~{Author's Pre-Notes}~
Huh... Not gonna lie, this was one of those chapters that took a lot more time to do than I thought it would. I had to add extra things, change cringe, and it was surprisingly hard trying to figure out what to make certain characters say. And now New Years passed and I'm already back in school!? God damn it! More work already trying to distract me. *Sigh*
Oh well, last time, I left things on quite the cliffhanger. Now... let's see what's next.
Answered Comments (Oldest to most recent):
Madko Ota Sanchez V2: Boy
Guest: Yeah, he is gonna be fighting with Iida, Shinso, and Todoroki occasionally because he's more experienced. But the others are gonna have more combat training with Enso. And after this part, with someone else too.
Guest: I posted two chapters of two stories in one day because I already had one of those chapters done and had someone editing it while I worked on the other story's chapter. It was just a coincidence that I had both as a Christmas present, it takes time to write and edit these.
5AT05H1L1NK: Welcome back to the wonderful world of commenting, good to have ya around.
TQ679: Lol, I loved Mei and also did wish to see Shinso again in the franchise, which is why I got really happy to see him in the Class A vs B arc.
Atomic11: My Christmas was boring. I didn't really do anything, didn't even get a present because I don't really ask for them. I'm already happy with what I've got, you know?"
FlamingFireBlaze: I made Ikari childish because I thought it'd make sense due to Izuku's timid nature and his key negative experiences (bullying) occurring a lot more as a child.
Vidkid: Depends, what do you mean by, 'a certain event' influencing the fic? If you're talking about Midnight, then... All it takes is one external force to make a change of events.
Fear, confusion, and anger.
This was how to describe the feelings of our current heroes. There, just above them on the balcony, was the last person they had ever expected to see again.
The Hero Killer, the villain they had defeated in Hosu, the villain that had attempted to take their lives, he was right above them with his hands gripping the wooden railing with a scowl present on his face.
He had no parts of his costume or equipment on him, from the spiked knee pads to even his bandana, revealing the face of the thirty-one-year-old man without a nose. However, the reveal of his face could arguably be even more frightening than when he looked with his bandana, as being nose-less with exposed bone added a level of intimidation to him.
Izuku didn't think. With the green electricity of One For All coursing around him with a sudden burst of a black aura, he blasted towards the Hero Killer with his fist swinging.
"SMASH!"
"Brute Style."
Much to his surprise, the Hero Killer jumped back, and someone took his spot to block the attack. Enso came in with his arms crossed and a white aura around him, taking Izuku's punch, which caused a small shockwave to spread throughout the area.
Izuku's eyes widened to see his mentor protect Stain.
"Calm, down." Enso said with clear danger in his voice, threatening for things to get worse if he continued.
He then pushed his arms forward and sent Izuku back in the air, the boy falling but with black tendrils shooting to the ground to gently lower him.
Once landing, Todoroki was the one to speak.
"Enso! What's going on! Why is he here!?" He basically shouted as his right arm became tightened into a fist, an icy aroma emitting from it.
"Explain yourself!" Iida screamed, clearly even more enraged than Todoroki.
"Hmph, what did I tell you?" Stain growled to Enso.
"Shut it. Of course they'd react like that." The latter declared with his eyes glowing dangerously red.
Enso placed his hand on the railing before leaping off the edge, landing with a powerful thud.
Izuku stood in place just... shocked. He was completely confused as to what was going on. Why was Stain here? Why did Enso protect him? What kind of absolute insane and complex thoughts went through his head this time and why!?
Enso stood up and dusted himself off as Stain landed behind him in a crouch.
"To put things simply. I decided to have Chizome be of assistance."
"Chizome?" Shinso narrowed his eyes.
"Or Stain, whichever you wish to address him." Enso added.
Izuku couldn't believe it.
"Wha-!?"
"ARE YOU CRAZY!?"
He jumped when he heard Iida suddenly yell.
"What are you thinking!? Do you not remember who he is!? What he's done!? The PEOPLE he's murdered!? He tried to kill us!"
Stain growled, "I tried to kill you. Your friend there proved himself worthy of being a hero, and as for your other friend..." He said, glancing over at Todoroki. "I didn't have a concrete reason to kill him either. I don't know enough about him, except..."
He formed an intense glare.
"That he's Endeavor's son." He spat, venom in his voice.
"I told you before, he isn't like that." Enso declared to him, making Stain scoff and turn away, uninterested.
Iida just took a step forward, eyes filled with anger. "Enso, you can't be serious!? You want us to work with the Hero Killer!? I can't accept it... I won't! We have to turn him in! He shouldn't BE here! Why is he here!?"
Enso frowned, "He was on the brink of death when I found him. And calm your anger, Iida. Don't let your emotions cloud your thinking, or do you not recall the last time you did that?"
Iida flinched and recoiled with his teeth gritting, looking down in a mixture of anger and shame as he recalled hunting down the Hero Killer for himself.
"What Iida is saying isn't from cloudy judgment! It's from his common sense!" Todoroki spoke, clearly infuriated and in disbelief as well. "He's a villain who has taken the lives of several heroes already! What in the damn hell makes you think it's okay to suddenly have him here!?"
"It's not okay, I know that." Enso stoically answered. "But after hearing him out, I simply decided..."
He paused for a moment, then closing his eyes with a sigh.
"Perhaps it'd be better to show you."
Enso suddenly started glowing a blue aura as he raised a hand, which also started glowing brilliantly blue.
The group's eyes widened.
"Punk Style..."
He closed his palm as his eyes opened to reveal their blue color.
"Memory Breach."
Then all was flashed in blue.
~{Musutafu, Two days after Hero Killer Incident- 2:05AM}~
Enso leaped across the sky in the middle of the night, holding a roll of bandages, medical alcohol, and other medical supplies in his arms. There was a full moon with no sign of any clouds in the sky, a perfect night shining with stars. There was no sign of fatigue on Enso, nor did he even look remotely tired as he traveled from building to building to make it to where he knew he had to be.
Soon he started making it out of the city and towards the lower buildings, ending up in the familiar neighborhood he resided in. He continued jumping from the rooftops of small homes until he soon made it to his destination.
Enso landed in front of his current home, his makeshift dojo that didn't have any lights on. He didn't bother going to the front door but rather, leaped up to a window he had purposely left open the previous day.
He landed on the window frame before hopping off and finally landed in his room.
For his sleeping quarters, Enso kept it rather bare. He didn't think he needed much for his room, nor did he want to waste any time being foolish by decorating it. So besides his desk, chairs, bed, fan, and wardrobe, Enso didn't have anything within his room.
However... There were two things out of place in the room, two things you wouldn't normally see if you would happen to walk into Enso's room. The first thing was the pile of bloody clothes and fabric on the floor, from black baggy pants to previous white towels now soaked in red.
And the other thing out of place was the Hero Killer's presence on Enso's bed.
Stain was lying on his back and with each of his arms and legs containing handcuffs that latched on one of the metal bedrails of Enso's bed. He made no movements at all, still unconscious after the previous days' events. He was shirtless with bandages wrapped all over his arms and chest, wearing gray sweatpants, and was currently breathing softly in his sleep, clearly not having had any rest for quite some time.
"Hm... He's stable..."
Enso walked over to his desk and gently lowered the items he collected, then picking up a needle and thread of the sort.
"Nngh..."
He paused when he heard the groan and rustling behind him, then turning his head back to see Stain slowly open his blood-red eyes.
"Oh, good timing." Enso remarked, placing the needle and thread down and walking to the light switch, then flicking it on.
The room lit up, and Stain instantly closed his eyes while hissing, the sudden increase of light blinding him. He instinctively tried to move, but he felt his arms latched to the bed, hindering any of his movements.
It took a few moments for Stain's eyes to adjust to the new level of light, and in the meantime, Enso pulled up a chair and sat by his bedside, sitting in silence as he waited for the Hero Killer to adjust.
"Ugh... Where the hell...?"
Stain blinked several times and finally noticed that has was no longer in Hosu but rather, in a bedroom of the sort. His gaze immediately turned to the left to Enso, eyes dilating upon recognizing the boy.
"You..."
"Hello, Chizome Akaguro." Enso started.
