My Hero Path to Power

by Writer Noire

There was an era of time before quirks where superpowers weren't a myth. Though centuries later and with the evolution of quirks in society, its existence has been rendered to near nonexistence. However after Izuku Midoriya gains the approval of All Might, the last master grants his teachings to the boy in aiding his journey. But will he succumb to power or control it?

37. Chapter 37

During the day, two people were walking down an alleyway to a small time bar. One was the Hero Killer Stain. A man bearing numerous weapons that made him the equivalent of an armory. Another was a man dressed as a simple salary man. His dull suit made his eyes the only shining part of him. Bright pink and almost electrifying to look at.

These two men had a meeting that would decide the future opposition of hero society and each carrying their ideas of what will happen to the current shell of society. As such the two were not surprised to see each other.

"You."

"Stain, it is a pleasure to see you again and in good health too. From what I gathered, the hero association is acting a lot more aggressive in their hunt for you." Stain scoffed at him. "Perhaps it was a bit of my fault. I never intended to be so brutal with Ingenium and his sidekick."

"You caused a lot of trouble on my part. Very few in the underground are willing to help me now." Stain said as he reached for his knife. "It makes me think I should kill you before you go and make another killing in my name."

Vali smirked. "Oh. You want to kill me? You're smart to be on edge, but I am here as an ally and if this meeting goes well a bigger part in changing society."

Stain narrowed his eyes. His red orbs faced the pink ones and the two colors were almost clashing with one another. "Society. You wish to change it?"

"Yes. I find today's society nothing more than a mask." Stain kept his hand on the hilt. "It is nothing more than a mask for people to hide their true feelings and insecurities. A mask that enables those in power to paint the world in black and white. Hero and villain though you really can't most of today's figures heroes, huh?"

The words were like honey and Stain felt that similar pressure from when they first met. He threw the knife at Vali, to which the man caught between his fingers. "Don't try luring me again."

"...I believe you were just agreeing with me." Vali said. He twirled the knife in his hand before examining the blade. "If not for my charm then for my conviction. And conviction is where you place your value."

Stain snatched his blade from the man and huffed. "Let's get this meeting out of the way."

"We can talk more after seeing what this league has to offer."

And the two entered the room to see...a skinny man child and a living cloud. Vali was less than impressed, but he did eye some good alcohol. Shigaraki was about to open his mouth when Vali sat down at the counter.

"Do you mind pouring me a drink? It's been a long day." Kurogiri just looked at Vali before turning to Shigaraki. Shigaraki scoffed and waved at him to do so.

Shigaraki was tapping his fingers as he scanned at the two prospects in front of him. Stain stood on one side, looking over at him and the third occupant. Vali sat at the other end and downed one more drink made by Kurogiri.

This meeting has already been rough enough and the last thing they need is to pour alcohol on this simmering fire.

"That has a nice burn. I'll pay after the next glass."

"Thank you?" Kurogiri wasn't used to serving drinks to many patrons since the bar had to be incredibly discreet for their villainous activities.

"Can we get this meeting started?" Stain asked.

"Sure."

The room was tense as Kurogiri poured one more drink for Vali. The man hadn't dropped that annoying smirk since he walked in. Shigaraki scratched his neck in annoyance as Stain kept his guard up.

"You...you're the leader of this so-called League of Villains?"

"Yeah, I am."

"And what do you wish to do?"

Shigaraki tilted his head. "Well...I want to kill All Might, first and foremost. Afterwards, we'll see."

'Uh oh.' Vali said as he saw Stain's eyes narrowed.

"You have no ideals or conviction. None worth really fighting for. No wonder you lost in the USJ." Shigaraki's expression was hidden beneath the hand, but Vali could almost see the hatred steaming off. "This is a waste of time."

"Ah Stain, don't be like that. We haven't heard a good case yet." Vali said. The Hero Killer shot the man a dark glare, but relented. "It is still a pleasure to meet you, Shigaraki. The League of Villains is one I see a lot of potential in."

"Potential, sure. However…" Stain pointed his eyes at Shigaraki. "I was foolish to really believe what they want."

