Guild Master here again, again.

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Gamemastersden and then .com

Spring was a wonderful time of the year for quite a few parts of the world. It brought in new life; whether it was with nature or more in the biblical sense. The particular day that was taking place was a rather special date for quite a few residents of Musutafu. This marked the day of a new school year for many families and their offspring. Fresh green and soft pink painted the whole landscape no matter where you were in the city. In one particular part of the city there was quite the commotion as a young boy with a mophead of green hair was running to the crowd of people witnessing the spectacle going on near the overhead tramline. A hulking monster of a quirk user with a head that only looked like a shark's head by shape was trying to rampage from police custody.

A young kid by the name of Midoriya Izuku was far behind the crowd and was unable to see the action properly. From there the police line set up with multiple officers keeping the people back was what kept him from getting a better vantage point. The roster of heroes that were there was impressive enough and with them were the city's finest representatives of law enforcement. The Emergency Security Department, or ESD for short, were already in the process of binding down the culprit by his head and were working to subdue the criminal by restraining him to the tramway he was standing on. They weren't just well equipped as far as government funded crime enforcement was concerned; the latest in technology was provided to help keep the streets safe from all sorts of threats by leveling the playing field with more powerful quirk users.

One such piece of technology was the current one being used on the gigantic fugitive now. Capable of dragging about three and a half tons with a single unit and able to fire rivets into any available secure surface this suitcase sized cable launcher was also equipped with multiple capture or utility function the ESD needed. Harpoon tips for urban and rescue operations, a grapple hook for more specific secondary purposes, as well as a new attachment that deploys a large ball tip roughly the size of a volleyball and has a secondary deployment that wraps the calculated target with additional cables. It had a rather high success rate as long as the one firing was accurate enough.

This one had about three of the devices keeping him from moving around too much. One farther away and two in front of the crowd. The teams of operatives working to subdue the criminal were supporting the heroes who were giving it their all to get the perp under control. Although immobilized, he was still capable of using his arms which were free to swing around and cause some damage. In his frantic flailing to get free he knocked an electrical tower which was plummeting to the streets below. Racing to catch the colossal piece of metal was a hero that looked to be equipped with a body like a bulldozer. His outfit even reflected this sentiment as he was just barely able to prevent the street from being caved in by the destroyed piece of the electrical infrastructure.

"Look! It's Death Arms!"

"His arms of justice are incredible!

Right then a stream of water that looked to be moving like a tentacle wrapped itself around one of the criminals arms. Leading down the stream and to the origin a hero known as Backdraft. He tried to secure himself to multiple poles and safety rails to help pin the criminal.

"The rescue specialist, Backdraft!"

As heroic as he tried to look, his feet almost came off the floor as the perpetrator yanked at the water whip with enough force to almost rip his arms out of their sockets.

"Damn, how strong is this guy?"

He grit his teeth and just half as strong as he could against the violent thrashing he was up against. While in the back of the audience some people were discussing this interesting turn of events.

"Man, that quirk's insane. Could you imagine turning into a giant like that?"

"Still, why's he there? What happened?"

"Eh, something about a purse snatching and now it's become this."

"He's a purse snatcher? That monster?"

Izuku saw a slight window where he was able to squeeze into the crowd with some effort. The conversations in the crowd ranged from talking about how this all happened to others on the phone calling ahead about their train delay. He was so close to the front when the crowd suddenly cheered for someone who had just arrived at the scene. The female demographic was especially loud and chanting something altogether at the same time. It was certainly someone who was getting the fight escalated once more as right then Izuku broke free of the crowd and was up front next to the laser light police tape with a decent amount of geared up officers in tactical gear making sure that the lasers weren't passed.

"Who's fighting?"

Izuku got his answer as he could see that despite being almost completely restrained, there was quite an impressive reach on the criminal as he almost nabbed the wooden quirk user.

"Kamui Woods! The up and coming rising star!"

"Ha, you're the one who asked, yet you seem to know the answer already. You a fan?"

Izuku couldn't help himself as it was just his passion to follow and study all manners of heroes and their abilities. He blushed a bit at the old man who had three skin stars protruding from his bald head.

"Illegal use of powers during rush hour, theft resulting in bodily injury, resisting ESD custody? You're just another villain born from evil."

