Sachi: Welcome everyone, to the very first Pre-Chapter Podcast(TM), our guest for tonight(or day) is Shota Aizawa! Welcome, Aizawa!
Aizawa: Hi...
Sachi: Tonight, our topic of discussion: Karens. They are loud, they are stubborn, they are annoying and boy are they high up their asses. With the **** virus still sweeping the globe, these overgrown brats have found more things to yell and scream and complain about, managers beware.
Aizawa: I actually ran into one on my way here. Apparently she was threatening to sue a store for not taking down their 5g towers. I try to understand them, but honestly the only real thing I feel for them is pity.
Sachi: Yes, yes, very nice. well, that concludes tonight's Pre-Chapter Podcast(TM)!
Aizawa: What? That's it!?
Sachi: Tune in next week for our next topic: Boomers!
Aizawa: I drove 3 hours to get here for this!?
Sachi: Now stay safe, stay healthy, I'm Sachi Tsukiyama and this has been Pre-Chapter Podcast(TM)!
Aizawa: I skipped my afternoon nap for this!?
Sachi: G-Guy? This is where we roll the credits!
Aizawa: You son of a- *Gets up*
Sachi: Guys? Guys come- AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-
The following day, a quick conference meeting was held in U.A. The topic of discussion: the mysterious villain behind the attack during the U.A. entrance exam, Mightless.
"Gentlemen, thank you for coming on such a short notice." Said Nezu, the school's headmaster, in a straight, serious tone, contrasting his usual chipper and laid back attitude.
"It was a necessity after what transpired." Replied Aizawa, whom despite never being present during these types of meetings, showed up first, showing how serious the situation is.
"The media's has been at our throats ever since our clumsily organized rescue of Shoto Todoroki. The poor organization of the heroes, the number of kids that were hurt, the failure of security." Listed Vlad King in a somber tone, "Luckily, no one was killed, but the damage is done."
"And to make matters worse, almost all attendees of the entrance exam dropped out after the attack. Many stated that after witnessing what they were gonna be up against, they'd rather take their chances in a safer field of work." Added Hound Dog, "The next batch of first years are looking rather bleak in size. We may even have to reduce the class sizes of the hero course from 4 to 2."
"You mean-"
"Yes Thirteen." Hound dog cut off, "There will be no Class 1-C or Class 1-D this year in the hero course, those classes will instead be relocated as the two new General Education courses."
"So that many people dropped out, huh?" Asked Nezu, his gaze falling to the table.
"However, there's a bright side to everything." A said a voice that turned the heads of everyone at the meeting.
"Ah, All Might, glad to see you here." Greeted Nezu, "So, how does it feel, working as a teacher now in U.A?"
"Well, I run into a villain attack on my first day on the job, so you tell me." Replied the number pro hero, as he plopped down next to Midnight and Snipe.
"Was he always this skinny?" thought Midnight.
Reaching into his bag, All Might pulled out several screenshots. Many where heavily low quality due to the cameras being disabled during the attack, but they showed several kids from the test sites, some rescuing others, while others cleared the way, some even stayed behind to fend off the villains.
"While this attack did repel most of our school's attendees, it also helped the most skilled and promising kids stand out. These kids stood their ground and put their lives on the line, knowing that that's what they had signed up for, instead of doing it for fame or fortune like most kids nowadays." Explained All Might, "Most notably, these two."
Tossing their pictures onto table, one of them showed a blond girl with her hair tied in two buns and a young green haired boy with messy green hair and a decently well built body.
"Wait, I recognize them, they were the ones that rescue the hostage and even cut off the mastermind's escape route!" Exclaimed Vlad King.
"They have promise." Said Aizawa, impressed by what he's heard.
"Nezu, you claim that judging the students and picking out the ones for the hero course was a long process that took weeks, correct?" Asked All Might, "Well now, we thanks to this attack, we can sort them out far easier now. True heroes still exist, my friends, and with this attack, we now know that the future indeed has people we can count on to step in our shoes."
Hearing this, the morale in the room rose drastically, as All Might's insight let them see the silver lining in the entire situation. Nezu let out a relieved sigh, as the tension of the room was practically choking him alive prior to All Might's intervention.
"So it's decided who enters then, right?" Asked Nezu.
"Indeed, now, let us discuss what we're gonna have to do about the media." Said Midnight, "Having the right students is one thing, but if we keep letting the media berate us like this, not only will it damage our image, but also scare away our always weary investors."
Nezu let out a sigh, looking at a school picture of the class of first years two decades ago, when he was still a mere cub.
