(A/N: Made a minor edit to last chapter in regards to how Stain's Quirk works. Added a paragraph just before "Stain couldn't help but be proud..." and explanation as to why on last chapter's tumblr post. Shout out to audrey and Clear Crystal Wing on the discord for their help with that!
Formatting reminder: "Dialogue heard through a sound system.")
...
Red eyes glared out behind a disembodied hand as Tomura watched the aftermath of Hosu unfold. From a top the water tower, he could see everything with the binoculars carefully held in his hand. The city was still on fire though the emergency services were working hard to get them under control. The civilians were long out of danger and the police were starting their work. Doing their best to bring order to the chaos his Noumu had brought to their fragile peace.
Everything had been going so well. The Noumu had been rampaging and causing all sorts of havoc. The Heroes had been scrambling to try anything and everything they could to take down those mini bosses. It had been exhilarating to watch all those NPCs run. Like a dropping a starving feral cat into a box full of mice. Watching the helpless little creatures scurry about while their doom chased them.
Though it had gotten annoying when the Number Two Dickhead showed up and started overpowering his Noumu. Damn him and his cheat of a Quirk. Barbecuing one Noumu, incinerating the head of another completely, and then throwing a fucking flame spear into another one's eye. Chasing after the creature to finish the job. How dare he kill his Noumu.
There had almost been an interesting development when that same Noumu picked up a Hero out of a group of NPCs who were just standing around. At first Tomura had been excited to potentially see the winged Noumu drop them, but upon further inspection of who exactly was in its clutches, he instead wished it wouldn't. For out of anyone in this whole damn country, the Noumu had snatched a certain green haired future party member.
Midoriya Izuku, huh? What are the chances?
An easter egg the decayer did not expect. But if this brought him the opportunity to meet this new recruit sooner, who was he to complain? Except it didn't happen. Because of that no good annoying ass Hero Killer who ran out and stabbed his Noumu in the fucking brain to save the kid.
Well, he did say he wouldn't harm him. But did he have to kill my Noumu like that?
That had him raging with the strong urge to scratch. So he did. A dry and crusty hand reached up and started to scratch his already abused neck. This wasn't going the way he had wanted. All three Noumu dead. A lost opportunity to meet the possible admin. All because of the Heroes and that infuriating Stain. Ruining everything with his annoying 'noble' cause.
Then he got captured by none other than the 'Little Hero' himself. Now that was an interesting turn of events. Everyone else did nothing and the Quirkless child was the one to take him down. The sight pulled an amused cackle out of him. But it died down quickly and the decayer reverted back to glaring down at the smoldering city of Hosu.
"We're leaving," Tomura declared as he decayed the binoculars in his hand with a firm grip.
"Are the results of this night to your satisfaction, Shigaraki Tomura?" Kurogiri asked as he formed a warp gate back to the bar.
"That all depends on tomorrow's headlines, moron," the decayer sneered as he slunked back into the black mist. Their exit recorded by the helicopter flying overhead.
...
After Izuku had restrained Stain, the rest of the evening ran rather smoothly. The police came to handle the scene and the Heroes did whatever they could to help. The Hero Killer was taken into custody and his Quirk neutralized by Quirk canceling cuffs. The paramedics arrived and provided immediate first aid to the Heroes and Villain alike. Stain was to be transported to the hospital under armed escort and then turned over to police custody once he had a clean bill of health. The Villain cast one last look at Izuku before they carted him off to be examined and then processed. Green eyes watched the ambulance drive away unsure if he would ever see the man again.
I guess this really is goodbye then, Chizome-san.
The greenette let out a sad sigh at the thought. Don't get him wrong. He was relieved that a Villain was taken down and would no longer be terrorizing the streets of Japan. His inner Hero was pleased that he helped make that happen. But another part of him was still sad. He may never get to see the man who was the first to believe in him ever again. The only things still connecting him to Chizome were his memories and the recording. Also, the knife and flash drive in his belt and the ragged scarf tied around his middle.
I wonder if they would let me keep it.
Well, he could at least ask. Which he did when the paramedics worked to properly dress his stab wound. They gave him a weird look at the request, but handed over the soiled cloth anyway. For all they knew it could have been part of his costume. His suit did have red elements after all. Izuku kept hold of the blood-soaked scarf as they all drove off to the hospital.