Kamui wood saw that the last thing that was necessary to end the conflict was to restrain the last limb and wait till backup was here with the necessary force to apprehend the suspect. His arms sprouted into branches and began stretching all over the floor to restrain the criminal to the floor. His wooden half circle was set and from the crowd Izuku was sure that this was a move he knew as well.

"Preemptive…. Earthbound Dungeon!"

"Canyon Cannon!"

A massive woman in purple lined spandex came out of nowhere and kicked the criminal in his weird head. She was massively oversized in comparison; so it wasn't a matter of if he was out, it was whether or not his skull was intact. Everyone there, especially the heroes, were completely caught off guard from the sudden appearance of a smoking hot blonde the size of a skyscraper. Kamui felt even more fucked off since now it was this newcomer who was taking the credit for the apprehension of the perp. Thankfully the cable that was secured opposite of the attach had a release function that would simply release at the attachment and would leave the accessory in place while the cable was retrieved and free from committing any further damage. The other two cables were still secured since they didn't exceed a weight threshold and had the criminal's head bound up still. In a rather gratuitous way the newest hero on the scene bent over to pick up the criminal. An ass you could bounce quarters off of was stretching her suit rather snugly over the two luscious globes.

"Welcome to my first debut. My name is Mountain Lady, pleasure to meet your ass-quaintance!"

Many of the photographer and non photographers in the crowd were snapping pictures of her like their lives depended on it. Poor Kamui Woods was still frozen in sheer disbelief over the whole thing.

"Wh… She's taking the credit…"

Fourteen Minutes Later

The ESD had the criminal restrained in specialized restraints to keep the purse snatcher from transforming into his oversized version. The officers permitted Mt. Lady her press coverage which she soaked up like a sponge to water. She waved and greeted the public with a smile that was covering up a rather vain and greedy interior she kept feeding whenever she could. The reporters were then requested to move along as they were loading the convict onto their transport vehicle. Feeling a little cheated she began pouting at the ESD officers for being so stiff about keeping a time table. From behind she was tapped on the shoulder; thinking it might be a news coverage she turned with her well practiced smile to only then be greeted with an officer of the ESD who was still of full equipment and had his face covered up with black fabric.

"Excuse me, Mt. Lady?"

"What, you need something from me?"

In his hand was a tablet that he unlocked and started scrolling through documents that didn't interest the young hero at the least. She was then given a reason to care about these documents very much.

"The necessary paperwork for you to fill out are all these files we're sending to your agency. Please fill them out and have them submitted to the Department of Public Development and Maintenance within thirty days."

Her eyes bulged at the sheer amount of paperwork she was obligated to fill out by the Japanese government. There hadn't been a day she had to work out of a desk since her days at the academy. Thinking to herself that maybe if she played her cards right, she may be able to work over the officer with her charm.

"Aw, there's sooo much paperwork here. I wonder if it'll keep me from being able to save people who need my help while I sit at a desk filling out aaall those forms. You think that maybe we could work something out here?"

Laying on the charm a little to thick; she was doing what she can to get out of this tedious looking busywork. The officer just stared back at the flirting hero nonplussed and rather bored with the whole act.

"... Failure to complete the necessary forms by the end of the thirty day period starting at twelve am to the next date starting from the current date will subject both you and your agency to government fees necessary to compensate for damages rendered. Further noncompliance will then subject you as well as your agency to a government review by your city government representatives pending further charges. Is this all understood?"

More like she was speechless. He didn't even bother to give her a once over with his eyes. She didn't mind if men looked at her; that was the point. What truly got to her was the sheer lack of interest and what looked to be impatience as she peacocked herself for the officer. Her shocked face was enough of a yes for him as he politely excused himself and returned to work containing the situation around the affected areas. The harsh realities of being a hero were starting to lose their luster for her at this point; and it was barely an hour after she made her debut.

Some Time Later

The ESD worked quickly and efficiently in getting the area cleared out after the altercation. Right where the criminal made contact with the street there was a massive circle of cracked asphalt. Izuku got to work writing down his observations after the whole turn of events.

