A/N: If you told me this would get over 170 favourites and 200 followers as a story, I might have dreamed of it after 40-50 chapters, at the end. You guys have given me that in 5. My mind is blown and my gratitude is immense. Thank you.
Now let's make like Compress and get on with the show!
(***)
He needed to show his friend.
"T-Tenko!"
The long-haired boy, sat cross-legged on the floor as he fiddled with a controller and tried to put new batteries in it, looked up at him as he pounded down the stairs two at the time and burst into the living room, holding a towel in his left hand and the house phone in his right. "Izuku? You alright?"
Frantic and panicking, having left his mother upstairs in the bathroom and sprinted downstairs, Izuku shook his head maniacally. "M-M-My Quirk-"
"Hey, take it easy, breathe," Tenko interrupted, dropping the batteries and turning to face his friend. "What's happened?"
Show, not tell.
Izuku's head was pounding as much as his heart, but he figured that the best response was to demonstrate exactly what was causing him to panic. He dropped the towel on the floor, and stretched out his left hand towards his best friend, pulling...
With an ominous thunk, confirming every little bit of panic he was currently feeling, the games controller Tenko had been holding flew out of his grasp and landed into his outstretched palm. It wasn't just a fluke, after all- he really could steal from people's possession.
Tenko looked him straight in the eye, and blinked. "... Huh. Not how I expected your skill tree to grow, but nice trick."
"Tenko, come on!" Izuku whined, pleading with his friend to see the issue. "My Quirk is Air Force, right?"
"Yeah, it is. S-So..." Tenko floundered for a second. "You've worked out how to pull air now, not just push it?"
"No! When we were in that alleyway, what did the guy do with my bag?"
"He... took it." Light dawned on Tenko, far slower than Izuku had hoped. "Ohhhh..."
"Tenko it's his Quirk..." Izuku said, shaking slightly as he said it due to the weight of the ramifications of what he was saying. "I t-took it..."
"Izuku."
He started, and so did Tenko, not realising that Inko had followed him down and was leaning in the doorway of their living room. "M-Mom, I didn't mean to-"
"Izuku, breathe honey." She folded her arms and looked at the pair of them, but it was clear she wasn't being stern at all; her gaze was soft and concerned. "Tenko, I think I may need you to explain what happened today, so I know what's happened."
Tenko looked up at Izuku, who took a deep breath and nodded to him that it was okay. He knew after showing his mother that power in the bathroom he couldn't hide from the truth of what happened. "Okay, so..."
As Tenko took his mother through what had happened on their walk home from the warehouse, and what had happened in the alleyway with the Yakuza, he slowly felt the fog of panic clearing from his mind. He felt his mother guide him to sit down on the sofa, felt her rub his back as he got his breathing and shaking under control, and became more conscious of the weight of the controller which he had snatched from Tenko to prove a point. His mom would know what to do.
As Tenko finished the summary, Inko shook her head in disbelief. "I'm just glad you two boys are okay. They sounded like pretty big fish-"
"One was a shark," Tenko snickered, before wilting under the sharp gaze he had been shot from Inko for interrupting her concerned speech. "Sorry."
"And the fact you're still here with your bag and in one piece? It makes me glad." Izuku felt his mother ruffle his messy hair, and heard her sigh. "So the leader, Setsuno, he could take things people were holding?"
"Y-Yeah..." They were talking Quirks now. This was Izuku's bread and butter. "It didn't work when there were things on the floor, but he could take something off my back, out of my hand, and he tried to take stuff from one of his friends out of her pockets. I think... it has to be on someone's person."
"So..." Inko looked thoughtful, and looked at the radio she had on a table in the corner of a room. "If you try to pick up the radio over there..."
Izuku obliged, stretching out a hand towards the radio and squeezing his fingers, only for nothing to budge. "Nothing."
"But if you try and take these..." Tenko held out a gloved palm with the batteries he had been trying to put into the controller, and when they flew to be caught by Izuku he nodded. "Figures. It's exactly the same."
