Beta'd by kylekatarn77 and Poliamida

43. Shattered Pinnacle

"Proud people breed sad sorrows for themselves."

― Emily Brontë

Izuku walked down the steps of the bus, looking up at the giant building before him, his heart thumping in his chest. It looked like an ordinary skyscraper, just another large office building in Jianosi, a large ward of Tokyo that had dozens of similar buildings. Around him, his classmates lined up on the sidewalk, each taking a moment to look up in awe. Save one.

"Izuku! We should put on your arm," Mei told him, holding up the case that held his artificial limb. "Don't worry, I made extras this time so if this one gets hurt we can just put on another!"

"Do you really think I'm that careless?" Izuku asked, trying to give Mei a grin.

"You have lost two arms. I would prefer you not lose another one, but I am prepared," Mei told him. She helped Izuku strap the arm on, then put on the metal headband that would help read his nerve impulses. It also functioned as a control for the Power Suit, even allowing Izuku to control it to a degree remotely, though they hadn't practiced that much.

"Hey there kiddies!" Burnin said, her face split in a wide grin as she descended the steps. She wasn't dressed in the dark clothing of the faux villains of the exam, instead wearing a white jacket that went down to her mid thigh with large brass buttons on its overlapping lapels. Her "hair" was a green flame that burned atop her scalp, and she wore a domino mask along with a fire extinguisher strapped to her back to complete her hero uniform. "You kids ready, Shoto?"

"I think you'd best ask Mr. Aizawa or Hari that," Shoto Todoroki said with a shrug. "You're not supposed to treat me any different then the others, are you Burnin?"

Burnin grinned and nodded. "Ha! Good answer! Well, Eraser? Let's get this party started!"

"We're ready," Aizawa agreed.

Burnin nodded, leading them all up the steps. "I have to say, you kids all look different. What, you all change your hero costumes or something?"

"We did," Yaoyorozu said, nodding stiffly. Her former hero outfit had been replaced with one that offered far more protection instead of the midriff baring ensemble she'd worn before. Now she wore a dark red bodysuit with a folded midsection that would allow her to draw out her creations while still offering some protection. On her left breast was emblazoned 1A, which every member of their class now had. She also wore a half mask, hiding her burn scars. While Yaoyorozu was gaining in confidence, Izuku knew she was still highly sensitive about her physical appearance.

"We figured we should go with a theme, you know?" Uraraka said, smiling. Her own outfit was more practical as well. Gone were the heels, replaced with thick combat boots with steel toes. She wore heavy leather gauntlets that wouldn't interfere with her activating her quirk by touch, but would protect her knuckles and hands from the brawling she increasingly favored. Her getup was still pink and white, but it was padded and armored with kevlar and other sturdy materials. Her helmet was still vaguely shaped like an astronaut, but it was also reinforced and designed to take harder hits.

Each of the students' costumes had been redesigned by Mei and Power Loader to offer greater protection and practicality. All of them had suffered enough wounds to decide that look and flair were by far secondary concerns to practical protection. Even Izuku's outfit had been redesigned, though his was far thinner and looked more like a pilots flight suit with the right arm exposed, as Izuku needed to be able to easily fit into the Power Suit.

Even Mei had a "costume" though hers were overalls and a work shirt with the same 1A logo on it, along with her goggles over her eyes, welding gloves, and heavy work boots.

"Theme? Well, I guess you all look like you're kitted up for a fight," Burnin mused. "Not as flashy as it was before."

"Mine's basically the same!" Hagakure said. "Though I did get my gloves embroidered with our logo. Plus, Mei made me some invisible clothes."

"What, you kids planning on forming your own hero agency together when you graduate?" Burnin teased.

"Obviously, that way I can keep making super cute babies for all my friends forever!" Mei said enthusiastically.

Burnin gave Mei a skeptical look, but then led them inside the building. It was practically unheard of for top ranked pros to be in the same agency. The standard model was for new graduates to work as sidekicks for a few years, usually at an agency they'd interned at, and if they became successful enough in their own right, to branch off and create their own agency. Occasionally heroes would form duos or trios together, typically close friends or married couples. But any more than that was so uncommon that it essentially never happened: there was too much money to be had going solo if you were successful enough.