"The kid from the alleyway...? No..."
Stain narrowed his eyes at Enso's cold, crimson gaze.
"He ain't a 'kid'..."
"I've looked up quite a bit on you since I've brought you here, especially with the substantial amount of videos providing information about you."
"Videos?" Stain growled.
"Yes. There was your speech in Hosu that made you famous for your ideals, and then there were videos about your history spread through the media."
Enso was completely still as he spoke, eyes completely locked with Stain's.
"Deeply impacted by All Might's debut, enrolling in a private hero school, but disappointed by how the system teaches a corrupt view on heroes. You ended up dropping out in the summer of your first year. Then you spent the rest of your teenage years making speeches on the street to restore the 'old' idea of heroes."
Enso narrowed his own eyes at Stain as he continued.
"Then you mysteriously disappeared... You were absent from the world for ten years, supposedly using this time to hone your combat prowess, before reemerging and finally trying to enforce your beliefs by taking the lives of heroes."
He sighed.
"And look how that ended up."
Stain glared at him before looking around at the room, almost as if analyzing for any sign of escape.
"It's good that you didn't immediately try to struggle." Enso remarked, "Otherwise, your wounds may end up opening again."
"What the hell do you want?" Stain hissed as he turned his head back to Enso. "You brought me here and treated me instead of turning me in. What do you want from me?"
Stain's menacing blood eyes glared at Enso.
"And just who the hell are you?"
"..."
"..."
Enso had no emotion on his face as he thought to himself what to say. He knew the type of person Stain was, someone so absorbed in his beliefs that he would do anything to get his form of change done, so...
Perhaps he could use that.
"My name is Enso Ureshi, you may not believe it, but I believe we may be of assistance to one another."
Stain's hands balled into fists, clearly not amused.
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"Our goals are different, but our paths can still align."
Stain scoffed, "You would do anything if it would help yourself. It's clear that any goals you have are for your own benefit rather than for a good cause."
"That... Well... I suppose that was how it was at first, but as of now, you are only... somewhat correct."
"Hmph, 'somewhat?'"
"What you said about me when we met was basically correct... When I made my decisions, I did whatever it took to go through with them. I had always made my decisions by myself, for myself, getting rid of all obstacles and taking the actions I believed necessary, no matter who was hurt."
Hearing that and once again examining the hard look in his eyes, Stain went back to the same thought that came up when he gazed at Enso in the alleyway.
"So you really have stained yourself in blood before..." He said, clearly stating it as a fact.
"..."
"And yet you're in U.A..."
"..."
Stain kept an intense gaze on Enso.
"What are you planning? Infiltrating the academy-?"
"I'm not 'infiltrating' anywhere, nor am I planning to do anything to the school or its students. I'm in U.A as a student because it was requested for me to be there." Enso cut him off.
"Tch! Allowing a murderer into a hero school... It seems that the age of heroes has really been going downhill..." Stain sighed in a mixture of disappointment and anger.
"There are reasons behind my presence in the academy... Reasons that All Might supports. If you really are disappointed with the fact, then I guess All Might must be disappointing too, right?"
"DON'T speak of him so lightly!" Stain suddenly snapped, cuffs even pulled as he raised his head with angry eyes. "Why would All Might condone having a murderer in the academy!?"
"There are several things you don't understand." Enso started. "The circumstances, future conflicts, and what's at stake. If you really view All Might in such a bright light, then you would know that he must have his reasons not to simply turn me in, correct?"
"So All Might KNOWS of the lives you've taken?" Stain asked, clearly reluctant to believe it.
"Yes, yet All Might has involved himself in helping me with my goal."
Stain kept silent as he kept glaring at Enso. The boy's expression hadn't changed when he made that claim, and the villain could hear no change in tone. It was clear that what Enso was saying was blunt and to the point, which begs the question...
"Just what is your goal?"
To this, Enso suddenly became quiet, debating on whether or not to speak out honestly. He looked down and pondered it, to which Stain noticed and could immediately tell that the boy was actually either thinking of an excuse or simply what sort of information to share.
"My goal..."
Enso rose his head back to Stain.
"Is... to figure out who I am while stopping the threat to this world."
Stain frowned.
"What?"
Enso got to explaining. "Hero Killer... You act to change the currently flawed hero society you live in, but your actions won't even matter if the world itself is simply destroyed."
Now that caught Stain's complete attention, the villain detecting no lie in his words.
"Do you recall in Hosu City, when you broke out of your binds to rescue Izuku?" Enso continued.
"Izuku...? You mean that green-haired kid?" Stain raised an eyebrow.
"Yes. After landing and giving your speech, don't you recall what you saw?"
Stain's eyes then widened as his mind flashed back to when his adrenaline kicked in. He remembered the ground shaking as he felt someone land behind him, remembered swinging his blade into flesh, and he remembered getting launched away as if he was nothing.
Blood-shot colors appeared to seep into Stain's eyes as the image of that villain... that monster became clear in his mind. Those brightly red eyeholes and mouth, that... unnatural body, and that bloodthirsty aura that can match his own... It was clear what he saw wasn't anything like he had ever seen before.
"Do you recall when I asked you about a villain who's only fueled by bloodlust? Someone who has such destructive power, yet uses it like a child to settle some sort of score?" Enso asked next, letting Stain put it together.
Of course, he did, and he wasn't too happy about it.
"That... thing? Who was he?"
"An old adversary of mine... His name is... Lynch." Enso answered.
"Lynch... What the hell kind of name...?" Stain thought to himself as Enso continued speaking.
"Someone who I apparently have a history with but don't recall."
"How do you not?" The villain asked suspiciously. "You've mentioned that you're trying to figure out who 'you' are? Could it be...?"
"..."
Stain then surprisingly let out a chuckle, "I see... That explains why All Might would accept someone like you."
"Accept?"
"You're a lost bud that doesn't even know what it's blooming into... Nor recalls what previous flower it's come from." Stain scoffed. "He's simply trying to lead you on the right path... The path to contribute rather than to take. Yet... You have a rat haunting you to remind you of the sins you've carried before."
"..."
"Yet, you say that this... 'Lynch' is a threat to the entire world rather than just to you?" Stain glared again. "Are you sure that isn't just an excuse to have people help deal with your problem?"
Enso shook his head. "No... Lynch can make the world his playground if he chooses... He can cause mindless pain and destruction for the pleasantries of human reactions. Yet, he's simply focused on me. So if I'm gone... Then I believe he won't have any other focus and will simply just cause as much chaos as possible."
Stain didn't look too convinced but simply got to asking more questions.
"Okay... Let's say everything you've said is true... Why do you need my help to take down this guy? And why the hell should I help you?"
"Having someone who works outside the law would be beneficial for me, but the main reason is that I believe you're the type of person that would be best to have on our side. The kind... with spirit."
"Spirit?" Stain repeated.
"Yes... You're conviction. It fuels your spirit, and it keeps you fighting no matter what. Those are the type of people I need the most to fight against Lynch and anything he could send. If there's one thing Lynch loves the most, it's breaking the human spirit... So I believe that those with the strongest of spirits would be the best allies to have. Especially if he gets overconfident and tries to manipulate you emotionally."
Stain listened intently to Enso, his eyes squinted.
"And as for why you should help... I can't give you any good reason to give your assistance to me, but..."
Enso slowly brought up his watch, where a small holographic image came up.
"You have reasons to do it for them."
Stain's eyes widened to see the projection. Izuku and All Might were on the beach, with All Might overseeing Izuku attempting to pick up a fridge.
"All Might... and the kid?"
"Izuku is assisting me with my goal." Enso explained, "In fact, I sought him out for his help in the first place. I believe that he is the key to saving the world... as well as your key for improving it. All Might is supporting him and I all the way, and he truly sees Izuku as having the potential to be the next top hero, as do I."
Stain no longer looked irritated, his teeth no longer showing as curious eyes remained.
"Oh? So you say?" To hear that All Might viewed such a person in such a light, Stain couldn't help but feel impressed.
Enso turned off the hologram and lowered his arm. "Hero Killer... You believe that by eliminating the 'fake' heroes that plague the hero society, things would change for the better in the future, correct?"
