"All done getting set up? I almost thought you'd forgotten about little old me." Léa muttered as three tense bodies stepped into her room. Though a sigh escaped her lips, any further teasing died before it could reach her tongue; while the room was decorated in the same manner as the other dormitories, it was still the residence of their boss. However welcoming she tried to make it, there was always going to be a certain alienation from the place. "Come on then, find a seat wherever you like. You're probably going to want to make yourselves comfortable."

"I don't mean to be rude, Miss Takao, but…" how to find the words? As much as Izuku tried, they never seemed to come naturally. He probably had the stress of the day to thank for that, Izuku supposed. After all, compared to the traditional modern décor he'd grown used to over the years, the area beneath the GSPO headquarters held an aesthetic not easily matched to any culture he'd seen before, let alone anything familiar. Tracing a hand across the walls, Izuku couldn't deny how… alien they felt, almost as if they had been dropped in from another world. Hardly the most suitable vibes for making newcomers feel accepted. "…Is there a way you can make this simple? The way you and the others kept talking, it was like you were prepared to talk in circles. I think it would be easier on all of us if you just… I don't know, got it over with?"

"Maybe not the way I'd phrase it, but Izuku's right. When things get awkward, the best option is to just push ahead and see what comes out the other side." Tristan added, no hesitation as he threw himself over a sofa. If it weren't for Imogen so kindly shoving his legs off the other side so she could sit as well, it'd almost seem as if he owned the place.

"Well look at you two, already thinking alike." Was Léa's first response, a detrimental laugh when it earned her nothing but curious silence. What else could she do but sigh and shrug? "Alright then. I suppose you came here for the fancy toys, the fighting, the justice – not the secrecy. You have to give me some leeway though, right? I haven't exactly been hiding the fact that this is a pretty big revelation, and as much as you'd hate to admit it, you're still a bunch of kids. Hell, Izuku here barely knows me at this point."

"You're evading again," Imogen spoke, her words akin to a jackhammer against Léa's hesitations. Faced with that kind of conviction – a conviction mirrored in the eyes of Tristan – it was clear just how fragile their bottom line had become. Not that Léa could blame them; now that Izuku's presence had removed what Léa claimed to be the greatest obstacle to them Learning the truth, there was nowhere left to hide. "Want to try that again?"

"…Sheesh, I never realised you two could be so troublesome. Izuku, try not to let them influence you too much, yeah?" the policewoman remarked, a hand held up before the comeback on Tristan's tongue could see light. "Alright, I get it, enough jokes. It's time I showed you why this experimental squad exists. Then you can decide if you want to carry on or not. Brace yourselves folks: this is gonna be a bumpy ride."

"Wha-?" was all Izuku managed to get out before Léa's hands had reached into the depths of her seat, the golden glove they came out with alight with an ominous glow. That was to say nothing about the emerald blade attached to it, careless handling from Léa having it aimed in their direction as it started to shine as well. "Hey-!"

Any further thoughts were soon drowned out as the world around them was bathed in a technicolour light show, courtesy of a firm swing of Léa's arm. Whatever Izuku had planned to say was easily smothered by the screams that instinctively fled his throat, his limbs left desperately flailing as they suddenly found themselves without support. Even if he could've spoken, it would've mattered little considering the concurrent screams that surrounded him.

Given a situation like that, it was no wonder that the moment the three were thrown against the ground once more, they couldn't stop themselves from panting like dogs, a stark contrast to the serenity displayed by Léa. In fact, their suffering was so severe, none of them seemed to notice the pointed lack of a carpet until Izuku flinched at a foreign sensation, lifting a damp hand to his face.

"Leaves? Wet leaves?" he muttered, only partially because he lacked the breath to do anything louder. Well, that and because a lack of light beyond the moon, especially after the dazzling display they just experienced, meant it was rather difficult to notice anything else at first. "Are, are we outside? And when did it become night?"