"I..." Izuku was aware how small his voice sounded, and he swallowed. "I don't think it's exactly the same. I think it is his Quirk."
Tenko paused, and then nodded again, slower this time. "... He couldn't use his Quirk after he got hit by the lightning from yours. And so, as well as Air Force... you have his Quirk now."
Izuku shuddered as his friend put two and two together the same way he had. "My Quirk... I don't think it's Air Force. I... think I can take other people's Quirks."
There was a pregnant pause as the weight of this statement sunk in with everyone in the living room, before after what seemed like an age to Izuku, Tenko whistled through his teeth. "... Neat."
Izuku's eyes widened. "No, not neat! That's an awful power! All these p-people with amazing gifts, and I could just take them away-"
"Wouldn't be such a bad thing with some of these villains," Tenko interrupted, eyebrows raised. "You could save lives taking their powers-"
"And where do I stop with that if I start?" Izuku's voice was raised and shaky, and he felt his mother place her hand over his to try and calm him down. "What gives me the right to be judge, jury and executioner over what people were given at birth? I'd be a thief. I'd be a villain. People would come for me and make me use my power to-"
"Are you going to take Quirks?"
Tenko's blunt question caught him off guard. "Wh- no! I didn't mean to take that guy's Quirk and yet-"
"Yet you think it's a villain's Quirk, because of what it could do." Tenko stood up to move himself onto the sofa. "If the only way to save a life was to take a Quirk from someone else, would you?"
"I..." Izuku clenched the hand not being held by his mother into a fist. "I'd try to find another way. There has to be another way."
Tenko smirked. "Good answer, you wannabe hero. And that just shows who you are as much as anything, you got it?"
"What do you mean?"
"Don't sweat it too much over what could happen with that side of your Quirk. Focus on what you're going to do with the powers you have."
"Huh?" Izuku's mind was knocked off balance from its current state of panic by how simple Tenko's words were.
"Do you think my Quirk is a villain's Quirk?"
"Well, no. You could do so much as a Rescue Hero by destroying debris and-"
"Woah, easy on the mutter storm, Zu." Tenko put his hand on his shoulder and shook his long hair back to meet Izuku's trembling gaze. "My Quirk is dangerous and... it can cause real harm. But you don't see it like that because you focus on what I can do with it, not the worst that could happen."
"R-Right..." Izuku took a moment to compose himself. "So what are you saying? That I should focus on what I can do with my Quirk that isn't that side of it?"
"Exactly that." Tenko's grip on his shoulder tightened. "You've taken a Quirk, but it doesn't mean you have to take more if you don't want to. Think of that power as a hidden ability, one you don't whip out until you come against a boss battle and your HP is in the red."
"And that means-"
"That means you can continue to invest points in your Air Force Quirk. That's what you train with to become a Hero, just as you have been." Tenko smiled. "You'll be pretty damn cool with that Quirk, too."
"I think Tenko has the right idea."
As he began to well up at Tenko's praise Inko, who had been quiet up until then, piped up, and Izuku turned to his mother. "Y-You do?"
"Mm." She paused for a second, clearly mulling it over. "You're my little boy who has wanted to be a Hero his whole life, and you're going to be a great Hero. I just know it, Izuku. Your Quirk might not be what you thought, but if anyone thinks you're not going to be an amazing Hero, then they don't know your heart at all."
"Mom..." He choked up at her words. "But that Yakuza's Quirk-"
"You never meant to take it, and it was a complete accident. You were scared when you used it, which shows just how pure your heart is. You're the furthest thing from a villain there has been, Izuku."
"Y-You mean that?"
"What kind of mother would I be if I didn't?" She squeezed his hand tightly. "But what's important is your choice and how you want to do this. Do you want to keep it quiet, or for people to know what you can do with your Quirk?"
"I..." The gravity of this decision was not lost on Izuku. If his power came out in front of the wrong person, and he wilfully embraced his power and took another Quirk, he could paint a target on his back and be labelled a Quirk thief, a frightening concept which only belonged in the myths and legends of Japan's past. If he hid it, he would lying to the world as to his power, which could backfire even more spectacularly if he was found out to have hidden such a dangerous power.
