"Speech"
Text
Thoughts
Telepathy
Super Mode
Technique/Super Moves
Chapter 4: A Light that Cannot Be Extinguished
Izuku shook himself out of his stupor. "Ah, I'm so sorry, Tsukauchi-san!" he said, bowing his head quickly, "I drifted off for a second…"
"No, it's alright," sighed the detective, "I'm used to that reaction by now." He looked down at the paperwork. "Is that everything?"
The green-haired PSI user nodded. Evidently, the fact people kept disappearing and reappearing after receiving a mysterious phone call had caught the police's interest. While it was impossible for the 'Drifters' to explain where it was that they were taken or what they did while they were gone, as long as they could keep track of who was disappearing, it would make it easier to help them when they eventually reappeared.
"You're the third Quirkless person this has happened to," noted Tsukauchi, looking over the updated list, "And the third to then become a Psychic. If it weren't for the first Drifter, I would think that there was a pattern going on."
Blinking, Izuku asked, "The first one?"
The detective nodded. "That person has asked us not to disclose their identity, but they were apparently the first person to receive the Call, a little while before Matsuda-san and Satori-sensei. Since then, however, they recently contacted us and told us that he was no longer an active Drifter.
"I-is that so?" Izuku pulled out his phone card, looking down at it. "Matsuda-san showed me this interesting trick," he explained, putting it to his forehead and concentrating. The ragged patch of black in the lower corner suddenly gained a glowing orange number, 96. "Apparently, every time we get Called, the number goes down by a random amount. I guess that that person's number must have hit zero…"
Tsukauchi raised his eyebrows. "Really now? That's good to know, Midoriya-kun."
"E-eh? Did I say all that out loud? S-sorry, my thoughts run away from me…"
"It's quite alright," he assured him, chuckling, "But that detail with the numbers is actually new information."
Izuku paused, letting the man's previous words sink in. "That's strange. I would've thought that the others would have told you…they didn't say that I shouldn't tell anyone about it either. I mean, the details of that place are impossible for us to explain, so I guess they just assumed that the numbers fell under that umbrella…"
Tsukauchi gave a bemused smile as the boy cast his eyes down and began muttering furiously to himself. "It could be that they forgot," he pointed out reasonably "I'll be sure to follow up on this with them myself, as well as seeing what their numbers are currently. You're free to go, Midoriya-kun."
"O-oh, right…sorry to have taken up your time," said the boy politely, bowing again.
"It's no trouble at all! I'm assigned to this case, plus I'm still a member of the police, so you could say that it's my job to give you my time," chuckled the detective.
When the boy finally left, Tsukauchi returned to his office and sat down with a sigh. "Another piece of the puzzle," he murmured to himself, "Two, in fact."
The numbers were certainly a welcome bit of information. If Midoriya had been telling the truth (and his Quirk assured him that he had), then it seemed that each Drifter would inevitably be freed from the Calls, whatever those entailed.
The second bit of information was a bit smaller, but Tsukauchi felt that it was even more crucial.
"Eh? Ah, Tsukauchi-san! So it's you!"
"Huh? How…do you know my name, kid?"
"Ah, um…ack, sorry, what was that you asked just now?"
"...Forget it."
Somehow, Midoriya had known his name before he'd even introduced himself, and when questioned, had reacted in exactly the same way that other Drifters did when asked about where they disappeared to. When asked if he had used his PSI to read his mind, the boy had truthfully denied it.
In other words, he must have somehow met me in person during a Call. I've never met him before, but he already knew my name and face, thought the detective, rubbing his chin, This is big. Really big. I feel like the answer is right in front of me, but I'm still missing a major piece!
ML
Izuku gritted as a large metal bar lowered itself carefully into the nearby dumpster. For the past two months or so, he had come out to the trash littered Dagobah beach, as no one went there, in order to practice with his Burst PSI.
While Matsuda had told him that Burst was good for so much more than just telekinesis, the fact was that the boy just couldn't picture how he was supposed to go about using PSI for other effects. Telekinesis at the very least required a simple mental image: focus on creating a force that could lift and move objects, and there it would go. However, even after a month, while he had no problem shifting one thing at a time no matter its size or weight, moving several things strained his brain and gave him headaches, to the point of making his nose bleed if he pushed it too far. It was like moving more hands than his body possessed.
In addition, he had tested it out on Toga and to his dismay, using the telekinetic PSI could barely ruffle his clothes. Something about her mental aura would cause his own energy to fray and dissolve harmlessly. And it wasn't like it was flat out impossible either; when he'd mentioned this roadblock to Matsuda, the older man's response inspired only feelings of frustration in him.
Really? That's pretty strange; Burst PSI should be able to affect people as well as non-living stuff. I don't wanna sound like a parent, but maybe it's something to do with your mentality.
My mentality?
Well, PSI is deeply rooted in the mind, you know. It could be that there's something about the way you think that's interfering with your abilities. I dunno, I'm not a psychologist.
As such, Izuku had little choice but to shelve the idea of using telekinesis on people. At the very least, I can use it to shift aside rubble and rescue people that way, he thought.
A pair of fingers jabbed him in the ribs. "Stab~!"
