Chapter 9: Pre-Sports Festival

Green

Izuku

I dropped my bags and sprinted into the wreckage, unconsciously activating my Quirk.

"Hey, you can't be in here!" cried one police officer, but I sped past him like a green phantom. My hearts felt like they were pounding in my throat, and cold sweat had broken out all over my body. My hands felt clammy and wet, and my breathing was rapid and uneven.

Please, please let her be alright.

I dashed into the ruins of my once beautiful home, hopping over remnants of walls and furniture. The living room and the kitchen were a wreck, debris spread out chaotically over the floorboards. I didn't care about the mess, but rather anxiously scanned the scene for signs of blood. All I saw was an officer with a dog-head sniffing around the scene.

Not here.

I headed upstairs, searching through every single room. Some of them were closed off from the collapsed ceiling, but I forced my way through with brute strength.

Not here, not here, not here either…

With each failure to locate my mother, my anxiety levels spiked.

Where the hell could she be?

The last room I checked was the master bedroom. Her room. Already, a sense of doom had pervaded my entire being. From beyond the door, I could already smell the overwhelming stench of blood. I felt bile rush up into my mouth from the nausea I was experiencing right now.

Please, I begged whatever God there was, don't let me find her body in there.

With trembling hands, I pushed open the door, peering inside fearfully. My stomach immediately dropped. I bent over and threw up where I stood.

Within the room, painted on the walls with fresh blood, was a message.

Remember me forever. T.

No. No, no, no. Not her. Not my mother.

I staggered into the room, wiping bile from the corner of my mouth. There was no body, which both relieved me and terrified me. They have her.

They fucking had my mother. Tomura Shigaraki kidnapped my mother. Esdeath kidnapped my mother.

Replacing the nausea and the fear was a towering sense of anger and hatred.

How dare they!? HOW FUCKING DARE THEY!?

From the doorway came a stern voice, "Hey kid, you can't just barge into a crime scene–"

"GET OUT!" I roared, unleashing One for All in it's entirety. The limiter around my neck started sparking and smoking, the circuitry unable to withstand the torrent of power that was fuelled by my rage. With a snap, it shattered, allowing the full impact of One for All to rush out impeded. A wave of force was released angrily, like a tsunami, and buffeted the surroundings with an insurmountable pressure. The dog-headed man who was standing by the door was blasted through the walls, rocketing out the house and landing heavily on the ground outside. Winded, but alive. The fragile foundations of the house, already weakened from the battering it took earlier, finally collapsed fully, bringing the entire building crashing down. I stood proudly among the wreckage like an unparalleled deity of destruction. The waves of pressure emanating from me made clear my displeasure at the sheer gall of the mortals who dared to intrude in my territory.

All of the officers who had previously been investigating the house, including the dog-headed man, were currently on their knees, gasping for breath. The bystanders had long since dispersed, sprinting away in fear. Intellectually, I knew that they had nothing to do with this. In fact, they were only trying to help. But I was just so angry, so full of rage, that I just wanted to lash out at the world.

Lash out at the world that dared to take my mother from me. Lash out at everyone and everything. I wanted to crush bone, to rend flesh, to drink blood. My fists clenched at my side. It would be so easy to kill everyone here right now…

"Halt," called a new voice, "whoever you are. Cease your actions right now. You are surrounded by pro heroes. If you do not surrender willingly, we will be forced to subjugate you with force."

I turned my head to glare at the new source of my ire. A man, with skin made out of wood, and a wooden mask, crouched on a pole by the street. I recognised him as Kamui Woods. Next to him, already in her giant form, was Mt. Lady. I recognised Death Arms as well. The three of them were glaring at me, already in combat-ready forms. Their expressions were tense and focused, ready to spring into action the moment I decided to do anything.

Seeing them, seeing the heroes so guarded against me, brought me out of my rage a little. They're scared, I realised, of me. The epiphany was so shocking that the pressure I was exerting let up immediately, causing the officers on the ground to gasp and finally start breathing again.

This wasn't who I am. I wasn't a… a villain. The rage left me that instant, leaving only emptiness and sorrow. I raised both my hands slowly in surrender, showing the tense heroes I was unarmed.

"My name is Izuku Midoriya," I called out, "A resident of this house. I'm not going to fight."

They glanced at each other uncertainly.

"I'll come quietly," I added, "no fuss."

I let Kamui Woods bind me. It would make them feel more at ease, and it wasn't like I couldn't break out of them in a instant anyway.

"We're still going to have to take you in," He said, "Just in case."

"I understand," I nodded, " Lead the way."

Green

"Young Midoriya," I raised my head to All Might's voice, "Thank goodness you're all right! I came as soon as I heard."

I was currently seated in an interrogation room within the Musutafu Police Department, cuffed to the table. It was more symbolic than anyway, because everyone knew that if I wanted to break out the cuffs were definitely not going to stop me.