Why not make the most of it and right a few wrongs?
Izuku paused at the thought, which sounded all too tempting for just a second, and in a brief moment fate held its breath as a pure heart wavered. That just wasn't him, though. The power to take Quirks from those who abuse them would be a power that was too much for him to handle alone. What right did he have, a young boy with no experience of the world, to take what someone was born with? How could he ensure that he always made the right decision whether or not to take a Quirk? How did he make sure that he wasn't targeted by the wrong people, in positions of authority or in villainous groups, to use that power to harm?
He couldn't. Temptation would not win.
"... I can't show that power to the world. There's... so much wrong with the world, so much we need to fix, so many villains who want to hurt people. But.. that's not me." He gulped, and blinked a tear away. "I want to save people. I want to put a smile on people's faces by helping them, not hurting others. I don't want to steal Quirks..."
"I see." Inko looked thoughtful. "Then I think I have a way for you to not have to hide that second Quirk you've acquired, and for us to keep the taking side of your Quirk out of sight."
"You do?"
"Absolutely." Inko reached out with her free hand suddenly, and Izuku's eyes widened as she activated her own Quirk, pulling the TV remote to her. "It looks a lot like mine, doesn't it?"
"Huh?"
Inko nodded. "Think about it. We haven't yet registered your Quirk, so when we fill out the form, we can refer to it in a way that includes this new power as part of your abilities. Maybe we refer to it as something like..."
"Aerokinesis?" Tenko said, clicking his fingers as if inspired.
"Yes!" Inko smiled warmly at his friend, and she looked thankful. "Kinesis Quirks run in our family, Izu. Think about your auntie and what Quirk it led to for your cousin-"
"You have a cousin?" Tenko looked surprised. "You've never mentioned her before-"
Izuku chuckled despite himself. His auntie had a very similar telekinesis Quirk to his mother, and had married a man with a regeneration Quirk; the result had been his cousin Setsuna, and a Quirk which let her cut her body into bits and chuck them at you without lasting damage. She was exactly the same age as him, but brash and provocative and confident in all the ways he hadn't been growing up, and he hadn't experienced her relentless teasing in quite some time.
He imagined Tenko's reaction to her party trick of beheading herself, and secretly couldn't wait. "Yeah, Setsuna... she's a bit of a handful. I bet you a thousand yen she makes you scream when you first meet her."
Tenko folded his arms and scoffed, unimpressed. "You're on. Easy money."
Inko rolled her eyes at the two boys' behaviour. "Her mother and I have Quirks which revolve around telekinesis. It might be that it's just another facet of your Quirk that looks similar to mine, and in that case I'm sure Setsuna wouldn't mind meeting up more to help you get to grips with this new side of your Quirk."
"M-My Quirk?" Izuku hated how small his voice was again, but he was in awe of his mom and his friend for trying to find a way to make this work for him. "You'd really help me keep it quiet?"
Inko paused, and looked at her son. "You can still call your power Air Force, Izu, I know you're proud of that name. But maybe there's a way for us to make sure that the rest of the world doesn't need to think anything else, if you don't want it to. If that's how you view it, then I'll do whatever I can to help you."
"With or without it though, you're going to do one thing, Izuku," Tenko said, deadly serious. "You're going to be an amazing hero."
Such simple words were wrecking balls to the floodgates in Izuku's heart, and the tears came thick and fast. Launching himself at Tenko and burying himself in his friend's chest, Izuku cried tears of utter gratitude for the people he had in his life and just how much support they gave him. Through the waterworks, he didn't see Tenko awkwardly reach around with his arms to return the hug, and pat him on the back; he didn't see the warm smile and the 'thank you' mouthed by his mother to his best friend. He just knew he was safe with them, whatever his Quirk threw at him next, whatever this crazy world had to offer...
Or so he thought.