Running a Hero Agency was expensive, as Mr. Aizawa had drilled into their heads. The government funding covered only so much. There were medical bills, insurance payments for damage or liability, material fees, transportation, housing, and a dozen other costs. A lot of pros spent the entirety of their careers as sidekicks, never managing to make it big enough to go solo.

This was because as Ms. Kayama had informed them, the vast majority of the money heroes earned didn't come from government stipends. It came from licensing agreements and merchandising. It boggled Izuku's mind to realize just how much wealth Ms. Kayama had given up to pursue her passion of teaching the next generation: Ms. Midnight had been an attractive and successful heroine, and she'd had a massive following as a full time pro. She still did some side work and got residuals from her old merchandise, but the time she spent out of the public eye teaching was time another hero could take, and increase their own popularity. By Mei's count, in the past few years, Ms. Kayama had lost more than a billion yen in revenue.

Which was why Endeavor could afford a massive office complex that employed thirty sidekicks and hundreds of support staff. His agency took up the five largest floors on the building, with the rest rented out to a couple of Support Companies contracted to him as well as a few smaller Hero Agencies. As the former Number 2 and the new Number 1, Endeavor was massively popular, though perhaps not for the right reasons. The sort of people who followed Endeavor tended to be angry young men, social outcasts, or those who enjoyed violence.

So it was a small surprise when Endeavor himself, resplendent in his own newly remodeled costume greeted Class 1A at the entrance to his agency. His new costume shone with burnished armor, with vents for his flames on his arms and legs. Even when resting peacefully with his arms over his chest, Endeavor's face was masked in flame, his bright red hair augmented by flicking flames on his head and face. Though he smiled down at the students, his eyes were as cold as his son's ice.

"Welcome. I'm glad you all agreed to come. It's good to see a little roughness didn't manage to scare you all away. That's good. You'll face worse on the streets soon."

"Father," Shoto said, his tone cool.

Then, to Izuku's surprise, Endeavor stepped down. He bent slightly, wrapping his son in a tight embrace. "I'm proud of you, Shoto. I know I don't say that enough. I've been hard on you, but soon, you will understand why."

"Because you could never surpass All Might?" Shoto demanded, stiffly returning the hug.

Endeavor sighed and stepped back. "Yes. And, while I think we should discuss this more in private, I will say here and now in front of all your friends, I am sorry. I am sorry that I ever treated you as anything other than what you were, what you should have been: a precious gift, and my beloved son."

Both Burnin and Shoto's mouths dropped open, and they appeared thunderstruck by the statement. By their reactions, Izuku guessed that this more tender, vulnerable side of Endeavor wasn't just a shock to those who didn't know him: the man had a reputation as a ruthless, even violent hero who upheld the peace through sheer strength and fear.

"The fall of All Might made more than just the public reevaluate themselves," Endeavor said. "Come. We have much to discuss."

Endeavor led the group to a large conference room, with a black obsidian table and luxurious black leather office chairs. The walls were lit with an orange glow, and though the room was at a comfortable temperature, it gave the impression of being at the heart of a volcano. Endeavor sat at the head of the table, leaning on it. Once the door was closed, he sagged slightly, looking wearied. That was a shock to Izuku: Endeavor had always appeared as unflinching as though he were carved from boulders in interviews and public appearances.

"We are on the brink of collapse," Endeavor told the assembled group. "The only thing keeping us safe for the moment is that All Might's mantle did not truly fall to me, but rather to young Lemillion and you students. It's a hard, desperate truth, but you must know what it is we face."

"We heard about the Meta Liberation Army and the League of Villains," Shoto said, looking shaken. "But things can't be that bad. You're the new Number 1, surely you-"

"Society has been inching towards the void for five years. Ever since All Might's penultimate fight with All For One," Endeavor said grimly. "At the time, I did not know the fullness of the tale. He only told me once he retired. Damnable man. Perhaps if I had only known...but it is too late for that. Crime rates, despite my efforts and the efforts of the other heroes to step in to fill the increasing gap left by All Might's slow withdrawal from active service, were creeping up."

Reaching to a console by his chair, Endeavor pressed a button, and behind him a projector flickered to life, showing a graph on the black stone wall behind him. Izuku let out a small gasp. It showed the crime rate for the past 20 years as a bar graph, with a line graph showing All Might's activity superimposed over it. It was somewhat familiar, taught in grade school, at least until the past five years.