While the hospital was busy when they arrived, those involved in the fight against Stain didn't have to wait and were carted off immediately for care. All under the watchful eye of Eraserhead who refused to take his eyes off his problem children. They were helped to change out of their costumes and into hospital gowns. Izuku made sure the scarf made it with the rest of his stuff. The doctors there did the best they could to tend their wounds while waiting for Recovery Girl who had let Aizawa know she was already on her way.
Hitoshi was the least injured with the shallow cut across his chest and a concussion. Izuku had the latter as well along with the stab wound in his gut and the cut on his leg. Shouto had the cut on his face and the two stab wounds on his left arm. Tenya had the worst of it with a puncture on one shoulder, a cut on the other, and two deep stab wounds on his right arm. Native managed to get away with just the single cut to his chest.
They were injured, yes, but they were alive. It was almost like a miracle what they had done. Mere students going up against the Hero Killer and winning. Though Izuku suspected that partially had to do with Chizome not wanting to hurt children and didn't murder without cause. Plus, he had different sorts of connections between him and three of those who had fought him than just mere strangers meeting randomly.
Tenya being the younger brother of Ingenium who had come to Native's aid. Shouto being a part of Stain's investigation into Endeavor who had shown up to provide assistance. Then of course there was Izuku and their almost familial connection. All that must have somehow affected how the Hero Killer fought against them. It certainly had been on Izuku's mind though he still did what needed to be done.
Soon Recovery Girl arrived having left as soon as she had received the destress signal from Izuku. It was a good thing she had Nezu supply her future student with her number even though she hadn't started training him yet. The police were antsy to get everyone's statements so they could sort out this mess of a situation. Because of this, Shuuzenji gave a quick kiss to Hitoshi first as he was the least injured. His cut healed instantly though she did advise them to be mindful of any remaining concussion symptoms. Everyone was quick to agree to do so because no one wanted to face the wrath of the Youthful Heroine.
Hitoshi left with Aizawa to take his statement in another room. Recovery Girl then inspected Shouto's arm approving of the work done before giving him a kiss as well. The bi-color teen became immediately drowsy and she advised him to lie down and rest before it was his turn. He nodded sleepily and flopped down on his bed for a cat nap.
For Tenya and Izuku, she fussed over a bit more. She still gave each of them a kiss after checking the dressed wounds. However, she didn't heal everything in that moment because if she did then the both of them would probably pass out. So Shuuzenji limited her Quirk to healing as many of the more minor injuries and semi heal the more serious ones. Leaving the full healing for after they gave their statements. She left them to rest as she went to filled out any paperwork needed for documentation.
As time passed, Aizawa and Hitoshi came back. The brainwasher headed to his bed as the tired man woke up Shouto to go next. He grumbled but made himself get up to get it over with. The bi-color teen eyed Hitoshi collapsing onto his bed with envy before casting a look to Izuku. The greenette gave him a 'good luck' smile which the other replied silently with a nod before they walking out the door.
The brainwasher was already snoozing away exhausted from the fight and the healing. Leaving Tenya and Izuku the only ones mostly conscious though they too were tired and wished to sleep. The time waiting for Shouto were passed in silence. Partially because they were too low on energy to talk as well as to not disturb Hitoshi as he napped. But there was also something else that held their tongues.
As the minutes passed, an underlying tension started to build. One that had been simmering in the background ever since Izuku had jumped into that alley. It had gone ignored through the fight and the aftermath of apprehending the Villain before going to the hospital. The business of doctors and nurses doing their jobs had kept it at bay as well. But now they were left to their own thoughts as the police working on piecing together the series of unfortunate events of this night. Meaning that hidden tension was starting to come to a boil.
Izuku didn't comment on it but he could feel Tenya's troubled gaze on him every so often. The engine teen looked like he wanted to ask something but kept stopping himself. The greenette was sure he could guess what it was. Perhaps he should tell Tenya about Chizome? But then again, it was his carefully guarded secret. He had even moved the recording of their last meeting onto a password protected flash drive at one point within the last week and had deleted it thoroughly from his phone. Though he still kept the drive on his person so he knew where it was at all times.
