The Idol Next Door, Part 1

It has been a month since the end of the first finals. And earlier today, the students of Nerima Academia received their report cards to learn of their performance by the end of the first term. Izuku, having passed his first finals with flying colors, is ecstatic to learn that he had finished fourth within his class. Many of his friends, including Ochaco, Shouto, Tsuyu, Jirou and Momo were able to finish the term with high positions as well. Unfortunately, things didn't go well for Denki, who not only fail to pass four subjects, but finished dead last in his class.

Izuku is excited to return home and show his report card to his mother later tonight. But first, he, Ochaco, Shouto and Bakugo had made plans to pay Eliot a visit today, and they all meet up after school and make their way to his comic book store together.

"Congratulations in finishing first in your class, Ochaco." Izuku said to Ochaco with a smile as they, Shouto and Bakugo walk down the pavement together.

"Arigatou Izuku!" Ochaco replied cheerfully. "And congratulations to you too for finishing fourth in your class. I'm really impressed by your performance."

"Well, I couldn't have done it if it weren't for your help." Izuku said, smiling sheepishly as his cheeks blushed. "Honestly, I'm surprised that I was able to pass Mathematics this time round."

"Well done, Izuku. So did I." Bakugo said to Izuku as he jabs his thumb onto his chest.

"What's your position at the end of the first term, Bakugo?" Ochaco inquired.

"Third place." Bakugo responded with his lips curved up into a proud smirk.

"Really? That's fantastic!" Ochaco cried with her eyes widened. "I'm amazed that despite your appearance, you are able to achieve such a high position! What subjects did you pass in your finals anyway?"

"Mathematics, Japanese, social studies, science and history." Bakugo answered while holding up his fingers one by one.

"Wow. Five subjects? You really are good in your studies." Ochaco said in awe.

"Because I refuse to be a loser! If I don't want to lose to anybody, I'm not going to lose to the education system as well!" Bakugo yelled and clenched his fist before turning to Shouto. "What about you, huh?! How many subjects did you pass?!"

"All of them." Shouto replied nonchalantly.

"Huh?!" Bakugo yelled incredulously, dropping his jaw.

"He's right, and he finished first in our class. He always does." Izuku said.

Bakugo grumbles under his breath before yelling back and jabbing a finger at Shouto, "Just you wait! Next time, I'll be first just like you!"

"Sure." Shouto responded calmly as he nods his head.

The four continue conversing with each other until they arrive at the entrance to the comic book store. Izuku opens the door and they all step inside.

"Hey Eliot-san! We're here!" Izuku greeted. However, the smile on his face disappeared when he and the others notice Eliot sitting behind the reception counter with his head down and his back facing them. They grow confused when they could hear a mixture of moaning and munching coming from him.

"Eliot-san?" Izuku asked in concern as he and his friends approach him. When they find themselves standing in front of the counter, Eliot slowly gets up from his chair and turns himself around to face them. Izuku, Ochaco, Shouto and Bakugo all flinch upon coming face to face to the owner of the comic book store. While holding onto an open bag of potato chips in his hands, Eliot stares back at the four with baggy eyes and his lips curved downwards into a wide, sullen frown.

"E-Eliot-san?" Izuku asked nervously as he and Ochaco shudder. "W-w-what happened?"

"I was a fool." Eliot replied morosely. "The Golden State Warriors lost the NBA final to the Toronto Raptors."

As Shouto walked off to the store room to get a bottle of orange soda from the fridge, Izuku and Ochaco continue standing in front of the counter, trying to cheer Eliot up, who sat back down on his chair and stares back at the two with the same ill-tempered look on his face. Bakugo on the other hand stood at a nearby clothing rack, looking through and examining the various shirts and jackets on sale.

"Cheer up, Eliot-san. There's always next time." Izuku said encouragingly to Eliot who just ate another few potato chips.

"How long is next time?" Eliot replied grimly. "The Warriors could have make history in being the fourth NBA team to ever perform a three-peat, and they failed! What if they will face another championship drought after this? Just like the one from 1976 to 2014?! Heck, the Los Angeles Lakers used to be one of the most successful basketball teams in the world. But how long has it been since they won the championship? 9 years ago!"

