As Deku ate with the young heroes, he couldn't shake the foreboding feeling of the upcoming war against the villains. He recognized the restaurant they were in as soon as the host delivered the food. He put an end to the original League in this very room. He remembered Toga getting seriously injured, forcing Spinner out of the fight. He remembered Todoroki going toe-to-toe against Dabi. He remembered the smell of burning flesh that belonged to the two Nomu he body-slammed into the bar. This was the same building...

The Symbol of Peace couldn't stop the name slip from his lips. "Tenko..." He whispered.

Mina, stuffing her face while sitting next to Deku, slurped her noodles down before asking him, "Who's Tenko?"

Midoriya coughed, spitting out some rice and alerting Uraraka next to him. She patted him on the back (with one of her fingers raised a little higher, so she doesn't accidentally Float him). "Uh...what?" Deku asked.

"Is he someone you know?" The acid-throwing hero asked.

Deku swallowed his food. "Um...yeah. I used to know him. This place is where I last saw him," he said.

"Ohhhh...okay," she said before getting back to her noodles.

The Symbol of Peace sighed, and he turned his attention to his younger self. He had finished coughing up his food, and with Uraraka leaning close to see if he was alright, Midoriya gave a sideways glance to his older self. As Deku raised his food, he pressed a finger to his lips before he started chewing. It was a sign of a conversation that they would have later.

Besides nearly dying to food, the rest of the lunch went swimmingly for the group. The Symbol watched as Yaoyorozu, Iida, and Todoroki reach for their wallets/purses. Before they could do anything, Deku grabbed the debit card given to him by Principal Nezu and handed it to the waitress. The three wealthiest students in the class looked at him with the realization that they were being treated to the full lunch without the expectation to pay for their meals.

With full stomachs and tempers...uh, tempered, the group walked out of the restaurant and toward the Tokyo Tower.


Instead of splitting off into groups like he initially thought, Deku found himself following the group as they all toured through the streets of Minato. Kaminari and a few others would ask the group to wait as they rushed into a few stores to look at what makes a tourist think, "Wow, what an amazing country!" When Mina said that, some of the group laughed.

Deku smiled. He liked seeing everyone relax and enjoy themselves. He noticed that some of them, including Mina and Yaoyorozu, walked stiffly compared to the others. During their training sessions, he might've asked them to go overboard. The acid-throwing hero got paired with Todoroki with some close-quarters combat and agility training. While Mina had Todoroki beat in agility, they both needed to refine their combat prowess, so relying on their Quirks wouldn't be necessary.

After a few stops at some shops, Kaminari and Kirishima walked out of one particular shop with bags in their hands. "Oi, Bakugo, I got you a Hello Kitty bobblehead!"

"Do you want to die, Duncehead?" Bakugo retorted.

"Aww, c'mon, just say "thank you" and take it!"

"I AIN'T TOUCHING THAT SHIT!"

"But...Kacchan, don't you have that one alr-"

"DON'T. YOU. DARE!"

Uraraka snickered. "He has one already?" She asked.

"Is it the same one?" Mina wondered.

"If there's one, there's gotta be more, right?" Kirishima mused.

Deku smiled. "Well..."

Bakugo whipped his head at his chaperone. "Don't..."

Deku's smile only got wider. "I'm just playing with you. You don't own a single Hello Kitty bobblehead," he said.

The explosive young hero didn't say anything. He rolled his eyes and kept walking. Kaminari reached into the bag and grabbed the bobblehead before chasing down his friend. Kirishima smirked at the display and ran up to them. The rest of the group continued their walk through the city.

As they did, Deku surveyed the city once more. Huh, I remember that building. I threw All for One through that one with a charged-up Delaware Smash. He shrugged it off, but it felt good to hit him...

He turned to a nearby plaza. It was full of people chatting and eating. Kirishima took down Rappa over there. I'm glad someone recorded it, though...

He looked up to the roof of one of the towering buildings. And the lovely Lady Nagant. She almost shot my ass off from there...I wonder how she's doing.

His thoughts were cut short when Uraraka waved her hand in front of him. "-Ku! Deku!"

The Symbol of Peace shook his head, throwing out his trip down memory lane. His vision readjusted, allowing him to see that most of the group had disappeared, leaving Uraraka and him behind. He looked around with wide eyes. "W-Where did they-?"

Uraraka pointed at a nearby museum. "Bakugo and Kirishima ran in there, for some reason. Kaminari ran after them, prompting Jiro and Yao-Momo to follow. Deku ran in while Mina is getting us ice cream," she said.

"And Iida?" Deku asked.

"Started running when Bakugo stormed through the door," she said. "You looked out of it, so I decided to stay."

Deku processed all of it for a moment, and once he did, he chuckled. "Katsuki used to love that place when we were kids. When he wasn't parading through parks with his "friends," we would go in there sometimes and gawk at the art they had there," he said. "I honestly forgot it exists in this time period."

