AN: Track(s) for this chapter: Glimpse of Us by Joji
Chapter 2
Ultima II
As expected he got detention.
When Izuku got to class it was already the third period. Which was quite strange, since between running to the alley, watching the bout between Ultima, Kamui Woods and Mt Lady and running back to school, Izuku was certain it had taken him thirty minutes at best. However, when he got to school it was the third period. A single period lasted thirty-five minutes.
He was close to two hours late.
Aizawa didn't waste much time questioning him before deciding he would spend two hours in detention to make up for his lateness. Izuku had a creeping suspicion the man didn't like him much.
Currently, it was break. He switched off his phone to avoid getting any more troublesome notifications from [Notes]. Instead of going out to have lunch or hang out with his friends, Izuku used the free time to update his notes on the three classes he missed today. Tsuyu was kind enough to help him out with hers. Speaking of the girl, she was one of the nicest people he had ever met. Albeit a bit odd and little socially awkward.
Well, truth be told she was far more social than he could ever hope to be. Still, Tsuyu was still quite different. She was polite but still a frank person. She was empathetic yet a realist at the same time. She was a kind of person who saw things practically but still had the tact to approach them emotionally. Otherwise she would avoid conversations she couldn't apply that tact to. For example, the conversation the girls were huddled up to have.
"Aren't they supposed to be whispering?. I can literally hear everything they're saying..." Denki leaned against Izuku's desk and said with a sweatdrop. It was like he said, aside from the hushes and giggles nothing else was actually hushed. Izuku could hear them just fine, it was only that he was not paying any attention.
"They're all annoying as hell. Can't they do this somewhere else?." Bakugo grumbled between mouth fulls. Some people opted to eat in the cafeteria, Bakugo was one of those people who preferred to mess up the class. He feasted on a hamburger, half eating and half complaining. Mainly about the unwanted company of Kirishima. The red haired boy was eating a burger as well.
"It's highly likely that they're doing this here so we can know about it too. This must be their silent and thoughtful way of informing us on Yaoyorozu-san's latest development!." Ida said.
The sweat drop on Denki's head became several sizes larger. "You're too optimistic." He deadpanned. He turned to the girls again and shrugged. "Honestly, I don't it's that deep. It's just girl stuff."
Since he hadn't been paying attention to anything other than his books, Izuku was left completely in the dark and had no clue what they were talking. Clearly something about Yaoyorozu had been revealed. "What's the latest development?." He asked in curiosity. Mineta suddenly jumped on top Izuku's table, knocking down his books in the process. The green haired boy yelled in surprise and quickly went down to pick up his books. "Minet–"
The short boy didn't even give him the chance to complain and was already in Denki's face, looking particularly annoyed. "Stop trying to act cool!."
Denki was taken aback by the sudden accusation and almost fell off the desk. Where did that come from?. The blonde boy quickly schooled his features and crossed his arms across his chest. "I'm not. This is just my default."
"Definitely not." Almost the entire male section of the class chorused in response.
Denki facefaulted. 'These guys...' After picking himself and sulking a little he glanced at Mineta thoughtfully. "Why are you so upset anyways?. It can't be just because of me."
"So what if it is?!." Mineta snorted and turned away. Denki stared at him suspiciously.
Izuku sighed. He had retrieved his books and made sure to keep them at the corner of his desk, away from Mineta's reach. "So... What's the latest development?." Izuku asked again.
"What's it to you dipshit?. Don't tell me you're head over heels for that broad too?." Bakugo asked in the only language he knew how to speak. The language of profanities.
Izuku was left confused by the question, more so when the entire class, the girls included turned to stare at him. He was naturally a shy person, and with having so many people staring at him his stomach had already begun to turn. He began to sweat profusely, tremble and felt an almost irresistible urge to pass out. "I... don't understand..." Izuku managed to squeak out.
"Not you too Midoriya!." Mineta yelled in distress and frustration. "Damn it man, back up!. I saw here first!." Mineta instantly flew into a rage and kicked Izuku's books away before leaping to attack the confused boy. Thankfully for Izuku or Mineta, depending on how the green haired boy decided to defend himself, Ojiro caught Mineta midair.
"Calm down Mineta!." Ojiro yelled to the smaller boy, who was valiantly struggling to break free from his powerful tale.
"NO. WE HAVE TO SETTLE IT LIKE MEN!."
This time it was Kirishima took matters into his hands and whacked Mineta upside the head. "Darn it, would you pay a little attention!. Look at Midoriya's face, he has no clue what we're talking about right now." When those words left Kirishima's mouth, most of the girls studied Izuku's expression. Their expressions turned to one of slight disappointment and they went back to huddling together again.
Mineta stopped fighting and stared at the nervous Izuku who was picking up his books yet again. He looked disheartened and completely at a loss at what was happening. Mineta immediately felt bad. He didn't mean to bully the shy kid. "Oh... sorry. Here, I'll help you with that." Mineta said and jumped down from the desk to help Izuku with his books.
"Go ahead and kiss already." Bakugo said with a disgusted expression, rolling his eyes at Izuku who was thanking Mineta for his help.
When they were done getting his books, Izuku took the opportunity to ask the question again. "So um... What's got the girls so excited?." he asked nervously. Who knew if his incessant questioning would make Mineta fly off the handle again.
Upon hearing Izuku's question Mineta eyes light up with comical flames. "It's all because of that damn senior!." Mineta lamented.
"Senior?."
"That bastard!. I hope he burns in the deepest pits of hell, gets tortured personally by the devil, never knows a day of peace and–"
"Alright chill." Denki said, cutting off Mineta's particularly cruel rant. Izuku was taken aback by Mineta's words and had to lean back in concern. Who knew if the purple haired boy would have the urge to jump him again. "I guess I understand why you're so mad about this whole thing now." Denki said to Mineta with a snicker.
"Shut up." Mineta snorted.
Izuku felt helpless. He'd been trying to understand what exactly was going on, but anytime someone was about to explain they ended up stopping halfway. He was feeling quite frustrated and was already regretting asking in the first place. Was it really that important?. Did he even have to know?. He watched the rest of the guys bicker amongst themselves and smiled. It was just girl stuff.
Aside from Mineta, who was obviously overreacting, the rest of the class didn't seem that bothered about Yaoyorozu's 'new development'. He was better off updating his notes. Izuku returned to his books, and realized he was missing his pen. Mineta must've knocked it away along with his books, and they probably missed it when they picked the books up. While Mineta was completely to blame, Izuku was never a fussy person so he decided to leave the short boy to his conversation with Denki and hunt down the missing pen himself.
He started from his desk and when he was sure it wasn't there he began looking around the class. Fortunately for him, it was a silver pen and it was quite sunny outside so it gave off a noticeable glint from just in front of the class' door. Izuku excused himself politely and walk towards the pen. He was about to crouch to pick it, however someone else beat him to it.
"Let me get it for you. Nice, I got a pen just like this." The good Samaritan said. It was the voice of a male. It sounded clear and warm, like the voice of a kind big brother. Izuku imagined many would find themselves at ease from just listening to him speak. "Here." the boy said, offering Izuku the pen.
Izuku stretched out to receive the pen. He wore a grateful smile as he raised his head to thank the good Samaritan.
