Chapter 23, this has basically been done for two days but I had to proofread. This chapter is basically a lot of discoveries being made with a splash of fun sprinkled in. Things are really about to speed up after this with several pieces falling into place that will lead to several confrontations. Enjoy!
Chapter 23 Discoveries and down time
Taku was drawing with Eri at the kitchen table, Inko had been gone for over an hour and the night was really fun. Eri had already eaten and had a bath, though she wondered when Izuku would come home but Taku kept her distracted as best he could. Eri liked drawing in her coloring books so Taku challenged her to draw something on a blank sheet of paper. They had made several drawings between the two of them and though they weren't perfect, Eri's weren't half bad. Eri had a smile on her face as she concentrated, happy with her current work before holding it up, "Taku-Nii, I'm done!" She happily showed him her drawing.
Taku looked at the little girl's drawing and was impressed, "A blue horse huh? It looks really good, Eri, I think that's the best one you've drawn so far." He then pulled up his own drawing, "Ta-da! It's a panda eating an apple." He said with a smile.
"Eri's eyes widened in amazement, "Wow~!"
They then heard the door open and in walked Izuku, "I'm home." He called out.
Eri bolted from the table and embraced the teen as she always did. "Hey Eri, sorry I'm late getting home." He smiled as he hugged her back.
"It's okay. Taku-Nii was helping me draw, you wanna see it?!" She asked excitedly.
"You bet I do." He responded as he took her hand and allowed her to pull him into the living room where they saw Taku sitting at the kitchen table.
"Welcome home bro!" The greynette greeted his friend.
"Thanks again for this Taku."
"Meh, it was nothing. Besides we had a chill night didn't we, Eri?!" He exclaimed with a smile.
"Uh-huh." She answered before letting go of Izuku's hand to show him her drawings, "Izu-Nii, look at these?"
Izuku took a look at the drawings, impressed that Eri may have a real talent for art. "These are really good, Eri. I think you might have a natural talent for art." He praised while patting her head.
Taku crossed his arms, "You know I was thinking the same thing myself."
Eri happily accepted the praise. It was past her bedtime so they quickly cleaned up everything, Izuku picked her up and put her to bed. After tucking her in he left the room and sat with Taku in his room. Izuku had given him a knowing look when he walked into the house and Taku caught it. He was curious as to who would set up an audience with ONE through Hawks of all people. He didn't mind hanging with Eri until he came home but he's been curious this entire time. He could have observed it through the camera in his cowl but he chose to check it after speaking with Izuku. Taku sat on the bed while Izuku sat in his computer chair, "So, what happened, who'd you meet up with?"
Izuku crossed his arms as he leaned back in his chair and used a slide of hand to hide his license from Taku. "I want you to guess?"
Taku looked at him annoyed, "Really?"
"Yep." Izuku responded with a cheeky grin.
Taku stroked his chin as if he had a beard as thought to himself for a moment, "Someone from the public safety commission?"
"Good guess. You're wrong, but why choose that?"
"You said Hawks gave you the note, so I figured the ones with the most authority in regards to heroes are the only ones who could have set that up. C'mon, tell me already."
"It was Prime Minister Yamato." Izuku answered, still surprised.
"WHAT?" Taku said completely shocked.
"I know, I was pretty surprised myself. The prime minister himself wanted to meet with me." Izuku turned his head, "That still raises some questions as to why Hawks specifically gave it to me.
"So..What did he want?" Taku asked on the edge of his seat.
Izuku said nothing, only revealing his license in between his right index and middle fingers. Taku raised an eyebrow as he took the card in his hand, he looked at it and his face morphed into one of surprise when he realized what this was and what it meant. "Independent Hero License?"
"That's right. Yamato gave me that himself, apparently there's a loophole in the hero bylaws that allows someone to conduct hero operations outside of the professional setting. The reasons heroes are allowed now is because of the laws the original pros agreed to abide by, they're practically the same one's today. However I guess those making the rules wanted absolute authority so they included the prospect of independence, meaning you can perform heroic acts to help people. The catch is you can't receive pay for your work or have access to any systems, benefits or programs professionals are entitled to. OR use your quirk." He had a sly smirk as he finished his explanation.
Taku looked at the license again, the picture of ONE was clearly a stolen pic. The seal of approval of the prime minister and the public safety commission was holographic on it with ONE's name and an identification number. To say he was impressed was a gross understatement. Izuku has been given an official license, he no longer had the moniker of vigilante and was a legit hero. Still this raised a bit of questions, though this license was perfect for Izuku, the no quirk use stipulation attached to it was concerning. He looked at Izuku slightly puzzled as to why he would so eagerly take it knowing he must've known this.
"Well damn. This is perfect for you isn't it. Still, I'm curious. we've got a good system going and everything but the issue with your quirk, you must have known what this meant so why take it so eagerly?"
"You know me pretty well, Taku. Obviously I wouldn't have taken this if I thought it was no good, however it got me excited. Naturally this won't affect how I do things at all, seeming as I have no quirk to use anyway, I don't mind explaining my techniques as even my masters can replicate a few of them. Also this means more people will take me seriously when I say I'm just here to help. "Think about it, with this license the only reason I would risk my life and use my abilities to help others is for no other reason than my own convictions. I benefit NOTHING outside of just doing that." The eight words that have been reiterated to him his entire life was also a big factor in him eagerly becoming independent.
Taku heard Izuku's words, he could tell he was in thought. The greynette took another glance at the license and saw Izuku had a look on his face that only one thing could be the reason for. Taku smirked, "You can't be a hero without a quirk. It's awfully telling when the best and most powerful hero around is just that without one."
Izuku smiled, "Hm, read me like a book… No aspiring hero has ever wanted one of these, largely because they can't use their quirk. Me taking this license completely invalidates those eight words, while also saying a lot about those who think that way. And that warms my heart the most.
"I hear you, I just think the questions and the media will definitely swarm you like vultures to a freshly dead hippo."
"You're probably right. Still, every hero has the right to keep their real name a secret and I'm no different. Maybe one day I'll reveal myself to the public but for now even though I'm legal I'm still just a guy who's a hero."
"HA! You really are aren't you. I've never worried about you keeping your identity a secret, but you gotta admit this changes things, at least a little?"
"Yeah, but only a little… Speaking of, dude you won't believe this, Prime Minister Yamato can do the Nukiyashi!" He exclaimed.
Taku paused while keeping a blank expression, "You're implying that I should know what that is." He said with a raised eyebrow.
Izuku mentally slapped himself and he lowered his head for a moment, "Yeah, right. The Nukiyashi is a martial arts technique where with a combination of quick footwork and breathing techniques you can hide your movements into the subconscious mind of your opponent. We don't process everything we see with our eyes, some of that information is sent to our subconscious. With the Nikiyashi you enter your opponent's consciousness and the brain is tricked into processing that information as unnecessary, basically making someone and their attacks invisible just before they strike."
Taku took in his friend's words, "So what does this mean?"
"It's crazy because he told me to tell my masters hello. He didn't imply he knew who I was but he DID imply he was a student at Rising Sky once upon a time."
Taku crossed his arms and took a deep breath, "This is just the start of something isn't it?" He asked as he lowered his head.