Crime had been at an all time high, society always on the verge of utter chaos, apparently held together only by the fear of the invisible hand of All For One on the most hardened criminals and gangs. But then, All Might had appeared. Crime had plummeted swiftly, to a point even lower than it had been in Japan in the Before Times. But then, five years ago, something had changed.

"All Might's withdrawal from public life was something I speculated about," Endeavor said, leaning back in his chair and shaking his head, his flames seeming to die back slightly. "I thought perhaps I was closing the gap, in my arrogance. What I did not realize was that the man was wounded, dying, and that his quirk was failing. His last fight revealed that weakness for what it was. I have...struggled...to come to terms with it. I shall never surpass All Might. And my efforts to do so in the past have only doomed my future attempts. I am not viewed with love: I am feared."

"'It is better to be feared than loved,'" Shoto quoted. "You loved that saying of Machiavelli's."

"Because I was too blinded by my ambition and hatred to know the full quote," Endeavor replied. "The full quote says, 'it is better to be feared than loved, if you cannot be both. A prince ought to inspire fear in such a way that, if he does not win love, he avoids hatred; because he can endure very well being feared whilst he is not hated.' That's the problem. People fear me, and hate me. None love me. Not even my own son."

Shoto looked sick, but looked away from his father rather than contradict him.

"Remember that, Kasuki Bakugo," Endeavor said, his eyes drilling into the blonde boy's. "If people only fear and hate you, they will not support and respect you. You will not have the power to bind people together, save only in their mutual dislike of you. For those who are hated and feared, we have only the power to break."

Bakugo met Endeavor's eyes, then slowly nodded. "I'll remember that. But I think my job is to be the one out of this group who people fear and hate. The others can have their love. I just need them to fear my strength."

"Well said," Endeavor agreed. "While All Might was here, he could be the target of the people's affection. They could love him, even as they feared his wrath should they break the law. Me? I was his dark side. The evil enforcer, All Might's very own Demon of Battle. But now that All Might is gone, who is it that the people can love?"

"What about the other heroes?" Izuku suggested. "Hawks, or Best Jeanist, or even Mirko?"

"Hawks is a lazy, spoiled child playing at being a hero," Endeavor said dismissively. "Best Jeanist will announce his retirement next year; he's missing a lung from the attack on Kamino. Mirko is strong, but not strong enough to become the Number One, and she's far too arrogant and brash to ever command the level of respect necessary to be both loved and feared. Worse, she spurns sidekicks and cooperation and is too independent to be a standard bearer. She might be a better choice than me, given time, but we do not have it."

"What about Lemillion, then?" Shinso demanded. "Togeta's strong. He's well liked, both at school and by the public. He's gained a reputation by defeating two of the greatest Villains of our time."

"Ah, now you come to the truth," Endeavor said with a grim smile. "Yes. Lemillion is the perfect replacement for All Might. His chosen heir, his last sidekick, and the boy wonder who defeated his greatest foe and helped save his life. But, pray tell, who can tell me what the problem with this plan is?"

"There's three," Yaoyorozu said. "Not just one."

Endeavor cocked an eyebrow, but nodded, gesturing for Yaoyorozu to continue.

"First, Togata is a student still. Until the end of the year, he's not a full time pro. He can't become the new Number One for over a year."

"An excellent point, and the one I was going to make," Endeavor agreed. "Continue."

"The second is like the first: He's young. He's inexperienced. All Might didn't start his career in Japan until he was 30 years old. He'd worked in America for a decade before he returned to Japan, where he had already gained a reputation as a stellar hero, even in the Land of Heroes. He had years of experience and a great degree of respect already."

"Agreed," Endeavor said, rubbing his chin. "Keep your eye on this one, Shoto. She'd made an excellent partner for you."

"Kindly keep your eugenics program out of my social life," Shoto snapped.

Endeavor shrugged. "I was just thinking she was cute, smart, and already close to you. It's surprisingly hard to find love or friends in this line of work, especially when you're already famous and powerful. But please, continue. Don't let a father's ramblings distract you."

"The third point is the most important, in my opinion," Yaoyorozu continued, despite the fact that the visible portion of her face was as scarlet as Endeavor's flames. "It's that All Might was defeated. Lemillion will be, too. I pray it isn't for a very, very long time. But what about in 20 years? Thirty? God willing, 40? It doesn't matter. At some point, he will fall. And we'll be right back to where we started: Society on the brink of collapse as its Symbol of Peace is killed or retires."