Shouto eventually came back and it was Tenya's turn next. He cast one last concerned look towards the greenette before walking out. Izuku had a suspicion that his friend may bring up that concern with the others. Not he could blame him. It did fit his character after all. Maybe there was a way he could come up with some sort of explanation while bending the truth? One last attempt to keep his secret connection to the Hero Killer between him and Chizome. Because if not, this may be the end of his journey to being a Hero.
Well, I was able to do some good, I guess.
Instead of going back to his own bed, Shouto decided to join Izuku on his and they shuffled around to get comfortable. The two sat there side by side leaning against the pillows with their hands intertwined talking quietly about how the other's interview went. The element wielder filled him in on why exactly he was in Hosu. Endeavor, in his infinite need for validation of his power by taking down any and all Villains in his path, had decided to direct that path toward the currently most prized win of all. The ending of the Hero Killer Stain's reign of terror.
But that credit wouldn't go to him. Instead, it was his son and his friends who finally stopped the Villain. Working together as a team against a fearsome real-life opponent. Which they did pretty good for being novices or at least Izuku thought so. There were so many things that could have gone wrong. So many slip ups that could have changed the outcome entirely. But there was no use worrying on what could have possibly been. Izuku was just relieved that they all managed to make it through relatively unscathed.
When the door opened again, it was only Aizawa with no Tenya in sight. The tired man scanned the room seeing one sleeping teen and two others cuddling up to each other. Their teacher rolled his eyes before informing them Tenya was off for further testing and then summoned the greenette to follow him. Izuku shared one last look and hand squeeze with Shouto before letting go and carefully leaving the bed. He was mindful of his leg even though Recovery Girl had healed it. The cut was gone but the area was still tender.
The mentor and student walked through the halls to another room. Along the way, the tired man filled him in on what to expect. An officer from the police force would be there to conduct the interview and take his statement. Aizawa would be there acting as his guardian as he was his homeroom teacher as well as his mentor for the week. Surprisingly Nezu would also be there through a secured video call to observe as their principal as well as a Pro Hero.
They arrived at their destination and Aizawa opened the door to allow the teen through. Izuku was met with a simple meeting room with some couches surrounding a table in the middle. On its surface was a laptop with the familiar image of his analysis mentor on the screen. Then there was a man on one of the couches who the greenette could easily guess was the mentioned officer. He was rather plain looking much like Izuku was in this world of Quirks. No physical sign of what his Quirk was. Appearing as just a simple man in a business suit with black eyes and hair.
Aizawa walked in behind the teen and directed him to sit on the couch adjacent to the man who nodded at him kindly. The teacher then sat next to his student while the officer adjusted the monitor so that Nezu could observe them all. He then turned his full attention to the subject of this meeting.
"Hello, my name is Tsukauchi Naomasa," the man said with a kind smile. "I'm a detective in the police force and will be conducting your interview concerning the events of tonight."
"I'm Midoriya Izuku," the teen replied with small bow. "It's nice to meet you, sir."
"And you as well," Tsukauchi said with a bow of his own. "Now before we get started, I am legally obligated to inform you of my Quirk. It's called Lie Detector which is pretty self-explanatory of what it does. I can tell when someone is not speaking the truth."
Wow, what an interesting Quirk? I wonder if it can detect any lie no matter what. Or are there ways to get around it? Like half-truths or side-stepping answers. Or even very specific answers that take advantage of any vagaries or loopholes. Also, what if the person believes what they say to be true even if it isn't? Would their strong sense of belief be enough to get past his Quirk? And what if…?
The teen continued to mutter to himself not realizing he had started talking out loud while the adults watched with mixed reactions. Nezu proudly at his personal student. Aizawa rolling his eyes at his problem child's mouth's tendency to spill out his thoughts. While Tsukauchi in shock at the rapid fired questions that were about him but not really directed at him.
"Is he always like this?" the detective asked.
"Indeed," Nezu answered from the monitor. "Perhaps a habit we should break him from so as not to reveal too much in the field. But he has a strong need to learn about Quirks and his analysis is at quite an impressive level."
"I see," Tsukauchi nodded.
"Midoriya," the gruff voice of Aizawa called out, breaking him from his inner thoughts turned mumble. "You can analyze his Quirk later."