He yelped, whipping around and blushing as he came face to grinning face with Toga. "Ungh, don't do that while I'm concentrating!" he complained, rubbing his side, "If I'd been lifting something, I could've dropped it!"
"You gotta keep focusing then, Izu-kun!" she told him cheerily, "Imagine me falling off the bars because I was lost in thought! If you're doing all that rescue stuff, then you can't just zone out, right?"
Izuku sighed. "Yeah, you're right, of course…" She was referring to the fact she had recently joined her school's gymnastics team, as a way to focus her mind off of her bloodlust. Judging by her aura, he could tell that it was only partly effective, but at least she seemed to genuinely enjoy it. "I just feel so…limited. I finally got a power of my own, but I have no idea how to go about using it. I mean, I know the basics, and those are easy to imagine, but…I'm totally lost on what to do…"
She cocked her head at his downcast look, her near-manic grin fading into a small frown. Her aura swirled and churned, making him glance up. "A-ah, sorry. I guess it sounds like I'm complaining about nothing, since I'm kinda spoiled for choice…"
"It's okay," Toga told him honestly, her voice as chipper as ever, "At least you know where to start. You'll be doing Rise next, right?"
He nodded. While still not as good as his use of Trance, Izuku's Rise was progressing a lot better than his Burst. Applying it was simple, and he had a better idea of how to use it with more variety, thanks to Satori's advice.
Taking a deep breath and closing his eyes, he began to concentrate again. Lines of fire began to trace down his body and through his limbs, saturating his muscles with heat and power. Thanks to the telepathic pointers he'd gotten from Satori, he knew how best to channel his PSI for Rise. Currently, he could control the explosive output of his muscles, increase the reflexive speed of his joints, the jumping power of his legs and even how to increase the effectiveness of his eyesight, hearing and smell.
Currently, he could hold any of these enhancements for a good fifteen minutes, less if he used more than one at a time.
Opening his eyes again, he blushed and looked away, as Toga had gone into a handstand, which made her shirt drop, revealing her stomach and the outline of her bra. He thanked god that she had taken to wearing shorts under her skirt. "Y-you've gotten pretty good at that," he told her encouragingly.
Toga grinned. "Thanks! My Quirk's not really flashy or useful like yours, so I figure, why not just train my body?"
"Y-yeah! I mean, lots of Heroes don't have Quirks that directly help in combat, so they learn martial arts to make up for it!"
"Eh…martial arts doesn't seem like my kinda thing, though…"
He rubbed the back of his head. "Right…well…"
"Do you want to copy me?" Toga asked suddenly.
Izuku blinked. "Eh?"
"You can use that psychic stuff to enhance your body, so why not use it to copy my agility?"
He opened his mouth to protest that it didn't work that way…but paused. Could it work that way? "I mean…I haven't learned how to move like you, Toga-san…"
"Then just read my mind for it!" she stated, shrugging.
"I can't just do that!" This time he did protest. "It's your mind, it'd be really rude!"
"And I'm inviting you into it, so no it's not!" Toga retorted. "It may be a little messed up in there, but I know you can do it. You're smart, Izu-kun."
He blushed at her nickname. It was true that using Telepathy had almost become second nature for the boy; as long as he knew a person's name and face, and had caught a glimpse of their mental aura, he could contact them from just about any distance. However, when face to face with someone, he knew with absolute certainty that it would take only a thought to shift merely from communication to a deeper connection.
"C'mon!" said the blonde, a touch of…was it desperation in her voice? "This'll help you, won't it? I want to-" She cut herself off, looking away.
Izuku stared at her with a frown. "Are you alri-?"
"I'm fine!" she snapped, rolling out of her handstand into a sitting position, crossing her arms. "Just…just let me do something nice for you."
Izuku watched the girl, sinking deep into thought. I...guess it wouldn't hurt to try…I mean she is volunteering. Finally, he nodded, and reached out with his mind, connecting to her aura. A tendril of his own green aura reached out and dug into the surface of hers, winding about and intermingling with it. Mind Jack Established…
Both of them jolted, eyes flying open as their minds touched. The first time Izuku had done this, it had been a confusing jumble of thoughts, reflexes and senses. But now, knowing what to expect, he managed to quickly calm them both down. There was no need to say anything; his thoughts transmitted through loud and clear, as did hers in return. In this state, they could see through each other's eyes, hear through each other's ears, and communicate far faster than words could provide. He'd been hesitant to apply his Trance in this way, especially after the confusion of the first contact, but her insistence that he properly develop it trumped his moral discomfort. Even so, as he closed his eyes again and sank deeper into her mind, he tried to be polite and ignore her more private feelings.
Memories of her doing stretches and perform her routines, there was a sense of control in the chaos. As he watched, he began to absorb the motions, sinking into her perspective as she performed, even though he'd never had a lesson in his life. He quickly extracted himself, returning to the normal level of consciousness. Toga cocked her head questioningly, to which he shrugged, looking down at his hands and concentrating.
Once more, PSI traced itself down his limbs, only this time it carried the information that he had just gleaned from her mind. The information settled into the nerves, and he took a step forward. He then took a couple of steps before twisting into a cartwheel. Keeping up the momentum, he began to back flip down down the beach. Each flip got faster and faster down the beach until he landed and raised his hands in the air in victory
"WOW!" Toga cheered, her awe shining through the connection. "You picked it so quickly!"