"Of course! To get rid of the filth that's plaguing the ideas of true heroes! No one would listen to me... No one would listen just how low the morals for heroes has become, so it was the only way." Stain growled.
"You can't change the system by killing those who are simply adopting it. You have to change it at its core, and you need the support to do so." Enso immediately retaliated.
Stain paused at his claim.
"What do you have in mind?"
"Nothing too special, simply..." Enso projected an image of just Izuku. "Help us grow, help him grow. Your experience would be valuable for fighting against villains in combat, and perhaps your knowledge of weapons could be put to use. I wish for you to help teach others working with me that are growing like Izuku, to help them become the heroes you want the world to have."
Enso crossed his arms.
"Having more of these types of heroes and using them as an influence for changing the system for the better. But as I've mentioned before, it won't matter if the world is completely destroyed..."
He leaned forward.
"So, Hero Killer, would you assist me in making sure that such an event never happens?"
"..."
Stain actually seemed to be contemplating it, yet of course, he still had distrust to Enso, someone who still wasn't a hero for the public. And there were several questions he still had. But at the same time, he knew Enso was basically lost, as he someone who has forgotten who he was.
However...
"Enso Ureshi... correct?"
Enso nodded.
"Tell me... What do you think of this current society?
"..."
"..."
"I'm... not too sure."
Enso's thoughts played back each and every event he lived through while on Izuku's world.
"When I first attended U.A, I didn't care about the type of world this was. I was simply in the academy under the rodent's request, so those like All Might would watch me while I watch over Izuku. But as time went on, I began noticing aspects that I just found... unreasonable. The entrance exam just tested those with destructive quirks. There are students in the hero course who don't seem to care about saving people and think more about gaining something out of becoming one, and then there are students with quirks not relating to combat, such as hypnotism, who are powerful in their own right but aren't in the hero course..."
"And then there are the laws and unreasonable aspects of the current society... There are heroes, such as Endeavor, who clearly think more about power than saving anyone, even abusing it at times, yet he's considered the number two hero. Then there are the world's assumptions that those without quirks just aren't meant to ever be a hero, despite it being clear that a person without a quirk can do as much as a person with a quirk... An experienced warrior can take out novice villains or heroes with just their skills or even with supportive gadgets."
Enso brushed some hair from his face, his crimson red eyes showing boredom.
"It's... foolish."
"Heh, isn't it?" Stain remarked, appearing to be... grinning? "It seems that you've started to realize how flawed the world really is."
The villain gave a dangerous chuckle.
"It seems you've got a lot to understand."
"..."
"Perhaps..." Enso muttered, not looking too amused. "So will you provide your assistance and help me understand it then?"
Stain stopped smiling and stared intensely at him.
"Hmph... And just what's in it for me?"
"Change."
"...Change?" Stain repeated.
" Yes... The change you want to see in the world. If you help us, if you help Izuku grow into the next greatest hero, he'll influence the public, he'll have the support to change the mindset of heroes, and he'll be able to influence future ones. He'll help change the current system of education regarding heroes. If you wish for more, such as your release, I don't believe I can promise that."
"..."
Stain let out a sigh and let his head fall back on his pillow, staring straight up at the ceiling.
"Hmph... It beats just getting locked up. And... if it's for the kid, if it's for All Might, then..."
He grinned.
"Why the hell would I refuse?"
~{Present Time}~
Everyone stumbled back a few steps after Enso's vision of his memory ended, disoriented due to the after-effects of Memory Breach.
"Ugh... That's irritating..." Stain growled as he held his head.
"I feel like I was hit with a baseball..." Shinso grumbled.
Izuku held his head with a hand but looked down to the ground with confused and completely stunned eyes.
"Enso told Stain about Lynch!? He told him about All Might helping me!?"
Izuku raised his head at Enso, sweating hard and panting.
"E-Enso... Y-You...?"
"I know... Izuku, I know. You're probably mad, but Chizome's entire goal revolves around All Might. To ensure that we'd get his assistance, I knew I had to tell him about the support we're getting from him."
Izuku took a step back, not knowing whether to be angry or continue in his hopeless confusion.
"What? D-Does... Does All Might know about this!?"
"No, of course not... No matter what, he would be against having Stain here. He wouldn't tolerate it." Enso answered.
"So you really do have ties with All Might..." Stain grinned. "In that case... This may be right, after all."
Ikari glared behind Izuku and his hands immediately formed into jagged clubs.
"He's evilly smiling. Should I knock him down?"
Enso turned back and rose his dagger while Stain frowned at the threat.
"Enough, Ikari. No one will be knocking down anyone else.
Todoroki and Iida were still processing the information they heard in that memory, with Todoroki looking up and staring at Izuku in wonder.
"Midoriya... So All Might really did have his eye on you?"
Izuku turned to Todoroki in panic.
"N-No! W-Well-! I mean-!? I-It's not-!"
"So then that means..." Todoroki's eyes narrowed.
Sweat dripped down Izuku's face as he felt fear of what Todoroki would say.
"You really are All Might's secret love child?"
Izuku deadpanned, turning black and white.
"I... No, Todoroki... Just... no."
"..."
"But are you sure-?"
"We're not having this discussion right now." Enso cut him off, his eye twitching.
"For being Endeavor's son... he's odd." Stain narrowed his eyes.
"Enso..." Iida gritted his teeth and formed a glared. "You... You actually struck a deal with the devil!? We CAN'T trust the Hero Killer! You know how many lives he's taken, don't you!?"
Stain growled as his gaze went to Iida, his expression furious, but before he could say anything, Enso spoke up for him.
"On the contrary, I believe we can work with Chizome effectively without worrying about him continuing his murder spree. This is for two reasons."
Enso reached to Stain's wrist and pulled it up, revealing a metal wristband of the sort.
"This wristband will notify me if Stain attempts to leave the residence. It'll also inject a drug that'll put him to sleep, including if he attempts to remove the band. So we won't have to worry about him leaving and hunting down any more heroes."
"Tsk!" Stain was visibly frustrated about the item on him, pulling his hand away and rubbing the band.
Enso raised a finger, "And the other reason is that he's committed to his ideals to a point where it's an obsession. And our interests somewhat align with his, in a way. We all agree that Lynch must be taken care of, and All Might knows this too, which is the main reason Stain would agree to even step foot in the same room as us. Out of everyone, he views All Might as the best. He sees him as Izuku does. The best hero, the most genuine hero that actually wants to save everyone. So... as long it's for him, as long as it's to keep this society going and influence change in the process, Stain is willing to hold his blade up with us."
Enso turned back to the villain.
"Correct?"
"Hmph!" Stain snarled as his eyes focused on one member of the group. "But why is HE here?"
Iida felt a chill from Stain's glare and instinctively backed up.
"Wh-What?"
Stain took a step forward, prompting Izuku and Todoroki to step in front of Iida with defensive glares.
"He's been tainted. He's taken the path of selfishness that a hero should never go on! And look at what happened! He ended up dragging several of his acquaintances into unnecessary danger!"
Iida gritted his teeth as his hands balled into fists, being reminded once more of the consequences of his actions.
Enso frowned.
"Chizome... Just because someone has committed an error doesn't mean that they can't change. People learn, whether from previous mistakes or from other's teachings. Both Iida and Todoroki made these mistakes, but they also had a close friend who fought for them, a friend that helped them see just how wrong their actions were."
Stain's gaze instinctively went to Izuku, who he remembered to have saved Iida before he could finish him off.
"You're infuriated at the thought that Iida didn't have the true mindset of a hero at the time, but could you really blame him?"
"What?" Stain asked to clarify.
Enso stepped over to him and leaned his head forward, crimson eyes firm like his words.
"Weren't you the one who spoke out that the hero education system was flawed? That it was teaching corrupt views on heroes?"
Stain closed his mouth and glared back at Enso.
"If you believe that hero schools aren't teaching their students right about the morals of being a hero, then you can't fault Iida for losing sight of what being a hero meant. It wasn't thoroughly taught to him in the first place." The stoic teen continued.
"I thought it'd be more of common sense of what a hero is and does..." Shinso thought, feeling curious about the conversation. "So there really are bozos who really see a hero as just another job, huh?"