"It was so easy back then, Hisashi." Thought Nezu, "The presence of your name alone was enough to invalidate any and all negative press on our school. Why did you have to go so soon?"
"A few months back, while the crime rate were mysteriously rising and heroes losing a lot more, I made a declaration that U.A would switch to a boarding school if the situation became dire. Now, with our school already attacked once, I think it's about time we start that plan." Said Nezu.
"Our highly boasted "high end security" was just cracked yesterday. How is letting the students stay at our school's dorms possibly gonna be beneficial?" Asked Aizawa.
"Because unlike our personal security, the U.A Height Alliance Dorm area's security system was designed by Hisashi himself. Despite his name being forgotten by most people nowadays, people cannot deny of "Blue-Jay" grade products are the best there is." Explained Nezu, "If we could get the media informed of this detail, I'm sure we can keep them silenced."
"How so?" Asked Hound Dog, "I mean sure, I know about both Bluejay and Hisashi very well, but, for some odd reason, no one below the age of 20 nowadays have even heard of the man or his company. Why would the young public ever trust in the security of a company that's completely foreign to them?"
"Because a lot of people who works in the mainstream media nowadays were former employees at Bluejay." Replied Nezu, "So if anything, they would know more about the brand's name than we do."
"Say, wasn't Hisashi like your best friend back in your high school days?" Asked Midnight, "What happened between the two of you? I've heard he's been with you through thick and thin all the way till your third year yet you never seem to even mention him."
"Well the thing is..." Replied All Might, shocked to hear Hisashi's name again, "...I ...I don't want to talk about it."
"In any case, since this decision is last minute, and the attendance is already at an extreme low, I think it is best if we leave the choice optional to the students and their families. Should they refuse, then that's that. We've lost too many attendees and cannot risk losing any more." Finished Nezu, "That is all."
Back at the Midoriya residence, Izuku got home to a very proud mother. Apparently, his actions were spread across the news as almost everyone who beared witness to Izuku's stunning rescue hailed him a hero.
"Izukuuuuu!" Inko cried out, hugging his son and lifting him off the ground, "You worked so hard for this! Mommy is so proud of you!"
"Mom! please! I just got out of one death hug, I don't need another!" Izuku exclaimed, still recovering from Todoroki's hug just yesterday.
"I bought some extra meat for this occasion, Izuku, I'm going to make your favorite: Katsudon!" Said Inko, still bursting with pride.
Just then, the doorbell rang, as Izuku, slipping out of his mom's grip which, despite him training for months with Crescent, still couldn't break even at his strongest, ran to open it, finding Toga at the doorstep.
"Hi Izuku." Said Toga.
"Toga? What brings you here?" Asked Izuku.
"They're here." Said Toga, revealing an envelope, "U.A's admission letter."
Eyes widened, Izuku turned behind him.
"Mom? How long till the Katsudon's ready?"
"About 30 minutes!" Replied Inko in the kitchen.
"Give me 30 minutes." Replied Izuku.
30 minutes later, Izuku and Toga got to the league's hideout. Back inside, most of the group can be seen.
"Hey look! It's mister "Greenhorn Hero!" Teased Sachi.
"Please don't tell me that's what the news are calling me." Said Izuku.
"The you're out of luck, buddy." Replied Irina, pointing to the TV, where "Greenhorn Heroes save the youngest son of the Todorokis in amidst the chaos of a villainous raid" was the headline."
"Can't believe they left most of us out of the news though." Said Spinner, "I mean, I recites 4 pages of my personal "Stain's Manifesto" and no one even turned towards me."
"Really, I overshadowed all of you?" Asked Izuku, "Man, Hands must be pissed."
"Why do you think he's not here?" Asked Dabi.
"Yeah, where is Handjob anyways?" Asked Toga, noticing a severe lack of chapped lips in the room.
Somewhere, deep in the woodlands, Shigaraki could be seen, as he placed his hands on the ground, using his quirk to destroy all life in his vicinity.
"I wasn't strong enough..." Thought Shigaraki, his eyes, bloodshot red, "They smacked me around like a damn ragdoll! I'll show them! I'll show them all!"
Back at the hideout, Izuku and Toga opened their envelope, and, as if he was really there, a holographic All Might jumped out of the envelope, startling everyone and even causing Sachi to shoot a hole in the ceiling trying to hit him.
"Congratulation, Isuckyou Nidorino, your bravery and valiant actions have been reviewed and, with careful consideration, you are hereby accepted into the hero course! See you soon in class, Isuckyou Nidorino!" Said the prerecorded message, the name part being text-to-speech.