Izuku blushed, even as her praise brought to mind memories of himself saying similar things to Kacchan…before he quickly suppressed those thoughts. "W-well, it's only 'cause you helped me," he deflected, rubbing the back of his head and chuckled nervously.
She pouted. "C'mon, you can be proud of yourself a little," she said reproachfully, "I saw that little bit just now; you're nothing like that dumb pomeranian."
He had no idea whether to laugh or let out a squawk of fear in case Kacchan somehow heard that. Before he could do either, however…
*RIIIIIIIIIIING!*
He and Himiko both jumped.
"Huh? What was-?"
Izuku's mind went blank as he simultaneously realized, then forgot what that sound symbolized.
"Ghuh?!" sputtered Toga, the connection suddenly going numb and blank on the other end, "H-hey, Izu-kun what's-?"
He cut the connection, shaking his head and stumbling. "S-sorry…but I can't tell you that," he mumbled, already reaching into his pocket.
*RIIIIIIING!*
Izuku twitched again at the sound, but this time Toga didn't react, frowning in perplexity as he pulled out his cell phone. "T-Toga-san…we're gonna have to call it short for today. I need to go away for a bit, but hopefully I'll see you again tomorrow."
"Is it that dumb Pomeranian?"
Izuku had to hold back a snicker. "N-no, it's…I honestly can't tell you. It seems that even a Wired Jack won't let me-"
*RIIIIIIIIIIIING!*
He winced as the phone rang louder. "Just…don't freak out, alright?" He pressed the button to answer. "Hello?"
And then, with a flicker, he was gone.
ML
Deku blinked as his vision blurred over, then snapped into focus. "Alright, back again?" he wondered, glancing around looking for identifiable landmarks. The beach looked much the same, though a lot of the junk piles had shrunk considerably.
Closing his eyes, he recalled a particular face and reached out with his Telepathy. Detective Tsukauchi? This is Midoriya Izuku. I've been Called again.
He waited for a few moments, before the detective replied. Understood. Sit tight, we will send a car for you. Where are you right now?
I'm at Dagobah Beach. I was training with my PSI just a little bit ago. Also, you probably know by now, but there's probably a new Drifter that got Called.
Roger that! The detective acknowledged. We're on our way!
Deku sent a feeling of gratitude and cut the connection, sitting down on the aged railing at the parking lot. Well, at least there's less junk littering the beach now, he thought, smiling wryly, Though it probably wasn't me.
The fact that he was in the future probably meant that anything he could have done never got the chance to happen. It'd probably be impossible for me to meet my future self like this. Since I keep jumping forward, my future self would probably vanish from this timeline. That means it's extremely difficult to tell whether or not I've changed the future at all. Perhaps just being Called changes the future to begin with. Ah, wait, Kawasemi-san said that last time, didn't she? But she doesn't know what changes. That must be maddening, knowing that everything around you is different somehow, but not knowing how…
By the time a police car came driving into the parking lot, the boy had gotten up and started pacing, muttering furiously to himself. It took a few moments to grab his attention.
Climbing into the back of the cruiser, he saw Tsukauchi in the driver's seat. "Glad to see you're alive after all, Midoriya."
"Has something happened?"
"Not exactly," the detective muttered, "It's just that, every time this happens, we have to wait for ten years to see if the Drifters really will appear, or if you were ordinary Missing Persons incidents. It causes a lot of confusion."
"How many cases are we talking about?"
"At least...10,000 from your year alone. We can only confirm Drifters after they register, and obviously first-timers don't know to do that. So we have been working hard at finding the new ones."
Izuku leaned back and sighed. "What…what about my mother?"
The detective sighed. "You've been missing for ten years. I don't think I need to say any more."
The PSI user watched the worn city streets roll by, his mouth feeling dry. He was right. He didn't.
ML
Izuku watched the hustle and bustle from his seat at the station, idly lifting a pen telekinetically, while trying to keep his mind simultaneously focused on it and also thinking about other things. If he could use his Burst power without thinking, it would be that much easier to use in a fight. As he did so, he glanced up at the ceiling and wondered what could have changed between when he disappeared the first time and this time.
Apart from training with my powers, I haven't really done anything significant, have I? I mean, I made friends with Toga-san, but that probably isn't enough to change anything…
He grimaced, feeling guilty at inadvertently thinking of his friend as 'not significant.' Sorry, Toga-san…
As he wondered, the door opened and Izuku looked up to see Detective Tsukauchi entering, with Satori and Matsuda behind him. Following closely were two new boys, around his age; One had black hair that hung to his ears, with a perpetual grin on his face, wearing a plain black shirt and cargo pants. His sleeves were rolled up past his elbows, which bulged oddly, oddly segmented and cylindrical. The other boy on the other hand was a tall, white-haired young man, wearing a muscle shirt, jeans and a grey mask that covered him from neck to nose. His choice of top was understandable, as not only did he possess six muscular arms, but each side possessed flaps of loose skin to connect them.
"Yo, Midoriya!" greeted Matsuda, "So you're the first here, huh? Hope we didn't keep ya waiting too long."