"Hero Killer Stain..." Iida spoke, eyes shadowed and looking down. "You hurt my brother, ended his whole career and left him in a critical state... I... I can never forgive you for that..."
Iida then looked up, unwavering eyes straight to the villain.
"But... No longer will I be fighting for the sake of avenging him. Tensei would be disappointed for me to fight for such a reason... I know the pain I ended up causing because of my actions, I know the actions I took were wrong and selfish, and I KNOW that from now on, I have to change to become the hero that my brother wants me to be! So I can be the hero that I want to be... One that doesn't think for himself, but for everyone else every, single, time."
Iida... then smiled, taking a moment to glance to Izuku.
"Just like Midoriya."
Staini's eyes widened as his glare disappeared, leaving a mixture of suspicion and... curiosity.
He saw Iida's eyes. His eyes were... different than when he had gazed into them in Hosu. No longer were they wide open and shaking with pure hatred. No... Stain saw the owner of these eyes contain a different aura to them, which reminded him of a familiar feeling...
Conviction.
"Hm..." Stain didn't look completely convinced as he kept his eyes on Iida, but he couldn't help but feel intrigued. Perhaps... There was something he could learn.
He ended up grinning evilly.
"When I fight them... I can make them bleed, right?"
The students got chills and backed up once more.
"Hold up... So you're actually fine with... them?" Shinso asked, motioning his hands to Iida and Todorki.
"Of course not."
Stain cracked his knuckles while staring at Iida specifically.
"But I can see how long it'll take before you stop with your charade."
Enso sighed.
"Well... At least it seems like he's in agreement with working with us."
"You can't be serious!?" Todoroki suddenly shouted. "What makes you think I'll be alright with this!?"
Enso turned to him with his eyes flashing menacingly.
"You and Iida want to redeem yourselves, don't you? You both wish to help Izuku so that he won't end up suffering a fate like what occurred to him in Hosu? Then use this opportunity to repeatedly fight against an experienced villain so that if the moment ever occurs that we run into Lynch or another dangerous villain, then you'll be there to fight and make sure Izuku doesn't suffer the burden he gets himself into."
"Enso... I-I appreciate that you're doing this to help us prepare for the future, but the Hero Killer!? W-We can't just have him in here! I-If All Might finds out, then he'll freak out!" Izuku stammered.
"Izuku... Just trust me. If anything happens, then I'll be responsible for it."
"It's not that simple..." Izuku said, turning to Stain cautiously.
"He's dangerous... And he hurt our friends." Ikari growled.
Stain curiously eyed Ikari, not having commented on him despite the entity floating beside Izuku the entire time.
"You... So you're the kid's quirk?"
Ikari's burning void that was his eyes narrowed.
"Yeah, so I suggest you stay still if you remember the last time we butted heads."
Stain looked somewhat amused by Ikari, letting out a chuckle. He then put his focus on Izuku, eyeing the boy and his appearance.
"Izuku Midoriya..."
"Eh?" Izuku felt nervous about having the previous villain's attention on him.
"What kind of world do you wish for?"
Izuku was taken aback by this question and felt himself shaking by the serious look Stain had, the man waiting for an answer.
"I..."
Many different thoughts came to mind, but out of the several he had, his general reasons for becoming a hero came to mind.
"I... I want a world where everyone can smile..."
Stain raised an eyebrow.
"I want a world where people won't have to constantly be afraid... A world where they can feel safe and not worry about danger around every corner... I want people to look up at a hero, to up at me, and feel assured that no matter what happens... they'll always be safe."
The upper corners of Stain's mouth formed into a genuine smile.
"Right there."
"Eh?"
Stain pointed at him.
"That right there... That's why I'll fight. You can bring the change that this society needs. You can change the pathetic ideas that the world runs on about heroes. That conviction you have to become a hero... It's what this corrupted world needs."
His pointed hand clasped into a determined fist.
"As long as it's for a cause like that, I'm willing to stain my sword any day."
"You won't be doing that." Enso sighed. "No more needless killing. Even though those heroes 'may' not have been heroes for the sake of being one, they didn't deserve to die."
Stain's mood turned sour as the corner of his eyes went to Enso, but he didn't complain.
"So be it."
"For Midoriya to get viewed in a bright light by a villain like Stain... It frightens me how influential he can be." Iida thought, not stopping the smile that's forming.
Shinso had a blank expression as he started pointing from Stain to the others. "Wait, so are we all just okay with... this then?"
Iida's smile fell as he and Todoroki gazed back to Stain, with the villain glancing at them back. There was a momentary silence within the group, as they knew that both sides' tensions were high. Izuku himself didn't know what to do, but... he no longer felt the murderous aura Stain had when he first arrived. It was... odd.
"Fine..." Iida said.
Todoroki turned to him in shock. "You're actually-?"
"As Enso said... I have to redeem myself and grow to help Midoriya... Of course, I'm not alright with the Hero Killer being here... But if fighting against him helps me grow to lessen the burden for Midoriya, then... I'll be willing to overlook it."
"Well, then." Shinso shrugged. "I guess... I mean, I'm not gonna call the cops or anything, but... If Grim Reaper here gets caught with Mr. trigger happy, then leave my name out of it."
"If in the case Stain is found, I'll take the blame of keeping him and leave your names out of it." Enso nodded. "However, from now on, we have to train here with windows and openings closed off so people won't catch sight of us training together."
"Then... we're actually-?"
Izuku didn't finish as Ikari suddenly zoomed past and ended up with a larger shape in front of Stain, eyes zoned in on him.
"Listen here, noseless, if you ever hurt my friends-!"
"Besides sparring." Enso added.
Ikari cheerfully turned to him, "Ah, thank you," before turning back to Stain with a glare again.
"So besides sparring, if you EVER hurt my friends again, then you bet my ass my partner and I will slam you down!"
His eyelids narrowed.
"Got it?"
"Of course." Stain agreed, not looking too intimidated.
"Hmph, good. In that case..."
Ikari's hand suddenly took Stain's and shook it energetically.
"Then welcome aboard, Stainy!"
"He suddenly accepted him!?" Izuku, Iida, Todoroki, and Shinso all thought in comical shock.
Even Stain was perplexed by the sudden change of character.
"Er... Likewise?"
"I-I still don't know how to feel about this... A-Are we really gonna just forget what Stain did before?" Izuku uttered.
"Hell no. We'll always remember what Stain did, as you all remember what I've done. We'll just be using him." Enso corrected.
"Blatantly admitting that, are we?" Stain grumbled.
At that moment, Mei came from the doorway with the usual smile plastered on her face.
"Hey, Muscles! Is your own baby-maker feeling better yet!?"
She stopped the moment she stepped into the room, expression immediately turning into a completely blank gaze upon seeing Stain.
"..."
"..."
The group awkwardly stared at her.
"U-Um-!" Izuku started.
But he didn't even get a word in when Mei brought a phone to her ear.
"Moshi moshi, is this the police?"
"NO!"
~{U.A Kitchen the next day-6:02AM}~
"So... Starting now until final exams, I'm going to be cooking this early?" Izuku asked, examing his current clothing.
The boy was dressed in a white chef coat with black pants to go along with it. He even had a chef's hat with white gloves on his hands, yet still wore the same red shoes he always wore.
"Yes, besides the days where you'll have your student representative meetings, of course. Good thing you're already used to waking up very early." Enso remarked.
The mentor speaking was in his usual suit, but with an additional black apron tied around his waist. In addition, his long hair had been made into a bun, which also had a hair-net around it. Despite having explained to Lunch Rush that his hair disintegrates upon falling off, he still made Enso wear the hair-net as a formality.
And if Izuku was honest, he was intrigued to see Eenso with this new style, as he never saw any change through his mentor's usual hair or clothing.
Lunch Rush was repeatedly clapping as he appreciated both Enso and Izuku's appearances.
"Oh, how marvelous it is to see the two of you dressed up!"
"Um... Thank you." Izuku answered, turning to the overly excited chef. "So... What kinds of things will we be making? Like, not just right now, but in the long run?"