"How did they mess my name up this badly!?" Asked Izuku in a salty tone.
"You think that's bad? My message called me Homosexual Tugboat" Said Toga, as the rest of the league fell to the ground, dying of laughter.
"Don't feel bad." A voice came on TV, "U.A's admission letters are notorious for botching the names of their students. Something about a glitch in their system that autocorrects names. Heck, when All Might was accepted, his acceptance letter called him Tonal-shifted Yugioh."
"Oh, you're here, Sensei." Said Izuku.
"Indeed, I'm simply here to congratulate you for successfully winning the trust of All Might." Said All For One, "Now, you'll be able to get closer to him than any other villains in the past 5 decades."
"I won't let you down!" Replied Izuku, "With All Might and U.A both in one place, we'd not only be able to destroy the symbol of peace from the inside, but also collapse the beacon of hope that is U.A. With those two gone, we'd finally be able to bring down the heroes and show the world what they've all become!"
"Now now, don't get too impatient." Said All For One, "After all, All Might dislikes impatient successors."
"Successors?" Asked Izuku, "What do you mean?"
"Oh, don't you know? He was originally quirkless, just like you!" Said All For One, "His quirk, One For All, was given to him by another person, who received from another, who received it from another, and the line traces itself allllll the way back to me."
"Wait... he was... quirkless?" Asked Izuku, Shocked.
"Izuku, my boy, it's about time you learned about the truth behind All Might's quirk." Said All For One, "You see, his quirk actually came from-"
"I don't want to hear it!" Exclaimed Izuku, slamming the table so hard, everyone in the league froze in shock, "All Might, that bastard, putting me down for being quirkless despite being in the exact situation as me! That hypocrite!"
He then turned to All For One with wrath in his eyes.
"And you, your plan was to trick him into making me the new successor, wasn't it!?" Exclaimed Izuku.
"Izuku, my boy, please calm down and listen..." All For One tried to explain to him.
"No you listen!" Izuku sneered back, "You want me to use All Might's quirk against him? Count me out! He didn't believe that a quirkless kid can be a hero, so why should I prove him right!? This whole plan or yours? Count. Me Out!"
Izuku got up, slamming the door loudly behind him. Upon seeing this, Toga got up to go after him. The others wanted to go to, but All For One stopped them.
"No, let him go." Said All For One, "I understand his anger, just give him some time to process everything."
Hearing this, Sachi turned to All For One, intrigued by what he had just learned.
"Tell me, boss, how do you know all this?" Asked Sachi.
"Because the quirk All Might wields originates from me." Answered All For One.
His eyes widened, Sachi could barely make coherent words in shock.
"Wha- Quirk- You- He- You-"
"I guess you people must be in dire need for an explanation." Said All For One, "Then I'll give you the basic rundown. To summarize, my brother disagreed with how I was running things, so I, thinking he was quirkless at the time, thought that by giving him a quirk, he'd understand. Instead, he actually had a quirk, that being to pass down quirks, which fused with the power stockpiling quirk I gave him, creating One For All. He ran off, came back trying to kill me, failed and passed his quirk on to another. Down the line, I've faced 6 One For All Users, All Might being the seventh."
"You have a brother too?" Asked Sachi.
"Had a brother." Replied All For One, "I... had one."
"Oh..." Sachi shrunk back.
"Nevertheless, I'm not actually trying to make the next One For All user my stooge or even my successor, I'm just want Izuku to give me the quirk once he's obtained it." Explained All For One.
"Oh I see, so you can gain all the powers of All Might and rule the world, right?" Asked Dabi.
"Yeah... if that's what makes you happy." Replied All For One awkwardly.
However, something wasn't sitting right with Sachi, despite All For One's motivations being pretty clear cut and believable, especially given what kind of person he was. Back at All For One's lair, he closed his video feed, praying that Izuku could calm down soon so that he could finish explaining him his intentions. Just then, a portal opened up next to him with Sachi walking through.
"Sachi? What are you doing here?" Asked All For One, kicking a Shojo manga he was reading earlier under the table.
"You didn't sound genuine, so I knew something was up." Replied Sachi, "I don't know if it's because you're a bad liar or I'm just super good at detecting lies, but I felt that what you really wanted was something... less than world domination. Now tell me, what do you want with One For All exactly?"
All For One turned back, making sure his audio was off, then turned back to him.
"I'm only telling you this because I owed a whole lot to your father, but this is between the two of us, got it?" Said All For One.
"Understood." Replied Sachi, "Now tell me, what is it that you want with One For All?"
All For One pulled open a drawer, revealing a family photo. In it, he saw two kids, one slightly older than the other.
