A/N: Sooo, how was that Super Bowl? In other news, with the storm and whatnot last week, I completely forgot to mention last chapter that there were two phrases that I had been considering as alternate titles for this fic: The Fool's Journey and Focal Point. After some consideration though, I decided neither of them matched the right tone I was going for, and One More Into The Fray won out. Also, an important note; I'm not sure what's considered appropriate for spoilers, but I'll throw it out there anyways. If you are a manga reader and have not read chapter 211 or 212, or are an anime-only fan, there is a section in this chapter that contains spoilers, so be warned. I'll include it again below, and though it is relevant to the chapter, can potentially be skipped, so if necessary skip the lined section. Otherwise, enjoy!
Chapter 11: Judgement
Chapter Date: 02/08/21
WARNING: MANGA CHAPTER 211/212 SPOILERS
I just want everyone to make it out alive, and safe, and happy. And I legitimately don't know if that's possible with you in the picture. For all that I admired you, and still do…Your moral code is distorted, and at odds with other parts of yourself. And with your very being in dissonance, how can you be expected to save everyone?
To say that Izuku had a restless night would be an understatement for the ages. Faced with the apparent proof of the failings of his own morals, which he had modeled off of All Might, it wasn't much of an exaggeration to say he was fervently questioning himself. His spiraling introspection carried on hours after their return home, after dinner with his worried mother, after Shouji and Ojiro had volunteered to stay up with him and be a talking partner when it was clear that answers were the priority this night, rather than sleep. Izuku waved them off towards the guest room with a confidence that rang fiercely hollow, but even after everyone had gone to sleep, Izuku had caught sight in brief moments of awareness that he had a spectator to his mutterings. Instead of judgmental or annoyed however, Dark Shadow seemed intrigued and thoughtful, content to let Izuku wade through the churning waters that was his own mind at the moment.
And so morning arrived in this manner, and Izuku could proudly say he felt as good on the outside as he did on the inside.
That is, physically and mentally exhausted.
As breakfast was served and everyone settled in to eat, Izuku took stock of his friends? And mother.
Ojiro appeared blessedly unruffled by yesterday's discussions, though Izuku supposed that his minimal level of direct involvement due to being dead in Ojiro's timeline had something to do with it.
Shouji, on the other hand, looked supremely indignant on Izuku's behalf judging by his narrowed eyes and tensed arms working triple duty at the table.
Mineta looked almost as lost as Izuku felt, which was quite fair given that he was one of the few Travelers that hadn't been exposed to One For All and its role in the coming conflicts.
Tokoyami seemed contemplative of the circumstances, and if Izuku was reading the turns of their heads right, was in a mental conversation of sorts with Dark Shadow.
His mother, despite the usual worry on her face at his being less than perfect health, sported the least number of shadows under eyes. Despite the apparent concern, she was polite enough to wait until everyone had finished breakfast and the boys had insisted clearing the table and washing the dishes.
"Izuku, is…everything alright? You all seem rather worn out…" Izuku watched his mother fidget, caught between her concern and unwillingness to impose on Izuku.
"Y-Yeah, everything is fine, mom. We all were just training together yesterday, and made the mistake of visiting a coffee shop in the afternoon after we were done, and the caffeine messed with our sleep cycles. We won't be doing that again." Izuku's fake smile became even more strained with the thought of how easily the falsehood left his lips.
'I guess between the secret of One For All, and the secrets about the Travelers, and the secret about the memory flashes I've been having…wow, I have been keeping a lot from just about everyone…' Izuku's mother seemed to take the reasoning at face value, however, and soon departed the home for work. And not ten seconds after the door had shut did everyone else turn to Izuku.
"This may be in poor taste after yesterday, but lying does not appear to be one of your strong suits." Ojiro remarked. "Then again, your mom seems equally as good at telling when you are lying, so I suppose all's well."
Shouji crossed his arms in a veritable wall of muscle and irritation. "Speaking of, why do I get the feeling Sero will be stepping up to take another proverbial swing at Boss again?"
