Issues of Quirk Synergy

by noctisxsol

In her search for the power to surpass All Might, Endeavor turned to a Quirk research lab. Little did she know that this would usher in the age of the Heroine and dating by statistics. What's a quirkless hero to do in a world like this? Make your Vows Izuku. Massive Gender-bends, Deku/harem.

9. As Every Good Story Needs

Issues of Quirk Compatibility

Chapter 9: As Every Good Story Needs

In her search for the power to surpass All Might, Endeavor turned to a Quirk research lab. Little did she know that this would usher in the age of the Heroine and dating by statistics. What's a quirkless hero to do in a world like this? Make your Vows Izuku; Massive Gender-bends, Deku/harem, Crack with Plot.

Izuku and his class are aged up by about four years, so they are 19-20. Need to get those hormones pumping at full.

Anyway, the gist of this story is that Izuku makes his hero's journey in a world where almost all pro heroes are women, and he's a prime steak slathered in fan-service. Either that, or it's a deep and thoughtful examination of the objectification and empowerment of female super-heroes by the reversal of traditional gender roles. You'll see as it goes. Beware of Crack and other absurdities. But for now, On to the Story!

-Coruscant, Outlander Bar-

The Hero Killer Stain sipped his Bloody Mary as the rat-faced informant tried to talk himself up. It was largely a waste of time, but it seemed to be a tradition among people who knew things for a living.

Stain respected tradition.

"I got this report at great personal risk and expense, I'll have you know. I got it from a guy, who knows a girl, whose nephew is the boyfriend of Lunch Rush's little sister, who won it at the U.A. faculty poker game yesterday." He set a simple USB drive on the table. "Entrance exam scores, student files, dorm placements, first day assessment, everything that U.A. knows about their latest crop of students- just like you asked." The man plugged it into a tablet to show some of the contents. "Normally, something like this would cost twenty thousand hero credits, but since you're a regular I'll knock it down to fifteen."

"I don't need your information. This is just for convenience so I can weed out the unworthy before the sports festival. Eight thousand." Haggling was another tradition, just like paying in the nominally global currency marked with famous heroes.

"This has special information, first impressions from the teachers. I can do thirteen as a special."

"Nine."

"Ten thousand. The same as last year."

"The same as last year."

The two men shook on it, money traded hands, and Stain was out the door.

He plugged in the USB and started browsing the pictures. He only got halfway through when one entry jumped out at him: Izuku Midoriya. Quirk: None.

-U.A. Dorms, Ungodly Hour of the Morning-

[bzzz] [bzzzzz] [bzzzz]

Izuku grudgingly rolled out of bed and grabbed his loudly vibrating phone. Something important must be going on for someone to call at 3 A.M.

"Izukuuuuuu." his mother's voice slurred at him from the phone. "Do you have babies yet?"

The boy blinked. "Mom… are you drunk?"

"Me 'n Hishe were celebrating! He fell a sleep but I wan'ed to make sure you made it home. BUT YOU NEVER CAME HOME! I WAS SO WORRIED ABOUT YOU THAT I HAD TO CALL!"

"Mom, I moved out. I'm living in the dorms."

"The house is so empty… No other kids… Hishe got a va…vivisectomy when you were quirkless, an' after you were born we always did ana-"

"MOM! I don't want to know!"

"Mitsuki was the one to introduce me to it; Katsu probably has the same weakness. That and spicy food. And spankings. Really just a buttsl-"

"I NEED TO MAKE BREAKFAST FOR THE GIRLS!"

"-really liked the collar with a leash. Better grip than hair-" [Beep]

Izuku stared at the phone in disbelief at the call he just had. It was bad enough realizing that your parents still had sex, but it is an entirely different level of awkward when they talk about their kinks.

He was just thankful that the girls were sleeping in separate rooms until the marriage was finalized and there was time to rearrange everything for married life. He wanted to give the girls at least a week to reconsider and just be friends.

Not that that was very likely. Guys with high synergy were considered more valuable than diamonds, not to meantion more practical. Good males could be friends, confidants, secretaries, cooks, butlers, PR managers, escorts, status symbols and also decoration at the same time. And a detailed Synergy report took away the guesswork in finding a fitting parter. While the first revision gave the chance of 'the child will have a stronger quirk than its parents, the second revision modified it to be 'the likelihood of having a happy marriage that leads to a child with a stronger quirk than it's parents.'

Ever since then, people assumed a high number meant that a person was a good catch for themselves, as well as their children. The full formula was incredibly complex, but most people understood it as a weighted product the genetic potential of things like sperm count, genital size, refractory rate, paternal instincts, sensitivity, dedication, positive attitude traits, and the most important part, the genetic complexity of the quirk. Less complex quirks are easier to pass along, and a quirkless partner means that your won quirk will always be passed along even stronger.

Though, potential does not always mean that they have realized it and incorporated it into skills. Case in point, Izuku supposedly had a high score for his senses, which was supposed to make him a good cook. The fact that he is currently staring at the stove in complete confusion shows that he in fact has no experience cooking whatsoever, or even any idea on how to begin.

"Izuku. What are you doing?"

The green haired boy shot straight up, a frying pan held in reverse grip. He turned around to find Shojo in an oversized shirt. "I …don't know? I wanted to make breakfast, but… I haven't been in a kitchen for anything other than a photoshoot since I was six. It was always my mother or one of the chefs doing the cooking."

Shojo stopped to think, and spoke very slowly like she was on the cusp of realizing some secret of the universe. "Mom always said cooking was a waste of time and man's work, so she can't cook. I don't know how either. She would always have one of my sisters make the food while she forced me to train…" Her head snapped up. "Can Katsu cook?"