However, when he saw the face of the one who had just helped the words stopped at the tip of his tongue and he froze. His eyes flashed in recognition and widened. 'Him?!.' Izuku screamed in his mind. Izuku remained staring at the boy in daze for seconds.
The good Samaritan rose to a standing position with a weird expression, like he was confused at why he was been stared at like that. "...Hi?." He said in slight confusion, not really sure what to say to the oddly staring junior.
Izuku was knocked out of his daze by the other boy's words and immediately jumped away from him and reflexively got into the fighting stance Allmight had thought him... That he copied from Allmight. "Don't come any closer!." Izuku warned loudly.
The class's attention was drawn by his loud words and they all stared at him in confusion and shock. But he didn't care about that.
That wasn't important, what was important was that he recognized the guy in front of him. A little over or exactly 6ft, a lean yet sturdy physique, golden hair held up by a headband, piercing blue eyes and those unique whisker marks. He couldn't quite make out the arrangement of the features of his face since he never saw him up close. Still he just knew what he looked like at the back of his mind. He stood out, even when compared to an iconic statue of Allmight. Izuku didn't know whether it was a quality he possessed or associated to his quirk, but once a person saw his face, regardless of the angle they saw it from it was quite difficult to mistake him for someone else and vice versa. Quite difficult to forget the 'provisional villain'; Ultima.
'There's no mistaking it. It's definitely him!.' Izuku thought. At the same time a multitude of questions were going through Izuku's mind. What was Ultima doing here and why was he dressed in a UA high uniform?. Were they under attack?. Why would such a powerful villain come to their class specifically?. Was it because of him?. Was Ultima able to recognize him as well?. Was this related to Allmight?. And his greatest concern; If Ultima attacked, what would he do?.
"Uh, kid are you well?." the blonde boy asked, scratching his cheek awkwardly. He appeared as though he had no clue what was happening. He turned to the rest of the class for some support or an explanation.
Izuku saw him turn to his classmates and panicked. "Don't look at them!."
"Okay... what the hell is going on here?." The blonde boy asked, now sufficiently creeped out by Izuku's unwarranted hostility.
Ida was the first to take action and came to Izuku's side. "Midoriya-san I haven't seen you say much since you got to class today, are you sure you're feeling well?. Come, I'll take you to the infirmary." Ida placed a hand on Izuku shoulder to lead out of the room, but the boy refused to budge.
"Step back Ida-san!. This guy is an extremely dangerous individual!." Izuku said, easily shrugging off Ida's hold on his shoulders. His eyes never left Ultima. Knowing how ridiculously high his speed was, if he so much as blinked he'd be caught off guard.
Ida was left confused by Izuku's words and gazed at him and then the blonde and back to Izuku. The blonde boy had a helpless expression, his hands were spread wide as if to ask 'what's going on here?'. He looked nothing like the dangerous individual Izuku claimed he was. If anything, he looked harassed. Ida's expression turned firm. As the class rep of class 1A, he couldn't just stand back and watch as a classmate harassed a senior. "Midoriya-san, please exercise self–"
However, before Ida could finish, Yaoyorozu Momo took a step forward from the group of girls she was previously discussing with. "Midoriya-san, what's going on here?." She asked, though her inquiry sounded polite the corners of her mouth lowered in a slight frown.
Izuku didn't turn to face her so he didn't notice this. He wouldn't make the mistake of turning away from Ultima. His eyes glared at Ultima with open hostility.
They had only known each other for a little more than a week, but these were his classmates. He had developed an affinity for them and wasn't just going to stand back and let Ultima do whatever he wanted. "You too Yaoyorozu-san, don't come any closer to that guy!." Izuku said firmly, not leaving any room for arguments. Momo was speechless. Since when was the quiet and shy Izuku so forceful?. "Uraraka-san!."
Ochaco was caught off-guard by Izuku's suddenly calling out to her and squealed in fright. She blushed in embarrassment. The squeal came out sounding a little unladylike, or perhaps too ladylike.
"Uraraka!." Izuku yelled again, this time dropping the honorific as a sign of urgency.
"Yes!." Ochaco responded this time, just like Momo she wondered when Izuku got so bossy.
"Find a way to get out of the class and get Aizawa-sensei and Allmight!." Izuku ordered. "In the meantime, I'll make sure Ultima doesn't escape. Go! hurry!."
Ochaco shared a look with Momo, as did the rest of the class with whoever was in their line of sight. What was going on?. Get Aizawa-sensei and Allmight?. He wouldn't let Ultima escape?. Who was Ultima?. They knew Izuku Midoriya as a shy person and a little weird given how obsessed he was with heroes and how he murmured to himself and couldn't properly use his own quirk.
Still, he was still considered one of the more normal people in their class all things considered. So why was he suddenly acting weird?. The second the blonde senior stepped in it was as if he'd transformed into a completely different person. Did these two know each other from somewhere?.
At least that's what Ochaco concluded. "Izuku do you know Naruto-senpai from somewhere?."
"Naruto-senpai?." Izuku turned to Ochaco with a confused expression. He realized he'd dropped his guard momentarily and quickly turned back to Ultima.
"Yeah... Him." Ochaco pointed at the harassed looking blonde.
Naruto forced out a polite smile and placed his hand on his chest. "Yeah that's me. Uzumaki Naruto at your service." He introduced himself. Unfortunately Izuku's expression didn't even waver and he still continue to stare at him like he was the greatest evil in the world. Naruto turned to Momo who was helplessly standing behind Izuku. "Is he always like this?."
The girl shook her head. "We've not known each other long, but this is definitely quite out of the ordinary."
"I told you don't look at them!." Izuku yelled, he began channelling his quirk ready to deal out his most powerful blow if Naruto took so much as a step forward.
Naruto ignored Izuku this time around and smiled toothily at Momo. "On the plus side he's a protective classmate. I'm not sure exactly what that means for me though." Naruto joked. Momo blushed at his words, causing the blondes smile to wide.
A smile that was a near identical to the wolfish smile he had on his face when he addressed Mt Lady. A highly villainous smile as far as Izuku was concerned. "I TOLD YOU NOT TO LOOK AT HER!." Izuku practically exploded, his quirk manifested and his skin glowed with pinkish hue.
As if to respond to Izuku activating his quirk, Naruto's eyes turned golden and shun brightly like torchlights. "I heard you the first time kid, but I'm really tired of listening right now." Naruto said.
Like Izuku, his quirk mildly affected his appearance. The longer bangs of his hair appeared to have gotten more pronounced and pointy, now they clearly looked like a pair of ears. His whisker marks also became more pronounced and his hair, including his eyebrows seemed to lightly glow. Looking closely, it pulsed from time to time in a golden light.
Though he had activated his quirk, Izuku was at a loss at what Ultima's quirk was. There was not much to go off on the glowing golden eyes and hair, nor could he make a deduction from the fight he had witnessed earlier between Ultima and two pro heroes.
All Izuku had gathered so far was that Ultima had immense physical strength, speed and extraordinarily durable. Abilities like that, while not as exaggerated, were quite common byproducts of many quirks. For now all he had was a vague conjecture of Ultima's quirk, associating it to a specie of animal he perhaps didn't know of. The whiskers was enough to convince him that Ultima's quirk had to be based off some sort of animal. Still, even if that was the answer it was far too vague.
