Chapter thirty-two - Spilt Milk
Gathered for yet another meeting, members of the U.A staff and a scarce number of heroes sat at the conference table awaiting whatever decision making had to be done.
"I thank you all for coming to this meeting," said Nezu, clasping his hands together with a warm smile. "I'm sure you have been informed of its purpose."
The teachers nodded and Aizawa had his usual expressionless face.
"The recent death of All for One has caused criminal activity to somewhat decrease. With nobody to watch over and dictate their moves, villains and criminals alike have been feeling quite liberated in the things they do and say. Though," he said. "...by the same coin they have been quite angst."
President Mic frowned in slight confusion. "How so? Isn't it good that the most important, formidable villain has been killed? That means freedom from being hunted down for petty things now, right?"
"Not quite, Yamada. Indeed, if the pinnacle of evil has been killed, it means that the people that have suffered and will suffer from him are free and can live without constantly looking behind their backs. But, to them and to us, it means there is a being- no an entity stronger and deadlier than All for One. That in itself is terrifying to think about. It brings another problem for them. It means that the League of Villains and villains that are associated with All for One have no meaning to their lives anymore. It's dead ends everywhere for them."
"But isn't that a good thing for us?" commented Midnight looking around the room to find a couple of teachers nodding.
All Might clenched his fist under the table, only Aizawa noticed.
"What is it, All Might?" he thought.
"Of course not. If anything, it's harder on us!" shouted All Might releasing his pent up frustration like an untangling knot. "It means that Tragedy will be running the underworld, causing more criminality, scared citizens and probably more tragic catastrophes. He ravaged Tartarus. Tartarus! Isn't that the most secure prison in Japan? The one that locks up the most dangerous of criminals? Well, now it's gone. Where will the dangerous criminals that are now going to appear be imprisoned? They'll roam free, Midnight. This isn't even the main reason we are having this damned conference and it's already messy. It..It's all due to Tragedy."
As All Might finished his aggravated oration, everyone present turned to face him and Midnight looked like she'd just been told of how much of an idiot she was. Aizawa just sighed as he remembered seeing All Might's hand clenched.
"So, that was why." he thought. Nezu cleared his throat.
"Well, it is just as All Might says; every bit of what he said was correct, so I need not repeat it. We have to be on even higher alert and possibly conduct a citizen protection scheme for local houses, schools and hospitals. Maybe even prisons." explained Nezu, the teachers nodded and Sniper hummed.
"Now, onto the more serious part." Nezu's gaze darkened. "You are all aware of how Midoriya Izuku is within our custody, correct? Well, he predicted that All for One was dead on the XX of XXXX at XX:XXpm. He did this before any of the heroes in Japan could even find out that Tartarus had been broken into and even before All for One had been found dead. If anyone has theories they'd like to share, please do."
The teacher's eyes gaped in horror and confusion at how a young villain could have gotten their hands on such crucial information before the heroes. Their hearts beat impatiently as they all generated different theories in their heads quickly.
"Could Midoriya somehow be in contact with Tragedy?" said Cementoss. "How else would he know, unless he has some quirk we don't know about."
"Well, I got this information from Midoriya first-hand, he told me that Tragedy had sent him a letter somehow and that's how he knew." replied Aizawa. That made the heroes present turn a deadly grey with their lips sealed shut in fear and concern. It was like Tragedy's name was an evil spirit that attracted all kinds of bad omens and taboos.
"Woah, this is too much. That reveals so many more possibilities. But Tragedy? Tragedy of Hades? How the hell did a kid get involved with that monster?" said a hero, covering her mouth as if to throw up.
"Exactly. That's just so messed up. He must be deeply rooted with villains, hey are we sure we can redeem Midoriya? I mean.. This is Tragedy we are talking about." agreed another hero with flat hair. The mere thought of not being able to redeem Midoriya angered Nezu and All Might, as allowing Midoriya into U.A was meant to change him, it was meant to somehow cleanse him. But now that they found out that Midoriya was related to the man who killed All for One and destroyed Tartarus? There was only so much a human could do and there was only so many times hope would be your saviour.