Izuku chuckled, "Pretty much." He laughed. "Still, it's nothing we can't handle. And should this lead to something bigger, we'll take care of that together too." He said as he smiled and outstretched his fist.
Taku closed his eyes, smiled and shook his head as he gave his best friend a fist bump, he lightly chuckled, "Life. Will ALWAYS be interesting with you around, Izuku Midoriya." He said with sincerity and respect. Izuku smiled in response at his friend's words.
Taku left and Izuku got to work on dissecting the video footage of his chase with Tachibana senpai. He sat in his dark room only illuminated by his computer, he had his headphones in as he watched the video that was recorded through his cowl. The audio was clear and the visuals were practically perfect despite the fact he was running. He was at the part when the tank blew up in his face, he paused and rewind the scene and ran it in slow motion just before it blew up. He slowly watched it all the way until the bullet was shot into and paused. "Okay, I saw that in real time, now let's find the shooter." He thought as he isolated a section of the video. He widened it and had a full view of where the shot came from. "I didn't sense anyone nearby, nor did I hear a shot. Senpai was leading me the entire time, her throwing that tank and a bullet being shot into it just as I arrived at the window takes some serious timing and coordination from whoever she's working with." He thought as he scanned the area for anyone.
He was able to find a woman in the far corner hiding on a rooftop, he deduced that she was the one who shot the tank. He isolated her and saw that she had short black hair with a white patch over her left eye. "Who exactly are you?" Izuku thought aloud curiously as he continued to watch the video. He made it so she would pop out if she showed up again, even if he didn't consciously look at her. The chase continued all the way until Tachibana jumped off the ledge and crashed into the train station, he paused the video just as he landed on the ledge. Turns out that same woman was crouched on the roof of the building right beside the station, she had been keeping up with them by following her own route. She was watching them from above in the station the whole time. He was able to get a better picture of her as he watched himself dive off the ledge after Tachibana. "So, that woman was watching us the whole time." Let's find out who you are." He said as he opened a new tab and put her face into a database before going back to the video.
He looked to see his mom had opened his room, "Izuku?"
He took off his headphones to address his mother, "Hey mom, how was girls night?" He asked with a sly smile.
Inko exhaled with a satisfied smile, "It was fun."
"Good to know."
"Well I just wanted to let you know I was home." She looked past him and saw his computer, "What are you doing?"
Izuku turned to his computer, "Oh, um, I was just looking at the video of a chase I had earlier tonight."
The mother entered the room and looked the video that was still going, she saw the hands of her son messing with what seemed like a bomb when there was an explosion. She had long since stopped worrying when he went out, still, seeing a bomb go off in your son's face would startle any mother. "I heard what happened in Yamanashi today, I'm glad everything worked out okay Izuku."
"I'm just glad I was in the right place at the right time. Things could have gotten SO bad SO quick." He said, turning back to the screen just as the smoke cleared and he looked at Tachibana.
Izuku paused the screen and Inko was shocked at who she was seeing, "Wait- Is that?" She asked in shock.
Izuku sighed, "Tachibana senpai.. Yes." He answered unsettled.
Inko looked at the screen, seeing the ash haired woman who was much older from when she last saw her. "I remember her. She was always such a good girl, why were you chasing her?"
"You remember that League Of Villains that attacked U.A a while back? She was with them, more than that she was one of the leaders of the attack. She was the one who sent Bakugo to the hospital that day, she even beat up Momo and saved the hero killer from being arrested." His tone was sad as he listed his old senpai's deeds.
Inko's face was a mix of shock and sadness, the young woman she used to know had become someone completely different. She looked at her son empathetically, "So what are you going to do about her?"
"I just want to talk to her. Try to find out how the senpai I used to know could do ANY of this. Most importantly I have to find and stop her before Michiko does because if SHE gets to her first there won't be much talking!" He tone showed that he was scared of what the master would do to the woman.
Inko sighed, "It's a tough situation… I'm going to bed, good night Izuku." She said as she began to leave the room.
"Mom, wait! He called out, making his mother stop and turn around.
"Yeah?"
"I'm sorry for not being here to watch Eri, I'm sure Taku told you but I had a good reason." he said remorsefully.
"I assume you had some last minute heroics, but Takumi said you had a meeting with someone? She asked in a curious tone.
Yeah, it was a last minute thing, and it was definitely an interesting surprise." He reached into his pocket and pulled out his license, "Prime Minister Yamato wanted a private audience with me so he could give me this."
Inko's face was full of surprise, "Wait what?!" She exclaimed quickly as she took the license and looked at it. Her mouth was agape as she looked between the license and her son, after about four times she spoke, "What's an Independent Hero?" She asked, genuinely curious and confused.
Izuku smiled, "That. Is what I am now… According to Yamato there is a loophole in the hero bylaws that basically lets those who don't want to conform to the pro system be heroes. There are a lot of stipulations attached to independence, not a single one is favorable which is why no one has ever wanted one. Apparently I'm the first to have one." He answered casually.
"So you're a legal hero now?"
"That's right?" He answered with an honest smile.
Inko's face lit up as she quickly hugged her son, tears of joy soaking his shirt. She was happy he finally no longer had the moniker of vigilante, even if he was unmasked he wouldn't be arrested or any other terrible thing that could come with that. The two shared a warm moment before Inko pulled away, "You're an ACTUAL legal hero now Izuku! This is incredible! She said excitedly but quickly calmed herself, "Before I get too excited, what exactly does being Independent mean?"
"Well with the hero I am, it's actually perfect for me. I've built a good system so I can just keep doing what I've been doing. However the biggest difference between being a pro and independent is that I won't be paid for my work, nor have access to systems and programs pro's are, and lastly I can't use my quirk." He had a sly smile as he casually said the last part.
His mother's eyes shot wide in surprise, "I-Izuku.."
His smile shined brightly, "I know. It'll be okay mom." He said with warm confidence.
She took in his words, closed her eyes and smiled, "Wow… Well I'm going to bed, see you in the morning son."
Izuku closed his door after his mom left, cut the lights off and got back to work. He hit a couple keys and rewinded the video to the explosion in the train station, he watched the video as the smoke cleared and looked at Tachibana. The look in her eyes concerned him as she said "You're better than I thought!" as the train rounded her.
(I shouldn't have back flipped to dodge the train there). "Still…" He hit a couple keys and rewinded her words. "You're better than I thought!"
He isolated the audio, "You're better than I thought ewu!" She had said something that wasn't fully audible thanks to the train. He hit a couple keys and Isolated the audio of just her words. He narrowed his eyes as he hit the key to play the audio, "You're better than I thought Izuku!" Hearing this he immediately rose from his chair, knocking it over and stared at the screen in shock. He just stared at the woman's face on the monitor, there was no denying what he just heard. "She knows it's me." He said in a low tone, his eyes full of disbelief. Izuku took a moment to process everything before he picked up his chair, turned off his computer and laid on his bed.