"I-it's no trouble!" he quickly replied, standing up and bowing.
Satori sighed. "Alright, let's get this over with. I've got some paperwork to do."
"Trade you for mine," Matsuda snorted.
"Not a chance."
Meanwhile, the two boys observed Izuku approach them. "H-hello… I'm Midoriya Izuku. I'm sure this is insane, trust me, I've been there."
One of the tall man's arms bent up towards him, showing that unlike the normal front pair, his extra arms actually ended in fleshy stubs. The one being offered shifted for a moment, then morphed into a mouth. "It's fine. I must admit that I was confused when I got the card and wound up here, but I'm glad that I'm not the only one. My name is Shouji Mezou. Nice to meet you."
"Oh yeah, same!" laughed the other boy, rubbing the back of his head, "Man, that was a hell of a nasty shock, wasn't it? Name's Hanta Sero!"
Izuku nodded. "So, you two have Quirks, then, Shouji-san, Hanta-san?"
"Nn?" Sero quirked an eyebrow. "Well, yeah, of course." Shouji nodded in agreement.
"R-right, I guess it's a bit obvious…but, Satori-sensei, Matsuda-san and I were all Quirkless."
The black-haired boy winced. "Really? Oof, man, that's rough."
Shouji's brow furrowed, however. "You were?"
ML
"...And that's about the gist of it," finished Tsukauchi. The Drifters, now five in number, sat around the table in Kawasemi's interrogation cell, with Shinka propping up her round face on her hands between the two adults.
"Oi, oi…" mumbled Sero, staring around at everyone, "This is seriously crazy! I mean, time travel?"
"It makes sense, however," interjected Shouji, "When I received the Call, it was like everything around me aged rapidly." One of his arms lifted, the end morphing into an eyeball that stared pointedly at Kawasemi, making Shinka squeak in surprise. "How were you able to get that card into my room, Tokkyou-san?"
The woman shrugged. "I don't control where the hooks go. I just cast them out into the past."
"Just because you can doesn't mean you should, Tokkyou-san," sighed Tsukauchi, frowning severely at the marked time-fisher, "This is the second time your power has brought minors into this future. We're lucky that the Villains didn't find these two before us, like with Midoriya."
Izuku shuddered, remembering the twisted, monstrous Noumu.
"So what does all this mean, like how did this happen?" Sero asked.
"The League of Villains-" began Tsukauchi.
But Kawasemi cut across him. "This particular future is one where the five of you disappeared, because I pulled you in."
"So going back means that we change stuff?" the boy continued. "Er, we can go back, right?"
Matsuda chuckled. "Yeah, don't worry, kid. We've been through this whole song and dance several times, there's a way back."
"Phew…"
Shouji though looked at Tsukauchi. "We might be able to use the information here in the past. Is there anything you can give us on the organization called the League of Villains? I understand if you don't want to give that information to a bunch of kids, but…"
"No, this is fine. If we could have stopped them in the past, this future wouldn't exist," the detective concurred sighed, standing up. "It's our failings that have led to us relying on kids like you." With that, he exited the room.
Sero winced. "Ouch, that's some heavy stuff, detective…but hey, don't sweat it! I plan on becoming a Pro Hero at least, so anything you can tell us might end up helping a ton!"
Izuku perked up. "You're planning on becoming a Hero too? That's great, Hanta-san! I'm planning on applying at Yuuei as well!"
"Yuuei? Damn, so am I! How 'bout you, Mezou? Ah, and you can just call me Sero."
"Likewise, you can just call me Shouji. And yes, I too am planning on joining the Hero Course at Yuuei."
Sero snickered. "Too bad we can't use this future stuff to check whether we get in or not, eh?"
Izuku sputtered. "I mean, that's true, but wouldn't that be kinda like cheating?" he protested.
"Given that we'll be working to change this future," murmured Shouji, "It would at least be nice to have that sort of knowledge to take that bit of uncertainty away."
"O-oh, I see…that's a good point."
"Still high-strung as always, kid," said Matsuda, smiling, "C'mon, you've got powers that twenty percent of the population can even dream of getting, keep your chin up!"
Satori rolled her eyes, but a smirk pulled at the corner of her mouth.
"Still, though," continued the black-haired youth, sighing, "It's pretty scary to think that All Might won't be around forever."
They all nodded. The Number One Hero, the Symbol of Peace, seemed from their perspective to be utterly invincible. The idea that that symbol could vanish made Izuku feel cold, especially since they could see for themselves what would result from such an absence.
Shinka seemed notice the somber mood that settled over the group. "Ne, don't be sad, Izu-nii-chan!" she said, leaning over to pat his hand, "I used my Quirk on you, so you can be strong and fight the things that make you sad!"
Izuku smiled. "Yeah. Thanks so much, Shinka-chan. Your gift has been better than I could ever dream of."
She beamed. "Hehee~"
A moment later, Tsukauchi re-entered the interrogation room, carrying a series of folders. "I don't want to overload you with information just yet, so for now, here's a list of the core members of the League."
Izuku nodded. "I can go last for looking them over," he suggested to the others, "That way, I can focus on using Trance to memorize them."
Sero and Shouji looked somewhat confused, but his fellow Psychics nodded. "Sounds like an undertaking, but I guess if anyone can, it's you, kid."