Izuku wasn't satisfied with the vague answer he'd given himself. Knowing one's enemy was winning half the battle. Though, from Ultima's perspective he must've been a mystery box as well. Aside from the pinkish glow nothing about him changed. Ultima had less to go on if he wanted to guess what Izuku's quirk was. Perhaps that was an advantage.
Or perhaps Izuku was just fooling himself. Be it the adrenaline or just his own hidden ego, he seemed to have forgotten that the person before him had survived and tag team against two pro heroes, and that was putting it mildly. He actually won against two of the most popular heroes in Japan. He came out of that ground shattering clash without a single bruise, while his opponents were beaten down to near death. Against such a powerhouse all Izuku's bravado and analysis were useless. To Ultima he was tantamount to a dancing clown.
As if to remind him of the vast difference between their levels, a pressure Izuku had never felt before weighed down on his entire being. It was as though someone had thrown an entire bus on top of him.
His knees trembled from the sudden shock and he managed to keep his balance, however his stance as well as his confidence were instantly broken. Izuku gulped as he locked eyes with the provisional villain again.
This time, however, he had a different look on his face. He wasn't wearing the seemingly polite and confused mask. He had discarded it for a light yet intense glare. This expression only lasted for a flash, and Izuku wasn't sure if anybody aside from himself had caught sight of it. Suddenly his throat felt dry. He gulped.
What exactly was that strange pressure?. He'd come face to face with a man with one of the most overbearing quirks known to man and he had never felt such a thing. Were quirks even supposed to give off an invisible pressure?. Was that another byproduct of his quirk?. Super speed, super strength, outrageous durability and now an invisible pressure. So many byproducts born from a single quirk. Was that even possible?. Or perhaps he had another quirk?.
It was a possibility. But if he didn't and all those abilities are were a byproduct of a single quirk, then even compared to Allmight, Ultima's quirk was overbearing.
"Please calm down Naruto-senpai!." Momo took advantage of Izuku's loss of concentration and rushed to Naruto's side. She hurriedly placed a hand on his chest restrainingly.
She knew the blonde like most people with feral quirks had a temper and would not shy away from violence if they were upset. Similar to people with explosive quirks related to heat, fire or explosions like their classmate Katsuki Bakugo and the #2 hero Endeavour having hotheaded temperaments.
People with feral quirk while not particularly hotheaded had a naturally wild side to them and were controlled by their emotions more than they controlled them. Like the pro hero Mirko, who wasn't known for her temper but could be equally as destructive as Endeavour when riled up. Naruto was like that. Probably worse since his quirk was related to a predator unlike Mirko whose was related to a rabbit. Perhaps his wild side was even more terrifying.
The last thing Momo wanted was for Naruto and Izuku to get into a brawl because of her. She blushed. Somehow even saying words like that to herself sounded so wrong but so right.
Momo regardless of her cool-headedness was still a girl nonetheless. Even she fantasized about two guys fighting over her, though she never imagined it would be these two, she still felt an odd sense of accomplishment knowing it was in fact the case. Maybe it wasn't as deep as she convinced herself it was, but she would take it. Whether Izuku's reason for antagonizing Naruto were due to jealousy or not, this was a small victory for Yaoyorozu Momo.
Momo's intervention was as effective as a remote control being used on Naruto if he was a television. Just with one sentence the blonde had gone from pissed to mellow in a single breath. On cue Izuku's wits returned, and while he wasn't nearly as confident as before he was still wary of the blonde.
He silently watched Momo whispering things to the mellowed out blonde like a wife berating her husband and felt a little weird. Was this guy actually Ultima?. Maybe he had a twin brother that was a villain?. Izuku really had no idea what was going on.
Starting from how strange it was for a villain to attend the UA High or someone so young to actually be so powerful, Izuku was at a loss at what to think. Aside from their splitting appearance, this guy in front of him was nothing like the overbearing villain that had defeated Kamui Woods and Mt Lady. The mannerism was off.
Naruto appeared to be polite and a little hotheaded, but that was normal considering how much Izuku had embarrassed him. Ultima on the other hand was arrogant, wild and borderline crazy. He was a guy who took a direct punch from Mt Lady, got up as if it was nothing, tossed himself thirty metres down to solid concrete for shits and giggles.
A guy who had the guts to tease and humiliate Mt Lady after he'd left Kamui Woods for dead. Such a person frankly didn't seem to be someone who would be whipped by a mere sixteen year old girl. It would be like an Endeavour who was scared of his wife.
Izuku awkwardly got out of his fighting stance and took a step back. He really didn't know what was what; if Ultima was Naruto or if this had all been a big misunderstanding. Or perhaps he was suckered by [Notes]. Maybe it was a hypnotic app that manipulated him into believing a senior in the UA was a super villain strong enough to trade blows with a giant. The more he thought about it –it sounded more and more plausible. If that was the case, then he owed Uzumaki Naruto a big apology. Also he had to find Allmight immediately to relay this information.
Momo had just finished cautioning the remorseful Naruto when she realized the entire class was staring at them. The boys had dazed looks while most of the girls stared at her with knowing smiles. Momo turned red. She realized she was a little too close to the blonde senior and quickly jumped away from him. Naruto raised an eyebrow at her in confusion but she quickly looked away. She couldn't make eye contact with him. Not right now when everyone was watching.
Naruto was left confused yet again. He shrugged. Maybe it just wasn't his day. "I guess that's my cue to leave. Uh, it was nice meeting you all... my cute little kōhais. Study hard and train harder!." The change of topic allowed Naruto to settle into his usual more upbeat personality.
He gave the younger students a big grin and thumbs up. He turned to Izuku who had miraculously become timid and nervous. Just a minute ago he swore he was Spartacus. "And you kid!." Naruto said pointing at Izuku.
"Huh... me?."
'He really did turn shy. Weird.' Naruto thought with a sweatdrop as he watched Izuku fidget under his gaze. "Stop being so weird. And if you like Momo just say it, have some confidence in yourself." He encouraged.
Izuku and Momo blushed in unison. "Tha-that isn't the case–"
"C'mon don't lie to yourself." Naruto said, waving off Izuku's words like he didn't believe a word of it. "A man who can't stand up for the woman he cares about is no man!. And he is definitely not worthy of being a hero. That's not a real man!" Naruto shook his head and pounded chest with a clenched fist. A clear indication for all who cared to know that Uzumaki Naruto was a real man.
The blonde turned to Izuku with a light smile. "All things considered... you're a bitch." Naruto said in a not so low whisper. Izuku winched at the unexpected insult.
"Naruto-senpai!." Momo yelled in disapproval.
Naruto waved his hands apologetically but his expression didn't mirror his actions. "Sorry sorry sorry sorry..." He wasn't really sorry. "You shouldn't follow my example juniors, don't curse. It's bad for you." He advised. He ignored the collective roll of eyes. Cheeky brats. His eyes settled on a spiky blonde haired junior in particular. Something about the guy just screamed profanities. It was probably the only language he could speak. He turned back to Izuku, who now had the expression of a kicked puppy. "Yeah, as I was saying, be bold. I'm sure Momo will decide what she wants. And I don't mean this in a disrespectful way, but it's pretty obvious who she'll pick." Naruto said, gesturing to himself with a not-so-humble smirk.