(***)
They had wiped Izuku up and gotten some food, ready to sit down in front of the TV and watch Endeavor address the nation on changes to the hero system. Nothing could have prepared them though; the press conference had been every worst nightmare Izuku could have ever imagined.
Endeavor had arrived, late after dealing with the hijacking in Hosu, and had been joined by two other people at the conference. The President of the Hero Public Safety Commission herself, stern-faced and spoiling for a fight with the reporters, stood at the centre with Endeavor on her right, and a lanky man with spiky-hair and a long chin and nose on her left.
For a moment, Izuku had struggled to work out who he was, before Tenko identified him as the CEO of Detnerat, Rikiya Yotsubashi. Apparently they were one of the biggest support item manufacturers in the nation, and one of the wealthiest companies in a society where profitable businesses seemed otherwise few and far between. Quite what he was doing at a HPSC press conference had been unclear until Endeavor opened his mouth, and at that point everything went downhill for Izuku.
The laws were relaxed and unravelled before the eyes of Izuku, Tenko and Inko, sat in their living room paling as wave upon wave of change rolled over them and the rest of society as they knew it. Laws punishing Heroes for collateral damage in the cause of villain takedowns? Repealed. Laws outlawing the use of deadly force on villains? Gone. Laws punishing vigilante activity with years in prison and permitting Heroes to use whatever means necessary to take them down? Heralded as a triumphant moment in the fight to restore order.
The HPSC lost the 'Public Safety' from its name, and that was enough to show Izuku what they wanted to do going forward.
Rescue Agencies were all being brought into the Hero Commission's fold, and one Agency set up within the Commission under whose banner all Rescue Heroes would operate across the nation. Some Heroes without specific combat experience would be having their licences revoked, while others would find themselves being drafted into the Commission to work exclusively on contract for the Commission, at their beck and call for deployment. The promise that the Hero Commission would be setting up a dedicated anti-vigilante task force to take bounties on known vigilantes seemed almost tame in comparison to the rest of what was being put before them.
Endeavor had announced, with fire in his eyes as if gleeful, the end of Hero Agencies as Japan currently knew it. It was clear, so he said, that too many Agencies were being allowed to exist. The standard of Heroism had slipped so that the system was filled with Heroes not strong enough to operate on their own, not strong enough to face villains and vigilantes and civil unrest. The Police and the Heroes were too weak in his eyes to keep up with those at the top- the clenched fist at that point made it clear that Endeavor was referring to himself.
As for those at the top, therein lay another horror story. Hero Agencies were private organisations anyway, answering to the Commission and to the law, but the Commission rolled back the framework and let them do as they please. Endeavor announced a month for all Agencies wishing to survive to seek sponsors from the private sector, who would bankroll them and decide whether to allocate funds for damage repair, for support items, for victim compensation. In this new world, these new Agencies would be free to decide their targets and their codes of ethics, and Agencies would be able to bid for contracts to do exclusive work on behalf of certain police forces, to watch over certain districts or cities on their own terms.
Tenko had initially watched with wide eyes at the announcement that the number of Pro Heroes would be culled, snickering that maybe the "low level mobs might be taken care of". But even as nihilistic as his older friend could be about Heroes, it was clear he was shaken by this news, given how he was furiously muttering about how Agencies would turn a blind eye to certain crimes to pursue glory and headlines, how money would rule everything, how shady businesses could keep corrupt Heroes in their pocket by dangling the carrot of additional funding. Izuku, ever the optimist, found his worldview completely shaken.
How could the world have fallen so far since the death of All Might that the Hero Commission could think that this was play? How much damage would be caused because the Hero Commission had changed the law, and rejected any responsibility to make good what had been broken? Society was in dire need of repair since Incident Zero, with job losses and destruction and fear gripping the world in the absence of its Symbol of Peace. The world needed to heal, and it needed Heroes to give people hope, to put a smile on their face. Instead, people would be left to fend for themselves even more, and fear replaced any hope.
Then they mentioned the schools.