"No, I refuse to believe that Midoriya is an irrevocable villain..I can't, I won't! He just needs roses and promise. If I don't do at least one good thing for him, this guilt within me will rot and rebirth into something more conspicuous" thought All Might.
"Anyway," chimed in Nezu. "The fact of the matter is that Midoriya got crucial information on All for One's death and the havoc of Tartarus from of the most wanted, most dangerous criminal at the moment. Aizawa, keep a closer eye on Midoriya and make sure he isn't doing anything out of the ordinary or suspicious."
Aizawa nodded and slumped himself in his seat, his eyes closed.
"It doesn't make sense, how could Midoriya get a letter sent to U.A from Tragedy? Our security is top-notch. Not only that, but what is the relationship between Tragedy and Midoriya? Midorya doesn't seem like the type to get all friendly with a perilous villain, could he have gone to Ha- no," Aizawa scoffed and smirked at the thought of such an unthinkable scenario. "That's impossible. It's absolutely impossible to get out of Hades, like that. I am an idiot to think such a thing would be possible for a 16 year old kid."
The unthinkable, huh.
As Izuku's eyes moves in harmony with the hands of the clock, his head was filled with a plague of imagination. He imagined being a sword. His dear sword that had slayed many, the sword that held itself against Izuku's own throat, the sword that was once in contact with his father up in heaven, the sword that had greedily drank the blood of many and rejected the blood of those it found unworthy. How would it feel to be that same sword? Perhaps it would feel controlling and like a marionette, to be moved and molded and commanded of what to do all the time. Or maybe it would feel liberating to swing and slash in any direction you pleased with nobody to stop you, unless they craved a divine cut from you.
Actually, you'd still be an ordinary sword.
"Midoriya, please.." panted a male voice. "Open the door.."
Izuku delicately opened his eyes and was dragged back to reality by Naomasa's kind, determined voice.
"Might as well open it." he thought. He went to open the door and saw that small strands of hairs stuck to Naomasa's face and his breathing was still slightly uneven, but he was pretty much fine now.
"Why'd you run?" asked Izuku, sitting on the black chair that was beside the door.
"Oh, wait. Why did I run?" thought Naomasa with a puzzled look. "Hmm.. Oh, yeah!" he remembered.
"Why does he look so confused? Does he randomly run to people's doors?" thought Izuku.
"I came here to tell you to get downstairs to the gym and teach. There are three new arrivals, though." said Naomasa, not to Izuku's surprise as he had a dream about the three arrivals. "Also, you are getting a wooden bo staff to use as you teach and fight in U.A. Of course, it's for non-lethal use only."
Izuku's once droopy head and dead eyes were now perked up and eagerly listening. Naomasa noticed Izuku change in expression instantly.
"He almost looks like a child that's being brought new toys on Christmas, gosh." thought Naomasa with a soft smile.
"Don't get too excited and break it, as that will make a sharp, jagged point at the tip of the staff and you know that the heroes don't like you, a villain, with a sharp object in hand. I mean, I say villain but-"
"I'm getting it now, right? I'm getting changed then. I've got a class to teach." said Izuku in a breath. He quickly undressed then clothed himself in his infamous yukata, tabi and geta then stared longingly at the bo staff.
"Wait, Midoriya, do you know how to even use this? You have been using a sword and your fists up until now." asked Naomasa.
"It's fine, I was taught how to use every martial arts weapon you can think of." he said blandly walking towards the door with an open hand. "Put it in my hand, Detective."
Naomasa put the staff into Izuku's hands hesitantly before Izuku walked out. Naomasa barely gazed around then left to walk in the other direction, not for a second forgetting the look on Izuku's face when he saw him. It was in complete opposition to when Naomasa initially saw him in the cell. Izuku's face wasn't as uninterested, lifeless and cold as before. Naomasa walked calmly with a smile.
