Chapter Five
"Firstly, may I call you Izuku?"
Izuku blinked and thought about it. "Uh, sure. I mean, I don't see why not."
"I'm glad," Yoichi said, "and rest assured that the same courtesy is yours. I know it's corny and a little saccharine, but I like to think of us all as family. Brothers and sisters — well, a sister — in arms fighting for the sake of justice."
"I … kind of like that," Izuku said with a smile. He looked at the empty chairs. "Are you and, uh," he looked at the shadow who had refused to move, "Number Three the only ones here?"
"Unfortunately, it seems that way," Yoichi confirmed, steepling his fingers as he spoke. "The catalyst that drew us out doesn't seem to have been strong enough to do the same to the others. At least not yet."
"The catalyst?" Izuku asked.
"That young man you fought today," Yoichi explained. "The leader of this 'League of Villains.' The one covered in hands who can disintegrate matter with a touch."
'The one who looks like you,' Izuku thought briefly. Yoichi winced as if he'd heard that stray thought, and Izuku blushed with mortification at the realization that he had. "I'm sorry!" Izuku saud. "I didn't-!"
"I know, Izuku," Yoichi said with a tight smile. "There really are similarities, aren't there?" He scoffed to himself and ran his fingers through his hair. "Especially this." He brushed his thumb along his chin before refocusing.
"At any rate, that very young man, I think, is tied to my older brother."
"All For One?" Izuku asked in shock.
"Yes," Yoichi said. "When he touched you, even with his Quirk disabled by your admirable teacher, Number Three and I still felt the touch of my brother's … how do I put it?" He considered it for a moment. "His own touch. His energy. His will." He winced. "Does that make sense? It's like a stain upon the boy, the poisoned touch of my brother's philosophy and plans."
"I think so?" Izuku said tentatively.
"And I am not nearly the only one of us who is familiar with-" he seemed to trip over his words a bit, "-All For One. Both Numbers Two and Three were involved in a resistance fight against my brother's rise to power. It's how I ended up rescued from All For One's imprisonment and how I had the chance to pass One For All down in the first place." He sighed. "So when this villain touched you, I reacted to my brother's faint presence as the original bearer of One For All, while Number Three reacted due to his presence and the fact that his Quirk is the first you have."
"I felt that, I think," Izuku said, thinking back and shivering. "It was like … cold, poisoned oil sliding over my skin. Like he wanted to hurt people and nothing else. Like everyone around him made him angry just for living."
"My brother's influence, I think," Yoichi said solemnly. "And when you felt such pervasive hatred, the root of true evil, all of us felt it. It stirred each of us, but Number Three and I reacted the most strongly."
"So that mega-punch that filled my reserves …?" Izuku asked, eyes wide.
"That was a brief touch to the core of One For All," Yoichi confirmed. "The stockpiling Quirk that my brother forced upon me and then merged with my own. And I believe that the excess power bled into Fa Jin, restoring your 'well' as a side effect."
"Fa Jin?" Izuku asked. "Is that what the Quirk is called?"
"It's what Number Three called it, yes," Yoichi smiled. There was a hiss from the shadowy figure behind the pillar and Yoichi looked at him with an unimpressed expression. "Oh, be reasonable. He can't just go around calling it 'this unknown Quirk,' can he? Things need names. It's why Quirks are named in the first place."
As he finished, Yoichi began to crumble into shapeless darkness. He lifted one hand and examined it as it did with mild curiosity. "Ah. It seems our time is up for tonight, Izuku." He smiled and waved to Izuku with his other hand that also began to fade away. "I don't know when we will meet again. That may be something to research on your end. But I know this is far from the last. Until next time, farewell …!"
With the day off from school the next day to the USJ incident, Izuku had plenty of time to puzzle over his dream. After hours of thinking it over, he decided that it had to be at least somewhat real. There was no way his imagination could spin something so crazy.
"That sounds like one heck of a dream," Toshinori said over the phone. "Or whatever you call it. A vision, maybe?"
"So you think it's real?"
"I told you about my vestige theory, right? Or did I misremember telling you?"
"You told me," Izuku assured.
"Thought so. Well, I'd say this is pretty good evidence for it." He huffed a laugh. "And if this isn't a one-time thing, you might wanna try and use them."
"Use them?" Izuku asked. "How?"
"They're a resource, young Midoriya," Toshi explained. "They have years of experience handling One For All and hero work alike. Not to mention insight into All For One and his methods. This third guy in the chain might be able to teach you better use of 'Fa Jin.' And this Yoichi character seems like a great guy to learn from, too."
