Author's Note: So here we are again! This author's note is gonna be looong to address some issues, questions and comments... and because it's much needed.

For some weird reason, I've gotten PMs and a few reviews from people telling me to remove Bakugo from my story because they hate him which I really don't get. I'll be honest, Bakugo is one of my favorite characters in BNHA. Whenever I read a story and see him being made into an idiot, I immediately close the fan fic and never read any material by that author ever again.

Biggest complaint against his character is that he's a bully. And I say, so fucking what? The world needs bullies. If I wasn't bullied throughout my childhood, I would have grown up to be a well-adjusted adult, and would have never needed an outlet for my thoughts and repressed problems in the form of writing. There would have been no Sir Lucifer Morningstar today, and I'd probably be in some white-collar job, grinding 9-5 and contributing to society.

Ugh. Just the thought of it sickens me.

Anyway, Bakubro is here to stay.

Props to fanfic-addict91 for pointing out that I mixed up Mineta's name. Apparently, Mineta is his last name, and Minoru is first name. So Matsuda should be Mineta Matsuda, not Minoru Matsuda. I'd go back and fix it… but it sounds too fucking weird, and so, for the sake of this story, Mineta's first name is Mineta, and his last name is Minoru. (Not that it'll make a difference, but just pointing it out for those picky ones of you there.)

Also, for those asking, Intelli Saiko is not an OC. She's a canon character, albeit restricted only to the anime. You can check up the Boku no Hero wiki for more info on her, and to get a rough idea as to what she looks like.

Canonically, Saiko is a student at another hero academy and is beaten by Momo in the Provincial License Exam… which I call utter bullshit. One of the major issues with writing or creating "intelligent" characters is that the character can never be more intelligent than the person writing them. Not that I'm calling Horikoshi an idiot (I'm too poor a writer to call him that) but really, you create (or at least, allow the animators create) a character who's IQ nearly equals the likes of Stephen Hawking and Albert Einstein, and you give them a quirk that enables them to double it by drinking motherfucking tea… and their aspiration in life is to be what every fucking tom, dick and harry wants to be?

Fuck. That.

In this story, we're taking quirks, intelligence, organizations, villains and heroes to their logical extremes, and we're going to be fucking unapologetic about it. If making people more competent turns this story AU –

So fucking be it.

Oh, yeah, the other shoe finally drops this chapter. Guess three chapters of feel-good is my limit guys. I tried.


|A Precise Note|


Time was something that Midoriya Izuku found himself consciously aware of. The seconds that unfolded into minutes, and minutes that unfolded into hours were always counted. Regardless of the evening progressing smoothly, with Manga providing his amazing collection of… Manga, and even displaying some mint-quality Comic Books from the Pre-Quirk Era that everyone found themselves engrossed in, Midoriya Izuku was always consciously aware of time.

"Did villains in the Pre-Quirk era really do such tacky things?" asked Matsuda. He tapped lightly, on to a comic book. "I mean, doomsday devices, plans for global domination, destroying the earth, leading armies of aliens to attack?"

"These books are fiction, Matsuda-kun. There weren't any villains or heroes in the Pre-Quirk era, because there were no Quirks. That's why we call it, the Pre -Quirk era." Saiko explained.

Matsuda's lips formed into an 'o' as he stared back into his comic panel. "Huh. Makes sense. I mean, I guess no one would really know what a world with powers would look like, so they could only have guessed that some people would use their powers for crazy stuff like this."

He closed the comic, slowly. "At least one thing they got right is that the villains always lose and the heroes always win."

"I just like the costumes." Mineta giggled. "Look – look – skintight leotards! And here – her outfit has a boob-window! And look at this one! Red skin and barely wearing anything –"

"Damn it Mineta, you know I can't –"

Midoriya grimaced for Matsuda's condition. It really didn't take much to set him off. Just a glimpse, at the artistically drawn but somewhat questionable fashion choices of the female superheroes in the comics, and Matsuda muttered a silent apology under his breath as he stood, and headed off to the bathroom. There was little doubt in Midoriya's mind that he would not be coming out for some time.

