Sachi: Author, let me level with you. It's been 5 months. 5 long months since you released another chapter. The lack of viewer engagement is killing me. And by that I mean literally, I'm withering away into a husk; me legs are gone, me arms are nothing but skeletal twigs, I look like someone who took Spooktober way too seriously and is now paying the price for it, so please, you have to release another chapter.
*Climbs out of bed covered in Cheeto dust and Kool Aid* I'm busy! Can't you tell?
Sachi: Clearly... what do you think Izuku?
*Izuku's boney remains lay silent next to him for a solid minute, before slowly turning to him*
Izuku: Aren't you supposed to be on the run?
Sachi: Does it look like I can run in this state?
Izuku: ...good point.
Back at the hideout, Izuku and Toga dug through the files they had obtained during their infiltration. Files of pro heroes and captured villains alike. As this was happening, Shigaraki walked into the room, flashing them an impatient glare.
"Well two sure look like you've had fun." He said in an annoyed tone.
"What? You jealous?" Teased Toga.
"No, I'm pissed off." Replied Shigaraki.
"Pretty much the same thing." Whistled Toga, as she opened up another file and passed it to Izuku, who was busy compiling them.
"All Might is literally at you two's fingertips! You have the entire school grounds scanned out! Why can't we just warp in and leave them with a bag full o' bombs!?" Exclaimed the hand-covered villain in an impatient tone.
"Because if we did, it would jeopardize the entire operation." Replied Izuku, turning from his computer, "Our goal is to convince him to give us One For All and then strike him when he's quirkless, if you're gonna keep letting your hatred dictate your actions, I might as well use my authority to remove you from this operation completely."
"Your authority?" Scoffed Shigaraki, "Your authority!? I'm your superior, Mightless! So don't go waving at me with your authority!"
"Hey Izu-kun, come look at this." Said Toga, pulling out what looked to be a schedule of sorts.
Turning to Toga, a grin drew on Izuku's face as he looked at the paper Toga handed him.
"Shigaraki, if you want to kill All Might, I think there's an opening next week." Said Izuku.
"Oh? Is that so?" Asked Shigaraki, intrigued.
Turning around, Izuku showed him the paper that Toga handed him.
"What we have right here are plans U.A prepared for this semester for the hero course. With this in hand, we will know ahead of time where exams will be taking place, field trip destinations, everything."
Hearing this, Shigaraki lifted an eyebrow, buying in to Izuku's implications.
"Next week, there will be a trip to the "Unforseen Simulation Joint", or USJ for short, one of U.A's many multi-million dollar training facilities. It's far from the city and would take even the closest pro hero agencies several hours to reach, a perfect spot for a villain attack." Explained Izuku.
The idea gave Shigaraki an equally wide grin.
"I like it." He replied, "No hero reinforcements, several potential hostages, and, best of all, the perfect place to put our Nomu to the test."
"How many more lesser villains and thugs do we still have?" Asked Izuku to Toga.
"About 80." Answered Toga, "Of which, we have 12 C rankers and 3 B rankers."
Hearing this, Izuku turned to Shigaraki.
"So, Shigaraki, how would you like the most important position a man could have in this operation?" Asked Izuku.
"I'm listening..." Replied Shigaraki.
"I want you to lead our remaining recruits during the attack. They will answer to you and you get to appear first." Replied Izuku, "Meaning that if All Might was there, you'd be the first one to see him."
"At first you had my attention." Grinned Shigaraki, taking his hand mask off, "But now you have my interest."
"I'll take that as a yes." Replied Izuku.
Patting him on the shoulder, Shigaraki put his hand mask back on, with a newly reguvenated look on his face.
"Maybe, you're not too bad, kid." Replied Shigaraki, before leaving the room as Dabi walked in.
"You sent him up front to get pounded into paste by All Might, didn't you?" Asked Dabi.
"Perhaps." Izuku replied, whistling innocently.
The sun of late noon shone brightly through the thick clouds, raining beams of light down on the frontal courtyard of a local hospital. Holding a plastic bag, Sachi walked into the lobby of the hospital, as the cool air hit him like a rejuvenating shower of bliss, washing away the humid, post-rain heat of outside. A relatively busy day, the young man waited in line at the reception, checking in on the lady.
"Fifth floor, room 521 Sir." Said the lady, kindly pointing him to the elevators.
As the man quietly thanked the receptionist, as the man behind him immediately had a fit with the receptionist.