Flashback to five years ago
A ten year old Izuku rushes at his opponent with a left jumping spin kick that she blocks with her right forearm, he suddenly feels a sharp pain in his left side as he's kicked by what seems to be a second girl. He hit the ground and laid flat on his back after being kicked by his senior. This was Takae Tachibana, she was a young girl at sixteen. Her ash colored hair was in a ponytail, she wore a white and yellow sleeveless track shirt with a star over the left breast, a belt with a tuft of hair on the back that mirrored a tail, yellow yoga pants with black lines on the side and black martial arts slippers. He was training with the fastest disciple to improve his reflexes, perception, speed and fighting sense, the pain was intense as he forced himself to stand back up. A warm smile spread across the face of his senpai. "You're getting better Izuku." She walked up and lightly chopped him on the head, "You still keep over relying on your external senses, remember, your eyes can mislead you. So it's important to use all five of your senses to take in all the information in a fight. Remember that and you won't fall for the speed clone as much." She informed him without sounding like a know it all.
"Thanks senpai, you're a good teacher." He smiled as he accepted her words.
He always loved training with Tachibana, when he first got to the dojo she was the first of the older students to accept and embrace him. She never once laughed or doubted he could be a hero because he was quirkless and was always willing to help him improve. She was always someone he could turn to when he needed help in training, he respected her as much as the masters. When he began learning the speed technique she was the one helping him the most. She was clumsy, but hard working and had a good heart, often taking in the stray cats she finds in the neighborhood. She gave a warm smile to the young boy as she accepted the compliment, she sat on the porch of the main house and gestured him to sit down. "Sit down Izuku, I need to tell you something."
Izuku complied and took a seat next to the older girl, "What's the matter senpai?" He asked curiously.
She paused for a moment as if she were choosing her words, "I'm gonna be leaving the dojo soon."
He was a little disappointed to hear this but he knew there was a reason. Tachibana senpai lived at the dojo, after her parents passed away two years ago the masters allowed her to stay with them instead of letting her go into the system. "Where are you going to go?" He asked.
"Anywhere. Don't get me wrong I'm thankful to Michiko and Keizo, but I feel I've gained as much as I can here." She cocked her head and a small smile edged across her lips, "I think I just want to wander around the country for a while."
Izuku looked down, a discontent expression on his face, "But, I wanted you to teach me more." He said, saddened.
Takae registered his words and gave him a warm smile, her hazel eyes meeting his emerald ones before gently placing a hand on his head. "Oh Izuku, you don't need me as much as you think you do…There's no doubt in my mind that you'll surpass me someday. I told you before, even though you don't have any natural talent for martial arts, you work harder than anyone else, and you learn your lessons better than anyone else. I'm kinda the same way, but the difference between you and me is that I'm just good at what I'm good at, you on the other hand try to be good at everything and that's a rare thing…I helped you get the basics of the speed technique, so keep training hard and one day I expect to hear about the exploits of Might Boy~ or Mighty All Man~! She joked playfully as she nudged him. Izuku went red and covered his face to hide his embarrassment, in the moment regretting sharing his hero names with her.
Tachibana laughed at how embarrassed the young boy was from her teasing, "Still, even though I'm leaving it doesn't mean our bond will be broken." Izuku turned to her, a surprisingly happy wave of emotion coming over him. "No. We'll always be bonded because we grew here together." She looked out to the entire dojo, "No matter how far we go, or how little we see each other, I'll always be your senpai." Izuku suddenly hugged the older girl, startling her. "And you'll always be my adorable little kohai." She said happily as she reciprocated the hug.
Flashback ends
"Always." Izuku let out in a whisper as he shifted his body and drifted off to sleep
The Next Day
Today was the day class 1A was getting together to go shopping for their upcoming training camp. He walked into Kiyashi Ward shopping mall to see Momo and several other familiar faces sitting together in a lounge area as they waited for everyone else. Momo was speaking with Jiro when she saw him approach the group, she turned to him and with an excited look came to greet him, "Izuku!" She happily exclaimed as she hugged her boyfriend.
Izuku reciprocated the hug, "Hello beautiful, thanks for inviting me to this class outing."
"It's no trouble at all." She smiled at him as she took his hand and they walked towards the others.
"Yo! What's up Midoriya? KIrishima asked.
"Hey Kirishima." He replied, giving the spiky redhead a fist bump.
"Hello Midoriya, it's good to see you." Iida said while extending a hand.
Izuku shook the other boy's hand, "Good to see you too Iida."
Izuku sat with the group and introduced himself to the one he wasn't familiar with. He had met most at I-Island but the only one here he didn't know was Shinsou. The group talked amongst themselves and were apparently waiting for Bakugo and Todoroki, they realized they weren't coming so they all dispersed into groups and began shopping. Some were looking for clothes, most notably swimsuits, Izuku heard Mineta say he wanted some lock-picking tools and small drills. Izuku was with Momo, Jiro, Ashido and Hagakure, the invisible girl was the only one he wasn't too familiar with so he spent some time talking to her as they made their way. As they were walking several people recognized the girls from the sports festival and cheered for them, after accepting the praise they moved on. "The price of fame." Izuku said.
"I know right. We're pretty popular for a bunch of first years." Hagakure stated.
"Well you DO go to U.A, so you get brownie points." Izuku added
"A few." Jiro chimed in, "Still, it's weird for total strangers to just know and cheer for you. Right~ Yaomomo?"
It can be a bit unsettling at times. But I like to think of it as people waiting to see us become good heroes."
"That's a good attitude to have love." Izuku commented.
"Awww! Look at you two being a happy couple." Ashido teased.
Izuku wrapped his arms around Momo's waist and buried his face into her neck before turning to the pink girl, "I love Momo Yaoyorozu, Ashido. And I don't care who knows about it." He declared confidently with a smile as Momo giggled cutely from his sudden embrace.
Though they couldn't see it, Hagakure was puffing her cheeks. "Grrr, I want that SO bad. A hot boyfriend I can snuggle and have some serious PDA with." She whimpered, enviously.
"Don't sweat it Hagakure, there are plenty of hot guys out there." Ashido commented. She turned back to the couple, a sly grin spread across her face, "Quick boyfriend quiz!" She suddenly exclaimed while pointing, "What's Yaomomo's favorite color?"
"Red." He answered knowing he was right.
When's her birthday?"
"September 23rd."
What's her favorite hobby?!"
"Reading."
"How many languages does she speak?"
"Five."
"Four for four, definitely boyfriend material." The pink girl shot up a thumbs up.
Izuku and Momo held hands as they continued to walk, Izuku turned to his right and saw a store that was selling merchandise that looked a lot like it was modeled after Stain. He saw masks, a shirt with a knife and splash of blood on it and toy swords in a barrel, and people were buying it. It was unsettling but he understood how Stain's convictions could resonate with the people. The plan was to meet with the others at the food court to eat together after they had gotten some shopping done. Izuku and the girls stopped in front of a store, "Here we are ladies!" Ashido gestured to the store, Izuku looked up and his cheeks went a shade of pink when he saw that it was a lingerie store with various displays of skimpy underwear.
Um..Girls?" He began nervously.