"What happened?" He asked, stepping into the room. I shrugged. I wasn't feeling like talking at the moment.

Behind him was the dog-eared officer from earlier.

"Well, it seems like this was all a big misunderstanding," the officer spoke up, "this young man broke into the crime scene unannounced, and then proceeded to run around rampantly. When we tried to stop him, he unleashed a wave of pressure that destroyed the building and paralysed every unit on the field."

All Might nodded.

"But given that his story checks out, we decided to write this whole thing off. The entire department grieves for you," the man stated, looking at me with pitying eyes. "We're sorry for your loss."

I stayed silent. I didn't want to talk to anyone. I didn't want to see anything. I just wanted to curl up and cry.

All Might gave a huge sigh, turning to the man, "Thank you, detective. May I have a moment with Young Midoriya here, privately?"

"Of course. Take all the time you need."

He retreated out of the room. All Might sank wearily into the seat across of me, looking at me in worry. He didn't speak, nor did I offer to spark up a conversation, so the room was left in silence.

"It's not your fault," he started, after a while.

"You can't blame yourself."

I gave a bitter laugh.

"Can't I?" I said, "I was the one who let them escape today. If I had just gone in for the kill immediately, none of this would have happened. My mother would still be here."

I glanced up at All Might, "They took her, sensei. They took my mother." I said brokenly. He flinched.

"How can I possibly not blame myself?" I sank my face into my palms, breathing heavily through my nostrils.

All Might was silent for a long time. It felt like he was struggling to figure out what he wanted to say. I didn't care. I was too busy stewing in my own misery.

"I know a little bit about what you're feeling right now," he said, "The rage. The anger. The despair. The helplessness."

"All for One took the woman I treated as a mother away from me when I was not much older than you, too."

I glanced up at him in surprise. I had never heard this story before.

"Back then I was a ball of rage. I wanted to seek revenge immediately, without regard for the law or anything. But Gran Torino stopped me. He beat the shit out of me, then he grabbed my shirt and said, 'Save your power.'"

All Might looked at me, "That was the reason I went to America. I needed to train, to become more powerful, to hide my strength until I was strong enough to face All for One."

"So I understand your frustration, your urgency, your restlessness, Izuku," he said, "but you cannot go seek revenge right now. Your anger is still too hot, the wound too fresh; you would inevitably do something you'll regret."

"I can't possibly do nothing," I protested, "they have my mom. They could be doing anything to her, right now. I have to save her."

"Yes, Inko Midoriya must be rescued with all haste," he agreed, "but leave that to the pro heroes. Leave that to the police department."

"I can't," I said, "I can't trust anyone with this. This is too important."

"That is exactly why you must leave this to others," said All Might, "you are too close. It will blind you."

"What's the point of having all this power if I can't use it to save who I want?" I smashed the table, causing it to break down the middle. All Might didn't bat an eye.

"What's the fucking point of any of this? Why–" I started sobbing, "Why was I playing pretend hero at school while they hurt my mom? Why didn't I go straight home today? I should've been there to protect here."

"I failed her." I closed my eyes, internally imagining the agonized screams of my mother as Shigaraki tortured her.

"Izuku–" All Might gazed at me with sorrowful eyes.

"Stop telling me to sit back and do nothing!" I yelled, standing up from my seat, "I'm going after them, no matter what."

"You cannot," All Might said, "You are still just a student. Not a hero. You are not allowed to use your Quirk to fight. It is against the law."

"Screw the law right now! My mother's life is in danger."

"That is not the hero way–"

"Saving my mother IS the hero way!"

"Then you need to redefine what it means to be a hero, right here, right now," All Might was incomparably serious when he said this.

"I had hoped to leave this lesson until a few years into the future, but it seems like time doesn't wait for anyone," he jabbed a finger into my chest, "A hero's smile is like no other. We don't smile because we are happy, because we are joyful. No, that is the smile of a normal person, a civilian. Our smile is an attitude, a uniform, like the suits we put on to combat evil every single day. It is a symbol of peace, of strength, of safety. My master once passed these words down to me: A person who can smile is the strongest. Do you understand?"

"Ask yourself this: Is a hero someone that will ignore the law at the drop of a hat when it suits him? What is a hero to you? What is justice to you?"

Every question was punctuated by another heavy jab into my chest.

"As your predecessor, I can give you power, and guidance. But I cannot, and will not, teach you how to be a hero. That is something you must figure out for yourself."

He turned and stepped out the door.

"I'll be outside. Come find me when you think you have an answer."

He shut the door behind him. I collapsed onto my seat, staring down at my hands.

What is a hero to me?

Before, it had seemed so black and white. A hero defeats villains and upholds justice. It was that easy. But now the illusion had been shattered, and I began to realize that it wasn't all so simple.