"Our mission extends beyond the heroes of today." The Commission President looked down the camera with a gaze as cold and unyielding as a glacier, and for a second Izuku felt as if his whole soul was being laid bare before the screen. "Our society is weaker than it has ever been, and drastic action needs to be taken to save the present and secure the future. Education is the key."
"The schools of our nation have not been focused enough. Quantity over quality, inclusiveness of different Quirk types, widening our curriculum too far; all of this has led to a systemic failure in our Hero system. Now, in our time of need, as we do what we have to do, there is a chance we can correct this path. We can use our system to breed strength, for the good of all Heroes and the good of all society, as it should have been."
"For the greater good, we act now."
The things they had done had been catastrophic. The President of the Commission detailed how school funding had been slashed for Heroics students across the nation, how schools would have to reduce their intake, how they would now mandate that only those who score a significant score on a combat exam would gain entry to their Hero schools. Pillar by pillar of the old system was emphatically attacked and demolished on live television, for all the world to see, and there was nothing they could do to stop it.
Class sizes reduced to ten, with more places going to those who had impressed an existing Pro Hero and earned a recommendation. Rescue Training reduced in its frequency, in favour of increased diversity of combat lessons and new styles of self-defence and capture being taught. Instant right of first refusal for the Hero Commission on fifty percent of the graduates from each school each year, to be recruited directly as agents of the Commission and deployed how they see fit. The right for private Agencies to recruit students out of the schools if they saw something they liked, take responsibility for their education, give them Provisional Licences as members of that Agency.
It was overwhelming anyway, but when they announced that they were forcing the end of UA's programme of classes for Support Course students, Management students, and General Studies, and the same for other schools, Izuku fell off his chair.
On the screen, the furious anger and squawks of indignation from the media in attendance at the conference were palpable. In response the businessman, Yotsubashi, had stroked his bony chin and held up a long finger, and immediately silenced the furore from the gathered reporters; it was clear the status and sway that money could give you. The shark-like grin came out at that point, the proud salesman pitch. A new Support student school of its own, Kuat Academy, sponsored by Detnerat and aimed exclusively at bringing the brightest brains for the future of support item manufacturing under one educational roof.
Complete market control. A clever move.
"That's insane," Tenko had muttered, shoulders hunched as he leaned forward . "What about Support Course students who wanted to put points into their crafting skills, or all those General Education students who just wanted to go to a good school?"
Izuku couldn't have agreed more with him. Before he had somehow woke up his Quirk and discovered that Air Force was at his fingertips to be called on whenever needed, he had thought that General Studies would be his back door into Heroics. To see that be demolished right before his eyes on live TV was a tragedy, and he felt for each and every student at UA and the other schools whose dreams were being crushed before him.
Endeavor had concluded the press conference with a warning that sent a shiver up his spine.
"These changes are for the good of all. Since we lost All Might, we have watched as criminals feel bolder, and scum think they can take the law into their own hands. Enough is enough."
"You brought this on yourselves."
Sometimes it was hard to remember who the Heroes were.
"That's horrible," Inko said mournfully, as the TV cut to a brief advert break. "Those poor Support students, and those poor teachers. All their work for their students only for the Heroes to do this to them-"
"It's shit," Tenko said, and Izuku noted that his mother was just too appalled to pull Tenko up on his language. "It's all shit. They'd punish vigilante action with violence when people are just trying to help others, and they won't give a crap about collateral damage."
"This..." Izuku couldn't believe what he had seen. "This isn't what All Might worked for. His legacy as Symbol of Peace- this tears it all down."
"Who voted for this? Who thought this was a good idea?" Tenko asked to nobody in particular, clenching a fist.
"I can't see them stand for it," Izuku replied, shaking his head, praying they wouldn't accept it. Surely they couldn't? "This is too far-"
The TV cut back in at that point after the advert break, suddenly, earlier than expected. "This is Makoto Kobayashi, back with your evening news after that incendiary press conference from Endeavor. The Hero Commission massively overhauled the entire system in a few strokes, creating a central hero army under the Commission's control, scrapping huge numbers of agencies and letting private companies rule the roost for those remaining. Will this lead to improved standards as the Commission tries to tighten its grip, or will justice and decency be shunted aside as Agencies work to the whims of whoever pays their bills? The implications of these changes are unpleasant. God only knows what will happen now.