"Do you know what steamed hams are?"

"No."

"Let's just say she tried making a roast, and we ended up eating hamburgers."

Shojo nodded to herself. Something was falling into place in her mind, but Izuku couldn't guess what. "Can All Might cook?"

It only took a moment for Izuku to remember the hero's emaciated true form and hazard a guess. "No one with a body like his makes his own food."

Shojo gained a serious look of determination. "I see." Ice started to form on her left side. "All of the strongest heroes don't know how to cook." Before Izuku even began to process what was going on, the kitchenette was covered in ice. "So cooking must make you weaker."

Izuku stared in disbelief. "… I guess I'm picking up breakfast then…"

-Alleyways-

Izuku crept through the shadows, doing his best imitation of a silent ninja despite the noisy plastic bag full of breakfast in one hand and the sloshing bottle of energy drink in the other. He was not in the mood to deal with any fans at the moment. He spent two hours staring at the stove before Shojo snapped him out of it, and he still hoped to get in his morning exercise before class.

But fate clearly had other plans.

He heard the faintest whimper come from an alleyway up ahead. At first he thought it was an animal, or a squeaky wheel, so he didn't even drop his bags as he went to check it out.

The smell of booze should have been his first warning, but he was not prepared to come face to face with a man holding a woman at knife-point.

The woman turned around to see who was at the alley's entrance, and the man took the opportunity to take a hostage. One of his gloved hands clamped over the woman's mouth, while the other moved the knife towards the woman's neck. "Yu just keep wahkin' kid. Nothin' to see hear. The miss-us and me wear jus' playing a littl' game. Ain't that write Shuga-Plum?" His hand released her mouth and grabbed her throat while he went in for a whisper that was probably much louder than he intended. "I'm whereing a cup, 'n boots, 'n pads, 'n everything so don't try nothin'."

The woman looked at him in terror, until a light of recognition bloomed in her eyes. "Izu-?"

She cut herself off, but the single syllable jump-started the man's booze addled mind. He changed his focus from the woman and pointed the revolver in his hand at the hero-in training. "Shit, yo're a hero. Yo're that idol fuk-boi with the big numb-ers." He shifted the gun into a knife, then back into a revolver. "Luky quirkless basilard. All Iye got was gun-nife. And it only work when I'm drink." Izuku moved to take a step forward, but the man snapped the gun back into position. "Don' even tri. Im not that drunk. I'll get ya! Or theill find out ya quirked without a liscence!"

Izuku sighed as his thumb nervously ran over the cap of the soda. "First of all, I don't have a quirk. Second, I actually researched guns to see if I could use them as a hero. You only have one bullet in there. Third, I'm just the distraction."

The moment the words registered in his brain the man twisted to look behind him while still trying to aim at Izuku.

That's when something unexpected happened.

Izuku sent a surge of energy through his body to get ready to attack, but the energy also flowed into the jug of soda. The energy drink reacted, and shot the loosened cap with the force of a bullet. It sailed right into the distracted man's finger, jerking it back and making him fire his single shot into the wall above Izuku's head.

The boy wasn't going to pass up the unexpected opportunity. He knocked the drunk out with a single punch, and stood panting as the adrenalin from the fear slowly drained out of his system, before remembering to reassure the woman. "And fourth, have you ever watched that old cartoon, 'Jojo's Bizzare Adventure'?"

He turned to find that the woman had bolted the instant the man's grip loosened. It was probably for the best. She'd run home, tell all her friends that she got saved by THE Izuku, and whatever hero found the passed out villain would take the credit. Meanwhile Izuku would get to go on his merry way without getting hassled by fans or hard-assed police.

At least that would have happened on a normal day.

A blade cut the boy's cheek the second he stepped away from the passed out criminal. He only had time to turn around and spot the dark silhouette of a man before numbness seized his body.

"I was wondering how I'd get the famous quirkless hero alone to talk, but it looks like fate is on my side." The dark figure of the Hero Killer approached and crouched down above the idol. "From the moment I saw your file, I had one simple question; What would make someone like you want to be a hero? Was this going to be a publicity stunt? Or maybe a ploy to get a harem?" He drew a chipped katana and held it against the boy's cheek. "Am I going to have to kill this pretender?"

Izuku was only listening to the Hero Killer's speech with half an ear. Most of his attention was turned inwards, trying to find a way to move his body despite the paralysis. He could move his eyes and mouth, and tap into the energy from Efreet, but nothing else.

Stain didn't seem to mind his audience's lack of attention. "You have potential. You didn't have to check out this alleyway. You didn't have to stay and rescue the girl. You didn't even call the police for credit." He pulled his sword away from Izuku's cheek and drove it into the drunken man's back. The boy's eyes widened in horror. Stain just laughed and chopped the man's neck. "And you have a strong sense of justice too! What if I told you he was the wanted villain 'Bloody Rists?' No one will blame you for killing someone that dangerous. All you have to do is take credit for the kill and you'd be on the board before the sports festival!"

Izuku grit his teeth. "I don't care about fame! A hero's job is to protect people and stop villains. Not to kill them. That part of protecting people with a smile!"

Stain's smile was bloodcurdling. "Then you'd better get strong enough to succeed All Might, little Quirkless. You deserve to live."

The Hero Killer turned to go, but Izuku called out, hoping to get at least some useful information. "Wait! Why you're doing this? Why are you going around killing heroes?"

The crazed man turned back around. "Heroes have become corrupt. They're greedy, self-absorbed celebrities that care more about fame and money than truly saving lives. The very word hero has lost its meaning." The man's eyes blazed with intense fire. "I'm going take back the word hero, even if I have to bathe in the blood of every false hero in the world!"