"Conflict of one kind or another is inevitable at this stage of our ruminations. However, I believe that experience has given us the temperament required to sooth our more volatile companions. Though, I must admit that the prospect of further discoveries of similar caliber are troubling to imagine." Tokoyami replied.
"It's what everyone signed up for though." At the silence, Mineta looked around. "What? You can't honestly tell me that you all didn't expect to get some bombshells from learning about different timelines of existence. Sure, this One For All business is pretty shocking, and it's not cool at all for Sero to go after Midoriya like he's doing, but we're bound to hear some things this week that we won't really like. God knows I hear plenty that doesn't agree with me."
That made a sobering amount of sense to Izuku, even if there were parts of Mineta's statements that he did not understand. Shouji, Ojiro and Tokoyami appeared to understand perfectly though, as they began preparing for the day after that last quip.
"Midoriya, have you thought about what you might wish to say to Sero?" Ojiro asked as they left for the forest again. "You are not required to justify yourself by any means, but I am sure that what he said made some wheels turn in your head, for better or worse."
"It is definitely one of those two." Izuku replied, stomach clenching at the thought of addressing Sero, or at Sero having more to say on the matter of his various failures. Because, was there any other way to classify what his actions had been?
As was the case with all things dreaded, Izuku blinked and they were arriving in the clearing again. This time, Kacchan was not already present, and instead Momo and the rest of the girls had already found their places in the rough circle. And Izuku was only feeling good things from the looks of guilt or sadness most of them were giving him and-nope, nope, he would not spiral before they had even started.
Staggering over another tree, Izuku leaned his back against the rough bark just in time to hear the arrival of Iida's group. The trend of looks without context appeared to extend over to the boys as well, though Toshi's stare at Izuku in particular was as unreadable as always. Damnit, they were going to make him a nervous wreck without saying a word!
Luckily or unluckily for Izuku's relative sanity, Kacchan strode into the clearing followed by the rest of his contingent. Immediately, the tension ratcheted upwards at the bare anger on Sero and Sato's faces, though Izuku noted that the glares were directed at Kacchan, and that the blond was returning their looks with interest. Kirishima appeared defensive for Kacchan, Kaminari looked as if he was about to throw himself into the middle, and Kouda seemed unnaturally placid under the circumstances.
Izuku couldn't think of a soul on Earth that would voluntarily insert themselves into the mess, but Iida was a braver man than him, it seemed. "Good morning everyone. I do not wish to rush anyone, as I am sure not all of us are well-rested, but I believe there is much that must be covered today." A low grumbling backed Iida's claim, and Izuku took a moment to note the shadows and bags that accompanied a majority of the Travelers as they found seating, and Momo stood up.
"Thank you. Now, I am sure that everyone remembers the unresolved conversation yesterday on Izuku's level of participation. Part of the…debate included discussion on One For All, and whether Izuku should be the one to receive the quirk. However…" Momo squared her shoulders and found Sero's eyes. "It is not our place to interfere with All Might's choice of Izuku as his successor. As such, the notion of Izuku immediately passing One For All on to another should not and cannot be considered without violating that principle and Izuku's autonomy."
"And I'm so sure that none of us here have 'violated principles or autonomy' while in the middle of a damn war. Also, I won't harp on All Might, Izuku was a great choice for a successor, but let's not pretend the man wasn't flawed. Do teaching methods ring a bell?" Despite Sero's harsh tone, mouths slanted upwards, and Izuku couldn't help the incredulous chuckle at the apparent mediocrity of his idol's ability to teach. "With that hole in his side, All Might was on a clock, and made a choice given limited time. Now, the fact that he made an informed choice to the contrast of most of the other holders speaks well, but is anyone here willing to tell me that they're certain that All Might picked the absolute best candidate? Or that he picked the best one within arm's reach?"
"That's not being fair to either All Might or Izuku, Sero!" Ochako protested, but Izuku was drawn to her fidgeting hands. "None of the previous users even had the time to pick a successor, because they all died too! And All Might considered Izuku a better choice than even Mirio!"