"Forgiveness." All For One replied in a solemn tone.
over a century ago...
"You don't have to do this, brother..." Uttered out ****, "Please, stop this madness, I beg of you."
"And let my people suffer?" Asked All For One, "Take a good look at this world! People have dreamed of this sort of stuff for years! The ability to fly! The ability to breathe underwater! The power to lift a truck! And finally we are blessed with these gifts and people want to reject it!?"
"They aren't your people! It's your quirk! It's driven you mad with power!" Exclaimed ****.
"Mad?! How can you call me mad while there a newborn out there, thrown into the trash and freezing to death for merely being born with horns!? How can you call me mad when our own father was murdered before our eyes for merely having the power to absorb other people's illness?! You can never understand what it's like, to be born into a world that has no place for you." Exclaimed All For One, his nails, digging into his arm's flesh, as blood spurted out, "All I ever wanted to be was accepted! To not be seen as a monster!"
Looking at his brother with a wrathful glare, **** backed up, seeing nothing but hatred and envy in his eyes as he walked towards him.
"Well I will make a place for myself! I clawed my way into this world, and I will carve the route I took into a path for all those who's like me to follow! I will show them what it's like to be seen as the monsters!" Exclaimed All For One, before reaching his hand out for his brother.
"Brother? What are you doing!? Brother! Please stop!" **** Pleaded.
"I'll show you what it's like, to be seen as one!" All For One said with a haunting smile.
Back to present...
"Dear god..." Uttered Sachi.
"And now, those days are over." Finished All For One, "The dark ages came to a close as quirks kept getting more and more numerous. Eventually, still salty from the dark ages, the surviving quirked, now the world's majority, turned against the quirkless and the cycle continued."
Looking at the picture, All For One's voice because more hoarse, almost as if he was about to cry.
"Now, it's the quirkless who's on the bottom of society's pyramid. I thought that by becoming a symbol of hope for all those with a quirk, they would create a better world, where everyone could be accepted. But instead, they just because the monsters that they were once feared as. In the end, the world didn't change a bit, I just ended up reversing the roles." He said, in a solemn tone, "I didn't want this, I didn't want any of this. I just wanted a world where I could fit in, I just wanted to find happiness. I wanted so much, that I tossed away what I already had."
"But... what does this have to do with One For All?" Asked Sachi.
"The previous users of One For All don't die." Explained All For One, "They live on, residing within the quirk, like a flame of souls, they help guide their next successor before that successor inevitably joins them. If I can get One For All, then I can meet him again. I can finally apologize to him, finally patch up the damage that I left on him all those years back."
"Then why don't you try fixing this mess you've made!?" Asked Sachi, in a pissed off tone, "Can't you see that the source of Izuku's pain technically stems from you!?"
"Because humanity doesn't want to be fixed." Replied All For One, "It just... decides what it wants to be on it's own. It doesn't need one man telling it what it needs to become, it will change, eventually. My mistake was to attempt to "fix" it, when in reality, I just made it to only benefit people like me. If I tried to fix it, I would only cause other people to suffer."
Hearing this, Sachi let out a sigh.
"So this whole time, you just want your brother to forgive you?" Asked Sachi.
"Oh course." Replied All For One, "To realize your mistake too late, and too lose your opportunity to apologize to those who gave you countless chances to change, that is my pain, that is why I fight."
Leaving All For One's lair by portal, Sachi felt conflicted in telling Izuku the truth about All For One. He felt conflicted in telling anyone as a matter of fact. Izuku already put his heart in soul into trusting All For One after his hopes were shattered, if he were to tell him the truth, he'd just break him even more. Just then, speaking of Izuku, he saw, out the corner of his eyes, Izuku, conversing with Toga and...
"Shoto?" Asked Izuku, "What are you doing here? And what's with the suitcases?"
"U.A's dorms are now open to all students. I'm just moving in." Replied Todoroki.
"Does that mean?"
"Yes! That I no longer have to live under the same room as Endeavor!" Exclaimed Todoroki, practically jumping in excitement, "If it weren't for the fact that I nearly because a black market item, I'd say that villain attack was the best thing that could ever have happened in my life!"
Izuku and Toga, feeling proud that they were indirectly responsible from freeing Todoroki from his dad, hugged him at the same time.
"We're so happy for you, Shoto-kun." Said Toga, tearing up.
"And I'm so happy we're gonna be in the same class!" Todoroki replied.
"Yeah, I can't wait for that!" said Izuku, "So, do you maybe... want to get something to eat with us?"