"But you're my mentor," Izuku said. "He can't replace you."
"Thanks, Kid," Toshi said, and Izuku could hear the sincerity in the words. "And rest assured, I am and will always be your mentor." He paused. "Hey, maybe literally if I have a vestige carved into One For All, too. But my point is, Yoichi and the others are still rich sources of advice and experience." He hummed in thought. "Every night, try meditating on One For All. It may strengthen that connection and allow them to talk to you. Maybe all of them."
"Yes sir," Izuku said with a smile. "Bye, Toshi, sir." He hung up and drummed his fingers before heading to the living room for bicep curls, only to blink in surprise at finding his mother using his weights. "Uh, Mom? What's going on?"
"Oh, Izuku!" his mother squeaked, mopping her brow with a towel. "I, uh, I've been using your weights lately. Decided I might as well get back into shape, you know?"
"That's great!" Izuku said, eyes bright. "I mean, you'll always be the prettiest to me." He smiled. "But I'm so happy that you're trying to be healthy."
"Thanks, sweetie," Inko said, and then got back to her repetitions. "Any advice for your mom?"
That night, Izuku lay in bed after a long day of comparing workout notes with his mom and guiding her through possible exercises that he'd learned during his ten months of training with All Might. It was fun spending quality time with her, but now was the time to get serious again.
He took deep breaths as he tried to relax into sleep, picturing Yoichi in his mind. He honestly had no idea if this would work and little idea of what he was doing, but this was the best he could think of.
As he slipped into slumber, he thought he heard a voice …
We are with you. Always.
The next day, things got back to normal at UA. Classes resumed and their workload was as big as it had been before. As the teachers put it, successful heroes couldn't let a single encounter with villains tamp down their spirits, so they would return to work as usual.
During the second half of their day, Mr. Aizawa — moving gingerly and wrapped in enough bandages to make a mummy laugh — made an announcement to the class about the UA Sports Festival.
"That's so ordinary!" the class said in almost eerie unison.
After letting a few students complain, Aizawa raised a hand and everyone settled down. "This is necessary after the attack to show that U.A. is still secure. And even more than that, it's a crucial opportunity for every one of you."
Aizawa went on to explain the significance of the Sports Festival as the yearly event that drew so much attention it had essentially supplanted the Olympic Games. Students began to pick up the idea and discuss that top heroes would be there scouting for talented students as future sidekicks.
After class and into lunch, the Sports Festival and the opportunities it might bring was all any of Class 1-A was talking about. This extended to Izuku and his new friends. The most powerful expression of excitement came from Ochako, though not in the way anyone would have expected.
She seemed more … intense than excited. Driven, in a way Izuku had never quite seen from her. And it brought a question to mind that he'd never thought to ask.
"Hey, Uraraka," he asked as he, Ochako, and Tenya walked to lunch, "why do you want to be a hero?"
Izuku listened intently as Ochako explained her family's living situation, and the fact that she wanted to become a hero in large part to give her parents — rather than herself — a more comfortable lifestyle.
"That's so practical," Izuku praised.
"Bravo, Uraraka!" Tenya cheered, waving his arms up and down in his way. "Is providing for your parents not an altruistic desire? You are thinking of others rather than merely yourself. A true spirit of heroism at its core."
"Yeah, I think it's something to be proud of," Izuku said, placing a hand on her shoulder with a smile. Ochaco smiled softly back and placed her hand on his, her ever-pink cheeks darkening a little. Izuku blinked and the image of her skintight uniform emphasized her lovely figure flashed across his mind's eye, something he'd certainly noticed when he'd first seen it before the Heroes versus Villains exercise but tried to banish into the back of his mind. His face turned strawberry-red and he jerked his hand away as if he'd been burned, his brain turning to anything he could use to move the conversation along.
"Oh! Uh, you said it was largely the reason," he said quickly. "W-What's the other part?"
"Well-" Ochako started, but from around the next corner, All Might appeared.
"Young Midoriya!" he called, and held up a bento box. "Care to have lunch with me?"
"Uh, sure," Izuku said. "Absolutely!" He turned and waved to his friends. "I'll see you guys back in class, right?"
"You got it, Deku," Ochako said with a supportive thumbs up.
"Certainly," Tenya said.
"Um, excuse me?" Everyone turned to find Thirteen prodding her forefingers like an embarrassed schoolgirl. One could almost imagine a blush on her helmet. "Ms. Uraraka, if you don't mind … Would you care to talk over lunch?"
"Tenya?" Ochako asked.