Izuku shivered despite his paralysis. The man was willing to turn himself into a demon to achieve his goal, and he was more than halfway there.

Stain flicked the blood off of his chipped blade. "If you want to stop me, you'll need to become as strong and righteous as All Might, strong enough to save the entire world from their corruption. I won't accept anything less. And I'll do anything to see it happen."

Izuku lay paralyzed, except it wasn't by Satin's quirk, but by his demonic resolve.

-U.A. Interview Room Number 1-

"-then he stabbed the man through the back, there was a lot of blood, I think he pierced a lung, maybe the heart, then he cut the guy's neck and-"

"Young Midoriya! You need to calm down!" All Might had raced over as soon as he heard about the attack. One of Ectoplasm's clones had found the student lying in a puddle of the villain's blood. If it was anyone else, the teacher would have assumed that the student panicked and lost control of their quirk. But Midoriya was quirkless, and it didn't take much observation to realize that this was anything but normal.

Under normal circumstances, this would have gone to the police; Investigation work was beneath most heroes, after all. But anyone who had the power and the gall to commit a murder in front of a hero student and leave the witness alive was obviously too much for the police to handle, much less a single hero. They needed a safe place to find out what Izuku saw and formulate an organized plan. U.A. was the obvious destination at that point.

"It was Stain, the Hero Killer. He said he saw my file and wanted to talk with me. I had already knocked out Rists, and Stain appeared right after. I remember that my cheek was cut right before I was paralyzed. Maybe he used some kind of venom on his weapons? Or maybe its something to do with his quirk? Is it blocking the signal in the spine, or throughout the whole body?" Izuku hadn't stopped talking since All Might got him to start explaining what happened. Stain had made himself Izuku's personal problem, and the young hero intended to find some way to solve it. "He did say he wanted to talk, maybe he can be appeased. Someone with dedication like that has obvious has an idealistic goal that they're chasing at the cost of their own soul. Hero reform bills have been floating around the Diet for years now. Or maybe he just wants the word hero, and everyone else is the quirk police."

"YOUNG MIDORIYA!" All Might grabbed him by his shoulders and shook him out of his muttering stupor. "I AM HERE… TO SNAP YOU OUT OF IT!"

Eraserhead sat up from his sleeping bag on the floor. "We need you to tell us everything. Was he just hunting you, or any other student? How much did he know about you? Does he know that Todoroki is a student here; is he going to try to get at Endeavor through her?"

Izuku shook his head. "I don't know for sure… He mentioned that he saw my file, I don't know if it was police or student. It'd probably be more surprising if he didn't that I was enrolled in U.A. as the first quirkless hero student. If I hadn't impressed him, he would have killed me…" His hands were shaking. "He said that the only way I'll stop him is if I can surpass All Might. He won't be stopped otherwise." The feeling of that demonic drive washed over him once again. "If I don't… I don't think even death would be able to stop him from killing every other hero if I don't..." Tears began to stream down his face. "He killed that man just to see how I would react. He wants me to get strong enough to stop him, and he'd kill every student at U.A. if he thought that would help me grow." He stood up in a rush. "I can't let him hurt anyone else. I need to train."

The two teachers looked at each other. This could develop into a problem. But on the other hand, it was ultimately just a grim reminder of the realities of hero work. Izuku had so much raw power that he could best most of his fellow students, but that wasn't always enough. And it was a gentler wake-up call than many received.

Their contemplation was cut off by Nezu popping out of Eraserhead's scarf. "I suggest Miss Todoroki or Miss Tokoyami as sparring partners. They have experience training at odd hours, and their attitudes will be helpful. We'll take care of the rest. Just make sure to get to class on time!"

Izuku gave a distracted nod as walked towards the dorms in the early dawn light.

-U.A. Training Room-

"Shojo, I need you to freeze me in a block of ice. Only leave my head out. Everything else needs to get trapped in ice." The idol had a fire in his eyes, and a dozen crazed ideas in his head. He refused to be unable to be so helpless again.

Shojo shrugged and did as she was asked. The men that Endeavor trained with asked her to step on them, so this seemed pretty normal. It would be good control training anyway.

For Izuku, being frozen was an opportunity to focus down on one problem and find a solution without worrying about every other piece of the puzzle. He tried moving his fingers to make sure they were stuck, before drawing on his stored energy. He could easily shatter the ice and move his arms by channeling the power through his muscles, but could he bypass the muscles?

Shojo was halfway through her warm-up when she heard the first crack. She only had time to turn towards the sound before Izuku bowled into her like he had been thrown by an invisible giant. They both tumbled to the ground, but Izuku managed to catch himself before crushing her.

The two teens gazed into each other's eyes. Shojo was lit up with a blazing blush, and Izuku exuded dominant calm as neither one drew away. If you added in some appropriate music, it would be a perfect scene in some hero-romance chic-flick.

If you could hear their internal dialogue, it would seem much more awkward and uncertain. Shojo was confused and had no idea what she was supposed to be doing. Izuku, on the other hand, was entirely absorbed in trying to figure out how to improve and weaponize this new ability.

"Hey Deku! D'you want…" Katsu's workout bottled fell to the ground as she took in the sight before her. She was, unfortunately, not psychic; all she saw a romantic moment between her Deku and another woman. It didn't matter that the girl was also his fiancé, the jealous anger was fierce and irrational. "You Icy-Hot BITCH! We all agreed to wait!"

Izuku pushed himself up and got between the two girls. "Kacchan, calm down! It was just an accident. There are more important things to worry about."