"I'd say it didn't become night, so much as it's always night here. Sorry about the rough landing by the way. Guess I forgot people needed a bit of experience before they can get used to Atteindre Pour Toucher and its teleportation ability." Léa answered, an arm flung out in grandiose welcome. It would've made a fine sight, were it not for the empty smile that marred her face. "Welcome to the Back World and the town of Le'Requier. What remains of it, at any rate."

To call it decrepit would be a compliment. Ravaged by time and conflict alike, it was barely recognisable as a human settlement. What little remained that hadn't been reduced to rubble was moments away from becoming so, pairing with stale air and a moonlit night to make a haunting sight. Were it not for the fact that Léa implied this was a genuine area of residence at one point, Izuku would've mistaken it for some sort of horror film set.

"What the actual bloody hell?" was all Tristan managed to vocalise, while words couldn't describe the noises that came out of Imogen's mouth. The expression that they drew from Léa, Izuku had no idea how to explain it. "A place where it's always night, that's just not possible… Wait, so when you say Back World, do you seriously mean-?"

"That I transported you all to a completely different dimension to have this conversation? Why yes, yes I do." Léa affirmed, absently patting the golden glove responsible. "And it's all thanks to the power of the people who lived here, as well as from all sorts of different dimensions around it. See, this place and the rest of the Back World, it used to be home to a race called the Voleurans. I suppose you could say they were almost the same as humans, just with access to a whole different level of power through their creations. Creations that, when gathered together, held power so varied that it was said to grant the wishes of any who brought them together. That's how the story went, anyway, until one particular Voleuran decided to see if it were true. Hence why pieces such as Atteindre Pour Toucher here are referred to as part of the Lupin Collection – after the famed Phantom Thief Arsene Lupin."

How the others reacted to that news mattered not to Izuku, not at that moment. After all, there was little room in his mind to register it when the name Léa mentioned was so busy echoing through Izuku's head. After all, it was a name anyone would've been shocked to hear belonged to an actual person. For someone like Izuku, who had dedicated hours to his fictional (or his supposedly fictional) exploits? You might as well have just told him All-Might had personally endorsed him.

"You mean Arsene Lupin was real? That guy from those ancient books? Then what happened to him? Did the stuff in the books really happen then?" Fortunately for Izuku, Imogen had no problem breaking the resulting silence, her caution thrown to the wind as she sidled up to Léa. Compared to her prior demeanour, it was practically day and night; Izuku could only wonder whether Imogen was aware of how casually she changed face.

"Ancient books? Well, I wouldn't call them that personally." Léa said with a chuckle. "As for what's in them, it's mostly true with a few alterations here and there. The author's probably wanted it to be taken more seriously on Earth, so they erased any references to the Back World so it didn't get treated like a fantasy. As for what happened…"

Izuku may not have had a trained eye, but that didn't mean he missed the flash of emotion that passed through the policewoman's visage. The problem was that he couldn't quite place what it was meant to be. Anger, betrayal, grief, all bursting forth for a single second before they were swallowed down; how were you meant to interpret that?

"There was also a second race who lived here – the Gangler. Interdimensional invaders, they heard about the Lupin Collection and practically razed the Voleurans to the ground to collect it. Luckily there were two groups of warriors to take the collection back from the Gangler eventually, but the damage was done before they were even formed. With nothing left here in the Back World, the only way for the Voleurans to survive was by finding a brand-new home. Care to guess where that was?"

"Earth." Izuku was the first to vocalise, punctuated by eyes that couldn't possibly be wider. "You're saying that the remnants of an interdimensional species came to Earth without anyone realising."

"And brought along their very powerful, very deadly crafting abilities with them."

"So what, you made this little squad to hunt down this collection and stuff like it then? That's what you've been building up to asking us?" Tristan's suggestion came surprisingly casually, regardless of the confusion made evident upon his features. Now if he could just hide the tension wrought throughout his body, his attempt to remain calm would've been perfect. "That doesn't explain why you had to get us to do this. Hell, sounds to me like one of those 'highest possible level of cLéarance' situations. Not exactly something for a random bunch."