For the first time in my life, I felt the true weight of justice settle on my shoulders. I could go and look for my mother right now, ignoring the law. I had the power and resourcefulness to do it, I was sure. But I would be going against the law to do it. I would be throwing away my dream of being a hero. I would be turning my back on All Might's legacy.

I covered my face with my palms. My shoulders started to shake, and I felt drops of warm liquid trail down my hands.

Why the hell was this happening to me? Why couldn't God just give me a break?

Everything had been going so well today, too. The heroes routed the villains, that should've been the happily ever after. But real life isn't like that. Real life has consequences, said a dark voice in my head.

I was torn with indecisiveness. What do I do?

Is a hero someone that will ignore the law at the drop of a hat? All Might's words rang in my head, A person who can smile is the strongest.

My fists clenched at my side.

Very well.

I will trust the heroes this time.

Green

Momo

Izuku hadn't been in class today, and that made me slightly worried. Not many people noticed, or if they did they didn't say anything. Morale was still high after our victory yesterday, and Aizawa-sensei was even well enough to come teach homeroom today, albeit heavily wrapped in bandages. Izuku's empty chair was left unmentioned.

At the end of the day, after Aizawa's surprise announcement about the upcoming Sports Festival in a week, I headed to the teachers lounge.

Knocking on the door, I waited until I heard a voice saying 'come in!' before I turned the knob.

"Young Yaoyorozu?" All Might blinked in surprise at seeing my figure standing hesitantly by the door. "How may I assist you?"

"Um," I wasn't sure how to phrase the question, "I just wanted to inquire about my fellow classmate Izuku Midoriya. He hasn't been in class today, and he's not been replying to any of my messages or returning my calls. I'm quite worried about him."

All Might winced a little, making me tilt my head in curiosity.

"Ah," he said, "Young Midoriya has been met with an unfortunate accident last night. He has requested a day of leave, and the school has seen fit to grant it to him."

"What? Is he alright? What happened?"

All Might sighed, "I suppose you'll all find out eventually. No harm in telling you now."

"Last night, Izuku's house was attacked by the same villains from USJ. They destroyed his house, and kidnapped his mother. We don't know if she's alive or not."

I gasped, putting my hands over my mouth. My god–! Poor Izuku!

"How–What–" My voice wavered, "Where is he? How can I find him?"

That man needs someone by his side right now.

"He's temporarily living in a hotel right now," All Might said, "I can give you the address if you want."

"Yes, please." He scribbled something down on a note and passed it to me.

"Young Yaoyorozu," he said as I turned to walk out, "Please be gentle with him. He's gone through a lot these few days."

"Of course. You can count on me."

Hang in there, Izuku.

Later…

Pulling up to the address stated in the note, I noticed that it was a dingy little place in the outskirts of Musutafu. I frowned a little at the condition of the building. It had chips of paint falling off from the bricks, and the décor needed serious improvement.

"Is the guest in room 27 still in?" I asked the reception desk.

"Sure," the clerk grunted, "hasn't left all day."

"Thank you."

Walking up to room 27, I hesitated a bit, before buzzing the bell. There was silence for a few minutes, before a muffled voice from behind the door answered, "who is it?"

I recognized the voice of my 'boss' immediately.

"It's me, Momo," I said, "Can I come in?"

The other side was silent, before the lock slowly turned and he opened the door warily.

"How did you find me?" He asked. "I made sure to turn off my phone."

"I asked," I said, "All Might gave me your address."

He rolled his eyes, "Of course he did." He said, slightly exasperatedly.

"May I come in?"

"Sure."

He moved aside to let me in the room. The inside was… well, a hotel room. Nothing special, really. There was a small TV that was off, a bed, a desk, and a bathroom. That was it. I noticed Izuku was still in his school uniform. I wrinkled my nose a bit.

"You stink," I said, "Are you still wearing the clothes from yesterday?"

He gave me a wry glare, "Well, I don't really have a choice. Everything else was destroyed last night. I only have what's on my back right now."

I deflated slightly at the reminder of last night's tragic events. "Oh, right," I said despondently, "I'm sorry for bringing it up. You must be feeling awful right now."

Izuku shrugged, "I've… had time to cool down a bit." He gave a wan smile, "It's out of my hands for now."

"I'm surprised you can still find the energy to smile despite the circumstances." I said.

"Hmph," he gave a low, mirthless chuckle, "A person who can smile is the strongest."

He gave me a wide smile that was so fake it shattered my heart to pieces.

"Oh, Izuku," I cooed, stepping forward and wrapping him in the biggest hug I could manage. It was tough wrapping my arms around his six foot plus frame, but he didn't resist, which made it easier. I pulled his head down to my bosom, wrapping my arms around his neck and shoulders, rubbing the back of his head in small, soothing circles. His arms came up to wrap around my waist. We stood there, breathing through the moment. I could smell the faint scent of shampoo in his hair, as well as the unique musk that came with all males.