In the gym, there were rounds and rounds of laughter being passed around the class along with the sweet scent of energy that seemed to concentrate and loom itself around the students. Everything was so exciting as there were three new people to teach them something that wasn't to do with villains and agility. It was important, what they were being currently taught, but it was extremely light-hearted compared to what Izuku had taught them in the short time he was at the school.
Still, the three people that were there were very potent and a certain someone would learn that soon.
While a blue haired girl was asking nonsensical questions to Mina, Izuku walked in confidently but quietly into the gym with his bo staff in hand. That immediately caught everyone's attention and caused the students to flinch, though they knew Izuku would never hurt them. Izuku's eyes danced around the bodies and faces of the three arrivals as he noticed them turn to his direction in surprise. What Izuku saw was like magic.
"Blue-haired girl, dark-haired boy and a blonde boy. But the blonde one, why isn't he naked? It probably comes later, then.. I refuse to believe I wanted to see a person naked like that out of my free will." he thought in disgust. Taking steps towards the group, he sat beside Aizawa, who looked at the bo staff in caution and curiosity.
"How on earth did he get that? This is U.A and he's a villain, how he got his sticky fingers onto a weapon is beyond me..." Aizawa thought with his memory still fresh from the conference that was help some time ago. Izuku casually rested his chin on the staff and tapped his foot on the ground.
"Who are they?"
"The Big Three." said Aizawa, as he looked at the three students in all their wonder and glory. "They're third years in U.A and are the strongest pupils in the school and the country. Mirio Togata, the blonde boy, is the closest there is to being the number one hero, that includes heroes. Amajiki Tamaki is the sullen boy with dark hair that's facing the wall and the blue-haired girl is Hado Nejire." Aizawa started to explain in detail about the three of them and their quirks.
Izuku ran his hands through his hair and smirked cheekily.
"They seem awfully strong; my kind of heroes. I hope they serve as good fighters, I haven't had a good fight in ages.." thought Izuku. Aizawa saw the somewhat creepy way that Izuku looked as he stared at the Big Three. Izuku looked at them like a tamed, hungry animal that desired a ferocious brawl with the strange newcomers. Like a demon that looked hopefully at the potent angels from afar. Kind of like a painter that purely yearned for new colors to entangle itself in. Izuku was beginning to overestimate the power the three mice in front of him possessed, but that was okay because fantasies knew no bounds, for they bit into the crevice of your reality.
"Is Mirio the strongest, Aizawa?" asked Izuku quietly, trying to hide his sneer. Aizawa shivered and chuckled.
"Yeah, what about it?" teased Aizawa. Izuku's eyes glowed ominously and his smirk only showed how all the more intrigued he was. He rested his hand on his chin.
"Nothing, nothing at all."
"Hm..Who's that? Could that be the person that villain kid Mr. Aizawa said would be attending the class as well? The one I was warned about.." thought Mirio. "He's emitting a really mysterious aura, like a radioactive bomb. Seems troublesome, but he'd only a kid and looks harmless."
"I want you all to fight me, get into your groups or whatever you need to do." said Mirio, stretching his arms and taking his jumper off.
"Hehh..? But won't that be dangerous for the first years?" said Nejire floatily.
"They're way too energetic and happy..so bright." commented Amajiki in a gloomy sort of way as he faced the wall. "I wonder why the villain kid is there.."
Aizawa shot Mirio a glance that told him to hold back and Mirio nodded in response. Izuku saw the exchange of looks between the two and was even more revved up, he knew that Aizawa only ever told very, very capable people to hold back so this was something very strange for Izuku to hear. 1-A took Mirio's proposal as an insult and got into fighting stances.
"I still feel like you're underestimating us..!" said Kaminari.
"We have fought against villains and were even taught by one, you know. Don't take us too lightly." stated Iida, getting into position. Kirishima hardened himself and smashed his knuckles together with a vigorous grin. Bakugou grunted and got his explosions ready to fire.
"Mr. Midoriya is watching us. No way can I, we, look like pushovers in front him..!" thought Iida with a strong will.