The greenette flushed in embarrassment and quickly hid his face in his hands while Nezu chuckled from the screen. Aizawa shook his head fondly at the boy as Tsukauchi looked at the teen in awe.
"That was…something," the detective commented with a perplexed chuckle. "I'll have experiment to see if any of those methods could get around my Quirk." That earned an awkward squeak from the boy as he gave a quick nod. "Now then, let's get your statement so you can get some rest."
And so he did. Izuku told them all of the events leading to the encounter with the Hero Killer. Patrolling with Present Mic and being passed off to continue with Eraserhead. The sudden appearance of the Noumu and the chaos brought along with them. The Pro Hero's given permission to fight and save people. Their hard efforts to do just that as the creatures had rampaged. Leading to them running into Manual and learning that Tenya was missing. Being given the task of finding him and bringing him back to where the rest of the Heroes were.
A simple task in any other situation except this time it was not. Izuku revealed how Hitoshi and he had tracked Tenya's general location and scouted the area on the rooftops. Only to discover that Tenya had ran into more trouble than simply being missing. Had somehow found himself downed in an alley with none other than Stain himself in process of finishing Native off.
The greenette filled them in on the events that followed. Skimming over his attempts to stall and then inevitably engaging the Villain until the brainwasher was ready. Explaining how he figured out Stain's Quirk required the consumption of blood after he was paralyzed. Going into the initial subduing of the Hero Killer which had seemed like the early end of the fight until Shouto had shown up.
Izuku stressed that Shouto hadn't meant to free Stain. That it was on instinct. Not surprising with how long he had repressed his left side and had come to rely on his right. The adults assured him that they understood having already talked to Shouto and then asked him to continue. Izuku did his best to give a brief but through run down of the ensuing fight. The hits and misses. The teamwork. Each of them doing their best to do what they could to stop the Hero Killer.
The Quirkless teen explained his theory of how Stain's Quirk worked by blood type. Out of his guesses, that one seemed the most plausible. How he had been the last paralyzed but the first one up. Meaning that type O must be Stain's shortest time and type B like Native's was the longest. Which would leave type A and AB in the middle though the greenette guessed that A might be on the shorter side considering the amount of time Tenya was down.
The detective was quick to note his analysis of the Quirk to add to the Hero Killer's file. Not much was known about it other than the general theory it was related to paralysis in a way. But after experiencing the mutter storm before and Nezu's backing, Tsukauchi was confident to consider it a strong possibility that was exactly what it was.
The adults collectively cringed internally when Izuku got to the part where he had gotten stabbed. The fact he did it to take the hit instead of Shouto earned him a scolding glare from his homeroom teacher. But Izuku didn't regret it. He wasn't going to stand by and let his friends get hurt. Besides it wasn't like he could have helped it. He had done it on instinct. Twice. Once pushing Tenya out of the way and again getting between Shouto and the thrown knife.
He explained how they were finally able to subdue the Hero Killer. Mentioning his previous assumptions about Stain's Quirk and his guess that perhaps it would work on the man himself. Leading to a split-second decision to put it to the test in the moment. Sort of a Hail Mary. Not knowing if it would work but going for it anyway.
"That was a big risk," Aizawa commented beside him. "What would you have done if it hadn't worked?"
"I don't know," Izuku replied sullenly with a shrug. "Keep fighting, I guess. But it did work so we didn't have to."
The tired man let out a conceding sigh at that. Because by some miracle his problem child had guessed the workings of the Hero Killer's Quirk in the span of a single fight. Figured out the Quirk factor and potential differences between blood types. Even theorized it working on the Villain himself and had been right. Ending the fight in an instant. Talk about using someone's own power against them.
The rest Izuku quickly summarized of them restraining the Villain and removing what they had thought were all of his weapons. Though he didn't linger on that as the missed knife was in his belt. Instead moving on to the rudimentarily performed first aid and finally leaving the alley meeting up with the other Heroes. Cringing as he recounted how it felt to be plucked up by the flying Noumu out of nowhere.
Seriously, why was it always him?
Izuku left out his last little moment with Chizome. Unsure how exactly he was going to get around to handing the information he had been gifted to the Heroes without revealing their connection. If he was able to find this Dabi person maybe they would be willing to help him pass it on. They did give Stain the information after all so they obviously wanted to help. An ally as Chizome had said.