Eventually, we separated,

"Let's get you out of those dirty clothes," I said, "I'll make you new ones."

"Thanks," he replied, "Appreciated."

I turned around and unbuttoned my uniform. A brief glow of light later, a simple, white cotton shirt and a pair of loose, black shorts were folded neatly in my hands. I offered them to Izuku, who took them with a smile of gratitude.

"Thanks," he said, "I'll go change into them right now. Get me out of these smelly clothes."

He walked into the bathroom. About a minute later, he walked out, now decked in the new clothes I made for him.

"They fit you well," I complimented.

"You have a good eye for measurements," he replied, "I'm impressed."

He turned his head slightly, face going a little flush. He scratched his cheeks awkwardly, "Could I, uh, bother you to make something else for me?"

"Of course, anything to make you more comfortable," I immediately agreed. He deserved everything in the world right now. If I could make it, I would.

"I need," he coughed, "a clean pair of underwear, please. The ones I have right now are still dirty so I left it inside with the rest of the clothes."

"Oh," I said, my face warming as well, "I see."

Wait, does that mean he's not wearing anything beneath his shorts?

My traitorous eyes flickered towards his junk.

"Um, are boxers fine with you?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Okay, I'll make them for you. What's uh," my face was definitely flaming red by now, "What's your size?"

Oh god, Momo, just ask him in the most awkward possible way. Please.

"I don't know," he seemed uncomfortable too, "large?"

"I don't know what that means," I snapped in embarrassment, "you need to show me."

He gaped at me. "What?"

I realized how he could have interpreted that.

"No," I quickly backtracked, "not literally. Just, show me with your hands."

He mimed something in the air.

"Wow," my eyes bugged out slightly "really?"

He nodded.

"That's," I swallowed, "quite commendable."

"Can we stop talking about this already?" He snapped, "Just make it, alright?"

"O-oh, of course. One moment."

He went back inside to change. While he was inside, I quickly pressed my palms to my face, only to groan when I felt how hot my cheeks were. They were practically radiators, at this point.

We avoided eye contact like the plague when he came back out, finally. After a short silence, he cleared his throat and said, "Um, take a seat anywhere, I guess. I'm sorry I can't offer you much, but would you like water or something?"

"It's alright, Izuku, you don't have to do anything for me. I'm here for you, today."

"If you're sure." He sat down on the bed, fiddling with his hands. He seemed unsure of what to say.

I sighed and sank down next to him, our combined weights causing a dent in the flimsy hotel mattress. I rested my head against his broad shoulders, and wrapped my arms around his waist in a comforting hug. We stayed like that for a while, simply enjoying each other's body warmth.

Eventually, he spoke up.

"Momo, why are you doing this?"

"Hmm?" I tilted my head up to look at him inquisitively, "What do you mean?"

"This," he gestured vaguely at our entwined forms, "getting close to me, becoming my sidekick, comforting me. Why are you being so nice? We've only just met. I'm practically a stranger to you."

I hummed in consideration at his question.

"Well, for some reason, you don't feel like a stranger," I said, "and I'm doing this because I'm your sidekick. And sidekicks stick by their boss' through thick and thin."

"Is that all the reasons? Just because you're my sidekick?"

"Yeah, that's all."

I don't know.

"Well, thank you then, for choosing me to be your partner."

"Anytime."

We hugged a little more, but eventually I had to leave.

"I'll come back tomorrow to visit," I said, "Do you think you'll be up for school tomorrow?"

He gave me a tired smile.

"Maybe not tomorrow," he grinned, "But perhaps the day after."

I nodded. "Got it," I said, "I'll take notes for you so you can keep up. By the way, the UA Sports Festival is next week, so you better prepare for that too."

Izuku looked surprised, "So soon?" He asked.

"Well, it looks like I should starting training, then."

"Well, I'll be leaving now. See you tomorrow."

"See you. And, Momo," he grabbed my arm, "Thank you."

I gave him a coquettish wink, "Anytime."

For the following week, I went to visit Izuku at his hotel after school every single day. He'd greet me by the door, invite me inside, and I'd then spend about an hour catching him up on schoolwork. I always brought an extra copy of homework with me so he could do them to. I'd hand them in for him the next day.

After the hour of studying, we'd sit and chat a little bit about the day. I told him that the class had learned of what happened to him, and were all sending him well wishes. He'd ask about my day, and I would tell him about all the shenanigans Class 1A got up to.

"They're a wild and unruly bunch," I told him, "They need their class president to come back to put them in their place."

The green-haired boy would always smile at this, shaking his head.

"Not yet," he'd say, "Just a few more days."