He blushed. "W-well, with all the notes I usually take for Heroes, I should start making some for Villains, right?"
The group began passing the folders among themselves, reading through them. Shinka pouted and complained when they passed her over, but judging by the expressions of the others as they read the files, Izuku guessed that that was a good thing.
Finally, it was his turn. Nodding in thanks, he closed his eyes, slowly spinning up the wheel in his mind's eye that would cause his brain to start generating PSI, and opened them, ready to record any information he saw.
The first file contained the image of a white-haired young man, covered in what looked like severed hands, which also obscured his face. A separate photo showed said face, with dry skin, chapped lips and a horrid smile.
Shimura Tenko
Villain Name: Shigaraki Tomura
Quirk: Decay. Allows him to cause anything he touches with all five fingers to rot and disintegrate. As time has gone on, the scope of this power has extended so that anything connected to what he touches will also disintegrate. The effect can also propagate through his feet.
Tomura is the leader of the League of Villains. He possesses a simple, childish sense of pure evil, and has professed the desire for nothing more than to tear down society as we know it and wreak havoc upon the masses. At first, his personality was akin to a man-child, but as time went on, he became more and more calculating in his schemes. This is suspected to be largely due to his master, [Classified.]
In addition-
However, the rest of the file had been thoroughly redacted. Izuku suspected that if he really wanted to, he could use his powers to see through it, but didn't want to risk giving himself a headache just yet. As such, he merely moved on to the next entry.
[Redacted] (In Custody)
Villain name: Kurogiri
Quirk: Warpgate. Allows Kurogiri to transform into clouds of purple-black fog, which he can use to create portals to any location, so long as he is familiar with it or has its exact coordinates.
Kurogiri was the advisor to Shigaraki Tomura, and one of the founding members of the League of Villains as we know it. Despite a mild manner, he is filled with a cold cruelty and absolute loyalty towards Shigaraki, likely instilled in him by [Classified.]
He was eventually captured and taken into custody by the police in cooperation with Pro Hero Gran Torino (See Incident Report #44076888). Shortly afterwards, it was discovered that Kurogiri himself was a Noumu, perhaps one of the very first 'High End' Noumus created by [Classified] and the Doctor. The body used has since been identified as belonging to [Redacted.]
He shivered at the photo provided: a man in a vested suit and tie, with a long metal brace around his neck. The entirety of his head was shrouded in purple fog, with two yellow eyes piercing through. Remembering the Noumu that he had encountered, Izuku almost didn't want to know what a 'High End' Noumu would be like.
The next file bore the image of a broadly-built, muscular person with reddish hair.
Hikiishi Kenji (Deceased)
Villain name: Magne
Quirk: Magnetism. She was able to cause people within a 4.5 meter radius to become polarized. Men would become south poles and women would become north poles. Magne could not magnetize herself.
Hikiishi was wanted for nine armed robberies, three murders and twenty nine attempted murders. After aligning herself with the League of Villains for a relatively short time, she was killed in an altercation between the League and the Shie Hassaikai.
A scaly, lizard-like man with a shock of pink hair.
Iguchi Shuichi
Villain name: Spinner
Quirk: Gecko. Spinner is capable of performing any feats attributed to geckos, including sticking to walls. It is unknown what other abilities this manifests as, as he does not rely on his Quirk very much.
Spinner is a vocal, devoted follower of the Hero Killer, Stain, and joined the League to further Stain's will to 'purge' society of 'fake heroes.'
A dark-haired man, covered in patches of what looked like rotted flesh. The photo appeared to have been taken at a distance.
[Redacted]
Villain name: Dabi
Quirk: High Flame. Dabi can project blasts of flame hot enough to burn with a blue color, which have proven fatal for many heroes and villains alike. Dabi himself appears to be vulnerable to the heat of his own flames, and cannot blast them out for too long or he may burn himself, judging by his extensive skin-grafts.
Dabi is a follower of Hero Killer Stain's will, though not as vocal as Spinner, and has professed to not trusting anyone, even the other members of the League of Villains. He is among the most kill-happy of the group, leaving charred corpses in his wake.
Note to self: figure out a way to become fireproof, Izuku thought to himself, grimacing.
Sako Atsuhiro
Villain name: Mr. Compress
Quirk: Compression. He is able to designate a sphere-shaped volume of space and compress it (along with any matter within) into a small marble. Living things are seemingly kept in stasis inside the marbles, so long as they are completely inside the compression range. Sako can also release the effect at any time on command.
Compress seems to carry himself with the mannerisms of a stage magician, and appears to be the most mentally balanced member of the League. His reasons for aligning with them are as yet unknown.
That's…an absurdly useful Quirk! he thought to himself, impressed, It'd be super easy to clear away rubble after a collapse!
Or even to kidnap someone.
Shaking off the morbid thought, he moved to the next file. There were two photos for this one; the first, a man dressed entirely in a tight, black, full-body suit, including a mask that covered his whole head, the top half being light gray. The other was an older, blond man, with a haunted look in his eye and a vertical scar going straight up the middle of his broad forehead.