"And there's the kicker. Why would I gather the three of you from three different countries when there's so much firepower to be found closer to home?" came Léa's reply. Despite the nonchalance she put to those words, that statement alone managed to snatch the breath of the trio under her care once more. "How to put it into words… Under normal circumstances, yes, this would usually be held under lock and key by the upper echelons. If they believed me, anyway. The problem with that is there's only one kind of person who manages to make it up to those upper echelons."

"Big Quirk, big ego, medium to small brain." Imogen fired off instinctively, drawing a small chuckle from Izuku. What else was he meant to do, argue against the truth?

"Got it in one, Kid. Give yourself a gold star." Léa replied, and given what Izuku knew of her personality, that may not have been entirely rhetorical. "Ignoring the whole 'ego and brain' issue for a moment, it isn't exactly a secret that everyone I call superior has a damn powerful Quirk. That'd be fine, except that means they won't be able to access the full power of the Lupin Collection. Trust me when I say we'll need to use its power if we want to get the collection back. Sure, there are special tools to help people use certain collection pieces regardless, but the rest of them? They require a Voleuran to use them, and they sure as hell didn't have Quirks."

"Oh, I get it! So you want Quirkless people like us to try and trick the system then? Get the closest thing to these 'Voleuran' people so you have the best chance of finding people who can use the Lupin Collection." Declared Imogen, pounding her fist onto her palm with so bright a smile, Izuku didn't want to ruin it. Thanks to where his own deductions had led to, however, a growing part of him was sad to say that he just might have to.

Not that Izuku was particularly excited to announce the conclusion Léa's clues had led him to. No, not when it clashed with the evolutionary logic he'd been taught all his years. Admittedly, there weren't that many years given his current age, but the science had been prevalent for over a millennium now. Random genetic mutations would be passed down from parent to parent until they became an established trait – that was how every aspect of a human's development was determined, including their ability to wield a Quirk. Survival of the fittest, from the earliest days of humanity's existence, was a certainty. For his mind to even briefly entertain the idea that it may be otherwise was, quite frankly, a terrifying concept. So long as Léa's implications were correct though, he didn't exactly have a choice other than doing so. Such was why Izuku remained silent for just a moment before voicing his thoughts aloud.

"No, we're not trying to trick a system." He uttered, unable to draw his eyes away from Léa. "Miss Takao, you said that only Voleurans can use the Lupin Collection, and people with Quirks can't. Not humans, just people with Quirks, because it's the Quirks which separate them from Voleurans. That would imply that humans without Quirks could use the Collection, but you never mentioned that, just the Voleurans specifically. Add that to the fact that Voleurans are apparently completely identical to humans and could therefore easily interbreed…"

"Wait, I don't like where this is going." Tristan warned, yet it was clear from his gaze that the pieces had fallen into place for him as well.

"Miss Takao, are you implying that we're not just Quirkless… we're Voleuran? No, that's not right. We're Quirkless because we're Voleuran."

"Bingo." A slow clap followed Léa's answer, the woman returning his gaze with something halfway between pride and apology. "Voleuran blood is powerful. While human genetics had to evolve to access the same levels of power, Voleuran genetics were already hardwired to access that power, just through different means. Therefore, those with strong enough Voleuran blood in them have no need for the genes which allow humans access to Quirks. That is the reason why three Quirkless children under a Quirkless captain can access power beyond humanity. So are we. I'm a full Voleuran, while you have the best of both worlds."

At that moment, Izuku could've sworn that messy amalgamation of emotion flashed across Léa's face once more. Then again, it wasn't as if he had any room to speak. Considering what was going through his mind, his own face must've been an absolute mess.

"So, tell me. Now that you know the reason behind why this team exists and why you were chosen, what will you do?"