"Anything we think of!" Lunch Rush immediately responded in excitement. "I don't just wish to teach you the wonders of cooking, Midoriya-kun, but I wish to give you the knowledge and skills of the kitchen so that you'll be able to make your own recipes! If there's one thing I love more than cooking, it's watching other youthful chefs flourish and make things I haven't seen! I want you to get wild, to get creative, and show the world of combinations of food they wouldn't think of but still works!" Lunch Rush shouted proudly as the stoves behind him erupted in flames to match his passion.
"But be careful. There will undoubtedly be many times where people will find you a disgrace for certain combinations you try in food. Such as pineapple and pizza." Enso remarked, heading over to the vegetables set on a table.
Lunch Rush laughed. "Pineapple on Pizza is a justifiable thing! It's all about a matter of preferences! People shouldn't judge each other for their choice of toppings!"
"So... What if I got curious and wanted to add strawberries and salmon or bacon-wrapped dates as toppings on pizza?" Izuku asked curiously, tilting his head.
"..."
Lunch Rush was completely still as he stared at Izuku without a clear expression on his face due to the apparent mask he wore, only to turn back and go through a door.
"Eh?" Izuku blinked in confusion at his sudden leave.
"Oh, boy..." Enso sighed with a roll of his eyes.
Sure enough, the chef came back.
Cocking a shotgun in his arms.
"You've mama'd your last-a mia."
"AAAAAAAHHHHHH!"
~{U.A the next day: 30 Minutes before homeroom.}~
"Sorry to make you do this with me, Jiro." Momo apologized to her friend.
"It's no problem. I got here pretty early anyway," The rockstar smiled.
The two were currently walking through the school halls, carrying a stack of papers each in their arms. Tasked by Aizawa to take them to Nezu, the two made their way towards the principal's office.
"Jesus... I guess Nezu really does have a heavy workload sometimes..." Jiro sighed.
"Hm? What do you mean? Wouldn't he?" Momo asked curiously.
"Well, from what I've heard Enso complain to Greeny, the principal never seems like he does anything but mess with people."
"Really? I'm sure he's clearly responsible. Otherwise, he wouldn't be the principal, would he?"
"I don't buy that." A new voice spoke.
"Wha-?"
Momo and Jiro were caught off guard as, from one of the hall's open windows, Enso suddenly came flying in. He rolled on the ground before shooting up to his feet, his arms sticking out in a T as if finishing a performance.
"E-Enso!?" Momo stammered, shocked by his sudden entrance.
"Did you just come through the window!? We're on the fourth floor! Did you actually jump up here!?" Jiro added, just as surprised.
"Actually, I came here from above." Enso pointed up.
"You could've just taken a flight of stairs!" Jiro comedically snapped.
"That'd take too long, but moving on-" Enso started, "I know you both must be angry at me."
Both girls were surprised by this sudden declaration.
"What?"
"Let me hold those for a minute. This may take a bit." Enso said as his eyes and arriving aura became blue, to which both stacks of papers also formed a blue aura around them. The two stacks levitated in the air and remained floating, thankfully not scattering.
"Whoa... How long can he keep them up?" Jiro wondered as she looked up.
Momo ignored the sudden action of telepathy and just put on a confused look.
"Enso? What do you mean by we should be angry with you?"
Enso sighed, eyes changing back to red and aura disappearing, yet the two stacks remained afloat.
"Because I forbad Izuku from telling you anything about our situation."
That had both girls instantly recall their conversation on the roof with Izuku, suddenly forming partial frowns.
"I do admit, I'm..." Momo's eyebrows furrowed. "Annoyed... Not to mention very suspicious of you since we returned from our internships. But... I wouldn't say I'm mad. I don't believe I should be."
"Why not?" Enso asked curiously.
"Because if Izuku is holding secrets, then it must be for a good reason... It's clear something occurred to him while he was in Hosu. And it pains me that he won't tell me... But since nothing was reported on the media besides the Hero Killer, it's clear that it must be something serious that the authorities keep hidden for a reason. Therefore, Izuku can't tell us... And it must be something that you can't tell us either."
"Definitely not. At least... not for a while. I appreciate both of you understanding that there are just some things that can't be said yet."
"But..." Jiro said, looking worried now. "What about-?"
"Izuku is fine, believe me." Enso answered before she could finish. "He's had people to talk to. I know you both must feel hurt that he wouldn't talk to you both about what transpired, but it doesn't mean he doesn't view you as less than any other friend. If anything, it just shows how much he cares about the two of you."
A tinge of pink formed in Jiro and Momo's cheeks, both feeling happy to hear that Izuku cares for the two a lot.
"I promise the two of you that, no matter what, I'll be sure to watch over him. I'll make sure to come in whenever he acts like an idiot and tries to do too much himself, I'll continue teaching him so that he won't even need my interventions in the future, and I'll make sure to knock into his skull to stop breaking his arms. Though, I don't believe we have to worry about that last part any longer."
"I... see." Momo looked visibly relieved as she looked down with a small smile forming.
Sensing that there weren't any more problems, Enso turned to the punk girl.
"Jiro, I've come to bring up the matter concerning teaching Izuku."
Momo's eyes widened in surprise. "Teach Izuku?"
Her gaze went down to Jiro, who blinked as she went through her memories for a second, then recalling the promise.
"Wait... You're really bringing that up now? But don't we have our exams coming up?" The musician questioned.
"You can knock two birds with one stone. Izuku can visit your home and tutor you for exams, and you can teach him how to play the guitar."
Jiro's mouth became agape as she suddenly turned red, "Wh-What!? G-Greeny visiting MY place!?"
Enso tilted his head with a question mark appearing.
"What? Doesn't it make sense? I assume your residence must contain all the necessary musical equipment to start a lesson. And it would be more convenient to have a study session while he's there."
Momo's legs started shaking as she turned red and put her hands on her cheeks.
"A-A man and w-woman alone!? I-I've read about this s-s-several times! I-It's too dangerous!"
"What the hell do you read?" Enso sweatdropped. "It'll only be a meetup between two classmates, and this is Izuku we're talking about. He respects all of you too much to make any moves on you."
"Wh-What the hell are you two thinking!? Jiro shouted, steam coming from her head now.
Momo kept silent as her mind frantically thought of all the several possibilities that could occur with the two alone together.
"Look... Can you teach him this weekend?" Enso sighed, wishing to move on.
"Wait, this weekend!?" Jiro uttered, "I-Isn't that a little too soon!?"
"I prefer to make the most out of time and have things occur as soon as possible."
"D-Does it have to be at my place?" Jiro whimpered, twirling her earlobes.
"Oh, would you stop being so wishy-washy? Your residence would be the best location. You have all your instruments and, once again, it'd be convenient to also study for exams there with Izuku."
"I... I guess..." Jiro sighed in defeat, fiddling her fingers. "But it'll be the first time I've got a guy over..."
"Good, then it's settled. You tell Izuku your address and give him the time to arrive. I'll let him know to keep his schedule free on Saturday."
"H-Hey, wait- Gah!" Jiro and Momo saw the stack of papers lowering down, to which the two's reflexes had them reach out and catch the piles.
"See you in class." Enso performed a salute before turning and diving right out the window he came in.
"HE JUMPED OUT!?" Both girls thought, turning black and white in shock.
That left the two alone in the hall, with Jiro looking both nervous and embarrassed as she thought about Izuku visiting her home.
"God damn it... I've gotta make sure my folks aren't there to scare him away, Dad especially. A-And... we have to go to my room since all my instruments are there..."
Jiro found herself gulping down air.
"It's gonna be the first time a guy's ever been in my room!"
Momo stared at her friend with a similar red look of embarrassment, noticing how nervous Jiro seemed.
"She's really anxious... Okay, Yaoyorozu. You know both Izuku and Jiro plentiful at this point in time. Izuku would never do anything indecent to Jiro. He's far too kind, innocent, and timid to perform any such acts. And Jiro is timid in her own right to do anything illicit to Izuku... Nothing is going to happen. You're thinking too much into it!"
Momo blinked repeatedly.
"Right?"
~{A Few Minutes Before Homeroom}~
"You did what now?" Izuku stared in shock.
"I arranged the meeting between you and Jiro involving her promise to teach you how to play an instrument." Enso explained as he stood next to Izuku's desk, the two back in the classroom early before lunch would end.