Bubaigawara Jin (Deceased)
Villain name: Twice
Quirk: Double. Twice can create up to two duplicates of any object or person at a time. In order to do so, he must possess sufficiently accurate data of the subject, including measurements and/or contents. People cloned by Twice retain their personalities and Quirk. Anything copied by Twice will become less durable, melting into mud-like sludge upon taking a certain amount of damage. The second copy is even less durable than the first.
Bubaigawara Jin had several misdemeanors even before joining the League, mostly minor and carried out by a gang of thugs. However, an incident caused some sort of psychotic break, leaving him constantly contradicting himself and possessed of a psychosomatic need to cover his face. It is said by [Redacted] that he was the most loyal to the League, simply due to the reason that he felt that they were the only ones who could accept someone as mentally broken as him. During the raid on the Paranormal Liberation Front, [Redacted] offered him the chance to start over, only to be rebuffed, and ended up killing him, though not before one of Twice's clones managed to kill a Hero.
I wonder…in my time, would it not be too late to help him? Izuku thought, feeling a swell of sympathy for the man. I mean, Toga-san is alright, even if she is a bit strange…
The last file, however, brought that thought process crashing to a halt, the blood draining from his face as he stared in horror.
Toga Himiko
Villain name: none
Quirk: Transform
No…no no no, Toga-san! Please, tell me you didn't…
Before joining the league, Toga has been the lead suspect in several deaths by blood loss. She has demonstrated an obsessive love of people who have been beaten and become bloodied, and expresses desire to 'become' that person, culminating in her learning their habits and speaking patterns and draining their blood for use with her Quirk, ultimately resulting in their deaths.
"Midoriya?!"
Izuku clamped a hand to his mouth, reeling back from the file. Toga-san…why? Why would you do this? You wanted to be a hero, didn't you? Tears welled up in his eyes. I believed in you! You were a good person…!
"No good'll come of it. The things that make me happy are evil, bad things…"
"I've got nowhere to be. You're my only friend right now."
"It's a good weird. The kinda weird that makes me feel like it's okay to not be normal."
He had been her friend, showing her that she didn't have to think of herself as evil…but then he had disappeared. Now, ten years into a future without him, Izuku could see just what his choices had wrought. He sobbed. I'm sorry, Toga…I'm sorry that you didn't have anyone else but me. I promise I'll be better friend!"
"Midoriya-san? Are you alright?" Shoji asked, his eyes widening in concern
"...This girl," he pointed to Toga. "Toga Himiko. I know her."
Tsukauchi's eyes widened. "What?!"
"I met her, just a few months ago. I don't think she'd committed any…any murders yet. She was self-conscious about her obsession with blood, and trying to suppress it by acting normal. But I…I talked to her. She was my first friend in years; she was even going to try and become a Hero. I told her that she didn't need to be evil!"
The group sat in silence. Then, the detective cleared his throat. "Maybe, you were the anchor in this timeline. And your disappearance caused what was left of her sanity and her humanity to break.
Izuku looked down, his tears intensifying.
Tsukauchi winced. "Ah. That probably wasn't the best way to put it…"
"N-no, you're right," mumbled the boy, trying to wipe away the rivers running down his face, "I-It's okay…I know what I need to do now."
"Well, that doesn't sound ominous or anything," joked Sero, making everyone chuckle, though Izuku's was more of a watery hiccup.
Shinka gazed solemnly at him.
"A-ah, sorry, Shinka-chan," he mumbled, trying to smile, "I promised not to cry, didn't I…?"
Wordlessly, she stood up, pattered around the table towards him, and gave him a hug. "Don't be sad, nii-san."
"S-sorry…" Izuku murmured, wiping his face some more.
The little girl squeezed him tighter.
ML
Sero bent his arms experimentally as the group filed out of the police station. "Nngh, so I'm not the only one feeling weird after that girl touched me, right?" he asked, grimacing, "Feeling kinda itchy inside my elbows here."
"I'm feeling a little disoriented myself," admitted Shouji, rubbing at his extra arms, "I assume it's just a temporary side-effect from that girl's Quirk."
"It's a lot less than what it did to me," sighed Izuku, "I had a fever and a nosebleed."
Sero gave a pained smile. "On the other hand this isn't so bad!"
"Perhaps we should exchange contact information," suggested the tallest boy, pulling out his phone, "Since we've been drawn into this conspiracy."
"You're really taking this all in stride, aren't you? I repeat, holy shit, time travel! Villains taking over in the future! All Might! Getting my Quirk juiced up into a real superpower! This sure as hell isn't what I expected when I wanted to go pro, ya know?"
Shouji only shook his head. "I might not show it, but I'm just as surprised as you."
Izuku laughed nervously, even as he pulled out his own phone. "S-so, you wanted to trade numbers?"
"If you don't mind. I have a feeling that we'll want to stay in contact."
"Y-yeah, sure!"
"Hell yeah! If we're all heading to Yuuei, it doesn't hurt to hang out and trade tips or whatever."
Izuku perked up. "Oh! I've got all sorts of notes about pro heroes, if you think that'd help! I don't have them on me right now, but I like to think there should be one or two useful things inside…"
"Oi, kids! Hurry up would ya!" called Satori from down the block.
"Er...maybe we should save it for when we get back to the past," he muttered bashfully.