'You're clearly being disrespectful.' The class 1A students thought in unison.
"Ciao!." Naruto said and with that he left.
Since everyone was still paying attention to the blonde leaving, with a good number of them discussing the blonde and things related to him, Izuku thought to take the opportunity to quietly withdraw. Unfortunately, his luck was just sour today.
"I for one believe you Midoriya!." Mineta declared. And just like that, the class's attention was back on Midoriya. He wanted nothing more than to pass out. "That senpai is nothing but bad news if you ask me." Mineta crossed his arms and harrumphed.
"And your opinion isn't biased?." Ojiro deadpanned.
Mineta shrugged. "Call it whatever you want, but I really think Midoriya's right. There's just something off about that guy."
"He's quite glamorous if you ask me." Aoyama said in his usual eccentric fashion. He had a mirror in his hand and admired himself openly. "His hair is almost as good as mine. Almost." Aoyama emphasised on the 'almost'. It would be fallacy to say someone else had better hair than he did.
"Great, cuz nobody did." Mineta said snarkishly.
"Really Mineta, what do you have against the guy?." Kirishima asked.
Denki was the one who perked up to answer the question but he was quickly hushed by Mineta. "Shut your mouth." The purple haired boy whispered in a slow threatening voice. After intimidating Denki, he turned to Kirishima with a casual expression. "Call it instinct."
"Yeah, so bs?." Kirishima snickered.
"Screw you." Mineta flipped him the bird.
"Alright that's enough profanities for the day. Settle down everyone, break will be over soon so get back in order." Momo stepped up to organize the class.
As the class VP it was her responsibility as well to make sure everyone was in line. Though she always took the role of a silent supervisor, letting Ida take on the more hands-on responsibilities. Momo knew that he handled most of the heavy lifting, and normally she would feel guilty for letting someone do that for her. However, it was different for Ida. He was a very hardworking individual, as well as a workaholic. He didn't mind the pressure, in fact he thrived in it.
Without any complaints or problems in sight, Momo was firmly settled down in the silent supervisor role. That meant not getting too involved in the class quarrels or discussions largely. Today was different. She was the object of the discussions and quarrels... the latter mostly due to Mineta and Izuku. Therefore, Momo felt a greater sense of responsibility to handle this and understood as well that she couldn't escape her involvement in it. So rather than let the room toss her business about like a frisbee, she opted to take the bull by the horn. Either that or she was just in denial and was largely being protective of him.
Momo took a breath before she spoke. "I know I'm largely to blame for all the disorder and chaos, my sincerest apologies." Momo said, offering her classmates a polite bow. They found it quite excessively and a bit weird. "I want to apologize in Naruto-senpai's stead as well. He's a good friend of mine and we've known each other a long while, so I can vouch for him. He means well, I guarantee it. More importantly he is our senior and was here to welcome us into the school. We should all try to get along with him."
Momo's eyes settled on Izuku at the end of her words. The freckled boy looked away in embarrassment. Momo smiled in contentment, happy to have the regular Izuku back. "Let's all get back to our seats."
The class murmured but still did as they were told. Izuku was particularly obedient. After what happened with Uzumaki Naruto, he wanted to disappear more than anything. He felt ashamed and didn't want to do anything more than he had already to get on Momo's bad side. The green haired One-For-All successor returned to desk and buried himself in his books. He didn't give himself a chance to ponder over anything. His mind appeared to be working against him today. He rather not it stray from course too much again.
But no matter what he did he couldn't stop himself from wondering just who Ultima is and if he and Uzumaki Naruto are one and the same person.
Tokyo
(Unverified Location)
An old man sat down playing shogi and sipping tea with a lanky built blonde man with tired yet fierce blue eyes. The blonde was none other than Allmight, the number one hero of the JHA and the symbol of peace.
The old man Allmight was seated with was quite small, barely eclipsing four feet. His face was covered with wrinkles, his eyes were shut close and there were heavy bags under them. He was the clear picture of a frail old man, yet the top hero gazed at him with eyes filled with reverence and respect.
"They say a player only gets better at chess with age. But you Toshinori are a complete contradiction of that." the old man said.
Allmight laughed lightly. "I don't really consider myself a player."
The old man shook his head sagely. "That's where you're mistaken Toshinori. In this world, whether we like it or not we're all players." His droopy eyes spilt open thinly to reveal two dark orbs. "You made quite the unexpected move a few months ago."
Allmight's expression immediately turned heavy. He stared at the aged man carefully, noting that he had shut his eyes once more. "Is that why you called me here?." he asked.
"No." The old man casually picked up a piece from the chess board and played with it with his wrinkled hands. "But we haven't had the chance to properly discuss it." The old man said.
"It was my decision to make." Allmight countered firmly.
"I didn't contest that." The old man responded to Allmight's firmness with calmness. Much like an elder discussing with a youth, it appeared as though Allmight had long grown impatient with the subject while the old man wouldn't mind discussing it over again and again. "It is your burden to bare and I will respect your decision. However, I fear you may have been a little emotional with your selection for a successor." The old man said.
Allmight frowned. Even though the old man didn't act like it, he could recall them having this discussion a good number of times. 'It's just like him to fake amnesia when he decides to get fussy.' Allmight thought. There were times when it was amusing, but these days he could barely stand the old man when he brought up this conversation again. There was merit in his thoughts though. If Allmight were to say there was no measure of bias or emotions in his decision to make Izuku Midoriya his successor then he would be a liar.
Once upon a time, Allmight was quirkless as well. It wasn't as bad as an experience as it was for Izuku since during his era quirks weren't as common as they were now. Still, it was a let down for a young and aspiring hero hopeful. When Allmight made the decision to pass on the One-For-All to Izuku it was mainly because of his valiant display during the sludge incident. Just as well due to the fact that the boy was quirkless just like him.
Regardless, whether his decision was one made in bias or not. Deciding who to pass One-For-All to was his decision in the end. Not any one's else. Only a user could bare that burden.
"When you asked for my aid in finding a successor I was delighted." The old man lowered the chess piece in a disheartened manner.
Allmight's expression softened. He didn't mean to hurt the old man's feelings. Even though he was naggy he still meant well and was a good person. A person he trusted. "I–"
The old man raised his hand lightly. "It's quite alright. When I found out you asked the same of Nezu and Sorahiko, I wasn't so happy. It wasn't then I knew you were just enlisting the help of all the old farts." The old man said with a chuckle.
Allmight smiled wryly. That wasn't his intention but no matter what he said that's what appeared like on the exterior.
"Unlike those two, I actually took it seriously, you know. Nezu, that weasel is mostly busy with his school work, where will he get the time to search out a worthy successor for you?." The old man asked rhetorically. "We both know he isn't inclined to pick a student. His view of One-For-All is to a level religious. There's no chance he'd want to pass it on to a brat. Leave it to him and you'd have never found a successor."