"9 years huh? Wow. I have gotten so old." Bakugo deadpanned while staring at a T-shirt.

"You're not helping, Bakugo!" Izuku chided as he and Ochaco turn to him.

"Ugh! How can I sympathize with him?!" Bakugo whirls about and yells back in annoyance. "I don't even follow basketball!"

"At least be an optimist." Ochaco replied before she and Izuku look back at Eliot. "Anyways, you shouldn't dwell on it too much, Eliot. It's not good for you to indulge yourself in negative thoughts. Our school's sports clubs do lose in competitions all the time, but we always treat failure as an experience and encourage them to do better afterwards."

"Easy for you to say." Eliot muttered. "But we're not talking about the youth level of sporting competitions right here. We're talking about the national stage. Making history!" He raises his voice and throws his arms up in the air as he said the last sentence before delivering a pitiful tirade to them. "The Warriors is the only basketball team that represents my hometown in the major leagues, and seeing them coming so close to becoming champions for the third time in a row, and then failing, would easily crush the hearts of every San Franciscan, especially mine! This will now be recorded as one of the most devastating moments in American sporting history! This generation may never even see them go this far ever again!"

"Here you go, Eliot." Shouto suddenly said as he approaches the reception counter and places the bottle of orange soda down in front of Eliot. After calming down and blowing out a heavy sigh, Eliot slumps back on his chair and his face reverts back into a dull, glazed look of hopelessness.

"Thanks." Eliot said wearily to Shouto as he grabs the bottle and removes the cap.

"Come on, Eliot-san." Izuku said to him with a warm smile as Eliot takes a sip of his drink. "How about we talk about the latest issue of The Amazing All Might to cheer you up, huh?"

"No thanks." Eliot mumbled, fidgeting with his bottle of orange soda.

"What about our favorite story arcs then? Such as the Mr. Compress story arc?" Izuku suggested.

"Nope." Eliot replied dully.

"The Toxic Chainsaw Massacre story arc?"

"No."

"The Meta Liberation Front story arc?"

"No."

"All Might VS Teenage Mutant-"

"N, o, no!" Eliot replied stubbornly, placing his bottle down on the counter in frustration. Izuku sighs sadly in response.

"Let me handle this." Ochaco said to Izuku as she holds up her arm in front of him. As Izuku backs away, Ochaco places herself before Eliot and folds her arms. "Tell me, Eliot. Does your favorite basketball team mean everything to you?"

"Yes." Eliot said with a curt nod. "It is a symbol of pride for my hometown, and watching them winning the championship again in 2015 after a 40-year long drought was a watershed moment in our lives. Sure we had the 49ers winning the Super Bowl in 1994, and the Giants winning the World Series in 2014, but the Warriors winning the NBA championship shows that our city can dominate in basketball as well. We then went on to win again in 2017, and again in 2018, but losing the 2019 final crushed our dreams in being the next team after the Lakers to win the NBA three years in a row."

"But even if they never win, at least you guys still support them all the way during their ups and downs, right?" Ochaco asked.

"Yes, we do." Eliot replied.

"Then you must never give up hope on them." Ochaco said. "Even in their hardest of times, they need your support to keep them going."

"But what if they will never win another championship ever again afterwards? What if they end up failing to recapture their former glory like the Lakers in the following decade?" Eliot asked dishearteningly.

"And are you really so demoralized to the point that they will never win another game again?" Ochaco asked firmly.

"Well…I…" For a brief moment, Eliot lowers his head to contemplate, causing Ochaco to give him a gentle smile at first. But suddenly, when he lifts his head back up, he responded to Ochaco with a defiant cry, "The Lakers hadn't qualify to the playoffs since 2013 and the Warriors couldn't win the sixth and final game against the Raptors despite having Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and Stephen Curry, so YES!"

As Ochaco lets her arms hang limply at her sides, she, Izuku, Shouto and Bakugo simply throw their heads back and groan.