"You're so noisy. If you're gonna be like that then leave." Vali kept watching the two as Stain was itching for his blades.

"Now let's not go on being all hostile. We're all united by something in common." Vali said as he stood between the two. "We're all looking forward to changing today's society as today's standards are subpar."

Shigaraki turned toward Vali as Stain eyed the man in the middle.

"We have unbelievable opposition in the form of a corrupt system and All Might." Vali stated. "If we were to destroy what makes this society rotten, we start by being united."

Shigaraki and Stain looked at each other and Vali.

"Perhaps." Stain said. "But-"

He dashed past Vali at a surprising speed that he didn't know the man was capable of as he was on top of Shigaraki. Kurogiri's eye slits rose before a knife sliced his arm. The teleporter grunted when Shigaraki was on the ground with a knife in his shoulder.

"Stain, you're going to kill him!" Vali said.

"Kill me?" Shigaraki said as he grabbed the knife. "I'd like to see him try."

Vali was surprised to sense so much killer intent from Shigaraki as Stain watched the knife rust away. Jumping off, Stain landed next to Vali with the remaining bits of a knife. Vali was intrigued by the quirk. It would be useful to have such a thing.

"Excellent comeback, Tomura Shigaraki." Stain and Vali turned to the TV and saw it was on. Though it was only through audio that they knew someone was listening and watching in. "Apologies, you two. I'm just very happy to see Tomura not be pushed around like before."

"Are you the real boss?" Vali asked.

"Hehe, no. I am simply Tomura's teacher. A humble position in helping him achieve his goals and desires. But if we are to continue, you may call me All for One."

"All for One?" Vali said.

"I don't care. You can try and teach this kid whatever, but he only has a sapling of conviction. Nothing me staying here." Stain said.

"Good riddance." Shigaraki said.

Kurogiri sweated a little. "Are you sure you want him to leave? His reputation would help us and his convictions have a home here."

"Let him leave." Shigaraki said.

Stain went to the door and saw Vali standing still. His eyes were bearing down the TV screen. "Are you coming?"

"I'll find when I can Stain. I still need to feel the situation out." Shigaraki and Kurogiri looked at each other while Stain left. The two villains watched Vali approach them with his phone out. "I have my own personal troupe willing to follow me anywhere. I wish to join the league."

Shigaraki scratched his neck. "Your catch. What is it?"

"My reason is simple. I want to work alongside you to takedown one man and his apprentice." Vali said. "A man that goes by Takahashi and Izuku Midoriya."

In the distant warehouse, All for One was stunned for the first time in awhile. Though he couldn't help it, he felt his lips curl into a grin. It was rare to see someone else after such a powerful duo.

"There will be no issues with that." All for One answered.

Far Off In Another City

Momo and her fellow representative Itsuka Kendo stood at attention as Umbawari finally walked in. The smell of expensive perfume and a new layer of makeup was apparent. Momo didn't know what to expect. Such a hero like her giving an offer, it really seemed out of place. Despite her best attempts, she still lost her match against Tokoyami.

This week was going to be a total overhaul on her current performance. She clenched her fist tightly as she kept repeating the promise in her head.

"I hope you know I'll catch up to you."

"Why did I say that?! What am I, some shounen rival?" Izuku's dumbfounded expression was the icing on the cake. Momo was mentally banging her head against the wall when Umbawari snapped her fingers.

"Hello? Are you there?"

"Oh! I'm so sorry!" She said. Kendo watched Momo bow at an impressive angle while sporting a huge embarrassing blush.

"It's alright, sweetie. Now if you two would please follow me." She led the way with Momo doing her best to calm down her blush while Kendo slightly giggled. It seemed the Class A representatives had shared some very interesting tendencies.

"You and A are quite in sync?"

"A?"

"Oh, you didn't know?" Momo looked confused. "Well recently with a whole bunch of attention on your class, my class has been feeling...a little down. Down enough to where one of my classmates is starting to rally them behind on the Class 1-A distaste."

"Oh, right. I suppose it has been brought in on us that we may have gotten more attention than others."