"What do you mean you still don't have room!?" Yelled the man, "My appendix isn't going to remove itself!"
"I'm sorry sir, but as of now, all wards are full, I'm sorry for the inconvenience." replied the receptionist.
"Well what about this room then!?" The man yelled, pointing to the booked room labeled "521", "That room's been occupied for 4 years according to record!"
"According to our guideline, patients in this hospital are free to stay and get treated as long as their family can pay for it." Replied the receptionist.
"So someone's been paying for an operation for 4 fucking years!? What kind of lunatic would do that!? At that point, I would have just pulled the plug." Replied the man.
"Sir, I would suggest you keep those kinds of comments to yourself." The receptionist replied sternly, "Although, he has a point, who could possibly be this determined to treat someone?"
As Sachi stood at the door of the elevator, waiting for it to open, he looked around at all the faces. He couldn't recognize any of them. In the 4 years he had visited this hospital, he got to know so many faces. But now, they have all come and gone. Yet there he still was, still waiting for the day his visit to this hospital would be his last. As the elevator doors opened, he stepped inside, his heart racing
. Inside the elevator, he stood silently, watching the numbers rise. The door slowly opened as he walked out, slowly making his way down the marble white hallway. The white door labeled "Room 521" stood before him, as he held the metal knob, taking a deep breath.
"Hey! Daichi!" Sachi called out with a booming, cheerful voice.
"Onii-chan!" Squealed a much younger, bed ridden boy, as he immediately jumped out of bed to greet the visitor, leaping him his arms.
"Woah there little bro! You've gotten... lighter..." Sachi exclaimed, before noticing the drop of weight.
"Oh it's nothing. The doctor said I shouldn't eat too much ever since my operation." Replied Daichi, "But it's nothing see? I'm doing better already!"
"Oh sure are!" Sachi replied, patting his fluffy black hair, turning it into a bushy mess, almost like Izuku's, "Here, I bought you something."
"Really! Lemme see lemme see lemme see!" Said Daichi, bouncing around him excitedly, trying to grab Sachi's bag.
"Slow down there cowboy! let me sit down first." Replied Sachi, picking him up and seating him on his bed, before sitting down next to him, before reaching into his bag, taking out the donuts he bought.
"Mochis!" Cheered Daichi, "Oh my god, and the red bean ones too! Thanks Oni-chan! You're the best!"
"You're drooling." Teased Sachi.
"N-no... those are... uh... symptoms... I think I'm getting sick again..." Daichi rebutted, his face red with embarrassment.
"Well then, guess I better call a nurse and give you some medicine." Joked Sachi, reaching for the service button.
"No!" Daichi lunged onto Sachi, hugging him tightly, "Don't wanna..."
In response, Sachi wrapped his arms around his younger brother, smiling warmly.
"You really don't like the nurse, do you?" Asked Sachi.
"They treat me like a toddler, acting like I'm afraid of everything! I'm not afraid! I'm not a scaredy-cat! I can take a syringe without crying! I can sleep alone without a nightlight! I'm a brave hero, like you!" Exclaimed Daichi.
Those last words struck Sachi with guilt.
"Yeah, a hero... like I am." Repeated Sachi.
"Onii-chan, I wanna be a pro hero." Said Daichi, "I wanna grow up and be a pro hero like you are!"
"I'm sure you will." Said Sachi, handing him a mochi from the box, "here, you need to eat if you wanna grow up big and strong like your big bro!"
Taking the mochi, Daichi bit into it, the sweetness making him shiver in excitement as his beady eyes glistened.
"Woah, slow down there soldier." Said Sachi.
As Daichi was gnawing on the Mochi, he turned his attention to his older brother.
"So what happened this time brother?" Asked Daichi.
"Excuse me?" Replied Sachi.
"Your hero work! You tell me a story everyday about your hero work."
"Oh! Right! Right!" Sachi exclaimed, almost forgetting about that part, "Well, we were patrolling the streets as usual..."
"We?" Daichi cut in.
"Yes! I had gathered a team made up of... uh..." Sachi looked around for inspiration, until he remember the numerous times when Spinner would try to recommend new animes to him, "Gooku, the... Hokage Pirate hero and uh... Steam...Pig, the uh... the aurora borealis hero!"
"Those sound made up." Daichi cut in again.
"Oh no no no! Good old Gooku and Steam Pig are international hero that come from other countries!"