Sero snickered. "Hey, no rush. I wanna see how we're getting back anyway."
When they approached the mysterious young girl, Deku winced as his new ability to sense the minds of others picked her up. Her aura was...stunted, almost. It clung tightly to her, actively shrinking into her body when she made eye contact. It was like she was actively shutting herself off from any interactions and simply acting. Frowning, Izuku extended a tendril and brushed it against her aura.
She stilled, her one visible eye widening, and the boy had to fight not to recoil as that brief contact immediately echoed with dark, omnipresent misery. He sucked in a breath, shaking himself slightly. "A-ah, you can go ahead of me," he told the other boys, "Just, um, give her your phone card, and you'll get another call."
"Gotcha, gotcha," said Sero, saluting flippantly even as Satori and Matsuda vanished in a flicker of static.
The girl stared directly at Izuku, even as she took Shouji and Sero's cards, making them vanish back into the past.
"...S-sorry, did I overstep back there?" he asked her concernedly, "It's just…" What should he say? What could he say that could combat such darkness and hurt?
Acting on impulse, he reached out and put a hand on her shoulder. "It will be okay. I promise."
The girl said nothing, standing straight as a rod, her eyes widening further. "...Nothing is okay." It was faint, but she definitely spoke. "There's nothing that can be saved anymore."
"Even so, I'll make it okay!" he swore to her, releasing her, "We'll change this, all of it!" The feelings that he'd glimpsed in her stood out vividly in his memory. The feelings of a girl who had never learned how to smile. "And I'll become a hero who can make you smile!"
She said nothing, staring at him coldly. Then, she looked away, and under all the hair and the medical mask, he thought he saw something wet. "...Do what you want. Card."
When his phone rang a moment later and he answered it, Izuku was filled with a heavy, bitter feeling…like he had only made a tiny crack in a block of stone.
I promise…I promise, I'll make things right!
ML
After saying goodbye to Sero and Shouji, as well as exchanging numbers with them, he'd immediately cast out telepathically to contact his mother. She was startled, then shocked to learn that he'd been spirited away yet again without her knowing. Apologizing for making her worry, he vowed to make it up to her. And then, as he hurried for home, he sent out another telepathic broadcast.
The next day was a weekend, and Izuku made his way to Dagobah Beach. It was still early enough that the sun was coming over the beach, but the sooner he could see Toga, the better.
As he stepped onto the sands, he spotted the pale haired visage of his first friend. "Toga-san?" he called.
The blood user spun around and stomped towards him. "There you are! Do you know how worried I was when you vanished like that!" She pouted. "What the hell was that?"
"I...wish I could tell you, but…I can't." Internally, he winced. That's not how you keep her from becoming a villain.
Her already narrow eyes narrowed even further.
"I mean it!" he protested, "I literally can't! Look-" He tried connecting to her mind, and thought about the previous day, only to immediately blank out.
"Guh!" she shook her head. "Alright, I believe you!"
He disconnected, blinking as his thoughts reengaged. "Sorry…if I could tell you, I really would…but I dunno if you'd believe me." And it's not like I can tell you that I saw you become a villain.
"It's okay, Izu-kun." She gave him a small smile, making him squirm guiltily. "Anyway! You got any more ideas on how to practice?"
Izuku blinked. "Huh? Um...yeah!" He turned to the piles of junk, drawing up his PSI, "I actually had this one while I was waiting for…anyway, lemme show you!"
Pulling the dumpster closer, he turned towards the closest pile of debris and concentrated. As the PSI left his body, he concentrated, keeping it from dispersing as he formed a cloud around the pieces of garbage, letting it seep into the pile. Just like when I pulled the milk out of the tea, I need to suffuse it inside and out…
Then, as he focused his will, the top half of the pile began to lift up, individual pieces drifting, but still moving in defiance with gravity. Grinning in triumph, Izuku moved them all over to the empty dumpster and lowered them in gently, before finally releasing his power.
"You did it!" cheered Toga, her full grin back in place as she raised a hand, "You figured out how to do multiple objects! Yay~!"
Izuku laughed, cheeks turning pink as he shyly high-fived her in return. "It's not that much worse than normal, so it'd be totally doable to use this for rescue work…"
"Oi, Deku!"
His good cheer vanished as a familiar voice made him jump. Bakugou Katsuki was walking towards them, his usual scowl in place.
"K-Kacchan?" he squeaked, "What're you doing here-?"
"Whatever I damn want," grunted the blonde, completely ignoring Toga, "What are you doing in this dump? Scrounging to make support gadgets or something?'
Izuku shrank in on himself. If he explained his new powers, then Bakugou would just call him a delusional liar…
"Heeh~" drawled Toga, "So you really are a yappy little dog, aren't you?"
Bakugou's red-eyed glare intensified. "Hah?"
"Yeah, I'm here!" she said cheerfully, giving one of her signature grins, "Hi! I'm Toga Himiko! I already know who you are, Bakugou-kun!"
The explosive user scoffed. "Like I give a shit. Oi, Deku, where'd you find this creep? Did you need to find someone even crazier than you? Lemme guess, you told her all about how I'm the best or how i'm gonna be the number 1 hero at UA?"