"Midoriya and I decided as Class Representatives we lead by example. A proper friendship between each other should lower any dissent from either parties." Momo nodded and thought of one extremely loud blonde that could ruin that chance. "So we gave each other nicknames."

"B. I suppose that's what Izuku calls you."

"If he gets comfortable with it. Calling him A is pretty easy."

Umbawari listened in as the two were indulging in class gossip essentially. Her smile was somewhat detracted when she remembered what she cancelled for them. Commercials and product placement weren't hero work, but they were safe. Much safer than what she was going to ask them to do.

"Walk ahead you two. I want to take in the agency." The two girls were surprised to hear that as Umbawari moved to the back.

'These girls are still high schoolers. Even if they have some experience, is it right that their experience is hunting down this monster? Could I actually-' Umbawari snapped out of her thoughts when she felt her phone buzz.

M: I'm on my way. Don't waste my time.

On The Road Somewhere Else

Bakugou didn't know what to do when he woke up. Another sleepless nap that did the bare minimum and made him aware of where he was. This situation was...awkward to say the least. Takahashi was sitting in the front seat driving while Bakugou was glowering.

"I know this isn't what you were expecting."

Bakugou didn't say anything, but he remembered when Aizawa brought this up.

"Why am I getting this instead of an internship?!" Bakugou said. Aizawa rubbed his eyes as he waited for the blonde to stop ranting for one second.

"Enough." Aizawa's hair flared up as his eyes glowed. Bakugou relented and sat back down as the teacher took a second to think of his response. "This is very important for you, Bakugou, for your development and the violent tendencies you display."

The blonde gritted his teeth as Aizawa brought up a report. "We have several incidents to discuss. First your reaction to Midoriya during my quirk examination. You were belligerent in getting answers."

Aizawa put down another piece of paper. "Next would be the training simulation All Might conducted. This time you purposely unleashed a massive explosion that severely harmed Midoriya and nearly Uraraka if not for his interference because of your temper. If not docking points for collateral damage, you were supposed to play the role of hero. There's contention for All might, but what you disobeyed your teacher."

Bakugou started to shake as he remembered that. Aizawa then put the final paper down.

"Next is the Sports Festival. While there were plenty of situations where you go Plus Ultra, your final battle showed more of your tendencies for violence. And once again it involved Midoriya. Your Howitzer Impact pushed Midoriya to activate that strange power."

"He used it against Icy-Hot."

"Yes, he did but in most instances he was silent." Aizawa pulled a recording device. "This tells a different story."

"I HATE YOU!" Bakugou's eyes widened to hear the voice of Deku in that. It sounded even more jarring now that he wasn't facing him.

"Principal Nezu has informed me that Midoriya himself will receive help as well while you, on the other hand, have proven very easily provoked around him. This begs the question of why." Aizawa said. Bakugou clenched his fists. "Come in."

The door opened and revealed Takahashi.

"This week for your internships, you'll be spending it with Takahashi instead."

"What?! You're holding me back with him! It's pretty obvious, but he's got a bias for Deku! Why is he-?" A hand on his head stopped him and he turned to see Takahashi.

"Because I'm the only one who's willing to spend a week hearing rambles about how you're better than Izuku. How you're going to be number one." Takahashi said. Aizawa saw one of his eyes flicker blue. "And obviously you'll need proper guidance in directing whatever issues you have with him in order to become a better hero."

"I don't that shit! I want to do an internship with an actual hero!"

Aizawa grunted. "Bakugou, that's enough! You've been deemed too unstable and unrightfully fit for an internship by Principal Nezu and myself. Continue to refuse and we will have no choice, but suspend you or expel if you refuse our decisions."

And so here he was. Stubborn as he can be, Bakugou knew Aizawa would not hesitate to execute an action he saw was correct. Still that didn't mean he had to like his week long mentor.

"I hate this."

"I know you do." Takahashi said. "Most people would hate to miss out on a proper internship with other heroes. But this will be good for you."

"Oh you think this will make me like shitty Deku? That damn nerd is nothing, but a goddamn pebble on the side of the road and-" Takahashi did a sudden turn and Bakugou hit his head against the window. "Argh! Bastard that was on purpose!"