Allmight nodded. The principal was a quite intelligent and practical person. Knowing Allmight's time was close to over he would avoid anyone too young, so as not to have a successor who had to be molded from scratch. However, the old man was wrong in one thing. Principal Nezu did find him a successor. Actually, he offered the person up the second Allmight asked him. Five years ago, the candidate was barely an adult yet Nezu spoke so highly of his achievements. He seemed to think of the kid as his own. 'It's a shame that in the end he...' Allmight shook his head. It wasn't the time to be thinking about that.
The old man continued speaking. "Sorahiko... That geezer is a lost cause. He's too happy in retirement and living in the outskirts of nobodyland. Hehe fat chance he had at finding you a successor."
Allmight scratched his cheek awkwardly. Thinking about it, he was quite presumptuous hoping his sensei would be the one to find him a successor. The man was basically isolated from the world and had little to no Hero activity every single year.
Out of all the people he asked, Sorahiko Torino was the last person he should've expected to deliver. But as his sensei he couldn't help but have a lingering hope. In reality, the first to deliver was principal Nezu, who he turned down for time to ruminate on the matter. Then his former sidekick gave him a call. Then it was this old man sitting in front of him. Ever since he found his so called perfect successor he wouldn't stop bringing it up. Allmight was happy for the help, but the constant reminder that his flame was dying out wasn't really nice.
"I offered you the perfect host for that quirk and you turned it down for some random ginger brat." The old man said. His eyes crackes open to glare at Allmight in resentment.
Allmight rolled his eyes. "Here we go again. The genetics of the host doesn't make them any different or special. Just look at me, I didn't have a quirk and I turned out alright!." Allmight transformed to his muscular form mid sentence and struck a pose and flexed his biceps.
The old man ignored the ridiculous pose and snorted. "You think you turned out quite alright?."
"Pwuachk!." Allmight vomited a glob of blood and returned to his true form deflated. 'Your words knocked the One-For-All out of me.' Allmight moaned in faux anguish.
"Compared to Nana you're a frigging embarrassment." The old man said firmly and mercilessly. Allmight comically vomited blood and deflated with each negative statement. "You don't even use the quirk right. You use it like a child playing around with a fancy weapon." The old man pointed a trembling finger at the shriveled up Allmight. "Muscular form, bah. You're disgusting. To think you've sullied the fine imagine Nana left of One-For-All to this point just makes me want to commit suicide."
"...Suicide is a bit much–" Allmight squeaked out.
"Shut up. You fool. I can understand the public thinking you're worth something, but to think that even you've started to believe the crap you sell is just sad. Symbol of peace my wrinkled ass." The old man looked away from Allmight and spat in disgust.
"That was a little too much, even for me..." Allmight muttered.
The old man turned back to Allmight. His expression turned serious. "I think I've told you this before, but I'll say it again. I was against Nana giving it to you. But the woman was adamant." The old man shook his head with a sigh.
He could still vividly remember his argument with Nana Shimura when she decided to pass on her quirk to Toshinori. Naturally Sorahiko took her side, and the rest were either too scared of the woman or too lazy to care so she ended up getting her way. The result was just as the old man feared. Strangely enough, nobody but he who had done everything to abate that disaster seemed remorseful that they didn't convince Nana otherwise. Sometimes it felt like only he tried.
Now, Nana's successor's time was almost up and they still chose to sit on their asses and let history repeat itself. He didn't understand it. The first time was barely what they could endure. What they were still enduring now, yet... Everyone seemed happy to sit back and watch it happen again. Now that Toshinori had passed off his quirk, it might just happen again. 'No... I'll do everything in my power to stop it this time.' The old man swore to himself.
Allmight nodded with a lukewarm expression. "I remember the story. You weren't so fond of me back then."
"It wasn't a case of my personal feelings. You know I never put my personal feelings ahead of what's important." The old man corrected. "You were simply not the most worthy candidate. It's just that... Nana felt One-For-All could save you, so she gave it to you." The old man groaned lightly and adjusted himself on his seat. "My darn back..." he muttered. "Anyway, I don't need to remind you of the disaster that followed after that decision. The one that ultimately took Nana's life."
Allmight's eyes narrowed. "I could never forget."
"I warned you that ignoring my suggestion would put us in a similar situation. But you didn't listen. None of you ever listen." The old man said in annoyance. Try warning people time and time again of a danger only for them to walk right into it. Worse, the wouldn't show any regret not until it blew up in their faces again. Then it would become everyone's problem. A danger to all.
Allmight knew it was a terrible argument, but he couldn't just sit back silently and let the old man contradict what was the biggest decision of his life. "To be fair we haven't confirmed if One-For-All would work the way you think–"
"Oh would you please, you brat. Nana all but confirmed it. And tell me, the first time you subconsciously activated it didn't you feel like your predecessors were sharing that burden with you?." The old man countered.
Allmight couldn't bring himself to formulate a worthy enough response.
"Aside from saying it was your decision to make, there's no other argument you can make. And it pains me to admit but that's the only argument you need. Like you said, it's your responsibility. Your decision." The old man said. "I just wanted to ask one more question, that's why I brought this up again. I won't speak of it again, so answer me this." The old man took a breath before staring Allmight dead in the eyes with utmost seriousness. "Toshinori. Did you turn down my candidate because of who his mother is?."
Allmight's eyes widened. He always wondered when he would be asked that question. He knew at some point it would undoubtedly come up. He expected it sooner, yet the old man appeared to be avoiding the issue. Much like himself. It was a question he asked himself numerous times but refused to answer. To judge an innocent child with the actions of his parent was just...
But that child's mother...She wasn't a mere woman.
"Phew finally done." Izuku said as he stretched out his aching arms. He looked up at the wall clock. The time was 6pm. 2 hours after lessons were over. He had to spend some extra time in school in detention while the rest of his class had already returned to their homes. Izuku like any normally person didn't like being punished, but detention wasn't so bad. More than anything, what terrified him was being left sitting for two hours without anything significant to while away the time. Luckily for him, Aizawa-sensei didn't let him stay idle and handed him paperwork to fill out. It wasn't anything important, but it was good enough to kill the excess time.
"You don't seem particularly repentant. Are you sure you've learned your lesson?." Aizawa's voice suddenly permeated, scaring Izuku out of his wits. The green haired boy screamed in fear and jumped away from his desk, inadvertently knocking down the stacks of paper on his table.
"Aizawa-sensei!... I didn't know you were here." Izuku picked out the man's figure. He was behind the teacher's desk, inside a sleeping bag with only his face and some of his hair sticking out. 'He's been here the whole time?...' Izuku thought to himself.
"It would be irresponsible of the teacher to leave a student serving detention to his own devices." Aizawa said, rubbing off the crust from his eyes. He clicked his tongue in annoyance and took out a bottle of eyedrops. After he was done moisturizing his eyes he turned to Izuku. "You're all done."
Izuku had lowered himself to a knee to pick up the papers. "Yes sir." He responded.
Aizawa remained silent until the boy had gathered and rearranged the stack of papers before speaking. "On one hand you seem to be diligently doing as your told, like a good little student. On the other you always find a way to get yourself in trouble. I'm not sure which one you are; a diligent student or just a troublemaker." Aizawa said.