We'd then go training together in preparation for the upcoming festival. He had a lot of ideas for my Quirk, and we tested them out in spars one by one. It was nice having an opponent I could go all out against without fear of hurting.

We spent the week like this, the days passing by in a blur. The time I spent with him quickly became the highlight of the day for me, and I spent every minute of the day in anticipation of the bell ringing, signifying the end of school.

The other girls caught on quickly, of course, a casual question from Asui instantly exposing my whereabouts after school. The girls all gave me sly smiles as I hurried out of class every day, Ashido in particular winking exaggeratedly.

They were still firmly under the delusion that Izuku and I were in a relationship, a rumor that I, to be absolutely honest, didn't really fight that hard to deny. I just sort of left it in an ambiguous state.

Maybe I was secretly hoping, by virtue of everyone else believing it was true, that maybe it might become an actual reality one day. The rest of the week passed by quickly in rose-tinted lens for me.

Which was why I might be forgiven for my shortness of speech and curtness of tone when, on the Sunday before the festival, I walked into Izuku's hotel room to find him in tight embrace with a blonde bitch.

"Izuku," I began sweetly in a you-better-have-a-fucking-good-explanation kind of way, "Who's this?"

He looked up from his embrace and saw me, face breaking out into a smile. I wanted to introduce that smile to some .35mm caliber bullets.

"Oh, hey, Momo," pulling away from the girl, "You're just in time. I wanted to introduce you to my best friend, Melissa."

The blonde girl turned to me, and I swore there were sparks in midair as our gazes clashed.

"Hey, Momo," she smiled, "I've heard so much about you."

"Why don't you have a seat? Izuku and I will be with you shortly."

Oh, that whore.

Green

Izuku

I wasn't quite sure where the sudden smell of ozone in the air came from. All I knew was that I had probably fucked up, but in what way I wasn't sure. This morning, I was woken up from my slumber by the sound of knuckles rapping on wood. I assumed it was Momo at the door, so imagine my surprise when a blonde rocket launched itself at me the moment I unlocked the door.

"Melissa!?" I exclaimed, unable to hold back the surprise and glee in my voice. I joyfully returned the hug she gave me.

"Oh, Izu," she sobbed, "I'm so sorry. I came as soon as I heard the news. What happened to Auntie Inko is… just…"

Melissa and my mother had gotten really close during the brief time she stayed over at my place. She had taken to calling her "Auntie Inko", which was a moniker my mother both loved and hated.

"You can just call me Mom, you know," "Auntie Inko" would always say, to our exasperation.

"Izuku and I aren't like that," Melissa would giggle, playfully swatting her on the arm, "You know that."

"Yet." My mother would always reply, "so what's wrong with starting a little earlier?"

Melissa curled into my arms, sobbing into my chest.

"What are we going to do? What if something horrible happens to her?"

I patted her on the back comfortingly.

"All Might is on the case," I said, "we just have to trust him."

She sniffled, and looked up at me from her position, buried between my arms.

"Are you alright?" she asked, concern evident in her eyes.

"I've had some time to calm down," I said, "but I'm nowhere near ready to let this go."

"I'm going to find the perpetrators, and I'm going to bring them to justice. I swear I won't rest a single night until I do."

Melissa ran a hand through my hair.

"Oh, Izu," she breathed, "I'm sorry I couldn't be here for you sooner."

She threw her hands around me again.

I allowed myself to indulge in her, smelling the citrusy shampoo in the hair.

Melissa was as beautiful as ever, and it was always hard holding myself back when in her company. She used to haunt my dreams every night.

Recently, though, a certain raven-haired girl was making her rounds more and more often in my dreamscape.

It was at this moment, as if summoned by my mind, that Momo decided to grace my humble abode with her presence.

"Izuku," one word was enough to tell me there was going to be hell to pay, "who's this?"

Ohhh, shit. She was mad. Whenever she spoke in that really sweet, demure tone, it was usually a sign of an impending crisis.

Gingerly, I pulled away from Melissa.

"Hey, Momo," faking enthusiasm in my voice, "You're just in time. I wanted to introduce you to my best friend, Melissa."

Normally, Melissa didn't have a problem with me referring to her as my best friend. Today, however, she gave me a dark glare when I said that, for some reason. Her gaze seemed extremely accusing.

"Hey, Momo," the equally as sugary tone of Melissa was faintly ominous, "I've heard so much about you. Why don't you have a seat? Izuku and I will be with you shortly."

Oh yeah. There was definitely trouble. I don't know why, but the temperature in the room had suddenly dropped a hundred degrees. I was almost tempted to look around to see if Esdeath had somehow sneaked in while I was paying attention.

Green

The trio of us were currently seated in a circle on the floor. Well, they were sitting cross-legged on cushions, arms crossed and glaring at each other. I had my knees all the way up to my chest, curled protectively in front of me.

My danger senses were tingling.