"You really hate him don't you?" Takahashi said. "Despite multiple instances of him clearly being stronger, I'm surprised you still hold on to that notion that he's nothing."

"Because he is. He was a quirkless nobody and he'll end up being a nob-" He stopped when he felt his blood chill. The pressure in the car was heavy as he saw Takahashi was looking ahead in the road. His eyes were royal blue and he could see sparks in it.

"We will begin your training now." Takahashi took another turn at a dirt road and brought the vehicle down. The bumpy road made Bakugou slightly worried as he could feel the cutting tone.

A few minutes later, the two stopped near a clearing. "Leave your case in the car. You'll only need to bring yourself."

Bakugou grumbled and followed his orders. The two walked out of the car and into a clear field. The wind was nice and breezy. Bakugou could actually feel his body slightly relax to the natural setting.

"In this field we don't have to worry about noise, collateral damage, or other people. Feel free to use your quirk at your maximum. Don't hold back at all." Takahashi said.

Bakugou's little nap refreshed him slightly so he could notice a bit of how Takahashi held himself. It was now just the two of them. Bakugou remembered how fierce he was during his first hero training session and how he took on Nomu. And adding on that he's Deku's teacher added an extra layer on their terse relationship.

"Hope you don't regret it! You'll find me less of a pushover than shitty Deku!" Bakugou screamed before he launched himself past Takahashi. He flew right past the teacher and into the air. Takahashi didn't even react as he kept his eyes forward while the blonde got into the right angle. "Now DIE!"

His left hand fired off one explosion and launched the blonde at the man. Swinging his right, sparks popped his fingers when Takahashi simply clenched his fist. Blue light wrapped around Bakugou and suspended him in the air.

"What the hell?" Takahashi just looked back with his cold blue eyes. Bakugou flinched before he heard the snap of fingers. Six tiny blue portals surrounded the teacher and fired. The beams sent Bakugou flying into the air and landing harshly on the ground.

'What the hell was that move? He's got more up his sleeve than I thought.' Bakugou sat up panting. His body was already aching. The lack of sleep that he'd been suffering the last few days wasn't cured with that power nap. Fatigue was hitting him like a bitch.

"Why do you want to be a hero?"

"Huh?"

Takahashi faced Bakugou. He put his hands behind his back and gave him an impassive stare. The wind blew slightly against him as he adjusted his stance.

"Your reason to be a hero? What is it?"

"That's a stupid question. I'm going to be the Number One Hero. Stronger than All Might and who's gonna the world's greatest in history!" Bakugou said with a sneer.

"How pathetic." Takahashi said. "Dogs who bark the loudest have no teeth to bear."

Bakugou gritted his teeth and blasted himself back toward Takahashi. He tried to aim for a high kick, but missed. Adjusting his angle, he aimed at Takahashi's head. The teacher simply ducked below the blast and lifted his foot to kick him away.

The blonde was sent spiraling away and landed on his back.

"Sit."

"I'm not a damn dog!" Bakugou kept launching himself over and over but no matter the angle, the blast, or even the attack, Takahashi moved gracefully between each attack. Bakugou finally had enough and began swinging his arms in a circular motion.

With the momentum built up, Bakugou became a wheel of fire. It tore through the ground to reach Takahashi when the man simply stomped on the ground. A small pillar of earth rose from the ground before he punched it. The rock flew across the field and met Bakugou. The blonde's attack broke down as he face planted.

"Strength, glory? Then why become a hero? Become a prize fighter. Join the national militia. There's plenty of occupations out there that let you flaunt your strength. But as a hero, I'd say you're out of your mind."

"What the hell?"

"You're decent enough to be a good training dummy."

Bakugou didn't get a chance to say anymore when Takahashi appeared right in front of him and kicked him hard.

"Pfft maybe not even that. I have a harder time taking on a fly." Bakugou's head popped up as he growled.

And then it was rinse and repeat. Bakugou found himself flying back and forth between Takahashi's blasts or fists. There was no time to strategize, no time to read moves or find patterns, no time to even catch his breath. Takahashi was relentless and kept his assault coming.