Endeavor was silent for a long time, his fingers drumming a staccato beat on the stone table. He glanced at Aizawa. "You were right. These young heroes are sharp."

"The best I've ever trained," Aizawa answered, his tone serious. "If it were any other group, I'd say the plan is doomed to failure. But with Class 1A, we have a chance. A small one, but a chance."

"Wait, so that Pillars of Peace thing isn't just some random buzzword the media picked up on?" Izuku asked, feeling suddenly nervous. "You want us to actually step up and become the foundation of society?"

"Yes. Initially, the words were spontaneous. But we've encouraged the narrative," Aizawa explained. "It took off faster than we'd anticipated, or even hoped. The original plan was to have you waiting in the wings while we hyped up two of Togeta's friends: Suneater and Nejire-Chan. But they latched on to all of you instead. We were going to start off slow, work your way up, and when you graduated, try to hand select some of you to join Togeta and the others at a special, new hero agency that would become the new Symbol of Peace. But things have moved faster than we'd planned."

"So far, myself and the other top pros have managed to keep a lid on things, barely," Endeavour explained. "But they won't rally to me. And while my sidekicks have demonstrated remarkable skill and loyalty, none of them have what is required to form the group we have in mind."

"Sorry, boss," Burnin mumbled, looking down.

"It's no judgement on you," Endeavor said with a sigh. "If anything, it's a condemnation of myself: I have chosen individuals that reflect me. And you've all followed my lead. We are the searing flames of justice, but we give no warmth or cheer, only destruction upon the deserving."

"Yeah!" Burnin agreed enthusiastically, then frowned. "Wait. I'm cheerful goddammit!"

"And you'll kick anyone's ass who disagrees?" Bakugo asked, his head resting on his hand, a bored expression on his face.

"Bet your ass I will," Burnin laughed, her flames suddenly brightening. Then they dimmed as realization struck her. "Oh. That's the problem, huh boss?"

"Essentially," Endeavor said with a heavy sigh. Then he sat up, his face grim. "Which is why, at least while we're in public, I am going to be harsh, cruel, and even at times petty in my treatment of you."

"But why!?" Shoto demanded. "I was starting to think you had changed!"

"So that all of the hatred, all of the fear, will land on me. And you will be the love and hope that the future needs," Endeavor said, his tone surprisingly gentle once more. "Shoto, I can't give you the mantle I once sought to. But I will do what I can to give you and your friends the future."

"So in other words, you burned Yaoyorozu out of love?!" Shoto demanded, his fist slamming onto the table. "That's not good enough!"

"I did not intend to maim any of you," Endeavor said with a shake of his head. "As much as it will hurt for you all to hear this, that was an unintended training accident. It is my fault, my responsibility. You should blame me for going too far, and I apologize for the pain I've caused you. But understand: that is the reality of being a hero." Slowly, Endeavor reached up, unbuttoning his shirt color.

"Father, what are you-" Shoto asked, but he fell silent as Endeavor stripped off his shirt, baring his chest. Underneath the red hair was a mass of scars. Some were short, shallow gashes. Others were surgical incisions, where doctors had operated. There were plenty of burn marks as well, places where Endeavors own flames had marred his body. Just looking at it made Izuku's own missing right arm tingle in phantom pain, and his stump ache terribly.

"You've seen this before. The others have not. Becoming the Number 2 did not come cheaply to me, body, mind, or soul," Endeavor told the class. "Take a good look at me, at your classmates. Aizawa?"

Slowly, Mr. Aizawa removed his goggles, then rolled up the sleeves on his left arm, where a series of criss crossing scars were visible. "This on my left arm is where metal plates were put on my wrist after a serious injury during a routine mission. I didn't even fight a villain, just took a bad fall and shattered my wrist," Mr. Aizawa told them. "The marks on my face and eyes you know about. I used to be able to use my quirk for two full minutes. These days, I can barely manage thirty seconds. It's part of why I had to retire into teaching."

"Yeah, me too," Burnin said. Her hair flames suddenly deactivated, and she lowered her head, showing a long scar on the top of her head. "Had to have brain surgery when I was an intern. Cracked my skull when a villain hit me. I graduated a year late. I...I haven't been the same since. I feel dumber, angrier."