"T-that's not nice of you Mineta-san."

The short, grape-haired boy scoffed. "Like hell it is! I wish I had a quirk that could let me get hard so easily. Lucky bastard'll be able to go a hundred rounds when he gets older… he'd be the Stud King of Stud Kings."

"It inconveniences his daily life – makes things difficult."

Mineta lifted up a comic book with a purple-faced, golden-gauntleted man, and quoted the words in the speech bubble. "A small price to pay for salvation."

Midoriya's lips thinned. Mineta couldn't be convinced. He couldn't see the bigger picture. All he saw were the positives of his cousin's quirk without realizing the negatives that came along with it. Or perhaps, it was the opposite. In Mineta's view, all of the negatives, were still positives. That was the unfair nature of it all. Those with personalities ideal for certain quirks were rarely those who possessed those quirks. If anything, things were the opposite. A quirk ended up, directly or indirectly, affecting the personality of the individuals who possessed them. Their hobbies, to their character, their life goals to their aspirations –

Your Quirk, ultimately, decided who you were.

That was why he shuddered, for those whose quirks inflicted upon them villainous roles. For those who possessed no quirks to speak of, and found themselves resigned and limited to mundane lives, their goals hung before their faces like a dangling forbidden fruit presented before the inhabitants of God's garden.

Midoriya wasn't a religious person. Most people weren't, not in this day and age. Though, a rather small few still followed the Church of the Illuminated. Those who worshipped the first human with a confirmed case of a quirk. The famed "Luminescent Baby" born in Qing-Qing City, China, who shone with unearthly light. The history books made reference to some people calling the child at the time, as the Second Coming of a western messiah. Many believed wholeheartedly and the Church of the Illuminated grew in size. However, as quirks began to become more commonplace, the religious zeal died out. When everyone could walk on water or turn orange juice into liquor, glowing became less of an impressive feat, and the belief in the supernatural became subdued.

Instead, there were religious doctrines that ascribed to the belief of fate and destiny. The Cosmos' Chosen was such one religion. That it was fate, or destiny, to be born with a particular quirk. That you were given your quirk for a reason, and it was up to you to discover what that reason was.

That religion, too, died out, with the discovery of the Quirk Factor and how quirks used Mendelian principles of biological inheritance.

"Something on your mind Midoriya-kun?"

Saiko's voice was soft. It drew him from his thoughts. Izuku tried to stop the heat rushing to his face as he remembered her offer. Remembered that he hadn't answered her. She was pretty. However, that wasn't new, to Izuku. As far as he was concerned, all girls were pretty. Everyone was beautiful in their own way.

"J-just thinking about s-some s-stuff in a book I read."

"I'm a rather avid reader myself. Care to share?"

He bit his lip. "W-well, it's um… An Essay of Quirk-Related Psychological Phenomena and the Argument of Determinism." He cleared his throat. "It – it's not as… dull as it sounds."

Manga didn't seem to react to the name, being engrossed in his comics. Mineta let out a scoff. "Uuuuugh. Neeeeeeeerd."

"By Hirohito Miyagi, isn't it?"

"Y-you've r-read it?"

"I have. Miyagi makes an interesting argument for the quirks overruling free-will. Though, Midoriya-kun," Saiko's voice went low. "You do realize that Miyagi's works are rather controversial, especially because he was a well-known supporter of Destro, and a suspected Follower of One?"

Izuku's breath hitched.

"Wait, a what now?" Mineta scratched his head. "What's all this nerd talk? Why is pretty boy looking like you said you're into pegging?"

Saiko, for her part, sighed. "The Followers of One. Surely even you should have heard of them?" Manga put down his comic book, and two pairs of blank eyes stared and Saiko muttered. "What do they even teach in Middle School these days…"

"You make it sound like you're not a Middle School student."