Bakugou fell to his knees. His lip was bleeding and he was drooling a lot on the ground. His arms were sore and he could barely make out the shape of the grass.

"And don't think I don't know about your little "activities" from middle school." Takahashi said. Bakugou gazed up and saw the cold eyes bear down on him. "If anything comes from today, know that I'm not just your trainer."

He raised his palm at Bakugou's face. "I'm your consequence."

'Middle Sch-" He never finished that thought before Takahashi blasted him one last time. A drop of energy entered Bakugou's eyes as he went flying into the forest. He propelled against the grass before landing hard against a tree.

The wind was knocked out of him as Takahashi approached. His eyes shined brightly in the shade while Bakugou tried to stand up. His palms were sweaty, but his arms were getting tired. The constant explosions and tired state made his muscles ache faster.

The wind started to pick up as the leaves around them almost formed a tiny tornado around them. A whirlpool of green surrounded the two as Takahashi stopped and stared directly at Bakugou's soul.

He took a deep breath before Bakugou got up. Seeing his chance, the blonde launched himself to Takahashi and managed to close the distance. The teacher barely reacted when Bakugou blasted him hard in the chest.

The blonde sneered happily at the first hit as it sent Takahashi sprawling to the ground. "Ha! Got you! How's that for consequence?"

Takahashi didn't move before slowly pushing himself off the ground. Bakugou walked to him with his palms sparking. "So you are ready to…"

He stopped when Takahashi looked up, but it wasn't his face. It was Deku's. Not even the normal Deku. It was the beserk one, the one that shattered his hand. His pupiless eyes and heavenly green stared directly at the blonde that caused him to jump back.

"HUH?! What the hell?!" Deku stood up and it was his movements were loose. Bakugou felt his heart leap from his chest as Deku just stood there. "What, what is this? I...I didn't pass out, right?"

Deku didn't say a word before disappearing. Bakugou hopped to his feet. His fingers twitched as Deku walked toward him. His eyes never blinked as he approached Katsuki. The blonde snarled and bared his teeth.

"You think you scare me Deku? You never scared me!" He jumped into the air and propelled himself through a few explosions.

"Howitzer Impact!"

Before Katsuki could slam his palm, Deku just widened his eyes. Suddenly Bakugou felt his body cave into several punches too fast for him to see and made fly past Deku. He ate the dirt hard.

His body wasn't responding to his demands as Katsuki could feel blood drip from his busted lip. A shadow loomed over him and he turned to see the sky had turned stormy grey. Pink lightning surrounded him along with thunder that was as loud as his explosions.

Izuku raised his hand and a torrent of lightning formed a spear. Bakugou's eyes widened before it was thrown. The roar of the thunder and the brightness of it blinded him and then…

His eyes snapped open to him resting on a futon. The forest no longer surrounded Katsuki and Izuku was gone. Looking around, he found himself in a plain room with the only other person being Takahashi.

The teacher was sipping on a cup of tea as Bakugou tried to make sense of what was going on. "You...what happened?"

"I knocked you out. It seemed you were so eager for a fight that you did not consider the condition your body was in. So I took it upon myself to make sure you got some sleep." Takahashi replied. He swirled his tea around. "Though I guessed your nightmares weren't exactly friendly."

"What the hell do you know about them?"

Takahashi didn't say anything and continued to drink his tea. Bakugou got angry and slammed his palm against the floor. The explosion didn't unnerve the man as he continued to drink.

"Burning my floor won't solve any of your problems."

"Screw you! Tell me now! You can fix this can't you?!" Bakugou screamed. "You can fix shitty Deku's back and my hand!"

"Physical injuries are much easier to heal than mental ones, I can't help you get rid of the nightmares. Not until you can control your chakra and confront the issues head on."

"...chakra?"

Takahashi smirked. "Would you believe that there are elements within our world that grant people powers aside from the genetic lottery? That one could earn them You could say it's one of...a spiritual nature."

