Disclaimer: I don't own My Hero Academia
The last two days of his internship with Stain had gone by quickly. They trained constantly but did so while hiding. The police knew Stain was in Hosu so they were on high alert.
Their battle with Nomu was all over the news (though Tenya had been left out of it). Neither of them was mad at Tenya though since he was following through on his decision.
The time had come for Izuku to finally return to the League. He and Stain arrived at the location where Kurogiri was supposed to pick him up in a few minutes. Before he did, Izuku and Stain had some things to say to each other.
Facing Stain Izuku bowed his head. "Thank you, for everything. I learned a lot from you this past week and for that, I am truly grateful."
"It's no problem. I actually enjoyed training you," Stain admitted. "It was refreshing from my usual line of work."
Izuku laughed.
"Razor trained you well," Stain continued. "Languages, different fighting styles and pain endurance."
While he was right there were other things Razor had taught him, he did not want to discuss them.
The two men said nothing for a moment. Awkward as they might have been at the start, they ended up enjoying their week together (brush with death aside). Stain saw a lot of himself in the boy and the latter felt the same.
"If you don't mind me asking what's your name, your real name that is?" Stain asked.
"Izuku. Izuku Midoriya," the boy replied.
"Mine's Chizome Akaguro," Stain informed him.
No one said anything, but at that moment the two men had established deep respect for each other. Before they could continue talking however a black mist appeared behind them and Kurogiri emerged to greet them. With his arrival, Izuku and Chizome said their final goodbyes.
"Farewell Deku. I hope that the path you walk will give you the happiness you seek," Chizome said.
"Goodbye Stain. Thanks for everything and good luck with your crusade," Izuku replied as he disappeared into the mist.
At the bar
Razor was away on another job for Sensei, but for once, Izuku did not care. Not when he had something more important to ask.
"Shigaraki, Kurogiri, were either of you in Hosu a few days ago with a couple of Nomu?" he asked.
"We were," Kurogiri confirmed.
"I was going to use them to cause such destruction that everyone would forget about the hero-killer. However, two of them were beaten and one flew off," Tomura raged. "And in the end, it wasn't the top story in the news. He was. Him, you and some vigilante defeating Nomu received full attention."
Izuku was beginning to see that Tomura was a childish individual that was just desperate for attention.
"Speaking of which why did you fight against Nomu anyway?" Tomura asked while glaring at Izuku. "Aren't you supposed to be our side?"
"Oh, I'm sorry. Next time one of them comes to kill me, I'll just let it so you can soak up all the attention," Izuku bitterly retorted.
His response earned him shocked reactions from his co-workers.
"What do mean it was trying to kill you?" Kurogiri asked. "Even if it attacked you how do you know you were its target?"
"Well, it's like this," Izuku started.
And so, he explained the entire event. How Nomu attacked him. How it rarely changed target unless threatened by another individual. Throughout the explanation, Kurogiri and Tomura remained silent, never interrupting once.
They remembered how the Nomu just took off suddenly and started flying around like it was looking for something. Sensei had told them that Viper couldn't find the reason why it acted the way it did since it had been functioning properly before. If it was trying to kill Izuku then it must have been under orders from someone else.
Fortunately, they didn't need to narrow down a list of suspects. There was someone in the League who hated the quirkless, and this would have been the perfect chance to get rid of him. How Atrocity had done this, well that was something to take up with Sensei.
"Izuku you've had an eventful week. Why don't you rest for the day?" Kurogiri suggested. "I'll let Sensei know."
Izuku was overwhelmed with relief. He was exhausted, both physically and mentally, so he left the bar to get some sleep. As soon as he was gone Tomura and Kurogiri started talking again.
"You think Atrocity did this?" Tomura offered.
"Who else could have done this?" Kurogiri replied. "Whatever the case, I'm going to let Sensei know."
Kurogiri left. Tomura shortly followed afterwards. If Atrocity had done this then he was also the reason he hadn't gotten much attention. It really pissed him off.