Instead, he went right to being frozen same as everyone else had when the Hero Killer had started ranting. Managing to break out of his stupor finally and quickly deciding to capture the Villain himself since no one else was doing anything. All thanks to the cursory training they had received on Binding Cloth style that had helped to finally bring the Hero Killer's reign of terror to an end.
The room fell silent as he finished his tale. Nezu was sipping tea on the screen. Aizawa swiped a tired hand down his face. Tsukauchi scribbled down notes of his account while Izuku sat there messing with a loose thread on the couch. A few minutes passed like this until the detective finished writing.
"Thank you for your statement, Midoriya," Tsukauchi said. "This will help us figure out the series of events of tonight. I do have some clarifying questions I would like to ask."
The greenette gave him an acknowledging nod as the man shuffled his papers around. There was quite a stack with all that had happened and how many people he had to interview. It was Izuku's first glimpse into the sheer amount of paperwork that was involved in police work. He could guess a similar amount extended to Heroes too. Isn't that going to suck once he went Pro. That is if he does become one. Though there was no mention of Tenya or his concerns as of yet so there was still hope.
"Now then, to keep things organized, I'm going to start just before you left to find Iida," the detective explained. "You said you knew where to find him. How exactly did you know that?"
"With one of my Support Items," Izuku answered, placing his fists on his knees so he wouldn't fidget too much. "I based it off a communication device I used at the USJ. It's a tracking system with small attachable trackers and an app on my phone to show their location. I can also have basic directions on my goggles too."
"I see," Tsukauchi said with a nod as he noted it down. "And how did you get the tracker on him? From my understanding you had no chance to interact with him since the beginning of the internships until tonight."
The Quirkless teen let out a sigh and rubbed the back of his head as he replied, "Yeah, about that. I didn't know if we were even going to be in Hosu at all. But I was worried about Tenya-kun being in the same city as the Hero Killer. So, I put a tracker on his suit at the train station before he left. I know I should have asked for his permission but I wasn't sure how to bring it up. It did help to find him though."
He gave a sheepish smile as he lowered his hand back to his lap. The detective considered him for a moment before giving him an understanding nod. It was a brief invasion of privacy but considering the circumstances he would let it slide. Especially since it did become helpful in the end.
"Very well," Tsukauchi said. "So, you tracked Iida down and found him by observing the area from the roof tops, correct?"
"Yes, sir," the teen confirmed with a nod. "It's what I thought Eraserhead would do."
The tired man beside him hid his face in his scarf for a brief moment. Hiding his slightly flustered moment of weakness to the kid's admiration for him. He wasn't used to someone holding him to such esteem like he did. But it also warmed his coffee fueled heart that the green one looked up to him so much. Plus, it was only logical for him to conclude to take advantage of the roof tops like that. Because he was right. It was what Eraserhead would have done.
"According to Shinsou, you two found Iida in an alley and that he wasn't alone," the detective continued. "That you immediately were able to identify one of them as the Hero Killer Stain. How were you able to do that?"
Izuku kept his face neutral at the question. Quickly thinking of how exactly was he going to answer that truthfully enough to get past the man's Quirk. Because of course he wasn't going to say that it was the man he had met after All Might crushed his dreams and left him on a roof. Who he had willingly met again on the roof of his own apartment complex multiple times. Getting a really good look at the man who had self-declared himself a cleanser of Hero society.
Yeah, no.
"The knives mostly," Izuku answered. "I've analyzed Quirks since I was really young. Watching Hero fights and picking them apart. Though I mostly focused on the Heroes themselves. Recently Nezu-sensei has brought up having me start to analyze the Villains as well. But he wanted to wait until after the internships to start that."
On the screen his analysis mentor nodded in affirmation.
"Anyway, I kind of started already in my free time," the teen continued with a shrug, earning a knowing chuckle from the chimera. "I did some research into the Hero Killer and was able to find some pictures of him. Mostly partials and such. But enough that you could piece together what he looked like."
The greenette waited to see how the human lie detector reacted to that. Because while he did speak true, he didn't speak all of it and sort of shuffled them around. He did start looking into Villains however his research into Chizome in particular was not connected to his future assignments from Nezu. Rather it had been done to better understand the Villain who could see the Hero inside of him. And in turn finding a man disillusioned by the world finding no power in words leaving only actions as his weapon to fight the hypocrisy in today's Hero society.