"Which is exactly why I'm saying the opportunity to pick…wait…" Sero's eyes narrowed as he stared at Ochako. "Where did you hear about the previous users? Or that All Might had considered Mirio as a candidate at one point? The only person who could have told you that is All Might himself, or someone else in the know about One For All. And if the quirk wasn't lost like in my timeline and a few others…"
Ochako had her hands up as if to ward Sero off, but the tape user's eyes had already blown open. "You're like Todoroki. You became the Tenth Holder in your timeline."
Every eye in the clearing flashed to Ochako, who drew her arms around her knees and stared towards the ground. Although no one could meet her gaze, Ochako gave a short nod.
'After Shouto told me he was also a Tenth, I knew there was a possibility of others, but…' Izuku glanced at Sero, who was running a hand through his hair with his eyes looking even wider.
Sero wordlessly looked around the circle. "Uraraka…Todoroki…who else here, became the Tenth Holder in their timeline after Midoriya died?"
The silence stretched until it seemed to pull at Izuku's limbs. Then Mina's hand rose. Then Tsuyu's. Iida's. Hagakure. Momo.
"Unbelievable…a third of you…" Sero's words left in a rush of air. "Denki. Eijiriou. Shouji. Jirou. I know you all had a successor in your timeline as well, so who were they?"
Kaminari glumly pointed at Kirishima. "Midoriya passed it to Eijirou after fighting Wolfram in my timeline."
Eyes ping-ponged to a open-mouthed Kirishima, who tried to glance at Izuku. "…Huh. I did not think…Well, in my timeline, One For All stayed with Katsuki after Midoriya shared it with him during the battle with Nine on Nabu Island." Now the attention was on Kacchan, whose scowl grew deeper as he stared at his palms.
"This is not indicative of anything and should not be, but there were some…issues in my timeline." Shouji's hands were laced together. "Regardless, Boss passed the quirk onto one of the Naruhata Vigilantes, the Crawler. Do not ask me anything else about that for now."
Izuku had so many questions about that, but there was still one person remaining. Everyone turned to Kyouka, whose jacks had nearly looped themselves into knots from how jerkily they were floating. Kyouka had her hands over her head and looked close to tears.
"It wasn't…wasn't anyone's fault…no one knows if it ended up being an accident or on purpose…" Kyouka tilted her head back against the tree, a hand covering her eyes. "Izuku died fighting Muscular at the Training Camp in mine. His…successor…was Kouta."
Izuku had just enough time to register the lack of familiarity before the clearing erupted.
"Kouta? Are you fucking kidding me?! A kid?!" Any hint of a smile Sero had been getting was gone as he swept an arm out at Izuku. "This is exactly what I was talking about! I'm not solely blaming Midoriya here, but say what you will about the previous holders, they at least passed the damn quirk onto someone halfway capable of using it! Not a child!"
"Don't you dare." Kyouka hissed, her jacks extended and pointed at Sero. "Izuku protected the entire camp from that lunatic, a criminal easily on the same rank as Stain or Moonfish, by himself! Don't you dare try and blame Izuku for the League's actions, or for saving Kouta!"
Sero backed down, but gestured out towards the rest of the circle. "Fine. Whatever the case is, we have firsthand experience or firsthand accounts of ten other holders of One For All besides Midoriya and Kouta. So we can-"
"Eleven."
Izuku slowly turned towards the speaker, his mind flying ahead but unwilling to voice its conclusions. Meanwhile, Sero looked confused. "What do you mean? I thought-"
"I was the Tenth Holder of One For All, after Izuku passed it on to me." Hagakure replied simply. "You just never considered that I passed it on to someone else."
"Who?" Kacchan asked, looking half as flabbergasted as most of the other Travelers.
"Eri."
The air chilled without Shouto even lifting a finger, and Izuku found it hard to breathe for reasons that he didn't know why.
"Eri? Tooru, you didn't." Ochako croaked out, looking horrified. Tsuyu and Kirishima looked as if they were about to be sick, and most of the other Travelers weren't far behind. "Why would you do that?"