Bakugou didn't believe it. Not at all. Quirks were genetic. Every power in the world was a result of your bloodline, possible mutations, or recessive genes. Yet if there are other elements to power, if Takahashi was implying it…

Katsuki remembered Izuku's parents and their quirks. Fire breath and a weak form of telekinesis. These did not equal energy manipulation in any sense of the word. What mutation could Deku have experienced that forced him to be quirkless and then become a powerhouse?

There isn't one. Even the strongest quirks don't become that way out of the gate. This old man implies his powers are of spiritual nature and Izuku's was similar. That means…

"You. You're the reason Deku has powers! He wasn't a late bloomer, he was given those powers!"

"Apparently you don't listen. I said "earned". Never given." Takahashi said. "If I were to give power to others, the results would drive them mad. With nightmares and a deteriorating physical state. A prime example is you."

Katsuki blinked. "You did this to me?! Me?! WHY! WHY DO THIS?!"

He tried to step forward, but Takahashi's eyes turned blue and his body went still. With a quick glance, Katsuki was sitting on the futon against his will. "It was to save your life from Izuku, who was driven to near madness by his power."

"I didn't need to be saved."

"Then why are you scared of him?" Katsuki flinched when one of Takahashi's eyes formed a pupiless green eye. He clutched his face and tried to be strong, but failed to do so. "I unlocked your power to create a powerful enough backlash to save your life. And now I plan to train you in controlling if you don't want to die."

Katsuki gritted his teeth. "Why didn't you come sooner if that was the case?"

"I've been keeping your body in check when I healed your injuries. I've been the one keeping it in check." He snapped his fingers and Katsuki was surprised to see a thin layer of blue energy below an orange layer. Though he could see it was deteriorating.

Bakugou moved his arm gently and noticed his own chakra moved like water. It flowed in and out with only flickers of it escaping him. "I don't want this shit. Why can't you remove it?"

"You are unbalanced." Takahashi stated. "Your mental state is turmoil and in doing so is lashing out in the forms of nightmares that prevent you from sleeping. These come as a result of deep resentment or guilt."

"I ain't guilty for shit!"

The teacher shook his head. "So you feel nothing for Izuku?"

Bakugou flinched as Takahashi finished his cup of tea. "Exactly. If you were balanced I would rid you of your ailments, but if I were to remove your abilities now I could damage your mind to a near irreparable state. Alongside the possibility of death."

Katsuki's fierce expression fell as he pondered on the situation.

"This week will be focused on you gaining balance within yourself, your consciousness, and diving deep into what you believe. Imagine a therapy session, only more exciting." He got up and stretched. "We'll begin your real training tomorrow."

He reached the door when Bakugou stopped him.

"...you know what I did to Deku. Everything?" Takahashi nodded. "Then why are you acting like this? I thought you'd be more pissed."

"I'm actually livid." He gave a very toothy grin. "But I think you should know something about Izuku. In any other circumstances, he would've followed through and killed himself after what you've done."

Bakugou let those words weigh down on him. Every part of him wanted to scream, but Takahashi had this presence to him that made him go against instincts. If not out of respect, but survival. Especially when his eyes were glowing just like Deku's.

"But?"

"But given how the Sports Festival went, I believe instead that he would've killed you." Takahashi said as he left the room.

Bakugou just stared at the ground and let those words echo in his head. And far off in the distance, one green head sneezes before being kicked in the head.

In a Different Prefecture

Umbawari sat down in front of Momo and Itsuka. "We should begin with what you two are here for. Now do you know why I called for you two in particular?"

"Y-You saw great potential for hero work in us!" Momo answered.

"Ditto." Kendo hopped on.

Umbawari smirked. "Yes, well to be honest while that is true, I really brought you here because you two are very cute."

"Eh." Itsuka and Momo said.

"I planned this week to show you the benefits of being a hero outside of saving people. Promoting products, modelling, and building connections to ensure agency has other ways of benefiting the public in these times of peace."

Momo could feel her eye twitch at the confession while Itsuka gained a thousand yard stare. Umbawari was a high ranking hero, her skillset was formidable and her agency had a long reach. But now, it made a lot more sense since she wasn't the highest ranking in cases more in line with public appeal.