"We're not telling you this to scare you off," Endeavor informed the students as he rebuttoned his shirt. He gestured to Izuku. "You've seen firsthand the dangers of the job. We're telling you this because you have to understand: I'm not hard on you because I hate you, or because I seek to prevent you from becoming heroes. I'm hard on you so that when I am no longer there, you will be prepared for the brutal reality you face."

"I understand. And...and I forgive you," Yaoyorouz said quietly. She reached up, taking her mask off. She looked slightly embarrassed for a moment, but then her expression firmed into one of resolve. "I've always been vain. I've tried not to be, but it was hard, knowing that others looked at me and saw my beauty. I suppose this is just one of the sacrifices I'll have to make."

"You're still beautiful," Shoto told her quietly. "Maybe even more so. Because now the world knows that there is steel beneath the silk."

Despite the kind words, Izuku knew that Yaoyorozu's looks had been spoiled. The scar was a dark, ugly mass of tissue that spread from her jaw down her neckline, and it was hard not to look away when you saw the disfiguration. Yaoyoruzu was still attractive, but it was undeniable that her looks had been lessened.

Yaoyorozu flushed again, though it was a different look than before. She carefully replaced her mask. "So. Tell us, how are we going to help stop the new Meta Liberation Army?"

Endeavor gave her a grim smile. "It's not you who's going to stop it, young lady." He pointed directly at Izuku and Mei. "It's those two. The rest of us are just going to be their backup."

"Me? Mei?" Izuku gasped, going slightly pale. "You're not...you're not going to send Mei into the field, are you?"

"Izuku is better at fighting," Mei said with a nod. "I am not very good at it, but I will help if I can."

"Midoriya and your other classmates will be doing the physical fighting, Mei Hatsume. But you and Midoriya will be fighting the philosophy of the Meta Liberation army by your very existence."

Mei suddenly flushed, standing as her fingernails scraped against the stone table. "Do they think we're disabled?! I'll smack them! I'll make them see how cute our babies are, that we're not disabled!"

Izuku coughed slightly. "Um, Mei, I don't think he's talking about you being autistic, or, well, me missing an arm. It's because we're quirkless."

Mei frowned at Izuku. "What? Why do they care about that?"

"Because the Meta Liberation Army was founded on the idea that people should be able to use their quirks freely, without regulation, because quirks are the next step in human evolution," Izuku explained. "At least, I think so."

"They want to cull you," Shinso said bluntly. "To either sterilize, or kill every quirkless individual. It was a passion of Destro's. To create a new, more perfect human race, to enable our evolution and the evolution of quirks by killing all those without quirks."

Mei's hand went to her eyes reflexively. "But I lost my quirk, and Izuku…" She trailed off, and slowly her face formed into a hideous, animalistic snarl. "I'll kill them! They can't hurt Izuku! Not just because he doesn't have a quirk! He's the smartest, kindest, most wonderful person in the entire world and I will blow all of them up if they try to hurt him!"

"They would come after Mei?" Izuku demanded. "Just because she lost her quirk?"

"They already are," Shinso informed him. He pulled out his phone, looking to Endeavor. "May I?"

"Be my guest. I didn't realize your group had its own intelligence department," Endeavor said, sounding impressed.

"Yeah, well, someone has to pay attention to what people are saying about us." Shinso connected his phone wirelessly to the projector, then tapped away, bringing up an online newspaper publication, titled THE LIBERATOR. Shinso scrolled down, selecting a single article and blowing it up on the screen.

THE QUIRKLESS MENACE

By Trumpet

Each day, our society tumbles more closely towards annihilation! The people long for freedom, but the reactive unevolved continue their repressive regime, by enslaving those who should be our brothers and sisters among the family of the meta! At last, the attack dog of the state, All Might, has been toppled, by no less than the reactionary forces among those who would hold back human evolution by taking the birthright of so many for himself, All For One! The two champions of the false ideals destroyed one another, but a new menace has arisen.