"Oh relax Midoriya. Just us girls picking out some essentials." Ashido happily stated as they all went in. His girlfriend gave him a sexy smirk and a knowing look as he followed them inside. He was definitely out of his element here, the group of girls were walking around the store picking out several types of sexy underwear. He stayed at arms length of the girls trying to be as chill as possible to not seem like a creep, Momo unfortunately was looking at pieces that was wrecking his mind when he pictured her in them. Luckily he wasn't the only one who felt out of place in the store, Jiro's entire aura screamed that she didn't want to be in here. Seeing the earjack girl flustered made it easier to just chill in the background.
Izuku leaned against a wall with Jiro right next to him, both just chilling while the other girls shopped, "These girls are being so extra right now." Jiro commented.
Izuku chuckled lightly, "Well you're not wrong." He said with a small smile. "How have you been Jiro? Have you been enjoying your break?
"Yeah it's been pretty rockin so far. I-Island got a little crazy but it was still a cool trip. What about you?"
"Honestly I've just been enjoying myself. Been diving a lot into my hobbies, spending time with Momo, friends and my family, y'know, just having fun."
"I hear you on that. I recorded a couple tracks with my dad, they were pretty hardcore." She said confidently.
"You're a rocker aren't you?" He asked with a charming smile.
Jiro blushed slightly as she turned from his gaze, "Is it that obvious?"
"A little. It's just an observation but you take me as someone who really likes music. How many instruments do you play?"
"I can play basically anything from percussion, strings and bass but I prefer guitars. I can sing a bit too." She tapped her jacks together when she shyly mentioned the singing.
Izuku's face lit up, "That's really cool. I can sing and my master showed me how to play guitar, but I've never actually recorded a song before. We can make some music sometime, y'know if you don't mind?"
Jiro cocked her head to look up at him, his words and the look on his face was very charming. The shade of pink was becoming redder by the second, "Yeah, that sounds pretty cool."
Momo walked up to the two, "Izuku, will you hold these for me?" She asked while showing him a pair of black lace panties.
"No." He answered bluntly, knowing what she was trying to do.
Momo smirked and turned the corner where the others were, "I told you he wouldn't do it Asido." He heard her say.
Izuku continues talking with Jiro and after some time passes the girls get what they want and they all leave the store, Izuku leans over the railing watching others go about their business while the girls are talking behind him. He looks down and sees a man sitting on a bench with a plant behind it. He was wearing a black hoodie, pants and red shoes. His head was lowered and his face was covered by his hood and though this mall doesn't have a ceiling, for someone to be walking around in a hood, in a crowded place on a bright day like this was strange. As he watched him he got an eerie feeling from him, he seemed to be trying to hide in plain sight, call it intuition and it never steered him wrong. He suddenly lifted up his head and Izuku could see grayish-blue hair and the pale, dry-skinned face of Tomura Shigaraki. (Shigaraki) "Momo?" He called out to his girl.
"Yes love?" She responded.
He cocked his head, gesturing to her to come over, "Come here for a minute?"
Momo broke from the other girls and stood with her boyfriend, "See that guy down there? Don't stare at him. You were at the USJ, is that Shigaraki from the LOV? He asked in a low voice.
Momo narrowed her eyes and looked at the man, recognizing him from the USJ she nodded to Izuku, "Yes."
Izuku turned back to the dry skinned villain who stood up and began to walk off, "I have to follow him. He seems to be alone, but alert security just to be safe. This is the lead I've been waiting for." He quickly gave her a kiss on the cheek before walking down the aisle, keeping an eye on the villain as he avoided people and made it to the escalator.
"Where's he going?" Ashido asked after seeing the greenette suddenly leave.
"He just remembered he had some things to take care of. But right now we need to notify security, Shigaraki from the League Of Villains is here." She said, seriously causing all the girls to tense up at the sudden news.
Back with Izuku he had made it down the escalator and was following Shigaraki. Though the mall was relatively packed, he made a point not to lose him in the crowd. He could sense a shift in the air, hinting that Momo had let security know what was up, but they were already outside the mall and heading down the street. He made a point to keep a good distance from the villain so as to not draw suspicion, to his surprise he headed to the train station. He stayed casual and kept his distance as he got on the train with the villain. Izuku was as far as he could be from the villain, he kept an eye on him waiting for him to get off the train but he stayed in place as the train made stop after stop. "Where are you going, Shigaraki? We're all the way in the Kanto region." He thought suspiciously.
The train continued on, Izuku was becoming more and more curious as to where he was going as they entered Kanagawa prefecture. The train stopped in Yokohama and exited the train when he saw the villain get up and leave. He was being very casual, people who saw him probably just assumed he was some weird guy out for a walk. They had no idea a dangerous villain was blending among the crowd. Izuku kept his distance as he followed Shigaraki, he followed the villain all the way to Kamino ward. His interest peaked when he dipped into the side of a building, it was two floors with a "Bar" sign on the side. Spreading his senses he could tell that he had gone down a pair of steps and gone into the building. He could only sense three people within it, one clearly being Shigaraki while the others were unclear.
He was certain he had found what he was looking for, now it was time to dig deeper. He looked at the building and found the address, he then found a secluded spot and got into his alpha suit. Reaching into one of his pouches he pulled out his spy fly case, he then pulled out his hero phone and called Intech. "Hello?" He asked when he picked up.
"Hey, are you busy right now?" He asked, hearing the sound of machinery in the background.
"I can spare a few minutes, why?"
"I'm pretty certain I found the League Of Villains hideout. I'm about to release spy flies and I want them to look around on the inside."
"Cool, let em loose!" Taku exclaimed as he left what he was doing.
ONE took out three spyflies and released them from his hiding spot and the little robots flew towards the building. They made their way through a little vent on the side and went through the ducts. "So where even is this place?" Intech asked.
"A building in Kamino Ward. I was at the mall in Kiyashi Ward when I spotted Shigaraki. I kept my distance as I followed him all the way here, he didn't seem to notice me." He answered.
"Kamino huh. Think All For One is in there too?" He asked as he controlled the robots.
"Doubtful, but I DO think he's in the city somewhere. I sense three people in the building, it has a bar sign on the side so I assume that's the bottom floor while the top is for living."
The spy flies had flown into the bar through an air vent on the ceiling, they went unnoticed by the three occupants and stuck themselves to several corners of the room. Intech's eyes narrowed as he observed the three men, one was the crusty faced Shigaraki, the other was the living black mist known as Kurogiri, and the last one was the most interesting, it was the sleazy underground broker Giran. The sidekick put a finger to his cheek as he thought about the situation, ONE was watching the camera feed of the flies through his hero phone. "Giran's here?" He spoke aloud to Intech who was listening through his cowl.
"Looks that way. This sleazy broker always has his hands in something, we should have figured he was working with the league."
"He could be doing a number of things for them, black market items, new recruits, drugs and connections, for the right price he'll get you what you need." ONE added. "As I said before, AFO is definitely in Kamino somewhere. We've got the spy flies in place so for the time being let's observe them. It'll definitely lead to him in time, the smartest thing we can do for now is wait and watch."
"A good plan as usual. By the way, have you seen this?" Intech asked before sending a link to his hero phone.
ONE got the link and saw it was one from the japanese hero website, he opened it and saw that it was a profile page in the hero registry, HIS profile page. "That did not take long at all."