"Mt. Lady. A gigantification quirk would lend her to be a very powerful hero; although taking into consideration the possible destruction and interference with the ESD responders it may limit its uses in smaller areas. She looks like someone who would be popular, but by having to comply with ESD standards the agency she comes from may force her to reassess her approach to different scenarios. I wonder what she'll do to make up for that difference…"

The ESD was a fairly recent addition to the Japanese Government. In response to the sudden spike of heroes and their place in society there was the idea that a government funded security force to assist and contain the possible casualties and damages was approved for funding. In about a year they helped reduce major damages in the billions and were even able to come toe to toe with some of society's greatest heroes in making the country a safer place. Some saw it as a way for the government to enforce control, but the numbers really did start adding up quickly as the amount of damages and response times both plummeted. Now they were seen as something that even rivaled the competency of every available hero in the country. Professional, efficient, well funded; anything and everything any successful section of the government needed to prosper.

"Hey, ya taking notes? Wanna be a hero? I'm rooting for you, kid!"

In his life it was hard to catch a break sometimes as his school life was somewhat of a drag. He was often alone and everyone would either ignore or whisper behind his back. The concept of bullies was not as bad as it could have been; sometimes when a big guy was looking for easy prey and found Midoriya, they would push him around for a few days and then stop suddenly. Whatever the reason, he was glad something like that was so shortly lived. Meeting someone who was just being nice because they wanted to be was just the thing he needed to get motivated for the day.

"Thank you! I will!"

Aldera High Homeroom Period

Going over his notebook was often one of the few things he was able to do during school. Izuku didn't have the same opportunities to socialize like the other students. As soon as they caught wind of who he was they would alienate and avoid him whenever he approached their social circles. It was just easier for him to tune out everybody else while he was there and just fly under the radar. The teacher was going over career goals with the rest of the room and it was a massive drag for Midoriya. The teachers at the junior high he attended weren't very subtle about how they felt about Izuku and towards his first attendance here they would even single him out for lessons and cleaning duties. That also came to a stop oddly enough as well and things went back to normal for him. It wasn't a total shift of attitude, but it was better than being actually picked on.

"All right, everyone! Settle down!"

Everyone sat with their eyes on the teacher for their next topic of discussion. He retrieved a stack of papers and began announcing their career placement sheets.

"As you all know; since you're finally third year students, you'll be asked to fill out these sheets for your desired career options. To be perfectly honest, I think it's pointless…"

A dramatic pause before he chucked the papers into the air and spoke what was on everyone's mind.

"Because all of you are going the hero option, aren't you?"

The majority of the class erupted into cheers as they all began to change, morph, or demonstrate some other kind of ability to show their teacher they were indeed going that route. A few students weren't as gung ho as they were motivated by something else for their future.

"Um, actually… I was gonna try and apply for the ESD."

Some of the others in the class were rather incredulous at the declaration to join such a renowned and infamous section of public safety.

"Seriously? What makes you think they'll take you in? Dude, just be a hero and settle at that!"

It was a little discouraging to hear that from their classmates; but it wasn't a baseless claim either. Ever since its inception there were many who saw the ESD as the elite thing to be. They were well equipped and would be there to respond asap for whatever the public needed them for. Surprisingly enough they also specialized in urban and wilderness rescues. They were top shelf and it showed through their performance and actions. What was also well known about them was that they got thousands upon thousands of applications for working in the ESD and little to none of the applicants were actually accepted. It was quite the disappointment for many who wanted to see themselves as an ESD officer and be sent back to the drawing board every time they attempted to get into the department.

"Lay off, you don't know that!"

"Oh yeah?"

A possible classroom brawl was not a common thing, but it was something every school had; no matter the pedigree or social standings it had. What stopped these two was the sudden burst of loud bangs and cracks that drew everyone's attention to one of the most promising of all of them to become top hero in the country. Bakugou Katsuki was not in the mood to deal with a bunch of his classmates fighting over something he couldn't give a shit about. Firing off a couple of explosions in his hand got everyone to settle down.

"Shut up. Who cares about what you do or don't do; just pick something and get on with it."

"Oh yeah? You got something to say?"

Bakugou leaned back in his chair and scooted ever so slightly to say he wasn't gonna hesitate to fuck him up.

"Do you?"

"... tch."

The kid who wanted to go the ESD route kept his mouth shut and sat back down. To get everyone's attention once more, the teacher drew Bakugou out into the discussion.