Toga's smile dropped. "Yeah, he told me how you wanted that. He said that you're ambitious an' junk."
"Tch. At least he knows that muc-"
"He also told me about how you're the worst."
He stopped. A pop rose from his hands. "Wanna run that by me again?"
Izuku stood frozen, too terrified to move or speak.
"Those explosions make you deaf or something?" she scoffed, "I thought that Izu-kun was just shy naturally, but I don't need to be psychic to figure out that it's 'cause of you."
Bakugou glared at her. "...And? What're you gonna do about it?"
"T-Toga-san…" mumbled the green-haired boy, reaching out to grab her sleeve.
Her manic grin returned, a vicious edge to it. "Don't come around here and bother Izu-kun."
"Hah? Who the hell do you-"
"I told you. I'm Toga Himiko. And if you keep making my friend feel bad, I'll cut you."
There was a bang and a plume of smoke as Bakugou raised his hands. "You wanna go, you little psycho?!"
"Do you? 'Cause you're the one who barged in while we were training Izu-kun's powers."
That actually gave him pause. "Powers? The fuck you on about? Deku's Quirkless, he doesn't have any power!"
"Mmm~ You're half right~" giggled Toga, sauntering forward, "But whatever! I'll let Izu-kun tell you himself if he wants~"
Bakugou's hand shot out, grabbing the front of her shirt and pulling her close until she was face to face with him. "Don't you fucking look down on me!" he snarled, eyes blazing with fury, "I won't take it from that useless nerd, and I won't take it from-"
"Kacchan." At the sight of his friend being forcibly manhandled, Izuku forced himself to act. A tendril of his mind lashed out and dug into Bakugou's aura, spreading tendrils throughout it and making the boy go still. "This is none of your business," he told him firmly, "Go away."
For a second, the other boy's face went slack with confusion. Then, with a snort of disgust, he shoved Toga back. "Whatever. Not like it's my business how you spend your time," he scoffed, turning on his heel and walking away, "Seeya when you flunk out of Yuuei, nerd!"
The two of them watched, stunned, as the boy strutted out of sight. Then, Izuku's blood ran cold as he realized what he'd just done. "Oh god. Oh god oh god oh god oh god!" he whimpered, collapsing onto his knees, "He's gonna kill me. Once that wears off, he'll figure it out and then he'll blow me up…!"
"What did you do?!" Toga exclaimed, gazing at him and attempting to tug him back to his feet, "You got him to back down so easily!"
"I…!" Izuku gulped, feeling nauseous, "I used my PSI to directly influence his mind. Oh god, if he tells anyone, it'd go on my record! I'd never be able to get into Yuuei!"
'"That's assuming he knows it's your Quirk."
"He'll know. Kacchan is a piece of work, but he's also smart. And it's not a Quirk, I told you."
She rolled her eyes. "Yeah yeah. Anyway, that kinda power seems like it'd be super handy against villains, so I bet the guys at Yuuei would like that, especially after seeing what a garbage-fire he is."
Izuku's panic broke just enough for him to let out a sputtering laugh.
"But seriously, you stopped him cold! I was totally ready to fight him too…" Toga paused, before pouting. "Actually, couldn't you have waited a little bit? I wanted to make him bleed some!"
He paused, blinking at her, then just laughed even harder.
"Aw come on! What's so funny now?" she asked.
"S-sorry!" he chuckled, finally climbing to his feet, "It's just, normally you'd complain about the blood first, instead of waiting until now!"
"I-" Toga stopped, reeling back slightly. "I-I, uh…" Her face slackened, and for once, the predatory air that joined her every expression was gone, and she looked completely caught off-guard.
"Thanks for being there, Toga-san," continued Izuku, smiling at her, "Really. You were really cool, standing up to Kacchan for me."
She struggled to bring back her grin, but only managed a small, wobbly smile, her cheeks turning pink. "W-well…it's normal to wanna stick up for your friends, right?"
His smile widened. "Of course!"
"…I really did something…normal, then?"
"You did!"
Toga's aura flared and writhed about, the dark, rusty colors momentarily pulsing with tendrils of warmer colors. "Then, since we're friends, you can call me Himiko!"
Now it was Izuku's turn to blush. "A-ah! Um, right! S-sure thing To- er, H-H-H-Himiko-san!"
She pouted. "Better. But gimme a -chan next time, Izu-kun!"
AN
NS: At last, it's done! Why is it always chapter 4 of a fic that gives me the most trouble…?
UO: Because that's typically when you start actually putting canon information in and from experience that's been one of your weakest areas. Which is a lot of issues with crossovers actually putting them together
NS: No my weakest area is researching logistics. That's your area. Anyway, in this Deku gets to see the consequences of his time traveling, no matter how temporary it might be from his perspective, and everyone's favorite little psycho gets just a little bit more wholesome.*
*Slightly better adjusted.
Quirks!
Sero Hanta
Age: 14
Quirk: Tape. He can shoot tape from his elbows, which he can then retract or tear off to creat sticky traps! This power has been Awakened and may exhibit new effects.
Shouji Mezou
Age: 15
Quirk: Dupli-Arms. The ends of his extra arms can morph into copies of any of his other body parts, such as mouths, ears and eyes. Awakened.