"You'll be arriving at her home this Saturday. She'll be sure to send you her address as well as what time to meet up. Oh, be sure to bring your material involving your exams. You'll be helping her study as well."
Izuku was shivering in his seat while turning red.
"E-E-Enso! Y-You can't just arrange stuff like that without telling me first! I-I could've talked to her about it!"
"Oh please, you'd hold off from talking to her about it like a college student procrastinating on any assignment."
"Ouch..." Izuku deadpanned.
"So dot it down that you'll be in her house this weekend."
Izuku looked down and turned red, sweat forming on him as his thoughts went rampant.
"I-I'm gonna go to a girl's house! F-For the first time ever! Wh-What do I wear!? Should I know about anything beforehand!? How-!?"
"Stop that." Enso smacked him.
"Ow! Wh-What was that for!?" Izuku turned to him, rubbing the back of his head.
"You're overthinking things. I can see it all over you." Enso sighed.
"Plus, it's not like you'll be alone."
Ikari emerged on his host's desk as an aura-like bunny with a long black trail connecting to Izuku, his two small orbs of red eyes staring up at him.
"I'll be there with ya to stop anything, you know?"
Izuku felt a little better simply from the adorable appearance his quirk took.
"Th-Thanks-"
"Ikari, you're not allowed to interfere." Enso suddenly declared.
"EH!?" "Eh?" Both Izuku and Ikari turned to him in shock.
"Why not!? I gotta be my partner's barrier between him and cooties!"
"That's the problem. You're the one having to deal with it." Enso sighed. "I've said this before, but Izuku's self-confidence is still at a low level, and his interactions with girls are a mess. I still want him to be able to fend up for himself rather than always have someone else knock a girl off for him."
"I'm not gonna punch a girl off me!" Izuku stammered.
"No, but you can still set boundaries yourself. Work on that. So Ikari, you're forbidden from interfering with Izuku's interactions with females."
"Ugh... Alright then..."
Both Jiro and Momo arrived from the doorway, both still a little red after the worrying thoughts they just had.
Izuku was too nervous to say hi, barely able to raise his hand and wave to them.
Upon making eye contact with Izuku, Jiro's face erupted in red, and she turned away. As for Momo, she put on a gentle smile and waved back just as Aizawa made it into the class.
"Damn rodent making me run around..." The teacher complained.
"I know the feeling." Enso sighed from the back.
Izuku was left nervously shivering in place as he saw Jiro looking equally as nervous.
"I-I have to deal with them myself!? Ugh... I guess I really have to stop Mina from tackle-hugging me... B-But I don't think I have to worry about anything from Jiro!"
Ikari internally sweatdropped.
"I doubt that..."
"Alright, let's start roll call." Aizawa called out.
~{End Of Homeroom}~
"Okay, that's it for now. There's only one week left until the final exams… You are all studying properly, right?"
The teacher's question brought in mixed results, from nervous sweating to confident smiles.
Aizawa sighed. "I'm sure you all already know, but it won't just be a written exam. There's also a practical component. Make sure you train your minds and bodies at the same time. Remember we have the training camp scheduled after exams, so anyone who fails will be taking supplementary classes."
He straightened his few and held them in an arm.
"That's all." He then proceeded to leave the room, sliding the door closed behind him.
Immediately after he left, Kaminari and Mina sprung up in unison. "I haven't studied at all!"
"With the sports festival-!" Kaminari started.
"-and the internships-!" Mina added.
"I didn't study at all!" Both finished.
"That's your fault for being idiots. You should manage your time carefully to ensure you're able to do everything important."
"SO COLD!" Kaminari and Mina shouted comically.
"I may be able to be of assistance with the class lectures." Momo said, hopefully.
"Yao-momo!" Kaminari and Mina shouted with comedic tears, both bowing to her.
"I can't be of help with the practical portion, though…" Momo said in some depression.
"She really wants to help everyone with everything she can…" Izuku smiled from his desk.
"Yaoyorozu, can I join you guys as well? How are you with classical Japanese?" Sero asked the intelligent girl.
"Huh?" Momo uttered.
"I'd like to join too. There's a bunch of stuff I don't get…" Ojiro admitted as have rubbed the back of his head embarrassingly.
"Please!" They all said to Momo.
Momo felt so much happiness that her classmates asked her for help, and she sprang up from her seat. "Yes, of course! Then, let us hold a study session at my residence this weekend!"
"Seriously? I can't wait to see your house!" Mina exclaimed with excitement.
"Her bounciness is so cute…" Izuku chuckled as he noticed how excited Momo was.
The intelligent girl glanced over to Izuku with sparkles around her, the girl about to ask if he wanted to join their session. But when her eyes landed on him, she froze as she recalled the plans Izuku already had with Jiro.
"How unfortunate..." She suddenly felt disappointed.
Bakugo was silent in his seat as he glared down at his notebook, reading several of the notes he's written before.
"Hey Bakugo, you're studying right now?" Kirishima appeared next to him with a big smile.
"What do you want?" Bakugo coldly responded, not even removing his eyes from his notebook.
Kirishima flinched yet still kept his smile.
"Come on now, Bakugo! You don't have to be like that!" He awkwardly chuckled.
"What. Do. You. Want?" Bakugo repeated, his voice turning more hostile.
Kirishima rubbed his head as his smile faded, looking more nervous as he thought about what to say next. Then he had an idea that returned the positive look on his face, pointing a thumb at himself.
"Hey, you did great at the midterm, didn't you? Teach me!"
There was a pause between the two as, Bakugo didn't seem to react to his words, making Kirishima start to sweat nervously.
"Hmph, why me?" His answer was cold, yet at least it wasn't angry.
Kirishima pressed forward.
"Because I feel like getting taught by you would be better for me! I'm pretty slow to learn a lot of things, and I don't wanna slow anyone down at Yaoyorozu's study session... I think you'd be the best at teaching me!"
Hearing the word best made Bakugo's eye twitch, but other than that, there wasn't any change to his composure.
"Bakugo has been... oddly calm ever since returning..." Enso thought with a curious gaze. "Perhaps someone knocked some sense into him..."
There was another pause of silence between Bakugu and Kirishima, but the usually hot-headed teen responded.
"What, want me to beat the knowledge into you?"
Kirishima's eyes sparkled as he grinned.
"Yeah, I'm counting on you!"
"Hah!? Are you a fucking masochist!?" Bakugo abruptly yelled as he turned to the redhead with cross-viens.
"Ah, there's an outburst." Enso thought.
Izuku, being behind Bakugo's seat, heard everything between the two and couldn't help but put on a sad smile.
"Good luck, Kirishima... Kacchan's a handful, but he really knows his stuff..."
~{Lunchtime}~
"Good afternoon, Midoriya-kun! I apologize for my actions from the previous day. I just had some previous negative experiences that triggered!" Lunch Rush laughed as he playfully patted a comedically terrified Izuku on the back.
"I-I-It's n-n-no p-p-problem!" Izuku stammered while shivering with each pat.
Enso rolled his eyes as he recalled the surprising amount of skill and danger Lunch Rush demonstrated the previous day. The rest of the group seated, consisting of Iida, Todoroki, Shinso, Ochako, Tsu, and Toru, all stared at them with mixed looks of confusion and worry at how scared Izuku got.
"No hard feelings! I'll see you tomorrow morning!" With that, Lunch Rush slipped away back to the kitchen, leaving the table confused.
"Deku, are you alright?" Ochako asked.
"Dude, you look like you've seen a ghost." Shinso added, then putting some rice into his mouth.
"N-Never make a chef mad... " Izuku muttered while shivering, keeping his head down.
"What the hell happened!?"
"He just made some poor choices." Enso sighed. "Nothing to worry about too much."
"You say that, but..." Everyone else sweatdropped at Izuku nervously using his chopsticks to put some grilled beef into his mouth.
"How are you all preparing for exams?" Todoroki asked, changing the subject.
Ochako suddenly became nervous.
"The practical exam, huh? It's kind of scary since I can't tell what'll be on it... I don't even know how to prepare for it." She admitted.
"I don't think it'll be anything too crazy." Shinso shrugged.