After a bombshell like that, it was natural for answers to evade the children temporarily. How were you meant to react to being told that you've got the blood of an extradimensional species running through your veins? That the reason for several years of bullying came down to the fact that you weren't entirely human? Under different circumstances, Izuku could undoubtedly see himself breaking down under the revelation. From the confused laughter of Tristan to the absent rejections of Imogen, it was clear that they weren't too different in that regard.

But that Izuku, the one who would break down? He wasn't the one to face down a villain's wrath despite his Quirklessness, even if he had someone else's assistance. He wasn't the one who was promised that his so-called 'disability' didn't mean he couldn't achieve his dream of helping others. He wasn't the one who managed to face his long-time bully and squirt the world's strongest fire extinguisher in his face. Sure, this Izuku might not be entirely human, but that didn't make him any less of a person. Thus, with a sharp slap to his cheeks, a new light entered his eyes as he allowed his back to straighten.

"Miss Takao. Do you have any reason to lie to us about something like this?" met with Izuku's question, Léa's response came in the form of a shrug.

"To put it cruelly, you're a bunch of Quirkless kids. Why would I make up all of this stuff, including Atteindre Pour Toucher and the Back World, if I wanted to lie to you?" was her comeback. "If I wanted to be mean, then I would've just gotten your hopes up and then dumped you into some low-end position out of my hair. Regardless of whether you accept it or not, regardless of whether you still want to be part of the project after all this, I've told you what I know as the truth. What you want to do with that information, whether you want to trust it or not, is up to you. You could leave me and become standard police, you could go home and pretend this never happened. In the end, this is all a job offer, not a kidnapping."

"Then… then nothing's changed. Not when it comes to becoming a policeman and helping you with this." Izuku declared, the boy absently noting a strength to his tone he didn't realise he had within him. "You told me that I could become someone who could rival a Pro Hero, that I could become someone who could help others when nobody beyond my mum thought the same. You placed your faith in me, so the least I can do is place my faith in you. If this Lupin Collection is a threat to people, then I can't just sit around and pretend it doesn't exist."

"Much as I hate to admit it, same here." Izuku turned to find Tristan with his face in his hands, all prior tension drained from his body. Honestly, it looked to be a miracle that he was still standing. "You grabbed a random kid from England, brought him all the way to France and told him there was a special reason behind this super-secret squad's existence. Then you decided to dump all this on him and expected him to accept without issue. Anyone with an ounce of intelligence would find the whole thing ridiculous."

When the smallest smile blossomed on Tristan's face, Izuku found himself mirroring him.

"Then again, I never claimed to be the smartest of folk. Fighting a hidden flood of dimensional travellers and preventing them from using magical artefacts to wreak havoc? Can't say that doesn't sound like a thrill. Besides, I'm already pretty used to people considering me less than human. This just makes it simpler to swallow. Just promise not to hold back the truth like this again, if only for the sake of my heart."

"…I guess I don't have a choice, do I?" Imogen then added, scratching at her cheek. "I can't let the two of you show me up now. I might not have a cool speech, but I'm going to fight to. I wasn't expecting a walk in the park anyway; a few more duties in addition to the usual patrol shouldn't be too difficult. It's just a shame that Voleurans are so close to humans. Imagine how cool it would've been if we were like mermaids or something."

Though Léa might have struggled to keep the relief from her face, it was a battle she was destined to lose. Any sense of professionalism was thrown to the wind as she collapsed to her knees, a laugh stuffed with equal parts relief and disbelief ringing through the air. It would take a good few seconds before Léa could get herself back together, wiping the tears from her eyes as she looked towards the children.

"Geez, you kids sure know how to make things emotional, don't you?" she eventually managed to say, reaching out to ruffle Izuku and Imogen's hair. "Well then, if nobody has any objections to the truth behind the Squad's existence and purpose, it's time to take things to the next level! You guys better prepare yourself, because you've got leagues of training ahead of you!"

"Right!"

"I'm sorry, I could've sworn I didn't hear a 'Yes Captain'!"

"Yes, Captain!"

And with those words, a new team was officially born.