"What country?" Asked Daichi
"Uh... Korea?"
"Really?"
"Yeah! And we teamed up because we were fighting the most powerful villain we have ever faced!" Sachi continued with a dramatic reading voice, "Dorth Vader!"
"He escaped from prison?" Asked Daichi, mystified by the story.
"Escaped?"
"Last week, you defeated Dorth Vader with your new finisher: Raysengan!" Said Daichi, "Don't tell me he returned!"
"Uh, Yes!" Sachi replied, playing along, "He returned, stronger than ever! So we had to fight him!"
"What happened next?"
"Well..."
As Sachi continued to tell his incredibly long and drawn out story, time passed quickly. Before Sachi even realized it, over 2 hours have gone by, which was brought to his attention by a call he received from Irina.
"Hey Sachi, the boss called us in for a mission, come over here."
"Well, looks like I have work to do, I better get going." Said Sachi.
"Wait!" Daichi hugged onto him, "Please don't go! Last time you stayed all the way until midnight!"
Sachi turned around, hugging him reassuringly.
"It'll be alright Daichi." Said Sachi softly, "I will always be back to visit you, and I will keep come until you're cured and healthy again."
"You promise?" Asked Daichi?
"Promise." Said Sachi, walking towards the door.
"Sachi?" Called Daichi.
"Yes?"
"I love you big bro."
"I love you too." Replied Sachi, closing the door.
"I won't let him find out..." Sachi thought to himself, "For his sake, I will do anything, but will never let him know what I truly am. Whatever it takes, I will save him, that is why I fight."
As a new day started, the teachers of U.A start their day by arriving to class about an hour and a half before any students show up. Being the most energetic of the bunch as well as having just finished his early morning radio podcast, Present Mic was the first one to arrive at the teacher's lounge, shortly followed by Midnight, Hound Dog and so on, with All Might arriving last.
"So, first day on the job, huh All Might?" Asked Present Mic, pouring the newly hired teacher a cup of coffee.
"Yeah, not gonna lie, it's pretty nerve wracking." Replied All Might, taking a sip of coffee.
"Come on now, what does mister number one hero here have to be nervous about?" Asked Present Mic in a sleazy tone, "Just give your signature smile and tell them what you know. You'll do fine!"
"What I said to myself my first day on internship. And look at how that turned out." All Might mumbled to himself, "That chimpanzee was not willing to cooperate."
"Oh hush All Might, you'll do fine." Reassured Nezu, coming into the room for his daily dose of caffeine.
"Oh, good morning Nezu." Greeted All Might, finishing his cup and putting on his teacher's outfit.
"Hero outfit." Said Nezu, "You're teaching the hero course, All Might, so wear your hero outfit."
"Wait, but we're teachers aren't we? Wouldn't wearing our costumes distract the students?" Asked All Might.
"It's school policies." Said Nezu, taking a sip of tea, "Now chop chop, get to it."
"I spent 70 000 yen on this attire..." All Might mumbled in a frustrated tone as he dug through his locker, until a realization hit him in the gut, "Oh no..."
"Something wrong?" Asked Nezu.
"It was laundry day!" All Might yelled out in horror, "I left almost all of my costumes in the laundromat!"
"Oh dear." Said Nezu a tone riddled with sarcasm as he took another sip of tea, "What a tragedy."
"There's only one costume of mine that I still have left though." Said All Might, "Oh god, I can't believe I have to wear this again..."
Back in class, all of the students sat anxiously, all ready to meet their hero in person and the reason they studied for weeks straight to get themselves admitted to the hero course. As the doors opened, they got ready to greet Japan's number one hero, as he came dashing in with the catchphrase they all grew to love.
"I am here!" Exclaimed All Might.
And then they all froze in confusion.
"Sponsored by Namco, Samsung, Sony, Coca Cola, Microsoft, GoDaddy, Audible, Honey and Raid Shadow Legends!" He added, as it was revealed that he was wearing his "Sponsorship" variant costume, which looked like his conventional Silver Age variant, except with brand logos covering its every square inch of the cape.
The class remained silent afterwards, with not a single greeting to be heard.
Within this silence, Izuku leaned over to Toga.
"So did you..."
"Tamper with the teacher's lounge's calendar to make everyone forget it was laundry day?" Toga answered before Izuku could even ask the question.
"You sneaky little rascal." Izuku chuckled, "tell me, what else did you tamper with while stealing school data?"