Later that day at the UA staff room
AM and Naomasa had just finished talking about the Nomu from the USJ Incident. While the part about him having multiple quirks from at least four different people was surprising Naomasa also mentioned that there was some sort of lingering substance inside him that affected his body. Though they still were not sure what it was.
AM was furious, however. The fact that Nomu had been given multiple quirks meant that this was the work of someone who could transfer quirks.
"That man. He's back," he whispered furiously.
AFO had returned. There was no other explanation. And he was leading the League of Villains. Sensing his friend's agitation Naomasa spoke up.
"That Nomu aside. I have something else to tell you about," he said. "Did you hear about the attack on Hosu a few days ago?"
"Briefly, I have been busy with work, so I haven't been watching the news much. From what I did hear it involved several Nomu and the hero-killer," All Might replied. "Why did something else happen there?"
"It seems Deku was present also. He was fighting with the hero-killer, a vigilante and a student here against one Nomu," Naomasa explained.
That definitely caught All Might's attention. He had been thinking a lot about how Deku and that boy may have been one in the same. But why was he fighting against Nomu? They were both members of the League, weren't they?
"According to the testimony we received it seems as though Nomu was trying to kill Deku. As to why I don't know. He could have betrayed them or someone within it could be out to kill him," Naomasa explained while AM remained silent. "On a side note. You wanted to see that list of quirkless people well here it is."
AM took the list and quickly scanned through faces until he finally came across a familiar face.
Izuku Midoriya, so that was his name. His eyes were as he remembered them, green, just like Deku's. His age also matched the way his voice sounded.
"This boy," he said.
"You think he's Deku don't you?" Naomasa asked causing AM to look up at him in surprise. "I'm a detective. When you requested to see this list after discussing the possibility that he may have been quirkless it wasn't hard to figure out."
AM nodded. Naomasa glanced at the picture and his eyes widened in recognition.
"Izuku Midoriya. I know him there have been reports about him since he went missing last year," he explained.
"Missing!" All Might repeated. "What happened?"
"It was about a year ago. According to his mother, he went out for a walk late at night and never came back," Naomasa explained while AM listened intently. "She didn't think much of it at first but when she went to the school the next day to talk to the principal about her son only to discover that he hadn't shown up. Later she called the police, and the search began. We questioned his classmates and teachers at the time, but no one had any information they could give us. Other than them he had no known associates."
Toshinori gulped. A year ago, that was about when he had encountered him.
"Hey um this may sound strange to ask but when exactly did he disappear?" he asked nervously.
"Actually, it was the day of the sludge villain incident," Naomasa replied.
Toshinori's eyes widened in horror.
'If he disappeared on that day, then that means I, I did more than just destroy his dream,' he thought terrified.
"Why? Do you know something I don't?" Naomasa enquired noticing his expression.
Toshinori hesitated before answering. He hoped Naomasa wouldn't react badly to what transpired between him and young Midoriya. The man was quirkless himself.
"I met him that day," AM started. "And I destroyed his dream of being a hero."
Toshinori explained about his encounter with Izuku. He even recited their conversation as though it were happening again. Naomasa said nothing.
"I'm not offended Toshinori," he replied honestly. "You were just speaking from personal experience. Also, you aren't wrong."
Toshinori was relieved Naomasa wasn't offended but he still had something else to say.
"Originally, I believed that," he admitted. "However, after a talk with Nezu, my views have somewhat changed."
Somewhat, not completely. Toshinori was more open-minded to the idea, but at the same time, still held some doubts.
Naomasa stared at Toshinori for a moment before smiling.
"Thank you," Naomasa replied. "But that's not important right now. Finding out if that boy is Deku is."
He then stood up and took out his phone to check something.
"Izuku's mother will be stopping by the police station in about an hour or so. She visits at least once a week to check in on our progress. If you want to know more about him then I suggest you come with me. As Toshinori Yagi," he explained.