To provide more breaking news, we have received reports of rioting in Esuha City, as the Pro Hero Fat Gum issues a statement denouncing the moves to privatise chunks of the hero industry, and similar statements coming from the Number 5 Hero Edgeshot, as well as upcoming Musutafu newbie Kamui Woods. There's been reports of a huge iceberg emerging near the Todoroki residence, fires raging in Hosu, and looting in Kyushu. This is not going down well."
Isuku was about to say something before the news anchor interrupted. "This just in, a statement has been issued in the last minute by UA High itself, and Principal Nezu. He... uh, oh lord. Best I read this one rather than try and summarise.
To quote, 'UA High has opposed the changes to the hero system at every consultation stage with the Hero Commission. UA cannot in good conscience accept that its best students will be acquired to be deployed as national foot soldiers, will not accept that its heritage of educating fine Support manufacturers should be trampled on in the name of law and order, and will not support an organisation which devalues Rescue Training as if saving lives is an afterthought to the work of a Hero. With immediate effect, UA wishes to announce its registration as an independent Hero Agency under the heading of the Pro Hero Nezu, invoking his privileges as a registered Pro Hero to privatise his Agency in accordance with the new laws of this nation-'"
"He what?!" Tenko yelled, before Izuku threw a rubber at his head to get him to keep quiet.
The news continued. "'-will be funded by staff members and donations from the public, and will recruit students as it sees fit under the new Apprentice Hero scheme across all disciplines to become well-rounded future Heroes. Our class sizes may be reduced, but we hope to ensure that rescue heroes and support candidates alike can continue to thrive at our hero academia, while having a hand in the development of our future Pros to ensure a bright and prosperous future, with justice and freedom for all.'
I, uh, wow. I don't know what to say, other than I'm staying right here. I won't be quiet about what I see and what happens next, and I think I speak for all of us when I say this. I miss All Might.
We're going to take a quick pause while I get my head around this news, and play some music as an intermission. They say it heals the soul, after all, and we can hope it does here. This is a debut single that went to number one last week, and it seems only right that a beautiful voice sings a sad song at this moment in our history. We'll be back after this, Kyoka Jiro, with 'Each Goal'."
The news cut off to the sound of a singer Izuku and Tenko hadn't heard before, and as beautiful as her voice was, they were as numb to her as Inko was. It had been clear for quite some time that society had been creeping closer and closer to chaos, to the edge of the cliff. With the news that night, both from Endeavor changing the system and the reaction from UA and others, it seemed the world had decided that chaos and division were the only recourse. A world without All Might was a dangerous world indeed.
Izuku's hand crept over to find his mother's and hold onto it, and he felt Tenko's gloved hand give his knee a squeeze. There was nothing either of them could say or do to make the situation any better than that. Outside of those four walls, the world raged and threw itself to the wolves, and all they could be certain of was that they had each other.
They would need each other, in the years to come.
(***)
Izuku and Tenko. Aged: 13 and 15.
(***)
A/N: Well now, there's a few feathers ruffled. Time to light a fire under an already-burning hero system and make matters worse for everyone. I do so love a little chaos.
Last chapter got an insane reaction for Izuku taking a Quirk for the first time, and for it being a villain's Quirk; fans of that will not be disappointed going forward, and this is not the end of Izuku's internal struggles on that subject. This chapter is less action, more world building; it's not the last you will see of a more authoritarian Hero Commission, or of Endeavor, or Nezu, by any means. I hope you enjoy a few teasers chucked in there too; I did writing them, heh.
Next chapter- villains. Actual villains. I can't wait.
As always, if you enjoyed this, feel free to follow and favourite, and reviews are always welcome. Just don't flame, that's all I ever ask. Feel free to check out my other stories and show them love, and I'm always happy to chat over PM. And thank you so much for all of your support so far, it means the world.
Ya boy, out.