"Calm down, Ochako. She wasn't the child that she is now. She was older than Izuku was when he got One For All." Hagakure supplied. "Besides, there weren't very many options left."
Something about that statement…Izuku looked away from Hagakure. "How old is Eri? Or Kouta, for that matter?"
"Eri should be five right now, she was six when we rescued her in my timeline. Kouta is about the same age as her. Heh, so is Katsuma, now that I think about it." Kirishima smiled, though it looked exceptionally bitter. "You have a history of saving children from villains."
'So if Eri is five now, and I'm cleaning Dagobah Beach to get One For All…oh…' Izuku looked at Hagakure, having done the math in his head and remembered the conversation he had had with Kacchan. The invisible girl seemed unbothered by the attention.
"As a user of One For All, I'm weighing in here, because there are some things that you glossed over, Sero. Since everyone here is giving their accounts of Tenth Holders, and in my case an Eleventh as well, whatever increased strength or strengthened quirks you hear about are greater than Izuku would have access to as a Ninth, due to the nature of One For All." Sero appeared to accept that as Hagakure went on. "Moreover, there's something else that puts a point in Izuku's favor, or multiple points to be exact. To the best of my knowledge, neither I nor Eri were able to use the previous holders quirks like Izuku was."
"…What?" Izuku stared at the invisible being who had casually upended his life and everything he knew about quirks. Yes, he knew about One For All's stockpiling and transfer effects, and yes, he had learned about All For One, but this? That One For All was a quirk that held quirks? That he was capable of using them? That he was apparently the only one capable of using them?
"That can't be right. One For All should have…" Sero scowled, turning to look at the other holders and witness of holders. "One of you must have unlocked the other quirks, right?"
Iida shook his head. "Sero, I can definitively say that I have never experienced access to another quirk beyond the strength that One For All provided me. I must also add that I never witnessed Midoriya display any other additional quirks beyond One For All's strength as well." Most the others voiced their agreement of Iida as Sero's brows drew lower.
"I have seen Boss use other quirks, but the Crawler never displayed these abilities once One For All was passed to him." Shouji finished.
"How is that possible? Midoriya is quirkless, so why is he the only one who was able to fully unlock One For All like that?" Sero asked incredulously.
"We're not sure. Believe me, we did plenty of research trying to figure out how to repeat the inheritance, but found nothing. It could be that Izuku specifically is biologically predisposed to be capable of holding multiple quirks without losing his intelligence. We know that some High End Noumus were capable of that, and Kurogiri and Gigantomachia appeared to retain their complete cognition. It could be a mental factor, considering how I have yet to come across a person as driven, or as damn stubborn as Izuku can be." Hagakure shrugged, and Izuku could not help blushing as many of the Travelers nodded at that part of Hagakure's statement. "Honestly, it could even be that Izuku specifically was chosen by the previous holders to use their quirks, though that has some really dark implications about the rest of us, so that line of thought was abandoned. Whatever the reason is, the result is that Izuku, across multiple timelines, seems to be the only one capable of unlocking the full potential of One For All."
Sero stood up, fingers curled. "We're not exactly done here! There's still the matter of all the other Tenths, and-"
"Sit down, Soy Sauce!" Kacchan roared, jumping to his feet with palms out and sparking. "Everyone's said their piece! There's no fucking way you can rip One For All away from Izuku, so stop trying!"
"Kacchan-"
"NO, Izuku! I've had enough of Hanta trying to waltz on in and claim shit like it's the end all be all! Fuck, even at my house! No, he put up, now he gets to shut the fuck up." Kacchan snarled so harshly that Sero flinched and bent his elbows out.
'Wait…they are all exhausted…'
"Those are bold words coming from someone acting like they're Midoriya's guardian angel and spokesperson, after everything you put him through." Sato spit out, on his feet as well, sugar cubes already in his hand. "After you murdered him."