"Well, as you can see, I have to get to my dorm and unpack first." Said Todoroki, "Wanna come help me?"
"Hell yeah!" The two exclaimed in unison.
As the three ran off, Sachi, watching from afar let out a warm smile.
"Not yet." He said to himself.
Later, at the Height Alliance dorm, Izuku and Toga's mere presence were turning the heads of all other students were were planning on settling in. By the time they reached the front door, they had nearly a dozen people following them.
"Man, our exploits really made us famous." Commented Toga.
"Yeah, tell me about it." Replied Izuku, as the three suddenly bumped into someone new.
"Oh? Hey! It's you two!" Said a familiar voice.
The three turning around ran into another group of two, of which Izuku and Toga actually recognize.
"Wait, Toga? Plain boy? You guys are her too?" Said another voice.
Seeing them, Toga dashed at them, leaping into them like a dog.
"Ochako! Tsu-chan! I missed you two so much!" Exclaimed Toga.
"It's nice to see you two Himiko-chan, Kero" Replied Tsuyu, giving her a deadpan smile.
"God I wanna frame that smile on a wall!" Thought Toga.
"So, who's the two cuties?" Asked a third girl.
"Oh, sorry, I didn't see you at first, you're?" Asked Toga, noticing a third, pink skinned girl.
"Name's Mina! Mina Ashido! I like dancing, arcades and small talks!" Exclaimed Mina with explosive energy, quickly shaking her hand, "I heard of what you did during the entrance exams, man what a doozy that was! Speaking of which, that must be-"
Mina immediately dashed to Todoroki.
"So, you must be the son of the #2 Hero! I can't see the similarities in appearance, but damn, one thing's for sure: You are H.O.T hot!" Mina greeted, her energetic behaviour being too much for Todoroki to handle.
Still not use to talking with new people, Todoroki slowly backed off, hiding behind Izuku like a scared kitten.
"I don't know to say." Said Todoroki to Izuku, his shyness peeking through his stone cold face, "I want to tell her that I'm not good with people but I'm afraid that would hurt her feelings."
"Oh don't be like that Shoto! Sure talking to new people can be scary, but I assure you, you'll learn to open up in time!" Izuku replied, patting him on the back while giving him an encouraging smile.
Seeing this, Todoroki gave a flattered smile, as his emotionless face became lightly flustered as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Oh, thanks, I, uh, I mean thanks..." Todoroki muttered.
Mina, having watched the whole thing unfold, was now more intrigued than ever, as she turned to Toga.
"So... Are those two..." Asked Mina, making inappropriate gestures.
"What? Of course not!" Toga replied, "Don't let his size and age fool you, that kid's basically like our little brother. Our adorable, pure little brother."
"Well, that's good to know." Replied Mina, shaking hands with Toga, "So, ugh..."
"Himiko Toga!" Greeted Toga, "The green haired boy's my boyfriend Izuku."
Toga then grabbed both Tsuyu and Ochako.
"This is my bestie Tsuyu and my girlfriend, Ochako." She said casually.
Hearing this, Mina took a look at Izuku and Todoroki, then back at Toga and Ochako.
"This class's gonna be... interesting..." Mina said, slowly building up a nosebleed.
"Oh no no no, you've got it all wrong." Said Ochako, "Toga here's super sociable! She jumps the gun in terms of relationships like it's a game of hopscotch! Give her some time and she'll start calling you her girlfriend as well."
"She's already starting to call me her girlfriend as well." Said Tsuyu, "Though I don't really mind."
Toga turned back to see that Izuku and Todoroki already moved on, going into Todoroki's room.
"Well, I gotta go, see you in our first day, besties!" Said Toga.
"See? What did I tell ya?" The two others responded in unison.
"Oh okay, so you guys are not like, you know..." Mina clarified.
"Nope." Answered the two.
However, as Mina watched Toga, Izuku and Todoroki all go into one room, after everything she's witnessed, she couldn't help but still wonder, but what if? Back with Todoroki, he and Izuku opened the heavy suitcase, thinking that he only bought the basics, such as clothes, hygiene, books and family items, but to both his and Toga's surprise, there were also bamboo mats, quick-dry cement, paper sliding doors and traditional Japanese paintings.
"Well?" Asked Todoroki to the rest of the group, "Let's get to work."
And they did, hard work. By the time they were done, the room looked nothing like it once was, almost as if the entire inside belonged to another building. Exhausted from all the work, Izuku collapsed, if Toga and Todoroki falling next to him.
"So, our first year in U.A gonna start in merely a few days." Said Todoroki
"Yeah, I can't wait." Replied Izuku.
To Be Continued...