"The written exam section will come from what we study in class, so I think I can manage..." Izuku muttered, looking calm again. "But the practical exam is what worries me..."
"Argh! I hate thinking about this stuff! Because then, I end up worrying! And when I end up worrying, I end up getting stressed out!" Toru whined, fumes coming off her.
"You simply have to prepare yourself for anything they could throw at you. It's U.A we're talking about. They can go to the extremes." Enso pointed out.
"Didn't Eraserhead say something about it?" Todoroki asked.
"'It'll be a comprehensive test of everything from the first semester.'" Toru quoted in a mocking and moody voice like Aizawa's.
"Is that the only thing he said about it?" Shinso raised an eyebrow.
Todoroki turned to him. "Shinso, can't you ask him yourself? Isn't he your dad-?"
"Would you stop with that!?" Shinso immediately retaliated with his veins popping out.
"He's still going on with that idea?" Enso, Izuku, and Iida sweatdropped.
Ochako started listing things from her fingers.
"Everything we did so far… So combat training, rescue training, and basic training?"
"In addition to studying, we have to keep ourselves in good condi-ow!" Izuku was interrupted by a lunch tray bumping into his head.
He rubbed the spot impacted and turned right to see a familiar blonde boy with blue eyes. Neito Monoma smugly grinned as he stopped walking, making it clear he hit Izuku on purpose.
"Oh, I'm 'sorry.' Your head was so big that I accidentally hit it."
The table all frowned at him.
"Hey, at least having a big head means he fits a bigger brain. Unlike your walnut." Shinso retaliated.
"Oo! Got 'em!" Toru laughed.
Monoma's eye twitched, but he kept his large grin.
"So this is the infamous Class A that fought the Hero Killer?"
An instant eerie silence formed upon the villain's mention, with Izuku, Iida, and Todoroki flinching as they recalled the new series of events that involved the previous villain taking residence at Enso's.
Enso himself simply narrowed his eyes.
"What of it?"
Monoma let out a taunting chuckle.
"Just like at the sports festival, Class A gets all the attention, right?"
His eyes grazed over Iida, Izuku, and Todoroki.
"But that attention isn't because people have high hopes for you... It's because you keep attracting trouble, right?"
Iida looked down with his eyes narrowed as he recalled that night, the rest of the group glaring at Monoma. Izuku, in particular, didn't notice the trail of black moving under the table and towards Monoma's foot.
Monoma's smug grin seemed to get bigger.
"My, how scary~ Someday, the rest of us might also be caught up in the trouble you bring. To become the victims because of your actions and very existence. Like getting cursed by the god of pestilence!"
Izuku's hands were tightened under the table as a look of hatred was burning its gaze into Monoma. His eyes had red starting to seep into green, and his hands were changing color by how tight he held them.
"You're a real asshat, you know that?" Shinso snapped.
Monoma laughed at the retort. "You simply hate that I'm stating the-Gah!?"
The male suddenly fell back in shock, his tray of food flying up and falling all over him.
This had the table shocked while several others turned their attention to the boy on his back, wondering what occurred to him.
Izuku's eyes widened before he looked down, finding the black tendril back in him now.
"Hmph! Screw this guy..."
"Ikari!? What did you just do!?"
"What? He fucking deserved it." Ikari growled.
Izuku could hear the dangerous tone from his quirk, realizing that he was much more aggressive.
"Crap, I got too mad..."
Monoma quickly got back and looked down at the mess of food on him, looking disgusted.
"Ugh!" He glared at the group with hateful eyes. "I know one of you did that!"
"*sluuuuuuuurp!* Meh, probably." Shinso remarked, casually sipping his drink without a care of who did.
"Tsk! Don't get full of yourself, class- ACK!" A sudden chop to the neck knocked the air out of Monoma, result in the boy falling to his knees with his soul visibly leaving him.
Kendo stood behind him with a glare on her, grabbing Monoma by the back of his shirt.
"Monoma, that's rude! Don't you know they've been through a lot? You shouldn't say something so insensitive."
Ikari appeared as a small ghost-like form next to Izuku, tilting his head.
"Oh, the big sis."
Izuku's eyes slightly widened in surprise. "Itsuka?"
"Hey guys, I'm really sorry about him..." Kendo sighed. "Monoma's heart is just kinda... Well... You know?"
"You know?" Everyone deadpanned.
"Yeah, he's... pretty special." Ikari added.
Kendo turned to the entity, and her eyes widened with a smile.
"Oh! Midoriya, isn't this your quirk? I actually haven't met him yet, have I?"
Ikari grew larger so that his upper body was the same size as Izuku's.
"Heyo! Ikari at your service! I like my friends, heroes, and All Might!" His eyes were bright as he spoke, staring at the big sister of Class B.
Kendo giggled, "Just like your partner here!"
"Yet, his personality seems to go all over the place..." Enso squinted at Ikari, noticing the sudden mood swings.
Kendo and Ikari shook hands cheerfully.
"It's good to meet you! Again, I'm really sorry about Monoma. He's actually a pretty decent guy, but he just has so much unreasonable hate for Class A."
"I don't like him..." Ikari seemed to frown.
"I'll make it up to you! You guys talked about how you don't know what's gonna be on the practical exam, right? It looks like it'll be combat against robots like in the entrance exam." Kendo happily informed them.
"How boring..." Enso remarked.
"So easy!" Toru cheered.
"I still don't get how invisible girl fought the robots in the entrance exam..." Shinso wondered.
"How do you know about the exam's contents?" Iida asked curiously.
"An upperclassman friend of mine told me." Kendo said as she rubbed the back of her head.
"Nngh... Are you an idiot, Kendo? We had an information advantage!" Monoma groaned from the ground. "This was our chance to get ahead of the detestable class- ACK!" He was interrupted once more as Kendo chopped the back of his neck with a frown.
"They're not detestable, Monoma... I wish you would actually try to get along with them." Kendo sighed, then turning to Izuku and Ikari with a smile. "Sorry about him. I'll bring him back to get him cleaned up."
"Sorry, I got him messy." Ikari bowed.
"That was you!?" Iida exclaimed.
"He had it coming." Shinso grinned.
"See you guys later!" Kendo waved, grabbing hold of her classmate and dragging him back.
Kendo made it across the lunch halls as Monoma groaned while getting dragged by the back of his shirt.
"Nngh... Kendo, I don't know what you see in Midoriya... He and his class has only been trouble."
"Quiet, Monoma."
The blonde male could hear the usually gentle big sister change her voice to be surprisingly hostile.
"If you actually took the chance to talk with him, to understand him, then you'd know exactly what I see in him. But until you do, I won't tolerate saying anything bad about him. Understand?" She scolded.
"..."
Monoma had never heard Kendo sound so firm and threatening, so much so that he couldn't help but chuckle.
"He's really captured you, hasn't he?"
Kendo lightly blushed but still looked serious.
"Quiet."
~{Afterschool}~
"All right! The exam will be a piece of cake if it's robots!" Kaminari cheered.
"Yeah, yeah!" Mina agreed with him.
Nearly all of the class felt relieved to hear that their practical exam would be destroying robots all over again, several of them celebrating.
"It must be easier to let loose your quirks when it's not against people. So this must be perfect for the two of you." Shoji remarked to Kaminari and Mina.
"Hell yeah!" Kaminari grinnned.
"Training camp! Training camp!" Mina clapped.
"Now, all you guys have to think about is studying." Sero grinned.
Mina and Kaminari immediately sulked.
"Dang it, why'd you have to remind us..." The acid girl depressingly said.
"It doesn't matter if it's people or robots. It's still the same if you blow them up!" Bakugo suddenly growled to them, surprising the class since he had remained overall quiet since arriving back from internships.
"You think it'll be easy too, Bakugo?" Kirishima asked with a smile.
Bakugo scoffed, "What're you idiots talking about it being a cinch for?"
"Who you calling an idiot!" Both Kaminari and Mina snapped, with the latter looking extra angry.
"And here I thought Bakugo learned a little about respecting others..." Enso sighed as he stood up from his seat.
Bakugo growled as he flung his bag over his shoulder and made his way to the door.