"You're kidding me." Bakugo grumbled.

About half an hour after leaving Eliot's comic book store and parting ways with Shouto and Bakugo, Izuku and Ochaco arrive at their apartment building. After scanning their cards on the security panel, Izuku lets out another sigh as he and Ochaco enter the building.

"It's a shame we are unable to cheer Eliot up today." Izuku said.

"Indeed. Not even my talking could get him back into high spirits." Ochaco replied as they walk over to one of the elevators. Izuku presses the button and turns his head to Ochaco.

"Oh well, let's just give him some time. I'm sure he'll be back to his normal self soon. For now though, I can't wait to show my report card to my mom." Izuku said, smiling gleefully.

"I would love to see how she reacts." Ochaco smiled back at him. But as the two look back at the elevator doors, her face soon distorts into a despondent frown. While she had always passed her exams with flying colors, she feels disheartened that her own parents are too busy to shower her with admiration aside from some terse comments of praise. It is good that they at least still acknowledge her hard work, but it felt like it is just an expectation to them at this point.

Ochaco still remembers how her parents would react when they learn she had passed her exams back in elementary school. They would not only feel overwhelm with joy and congratulate their daughter, but also take her out on a celebratory dinner and even go on a vacation to commemorate her hard work.

But as she grows older and their parents have since been promoted to higher positions within their company, such occasions like these grew less and less until they no longer happen anymore, and she grew more despondent every year that she will have to live with the fact that they don't care enough to acknowledge her hard work like they used to.

When the doors open, Izuku and Ochaco step inside the elevator and make their way up to the Midoriya household. The two soon arrive at the sixth floor and they walk over to their home. They both take off their shoes and step into the household where they see Inko walking out of the kitchen as she carries what appears to be a box covered in dark purple wrapping and has a lighter purple ribbon tied on the top. The mother came to a halt upon seeing the two entering her home.

"Oh hello Izuku, Ochaco." Inko greeted them.

"Hi mom!" Izuku replied as he and Ochaco walk over to her. "What do you have right there?"

"Is it someone's birthday today?" Ochaco asked curiously.

"No." Inko chuckled. "It's actually a gift for the new neighbor."

"Oh, you mean the one who moved into the apartment that is just next to ours a few days ago?" Izuku asked.

"Yes, that one." Inko said. "I was actually about to make my way over until you two show up. Would you like to do the honors for me instead?"

"Sure! Of course!" Ochaco replied as she and Izuku nod their heads.

"Yes we will. You do need to prepare dinner for us after all." Izuku said to Inko as she handed the gift over to him. "What did you come up with as our gift to the new neighbor anyway?"

"My special meal which I've always made for you for lunch every day." Inko whispered to her son with a smirk. Izuku chuckled uneasily as memories of that awkward day he and Ochaco caused at the school hallway immediately came into his mind. Inko's smile widens as she holds up her hand to Izuku and Ochaco. "Anyways, say hello to the new neighbor for me!"

"We will!" Izuku and Ochaco replied in unison. As Inko walks back into the kitchen, Izuku and Ochaco turn around and place their schoolbags down on the sofa before walking out of the apartment. They put on their sandals and walk over to a door located just a few meters from the Midoriya household on the right.

After pressing the doorbell, Izuku and Ochaco waited patiently as they stood in front of the door. The two wonder how their new neighbor would look like. Despite living just next door to them, they never got a chance to take a glimpse at their face for the last few days since Izuku and Ochaco left the apartment by early morning. Even Inko has no idea how they look like when she leaves the apartment in the afternoon to buy groceries. She did see the movers coming into the building to bring their furniture up and into their household, but the new neighbor stayed inside so they can instruct them where to put them.

As soon as the door opens, Ochaco and Izuku close their eyes and bow solemnly to their new neighbor, with the latter holding up their gift to them.

"Nice to meet you! I hope we can be good neighbors!" Izuku and Ochaco greeted with their heads down.

"Yes, I hope we can too." A dull voice replied.