The silence in the room was getting painfully unbearable, so I took the risk of starting the conversation.

"Not that I'm not glad to see you, Melissa," I began, "but what are you doing here?"

"I-Island has sent over a few representatives this year to the UA Sports Festival to scout the Support Course. I managed to get my hands on one of the positions."

"And since I was so worried, I rushed over immediately to see you, without even checking in to a hotel," she gestured to the pile of luggage's sitting in the corner, "but it seems like it wasn't necessary, huh."

Her attention turned to Momo.

"So why is she here?" If she was trying to disguise the accusation in her voice, she was doing a very bad job.

"I've been keeping Izuku here company every day for the past week," Momo stated, "He was quite inconsolable for the first few nights, and needed a bosom to cry into."

"Oh?" Melissa quirked an eyebrow, "He hadn't mentioned that to me." I ignored Melissa's gaze burning a hole into the side of my head.

"And who are you to him, that he would be willing to cry into your bosom?"

Momo drew her back straight, thrusting her chest out imperiously. It was unfortunate for Melissa, but Momo completely dwarfed her in that department.

"I am his partner," she stated proudly.

"Sidekick," I supplied quickly when Melissa shot a shocked and betrayed look at me, "She's my sidekick."

"Your sidekick?"

"Yeah, it's a complicated story."

"I've got time."

So I told recounted the training incident to Melissa, detailing the fight against Esdeath and how I happened to owed Momo a favor. That eventually led to me establishing Midoriya Inc. and hiring Momo as my 'secretary.'

"But really she's a sidekick."

Melissa gave me an incredulous look at my story. "And when did this happen?"

"Last week."

"And you never thought to TELL me?"

"I don't see a reason why he would need to tell you anything," Momo sniffed from the side, "after all, you are quite removed from Izuku's 'hero' side of things."

"Quite removed?" Melissa adjusted her glasses in outrage, "I designed his costume and his limiter. I was the one who discovered the true power of his Quirk. I–I'm his girl in the chair!"

So hotly was Melissa arguing her case that she missed my warning look completely.

"The… true power of his Quirk?" Momo echoed, a confused look on her face. "What do you mean?"

I glared at Melissa, who paled a bit at her inadvertent slip.

"Uh, nothing," she quickly backtracked, "I just meant that… uh… Izu's Quirk is… truly powerful. That's what I meant."

Momo narrowed her eyes suspiciously, "You realize that dumb excuse only makes it even more obvious you're hiding something, right?"

She turned to me, "What is she talking about, Izuku? What true power?"

I sighed, glaring at Melissa out of my peripheral. She squeaked meekly, looking down into her lap.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, cringing.

"It's fine," I said, "At least it was in front of someone we can trust."

"Izuku?" Momo parroted.

"This is a secret," I started, "to be kept on pain of death. Anyone in the know will be in danger for the rest of their lives. Are you sure you want to know?"

"Does this have something to do with you?" She asked, hesitantly.

"Yes, it does. It has everything to do with me."

"Then I want to know," her lips drew into a determined line, "I already told you, I'm here to support you all the way to the top. I can't do that if you're hiding secrets from me."

Opposite Momo, Melissa looked grudgingly respectful of the raven-haired girls' declaration.

"Very well, then," I exhaled through my nostrils, "It all began nine months ago, when I encountered Sludge Villain right outside Aldera Midde School."

I reiterated my first encounter with All Might to the enraptured girls, detailing how I defeated the villain and was eventually invited to I-Island. Melissa and I then took turns describing Wolfram's schemes at I-Island, culminating in All Might passing his Quirk One for All down to me.

The entire time, Momo listened attentively, positively shocked at the revelations we were giving her.

"So this is the true 'behind-the-scenes' version of the events," she breathed, "I never thought it would be so… fantastical."

She turned to me, "and so many things about you suddenly becomes so clear. The reason why you're so powerful despite being the same age as me. The power to stockpile Quirks," she shuddered, "the implications of that is stunning. And you're saying there's a century old villain with the same power out there?"

"His names' All for One," I reminded her, "and he's All Might's nemesis. All Might's already defeated him once, at the cost of severe injury, but I managed it cure it with Melissa's help recently."

"Amazing," Momo gasped, "I can't believe you're already so involved with heroics even though you're just a student."

"So now you know," Melissa spoke up, "which means you're officially in Izu's inner circle."

"Right," Momo said, "Don't worry, I'll keep this secret for you. It's important, right?"

"Wait, I can do you even one better. I can help you secretly harvest Quirks from others."

"You're willing to do that?" I glanced at Momo in surprise, "It's not exactly ethical, you know. I've only limited myself to 'harvesting' villains' Quirks until now."

"It'll help you become stronger, right?" said Momo, "which means there's no right or wrong. Besides, you need all the power you can get in order to rescue your mom when the time comes, right?"