"Bakugou-san. It seems as though you have applied to UA Academy. To be so confident in attending a school like that is quite the ambitious route to take for an up and coming hero such as yourself."

Katsuki just put his hands in his pocket and just looked disinterested with everyones' opinions of his career choice.

"So what? I aced the exam and now I'm going to be the best hero in the country. Anybody here who wants to prove me otherwise…"

He once again raised his right hand and sparked up his right hand once more.

"You better bring it all, otherwise just get out of my way."

It still amazed the classroom how fiery this guy was at times. He had a temper and for the most part just hung out with his click during free periods. There were some who wanted to see for themselves if Katsuki was all bark and no bite or was capable of delivering on his reputation. Every time it was the later one. He never went out of his way to get a reputation boost from a fight, but it was known that the fights that the school knew about weren't all of the fights he got into. It mostly terrified the school, so they gave hima healthy amount of space and respect for the most part.

"Oh yeah, Midoriya was applying to UA as well; right?"

It took the wind out of Katsuki's intimidation tactic and soon after the rest of the class started laughing at Izuku's expense. Some of the crueler students jeered at the green haired boy.

"Why? Are you seriously gonna try?"

"How the heck are you gonna get in when nobody else wants you!"

"And I thought I was stupid!"

For the most part this was something that was rare but not uncommon. Sometimes people would just give Izuku a poke or prod here and there to test the waters with how far they could take it before it became flat out bullying. Seeing the teacher do nothing to stop the class's taunts was just salt in the wounds. The only person there who wasn't laughing was Bakugou Katsuki. In fact for many years of their childhood they used to be good friends before… Well, at least he wasn't joining in on the taunting; for whatever little consolation that was.

Twelve O'Two PM Local Shopping Street

A disgustingly amoebas slime creature bolted out of a local convenience store at full speed with a large amount of cash floating around in its body. A woman barely was able to protect herself as the thing bolted right at her. Rather than stopping when it saw she had a shield quirk; it just kept going and just slithered right over the dome she created for herself. It was throwing taunts behind it as the convenience store employee screams insults at his quickly retreating form.

"Aren't there any heroes nearby?"

"Someone call the ESD! He's getting away!"

From a different convenience store down the street a rather emaciated man came out to see a gelatinous slime creature running down the street at an impressive speed.

"The chaos in the morning must've moved the heroes farther away."

"The ESD said two minutes!"

"Is that even enough time? He's so far away!"

The slime was certain that with the heroes out of the area he was home free. The thought that some newfangled government police force was gonna stop him was laughable. If the police couldn't get him, how were they going to stop him? The emaciated man from earlier suddenly gained muscle mass several times over what he just had and stepped out of the shadow the building cast to answer the call for justice.

"Don't worry, because I am here now!"

The people spectating the robbery who were in front of him all turned and smiled at the image of a great hero they all knew very well.

Elsewhere In Musutafu

A rather rare form of transportation in the country of Japan was of the German variety. More specifically the vehicle that was designed and looked like it was decades past whatever era it was conceived. A rather nice looking van that was so large it was pretty much just a bus was parked near a neighborhood shopping center. From the side of the van that was facing the sidewalk a rather impressive setup for a food truck was opened up to the public. It even came with a sunroof overhead and a bar table setup with extendable bar stools built into it.

As of right now the chef was out taking a small smoke break just on the opposite side of the van. A rather unique shade of white, he was also sporting a beard that was well maintained but aged his appearance at first glance. Without taking their time to look for a second one would think he was some hip eighty year old who worked out. His face was closer to his late thirties than something so extreme. He was wearing a simple white t-shirt and jeans with black dress shoes and a silver watch on his left hand. His tastes were rather conservative in comparison to others and he liked it that way.

Pulling a black smartphone that was just a flat piece of black glass he saw a number calling him that he recognized as someone who would only call him during rare occasions. He hit answer and replied accordingly.

"What is it, Sato?"

"Sir, I have some news you may want to hear."

"Go ahead."

"We have confirmation of a fugitive active in a different part of the city, but that is inconsequential in comparison to who is giving chase to them. We have confirmation that All Might has made a public appearance in the country; more specifically in your city, sir."

A silence that the other person on the phone didn't dare break until he was allowed to do so.

