cellphone. "Yeah, thanks," was all he said in response.

All Might looked a little taken aback at first, but then turned to Midoriya and said, in a playful tone, "He's Aizawa's protégé, all right."

"Shinso, that's rude!" Ashido scolded. "Don't ignore All Might!"

"Yeah, man, what's your deal?" Kaminari joined the chorus.

"Not a manly attitude," was Kirishima's judgement.

"Who fucking cares about him, anyway?" said Bakugo, glaring daggers at Shinso, who continued to ignore all of them.

Suddenly, a poof of smoke surrounded All Might again and he was back in his true form. He seemed confused for a moment and then turned to the door. Izuku and his classmates did the same, feeling the atmosphere tense.

Aizawa was at the door, his eyes glowing red and his hair up in the air as he glared at All Might. He blinked to deactivate his Quirk, but the glare did not go away.

Izuku was aware that Aizawa had never been a big fan of All Might and his methods as a hero and as a teacher, but as far as he knew, Aizawa didn't outright dislike him. Izuku couldn't imagine why his homeroom teacher would be so displeased to see a long-missing co-worker again.

Aizawa turned his glare momentarily to Izuku and then to All Might again.

"All Might. Midoriya. The Principal wants to see you in his office. Now."