"A-Anyways, it's time for what all of you have signed up for this course for, the specialized training dedicated to mold you into heroes..." All Might continued, powering through the embarrassment, as he pulled out a card from his costume's pocket, "Battle Training!"
However, instead of the word "battle" written in a dynamically exaggerated fonts, the card seemed to have been whited out, with the words "Dingus" written on it instead.
"Answer your question?" Asked Toga.
A single tear fell down Izuku's eye.
"This is every I could have asked for and so much more..."
Already, all the small things started to add up, as chatter rose among the students.
"Is this really the same All Might that rose to the top of the hero charts?" Asked Kaminari, one of the students.
"You tell me." Replied Ojiro, another student, "He's so sloppy and unprofessional."
"Maybe he's testing our patience?" Asked Mina, "I've seen old wise mentors pull this kind of stuff in movies."
"You mean the 'deceptive wise old man' trope? But he's the number one top hero! There's nothing deceptive about that." Replied Kaminari.
"K-Kids, come now." Said All Might in a shaky tone, trying to stay in control of this situation, "P-Please put on the costumes provided to you by the school and head on out to Ground Beta to start your training."
As th students followed the instructions and dawned their outfits, an air of distrust grew within the class towards All Might due to his poor first impressions. During all this, Izuku and Toga gave each other an accomplished smirk, high-fiving each other before they made their way towards Ground Beta, like the rest. As they opened their respective boxes, they found the costumes given to them by All For One himself, as he intercepted the delivery before they made their way to them.
As Toga dawned her outfit, which what a skin tight body suit with light outside body armor and padding, optimizing mobility and stealth, Izuku found three extra pieces of equipment within his crate, including two black vials with the words "Use in case of emergency" written on them and a note.
"I am sorry, Izuku, for forcing the burden of taking One For All from All Might onto you. I want you to know that I have never doubted your skills as both a leader and a tactician. However, One For All is a very important asset that will help us all to a great extent as well as being the only quirk I am unable to steal. Gaining All Might's trust and letting him give you the quirk is the only way it may come under our possession. If you want to succeed at bringing down this society corrupted by pro heroes, there are things that must be sacrificed. I hope you understand that your values are one of them. - AFO."
"Come on Izuku, we better get going." Said Toga.
"Alright, just... just give me a second." Replied Izuku.
Reading and re-reading the note, Izuku couldn't help but understand the situation that was at hand. All For One was someone who would never trust anyone, yet he trusts him with such a dangerous task. Had he sent anyone else to steal One For All, they could run the chance of double-crossing him, yet he trusted him. Was he really gonna spit that trust back in his face, the man who helped him get where he was now?
As Izuku made his way to the rest of the group, all standing on an overpass overlooking the vast fake city below, dawning on an outfit which looked awfully similar to Crescent's armor, only dark green instead of dark gray, he hesitated, as it looked as though the class's distrust of All Might's professionalism was starting to get to him. Looking to his right, he could see Toga flashing him the signal, the opportunity for him to step up and, using the skills he had obtained from rallying his men, demonstrate his professionalism and skills to both his class and All Might, increasing his chances at being the successor. However, was he really willing to throw away what made him stand out from the rest of the masses for this?
"A-Anyways, while most of you probably expect the very basics, you'll be moving straight to step two: Indoor anti-personnel battle training!" All Might explained, regaining his composure as he was slowly winning the students back.
"Your window's closing Izuku!" Whispered Toga.
His fists clenched, his head, raced with indecision, unable to choose whether or not to step up.
"But why is that?" Asked Toga, trying to buy time, "Shouldn't we get a rundown of the basics first?"
"W-Well, about that..." All Might was about to answer.
"Izuku, come on!" Thought Toga.
Suddenly, he spoke up.
"Villain attacks may commonly happen outdoors, but the most dangerous kinds of villainous acts are the indoor variants." Izuku cut in, "The most heinous crimes take time to set up, so the perpetrators usually set up out of plain sight. And since these kinds of criminal activity are most commonly done by organized groups rather than the common thug, simulating such a training would require far more than the simple bots used in the entrance exam."
He then looked at All Might with a stern glare.
"Am I correct on this assumption, All Might, no, Sensei?" Asked Izuku.
Both All Might and the rest of the class froze after Izuku's assessment, baffled by his formality and intellect, all but one.
"Feh, trying to kiss the teacher's ass and become his favorite, Deku?"
One pain in the ass.