"For once Mineta-san, you make a correct deduction."

"You're in high school?" Mineta's eyes widened. "I've been talking to a High School Girl all this while?"

"I'm not in High School Mineta-san. I'm completing my Doctorate at a University which shall go unnamed because I do not trust you enough to know it."

The table was silent for several minutes. Izuku was never one to doubt people, nor was he one to believe people would tell a lie so bold-faced. As far as he knew, Saiko did not possess any reason to lie to them. Completing her Doctorate? She can't be that much older than me and she's already doing her Doctorate? That's…

"Amazing." Izuku whispered.

"Wait, wait, wait, you actually believe her?"

"I do."

Mineta crossed his arms. "There's no way that –"

"Mineta-san." Izuku found his lips moving. His body moving. His right arm, landing, gently, softly on the smaller boy's shoulders. His lips were forced into a smile, because he didn't know how to scowl, or frown. The muscles in his hands were pressing down, with full knowledge as to where to apply the most pressure.

"I don't like it when people doubt others. I trust Saiko-san to be honest with us. If you don't believe her words… please keep your lack of belief to yourself. Please."

"...R-right." Mineta whispered, his face contorting rapidly. "Y-your hand –"

Izuku blinked. "A-ah – s-sorry -!" he jerked his hand away from Mineta's shoulder as if he'd been burned. Slowly, he brought up his own hand to stare at it, looking at it as though it were a foreign object. I – I hadn't meant to… I mean I had, but…

Saiko cleared her throat. "Thank you, Midoriya-kun, as unneeded as it was. I care very little if others do not believe me. Regardless, to educate those who are not aware," she made the gesture of focusing solely on Manga. "The Followers of One are a religious group. Or at least, they started out as one, but have increasingly become known worldwide as an S-Rank Terrorist organization."

"Terrorists?" Manga asked. "Like… villains?"

"Not quite." said Saiko. "Although finding concrete proof is difficult these days, a lot of journals and books of the past make mention of a person born in the age when quirks were fairly new, a person said to be able to give and take away quirks at will. He took away quirks from those who considered their powers a burden, and blessed those who were in need of quirks to make their lives better. As human nature tends to glorify and objectify things that are unknown or mystical, this individual was treated in the same light as the Luminescent Baby. Worshipped. Glorified. In a world filled with chaos and uncertainty, the man with the power to alter the status quo was… deified."

Saiko adjusted her monocle. "For the most part, he was simply referred to as 'The One.' The one who all would bow before. The one who would change the world. The one who could either turn all of humanity into a supernatural society, or turn back the hands of evolution and leave us as we once were. Whether or not 'the One' is some messianic figure or not is irrelevant. The fact is that he possessed power and people flocked to him for it. His followers numbered in the millions, and thus, a religion formed behind him…"

"The Followers of One." Izuku whispered.

"I've never heard of them," Manga said.

"The government does it's best to censor out news that includes activities of the Followers." Saiko explained. "'The One' himself is somewhat of an urban legend now, despite there being sufficient evidence to prove that he was real. Some historians theorize that 'the One' was killed in the First Quirk War that brought about the current status quo of heroes and villains. His Followers scattered to the winds, searching desperately for a person worthy to succeed him. Nowadays, they mostly conduct shock-and-awe tactics of bombings and arson, but are also suspected of a long trail of unsolved kidnappings and missing people."

The Followers of One. Izuku would admit he only knew about them from his quirkless days when he spent hours scouring the internet for any way for him to accomplish the dream. Reading, articles upon articles, site upon site, about whether or not it was possible for someone born without a quirk to attain one. He checked forums, delved into hateful, angry sites populated by those who'd been like him, those who hated the system of quirks because they'd been cursed to be without them. Through his searches, he's seen numerous references, at the time, to the Followers. Some people still believed that the One was still alive. Alive, but weakened – waiting for someone worthy enough to appear before him, and for him to grant that person his quirk – the power to giveth, and the power to taketh.