He was expecting the misunderstanding to devolve into another fight, but was pleasantly surprised when Katsu stopped in place and averted her eyes with a maidenly blush. "I-if you say so Master."

Izuku blinked as the words sank in. "Katsu… When and where did I propose to you?"

"Did you get some brain damage Deku?" Izuku managed to catch the slightest hint of a glow coming from a red choker on her neck before her posture and attitude swapped from annoyed to adoring. "Oh! I know! You were feeling nostalgic for when it was just the two of us! We were four, it was right after I fell off that log bridge and you helped me out of the river. I was so sad, but you did everything to make me feel better." She draped herself over him as green hearts formed in her eyes. "I never really paid you back for everything you did for me. Why don't we have a date this weekend and my brave hero can get his reward?"

Izuku was supremely uncomfortable. He could sense that this was Katsu, Efreet was all but draped over her. But at the same time, it was like she was someone else. The girl didn't do flirting. She was her mother's daughter; fiercely competitive, foul mouthed, crass, and with a temper that seemed to make anger their default emotion. Katsu was obviously not herself. Someone was controlling her. So that meant he had to play along. "Umm… Why don't we do it … now?"

The hearts seemed to multiply as whatever was controlling Katsu made her coo and lean forward for a kiss. He did his best to play along, nervously leaning forward as his arm wrapped around her shoulder…

Only to pull away from the kiss at the last second, pulling the mind controlling choker off of the girl's neck. He watched as the control faded, and her face shifted from confusion to shock to furiously crimson. He cut in before she could speak, "Someone was using this collar to control you. I think this is part of a larger attack. You have to tell me who put this collar on you."

The explosive girl was red with either anger or embarrassment. "I did! I got it from Efreet!" Izuku flinched as she snatched the enchanted neckwear back. "And I'm not running away! I'm just going to train with Shitty Hair! Don't bother me!"

Izuku slowly lowered his arm as Katsu stormed out. "I feel like that was a test of some kind… and I think she failed…" He shook his head to dismiss the thoughts. He had to focus on the bigger problem; Stain was hunting students, and Izuku might be the only one who can stop the Hero Killer's rampage. Katsu would…

Izuku froze as a terrifying thought came to him. Katsu was never afraid to show what she could do. She was loud, brash, and loved attention. She was probably on the top of Stain's list for false heros-in-training.

"Shojo, more ice! Make it thicker this time!" He refused to let his Katsu be hurt by that maniac. Angry Katsu was still better than hurt Katsu.

-Combat Training, Girl's Locker Room-

Ochako had been watching Izuku and Katsu. She didn't catch it right away, but there was something between them. The explosive girl was as possessive as ever, but wasn't shooting her normal longing glances at the idol. In fact, she hadn't said anything to Izuku all day. Izuku hadn't said anything to the explosive girl either, but at least he'd look at her before looking away with a scowl.

The two had seemed fine last night. Maybe something happened this morning while she was sleeping in?

The only way to find out was to ask the fourth member of their little family. "Hey Shojo, you get up early, right? Do you know what's up with Izu and Katsu?"

The two-tone girl thought for a moment before shrugging. "Neither of them permanently scarred the other…" She slid her top on before finishing her answer. "So I can't think of anything that could make them act like that." She clipped her belt together and glanced at Ochako. "You can try asking Bakugou. Though you should probably finish getting dressed so you aren't late for class."

Ochako looked at herself in a mirror. Her costume was already on, though the spandex leotard probably looked rather lacking without the bulky gloves and boots that were supposed to match. "Sylph will take care of it. I transform into her clothes whenever I want anyway. These are basically my patrolling pajamas."

Shojo closed her locker. "Can you really trust the spirit that much? What if Sylph can't help?"

The bubbly girl waved off the concerns. "Sylph explained everything; She's part of me. It's like having a second quirk!" She did a spin and struck a pose. "Minus Gravity Sylph!"

"Ribbit. What're you talking about?"

The two girls whirled around to locate the interloper into their conversation. They were greeted by the blank face of froggy classmate. Shojo mentally scrambled for something to say, but Ochako's unfiltered thoughts came out first. "I was talking about how cool it is to have Sylph with me! It's like if your quirk was also your best friend that only Izuku and his other wives can see." She tilted her head in thought. "And Tokoyami. For some reason…" The bubbly girl glanced between Shojo and Fumi. She beckoned for the other girls to come closer. "Don't blow her cover, but I think that Tokoyami is secretly a time traveler from a future where she and Izuku were already married. She came back to prevent a terrible tragedy from happening and can't risk changing the future too much. That's why she has a spirit and hasn't even talked to Izuku yet."

An explosion came from a few feet away. It was Katsu's way of reminding everyone, "I'm right here, and in a pretty bad fucking mood."

Most of the girls got the hint and left.

Eijiko didn't, and was volunteered to help Katsu warm up. Unfortunately, Kirishima didn't realize that it was supposed to be a punishment.

-Combat Training, Boy's Locker Room-

Izuku stared at his costume. He ran his fingers over the identifying crests of Quirk Labs and their genius designers. This was the culmination of the thousands of design offers he had received ever since he declared that he still wanted to be a hero even after becoming an idol.

The overall design was fairly simple and practical. A spaulder and armored sleeve for his right shoulder, forearm guards, Shin guards, a heavy belt holding up a ring of armor and his utility pouches, a circlet to keep hair out of his eyes, a respirator necklace with trailing bunny ears, and finally, a shield carried on his back. All of it was decorated in green with accents of gold and red.