"I just found this this morning. You know how they put the faces of the newest heroes on the site? Well yours is the only new face on the webpage right now along with your independent status." He said coolly.
ONE looked at his profile. It was pretty simple but still impressive, it made him a little happy. "Hm, I never thought about it until now but how do you think the pro's will react to this?"
"Endeavor and Death Arms are definitely going to lose their shit! My one regret is that I won't be able to see it. All Might will probably badger the hell out of you for your identity when he gets back but screw him."
"Pretty sure you're not allowed to say that about All Might?" ONE asked jokingly.
"I stand by my statement."
ONE chuckled a little, "Alright I'm going to link back up with Momo and the other's talk to you later bro."
Bet." Intech said before hanging up.
Eraserhead walks through the halls of UA high. He headed to Nezu's office, he was doing his best to enjoy his break before the summer training camp. However he was once again annoyed by the actions of ONE. The vigilante killed a giant monster that appeared in Yamanashi yesterday. It could have caused untold devastation but was stopped only because HE was there. He truly had no words for this latest incident, something SO random and dangerous appears out of nowhere, threatens to end the lives of thousands and the only reason it didn't is because of ONE. Since his visit to the dojo he spent hours studying the vigilante, his super moves, his fighting style. If none of that was related to a quirk there had to be an explanation for it. He had already come up with theories for several of his attacks, now he was meeting with Nezu to continue his investigation.
He knocked on the door, "Come on in." Said the gentle voice of the principal on the other side of the door.
The principal was sitting at his desk looking at his computer, an unsure look on his face as he looked to address the hero, "Hello Eraserhead. How have you been this fine day?"
It's been alright. I've nearly finished my preparations for the training camp, but I wanted to talk to you about ONE."
Nezu glanced back at his computer, "I've had some thoughts on the vigilante myself, given everything that happened in Yamanashi yesterday. What exactly have you come to discuss?"
"It should be common knowledge by now that my quirk doesn't affect him. It's one of the most frustrating things about him, but I've had a theory about him for a while now, as impossible as it sounds, I think ONE may be quirkless." He said, completely serious.
Nezu was surprised to hear this, he once thought the same thing, "I had suspected that myself the first time you told me your quirk didn't work on him. But you seem firmer in your assumption, what do you base this on?"
"I asked Yaoyorozu to tell me where I can find her mentor. Long story short, I learned that just by training someone can obtain superhuman prowess."
"Is that so? Your student has admittedly been an anomaly, how does this pertain to ONE?" The mouse asked.
"As you know my quirk shields the quirk genes of a person, even if it doesn't work on the continuous use in the case of mutation types it still allows me to discern someone's quirk factor. In all my clashes with him I've never once felt one. It still doesn't make any sense or seem possible which is why I didn't bring it up at the last hero meeting. I've been studying his super moves, and I feel I have reasonable theories as to how he's performing such powers without a quirk."
Nezu smiled as he registered the hero's words, "I see. It looks like you and I were on the same page, Eraserhead. But before that, you might want to see this." He said turning his computer around and revealing ONE's profile page on the hero website.
The man's eyes narrowed as he looked at the screen, surprise was evident in his eyes to what he was seeing. "Independent? What does that even mean?" He asked, genuinely confused.
Nezu turned the computer back around, "Short answer, he's now a legal hero outside of the conventions of being a pro. "Independence" is in the hero legislation but most wouldn't seriously consider it for several reasons, the largest of which, you can't be paid OR legally use your quirk." He said with a calm tone and bland expression.
"Why would he take something like that? He's made it very clear he doesn't trust UA, most pro's, OR the system. Is he messing with us or is he truly saying he's quirkless?" He asked, annoyed with the sudden news.
"It's just a hunch, but I think he's being spiteful… maybe he's saying he doesn't need his quirk to outperform pros?" The erasure hero took in his word and agreed it WAS a reasonable theory. "Still, I wonder who could have gone through all the effort to approve all this. Someone surely gave the license to ONE by now, as well as arranged for his page on the site. I also received a call from detective Tsukauchi that every case with ONE's name attached to it is to be collected."
"If he's legal now that means he can make the billboard charts. That's probably what it's about, I'm sure it's not just Musutafu P.D, there are literally hundreds of cases with him attached to them from all over the country. Think the public safety commission is behind this?"
"I sure they have a hand in it, but for something this big to transpire it had to have come from those higher up." Nezu deduced.
"The government's behind this." Said Aizawa, slightly irked.
"It appears that way."
Eraserhead sighed as his thoughts shifted to the former vigilante, "That guy, so troublesome."
"Be that as it may, I'm happy you came to me with this. Let's go over your theory."
"Ok." He took out a flash drive and put it into Nezu's computer. He then opened a file that contained several videos. The first was a video of ONE flying through the air, he kicked the air, launching himself forward while adding spins as if he were having the time of his life. "Right here, look at his legs when he kicks?"
Nezu looked at the screen, it played on repeat as he looked for the clue. It then became clear, he always thought ONE was using some sort of air manipulation the fly like that, but as he watched it was so obvious and incredible. "He's only kicking… He's pushing himself off the air with powerful kicks and creating sonic booms that not only act as foot holds but propel him at even greater speed." He said in realization.
"My thoughts exactly. There are plenty of examples of his strength, and for him to beat All Might it has to be something impressive. I think that his legs are so strong that he has the opposite effect on the air, enabling him to push off of it, hence how he's also able to float for extended periods." Eraser added.
Nezu put a paw to his head as he made sense of the process of doing such a thing, he's seen ONE flying through the sky multiple times and to now understand how he did it was amazing. "If this is true, he is incredibly remarkable. For his legs to be so strong he can fly and even float, it's truly innovative."
"There's more." Eraser stated as he went to the next video, this time it was ONE seemingly duplicating himself as he took on a group of villains from 15 to 1, to 15 to 15. With one hit from the ONEs the villains were quickly taken down, Eraserhead paused the video. Right here, I think he's using his super speed to create solid clones of himself. This is something Yaoyorozu can also do, but she can only make a few. See how they vanish after about ten seconds? "Speed Clones" I believe they're called? Hell his name for this move is Flash Clones, so I'm sure that checks out."
Did Yaoyorozu explain how this is done?"
"All she told me was that it's a combination of speed and footwork so I took it at that." He said dryly.
And what about his fire powers? Is there an explanation for that?"
"Yes." He hit a key and a video of ONE raining fireballs down on a mob of villains came up next. "You can't see me, but I was actually there for this one, look and see." Nezu watched the video on repeat of ONE bombarding the villains with fire, his hands were firey blurs as dozens of fireballs rained down. "Right here. I used my quirk on him when he was doing this and naturally it had no effect, I figured if it wasn't a quirk it may have been some kind of fire producing support item. But even with that theory I was unsure and it still made me curious. So I thought outside the box, and wondered, what if he wasn't producing fire, but friction?"