"Loathe as I am to agree with her, she's right," Melissa said, "now's not the time to hold yourself back. The stronger you are, the better you can protect the people around you from All for One and his allies."

"Fine," I conceded, "you girls are right. I guess there IS a reason I keep you two around, after all."

They both gave me an amused look.

"Excuse me," Melissa arched an eyebrow, "You'd still be dumbly punching things if not for my discovery."

"Right, right," I laughed, "sorry. I'm glad you two are in my life," I amended.

The girls nodded in agreement.

"Alright, so let's do a review of your powers," Momo said, "and figure out what to improve on from here."

"In terms of power, there's no need to improve any further," Melissa said, "he's already strong enough to level mountains with his punches."

"He can regenerate, and now he also has Shock Absorption, so defense is decent, too."

Momo rubbed her chin thoughtfully, "If you had Kirishima's Quirk, that should probably round up your defenses nicely."

"Right now, Izuku can benefit from having some long-range options," Melissa stated, "as well as some more auxiliary powers."

"Well, there aren't a lot of long-range options in our class," Momo said, "the only ones that could really count is Yoarashi and Aoyama. Yoarashi's Quirk, Whirlwind, is quite powerful, so if you got your hands on it it'd serve you really well. Mid-range options include Tokoyami's Dark Shadow, and Todoroki's Half-Cold-Half-Hot. Auxiliary power's…" Momo tapped her chin, "If we could get you some of Aizawa-sensei's DNA, that would grant you his Erasure Quirk. While we're at it, we might as well get you Recovery Girl's ability as well. Give you healing powers, too."

"Those are all great ideas…" Melissa complimented, "Anything else?"

"We were challenged by this one dude, Shinso," Momo said, "from the general course. I was curious about him because he had the balls to come up to our class, alone, to issue a challenge, so I did some discrete research."

"It turns out his Quirk is quite useful. Hypnosis," she said, "if he talks to you, and you respond, you fall under his spell, and he can control your actions."

My mouth gaped open, "That is an absurdly useful power," I said, "how is he in the general course?"

Momo shrugged, "The UA entrance exams aren't very fair on those without direct combat Quirks."

Fair enough.

"Continue," I nodded at her.

"You have a lot of combat abilities, but most of them are extremely powerful or extremely obvious," Momo said, "If you want to hide your secret power, you need something discrete that will get the job done. Aizawa's Quirk and Shinso's Quirk perfectly fit this criteria."

Melissa built on Momo's argument, "And, we know One for All powers up the Quirks it stockpiles over time. Your powers are just going to increase in strength for as long as you live. Eventually, they'll become so destructive you won't be able to use them without fear of destroying everything around you. Having these auxiliary powers will give you a non-violent solution."

Those were all very good points.

"All right," I said, "you've convinced me. For the time being, my next step is to obtain those Quirks."

I looked at the two girls in front of me gratefully, "You two are the most resourceful girls I have ever met," I said. "Please stay by me forever." I meant every word I said.

The two blushed faintly.

"Easy there, tiger," said Melissa, "Don't try to bite off more than you can chew."

"I mean it," I said, "There wouldn't be a me today if it wasn't for you two. You guys are the true heroes."

"I'll stay by you for as long as you'll have me," Momo said coyly , "It's not every day I find a tree with such a big shade to hide under, after all."

"I promised you I'll make you the greatest hero ever," Melissa said, "and I don't intend on backing out of that promise."

"Thank you both. Seriously."

Green

"So what's the plan for the rest of the day?" Melissa questioned.

"Uh," I turned to Melissa, "I didn't know you were coming today, actually. I was actually planning on training with Momo to prepare for the Festival tomorrow."

"It seems like you haven't found a hotel yet," Momo said to Melissa, "why don't you get that taken care off? Izuku and I here will continue with our original plan."

Melissa raised an eyebrow at Momo. Her eyes seemed to say, if you think I'll let you two be alone for even a second you're sorely mistaken.

"Actually, I was planning on staying right here, with Izuku," she turned with me, "you don't mind, of course?"

"Uh, no, of course not. Feel free. There's only one bed, though."

"That won't be a problem. This ain't the first time we've cuddled," she winked suggestively, loving the way Momo's complexion darkened. The smell of ozone was back in the air again, this time stronger than ever, so to prevent a disaster I threw out a suggestion.

"Why don't we scrap the training, and I take you girls out for some fun, hm?" I turned to Melissa, "I know you don't get out of I-Island often, so I could show you around Musutafu, if you want."

Melissa clapped her hands happily, "That sounds grand."

I turned to Momo, "You're welcome to join us," I said, "we'll make a day of it."

"What about training?" she asked.

"We've been training all week," I responded, "Our bodies need a break. If we work you too hard today, it might have the opposite effect on your performance tomorrow."