All of the important armor pieces were present. It would offer a balance of protection, flexibility, weight, and presentation. There were just two problems with it. One; the codpiece. He appreciated the idea of the protection, and his fans probably agreed. The only problem was the prominence. The designer just couldn't resist framing it in a horse shoe and making it gold. Set against the red cloth of the loose trousers. If that wasn't bad enough, the look of strip club harem prince was furthered by issue number two; there was no shirt to cover his unarmored chest. Instead the designer included some kind of aromatic oil, and that was it.

Sure, the oil was supposedly a wonder substance that protected from the elements, but he'd dealt with Quirk Labs enough to recognize a fetish project.

He was tempted to just wear his gym clothes, but the contract clearly stated that any unauthorized modification of the costume was considered a breach of contract. He had better things to do than spend 20 hours getting his synergy boosted even higher.

"Izuku, you've been staring at your costume and muttering for the last five minutes. Is this going to be a habit?"

Izuku didn't even attempt to hide the disappointment in his voice as he turned to Ojiro. "I'm supposed to wear a coat of oil instead of a shirt."

"Ooh la lah!" Aoyama's voice floated over without a trace of understanding. "If you need someone to help apply the oil-" At this point he posed for a non-existant camera. "I'd be more than glad to help you out, Ma chere."

Izuku barely kept in his flinch at the improper grammar. The half twitch was taken as an invitation for Sero to throw in his two cents. "Now you make it awkward, Aoyama. You can't force stuff like that. It's only the second day, you ouiaboo."

Izuku sighed and tore open a pouch of the oil. No one pities the perfect kid.

-Combat Training, Outside Complex C-

All Might looked at the assembled group of students. Despite all the changes that had happened to the world since he graduated, at least the students' attitudes were still largely the same. Most of the class showing off their cool designs. a stray complaint. a costume a little more revealing than expected. young perverts openly leering. healthy young adults covertly appreciating. It all sent a wave of nostalgia over the number one hero. "That's enough. You can't just look like heroes, you need to be able to actually beat the villains! That's what this class is all about! It's COMBAT TRAINING!" The class gave an excited cheer and descended into a mass of question. The man gave a forceful cough and pulled out a script. "The scenario is this: you will be split into groups of four, two of you as heroes and two as villains. The villains have stolen a nuclear missile and are hiding in the building! It's the heroes' job to pursue them! The heroes win if they can capture both villains or the missile. But the villains win if they defeat the heroes, or escape capture for twenty minutes!" he pulled out a stack of index cards and handed them out to the students. "These cards have your group number and team on them. Whoever's in group one, head towards the building!"

Izuku and Tokoyami stepped forward as the villains, with Ochako and Katsu as the heroes. All Might muttered something about shuffling the cards better as the handed over the building maps and papier Mache bomb.

-With Izuku and Tokoyami-

"…"

"…"

"…"

"Your quirk… Dark Shadow is stronger where it's darker, right? Do you want to put the missile in one of the darker rooms?"

"… Dark Shadow is at your command, if you have the will to tame her. The lights will still be enough for control."

"Is this spot good?"

"It is defensible."

"… "

"…"

"… it will probably take them a few minutes to figure out where we are… Katsu will be scouring every inch of every floor starting from the bottom…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"… How have you been doing lately? I haven't seen you since…"

"Shadow has been constantly warring for control without a master. She is patient at the moment. You bested her once before. She is eager for another confrontation."

Izuku turned to look directly at Tokoyami. Even in the dim light he could still see the black silhouette looming over the girl. "So then… Dark Shadow is a spirit. And the previous summoner is dead."

Fumi nodded. "Without Shadow, my power was unhelpful darkness. It was villainous. I was mocked, denied, and darkness very nearly took me. But Chigiri believed in me. He guided me away from my dark instincts, sought a way to change my quirk, and created a miracle by re-discovering summoning." A tear was rolling down her face as Dark Shadow began to drape over her.

"What was he like?"

"He was everything. He was the order of my life that restrained my Darkness. My light. I loved, he cared and ordered. but loved? nevermore… Without him there is only Darkness and Shadow with his memories my only guide. Unless a new master will fill me."

Izuku solemnly held forward his hand. The ring of the pact glinted in the dim light. "He saved me once, when I was kidnapped. He asked that I tried to be your friend, and I intend to fulfill that promise. I am not Chigiri. I don't know you anywhere near as well as he did. But I am here, and I'll do anything I can to help you."

Tokoyami smiled as she slid her ring onto her finger. "Thank you, Izuku. I vow myself to you as-" She choked on her words as the building shook and the lights went out.

Izuku stumbled to his feet in near total darkness. "Fumi! Are you okay? I think Katsu took out the power. Fumi?"

The darkness whispered in his ear. "vow with Chigiri… annulled… New Master… Show your strength…"

-With Katsu and Ochako-

"Stupid Sexy Nerd, hiding and trying to run up the clock instead of facing us. How am I supposed to remind you how much of a badass I am if you just hide?"

"Is he really hiding though? I mean, we haven't found him, but we've only looked through the first floor. Maybe he's just higher up."

Katsu rounded on the bubbly girl. "That's exactly what he wants you to think! He knows we'll get sick of thoroughly searching each floor, and hide one floor above where we expect! We need to keep searching carefully until we find him, even if he's on the top floor!"

Ochako tilted her head. "But if he knows you, won't he know that you won't give up searching and just go to the top floor anyway?"

Katsu ponded her fist against the wall, leaving a sizeable hole and killing the lights. The fiery girl lit herself in flames to compensate. "But he knows that we know that he knows that we know that he knows-"

"Do you hear something?"

"-that we know that he knows that we know-"

"It sounds kind of like darkness rubbing against itself"

"-that he knows that he knews he knows the we know he knows the nose goes-"

"I think there's something coming this way."