Nezu's eyes widened. He looked at the screen and took note of how ONE was firing the villains, as well as the damage they caused when hitting their targets. He could tell the flames were incredibly hot, yes, but Endeavor noted at the meeting that his blasts had more of a physical punch than just a blazing heat to them. He recalled another of ONE's super moves where he fired shockwaves of air, this seemed to be a fire variant of that. "I see." He said in realization. "His fist's move so fast the friction ignites the hydrogen in the air causing flames to erupt from his hands, creating an attack that bombards the target with a combination of fire and the shockwave of punched air… "The physical effort it would take to achieve the effect of these moves.. If this is true, ONE's physical abilities are beyond monstrous." This still made the bear-mouse-dog curious, as feets of power like this go far beyond superhuman prowess. "Do you have any more to add?"
For the time being these are the only moves I was able to figure out, but I think he may be using support items for the invisibility and intangibility."
"Actually he explained the final move he used to defeat All Might, He said it was just a fast punch with his hands formed into a specific hand sign." He said usually.
"What! His attack destroyed everything and could have killed all of us and he just called it a hand sign as a fast punch?!" He took a breath to regain his composure, "I have no words for that… Still, I've been thinking about the failed operation, I can't get his words out of my head."
Nezu understood completely where he was coming from, it's been a few weeks since the operation and ONE has just been on top of everything. As usual. However the words he spoke on that day and the pain behind them continued to linger in his mind, a young man who is so put off by the world he won't let even heroes in. He had a talk with All Might just before he left for I-Island and to his shock ONE basically knew about OFA, had several encounters with AFO and even forced the villain to retreat. He told All Might he'd keep his secret but interestingly he told the symbol of peace he had his chance to help him, and now it was too late. "I understand Eraserhead, while he didn't give a straight answer to why he was a vigilante in his own way he DID open up to us. We heard but we didn't listen.. As heroes it was shameful."
"My peers, teachers, HEROES all told me to give it up. Over and over and over again my dreams were constantly stomped in the dirt and no one ever cared how much that hurt… All I wanted was to be a hero, but no one would let me." The words in particular stay with Eraserhead as he thinks back to the numerous clashes he's had with the vigilante. thoughts of their most recent encounter entered his mind, "Tell me what happened to you, I can help. There's no way for me to know why you chose this path, but maybe..Even on the smallest level I can understand. Just give us a little trust..Let me help you?" He could tell ONE was truly hearing what he had to say. "I can't trust you, Eraserhead, or UA…I'm sorry." His words were sincere even as he apologized and admitted he does not and can not trust them.
Nezu's thoughts shifted to the shipyard, ONE's words going through his mind. "I was always labeled a failure or less than everyone else, I always smiled through it but no matter how hard I tried I couldn't escape it. Everyone had unilaterally decided my dream was impossible, they wouldn't even give me a chance to TRY and prove them wrong!" The mouse cupped his paws together, lowered his head as thoughts of that day continued to flood his mind. "This is my dream! I've become stronger than anyone, I'm able to help the weak, anyone in trouble, anytime. And my training, all the effort I put in, the time I spent and the agony I endured..It wasn't for nothing." Just remembering the pain in those words tore at Nezu's heart strings.
He then remembered what he said to All Might. "You're just like everyone else, All Might. You say you want to help, but where was that when I needed it? You say I can be a hero, but where were those words when I needed to hear them? I don't need you people for approval or help in becoming a hero, I already am. And I did it on my own!"
He was listening as All Might laid in defeat when he asked the vigilante to explain how he was no different from everyone else. "You couldn't possibly understand what it feels like for the world to dub you a useless failure and make a conscious effort to keep you that way, despite you having dreams like EVERY. ONE. ELSE!"
There was a moment of silence between the two, thoughts of the infamous vigilante running through both their minds. If ONE truly was quirkless, then everything they've discussed and everything he said that day was starting to make perfect sense. The main thought among'st the heroes is that he has a villainous quirk. But what he said at the shipyard in hindsight doesn't seem like something someone with a villainous quirk would say but it DOES sound like something a quirkless person would say. Aizawa took a deep breath as he collected his thoughts, "Nezu, we don't allow quirkless applicants to try for the hero course do we?"
"It's not just about the practical exam, but the hero profession in general is one of great risks. Having a quirk regardless of its capabilities at the bare minimum allows for effectiveness in this line of work. It wouldn't be prudent to allow a person without a power to pursue heroics."
"That's another way of wording discrimination." Eraserhead thought to himself. He was sure he was on the right path, pieces were starting to fall in place and the more he thought about it the more he empathized with ONE. If this was true he had every right to hate and not trust them. He basically burst on the scene and has been doing pro level work since day one with no need for formal training, it was very All Might esc. He gathered his thoughts and faced the principal, "Nezu, how many quirkless applicants did we have for the hero course at least in the last 3-5 years?"
Today was Hero Con! Izuku had been itching for this day all week. He missed out on it last year because of his hero duties, yeah he could have blown them off but that was a busy three days. It was frustrating because after it was over he literally went three days without much action and could have just left it to the pros. Such is life. But this year was different, he had V.I.P passes, he had his girl coming with him and they would be having SO much fun together. He even posted on the community page in his app that he would be at the convention out of costume, so fans may get to meet him without knowing it's him. He also got a text from Taku saying that they set up a commercial shoot for a fast food chain the day after the convention at four o'clock in Shizuoka.
Izuku had his bag packed, and was about to head over to the train station where he'd meet up with Momo. This was gonna be a very fun convention. Hopefully the outside world would be peaceful over the next couple of days, as he was fully invested in enjoying everything the convention had going on. He was wearing a sleeveless All Might golden age themed hoodie with a All Might rabbit ear hood. He also wore black cargo shorts and his signature red shoes. He gave a kiss to his mom and Eri before leaving the house and heading towards the train station. Izuku had arrived at the train station and hopped on the bullet train and found his beautiful girlfriend. She was wearing a short sleeved All Might golden age themed dress skirt with a yellow skirt and hoodie with rabbit ears, black short shorts and yellow low tops. She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek when he sat down next to her.
"Hello beautiful. Looking forward to today?" He asked with a smile.
"Yes, I'm greatly looking forward to it. This is my first time going to Hero Con, you speak so highly of it I can't help but be excited." She replied with a sexy smile.
Izuku's face lit up, "Oh Momo I swear you're going to love it! Different pros come out and do forums and other promotions, Present Mic comes out every year and brings some excitement, there's a game room setup, and vendors come out to sell all kinds of cool things in the basement. Plus there's a rave party held on the last night until about midnight, and the DJs ALWAYS bring the house down!" He said excitedly.
"OOH~ now I'm very excited. Wait, you said Present Mic will be there. You don't think any of my other teachers will be there right?"
Izuku crossed his arms and closed his eyes, "Well, if I'm being perfectly honest, Midnight may make an appearance. You know guys love her, and she's pretty much every guy's hero crush."
Momo raised an eyebrow, "Hmmmm. How do you feel about Ms. Midnight?" She asked him slyly.
"That's not a fair question." The look in her eyes compelled him to still answer, "While I admit Midnight is a sexy hero, Mirko's always done it for me." He answered with a sly smile.
Momo gently bopped him on his shoulder making him chuckle, she then pouted and turned from him as his hero crush is the same hero he sleeps with on occasion. "Aw~ don't be mad at me my love, you know you're my number one~." He pleaded charmingly as he began to kiss her over and over, making her giggle and coo at his affection until she eventually forgave him.