Izuku was taken aback by the the black haired man's words. Him?. A troublemaker?. In a class with the likes of Bakugo and Mineta, the homeroom teacher still turned to him as the class's troublemaker. The bad egg. Izuku always had an inkling of a feeling that Aizawa didn't like him at all. But to go as far as making such a terrible assumption. It was both unfair and unprofessional. Izuku didn't have anything against his classmates, and Bakugo was a good friend. But even he, despite his dislike for the green haired One-For-All user wouldn't be able to fathom how he was overlooked while the former was dubbed the class's troublemaker. It was unreasonable to say the least.
"You don't agree." Aizawa's voice permeated the room.
Izuku was knocked out of his thoughts by the man's word's. He made and unsure expression and looked away.
Aizawa leaned against his desk and sighed. "On the exterior you're just a shy and socially awkward kid who can't use his quirk right. Everybody can see that." Aizawa zipped down the sleeping bag to free his hands.
He pointed at Izuku as he continued. "What you are in the inside, nobody truly knows. Sometimes, that includes yourself. You might think it's ludicrous and unfair of me to call you a troublemaker. You might believe some of your classmates deserve the title ahead of you, but that doesn't make you any less of what you are." Aizawa shrugged.
"I said you seem like two kinds of people. You might be able to see the shy and diligent part as well as everyone else, and it shows in your actions. But believe me, it's the same for the other part. Right from the enrollment exams, you made a huge ruckus fighting a Zero Point and ended up having to be saved in the quest to save another. During the mock exams I gave the class, you were ready to blow up your own arm just to prove a point. During the battle test, you and Katsuki Bakugo trashed and entire building and you ended up crippling yourself again as a result. And even today you got into a standoff with a senior." Aizawa finished with a plain expression. "So tell me, Izuku Midoriya, aren't you really a troublemaker?."
Izuku's eyes widened. He always took Aizawa's advice to heart, but deep down in his heart he also nursed the suspicion that the man had a vendetta against him. But now he laid all his faults bare like that, Izuku couldn't even fathom a response. Everything he said was true. Izuku didn't think himself a troublemaker, but the facts spoke for themselves. Though he was mostly endangering himself, he still made trouble in every sense of the word. "I..." Izuku tried to speak but there were no words.
"It's good that you now see that other side of yourself." Aizawa picked up the stacks of paper and turned to leave. Izuku stared at the floor in a daze, ruminating over his teacher's words. "One last thing Midoriya."
"Sensei?." Izuku looked up.
Aizawa didn't turn but one could imagine he was masking a serious expression. "Regarding Uzumaki Naruto. Trust your instincts."
"Huh?."
"Have a safe trip home."
With those words Aizawa left. Izuku remained in the room, more in a daze than earlier, wondering what his teacher meant by those words. It appeared Uzumaki Naruto wasn't as simple as he made himself out to be.
Izuku decided to take the bus home. Though it left him with a feeling of deja vu, recalling that the strange events of the day started in a train much similar to this one. It took a good deal of self debating before he finally decided to switch on his phone. The worry of his mom trying to contact him because of an emergency outweighed his nervousness towards [Notes]. Izuku sighed in relief, fortunately [Notes] hadn't left him any offline messages. The last thing he wanted was his curiosity peaked.
The journey back home was mostly quite an uneventful. Unlike the morning when the bus was oddly scarce of passengers, it was the opposite on his way back. He had to share a a seat with a man with the flu. Izuku hoped he wouldn't get sick.
He dismounted the bus with a lot on his mind. He was at a loss at what Aizawa meant by those words.
"Regarding Uzumaki Naruto. Trust your instincts."
What exactly could that mean?. Izuku had promised himself not to think about it, or over think anything after the incident in class, but after Aizawa said that he couldn't help himself. Izuku had deduced three possible meanings to what the Erasing Hero said. The first, the one he rather not think about; the possibility of Uzumaki Naruto and Ultima being one and the same person. This was based on a myriad of theories, the main pivoted by a fact he hadn't pondered on before.
The 'provisional' in Ultima's title; provisional villain.
The word implied Ultima was not officially a villain. Logic stated that that made little to no sense. Being a hero in modern times was vastly different from being a villain. The word hero was officially recognized as a profession. Professional heroes had salaries that they received from the government, were assigned duties and had to be licensed before they could operate. Following that line, it was to be expected that there would be existences such as provisional heroes. They would simply be heroes who had not received their licenses either because they hadn't gone pro, or because for some reason their license was revoked and they were granted a provisional one instead.
This wasn't possible for villains. Unless it was a case of an organized crime organisation mimicking the setup of the JHA, then the word provisional should be further away from villain as possible. Crime in Japan was largely unorganized.
This was an era of heroes, and there were little to any major villains roaming the streets in contrast to how it was before Allmight stepped into the scene. Compared to being a hero, turning to villainy was frankly a piece of cake. One had to have a certificate, graduate from a hero training academia and get a government approved license to be a professional hero. On the other hand all it took to be a villain was to be an individual committing crimes that the regular authorities had trouble intercepting. Just that an you could be considered a bona-fide villain.
Then how and why would someone of Ultima's caliber be considered a provisional villain?. Even if he was indeed part of a well organized criminal organization, he was still far too powerful to be put on a provisional license. Unless, he had an underlying defect. Perhaps a mental or personality disorder?. Izuku was brainstorming at this point.
In any case, Aizawa's words could have meant Izuku should thread with caution when it came to Uzumaki Naruto because he was dangerous. Because he was Ultima. Still, that didn't give an answer to the question; what was a villain, provisional or not doing in UA high?. Perhaps he was undercover. But if that were the case, then it begged the question; how exactly did [Notes] know of Naruto's true identity?.
Izuku decided he would file away that brain teaser for later.
The second possibility was Naruto simply being a troublemaker of the same quality as himself. In this scenario, Aizawa would be covertly trying to stave off any possible alliance between the two. It was normal for a teacher to do his absolute best at keeping two troublemakers from befriending each other. Fortunately for Aizawa and the entire class Bakugo and Izuku were on terrible terms. If the two were friends and shared similarities then it would be chaos in UA. Just imagining a version of himself who had One-For-All from birth partnering up with current Bakugo sent chills down his own back. This possibility was the most plausible.
The final possibility was idle chat. There was a chance Izuku was simply over thinking things and Aizawa never meant anything too deep with those words. It wouldn't be the first time Izuku thought himself into a bind.
The problem with this possibility was that as far as Izuku knew Aizawa wasn't one for idle chatter. He just didn't seem like the kind of guy to just go about saying things like that without legitimately having to. If he was going to speak about a senior to a freshman, unless he had a serious underlying problem Aizawa would never imply that he should be wary of the person. Aizawa speaking meant there was a hundred percent something wrong with Uzumaki Naruto. Izuku just wasn't sure what.
Izuku was so lost in his thoughts he didn't realize he walked passed his house to a completely different location. He only caught himself at the sound of horns. He didn't live in a busy neighborhood, so there were hardly any sounds of car horns around his block. The freckled teen had the urge to facepalm. His incessant mumbling and over thinking would be the death of him one day, he just knew it.
'I need to reel it in.' Izuku told himself. Now he was left in an awkward state of limbo. That way a person would feel when they felt really stupid for going passed their destination and felt self-conscious about people seeing then making an abrupt U-turn and witnessing their walk of shame back to the initial destination.