'On edge…'
"Sato, stand down." Todoroki was on his feet now as well. "I have spent enough time with both Bakugo and Izuku to know that Bakugo is-"
"Right, because Todoroki Shouto is the expert judge on facial expression and empathy, or anything to do with emotion," Mina spit out as she jackknifed up. "I trust your word on being a functioning human less than Mineta's."
'And in an environment of peace, while their minds are anything but…'
"Sero, Sato, Kacchan, Shouto, Mina, please calm down." Izuku slowly stood up and held his arms out, slowly inching out in the middle of the clearing, going as slow as possible as to not provoke a reaction. "Everyone here is just tired and dealing with being in a different time without a war going on, so please-" Even with his body constantly turning, he only caught the movement out of the corner of his eye.
One step. "Midoriya, I insist-" Two steps. "you return before-" Three steps.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE THOSE KNIVES!"
"OH SHIT!"
BOOOM
"IZU-"
… … …
"Welcome, Midoriya Izuku…or should I say, Deku…"
This asshole…he's the one running the show, the one who arranged this…the one who put me…in you…
Spiky, jagged like Kirishima, but much larger…
"I profess that you have caught my interest…the Doctor mentioned you in his reports…yes, like a quirk sponge, but with almost no loss of intelligence…"
That voice, coming from the radio around it's neck…
Fuck, I've heard of this thing…Gigantification, Strength, Endurance, it's got everything…
"Sadly, Tomura put you into action at the U.S.J. before the Doctor could have you reach your full potential…nevertheless, you remain one of the great masterpieces, a symphony even in your incomplete and heroism-tainted state…"
Get ready, kid…He's about to send this thing out to play…
"You currently possess seven quirks…the same number as another masterpiece, as well as my servant here…I am curious…between the scalpel and the sledgehammer…which is deadlier?"
Your skills and naiveté won't cut it…we need both of us in sync to have a chance to make it out…
"Machia…"
Toughen up, because I'm not done spilling blood…
"Kill him."
Pain…
Screams…
Blood…
FUCK! We've been going two days straight…our quirks are at their limit, and so's our body… You know we're not making it out of this, right?
Not yet…Not done yet…have to…protect them…
...Heh, this is why you and I can't get along…Fine, I'll push Muscle Augmentation to the limit…we have enough left in us for one more hit, so let's make it count…
A big right swing…dodge…
Well, if we're spitting out last words, saying it just once won't hurt…
Go Beyond…
You know, even though you were weak…with your head and will…
Plus Ultra…
You made a pretty good partner…
"DETROIT-
So long, kid…
"-SMAAAAASH!"
Farewell…Muscular…
… … …
"-UKU! IZUKU!"
Izuku blinked as the white cleared from his vision, and realized he was staring up at the sky, and a towering figure of shadow. "Dark Shadow?"
"Over here." Izuku turned his head to the side and found Tokoyami kneeling beside him. Except…his eyes were not red, but a solid yellow, and his form appeared blurry around the edges. But… "Everyone was worried about you, but I think things have calmed down enough for Fumi and I to switch back."
As Izuku pushed his back off the ground, he watched as before his eyes, Tokoyami's body seemed to sharpen into focus, as his eyes returned to having red irises. Tokoyami then shook out his arms and hands, finding Izuku's gaze. "Midoriya, are you well? You were unresponsive for nearly five seconds."
"I was what?" Staggering to his knees, Izuku looked around the clearing, and found a peculiar sight.
The Travelers had clumped together in groups, and by groups, he meant that multiple Travelers were restraining various others. Sero was being held by Tsuyu's tongue while Aoyama held a laser sword by his body, while Kacchan was facedown in the grass courtesy of a hold by Ochako with Kaminari nearby. Sato was held by a combination of an extremely jagged Kirishima and Shouji, and Todoroki laid still on the ground with Hagakure sitting on him and Kyouka training her jacks by his face. Mina was wrapped up in both her own clothing and what looked like bandages thanks to Toshi and Momo, and Iida was locked to the ground by Mineta's quirk, while Mei grasped the back of his head with a gauntlet of some sort. Izuku's eye then trailed over to Kouda, who remained seated on the ground, and Ojiro, who stood by him. Meeting Ojiro's gaze confusedly, the tailed boy pointed up at the trees. Following Ojiro's finger, Izuku looked around and saw hundreds, perhaps thousands of birds perched in the branches and watching the clearing.