Izuku's eyes snap open as he failed to stifle a surprised gasp. That voice. He couldn't help but feel that it sounded so familiar. A voice that had rang inside his head ever since he was just a little boy. And now, he is actually hearing it right in front of him? When he and Ochaco stood back up to finally take a good look at the new neighbor, his eyes grew as big as saucers and his jaw plummeted as if it could have hit the floor. It couldn't be. It is just too good to be true.

But it was.

Standing before them was a skinny man with sharp and angular facial features, light blue eyes, messy swept back blonde hair and wears a simple white t-shirt, a black belt with a silver buckle, dark green baggy pants and dark grey shoes. The sight of man sends Izuku into a state of shock which felt so strong that for a brief moment, he thought he was going to faint and fall into a comatose state. Unaware of her roommate's current state, Ochaco casually introduces herself to the man.

"My name is Ochaco Uraraka." Ochaco said before gesturing the man to her trembling roommate. "This is my roommate, Izuku Midoriya."

"Hello Uraraka, Midoriya." The man responded with a nod. "My name is-"

"Y-Y-Yagi…" Izuku managed to choke out when he finally regain enough control of his vocal cords.

"Huh?" Ochaco said as she and the man stare at Izuku in confusion. The girl gasps and widens her eyes in shock upon seeing him looking like he is on the verge of a breakdown. "Izuku?!"

"How do you know my-" But as soon as the man try to question the boy, Izuku suddenly screams at the top of his lungs while saying the name of his newest neighbor once more.

"YAGI TOSHINORI!"

Instantly, Yagi and Ochaco went silent, almost shocked beyond the ability to speak.

"W-what?" Ochaco replied, stunned. Unable to control the overwhelming sense of joy and excitement currently inside him, Izuku suddenly goes on a continuous rambling as he introduces himself to Yagi.

"I-I-I can't believe it! It's you! It's really you! The first and most iconic actor who ever played the role of ALL MIGHT!" Izuku yelled ecstatically.

"All Might?!" Ochaco glanced at Yagi in astonishment before looking back at Izuku.

"You are actually standing right in front of me! You even look so much different in person! And I am completely blown away by your appearance!" Izuku paused for a brief moment to make several frantic bows to Yagi. "It's awfully nice to meet you, Yagi-san! My name is Izuku Midoriya a-a-a-and I'M YOUR BIGGEST FAN! Ever since I saw you on television as All Might, I was HOOKED! I instantly became a huge fan of the character and I now have a gigantic collection of memorabilia dedicated to him because of you! Sure there are other actors who played the character over the years, but YOU! You, Yagi Toshinori, the main star of the first ever live action All Might TV series and feature length films, are what introduce me to the character in the first place! You are my idol, Yagi Toshinori! And it is such an honor for me TO BE YOUR NEIGHBOR!" Izuku finally ended his rambling by giving one big final bow to Yagi while holding up his gift to him.

For a few moments, there was silence between the three as Yagi and Ochaco continue standing still and staring at Izuku in bewilderment. Never did the two thought they would witness such a bizarre display of passion and enthusiasm from the boy. But eventually, Yagi's look of shock distorts into a miserable frown as he responded to Izuku with a heavy sigh.

As soon as he takes the gift from his hands, Izuku stands up and looks back at Yagi in confusion.

"Yagi-san?" Izuku said, puzzled.

"Nice knowing you, Midoriya." Yagi replied as he bows back to him. "But please don't mention anything about All Might to me again in the future. Thanks for the gift though."

With that, Yagi turns around and closes the door right in front of Izuku and Ochaco. Ochaco turns her head to Izuku, who just stood there; looking dumbfounded as he stares at the door to Yagi's household and trying to comprehend what he had just heard. And all Izuku could say from his response was an incredulous…

"What?"

Sovereign: I would like to thank Eramis8, AquaBluey, AshPli, LayLay lives and Shonaku for reviewing, favoriting and following this story. It certainly has been a while, but I hope I can post one more chapter before the end of the year. I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season so far!

Chapter Revised on 25th December 2019