"We have been through so much as a class that we refuse to be weak like this, thank you for the fight in advance, senpai!"
"Heh." thought Izuku in a condescending, sarcastic tone with an eyebrow up. Then the battle began. Before anyone could even throw an attack, Mirio had already started. He sent a blow to the jaw of Tokoyami and Shoji then somehow 'teleported' to a different position in front of Kaminari to kick him in the back, transferring an unexplainable pain to him. Bakugou tried to explode Mirio from the back but Mirio merged into the ground to avoid the attack only to give a striking punch to Bakugou's chest. As Mirio was attacking the other pupils, the rest of his clothes fell off him, which gave Jirou a fright and a blush.
"Sorry for that girls!"
Mirio punched her and Mina and a majority of the class in the stomach, rendering them as useless. Even Todoroki was stopped before he could do anything! Yaoyorozu created a titanium shield to protect herself with but Mirio permeated through that as well and delivered a POWER-ful punch to her stomach, like everyone else. After Mirio had completely overpowered the entire class, it was silent and one would only be able to hear the groans of the students that were beaten; though not harshly.
"Mirio definitely is on a different level. They didn't stand a chance.." thought Izuku. "Permeation.."
"What.." groaned Hagakure. "Just now..what was that.."
"Yeah, we didn't have a fighting chance." agreed Mina. Bakugou was stunned and felt weak all over again. It was just like the fight he had with Izuku, was fate mocking him. The whole class were experiencing a sick reaction in the pits of their stomachs but managed to get up to learn about Mirio's quirk.
"It's Permeation! My whole body can become intangible and untouchable. I can slip through anything and everything but during the time I'm permeating, I can't see, nor hear, nor breathe. And I..I can only undergo the sensation of falling because I'm still mass. It can be kinda scary, haha."
The class gawked and were in awe of how strong Miriro really was. He was such a role model that they no longer felt the stinging pain in their stomachs but a new feeling of excitement.
"Now, I wonder who is stronger. Mr. Midoriya or Mirio?" thought Todoroki. He knew how incredibly strong the Big Three were, they were so strong that they stood alongside pro heroes. To be so strong that you rivalled heroes, that meant they must have gone through a lot of brutal training and faced a load of villains and all. But then there's Izuku. He was a villain that ended up teaching them and they ended up liking him. He was undeniably strong but he was always being underestimated by those he fought and it was always Izuku winning, never anyone else. Izuku always won when it came to combat. The students of 1-A, and the world really, had to understand that underestimating Izuku would either get you killed or badly beat up.
Mirio glanced over towards Izuku and began to walk to him. Izuku was staring at the ground and didn't realise that somebody was in front of him until a shadow overcame his personal space. He looked up, irritated.
"Ah, problem child! Hello, I'm Mirio and I'm a third year." he smiled and outstretched his hand to Izuku. "Well, you probably already know that. Anyway, I want to fight with you to show 1-A how to fight someone on the battlefield when it comes to one-on-one combat." he said. "And don't worry. I am not going to underestimate you, though I won't go all out. I hope you don't mind, Midoriya."
When he said that, Nejire, Amajiki and Mirio himself noticed an even stronger aura come off of Izuku. Izuku stood up and leaned in near Mirio's face with a sinister grin plastered on his face and his hands holding the bo staff behind his back. Such a crazed expression was painted onto his features and his eyes kindled an excited flame.
"Yes, Mirio, let's fight."
"Shit they're really gonna fight.." Aizawa thought as he facepalmed.
"Good luck, villain kid.." mumbled Amajiki. Mirio made the first move by permeating through the ground and to Izuku to hit him from the back...though Izuku predicted it first and swung his staff at Mirio's head. Just in time, Mirio slid through the floor and ended up in front of Izuku and stood still for a second to strategise. But that was a grave mistake. Izuku immediately saw an opening and aimed for it with his staff. Just to be on the safe side, Izuku ran in quick, air-tight circles around Mirio to make sure he could not breathe as steadily as before, making it harder for him to use his quirk. Izuku did this and created nearly double the amount of after images he had made when he was with Bakugou. This was all to confuse Mirio. With Izuku being so cursory, it was difficult for Mirio to choose which image to attack at and so Mirio was beginning to lose. This shocked Amajiki and Nejire and the entirety of 1-A to a fault! Mirio getting beaten? Don't make me laugh.