"At least it was the first plan." The two girls blinked back to the situation as Umbawari dropped her smile. "However, we've stumbled upon a problem that I think we should go over. This week instead will be over collaboration and connections with other agencies."

The model got up and beckoned the two to follow her. "Now tell me, there are two classifications of heroes. Which are they?"

"Public and underground heroes. My teacher Aizawa is an example of the latter."

"Vlad King too since his quirk isn't the most...appealing."

Umbawari nodded. "Good, however the public heroes have their own categorization. Ones connected to class. We have our urban, suburban, and high class public heroes that serve those lines. As you can see I am one of the high class heroes."

Momo and Itsuka nodded as Umbawari led them to a room away from the flashy studio. Inside were numerous sidekicks working through piles of paperwork.

"As our hero system became more and more entangled with wealth status, we've established a networking system in tandem with underground heroes." She grabbed a file from a sidekick that held it out for her. "While underground heroes work to straddle the line in the shadows, public high-class heroes gather information from more influential sources. This allows us to gather information on all sides before any battle."

Momo's eyes lit up. "So essentially we're learning how to track down criminals."

"Yes. With the right information, heroes can end thousands of battles before a villain can even take their first step. And you two will be helping the Umbawari agency alongside the Endeavor agency and numerous others."

"For what?" Kendo asked.

"To track down the Hero Killer."

Both of the girl's eyes widened when Umbawari said that.

Izuku fell on his back. His face was scruffed up and he could feel his muscles bruised underneath his suit. Gran Torino landed on top of him and scoffed.

"Out of all the One for Users I've trained, you're by far the worse." He hopped off. "Granted one is a dear friend and the only real comparison is that meathead Toshi, but you get what I mean."

The teenager groaned as he stood up. They spent the past few hours until sunset training. Each attempt was to have Izuku synch his powers together, but Gran Torino was too fast.

"You really bank on that speed of yours, huh. Or those nifty reflexes? What was the worst hit you ever took?"

"I had a Nomu break my back and before that crushed my arms and ribs."

Gran Torino blinked several times.

"Or when I was set on fire...several times actually. I mean out of three times, two of them happened in the Sports Festival. And two of three was from my fri-my acq-classmate. Yeah, classmate."

The old man didn't say a word and squatted. He took a deep breath before shoving his cape in his mouth. Muffled screams of incoherent curses and numerous phrases that hopped over Izuku's head like sheep over a fence.

"How're you alive?!"

"Determination?" Izuku got smacked up the head for that answer.

Gran Torino groaned as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Clearly this week will be focusing on defense. You've got moves kid and a good bit of One For All is under your control, but you have no defense moves."

Izuku stood up and patted himself off. He thought back on his previous battles and noticed that trend.

Every one of his opponents managed to get the drop on him. He couldn't take Bakugou's explosions, Todoroki's ice, or a single Nomu punch without him being laid out.

"You can't rely on those twinkle toes to get you out all the time. What about the people you have to save or the heroes you want to protect? You're gonna throw that useless body at them and hope you take the hit."

Izuku felt shame at that idea. Gran Torino sighed and pulled some taiyaki from the fridge.

"Kid." Izuku looked up and saw Gran Torino still holding the note from Hatsume in front of him. "All Might chose you and I'm sure whatever your actual quirk is difficult to master too, but if you're going to be a symbol you'll need something sturdy."

The old man dropped the note and walked off as Izuku pulled his knees to his chest. He picked up the note from Hatsume and felt a little better to see a badly drawn Hatsume giving him a thumbs up alongside...an arrow pointed to the back?

-Oh check your pocket when you have some time alone. It's in your left pocket.-

Izuku walked into his room and checked his pocket. He felt a small metal disk in and pulled it out. He pressed a small button when it lit up.

Suddenly a holographic Hatsume appeared. Izuku almost yelped when she turned to see him.

"Ten Million! You finally got some time off and I must say the suit looks great!"

"Hatsume, you...you made a holodisk."

"Heck yeah I did. Power Loader had some broken ones from the acceptance letters. He'd let me have one when I refused to leave the lab during one weekend." Hatsume snickered. She put down her tools and leaned against the workbench. "So tell me Ten Million how's our baby doing?"