He hadn't been lying about the knives either. Because who wouldn't notice those upon first glance of Stain. A man covered in knives along with a freaking katana was not a typical sight after all. Though the first time he had met the Villain he had been drawn to his red eyes first. But after that, despite Chizome assuring him time and time again he wouldn't hurt him, it was always the knives for a brief moment. But could you really blame him? Anyone would be immediately wary of knives around him.
But there was also the stipulation that he said 'mostly'. Meaning that the knives were partly why he recognized the Villain but not all of it. Because another big factor was his voice. One that Izuku knew very well having relistened to the recording numerous times. Becoming a sort of comfort for him to hear Chizome's words of encouragement again and again. Even if they were intermixed with less pleasant topics of conversation. But that wasn't something Izuku wanted to share with the adults around him and he was hoping 'mostly' would be enough to slip by.
Tsukauchi gave no indication of if he marked that as a truth or a lie. No tell to inform Izuku if his attempt at half-truths had worked. Which if it did, awesome. But if not…the uncertainty was unnerving. However, there was nothing he could really do about that. All he could do was try and hope. It was how he managed to make it through everything else so far.
"I see," the detective said. "So, you determined it was Stain and sent out a message asking for help. Then before you jumped into the alley, you instructed Shinsou to prepare an All Might impression to be used on Stain. Is that correct?"
"Yes, sir," Izuku replied with a nod.
"Why did you suggest an All Might impression?" Tsukauchi asked.
Because he was who Chizome had seen as the best example of a true Hero. That was until he met Izuku. Not that he would say that.
"Because he's All Might?" the greenette answered instead. "People either look up to him or fear him. I didn't know if it would work on him but I thought it was worth a shot."
It was a general truth that people idolized or feared All Might. Chizome just happened to be in a position to do both. Admiration for being the kind of Hero he thought should be the norm. Though still displeased that the Number One Hero was unable to see the potential in Izuku. But also fear because All Might was a formidable opponent and despite his goals, Stain was self-aware he was a Villain. But Izuku couldn't admit all of that was why he chose All Might out of everyone. Plus, he really hadn't known if Chizome would respond to it or not.
The detective eyed the boy carefully before saying, "Hmm, I think I'm starting to understand more about the effect half-truths have under my Quirk. It rings true but seems ever so slightly off."
"Sir?" Izuku asked with an innocent tilt of his head.
Come on, cinnamon roll powers. Don't fail me now.
"I think you're lying to me, Midoriya," the detective said staring the teen in the eye. "Either that or you're leaving something out."
What?
"Though I don't really need my Quirk to tell me that," Tsukauchi continued with a shuffling of papers. "But rather a certain concern brought up during my investigation in regards to your level of familiarity with the Hero Killer."
The greenette did his best to keep his face neutral but his pallor still paled at that. He had figured it was coming due to how Tenya had been reacting to him. But there had still been a hope in the back of his mind this wouldn't come up. That he could bypass all the ensuing drama about to be unleashed.
"How so, sir?" Izuku asked, his fists clenched tight and nails digging into his skin.
"When you entered the alley, you yelled out his name," Tsukauchi replied flatly as he picked up a particular piece of paper. "And, according to Iida, you and Stain seemed to be rather familiar with each other. He noted certain wording that implied you were more than strangers."
The Quirkless teen couldn't argue with that. Hints to their previous conversations had been sprinkled throughout the fight. Not to mention all of the slipped in 'Chizome's and 'Little Hero's between them.
"So, tell me, Midoriya," the detective said. "How did you know his name?"
"I researched him," Izuku answered simply hoping it would be enough.
"That rings true but doesn't actually answer my question" the man pressed. "How did you learn his name?"
This was it. The moment of truth. Literally. There was no way he could hide this secret any longer. Because he couldn't lie his way out of this one nor work around the subject. Not when up against a human lie detector with his two mentors watching.
Guess this is the end of my Hero career.