"Okay…If everyone will quietly and peacefully return to their seats, one by one, we can get back to being productive, instead of throwing a tantrum like children because we're incapable of finding an outlet." Ojiro's tail swished slowly, and the martial artist's calm expression was gone. "Once that happens, and only then, will Kouda be willing to call the birds off. Are we clear? Good. Start from Iida and go clockwise."
As the Travelers slowly disengaged and returned to their spots, Izuku gingerly rose to his feet and began walking back towards his seat. As he did, he glanced at Kacchan, who was gazing at him with narrowed eyes. Izuku glanced over at Tokoyami, then back at Kacchan before nodding. Kacchan's eyes closed, before his expression smoothed out.
Izuku had no idea what that meant.
Before long, every Traveler was seated again, and all eyes were on Kouda. The rock-faced boy opened his eyes and with a call, sent the flocks of avians to the sky, though no one was willing to bet against the prospect of them remaining close by, just in case.
"Okay, since things went off the rails there, I'll take point until cooler heads have prevailed." Ojiro slowly stood up and made eye contact with every Traveler around the circle. "Now…what the hell was that? Look, I get it. We're in what feels like an unfamiliar world, with very few people to turn to, people who were dead casually walking around, and a distinct lack of fighting going on even though the memories remain. But that's no excuse to be at each other's throats, for any reason. We are literally all we have right now in terms of this time travel situation, so for gods' sakes, let's work together instead of purposely trying to step on one another's toes, or worse, blow them up. Hell, if it wasn't for Tokoyami, you all would have killed Midoriya there!"
And like so many other epiphanies Izuku had come to regarding the Travelers, the last puzzle piece fell into place and clicked.
"Umm, Ojiro? Could I, say something?" Ojiro turned to looked at Izuku confusedly, but nodded and stepped back as Izuku walked forward. Glancing at Kacchan, he met the red eyes with more than a hint of fear, but looked away to find the Travelers giving him their full attention. "I admire each and every one of you. For your skill. For your determination. For your dedication. For your heart. You all sacrificed time and time again to protect others, and even now are willing to step forth again. You all are examples of what kind of a hero I want to be, and there are aspects of each of you that I aspire to.
But at the same time, your experiences have changed you, and removed from the environment, the time that you came from, all of you are struggling in a way to go through a life that isn't fully yours. Without the events that have happened in your timelines, there is a disconnect that separates you from others that you once had, even if they are physically present. That kind of feeling cannot be solved by oneself, and needs the help of others. Like…like the help that I need from you." Izuku took a deep breath. "There's something about my designation as the Focal Point that I have not mentioned yet, that I have been trying to piece together, that I figured out just now."
"Whenever I am about to die and one of you saves me, I experience flashes, memories of that version of me from your timeline…leading up to my death."
Izuku smiled sadly, and looked around the circle at the other Travelers. Kacchan, who he had mentioned his flashes to already, looked pale, but appeared to be reacting better than he did at U.A. Everyone else, however, appeared to be either horrified, nauseous, despairing, or some combination thereof.
Hagakure was one of the first to pull herself together. "So just now…"
Izuku nodded. "Since Tokoyami was the one to save me, I suppose it was his timeline that I was seeing. I was…something monstrous, and forced into a long and brutal fight with something, someone named Machia." His statement only served to make the Travelers pale even further, as Dark Shadow let out a mournful warble. "Before him, I saw flashes of a fight in Kaminari's timeline against someone named Wolfram, and in Kacchan's I…passed before even getting to U.A."
"My friend, I…I cannot apologize for the suffering I must have caused you just now in forcing you to relive that cruel fate. I believed that I was saving you, but to think I was instead condemning you." Tokoyami and Dark Shadow both bowed. "When I noticed that you were appeared unresponsive to any of our calls, I feared that I was too late and failed to prevent you from suffering damage to your physical form, or worse, your emotional well-being."