"Don't change the subject! Izu-" Katsu's comment was cut short by an enormous sword made out of pure darkness piercing through the ceiling and landing between them.

A moment of silence stretched between the two girls.

"Alright. We'll take that as a sign."

-Izuku and Fumi-

"…Darkness…"

Izuku rolled out of the way right as Shadow drove a blade of darkness right through the ground where he had been laying moments before. "Think. There has to be some way to beat her. I can get more light in here if I open the door, but she won't let me just walk over and open it."

"…Bleed…"

He heard the sound of Shadow forming a number of small objects and dodged to the side just in time for a brace of throwing knives to whistle past his ear and tear through the metal of the door. "Why didn't I think of this while choosing a spot? I knew Fumi might lose control and didn't even choose the room with a door that faced the sun!"

"…Crumble…"

He managed to reflect a sword strike with his spaulder and retaliate with a solid punch. It sent his opponent into the far wall and gave him a second to breathe. "If I can't get to the door, and it isn't facing the right way, then I just need to make my own door!"

Izuku charged his body with 50% and strained his eyes to catch his prey is the slight glow that the power provided.

"…Suffer…"

Stygian orbs formed a cage around him as Shadow raced to skewer him with her bade of darkness. He stood his ground. At the last second, he slid under her blade and drove his fist into her gut.

The spirit flew through the wall and sunshine streamed into the room.

Izuku held his position with fist outstretched. "I promised Fumi that I would help her. And I made a vow; I made a vow to myself to always be strong enough to save others!"

"…good…" "…won't …hold back…"

Izuku felt his blood chill as five identical copies of Shadow walked into the room. The women had dark purplish skin, red eyes, and raven hair covering one eye and running down their faces like the beaks of birds. They wore armor on their shoulders, forearms, chest, and hips, as well as an array of mandible-like guards closed around her body which were adorned with inward facing spikes.

His examination was cut short when Katsu kicked open the actual door on the other side of the room. "The real battle starts now!"

-With Uraraka-

Ochako watched her boyfriend fight with more pleasure than she was willing to admit. She knew he was going to win, even though it looked like it was six on one. There's just no way that any girl could possibly do anything to harm a piece of art like him. Not to mention he was strong enough to break solid steel, and pulverize beds, or maybe that last one was just her dream.

Either way, Izuku was in no real danger, and she really wanted to join in. But the capture target was right there and no one was guarding it. Izuku would probably be sad with her if she didn't take the chance to win.

But was it really worth giving up the chance to get tossed around in costume by her husband?

Ochako nodded. She knew what she had to do.

-With Izuku-

"…Crumble…" "…Darkness…" "… Bleed…" "…Suffer…" "…Fade…"

"DIE NERD!"

"Tag!"

It was at that moment, in the chaos of the battlefield, as he was barely avoiding attacks from seven opponents, as he fought to prove himself and same Fumi, as he was pushed to his absolute limit, that Izuku came to a realization. "Combat" he mused, "Isn't really all that different from love. You need to understand your partners, be able to spot deceptions, dodge screaming hordes, guard your heart, and be able to capitalize on opportunities when they come." He flipped over a thrust from one of the Shadow clones, which walked right into a gout of brilliant flame from Katsu. Ochako raced at him, but had break off to avoid getting stabbed by the rain of knives a different clone had summoned. "And just like in love, everyone focuses on me, when the biggest threats to their goals are each other." He failed to deflect one of the knives and received a nasty cut across his unarmored shoulder.

He could hear All Might telling him to stop before anyone got hurt, but that wasn't important right now. He had to finish this, before he got too tired and made too many mistakes.

Lightning began to spark across his body as he fully opened himself to One for All. Red chords would around his body and he fortified himself for one devastating burst. Katsu, Ochako, and the three clones remaining standing all rushed to attack him together.

In a flash, everything was released. five strikes were delivered near simultaneously. Katsu and Ochako crumpled to the ground, barely conscious. The Shadow clones dissipated into wisps of darkness, before reforming into one kneeling body.

"…a new pact…vow…"

Time slowed to a stop as the spirits formed above their hosts. Fumi stayed kneeling with her head subserviently bowed. Katsu took one look around the grayed out world and groaned. Ochako was looking around with wonder in her eyes.

Izuku noted all of this in the back of his mind. At a calmer time he would have been muttering about the possible ramifications of the spirit hosts being included in the time-stop, but he was busy thinking of a vow.

"I desire the ability to see in the dark. In exchange I offer-"

"…no… not enough…be the hero… I gift you… Shadow Clones…"

Color returned to the world as Izuku tried to make heads or tails of what happened. "She didn't even listen to what I offered, how could she say it wouldn't be enough? What did she even want in return? What did my being a hero have to do with anything? And what did she mean by Shadow clones? Are they clones of her? I'll already be fighting by her side, why would that be helpful? And-"

"Release!"

Izuku was shocked out of his muttering by All Might's voice shouting through the earpiece. "THE HERO TEAM WINS BY CAPTURING THE DEVICE!"

The boy looked around for an explanation and saw a ring of capture tape that looked like someone had just dropped onto the fake device rather than actually wrapping around it. He looked at his bubbly fiancée and gave an encouraging smile. "Good job. Thanks for understanding and letting me finish the fight with Shadow before ending it." He tried to bend down to kiss her cheek, but his entire body flared with pain. As the adrenalin faded away, he began to realize just how much he hurt. It felt like he sprinted a mile while doing a deadlift.

He shifted his attention to the newest member of his little group. "Fumi, could you help us all get to Recovery Girl? She should be in the medical office across from the observation room. I don't know if Katsu and Ochako are in any shape to walk."