Toshinori simply nodded and stood up. He texted Nezu to let him know he would be busy for the afternoon and would finish whatever work he had tomorrow.
He could not afford to pass up this opportunity. He needed to be sure that Izuku was in fact Deku and speaking with the boy's mother was the only way.
At the police station
Inko was sitting in a room all by herself waiting. She was quite tired. Every day she went out looking for her son with no success. Whether he was in the city or the country she didn't know. Whatever the case was it seemed Izuku didn't want to be found.
Since his disappearance, a lot had changed for her. Her routine, her social life, and her appearance (she had lost quite a bit of weight and looked exactly like she did ten years ago).
And here she was today for another report on the search for her son. While she was annoyed with the police, she understood that they did not have much evidence to go on. There were no witnesses, no sightings, no clues as to what he had done that night. There had been no sightings of him either.
Her thoughts were interrupted by two men, a thin blonde man, and a dark-haired man, who came in and greeted her. Then came the report where there were still no leads much to her frustration. She was about to get up and leave when the blonde man started to speak.
"Mrs Midoriya if you don't mind me asking," Toshinori started. "Could you maybe tell me why your son went missing? It's just that I'm new to this case."
Inko eyed the man suspiciously. If he was new, shouldn't he have received a report about it? She had given a testimony after all.
'I don't know where this is coming from but if he wants to know I may as well tell him,' Inko relented.
"If you really want to know I'll have to start from his childhood," she stated.
Toshinori nodded in understanding.
"As a child, Izuku was quite happy and got along with other kids. Like most children his age, he looked up to heroes. All Might being his favourite. He had action figures and posters of the man," Inko told him. "He even watched that video of his debut a lot. I think that is what inspired him to become a hero."
Toshinori tensed. He suspected the boy had admired him when he encountered him, but he did not think it was to that level.
"The trouble started when he was outed as quirkless," Inko continued. "The doctor told him he couldn't become a hero and to give up on it, which of course he didn't. Unfortunately, things only got worse from there on out. When word got out, his classmates started to bully him because of it. Katsuki Bakugo, you might know him from the sports festival, used to be Izuku's friend until he was established as quirkless. After that, he started to use his quirk to torment him."
Toshinori froze at this statement. Bakugo and Midoriya knew each other. What is more, Bakugo bullied him; he could not believe it. Toshinori knew the boy could be aggressive, but he never thought he would bully another person.
He reflected on the conversation Deku had with Kurogiri at the USJ. He had known exactly what Bakugo's quirk was when the other students mentioned the villains didn't know what their quirks were.
'Does that mean he was there that day to get revenge on Bakugo?' Toshinori wondered. 'If what Mrs Midoriya says is true then it does seem likely.'
"Every day he would come home with new bruises or burns," Inko continued. "However, he always made some silly excuse like he fell over. I didn't say anything because I knew it would upset him and he'd deny it. However, I should have done something sooner. He was in pain, and I did nothing."
She was really getting emotional now.
After much reflection, she realized she should have done something much sooner. It didn't matter how upset Izuku got because of her decision. Doing nothing was far worse.
"What about his father?" Naomasa interjected. "I read that he no longer lives with you."
Inko's face became even sadder at the mention of her husband.
"Hisashi moved off to some other country shortly after it was revealed that Izuku was quirkless," she informed them. "Apparently, he had been suffering ridicule at work for his son's status, something which he and I endlessly argued about. He said he couldn't stand it anymore and said he was leaving. I know he doesn't hate Izuku, but I don't think he could stand the fact that his son was quirkless. He still sends money overseas to support us but that's it, other than that we've had no contact with him."
Since Hisashi left he hadn't been involved in Izuku's life at all. It was the reason why they normally told people he left after Izuku was born to work in another country. It was better than the real reason though.
Even now, she could visibly remember the day he left them. The two of them were having the worst in the history of their marriage. It escalated into full-on shouting which ended in him leaving.