"Izuku-kun."

"Ah – y-yes?"

Saiko's fingers were steepled. "You've read Miyagi's work. What did you think of it?"

What did he think? Izuku stopped himself from biting down on his lower lip. "It's…"

"Controversial, I know," Saiko waved her hand. "Especially the studies on Subject Nevermore."

"Er… mind filling us in?"

Izuku's gaze went from Saiko to Mineta and Manga, the duo looking lost. "Um… it's…" he fumbled his words. "T-there was a man, once… a… good man… who was arrested for… having um… committed mass murder of everyone at a p-poultry farm… B-but – well, in c-court, it was argued that it wasn't his fault… because of his quirk. He had a quirk… that allowed him to u-understand b-birds at a l-level better than he understood h-humans. H-his defense was… that the corvids, um… ravens and crows… approached him and told him that the b-birds were suffering… and they badgered him, and badgered him… until he went there himself… and… well –"

"The official report gotten from security camera footage said that he broke down in tears at the sight of the poultry, screaming 'why' over and over again, and in blind grief summoned an army of vultures and crows and that feasted on all the humans, and let all the chickens go." Saiko finished. "He was given the villain name 'Nevermore' for his ability. He did not fight back or protest at his arrest. Nevermore said, to him, birds were people. Each bird, was a person, with personality, charm, soul and character. He'd been an avid bird watcher and a docile office worker. Yet, in an instant, he became labeled an A-Class Villain… and was sentenced to life in prison."

"Whoa. That's… Damn." Manga muttered.

"He had the backing of many fanatical animal rights activists who called him a hero, and the case brought a question as to whether or not he could truly be held accountable for his actions. His quirk, his ability to speak to and understand birds as he would humans, was the crux of the issue. The argument was, if you were to walk into a factory where humans where caged, treated in inhumane conditions and butchered as we butcher livestock, would you have done any differently from what Nevermore did?" Saiko shrugged.

"The argument is still relevant today. As is the question of the true limits of animal, and even plant sapience. Of course, rather than bring these issues into light on the news, the government would rather shove down commercialized and propagandized images of heroes being a shining beacon for society down our throats."

Izuku couldn't help himself from flinching, just a little bit. He still admired heroes. He still wanted to be a hero. Yet, he asked himself, whether as a hero, he would have been able to do anything for Nevermore. Pro-Heroes, while they were allowed to have side jobs, were not allowed to participate in politics or legal matters. Their job was to arrest the villain, and that was that.

"I'm back! So…" Matsuda approached the group, before frowning. "…why is everyone looking like someone died?"

"That would be on me," said Saiko. "I find myself discussing a lot of sensitive, macabre issues without realizing it. I have been told that my real superpower is the ability to end parties and deprive people of joy."

"T-that's not true!"

Saiko allowed a small, ghost of a smile. "I appreciate the support, Midoriya-kun. Truly, I do. But I am not obtuse enough to fail to recognize the emotional drain I tend to leave on people. It's easier and more enjoyable to keep one's head in the sunlight, than to wade through darkness with a faltering torch."

Saiko stood, sliding across her seat and slinging her bag over her shoulder. "It's getting rather late, Matsuda-kun. Midoriya-kun. Manga-kun."

"H-hey what about me!"

Saiko gave one short glance to Mineta, before turning around and bowing politely to everyone but him. "I'll be taking my leave now. Thank you for entertaining me."

Something kicked Izuku in his chest as he watched Saiko turn around to leave. Time, as it was, for Izuku, felt slower. Each second stretched to encompass long agonizing minutes. The sway of her hair, as she turned around. The rumple on her clothes. The momentum of her arm swinging, carrying along with it the force to shift her bag.

Something kicked his chest again, and Midoriya Izuku found his body moving before his mind could catch up.