The girl's eyes brightened in as close to a smile as a bird could get. "Of course, Master."

-Observation Room-

All Might let out a mental sigh of relief when Izuku and his group walked through the door after a quick visit to Recovery Girl. The camera had a battery back-up and transmitted wirelessly, so the class could still watch. Though considering what happened, it might not have been for the best. Seeing Tokoyami lose control and attack Izuku was sure to change most of the class's opinion of her. Not to mention the fear he himself felt seeing Izuku go against seven opponents.

But that all had to be pushed aside to give a good lesson for the students. "Good job to both teams! Now, who was the M.V.P of that little trial? What are your thought? Yaoyarozu?"

"Katsu was obvious the best student. While Izuku may have won the combat, it was Katsu's leadership and distraction that allowed Ochako to set up the winning move. But she didn't go for the victory right away, instead she risked it by joining combat. Though Izuku performed admirably as well. He can't be expected to take care of everything by himself after all. If Tokoyami hadn't lost control, Izuku would likely have won."

All Might gave an awkward cough. "Yes, very good analysis. Now, who's next?"

Hanta Sero and Minori Mineta stepped forward as the villains, with Tenko Iida and mezoko Shoji as the heroes.

It didn't take long to notice that the villains were more interested in talking with each other than setting up traps. Whatever they were talking about had them totally absorbed, and vulnerable to the heroes. It wouldn't take long for the heroes to catch them once they were let in.

It wasn't much of a surprise when some students' attention strayed. And Izuku was always a favorite target for wandering thoughts.

Ojiro slid next to the idol, purposefully staying as far away from Tokoyami as possible. "Izuku, is Tokoyami… okay? Is she going to do that again?"

The idol glanced at the girl in question. She was being interrogated by Mina Ashido, with Shadow invisibly spinning dark lace above her. Izuku smiled at seeing the spirit doing something helpful. "Dark Shadow had a personal issue to resolve with me. She won't do it again."

Ojiro glanced at the dark girl again. "Just be careful. I can already tell that Katsu is volatile, and adding Tokoyami may make both of them worse."

"I'm planning to start as friends, see how the girls get along, not just automatically add her to the harem."

"Did you specifically say that, or is that an unspoken plan? Poor communication kills, you know."

"THE HERO TEAM WINS!"

"I'll talk more later, but I'm team 3 Villains."

"Nice knowing you. Shojo is team 3 Heroes. I don't think your tail can do much against a wall of ice."

"You never know. My partner might have something."

"No offense, but I don't think there's anyone left who can beat Shojo. Just take the loss like a hero and you'll be fine enough."

"Says the guy who just singlehandedly took out three of the top powerhouses in a seven-on-one brawl."

"They were hardly in top form. Ochako was pretty much just playing. Katsu was distracted, and I think Dark Shadow's clones split her power."

"TEAM 3 COME FORWARD!" Kyoka Jiro and Rikiko Sato stepped forward with Shojo and Ojiro. Izuku settled in for what would seemingly be another quick match.

Meanwhile, Mina continued her interrogation of Fumi. "Seriously girl, you have to give me more than 'it was necessary'! What made it necessary? What happened when everything went dark? How are you going to repay him for saving you? What were you talking about before the blackout? Is it true that he had to marry you if you had beaten him?"

"When one goes on flights of fancy, they should always keep track of the ground. He tamed Dark Shadow, and for that alone he deserved my heart mind and body. But he shall have whatever he pleases as my master."

Mina put on a scandalized face but couldn't hide her excitement. "Fumi, you pervert! That's what you were doing in the dark? Scandalous!"

The dark girl tilted her head in confusion. "Dark Shadow had possessed me. It was a decisive conflict."

"Is that what you're calling it? Normally girls just act a little bratty if they want their man to get a little rough. Though… a gothic Lolita dress would look really good on you, you know?"

"If it would be pleasing to Master."

"Can you ask Izuku to make me a consultant? Please? This is too good to pass up!"

"I could not possibly make any demands after what Master has already done for me. You will need to consult with Lady Uraraka."

Ochako perked up when she heard her name. "A maid outfit would totally be better! Fumi has the breasts to really pull it off!"

Mina was barely holding back tears. "This might just be the greatest day of my life. I'm going to record your dorm life and make it a crime ending podcast. How can anyone be evil in the face of such pure adoring love!"

-Evening, Dark Alleyway-

"Hey there, young'uns! Isn't it a little early in the year to be doing work study? Ha!" A well-dressed civilian flagged down a pair of young heroes that were obviously out of their element. The pair made for an interesting contrast. Both wore dark clothing and had lighter hair, but that was where the similarities ended. One was fair skinned with blonde hair and was dressed immaculately in a double-breasted suit. The other had black skin, white hair, and looked more like something people would see in their nightmares than most male heroes would dare. "You sure you're old enough to be heroes? You look like you belong in first year!"

"We actually just graduated last year. Ketsubutsu. Endeavor wants a perfect map of every side street drawn from memory before he'll let us work with the rest of the Blazing Sidekickers."

"Ahh, the impatience of youth. And they get younger every year! I remember back when I had my own hero agency. Purple Revolution. I was one of the few males that made it as a hero. At least, until Garvey-"

"It would be our pleasure to prolong this discourse, but we must return to our patrols. We wish you a pleasant eventide." The two young adults hurried off into a back street before they huddled to talk. "Are you certain this is a wise course of action, Monoma? We are likely to be discovered, and our professors advised us to avoid unnecessary danger such as this."