"Kacchan." Izuku replied with annoyance, "Do you have anything substancial to add?"
"Oh don't play teacher with me Deku." Katsuki spoke up, as the students around him parted, revealing both him and his costume, complete with grenade shaped gauntlets, "I know your game, you don't have a quirk, so what better way to get to the top of the class than to kiss the teacher's ass and cheat your way to the top? How long did it take you to rehearse those lines? two, maybe three hours?"
"An hour and a half actually." thought Izuku as Katsuki walked up to him, facing him head on with imposing eyes.
"It takes more than licking the boots of others to be a hero Deku." Said Katsuki, "You may talk like you're hot shit, but let's see how your Quirkless ass holds up in a fight."
"I suggest you stand down, Bakugo" Izuku hissed back, "Unless you want to leave with a dislocated jaw."
Katsuki was so close to Izuku now that their foreheads were touching.
"So you think we're equal now because you made it into the same hero course as me?" Asked Katsuki with a smile that looked straight up psychotic, "Then try me, see what fucking happens."
As All Might tried to intervene, a loud thud was heard, as within a split second, Katsuki's face was met with Izuku's fist. However, a split second later, a loud boom was heard, as Katsuki unleashed a huge explosion into Izuku's chest in retaliation. As the two picked themselves off the floor, Katsuki rubbed his face where Izuku punched him. He smelled iron. Looking at his hand, he saw blood, blood coming out his nose. Wiping off the blood, Katsuki took it and ran his finger across his neck, leaving behind a red line.
"You're a dead man!" He growled menacingly.
As Izuku got up, he left his lips bleeding, as he flashed an equal twisted smile.
"Bring it!" He yelled back.
As the crowd stood in awe at the suddeness of the whole situation, All Might jumped inbetween the two.
"That is enough!" Exclaimed the hero, "Throw one more punch and I'll have the two of you expelled, is that clear!?"
With the hero intervening, a handful of students were able to run in and restrain the two before they are at each other's throats again. Just then, Toga ran up to All Might with a suggestion.
"All Might, aren't we gonna be fighting each other during this training anyways?" Asked Toga.
"Yes, that is the plan." Replied All Might.
"Well, perhaps you could maybe start things off right away with these two." She suggested, looking at the two, "They look like they have some dirt to sort out."
"Out the question!" Exclaimed All Might, "This training is about teaching the heroic basics, not to sort out personal matters!"
Turning to the two of them, All Might called them out, seeing that they still haven't calmed down.
"I said that's enough!" All Might repeated louder, "Now whatever it is with the two of you, I will not tolerate such immaturity in this class, now get off each other's throats because I expel the both of you!"
Hearing this, Izuku was the first to calm down, as Shoto and Ochako felt his resistance fade, they let go as well.
"I'm very sorry, Sensei." Izuku replied in a mellow tone, "It won't happen again."
Katsuki however, was not one to calm down so easily, and as Izuku walked away, Katsuki continued to berate him.
"See what I mean?!" Said Katsuki, "Always kissing the teacher's ass! That's all you're good for! I bet you must've saved up a lot of allowance to bribe the examiners to let you in this course!"
Izuku continued to walk the opposite direction, trying his best to ignore Katsuki.
"That's right! Run away! Run you quirkless piece of shit! Run because you know that I'm right! You're useless and will always be useless! A weakling with a pipe dream of becoming a hero! Laughable!" Katsuki continued to yell, "You want to make yourself useful? Trying jumping off a roof for us!"
"Katsuki that is enough!" All Might exclaimed.
"It's not like you'll be missed, in fact..."
Izuku stopped walking.
"I'm sure your mom will be glad to be rid of a burden like you!"
Suddenly, Izuku turned around, his eyes bright red with anger.
"You wanna run that by me again?" Asked Izuku.
"Izuku, stop!" Shoto and Ochako pleaded, trying to hold him back.
All of a sudden, within the blink of an eye, Izuku dashed in with blinding speeds, tacking Katsuki off the overpass, as the two tumbled down seveal dozen meters into the fake city.
"Holy shit!" Exclaimed some of the students.
As all the students ran to the railings to try and find them, with All Might trying to get everyone back in order, Toga, Ochako and Todoroki ran after the two. Meanwhile, somewhere within the city, Katsuki and Izuku got back up, facing each other with murder in their eyes.
"Take that back!" Izuku yelled in rage.
"Make me!" Katsuki sneered back.
To Be Continued...