Before, we warned you of the terrible menace the unevolved have unleashed at their pet institution, that temple of enslavement and reactionary forces, UA. Their champion is none other than the Quirkless Menace, Izuku Midoriya. He has shown the world the plans of the Unevolved, to elevate themselves above those who should be the true masters of the world, we, the Homometa, the Evolved! It was with the sinister machinations of his lover, Mei Hatsume. It has even been discovered that Mei Hatsume is also a quirkless evolutionary throwback. UA is a breeding ground for the degredation of the species, where the unevolved have mixed with their betters, creating little better than a weak, worthless species and so called heroes that are little better than chained animals.

These two freaks who are the new champions of the government and its enslaved stooges, are the greatest menace to the public order! One of our loyal soldiers attempted to destroy the hideous, wicked sister of Mei Hatsume, one Hari Hatsume who despite having a meta ability of her own is a weak, degenerate member of the reactionary establishment. They were sadly martyred in the cause, but fear not! More loyal soldiers of the revolution shall rise up, and slay these two unevolved throwbacks, and end the plot to create an army of quirkless soldiers who will brutally oppress the chosen gifted, we, homometa!

Rise up, children of the future! Rise up and take what the gods have given you! Rise up and destroy the degenerate plutocracy who exploit the blessings of the evolved!

And if you see Izuku Midoriya or Mei Hatsume, strike them down, with the righteous wrath of divine justice!

"So," Bakugo drawled. "Which of those sons of bitches do I get to kill first? Because Midoriya, Mei, if one of you two get our first kill, I'm never going to forgive you."

"You know Bakugo, I might just beat you to it," Uraraka said, her voice shaking. She had gone pale, her hands trembling slightly as they pressed down on the table, one finger raised to keep her quirk from activation. "How dare they. They're monsters!"

"You kids are supposed to be the bright hope for the future, you know," Hari said, speaking up for the first time. She sounded slightly shaken. "Jesus, I wasn't even going to tell you kids the Meta Liberation Army were the ones after me."

"Wait, what about my mom, or Mei's parents?" Izuku asked, suddenly very concerned. "If they hate us this much-"

"Your mother and the Hatsume's are being taken care of by a round the clock police security detail," Mr. Aizawa said. "All your parents have additional security if needed. So far, no further attempts have been made."

"So, I suppose this is what we're fighting for then," Shoto said, looking at his father. He slowly shook his head. "I think I understand your harsh methods a little better now. This...this is evil."

"I have always been driven to eradicate evil from this world," Endeavor said. He sighed heavily. "Sadly, I have allowed that which I hated to invade my own life. It's a mistake I would urge all of you not to repeat. Don't seek blood here: destroy the ideology, not the people who are drawn into it."

"And how the hell are we supposed to do that if we don't bust a few heads?" Bakugo demanded. "We learned about shit like this in school. What about someone like Destro? You gonna tell me it was wrong to waste his ass?"

"I'm afraid I agree with Bakugo," Shinso said, shaking his head. "Some people can be reasoned with. Those who thought I had a villainous quirk, for instance. But this? These are brainwashed zealots. We should put them down like the mad dogs they are."

"Don't let hatred blind you, or poison you," Izuku said quietly. He looked down at his hands. One of flesh, the other of metal. "I let my hatred of All Might blind me to the truth for a time. And I didn't even hate him for good reasons. He was trying to help me. Yes, I agree, we have to fight these people. But we can't see them as inhuman monsters. That's what they're trying to do to me, to do to Mei. We have to take a better path."

"Take away all their quirks, just like the Mask did to me," Mei muttered. "Show them who's degenerate."

"We are neither the executioners, nor the judge, nor the jury," Endeavor told them. "This is war. There will be killing. But you are heroes, not soldiers. Do what you can to save lives, not take them. Don't walk the path I did." Endeavor looked at Bakugo as he spoke, but the blond boy just shrugged.

"I always thought the do as I say, not as I do routine was bullshit. Don't worry. I'll keep your precious baby boy and the rest of these 'bright' heroes hand's clean. But someone's gotta clean up the shit and do the dirty work, and that's me."

"You won't be alone," Uraraka promised.

"No!" Bakugo snapped. "Don't follow me! People actually like you! You've got a damn chance!"

Uraraka gave Bakugo a glare, but didn't argue, instead turning to Endeavor.

"So, we're supposed to stop this Meta Liberation Army? How?"

Endeavor smiled. "Well. For that, I happen to have some insight. We burn them out. How many of you have heard of the drug, Trigger?"