"Yeah, it's a relief it was just that. You were only out for a second or two at the beach when the crate was falling towards you, so I just thought that you froze up in fear. It's definitely happened to everyone here at least once." Kaminari joked, before he frowned. "Wait, if you were out just now for nearly five seconds, and one or two with me…"
"It was less than a second with me, he didn't even have time to move," Kacchan added, eyes wide as it sunk in.
"The more times the Travelers save him, the longer he is unresponsive." Kyouka whispered. "How? Why?"
"The best guess? Because he's the Focal Point." Mei supplied. "Maybe the only reason we could all end up in this timeline despite being from separate ones is because our Izu's were all dead. Being near-dead is close to dead, and the more times he experiences that, the closer he gets to the natural connection he shares with our Izu's. The memories are likely some sort of interface echo from that specific timeline."
Izuku's head was swimming with questions. Could there be repeats of memories with Travelers after being saved? What if he was saved by multiple Travelers? What was the explanation behind-
"There's…something…I believe we need answered…" Iida turned to Mei and Momo. "Should Midoriya, this Midoriya…meet his end…however it happens…what will happen?"
The clearing fell dead silent, with all eyes on the two girls.
Momo slowly clasped her hands in front of her face, touching them to her forehead. "This is conjecture, as we have little understanding of how time travel works, let alone how this specific quirk works. But…the best case scenario, if one can call it that, is that Izuku passing results only in his death. The most probable situation, however, is that without our Focal Point, our own presences in this timeline will become untethered and unrooted. What happens after that is beyond my comprehension, but if we are removed from this timeline and returned to our own…given what our situations were before traveling…"
Death. Complete Death. TPK.
"I'm scared shitless to ask this, but someone has to." Mineta spoke up from the static in everyone's heads. "What is the worst that could happen if Midoriya dies?"
"Honestly, I hope what Yaomomo just described is the worst case scenario, but the fact is that both of us are out of our depth here." Mei replied bluntly. "If we're being pessimistic here? Let's say we've broken a lot of rules about space and time putting us all together here and now, in these bodies, and with that Izu. If the potential one thing keeping these bent rules held together disappears…"
"Goodbye, whole timeline. Or maybe the whole universe."
"…Ah." Izuku swallowed. "So…no pressure…"
"If it helps, those last two are probably infinitesimally small probabilities, nonexistent even if the math is done right." Mei's joke fell flat.
Momo rubbed her face. "At the risk of sounding like a broken record…we should reconvene tomorrow…"
"One last question." Toshi pointed at Izuku as he made eye contact. "Is it too late to have everyone stay over at his place for the week, or until the end of time? You know, considering the fate of the universe and whatnot."
"TOSHI!"
… … …
Judgement: When the past and future come together. Review your decisions and action until now with clarity, and evaluate if they lead toward where you want to go. The future is not set in stone though, and there remains time to change, if one heeds their inner voice.
A/N: And the good times keep on rolling…Okay, okay, I promise things start looking up soon! At least I managed to get to some of elements I've been working on. Thanks again, and I'll see everyone next week!
-SE
Next Chapter Date: 02/15/21
Travelers and Titles
Midoriya Izuku: The Fool
Bakugo Katsuki: The Magician
Jiro Kyoka: The High Priestess
Yaoyorozu Momo: The Empress
Todoroki Shouto: The Emperor
Hagakure Toru: The Hierophant
Uraraka Ochako: The Lovers
Kirishima Eijirou: The Chariot
Iida Tenya: Justice
Kouda Kouji: The Hermit
Sato Rikido: The Wheel of Fortune
Asui Tsuyu: Strength
Shouji Mezou: The Hanged man
Ashido Mina: Death
Kaminari Denki: Temperance
Mineta Minoru: The Devil
Sero Hanta: The Tower
Aoyama Yuga: The Star
Shinsou Hitoshi: The Moon
Hatsume Mei: The Sun
Tokoyami Fumikage: Judgement
Ojiro Mashirao: The World