"I-Intelli-san!"

She turned around, idly shifting strands of her pale grey hair behind her right ear. Something kicked in Midoriya's chest again.

"A-ah… y-you don't need to leave – I –" Izuku bit his lip. "I WAS REALLY ENJOYING YOUR –" The final word stuck in his throat. Presence. He wanted to say. Company. He could have used. He wasn't sure which one would be right. Which one would be appropriate.

"Midoriya-kun…" Saiko placed her hand into her chin. "It is getting late. I'm not leaving because I felt uncomfortable with ruining the atmosphere. I'm leaving because I have a lecture to attend tomorrow."

"O-oh." Midoriya's cheeks burned. "U-um… can…" You can do it! You can do it Izuku! If you don't believe in yourself, no one will! "C-can Ihaveyourphonenumber?" he said in a rush. "I mean – if you – so we can – k-keep in touch – b-but if you don't w-want to –"

"Oh? Reconsidering my offer for a Quirk Marriage?"

Izuku's cheeks burned. "M-maybe."

It took him 0.002 seconds for him to realized what he had said. His brows shot to the top of his head. Saiko, as well, had her brows raised.

"I – I mean –"

Saiko laughed, covering her mouth with her right hand. "It's fine, Midoriya-san. I was the one who started the teasing, it's only fair that I receive some as well." She reached into her bag, and a sleek, expensive-looking phone emerged. Midoriya held it diligently, his fingers steady even as his heart raced a thousand miles a minute, carefully inputting in his contact details.

"It's been a pleasure, Midoriya-kun. Also, thank you for the portrait."

It was only minutes after Intelli Saiko left the Hero's Jump that Midoriya realized, she hadn't given him her number, but she'd collected his. there was an odd kick in his chest again. A weird, unfamiliar rumbling in his stomach. His feet felt lighter, somehow. The air, rich with her scent of lilac, sent a large, inexplicable smile to Midoriya Izuku's face.

That was when he remembered that there were three other guys present. One of which, was staring at him with a large, Cheshire-cat grin.

"Hohoho…" Matsuda said. "Little Izuku-kun has his first crush."

Izuku could feel his entire face burning. "N-no – no – I just… I – it's not l-like that at all!"

"Riiiiight," Matsuda said with a rolling tongue. "Anyway, ignoring Izuku's not-crush on Saiko – who's ready for a good ol' fashioned tabletop RPG?"

Midoriya Izuku would admit, he didn't pay much attention to the events that followed after Saiko left. Being left to his own devices because he always rolled a natural 20 and as such was a gamebreaker, he found his thoughts wandering to Saiko, and not only drawn to her intelligence, but to her arguments and criticism about the idealization and worship of heroes. To the topic of the Followers of One and their belief in a worthy successor. To Miyagi's studies, and his own increasing concerns.

He wanted to be the type of hero who supported everyone. Who was in the corner of those who entered the ring alone. But, to be a hero, controlled by the government, was to restrict his ability to do that. No one was in Nevermore's corner – not one hero spoke up in support of him. Of course, Nevermore killed people, and killing people was always wrong because you'd be hurting other people –

Is it… impossible… to really be there for everyone?

If he supported Nevermore, he would offend those who'd lost their families. If he supported those who lost their families – he would be against Nevermore. A man who's only crime was to view birds as people. So he had to pick a side. He had to choose, a side to pick. Make a stand between two grieving, hurt people.

How… how am I supposed to make such a cruel choice?

Quirks were the root of it. Quirks. The same power that turned around his life – and it was out there, making the lives of people like Matsuda and Nevermore miserable. What could he do for them? How could he help them, live normal, fulfilled and happy lives?

His gaze glanced, subtly, to Matsuda who had taken on the role of Dungeon Master. A person as smart and talented as Matsuda, believing the only thing he could become in life was an adult film star, all because he didn't want to inconvenience others with his quirk.