"Go right ahead," Tenya said with a smile. "I have my brother to look up to. Frankly, I'm thrilled that both of you," he looked at Izuku and All Might, "have found mentors so quickly. Enjoy your lunch, my friends!" With that, the power walked down the hall to the lunchroom with a noticeable spring in his step.
Izuku and Ochaco met gazes before smiling and heading off with their respective heroes.
"Only fifty minutes?" Izuku asked in shock.
"Yep," Toshi said as he poured tea for them and sat. "That little stunt at the USJ did a serious number on the embers of One For All. Don't get me wrong," he added, waving a hand and the wrist in an almost frantic way, "I don't regret helping in the slightest." He sighed and hunched forward. "But my situation isn't getting any better." He looked up after a moment, eyes bright. "Any luck with contacting the vestiges?"
"I tried to meditate as I fell asleep and I think I heard something," Izuku reported. "They said, We are with you. Always."
"Well, that's certainly progress," Toshi said, holding his chin. "Keep at it. But there's a more pressing matter I want to discuss with you: the Sports Festival."
"So why do you want to talk with me?" Ochako asked nervously as she settled into a separate staff lounge.
"A few reasons," Thirteen said, placing a bento for each of them on the table. "But first, do you mind if I take this off?" She pointed at her helmet.
"Oh! I, uh, no," Ochako said, eyes wide with surprise. As far as she knew, very few had knowingly seen Thirteen without her helmet. "I don't mind at all."
Thirteen pressed a few buttons on her chest panel and the helmet decompressed, steam billowing from the seam where it met the rest of the suit, and she removed it with a sigh of contentment before tousling her hair.
Ochako blinked at Thirteen's real appearance, unsure of what she had expected but knowing that this wasn't it. Thirteen appeared to be a slim, almost dainty woman somewhere between cute and pretty, her hair a light, light brown color and cut into a pixie style with bangs, all of it seemingly naturally curling to resemble a spiral. Like light and dust being drawn into a black hole.
Her eyes were exotic, like many who bore unusual Quirks. Her irises were sky-blue, and surrounded by rings like a planet's … or the first conceptual images of black holes. So strange sometimes how some people's appearances coincided so strongly with their Quirks …
"It's rude to stare, you know," Thirteen said with a faint smile.
"Oh!" Ochako yelped with a faint blush. "Sorry."
"It's okay, Uraraka," Thirteen said with a smile. "Or may I call you Ochako?"
"That's fine," Ochako said. She drummed her fingers as Thirteen removed her bulky gloves and began opening the bentos. "So, uh … what did you want to talk about?"
"Well, you caught my eye during the Entrance Exam," Thirteen revealed, passing Ochako her food. "Using a gravity-based Quirk that, on the surface, isn't suited for combat. But you made it work with your wits, and not just to smash robots. You figured out how you could save that boy, Midoriya, in the span of seconds that he was falling." She chuckled. "And at the cost of your own comfort, too." She mimed vomiting, and Ochako winced and lowered her head to hide behind her bangs in embarrassment.
"Hey, none of that, Ochako," Thirteen said, waving it off. She pursed her lips when Ochako curled just a little more into herself … and sighed ruefully. "Do you want to know what the most embarrassing thing to happen with my Quirk was?"
Ochako looked up in sudden surprise. "What?" she asked, curiosity burning in her eyes.
"I was in middle school and had a crush on this boy," Thirteen said, "and I was fantasizing about him shirtless." She groaned and buried her face in her hands. "And I sucked the clothes right off his body and turned them to dust. I didn't mean it, but it happened. My parents were furious." She took her hands from her face. "Well, my dad was. My mom thought it was hilarious."
Ochako couldn't hold back a sudden bout of laughter, her mirth shaking her shoulders. Thirteen began eating as she patiently waited for Ochako's giggles to subside, which they did. Ochako hiccupped her way into silence and twiddled her fingers a little, unsure of what to say next.
"As I was saying," Thirteen continued as Ochako finally started to eat too, "you used an unintuitive Quirk … and wracked up third place in the practical exam's points!" She smiled warmly. "It made me wish I was half as creative at your age. And if you can do that now, with no formal teaching …" She tapped her chopsticks. "If I can encourage that kind of talent, I want to."
"Encourage how?" Ochako asked.
"I'm sure you've noticed that All Might has taken a shine to your new friend," Thirteen said. "With their similar Quirks and Midoriya's tendency to get hurt, I think the Symbol of Peace will be taking a more … personal approach with his training." She sighed through her nose. "And given how similar our Quirks are, I wanted to offer something similar."
"You want to … be my mentor?" Ochako asked.
"If you want," Thirteen confirmed.