Izuku was now in the process of deciding whether to keep walking til he found a lonely corner he could make a natural turn in, or walk into a shop pretending to look for something that's not there before exiting and going the right direction. Somebody suddenly ran into him, or was it the other way around?. Izuku wasn't sure, which was why he immediately apologized.
"Gomen!." Izuku waved his hands apologetically at the person he ran into. His mother thought him to always apologize first. A good way to avoid trouble.
Oddly enough the person laughed. "Wow normally rebellious brats act nice within closed doors and lose their manners on the streets but you're the opposite!."
It was then Izuku realized the person he bumped into was the very same senior he had gotten in a standoff with earlier today. The very same person he was just thinking about. Uzumaki Naruto stood in front of him with a big grin on his face, looking like the ever friendly big brother in the neighborhood.
"Naruto-senpai!." Izuku said in surprise. He made a conscious not to call the blonde Ultima.
"Yo!." The blonde flashed Izuku a grin and thumbs up. "Fancy meeting you here. You can't be that you're stalking me?." Naruto said, joking leaning into Izuku with a suspicious face. Izuku couldn't resist the urge to smile though it was mostly a nervous one.
"N-no that's not it!. I just kind of lost myself in thought and ended up walking this far!." Izuku confessed. When he was nervous he tended to spew out words that were more on less the complete truth. He had ended up telling on himself more than once as a kid.
This was the main reason his mother trusted him so much. He was a such a terrible he quit lying altogether. Oddly enough since he met Allmight all he's done is lie, even more oddly was how he successfully pulled it off. Or perhaps it wasn't odd. He had said the truth for so long he had an honest to God vibe about him, so the few times he did lie even if they were terrible lies people would end up believing him since he didn't seem like the lying type.
"Lost in thought?." Naruto raised an eyebrow at the excuse before shrugging. 'The kid looks really honest, so let's believe him.' Naruto said to himself. "You live around then?."
The second those words left the blonde's mouth Izuku's face turned pale. 'I'm such an idiot!.' He screamed internally. Though it was unintentional, he had just told a person he suspected to be a super villain that he lived around.
While Naruto didn't know his specific address it would be as easy as pie to find him now that he narrowed it down. This was beyond a rookie error. Not only had he possibly endangered himself he had done the same to his mother. For the first time since the encounter with [Notes] Izuku hoped with everything he had that Uzumaki Naruto was not Ultima.
'Calm down.' Izuku quickly told himself. He took a beat to settle his mind. 'Okay... Don't rush into conclusions. He's already seen you here with your uniform on, even if you hadn't said anything he'd assume you live around. Plus it's not all bad. He could live around too!.' Izuku convinced himself. While he was on the topic, he realized that just like him Naruto was still dressed in his uniform. He had to serve 2 hours detention, that explained why he was in his uniform. What was Naruto's reason?.
"You okay bud?." Naruto asked. Izuku just remained silent after he asked that question, the blonde was starting to get concerned.
"Yes I'm fine. Senpai, you're still in your uniform. Does that mean you live around as well?." Izuku asked. 'That's right. I should take the initiative now we've met and try to get some information out of him.' Izuku cheered on himself mentally.
Naruto smiled at the question and shook his head. "Nope. I'm still dressed this way cuz I had to do detention for 2 hours. My homeroom teacher is a pain in the ass." Naruto said rubbing his neck as though just thinking about the man was a pain.
"I know the feeling." Izuku mumbled.
Naruto chuckled. "Aizawa-sensei huh. Major buzz kill, gotta say my sensei has his flaws but I would take him over Aizawa-sensei ten times outta ten." Naruto said. "Did he punish you over the little skirmish we had in your class. I told Momo to keep it on a down low, but that class prez of yours looked really diligent. Maybe he spilled?." Naruto rubbed his chin in thought.
Izuku quickly shook his hands in defense of Ida. Though Aizawa may have found out through the boy he knew Ida would go out of his way to rat on him. "No it was for a different reason entirely. Late coming." Izuku said.
"Oh. Minor offense." Naruto shrugged it off as if it was nothing. "I got a whole week plus of detention for breaking outta school to go buy ramen in my favorite store." He gestured at the store. "I'm actually a boarder." Naruto added, hoisting up the bags filled with ramen cups for Izuku too see.
He said the words with pride. Like a prisoner talking about how he got in for doing something society considered valiant or noble though illegal. He showed off the ramen cups like they were a prize he went through a world of suffering to obtain. "Another week's worth of detention, and believe me kid it's worth it." Naruto said, smothering himself with the bags of ramen cups.
Izuku smiled. This guy was really a goofball. He truly seemed nothing like a villain. Nothing like the Ultima he'd seen in the morning.
"Okay kid, I should be on my way then. If I hurry back I might just make it in time for roll call. Not getting busted means less surveillance, and less surveillance means more leeway to go ramen shopping again!." Naruto's eyes turned into stars as he dreamed about the possibility of piling up more ramen than his hands could carry. He squealed in delight at his own thoughts and immediately sprinted off. He didn't have any time to lose. "Gotta run. Study hard, train harder plus ultra!."
Izuku watched the blonde disappear into a crowd of people. No matter how he looked at it, that was definitely the person he saw this morning fighting Kamui Woods and Mt Lady. The same hairdo, the same physique and everything. But their personalities were just worlds apart.
Naruto clearly had an unruly and wild side but it was simply like a simple troublemaker, even of a lesser degree to that of somebody on Bakugo's level. He was free spirited and outspoken, not in any way villainous. If anything he was a pretty nice guy and very friendly.
Ultima on the other hand was cruel, sadistic and borderline crazed. He seemed like a guy who lived life on the edge, lived for the thrill. His wildness was on a different realm compared to Naruto's rebelliousness. Ultima was like a total beast, who was just out to sate a desire for violence. Naruto simply had a ramen obsession. The two looked alike but were poles apart from each other.
Izuku decided. Uzumaki Naruto and Ultima were not the same person!.
Now it was time to go home. After meeting someone, Izuku wasn't feeling too self-conscious about turning back to the right direction. 'Mom must be really worried that I'm not home yet.' Izuku thought. After 2 hours of detention he'd wasted over half an hour walking to a different place than home. 'I'll get her some candy to improve her mood.' He decided. Izuku turned to the store Naruto had just emerged from. The one he said was his favorite. They sold ramen cups in there, surely they'd have some candy. Izuku looked up at the name on the signboard and read it aloud.
"Yamada's foods and drinks. A provision store." Izuku snickered. He had a feeling Mr Yamada was a little something like his class mate Ida. He wore a small smile on his face as he approached the store.
State Hospital
Mt Lady was bandaged up from head to toe. Oddly enough, despite her appearance she wasn't in any discomfort and didn't have any problem moving about. She couldn't remember how she got here. After the fight with Ultima everything went white and she passed out. The next thing she knew was strapped to a hospital bed, hooked to all sorts of machines. Mt Lady spent an uncertain amount of hours alone, thinking about her clash with the provisional villain. How powerful he was. The state he left Kamui Woods in. The words he said before everything went white. The fourth party she had no idea was there.