"... Set up a watchtower and keep tabs on him as well as anything that even comes near him. I am to be the first point of contact to know about anything and everything."

"Yes sir."

He ended the call there and snuffed the cigarette on the heel of his shoe before flicking the butt hard enough to land in a trash can opposite of his side of the van. He needed to keep a time clock and right now he was cutting it short with that little break he took.

Aldera High After School

The day was finally done and with it the horrible memory of being the class punching bag. He was just excited to get home and work on his notebook. With how the day went he was even considering meeting up with her to help his mood a bit. Out in front of his desk two boys he recognized as the old crew showed up in front of him.

"Yo. What's up?"

"Heya Izuku, what's been happening?"

"Guys! It's good to see you two."

The two boys who were Izuku's fellow partners in crime as kids. The three of them used to follow a young Bakugou around and called him their leader. Eventually things got rough a little and after a couple of years they primarily hung out with Bakugou, but have maintained a respectable rapport whenever they happened to see each other in passing.

"Yeah. I heard what happened… Got it rough still, huh?"

"... Yeah. Just a little."

The formerly heavy friend who was now the same body type as his friend lent some sympathy and pat Izuku on the shoulder.

"We're rooting for you, man."

"Yeah, just ignore those idiots."

They gave Izuku their best and it was quite the refresher from his earlier mood. A sordid reminder then appeared that soured it slightly once more.

"Oy, there you two are. Let's go!"

"Ah, Ka-"

Before the young Midoriya could stop the spiky blonde from walking away he left before any words could be exchanged; not that it would have done anything to get Katsuki to even speak to the boy.

"Yikes… Well, we gotta go man."

"Yeah, take care!"

They both left and so with nothing else to do but head home he did just that. He could hear a few students not so subtly whisper about how they couldn't bear the idea of being quirkless and other such colorful things. He just kept his head down as he passed by the koi pond and just looked at the rather beautiful looking fish plodding along and eating insects on the water's surface.

"... You're lucky. All you have to do is eat and swim. I wish my life was as simple as yours."

Izuku wasn't such a magnet of misery from the start. There was a spark of life in him that drove him to pursue the life of a hero and it was something he missed. Watching videos of his favorite hero online and feeling that fire in his heart when he heard those famous words he would say whenever people were scared. Going to the doctor to find out what sort of quirk we were attuned for just gave him the news that his life's goal was perhaps one of the most impossible things he could think of. He was paralysed with so much raw sadness that he couldn't even change his expression when he came home. The doctor was heartless in delivering the news, and coming home his mother was fretting over what it was she needed to do for her son. With only just a few options she called a friend that was perhaps the most ideal person to have spoken to the boy during that time.

He could still remember holding a cup of ice cream to the point where his fingers were stinging red and numb. The release of pent up emotions that made him feel like he was unloading a lifetime of frustration and anger all at once. Finally, it was the smell of leather and cologne as he was carried home and told that being who he was wasn't the end. It was far from being ideal, but he wasn't incapable of achieving it either. Those words helped Izuku keep his head up and his eyes focused when he felt like the world just wanted him gone. Along the way he met others who were just as kind and wonderful with years and years of friendship between them all. It even kinda complicated things for Izuku as it was something that they all really needed to talk about. Without realizing he saw that he had already reached the tunnel that he used on the way to and from school. With a reminder of who he was he smacked his face with both palms open to get himself awake and ready to keep up his spot in the race called life.

While almost reaching the end of the tunnel he caught a smell that was like sewage. He covered his nose and turned to see a gigantic mass of green slime with eyes staring right back at him. He was sure that this thing was a villain as it just kept inching closer and closer to him while attempting to mimic what looked like a smile. It's teeth were gnarled and uneven; it looked more like the mouth of a worm than a humans.

"A medium sized meat suit…"

That had some horrific implications as to what he had in store for Izuku. He tried to turn and sprint for the exit of the tunnel and get somebody to help him. The slime demonstrated it's earlier impressive speed once more and snatched up the boy with little difficulty. A sensation like vomiting but in reverse choked up the boy as he realized that the giant mass of whatever disgusting slop he was made of was forcing his way down his throat.

"I just need to use your body a bit, that's all."

Desperately flailing and grasping at the intrusive tendrils was just as ineffective as doing nothing. There was nowhere to actually grab since he was freely moving through his fingers.