Ochako stared open-mouthed for a long moment before tears welled up in her eyes. "I've admired you for a long time," she admitted. "A hero who saves people without having to fight." She stood and bowed at the waist, hands clasped before her. "I would be honored to learn from you, Thirteen!"
"Kurose," Thirteen said. Ochako looked up. "My real name is Anan Kurose. When we're alone, feel free to call me that."
Tears began to fall in earnest, and Ochako nodded.
As the Sports Festival drew nearer, Izuku couldn't stop thinking about his discussion with All Might about the event. It was his chance to debut, to show the world a glimpse of himself as the next Symbol of Peace. Laying in bed on the night before the festival, he felt the pressure of such a mantle continue to sink in.
It was only added upon by the "event" after he'd spoken with Mr. Toshi about the festival. Class 1-B and many other students had tried to get a look at the class that had survived a full-fledged villain attack in their first week at U.A. and Kaach- Bakugo had written them off with his usual gruff arrogance. It had infuriated half the student body and earned the class as a whole a slew of new rivals and enemies within their own place of learning.
And what was his response to being called out? I don't give a crap. Why should I care?
Izuku and the rest of the class gave much more than that and cared a lot about having targets painted on their backs, but of course Bakugo didn't.
In addition to all of that and his school work and training, Izuku had continued meditating every night to try and contact the vestiges. Every night had been the same for two weeks … until now.
Izuku found himself in the same concrete room with a long table as his last vision, most of his body a mass of shapeless darkness just as before. He tried imagining his mouth unzipping, and his lower face reappeared again … but his head and right arm were all that he could muster at the moment.
"Greeting, Izuku," Yoichi said as he appeared from the shadows. Even with one eye covered by his pale hair, his warm smile made Izuku feel at ease. "I hear from Toshi that this Sports Festival promises to be a big day for you."
"Yeah," Izuku said with a nervous smile. "It's gonna be great!"
"I'm certain it will," Yoichi chuckled. "It does, however, also present a possible concern." Izuku swallowed and waited for Yoichi to continue. "I worry that all of the stress and adrenaline will affect One For All and bring about access to its baseline power."
"You mean All Might's crazy strength?" Izuku asked.
"Yes," Yoichi said. "Strength that, by the very nature of our Quirk, has no doubt grown even more since it was passed on to you." He winced and ran a hand through his hair. "I fear that you may severely harm yourself or others if it emerges without warning."
Izuku thought back to all of the countless videos he'd seen on the news and online of All Might's almost unbelievable strength. Then he thought of the fight with the Nomu and what he'd been able to do with, according to himself, what amounted to less than two percent of that strength. And he imagined accidentally unleashing that insane power upon unsuspecting classmates.
If he wasn't already asleep, he might have fainted from the grisly images.
"So what do I do?" Izuku asked.
"I would ask Toshinori for details, of course," Yoichi said, steepling his fingers. "He has more experience with One For All's might than any of us by far. He can tell you about regulation, support technology and the like." He hummed and lowered his hands. "But from me, I would suggest caution above all things. Remember your training up to this point in regulating the force of Fa Jin and use that to hold back One for All if you feel it rising up inside." He smiled and reached out to place his hand on Izuku's forehead in something like a brotherly gesture, even as his body began to fade away.
"And never forget that your heart will never lead you astray."
Izuku woke up with a start, the feeling of phantom warmth still clinging to his forehead. He brushed the back of his hand against the skin and it faded away, but he still smiled. Then he started to panic as his alarm clock blared and he looked at the calendar, the words "Sports Festival" written in blue ink and circled ten times with red.
Today was the day …!
Izuku lunged out of bed and began to get dressed, already losing most of himself to planning and attempts to anticipate as his body slid into auto pilot.
Today was the day!
He ran out of his bedroom and grabbed some toast, kissed his mom with a shouted "I love you!" and distantly heard her say she'd be watching the festival and rooting for him, before racing out the door for the train station.
Today was the day!
Chapter five is finally here! Thank you all so much for your patience. I've been focused on my TOH fics lately, especially with the last of a series finally drawing to a close. But a final burst of inspiration finally pushed me through this one, and I'm happy for it!
*Ochako's mentorship under Thirteen came at me out of nowhere, but I think it will open up some very interesting For Want Of A Nail divergences.
*A lot of Thirteen's personality is based on her few appearances, but her physical appearance is definitely based on canon.
*As I've said before, I will not head hatred upon Bakugo, but he still bugs the heck out of me. We'll see how a dose of reality affects his time in the Sports Festival.
Next time, we'll be getting into the SF itself. Stay tuned - it's bound to be lots of fun!