Hero Con was being held in Tokyo, the two made it into the city and Izuku did a wide stretch as he looked out to the convention center, "This is going to be a VERY fun con." Izuku said.
Because of the festivities at the convention, or because your loving girlfriend is here with you?" Momo asked, holding onto him while giving him a knowing look.
"Can't it be both?"
Momo gave him a sexy look and gave him a passionate, loving kiss. She then took his hand, "Let's go." Momo said as she guided him and headed to the convention. The two could hear the sound of the festivities the closer they got to the convention center, Izuku lit up when they made it down to see the entrance was lively and full of energy. All around them they could see people in different hero merch, mostly All Might's and they could see Present Mic reporting live from the event. He would be doing a live radio show today, this was one of the biggest and funnest days to celebrate heroism and just have fun. He could spot several pros taking pictures with fans and other people making their way to the first events of the day.
Momo couldn't help but smile and the excited look on her boyfriend's face, he was like a kid in a candy store. She herself was becoming more and more excited as she observed the people around her, everyone looked so happy and excited for what the event held. "You said it was popular but this is more lively than I thought." She told Izuku.
His smile shined as he registered her words, "You know how it is Momo, people absolutely LOVE heroes." He said excitedly. Izuku looked and saw that Present Mic was hamming it up, a small crowd was forming around him and he put a mic to some faces and asked them questions. "Let's check that out before we see what's happening inside, it looks like Present Mic's just getting the party started." The two held hands as they headed over, the warmth and brightness of the sun seemed to cause the vibe in the area to rise. The local news had come out and many people were interacting with heroes like Fat Gum, Ms. Joke, Wash and Snatch while also taking photos. The Wild Wild Pussycats had come out and all four were interacting with the public. Tiger was doing Muscle poses with teens, Mandalay and Ragdoll were talking to kids and Pixiebob was playfully flirting with young men.
Present Mic spun the microphone in his hand as the news camera was put on him, "YO! What up Japan! It's your main man, the baddest DJ in the land, the one and only Present Mic! Coming to you live from Hero Con!" He waved his arm and gestured to everything around him, "As you can see the action's just getting started and this crowd is ready to turn ALL THE WAY UP am I right?!" He yelled with everyone who could hear his voice cheering with excitement. "There you have it. Day one of Hero Con is just getting started, and day one is always the start of something AWESOME! And you know I'll be here rocking out for every minute of it!" He made a pose, "Man this is a dope crowd, let's see how they're feeling the vibe out here." He said as he looked around, ready to speak to people. He began to walk around and ask questions to people while the camera followed him, the air was full of excitement and the people were hype.
To his surprise he spotted the familiar spikey, black ponytail of one of his students, It was Yaoyorozu holding hands with a boy he could only assume was her boyfriend. "Yo Yaoyorozu!" He called out.
Momo bowed her head as the man approached them, "Hello Mr. Present Mic sir." She said with respect.
"Mr? Aw come on you're making me feel old here kid!" He exclaimed with the mic to his face. "Anyway, It's always a blast to see some of UA's hero course students show up for the con! How are you liking it so far?!" He exclaimed, his mention of UA's hero course getting the attention of everyone causing many eyes to fall on Momo as Present Mic put the mic to her face.
Momo was slightly taken aback from the sudden stares falling on her, she held Izuku's hand and quickly regained her composure, "I'm really enjoying the lively atmosphere. It's my first time coming and I look forward to having a lot of fun over the next three days." She answered with a smile.
"That's what it's all about!" He exclaimed before putting the mic on Izuku, "What about you kiddo, you ready to go all the way in?!"
Izuku's face lit up with a bright smile, "You better believe it! I missed out on it last and there was no WAY I was missing this weekend! My plan is to BASK in any and all things hero, and of course I'm gonna show out for the RAVE!" He exclaimed happily.
Present Mic was really feeling Izuku's energy, "My kind of GUY!" He and Izuku did a fist bump, "Yours truly will be DJ this year so you don't wanna miss it!"
"That's not possible." Izuku replied coolly.
"We'll be there." Momo added.
"Aw~ Look at you kids. Got the matching All Might gear on SMASH!" He exclaimed with a pose.
"Naturally." Momo said with a smile as she held Izuku's hand and smushed her boobs into his arm. "This guy's the biggest All Might fan you'll ever meet. She said, smiling at Izuku.
Izuku lightly chuckled while rubbing the back of his head, "I wouldn't go THAT far, I do a pretty good All Might impression but still."
"Yo! Now I wanna see it! Every year we get about five different guys doing impressions of All Might, let's see yours?" He asked excitedly.
Izuku turned to Momo and gave her a knowing look, he could also see that a small crowd was observing them anxious to see what he would do, "Uhh, I don't know?" He said, playing reluctant.
"Come on! You got the muscles, you got the drip, give us one I AM HERE!" Present Mic exclaimed in his own voice.
"Ok." Izuku said as a sly smile spread across his lips, he lowered his head while Momo still hung on to him. He quickly lifted his head up, "I AM HERE!" He declared confidently with his facial features, smile and tone of voice perfectly identical to All Might. He had practiced this hundreds of times since he was a kid, and had intricately studied All Might's features to mirror his look down to the last detail. From the shadows, to the smile, all the dimensions of each area of the face he learned to mirror it. In the process of learning to do this he came to learn that this look was something that was forced and not All Might's true expression and oftentimes wondered what he really looked like.
The crowd around him burst into excitement with many people laughing and cheering. "Perfect! That is freaking PERFECT kid, it's right on the money!" Present Mic roared with laughter as he complimented. "By FAR the best one I've ever seen!" He continued to praise, with others agreeing that the look and tone was spot on. Ms. Joke happened to see his impression and couldn't contain herself as she laughed while praising Izuku.
The two then began to walk off as the excitement of the moment began to die down, he and Momo looked around the main entrance and decided to talk with some heroes. However thanks to Present Mic's comment people began to recognize her as the winner of the sports festival, much to her honor and annoyance as they wanted to praise and take pictures with her. Izuku stood in the background as Momo kindly dealt with people wanting to know her and her hero name. He had a sly smile on his face with his arms crossed as he observed the scene, he was happy his girlfriend was getting recognized and building up a following as a hero. He was proud that so many seemed to have positive expectations for her, still, Momo passed him a knowing look. This adoring public would surely become a frenzy if they knew ONE was standing RIGHT there.
"Alright guys let the show begin. Who knows with any luck we just might bump into him out here." Izuku heard a male voice say. Turning to his left he saw a group of about five people, three boys and two girls walking by. To his surprise they were all wearing ONE apparel, as he looked around he could see they weren't the only ones. Multiple people in the area were wearing something with his face on it, several pros who saw this threw quick stank faces at said people when they saw it.
After indulging the people Momo was finally able to break away, Izuku gave her a warm welcoming smile as he took her hand and they walked inside. They saw people in line to get their admission passes, while others were walking around ready to see the events. They both grabbed a program and headed down stairs. The convention was amazing, all throughout the day the two went around. The different hero events were fun, interesting and educational, the game room was lit as it was filled with console and arcade games for any and all ages to enjoy. Down stairs was where a lot of the action was, in the basement, heroes were selling their merch and promoting other products and business ventures they were into. Other vendors were selling things from collectable items, from clothes, swords, manga, art and autographed items and other memorabilia.