Only to pause right before the doorway, eyes twitching as a new thought came to mind.
"Oi..." He turned his head back, eyes narrowing. "Deku!"
Izuku flinched. "E-Eh!?"
The whole atmosphere suddenly became tense. The moment they heard the hothead address Izuku, several eyes threateningly frowned, most notably, the class's females. It was clear Bakugo was directing his anger at his childhood acquaintance once again, and it seemed that several people were prepared to act in the case something occurred.
The spiky blonde scowled.
"I don't know just how much of your 'quirk' you've got figured out, but stop damn rubbing me the wrong way with it."
"He must be talking about how Deku copied Bakugo the other day..." Ochako thought, glaring at him.
Bakugo gritted his teeth. "I don't need another half-assed result like at the sports festival... At the upcoming finals, we'll each get individual scores, so we'll see who's better!"
He then pointed directly at Izuku. "Whether you like it or not, I'll beat you with an indisputable difference!"
He then moved his hand to point at Enso.
"And you, damn red eyes! This time, you better not even think about pulling some sort of shit like you did at the festival! I'm gonna beat your ass by a mile!"
"So you say..." Enso responded.
Bakugo then turned back to the exit, "Damn bastards... I'll show you, I'll show you all."
Izuku sighed as he looked down depressingly at his desk.
"Of course you will, Kacchan... Of course you-"
"How... disappointing."
Both Izuku and Bakugo froze when they heard Ikari's voice echo in the room. The entity formed the upper part of himself behind his host, his red eyes focused on Bakugo, yet there wasn't any anger in them.
"I-Ikari!?" Izuku uttered, surprised that he spoke up.
Everyone else in the room was shocked that out of anyone who would remark anything to the ticking time bomb, Izuku's quirk did.
Bakugo turned around with a hateful glare.
"What did you say, shitstain?"
"It's disappointing." Ikari's voice was... oddly calm, the being speaking in a monotone voice as he kept his eyes on Bakugo. "You tormented my partner his entire life. You repeatedly insulted him, you tore at his dreams, and even now, you still continue to antagonize him?"
Bakugo scowled.
"And why? All because he had the same goal as you. Because he proved you wrong."
Enso raised an eyebrow. "Ikari's different... His vocabulary and attitude changed. It's as if he's another person... It isn't because of any anger, is it? Izuku looks confused about it too."
"It's such a shame... He looked up to you for his entire lifespan, even when you treated him so unjustly. Yet you're so stubborn to ever see that. For someone so intelligent, I didn't think you'd be so undeniably foolish."
"You wanna say that again, bootleg bird head?" Bakugo threatened, fully turning his body as his now opened palms started to smoke.
"And then you always end up resorting to your threats, rather than to choose to reflect upon yourself and your thought process..."
Ikari's eyes seem to blaze as his voice sounded as if it was echoing.
"That's why, Ka-cchan..."
Everyone felt chills as the red, jagged opening of a grin formed on the entity, his eyes blazing.
"You'll never be the number one hero."
Bakugo's pupils dilated as he dropped his bag, marching right to Izuku, who flinched at each step. Several eyes widened as several people nearly leaped out of their seats to get between the two. But two main people had already moved between them.
"Bakugo, calm down!" Kirishima pleaded as he got in front of his 'friend' and held him back.
"MOVE IT, KIRISHIMA!" Bakugo yelled.
"Do you want to get expelled?" Enso warned him, the other person to have already moved between Bakugo and Izuku.
Bakugo stopped despite keeping a look of pure fury on him, being reminded of the thin ice he was already on.
"You fucking bastard... The next time, I'LL KILL YOU!" Bakugo snapped as he pulled away from Kirishmia's grip and snatched up his bag from the floor.
Nobody appeared to breathe as Bakugo stomped to the door, slamming it shut behind him. After seeing him disappear, several students let out a breath of relief.
"Man, that got intense... I thought something bad was gonna happen." Kirishima said, clutching his chest to feel his rapidly beating heart.
"What the hell even was that with your quirk, Midoriya?" Ojiiro asked, referring to the sudden change of Ikari.
Everyone put their attention to the entity.
"Ikari! Why did you say-? You're shaking!?" Izuku exclaimed in shock.
His mentioned quirk was comically shivering as he floated, eyes lowered as his figure visible shrunk.
"Partner, what did I just do!?"
"Why are you surprised!?"
"That was badass!" Dark Shadow called from beside Tokoyami with a thumbs up.
"Dark Shadow, don't encourage his antagonizing behavior! Bakugo could've released his savage light upon him!" Tokoyami snapped.
"Buddy! What do I do!? Time bomb's gonna kill me!" Ikari panicked.
"Just kill him first!"
"NO!" Both Izuku and Tokoyami shouted.
Enso had a hand to his chin in curiosity as he watched them bicker, several other classmates joining in reassuring Izuku and Ikari they'd be okay.
"Was it a tough guy act? No... it seemed too natural. And if Ikari's personality was mostly based on Izuku, then he wouldn't have been able to pull that off..."
Enso raised an eyebrow as a thought came to mind.
"Ikari has acted differently from Izuku's personality before, I wonder... Could the other users of One For All have something to do with it?"
He once again recounted the nine holders that held the quirk.
"That's... a lot of personalities."
~{Midoriya Residence-9:47PM}~
Izuku was lying on his bed as he stared upward into the ceiling, taking into account the events that took place in just the two days since coming back from his internship.
"I got interrogated by Momo and Jiro, introduced Ikari to the class, who was thankfully accepted, had my balls crushed again, learned that Enso saved the Hero Killer and BROUGHT him to train us, nearly died to Lunch Rush, and had Kacchan nearly blow Ikari's head off..."
He sighed.
"Yeah, a lot happened..."
"You also got a smooch from inventor girl."
Upon the mention of Mei, Izuku immediately sat up and turned beet red.
"Th-That's r-r-right! I-I k-k-k-!"
"Er, actually, 'you' didn't do it. She kinda came outta left field and did it herself..."
"I never talked to her about it! W-With needing to explain the Hero Killer arriving and somehow convince Mei not to say anything, that k-k-kiss was the last thing on my mind!"
"Well, now you've got something to talk about next time."
"Ugh..." Izuku covered his face as steam emitted from him, feeling heavily embarrassed.
"Well, no use freaking about it right now. We've got other things to focus on. Like your meeting with Ms. Rockstar."
Izuku moved his hands from his face with his eyes widening, being reminded of the meeting he'd have with her the next weekend.
"Th-Th-That's right! I-I'm g-g-gonna go to a girl's house! I-I-I'm gonna go to a GIRL'S house for the first time in my life! What do I wear!? Should I bring a gift!? How do I act around her parents!?
"Um, partner? You're muttering again..."
*Vrrr!* *Vrrr!*
Izuku heard his phone vibrate from his nightstand, to which Ikari stretched a tendril and grabbed it for him.
"Here ya go."
"Th-Thanks." Izuku stuttered as he received the device, thoughts still rampant about going to Jiro's house.
And speak of the devil.
Izuku flinched when he saw a message coming from the girl, nervously reading it.
Jiro: Yo, Greeny. I'm sure you heard from Grim, but he brought up that favor of teaching ya how to play the guitar. I learned that my folks are gonna head out for a concert this Saturday and it'll probably last through the night. They should be gone before noon so come by around 12. Bring your notes too. I need some help with math.
This didn't help with Izuku's nervousness. It just seemed to add to it.
"I-I-I'm going to be COMPLETELY alone with a g-g-girl!"
"Well... Good luck?"
*Vrrr!* *Vrrr!*
Izuku glanced down at his phone again, looking at the last line of text that popped up.
Jiro: If you laugh at my room, I'll kill you.
He turned completely blue in fear with his eyes shadowed.
"S-Scary!" "S-Scary!"
~{Author's Post Notes}~
Hm... Interesting. And it looks like we have something to look forward to, don't we? Hehehehe. But no, Izuku ain't visiting Jiro next chapter. It'll be the one after. Hopefully, college doesn't take too much of my time so I could continue working on this.
Thanks for reading and be sure to leave a comment! I would love to know what you guys think of the events that occurred and maybe give future ideas for stuff like the forest arc or beyond.