It had been nice while it lasted. Being able to live out his dream of becoming a Hero even if for a short while. It was more than his past self ever expected despite all his stubbornness to try for it anyway. At least the Quirkless teen had gotten a taste. He would cherish these memories and would do his best to not regret his past actions. And who knows? If he still had the urge to help people, there was still the Vigilante route as Chizome had suggested. Challenging if a Quirkless person could count as a Vigilante all because of the wording of the law.
Izuku took a steadying breath as he mentally prepared himself at this metaphorical edge. An abyss of uncertainty and unknown consequences stood before him. There was no telling what would follow after admitting this secret. However, all the scenarios his mind could come up with were not good.
This is it.
"I know his name because…," Izuku said slowly. Pausing out of nerves but managed to force himself to speak the words clinging to his tongue. With a final gulp, he spoke his secret. "…he told me himself."
The room fell into a tense silence at that reveal. Tsukauchi and Aizawa stared at him wide eyed in surprise. Even Nezu held his tea cup midair in shock. None of them had expected that.
"He told you…himself," Tsukauchi repeated earning a nod from the teen. "Why?"
A single worded question with a very loaded answer. A key that was going to unlock all the secrets that had been building up since the greenette had grabbed onto All Might's leg all those months ago. The Number One Hero's secret, meeting Stain for the first time, and repeatedly meeting the Villain again and again afterward. Getting to know Chizome as no one else did. Let's just say it was going to be a lot to unpack.
"I met him about a year ago," Izuku made himself begin. His tale wasn't going to tell itself after all. "It was on the same day I met All Might."
He cast a glance at Aizawa who stiffened next to him. Then on the screen he could see a certain gleam in the principal's eyes. It spoke of internal anger. Perhaps the chimera was aware what happened between him and All Might. It wouldn't surprise the teen at all considering Nezu's resourcefulness and penchant for hidden cameras.
"What happened with All Might?" Tsukauchi asked gaining the boy's attention again.
"I…um," Izuku started, unsure what exactly he could say.
"It's alright, Midoriya-kun," Nezu assured him from afar. "Tsukauchi-san is aware of Yagi-san's…condition. You may speak freely here."
"You know?" the greenette asked, directing the question to the detective. Nezu knowing of All Might's small form wasn't as surprising compared to this plain man before him.
"Yes, I do," Tsukauchi answered with a nod. "How do you know?"
"Last year, All Might saved me from a Sludge Villain," Izuku replied. "Getting attacked sucked but I was happy to finally meet my idol. Even if the circumstances weren't the best. But he was going to leave and I just grabbed onto his leg on instinct. We landed on a roof and he deflated in front of me."
The detective couldn't help the snort that escaped at his wording before saying, "Apologies. I've never heard it referred to like that before."
"Like an old balloon," Aizawa interjected, recalling their comfort session after All Might had put his foot in his mouth.
The greenette let out a soft chuckle as well before continuing in a more somber tone, "Well I had asked All Might if I could be a Hero like him even though I was Quirkless. Now I know he took that question differently than what I intended. But regardless his answer was 'no'."
A flash of something appeared in the detective's eyes but quickly vanished under his professional stare. He said nothing and simply gestured for the teen to continue.
"He left after that," Izuku went on. "Leaving me on the roof. The same one I met Stain on shortly after."
Tears were starting to well in green eyes as he finally revealed what had happened on that roof. It was a secret he had been keeping ever since. Mentioning their meetings vaguely as his source of inspiration but never saying outright who it was.
"Most people wouldn't understand this," the greenette said. "But growing up Quirkless, with a weak or 'Villainous' Quirk, or not even human with a Quirk…is a very different experience than for those who have an 'acceptable' Quirk. Those with Quirks considered 'strong' and 'Heroic' could never understand."
Green eyes cast a glance at his mentors. Knowing they were among those who could.
"Me, I grew up Quirkless," Izuku continued, turning back to the detective. "Considered and labeled as 'useless' by my peers and teachers. Everyone thought the idea of a Quirkless person becoming a Hero or anything of worth was impossible. Even my own mother didn't fully believe in my dream to be a Hero until recently. My dad at least had said I could at least try but I know he would prefer if I didn't become a Hero. Meaning I had no one in my life who truly believed a Quirkless Hero was possible except for me. That is until…him."
The greenette straightened as he finally spoke of the man who believed in him.