She acquiesced reluctantly, "Alright. That sounds logical."

"Great," I said, "let's go. Daylight's burning, and all that."

I took them on a tour around Musutafu. Both the girls lived a sheltered life, so there were a lot of sights around the city they had never seen before. I treated them to all sorts of famous local street foods, took them to all the tourist hotspots, and even brought them to visit an aquarium. Momo was particularly enthused about the culinary experience, which made sense because her Quirk required her to burn through lipids. Melissa, on the other hand, took interest in the local sights, especially some of the more traditional temples.

"We don't have temples back on I-Island," she explained, "so I've always wanted to visit one."

By the time we returned to my hotel, the day had long since turned into night.

"It's quite late," I said to Momo, "you should probably head home."

"Yeah," said Melissa, "wouldn't want your parents to worry, and all that. Come on, Izu," she hooked her arms with mine, "you can take the first shower."

"Actually," the ravenette spoke up from behind us, "I already told my parents I would be sleeping over at a friend's house. Would you mind terribly if I crashed here?"

I turned to Momo slowly.

"Uh, I'm a guy, you know," I explained to her, "I don't think that would be appropriate."

She gestured to Melissa, quirking one brow.

"True," I conceded, "but that's because I've known her longer and she's my best friend."

"Didn't you say I was in your 'inner circle'? I'd like to think I've earned your trust, by now."

Well, if she put it that way…

"Alright, I don't mind." I turned to Melissa, who was gritting her teeth in an imitation of a smile.

"Sure," she ground out, "The more the merrier."

We all headed inside my room, and took turns washing up and preparing for bed.

"You two can take the bed," I stated, flipping off the lights one by one, "I'll just sleep on the floor."

"No way," Momo immediately protested, "I can just create a sleeping bag, or something."

"Nonsense," I waved her off, "I couldn't possibly make a lady like you sleep on the floor while I take the bed."

We bickered back and forth, before Melissa's annoyed voice cut over our argument, "Well, why don't you both take the floor, and I take the bed. Case closed."

Saying that, she threw the covers grumpily over herself and fell silent. Momo and I shared an amused look and took her suggestion. With a glow of rainbow light, Momo created two sleeping bags.

"Here," she handed me one.

"This is humongous," I said, "it could easily fit two in there."

She gave me an innocent look.

"You're a big boy," she said, "I just wanted to make sure."

I glared at her suspiciously, but eventually let it go. I was tired, anyway.

"Good night, ladies," I yawned, settling into my sleeping bag.

"Night," were the responses.

I woke up the next morning seeing both raven and blonde locks resting on my chest.

Green

Somewhere unknown…

Inko Midoriya fluttered her eyes open drowsily. Where the hell am I…? She thought. Blinking away the fog in her eyes, she focused her attention to her surroundings. What the…? Why was she bound up?

She seemed to be bound to a bed of some sort, in an unfamiliar room. It was sparsely furnished, and all the furniture was made out of intricately carved wood. A small desk lamp illuminated the room with a soft, yellow glow. However, Inko only dimly registered these details, as most of her attention was focused on the racks upon racks of bladed tools hung on the walls.

"Finally awake, I see," a soft voice drew her panicked attention. Inko focused her eyes on a blue-haired teen, sitting straight-backed on a wooden chair, arms supporting her knee over crossed-legs.

"Hum uh muh?" Who are you? She tried to say through the gag in her mouth.

The blue-haired girl reached over and undid the gag, gently brushing her hand over Inko's head.

"My name is Esdeath," she introduced, "I'm a friend of your son."

"Who are you?" Inko gasped, "Why did you bring me here?"

"I'm afraid it wasn't my idea," Esdeath sighed, "I was under orders."

"Orders?" Inko asked, "Who? Who's orders?"

Esdeath smirked, "A very scary man. I am a member of the League of Villains," she rolled her eyes, "Such a stupid name. If only they let me be in charge of the name, I would've called it something cool like 'Jaegers'. But I'm digressing," she turned back to Inko, "as I said, I work for the League. My official title is torture specialist."

Esdeath leaned forward a little.

"You and I are going to get very friendly in the near future."

Green

AN: Not a lot of action this chapter, but definitely a lot of interaction, if you catch my drift. Melissa's finally back, and now she's met Momo. Sparks are definitely flying between the ladies, and not in the fun way, either.

We see the reaction of Midoriya to his house, as well as some character progression. What does it mean to be a hero in a world full of superpowers? He has to find out for himself.

Next chapter will be the official beginning of the Sport Festival Arc.

And lastly, we see a sneak peek of what's going on in the villain side of this. Mama Midoriya is alive, yay! But, things aren't looking too bright for her...

What's Esdeath gonna do for her? What's everyone's favorite villain's stake in everything?

Find out next time on Green.

DollarBoy, out.