"I'm running out of stamina and oxygen..I need to think fast.." thought Mirio. In the midst of his thinking, something happened. One of the bo staffs on an afterimage were slightly quicker than the rest. That was it! Mirio heaved in all the air he could get and clenched both his fists on the sides of his torso with a big, puffed up chest before quickly, almost flying, punching Izuku square in the jaw. Due to this disturbance, his flow of speed was abruptly stopped and the images came running back to the original runner, who had taken the hit. Mirio smiled in triumph and 1-A were surprised but not overly surprised to see Izuku get punched. Nonetheless, it was a first for them to see Izuku get punched. Mirio's triumph was short-lived as Izuku quickly got up on his two feet again with even more power. But he spoke in a chillingly calm manner with his eyes illuminating a soft hue of hot blue.
"Thank you, Mirio. I needed that."
If even possible, Izuku sped to Mirio before anyone could even realise it and delivered an atrociously powerful axe kick to Mirio's back. That instantly defeated Mirio, as he had no time to permeate through the floor. Even if he did, he would be out of breath from Izuku running in circles around him like a tornado. Izuku made sure not to kick any of Mirio's vital areas but the kick he gave was extremely powerful. Probably his most powerful yet, but he couldn't control himself at the time he gave it; he was just so pent up with the raging energy in his heart from the thought of a good fight.
Amajiki's back wasn't crooked over like a Zanni anymore and Nejire had a serious expression on her face at the site of not only seeing the small kid win against Mirio Togata, closest man to the number one hero, but seeing him on the floor not being able to move very well. 1-A were dumbfounded at seeing Izuku just fight with Mirio like that when they could not even land a single hit on him properly.
"That was so cool, Mr. Midoriya!" exclaimed Mina with a smile. "But..if Mirio okay? I hope he didn't get too badly hurt..aha."
Izuku bit back a smile.
"I hope we can get that strong, Ochaco-chan." commented Tsuyu with her usual friendly but stoic face. Uraraka just laughed it off but Kirishima wiped a tear from the corner of his eyes.
"Kirishima, bastard!" cried Bakugou. "Are you crying?"
"It was just so manly, Bakubro..!"
The class discussed what they had seen and Izuku went back to stand with Aizawa and idly chat while the Big Three were still trying to get their heads around what they just saw.
"Mirio, can you stand?" said Nejire in worry. Mirio laughed in a reassuring way.
"Don't worry, I'll live Nejire!"
Nejire pouted and helped him walk to breathe a bit more.
"So, that villain but not-villain villain kid is strong, that's quite interesting. I didn't think he'd stand a chance against you Mirio. He looks the same as the 1-A students but he is completely different." said Amajiki looking down with a shy half-smile. "He's so strong, so I'm sure that he's been through some painful hardships just like you have. But he's so strong that it's kind of scary.."
They talked it over and decided to stay and help the students with fighting if they needed it. After that fight, everyone, including Aizawa were now sure of Izuku capability.
"That was a good fight. One of my favorites, but my work here is done and I'm knackered." thought Izuku as he advanced to walk back. He bowed to the Big Three and turned to leave with the bo staff leaning on his right shoulder.
"Hey, Midoriya, aren't you supposed to be helping here?" said Aizawa in a dull and annoying tone. "Help me over here."
Izuku stopped dead in his tracks and turned his head to face the class, showing the slight rings on purple under his eyes. He had a cold as the grave face that clearly indicated he wasn't in the mood.
"Aizawa.." chuckled Izuku in a tired and scary tone. "I dare you to ask me that again."
I say, child, let me rob you of your sight in exchange for a bed of roses..