"I first met Akaguro Chizome on the same roof All Might left me on after he told me 'no'. For understandable reasons even for me. All Might thought I wanted to be a Hero just like him without a Quirk. Which even to me seems impossible considering some of his past battles. Like the one that gave him his injury. But I never said I wanted to be a Hero exactly like him. I've only ever wanted to help people in any way I could. Quirk or no Quirk. Though apparently that's something All Might can't understand."
He could feel the tenseness of his homeroom teacher beside him. It also seemed to have spread over to the detective as well whose grip on his pen was tighter than it was before.
"After All Might told me I couldn't be a Hero like him and then left me on that roof top, he came. Chizome talked to me, listened to me, to understand what my true goals were. And he told me what I had been waiting to hear since I was four. That I could be a Hero."
A hard look grew on the greenette's face as he spoke with green eyes still welled with unshed tears glistening with his resolve.
"Chizome was the first to ever say this to me. Not All Might, not my mom, not my peers or teachers…HIM. A Villain. I don't support his actions because I think they're wrong, but because of his convictions I know that if he sees me as being able to become a Hero, he means it."
His brows furrowed more at openly admitting that fact. That out of everyone in his life, the first person who believed and encouraged him to be a Hero was a Villain. The Hero Killer himself.
"He believes in me. Not because of a Quirk but because of me. Of my dream and goals. He told me it would be hard which I was fine with and I worked hard to be where I am. But I was finally able to find the 'edge' he said I would need to fight and his words helped me to work towards becoming the Hero Edge. We got to know each other and that's why he told me his name."
The Quirkless teen fell silent after that. The adults around him were stunned by that revelation. Of how a Villain, the Hero Killer Stain himself, was first source of true encouragement the teen had received in his life. Had been the first to tell him he could be the Hero he desired to become. Tsukauchi even had a double dose with learning about All Might's answer on top of that as well. One he didn't agree with though he wanted to ask Yagi about that himself to get his side of the story. It took them all a moment to regain their professionalism.
"Does that mean you met with him after that first time?" the detective asked after shaking himself out of his stupor.
"Yes…a few times," Izuku admitted. There wasn't much point in lying or omitting now. "Once the week before school, again after the USJ attack, and once more after the Sports Festival. The next one after that was here in Hosu. But before Hosu, he never hurt me or threatened me. We just…talked."
"What did you talk about?" Tsukauchi asked.
"About a lot of things. I…," Izuku said before he stopped. There really was so much that they had talked about. But perhaps there was a better way to disclose them what they had said. "Do you have my Hero costume?"
The detective nodded and Aizawa got up heading towards a pile of boxes nearby that Izuku hadn't noticed before. The tired man grabbed one of them and brought it over to reveal it was filled with all of the Quirkless teen's possessions. His costume was folded up at the bottom still crusted with drying blood. He wished good luck to whoever had to work that stain out. Though would they really bother if he wasn't ever going to be able to wear it again? His chances of remaining a Hero were slim to none.
His Support Items were piled on top and Izuku rifled through them searching for a specific one. He was pleased to see that the red scarf was in there as he pulled out his belt. The Quirkless teen placed the box on the floor and then searched the pockets on his belt for a certain item. Finding it, he placed the belt on his lap holding the small object in his clenched hand.
"Does your Quirk work on recordings, detective?" Izuku asked.
"I…don't know," the plain man answered honestly. "Typically, I conduct these interviews in person. Though I do know that it works through glass and speakers." He knew this having overseen countless interviews from the other side of the one-way mirror. But he had never tried it with a recording before. "Do you have a recording you would like me to listen to?"
The greenette nodded and held out his hand. On his open palm was a flash drive. Similar to the one Chizome had given him but had been kept in a different pocket. It was the one holding the recording of his last friendly meeting with the Villain. Removed from his phone to this to better protect his secret. But that secret was out in the open now. His future as a Hero was already ruined by his own life choices. Anything else would be nothing compared to that crushing thought.
"This holds a recording of my meeting with Chizome after the Sports Festival," the teen explained as he offered the detective the flash drive. "It sums up everything we've ever talked about during our meetings. I figure this would be better than me just telling you."
Tsukauchi stared down at the drive for a moment before carefully taking it in hand.
...
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Notes extension: post/664231488313819136/part-2-chapter-33-beat-around-the-bush