"I got a few bruises, but it doesn't slow me down a bit." Izuku said before his face dropped when he sat down.

"Hey what's the matter?"

"Uh, nothing. My mentor just told me where I'm lacking. Hatsume, you've seen footage of my fights."

"Yup, I had to make sure the baby was ready for all those slick moves." Hatsume tapped something on her disk and made a video appear to her on the side. It was the Todoroki fight where Izuku was charging up. And Gran Torino was right, if Todoroki wanted to, he would've stopped Midoriya in one blast.

Izuku looked at his hand. "Yeah that's the thing. This suit was meant to accentuate my speed, but not my defense. I can't even power up fast enough for my opponents to get them. I think we should've focused on that."

"Defense? You got some good defense otherwise I would've padded your suit more." Hatsume said.

"Eh?" Izuku said.

Hatsume pulled up another video. During the ship battle, Todoroki's iceberg just shattered apart and Izuku's team were all shining. Izuku's eyes widened to see Tokoyami, Ochako, and Hatsume glowing.

"Wait, you were glowing? How?"

"Don't know!" Hatsume said. "But I had one of my camera babies follow you and Bird boy when you were boarding the fire/ice guy's ship. Remember when he said light was his weakness?"

"Yeah." Izuku said.

Hatsume switched to another video where Izuku was holding Ochako. Kaminari jumped up and was going to shock all of them when Tokoyami appeared. Dark Shadow covered all of them when Kaminari's lightning hit them. The bright spectacle didn't weaken the shadow at all since it was clashing with a green barrier.

"...huh?"

"Yeah I didn't think defense was too much of a problem. You've tanked some powerful attacks. Like here and here." She showed images of Deku taking on Todoroki's ice and fire. Before his berserk state, Izuku was handling them easily.

Then he felt a sudden realization hit him when he thought back to the USJ. Shigaraki's hand. He damaged Aizawa's elbow by grabbing on and would've done the same to Tsu. Until Izuku took the hit and didn't disintegrate because-

"My energy could become a shield!" He shouted. Izuku slapped himself in the forehead for forgetting such a thing like how he forgot the first time he synched One for All with his chakra. Apparently one flaw he has is overlooking the obvious.

Hatsume blinked. "Did...did you just realize that?"

"Hatsume, I gotta go, but thanks for your help. I'll talk to you later."

"If you say so, but maybe I could add a shield function to your gauntlets."

Izuku tightened his gauntlets and hopped to his feet. "Maybe later. If things don't work out, I'll let you know. Bye Hatsume."

"Ok, I got some other babies to work on!"

Izuku walked outside of the agency and to the alleyway. Making sure everything was in order, he charged up his body.

'I managed to shield the others during the cavalry battle. If I take into account the density of my own aura, I could possibly judge how fast I can strengthen it.' His chakra formed around his body as he took a second to breath. 'I don't have anything to hit my barrier, so for now I'll just work on forming it.'

His body fell into his normal fighting stance and he moved his arms in some motions to warm up. The same motions he does for his attacks will possibly help him develop some for defense.

"Alright, concentrate." He held his hands out and green sparks popped. "Focus. Contain the shape and…"

He expanded his fingers and a solid barrier formed. Izuku smiled just before it blew up. The force knocked Izuku into the trash cans. He coughed a puff of smoke as a banana peel fell on his face.

"That's fine." He groaned and pulled himself from the trash pile. "All Might wasn't number one from day one, the first shield won't be successful. Now let's try this again."

The entire night was then filled with loud pops and Izuku face planting into more garbage.

Omake

Gran Torino was holding a spray bottle and hose. "Don't you think of coming in here smelling like that you zygote!"

"Oh come on, let me at least get my costume washed!" Izuku said as he was just in his costume pants and plain black shirt. The vest was in his hands while he stood in front of the doorway soaking.

"No! The place would stink up more."

"It already smells like old man, how much worse can it get?" Izuku said.

Gran Torino's eye twitched before he turned the dial to ultra high and aimed. Izuku slowly felt regret creep onto his back when he was blasted by a stronger stream of water.