A man in a suit came in to see her with a nurse. She was disconnected from all the mechanics and plugs on the man's request. To Mt Lady's surprise there wasn't any complications after that. Deep down she was a little scared she was being assassinated. After that the nurse left her alone with the man in a suit. Then begun the third discussion that changed Mt Lady's life fundamentally. The first being the rushed one she had with Kamui Woods. The second was the one she had with Ultima after her defeat.
What the words of Kamui Woods and Ultima meant, Mt Lady wasn't entirely sure even now, but the message of the man in a suit was clear. Keep mum about everything you saw today. He didn't threaten her or warn her of any consequences. He just made her know not to speak. It was strange. For a clearly secret case like this the man sure had a casual attitude. It was as though he was expecting her not to say anything even without him having to warn her. The way one expected an adult to obey rules that a child would normally ignore.
Before the man left he advised her to go see Kamui Woods and gave her his room number. Mt Lady took some time to gather herself before rushing to see the man. At the very least it was confirmed that Kamui Woods was still alive. Who knew what condition he was in after that harsh beatdown, but what was important was that he didn't die in the hands of Ultima.
(Insert Soundtrack - Glimpse Of Us by Jijo)
[00:00-3:53]
Mt Lady arrived at the aforementioned room. And softly pushed it open. "I'm coming in." She said politely before slowly sticking her head into the room. To her surprise and relief she found Kamui Woods, sitting upright on a bed, though he was still in the covers he appeared none worse for wear. He was still in his hero costume by the looks of it. Much like she had, he miraculously recovered.
Kamui noticed Mt Lady the moment she came in and gave a rear smile. "Ah, Mt Lady please come in."
Mt Lady didn't stand on ceremony and came in and took a seat by Kamui Woods' bed side. "You look well."
"Yeah." He replied.
Upon meeting each other again, after everything that had happened in such a short time, neither Kamui nor Mt Lady were sure exactly what to say to each other. An awkward silence reigned. The sound of machines beeping took over the room while the two worked out what to say to each other.
"I was fading in and out of consciousness. So I was able to see a bit of what the doctor gave me. It was a weird green vile. I reckon that's what healed us up so fast." Kamui Woods said, patting his chest lightly. "It's feels even better than getting recovery-ed." He added.
Mt Lady took the opportunity to tell Kamui Woods about the meeting she had with the man in a suit. She didn't leave a single detail out. Kamui Woods always came off as dependable, a guy she could trust with her problems.
"He came in to see me too." Kamui Woods said after Mt Lady was finished. "Basically said the same thing he said to you. Only that he wanted me to explain things to you. Said I was smart enough to work out exactly what he means and I'm –kuuh" Kamui Woods abruptly stopped speaking and grabbed his chest, appearing to be in agony.
Mt Lady eyes widened in panic. "Kamui are you okay!. You're still injured." She placed a hand on his shoulder in concern.
"Kuh... That's not it." Kamui Woods said in a raspy voice. When he raised his head Mt Lady gasped and released him on reflex. His whole body was trembling, he grabbed his suit as hard as he could as tears streamed down his wooden face.
He was crying.
"It's just that I don't get it... How can he... How can he expect me to go back?!." Kamui roared in a mixture of confusion, fury and agony. "After everything I saw –everything we saw we're just supposed to go back?!. IT'S IMPOSSIBLE MT LADY, I CAN'T DO IT!. THAT BASTARD CAME IN HERE ALL NONCHALANTLY ASKING US TO ACT LIKE WE DIDN'T SEE ANY OF IT. ULTIMA. THE VIRTUAL WORLD. THE [Jump Gate]. EVERYTHING!. BUT HOW CAN WE DO THAT AFTER WE LOST SO BADLY... Huh Mt Lady?. We're pro heroes right?." Kamui squeaked out in a shaky voice.
He was balling his eyes out now, looking more battered and confused than he was when they fought Ultima. The aftermath of the meeting, though Yu didn't want to come to terms with it, it was traumatic. "I worked so hard to be a hero." Kamui Woods started speaking again, this time in a low voice. Almost in a whisper. "I worked my butt off until I finally got here and when I finally made it at the top I realized that in the real world I'm actually nothing. Crushed by a mere child. And that suit bastard comes in here telling me to go back... to pretend. But... How... HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO PRETEND THAT MY WHOLE LIFE HASN'T FALLEN APART?!." Kamui Woods yelled out to the heavens in a broken and defeated voice. Both of his arms clenched his suit as his tears stained the sheets.
Mt Lady... No Yu Takeyama didn't know what to say to comfort the broken hero. She could mask it with a smile, but she herself was undoubtedly a little broken as well. Looking at one of her idols crying like a baby after suffering a crushing defeat piled even more pressure on her traumatized mind.
Still she wanted to help him. She wanted nothing more than to grab him and tell him to snap out of it. Tell him he was an outstanding hero. She wanted to but she couldn't find the strength in her body nor the will to even say those words to herself. All she could do was look away from the wailing hero.
It was only when Yu Takeyama saw her reflection on the room's window that she realized she was crying as well.
Izuku searched his pocket for some loose change to buy the candy for his mom with. Luckily there was a note and a few coins in his pocket. He smiled to himself and moved towards the store.
However, when Izuku Midoriya pushed that door open he didn't walk into a provisions store. He walked into hell.
Blood was everywhere. It covered the smashed up shelves, the cratered floor the counter that was now in splinters and even sprayed across the ceiling. Human bodies as well as ripped apart body parts were strewn across the store. A corpse hung on the wall, copious amounts of blood oozing down and painting the wall. The individual had a shocked expression on his face, like he hadn't expected to be die all of a sudden. He was pinned to the wall with a moping stick.
From what Izuku made out on first glance, six others mirrored the man on the wall's expression. They were all either missing one limb or the other. Some an entire lower section as they had been ripped in half.
All expect the store owner Mr Yamada. His body was still most whole and he maintained a normal posture unlike the other strewn about bodies. His hands were still on the counter, stained by the pool of blood that covered it. For Mr Yamada it was unclear what expression he made before death, as his head was missing from the rest of his body.
Izuku's brain finally regained function and–
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!."
He screamed. For a fifteen year old boy who hadn't seen much of the world, this was beyond a horrific sight. So much blood, more blood than he'd ever seen in his entire life. Izuku's body was filled with a dreadful chill, and for the second time today, a fear that he never knew was possible descended on him. This time though, Izuku didn't spend any time debating what to do and quickly turned to flee from the horrifying scene.
In his haste he took a wrong stop and ended up tripping on his own feet. Time seemed to slow as Izuku Midoriya fell flat on his back. Half of his body lay within the store from hell. Izuku's face turned paler than snow, his shrunk in disbelief and fear. His lips quivered as he mouthed out incoherent words in shock.
On the ceiling was the missing head of Mr Yamada. It had been given the same treatment as the man on the wall and was pierced straight through into the ceiling using the broken end of the moping stick. Across the entire ceiling was a single word written in the blood of the slaughtered men. Mr Yamada's head hung in the middle of the gory graffiti.
A single word. A single name. One that Izuku knew. A name that had been plaguing him for the entire day.
Ultima.
End.