"Sorry, but ya can't grab fluid like that!"

It hurt so badly. Drowning was said to be one of the worst ways to die and Izuku drew the second shortest straw to that.

"You really saved my skin, kid. As my hero, I'll reward you by throwing your body where somebody can find it after I'm done with it."

No. This isn't how it was supposed to be! Nothing here made any sense. His mind was racing to figure out the chain of events that led him here; to die and be used as a puppet for this vile thing. He wanted to see his mom. He wanted to see them again. He wanted to taste his cooking and talk with him one more time. He felt so robbed and he was desperate for someone to save him from this nightmare. His vision was starting to go dark as he suffocated to death.

A violent and sudden metallic sound from behind the villain made it turn around in apprehension as the thing he was running away from came rising out of the sewers like the mythical Perseus from out of the sea.

"Do not worry, young man…"

A confident and loud stomp of his foot shook the air in that tunnel. From behind his massive figure it was like the light itself was pushing the figure forward to challenge and defeat that vile thing in the dark. The vanguard of justice, All Might, had arrived.

"Because I am here!"

The manhole cover stuck to the ceiling of the tunnel was slowly coming loose. It fell and sent another loud ringing noise which snapped the slime monster out of it's stupor. One tentacle went right for All Might's head with blinding speed which collided with the top of the tunnel and t nothing else. Another tentacle aimed right at the crouching man went right past him as he closed the distance with speed that should have suffered with his massive frame and the enclosed tunnel. No such restriction was apparent for the hero as he then took advantage of the tunnel with his own attack. Right arm cocked back; he unleashed an attack that would end the fight decisively then and there.

"Texas… Smash!"

The air from his attack had nowhere else to go but forward. The body of the slime creature was being shaved down with the initial air pressure before being rendered into many chunks of individual slime. Out from the middle of the slime the fading Midoriya was just able to catch a glimpse of his savior at the end of the tunnel. He couldn't even process what he was looking at as he sank into pitch black darkness.

Fifteen Minutes Ago

"Another side of ketchup, please."

"I gotcha."

The trio of boys that had Bakugou and his two loyal followers were sitting at the van earlier, enjoying the last of their fries after such a simple yet delicious cold cut turkey sandwich. By no means did a sandwich like that deserve such exquisite flavors, but within a matter of minutes the three boys wolfed down their meals and were thoroughly satisfied. The last of their fries were all shared and with the new plastic cup of ketchup they all enjoyed the savory potato strips. Even the ketchup was made by Haru.

"Heard you tried to take on the entire class today Katsuki. Even for you that's gotta be an all time high."

"Shut up, stupid. All I did was get some loudmouthed idiots to shut up; damn annoying."

"But seriously; you think you could do it? That's like, what, thirty or forty people!"

Bakugou just gave a confident smirk as he offered his take on the situation.

"Wouldn't matter if there were a hundred. Nobody can do what I do better than me…"

The flames and sparks were really flying out of his palms as he imagined taking on such a challenge. The two other boys could only nod in admiration of their long time friend.

"Couldn't have said it better myself."

Although Haru was sure that Bakugou's confidence was well warranted, there was another matter that required his attention at the moment.

"Oy. No quirks at the bar."

Bakugou and the other boys all returned to their plates with a muttered sorry. Not wanting to kill the mood, Haru simply started a new topic of discussion.

"So, how was coming back to school as third year students? Feel any older?"

"Eh, Overrated. Nothing different except we got extra stuff to do before we go into our hero courses next year."

"Yeah, all this sorta feels kinda unnecessary once we get into the academy, right?"

The other two besides Bakugou were the ones carrying the conversation for the most part. Haru was about to throw the ball into his court; but he really felt compelled to stop the others train of thought on that sort of thinking.

"You still do normal curriculum while there. You let your grades slip badly enough, you're out. So don't be so quick to resign all your schoolwork just like that."

The two were reluctant but agreed with Haru on that standpoint.

"Heard you aced your mock exams. Gotta say I'm proud of you, Bakugou."

The two other friends noticed the slight embarrassment as Katsuki was happy that he got complimented like that by Haru.

"Ha, cakewalk at best. Those UA exams are nothing but a joke for someone like me!"