Toshinori was beyond shocked. He knew quirkless people were looked down on, but he never believed it was bad to the point where someone would abandon their own child. The prejudice had gotten much worse since his day.
"What about his high school years?" he asked nervously/desperately.
It couldn't get any worse, could it?
Inko sighed. There were tears running down her face now.
"They were even worse. He had no friends because he was quirkless, and possibly due to Katsuki who was in the same class as him. He continued to bully him, and others joined in. They all made fun of him for wanting to be a hero," she told them. "He was such a kind boy who wanted to become a hero so he could help others, and nothing anyone said or did could deter him."
Toshinori didn't know how to respond. The description of Izuku's life he was receiving was horrific, to say the least. Yet at the same time, from the way Inko described him, he sounded much like Nana Shimura, his predecessor. In essence, he was the sort of person he would have wanted as a successor.
"Mrs Midoriya this may seem strange to ask but does the name 'Deku' mean anything to you?" he asked.
Inko stared at him confused for a moment before suddenly remembering.
"Actually yes. It was a nickname Katsuki gave my son from the Kanji of his name. It's supposed to mean worthless though," she told them.
Toshinori's blood froze. In that moment, his worst fears about Deku were confirmed. There was no denying it now. He and that boy, Izuku Midoriya, were one in the same.
"Why does that matter though?" Inko asked. "Where did you even hear that name?"
That was a nickname he was given; it wasn't his real one. There was no real way the police could know it.
"It's something Naomasa read from the interviews conducted with his school," Toshinori lied. "I believe Bakugo was the one who said it."
Naomasa looked at him surprised. All Might took no notice of it though. He didn't know why, but in that instant, every fibre of his body told him to lie. Part of him just couldn't tell Mrs Midoriya that her son might be a villain.
Fortunately, Inko's suspicions were not aroused. To her that sounded like something, Katsuki would say.
"The day he disappeared," she continued. "I don't know what happened, but it was clear that he had reached his limit. He came home acting like nothing had happened like everything was okay. Later at 10.30, he said he was going out for a walk and that he would let himself back in. It was then that he hugged me and thanked me for everything. He told me he loved me for it and left. That was the last time I ever saw him."
Tears were streaming down her face now. She had been holding this in for so long she couldn't take it anymore. Naomasa handed her some tissues which she took.
Toshinori was too shocked to speak. He didn't even know what to say at this point. All he could feel was a mixture of sadness, guilt, and shame.
'He was hanging off a cliff of hope,' he thought. 'And I pushed him over the edge and into the abyss. He needed assurance, but I gave him despair. What kind of hero am I?'
Inko stood up ready to leave. She had wiped away her tears and stopped crying. She then bowed to the men in front of her.
"Thank you for listening," she told them. "It's been a long time since I opened up to anyone about this."
"Thank You for telling us," Naomasa replied.
"Please," Inko begged them. "Find my son. Bring him back to me."
Naomasa nodded and said, "We will I promise."
It was then that Inko left, and it was just the two men.
"Why did you lie to her?" Naomasa asked. "If we ever do catch Deku she'll find out then."
"I know but, until that happens, until this is resolved, this has to stay between us," Toshinori stated. "I caused this, so I need to be the one to fix it. So please, for the time being, just keep quiet about this."
Naomasa looked at him in disbelief. He could tell Toshinori wanted to save this boy but with the hole he had dug himself in there may be no way to save him.
The only things he had going for him were saving that student from being raped and stopping a Nomu.
However, he had still attacked UA, worked with known criminals and committed an act of vigilantism. Basically, he was still a villain.
"I will let you try but don't expect things to go your way," Naomasa told him. "At the very least inform Nezu. He can be trusted."
Toshinori nodded.
Regardless of what anyone said he had caused this, so it was his duty to solve it. it wasn't just that he wanted to save Izuku, he needed to save him. Now more than ever.
Hi there. Well, what did you think of that? The next chapter will feature some Class 1A in the aftermath of their internships. Please review.