"Don't worry about it Kuroiro. Between the two of us, I'm sure we can take down the Hero Killer. You just distract him long enough for me to copy his quirk, then I'll be able to take him down easy. We'll be Heroes, Komori will love you, and no one will even think about the quirkless wannabe."

A noise started both of them. The leapt to combat positions; Monoma taking up a guarded stance and Huroiro fading into the shadows lining the alley. It took a second for them to relax enough to realize it was just a cat that knocked over a glass bottle. The blonde began to laugh at his own fear.

The darker boy put a hand on the other boy's shoulder. "Our cognition is not suitable for this endeavor. We should retreat before-"

"What do we have here? Two hero students out hunting for fame and glory by bagging the Hero Killer?" Stain's presence loomed over the two students. He hadn't done anything, but they were paralyzed by his mere presence. "You are the exact kind of false heroes that are rotting this society."

The two students could only shake as the Hero Killer slowly approached them. Kuroiro sunk back into the shadows, leaving the copy quirk alone user to face the villain.

"And here I had hoped that U.A. had finally started to recognize true Heroes with Izuku, but that was obviously a fluke if they let you in."

The insult finally motivated the terrified boy to speak. "He's nothing! A quirkless hero can't exist!"

Stain continued advancing. "So your blind and a hypocrite as well as being a fake." He reached out and grabbed the boy by the throat. "What's the matter? Did your foolish insecurity bite your tongue, little copycat?" The blonde tried to speak, but Stain slammed him against the wall. The villain smiled when he saw a crimson drop begin to well up on the boy's tongue. "Heroes aren't about quirks, or fame, or girls, or money! I'm going to take back what it means to be a hero, even if it has to be one drop of blood at a time."

Monoma tried to grab the Hero Killer's arm to use his quirk, but felt his entire body go numb the second he touched the man's skin.

Stain let him drop to the ground. A black arm shot out of the shadows, but Stain casually dodged the grasping limb and sliced it open with the blade in his hand. The hand tried to grab Monoma and escape, but the other student suddenly felt himself to numb and fall out of the darkened wall.

Stain sighed as he pulled out a smaller blade. "I don't like killing children, but I won't hesitate if you show that you cannot learn." He carved a deep gash across both boy's faces. "Fakes like you could never beat me. Give up playing at being heroes. Or else I will kill you, along with every other fake until Izuku can properly grow and stand as a true hero!"

-Chapter 9 end-

So… quite a bit has happened since I last posted. New job, new house, new time zone, new worries. But that's not what you're here for.

I had a full explanation planned about how Synergy worked, and how quirks were passed down, and an even more detailed breakdown, but it just killed the pacing. So I'll leave the slightly less shortened version here. "Quirks are specific strings of genetic code passed along on the X chromosome. The entire sequence needs to be present for the quirk to work. There seems to be some kind of force that normally prevents the quirk possessed by a parent from being divided in the genetic shuffle, and they can even pick up stray code to strengthen the quirk. -Unless, or course, both parents have quirks that would overlap on the chromosome. In that case, the quirks do merge, but the mixture does not always result in something coherent. The scientists explain its like trying to make a new sentence by combining two other sentences randomly. Simple sentences are easy. Swap words from 'The dog is big' and 'Jane is a good girl' and you'll usually get something that makes sense. 'Jane is big.' 'the dog is a big girl.' Try to do the same with 'We hold these truth to be self evident; that all Men are created equal and endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights' and 'Rebel spaceships, striking from a hidden base, have won their first victory against the evil Galactic Empire.' A hilarious mess of nonsense will be the likely result. In the age of genetically complex quirks, bypassing the chance of that quirk mixing is an appealing prospect for many quirk marriages. - If you read that whole thing, I'm sorry. But now you know the sort of insanity that I put into world-building.

So, I had a joke planned about Izuku being a terrible cook, but everyone treating his food like its divine. Then I started thinking about how Shojo probably wouldn't know how to cook either. And Katsu's portion practically wrote itself. At that point, I figured why not made a "hand-crusher" joke about Katsu thinking that cooking makes you weaker.

Why did I introduce Stain early? This is a story that focuses on Izuku much more, and I wanted to set him up as a reoccurring anti-hero. In canon, Stain only has one encounter with the Heroes, then his legacy changes the status quo. I thought it would be fun to think about what he would do if he was free for a while after deeming Izuku worthy.

Here begins the semi-cliché arc of Katsu being insecure because Izuku is overshadowing her as a fighter, and she feels inadequate in terms of romance and domestics. It's a start of a payoff for Katsu's pact, and foreshadows renegotiating pacts.

Izuku's armor: I wanted a cross between actual armor, and a Chip n' Dale dancer. Honestly, it's pretty much just Link's Desert Voe armor from Breath of the Wild, with a few aspects from Izuku's canon costume.

Shadow's design is a mix of Veran from Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons, and shadow from Tales of Symphonia. I decided that I want the option for an actual kiss, I feel that having Shadow's hair resemble a curving beak is a decent compromise.

As for the actual vow, I really wanted to shake things up to show that Izuku really doesn't have everything figured out. Plus, as I learned back when I started reading Naruto fanfiction, Shadow Clones just make harems more fun.

I think that's everything I had on my mind. Next chapter will probably be shorter and more fluffy. Things like Fumi settling into the family, Kirishima becoming friends with Katsu, Mei "upgrading" Izuku's armor, setting up the next spirits, maybe a weekend sleepover, The guys of 1B trying to become friends with Izuku, Mina teaming up with Aoyama to play dress up with Izuku's girls. Less than half of these will probably be in the actual chapter, so let me know what catches your interest.

That's all for now. NoctisxSol, signing off.