It was nice to see a kid like Bakugou be proud of who he was and could see his own potential. Another topic that Bakugou wasn't as confident about then came up and shifted the mood.

"You know, Izuku's trying out for UA as well. Have you spoken to him about it? You two could really help each other out there."

Haru was the only one who could casually bring up such a sore topic for Katsuki without fearing for anything. It was actually Bakugou who was fearful of what Haru had to say every time they talked about it. The two friends promptly butted out of the conversation as best they could by looking intently at their own plates and counting the leftover fries over and over again.

"... No. Not yet…"

A small sigh of frustration as Haru was cooking up something the boys could take home to their parents.

"Kiddo, you gotta pick a side already. If you're not friends with him, just say so. You keep stringing him along like this then both of you are gonna get dragged down. He's too nice and you're too stubborn, so you do the math."

At times Katsuki would often forget himself and flare up into his usual boiling point of talking smack and threatening when pushed hard enough. His own mother wasn't even immune to this sort of treatment, seeing as she would simply push back harder with her own stubbornness. Out of all the people he had a reason to mind himself around, Haru was one of the few. But sometimes even Katsuki can forget to mind himself.

"Would you just leave it alone already?! Man you're f-"

A hand slammed on the wooden countertop of Haru's workstation. It wasn't that loud or powerful, but it was enough to get all three boys at the bar to sweat bullets at the sound of his palm smacking the rich maple. Dead silence fell around them as Haru took one look at Bakugou and spoke with an even tone.

"I'm sorry for that. I couldn't help but notice that your language was rather inappropriate just now."

He never had to raise his voice to shouting and was never one to resort to physical violence if he could help it when it came to the young friends. Somehow when it got like this, they never challenged Haru and his disciplinary actions as his stare was as heavy as lead on their shoulders.

"... Y-you're forgetting to add garlic to your fries these days…"

Seeing that the boy was aware of his slip up; Haru gave Bakugou an out and just played along.

"Oh, my bad. Didn't know you wanted some of those fries. Just let me know next time and I'll make them for you guys."

The trio let out the breath they were holding in and were just glad that they were let off the hook. They counted their lucky stars and just finished off their fries as Haru finished wrapping up their to go boxes. After the last bag was done and tied off a phone call came in on Haru's cell. Looking at the ID, Bakugou saw Haru's face tense slightly as he answered the call.

"This is Nakamura… What?! Where?!"

Again, Haru was not one to raise his voice and hearing it like that only confirmed how thankful the boys were that he didn't do so with them.

"... Just stay away until I get there! I'll call when it's handled!"

Hanging up he immediately gave the boys their boxes and shooed them away as he quickly began grabbing everything and hit a switch that began to retract his bar setup. Less than a minute later he was already good to go and shouted out the open passenger window at the boys who were trying to get his attention.

"Don't worry about today! It's on me! Gotta go!"

He reversed and burned rubber as he took off like a bat out of hell from his parking spot. The three boys just stared at the quickly shrinking van as it turned up the road with ridiculous speed. It took them a moment until one of the trio spoke their minds.

"... The hell was that?"

Elsewhere

"... uh… wh…""

Waking up from a choke out is one of the most delirious experiences anybody could have waking up, short of drugs or anesthesia. Thinking he was home in bed, Izuku felt two things that felt wrong with that idea. First off, his bed felt like solid asphalt. Secondly, something was slapping his face like it was a paddleball. His eyes adjusted and seeing who it was that was irritating him from his slumber; he forgot to breathe for about four seconds before screaming bloody murder and scooting backwards on his ass for a good three or four meters.

"Good, you're awake! I'm glad that you're okay. Sorry about that; I got you involved with my fight against that villain. I don't usually let something like that happen. I guess I was distracted with how exciting it was being in a new place on my day off."

That very same triumphant laugh that came from the bottom of the chest. Being in person and hearing it directly was so much different than all those videos he's seen with him doing the same laugh. Izuku could feel the vibrations of his laugh in his own chest. The very symbol of heroes around the world, All Might, was right there in front of him. In the flesh. Here. Now. Here.