It was three o'clock in the afternoon, the convention had been nothing but fun so far. Izuku and Momo had an hour before the next thing Izuku wanted to go to on the program so they left the convention center to get something to eat. They were making their way back from a Tonkatsu restaurant a few blocks away, "So, how are you enjoying the first day of Hero Con Momo?" He asked as they walked.
"I'm having a great time Izuku. Thank you for inviting me to this." She said with sincerity and a smile.
"You bet. This is always a good time, just coming out here and enjoying any and everything hero. It's one of the best times of the year for me." He said happily.
"I can tell. You're really in your element out here, fanboy Izuku is out in full force huh?" She joked as she hugged his arm as they walked.
He blushed slightly as he rubbed the back of his head, "Aw cut me some slack love. Trust me when I say fanboy Izuku used to be a lot more eccentric. Now I keep my nerding in my head instead of muttering out loud."
"Oh I'm well aware. It's pretty obvious when you're nerding out Izuku." She playfully teased.
Izuku smirkee, "Hey I'm not the only one. I saw the way you were talking to Uwabami earlier."
"I was just curious. She offered me an internship in the arena after the sports festival."
"Oh yeah, she did a commercial with that girl you beat.. Kendo right?"
"That's her, we've become good friends actually and we train together from time to time. She's a really kind person.. AND she's a fan of ONE." She said slyly.
"That's good, I hear ONE's a very likable guy. And it's great that you're friends, some people can't put their pride aside to connect with people who've beaten them."
"You mean Bakugo?"
"I wasn't specifically talking about him, I was just speaking in general. Back to Uwabami, basically you would have been in a commercial if you'd gone with her. Thousand yen says she only asked you because you're pretty."
"That's the impression I got, which is why I didn't entertain her offer. Still, it would have been an experience to be in a commercial while only in my first year."
"Speaking of, I'm actually gonna be starring in a commercial in a few days." He said casually.
Momo was surprised, "Really? For who?"
"Makudoro's apparently."
"That's the biggest fast food chain in the country, how much are they paying you?" She asked, genuinely curious.
"3.3 million yen." He answered casually and honestly.
The girl was shocked, she knew all this would come in time considering what Fujiwara's father had said but still this was quick. It was impressive nonetheless, "Wow. Look at you expanding your brand." she joked.
"It looks like we're in the next phase that Taku's dad mentioned. I can make a little money and other people can have a job and help a business thrive so I guess it's for the best."
"True enough." She said as they rounded a corner and the convention center came into view. "By the way, I'm sure you know about Professor Shield's trial. He and his assistant's sentences were handed out an hour ago."
Izuku took a deep breath and sighed, "Yeah, I actually got the alert when it came out. All things considered it could have been a lot worse, thankfully they both plead guilty. They never should have invented that device, it could have been SO bad if things didn't turn out alright."
"I know. Professor Shield got three years while his assistant got five. I hope Melissa's doing okay." Momo said.
"I doubt she's doing great, I didn't want to contact her until all this was over. All Might's her legal guardian until she turns eighteen so she'll be living with him, also it wouldn't surprise me if she gets a spot in the support course at UA."
"I can see that. That would be good for her, she's very talented." She said as they continued to walk.
Izuku suddenly stopped when he suddenly felt a shift in the air, a disturbance that made him turn around and look in the distance at eleven o'clock. He could see a crane high above the city on the roof of a building, it was holding a long steel beam that was swinging. The crane was clearly malfunctioning as he could see sparks and smoke coming from the operator's seat, the cable attached to the crane was unable to stabilize the bar and it was on the verge of tearing through a nearby building. Momo had let go of him and kept walking, she then noticed that he stopped and turned to him. "Momo, I have to go." He said before bolting back down the street and into a nearby ally. He jumped and a green light enveloped him as he got into his alpha suit, he reached the apex of his jump and with one powerful kick he began to Sky Walk towards the scene at high speeds. The instant his costume was on the dispatch came in through the police scanner in his cowl.
In an office space a photo shoot is taking place, a young woman is posing for a cameraman. She was beautiful, with a curvy figure with blonde hair and green eyes, she made a variety of sexy poses on a copier. The cameraman smiled happily at the good shots, "Alright Yukana I've got a secret, it's my copier~." He said in a suave tone as he checked the photos. His face morphed into one of discontent, "What's that thing doing in my background?" He said, genuinely surprised.
The woman turned around to see a long steel beam attached to a cable swinging towards the building. She watched as it got closer and closer, it was just on the verge of hitting the building when it was suddenly stopped by a hero clad in green who was flying. ONE turned his head and shot a smile that brought everyone's nerves down to zero. Turning back to the situation at hand, he had stopped the beam completely and the crane itself had stopped so the crisis was averted. As he floated he quickly unhooked the beam and carried it to the roof of the building it belonged to, as he placed it down he was met with the crane operator. The look on his face was one of pure relief and gratitude, he cupped his hands together, "Oh, thank you. Thank you so much!" His emotions were high.
"No need for thanks sir, I'm just glad everything turned out alright. I saw what was happening in the distance and sprung into action, did the crane short circuit or something?"
"Exactly! I had told my bosses this had been acting up over the last couple of days." He gestured to the crane. "Out of nowhere she just went haywire on me."
"Pros and cons of technology I guess."
"You got that right. Good thing the power died out before it could do any real damage." He said relieved.
"Oh, the power didn't die out, I did that." He stated casually.
"Come again?" the operator asked, confused.
ONE walked to the crane and just outside the operator's seat he pulled out an EMP grenade, "I tossed this over before I stopped the beam, you can never go wrong with EMP."
The man chuckled, "Ain't that the truth. Good thinking on your part."
ONE stayed and talked with the operator until the police arrived, he then gave them his report and took off back to Hero Con. As he flew to find a secluded spot to get out of costume, people waved at him from the ground and cheered at what many had just seen him do. A part of him truly wanted to patrol the city because just now was truly a "Right place right time kind of situation." Still, he was optimistic nothing that serious would happen for the rest of the day, and it's not like ALL the heroes in the city were at the Con, so he decided to head back. Once getting out of costume he linked back up with Momo and the two enjoyed the rest of the day.
The day came to an end, day one of Hero Con was officially in the books. The two teens had such a good time today, it was very joyous, eventful and fruitful given what they bought. They made their way back to the train station to head home, both happy with the day and very much looking forward to the rest of the weekend.
Chapter 23 is done done done. The proof reading process took longer than I would have liked with this chapter because the constant desire to add another layer of mystery to the stoy was very much strong. But I resisted it to keep the story from getting convoluted, been a frequent challenge in recent chapters. Tachibana knows, just how long has she known? What will ONE and Intech learn now that they're effectively spying on the LOV? How many applicants will fit Aizawa's description and how will they confront them? Is there even a reason to unmask ONE anymore since he's legal? And how will pros react to his Independent status? Come back next time to find out. Next time, ONE stars in a commercial, Izuku turns 16, goes swimming with class 1A, and the Seafolk wreak havoc in Tokyo.