It wasn't right.

I need to find a way to make it right.

The only question… was how?


| A Precise Note|


Izuku hadn't kept track of time at all.

"Izuku! Izuku-kun! Where – where have you been? I – I was worried!"

His mother stood outside the door, in her nightgown, waiting for him. It was a school night, although that meant increasingly less and less to him as his private studying was already far above and beyond the current curriculum. Even if he had only about four to five hours of sleep, he would still awaken feeling fully refreshed.

"I was meeting up with some friends and –"

"I already called the Katsukis, and even though Bakugo tried to lie and claim you were sleeping over –" Izuku blinked. Kacchan did what? "Mitsuki overheard him and said you weren't there!"

"Kacchan isn't my only friend, ka-san."

His mother stopped mid-tirade. "Don't tell me… it's that boy again?"

Izuku grit his teeth. "Stop referring to him like that! You don't even know him!"

"He asks you to draw porn of your classmate! He has you come home by eleven pm on a school night! I don't need to know him to know that he's a bad influence Izuku-kun!"

Izuku's two hands balled into a fist. How can she…? His own mother, his own flesh and blood, how could she be so… so… unlike him? How could she judge someone whom she'd never met? Someone who was trying his hardest to be a good person? Someone who already had the world stacked upon them? And, without even knowing, or trying to understand anything about the situation –

"Stop it," he whispered. "Stop it, Ka-san."

"Izuku-kun, please understand that I'm trying my best to look out for you. Making friends with someone like that –"

"STOP IT!"

It was the first time he'd ever raised his voice that high. High enough that it echoed throughout the silent street. That windows and glass shook from the force. His mother, backed away, silently.

"Stop… judging people without knowing them," whispered Izuku. "People are… more than you... more than what you believe them to be. More than you could ever believe them to be."

"I…Izuku-kun…"

"I always wondered, ka-san… what would have happened if I never got my quirk," he said. "Would you… have kept looking at me with those eyes? Those sad eyes? Those guilty eyes? For the rest of my life… would you have kept looking at me, with pity… and regret… and sadness? Without… even a shred… of faith?"

He could hear her sobs. Her slow, pain racked sobs, even as she called his name. "I-Izuku – I – I'm sorry… I'm… I'm so sorry…"

"All I've ever wanted from you… ka-san, was to believe in me. To believe… in me… just once. Just once Ka-san. I just wanted you to believe."

His vision was blurry. There was a thick lump in his throat. One he didn't know how to solve. How to bite back. How to swallow down. His heart was beating quickly. Too quickly. He didn't know how to handle it. He didn't like how it hurt.

It hurts. It hurts.

He wanted the ache in his chest to be gone. The pain, gone. The memory, of his mother, weeping over him as he asked her, "can I be a hero?"

Midoriya Izuku searched for most precise way for it to stop hurting. For his soft heart to stop aching.

And, at that moment – his quirk answered.

The root of his emotional pain was his attachment and love for his mother. His hurt and disappointment at her lack of faith in him. To stop the hurting, Precision was required to sever the root of the pain. To remove from him, the sting of his mother's failure to believe in him. Yet, even with surgical precision, it was impossible to remove the pain because it was attached to his love. The more he loved his mother, the worse his pain.

It left only one unfortunate solution.

Midoriya Izuku swung his bag on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, too, Ka-san."

"I-Izuku-kun? Izuku! W-where – where are you going Izuku?"

"I tried… Ka-san. I… tried my best."

"Izuku-kun! Izuku-kun please come back! Come back!"

He didn't look back. He couldn't look back.

"Izuku-kun please! I – I love you, Izuku-kun! Mommy loves you! Please – don't – don't go –"

The soft, silent footsteps of Midoriya Izuku's feet echoed through the night, as with nothing more than the clothes on his back and a backpack strewn across his arm, he vanished, into the night, with the cries and pleads of a repentant mother, unheard in the darkness.