A pen. A piece of paper. In his panic, he failed to realize that scrambling around the middle of the street on his hands and knees probably wasn't the best way to get those very specific things. On top of that he also had a school bag literally hanging off of his shoulders on him that had those things in it already. All might was a bit confused to see such a backwards logic from Izuku. He could have said something and made the boy feel silly; he instead opted to spare the boy's feelings and just swiftly retrieve a notebook of sorts and used a thick marker he had on him at all times to sign with flare. Giving the notebook back there was a level of excitement never felt before in Izuku's chest. He automatically began bowing furiously at his idol and thanked him by telling him all he would do to remember this day.

"Thank you! This will be an heirloom! A family treasure! A keepsake for generations to come!"

"Ok!"

With a thumbs up he gave Izuku his approval of the value of the autograph. The mighty hero then gestured to the plastic bottle in his left cargo pants pocket.

"Well, I'm going to have to go now and drop this guy off at a police station or ESD. See you again on the other side of the screen!"

"Y-you're leaving? Already?"

All Might was limbering up in preparation of flying away. It was only a few moments that he got to interact with all might; Izuku just wanted a question of his to be answered quickly. He could see the window closing right in front of him.

"A pro hero's work is never over. True pros are always vigilant and facing evil wherever it may be."

This wasn't how he wanted it to end. If he could hear the answer coming from him, it would be the one thing he would always treasure. A crazy and stupid idea came to Izuku at that moment. He just hoped that either Haru or his mother wouldn't find out later.

"Well then, I look forward to your continued support!"

Taking flight was something that All Might had been doing for many years of his life and for many without such a quirk it was hard to understand the feeling of doing so. He was sensitive enough to notice his weight shift from carrying ten pounds all the way to trucks and buildings. Feeling that he was dragging a little he tilted his head down to see the same boy he just saved clasping to his leg with all of his might and flailing in the wind like a wind sock. That was a first for All Might.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey! Let go! Your fanaticism is too much for me!"

"I dwo hat, I'wl daaah"

Having a moment of clarity just then; he realized that not only was he flying high above the buildings, but was traveling well above the speed limit of any vehicle below. He stopped pushing on the boy and just let Izuku hang on for dear life.

"Aaa haaaff… clesshuns fuuul uuuu"

The high winds they were sailing across not only garbled the boy's words, but caught in his eyelids and made them flap wide open.

"I got it! I got it! Just cover your face already!"

As instructed Izuku tucked his face in and shielded it from the air pressures. Grabbing the boy's collar and scanning for a rooftop to land on, he felt his ribcage tighten up again and tasted the blood coming up his throat. He wiped it away and focused on just getting this kid to the ground and leaving before his time limit was up. He said the one word that surmised his situation under his breath.

"... Shit…"

Elsewhere

A large van was bobbing and weaving through traffic at blinding speeds throughout the city. A few people got slightly startled but other than that there were no damages done as it's driver kept his control of the vehicle surprisingly well. The van was headed down a lightly populated road when it suddenly came to a screeching halt and scared many of the drivers behind it.

"He what?!...What the fuck do you mean he's with him?!"

Haru slammed on his brakes as the news he just heard was sending his head into a tailspin. By his people's observations it was likely Izuku was now high above the city while hanging on to a villain magnet flying at high speeds. There was no time for anything anymore. He needed to move and get somebody to pick up the slack in case anything were to happen.

"You tell your men to get out there with anything and everything they got to keep that kid from getting hurt; you hear? If I even see a scratch on him…"

From behind the van there was a line of traffic building in Haru's occupied lane. They all were honking and telling him off to get him out of the way. One individual thought it was necessary to come up to the driver's window to give him shit over the sudden brake check in the middle of traffic. He was a heavier guy, but there was clearly muscle mass there to make him look like a boulder of a man rather than just being unhealthy.

"Hey! Shithead! Where the fuck do you thin-"

The driver side window was already open. As he went to stick his head into the window to yell at the driver he was struck with a fist that sent him flying. The man was sent on a rather linear trajectory where his back collided with a traffic divider and immediately went limp over the piece of safety railing like a wet towel. He wasn't dead, but was gonna want to be after he saw how long it was gonna take for the surgery to fix his jaw.

"... I'll serve your blood to your fucking men… Understood?"

He didn't waste any time as he peeled off and changed directions while making another call to figure out what it was he needed to do from here on out. He hated being rushed, and this was one of the worst situations to have to do so.