"You...forgot?" She wondered.

Deku nodded. "Gigantomachia destroyed that museum during the war. When the battle was over, there was no way to salvage anything from there. In the end, the city decided to build a memorial there," he said.

"That guy freaks me out. Did we beat him?" Uraraka asked.

Deku tapped his fingers. "Well...we did, and we didn't. Without a master, Gigantomachia had no purpose. He found some undisturbed wilderness in...Russia, I think? He's being monitored by seasoned and strong heroes out there, so he isn't a threat."

Uraraka's eyes widened. "And you're telling me because...?"

"Because nothing you say or do can change his fate. He's too powerful for anyone excluding me and All for One, and since the Demon King is out of the picture, I'm not going to kill him in cold blood, nor can I throw him in prison for not having free will," Deku said.

Uraraka didn't immediately respond, prompting Deku to turn his attention to the museum. He crossed his arms over his chest and sighed heavily. The anti-gravity girl eyed the gold ring on his right hand. "Soo...about that ring..."

Deku turned to the young hero and then to his hand. "Oh...this?"

Uraraka nodded. "Isn't it, on the other hand? To show that you're married."

"Yeah...sometimes I get that mixed up. I sometimes wear it on the left when I shouldn't...yet," Deku said.

"Oh...so you're engaged?" Uraraka wondered.

Deku smiled. "Yeah...it's still unreal to me. For a formerly Quirkless kid, marrying sometime doesn't seem likely, unless it's with another Quirkless person or a Quirked person with a heart. Seeing this ring on my finger makes me think about how far I've come as a person," he said.

Uraraka kept her eyes on the ring. She grabbed the bottom of her shirt and held it tightly. "So...um...who're you marrying?" She asked.

Deku didn't say anything. Instead, he glanced in her direction. "Who do you think?"

The anti-gravity girl thought about it for a moment. Her eyes widened as she met Deku's gaze. "M-Me?!"

Deku nodded. "What? You didn't think that our relationship would only last a year or two, did you?"

"W-Well...no, but...12 years is a long time, isn't it?"

"Well...yeah, but given our jobs and how busy we've been, I'd say it was at the right time," he said. "And we've been engaged for about 2 years now, so I think the timing was right."

Uraraka felt her face blush. "I...I was wondering about that, honestly. If you...I mean, if he becomes Number One, Deku will be pretty busy. You sound busy in the future," she said.

"Yeah, I am busy. I'm buried in paperwork at home; I'm raising and protecting Eri as best as I can, I'm giving 110% of my power to ensure that Japan remains in a state of peace while continuously struggling against the Chaos King, and I'm stuck in the past with no way home," he said. "That doesn't even compare to the overseas jobs I've done to help stabilize a post-Paranormal Liberation Front world."

"And that's just you?" Uraraka asked.

Deku shook his head. "Have you watched the video called The All-Might Dilemma?" He asked.

Uraraka shook her head. "Well, it was a popular video back before he retired. A panel of former pro heroes sat around and discussed All Might's presence in Japan and the overall crime rate. With him as the Symbol of Peace, crime briefly increased by 15% over the first 10 years of his career. After that decade anniversary, crime fell by 43% annually, eventually landing us with the lowest crime rate in the world," he said. "The panel discussed this while also highlighting the dangers of having only one pillar of justice. They talked about how an over-reliance on him would eventually lead to a sharp rise in crime and an increase in celebrity-type heroes."

"Celebrity-type?" Uraraka wondered.

Deku nodded. "Heroes who focus more on public relations than keeping the peace. Usually, they spend more time in photoshoots or are shackled to numerous companies for advertisement purposes. They'll beat a purse-snatcher or two to keep the image fresh," he said.

Uraraka glanced at the museum. Nobody had returned yet. "But at the end of the video, the panel discussed the possibility of All Might retiring. They debated whether the title of "Symbol of Peace" should remain with him or be passed on. They also debated on who would succeed him to maintain the peaceful society he helped create," he continued. "It's an interesting video to watch. I have the video saved on my phone."

Uraraka tilted her head. "It is? Why do you watch it?"

"Because I need to constantly remind myself that I cannot afford to follow in his footsteps. I am the Ninth and final wielder of One for All, and the next generation of heroes cannot rely on it forever," Deku said. "So I will fight to protect the new world and its new peace, but I refuse to be the only pillar of justice."

The anti-gravity girl nodded slowly. "It makes sense..."

Deku nodded. He looked up to see the majority of the group emerge from the museum with smiles on their faces. Mina had run to greet them with two ice cream cones in hand. "Hey, you two! Ochaco, I got your green tea mochi cream and Deku...I honestly don't know what you like, so I got vanilla," she said with a smile on her face.

Deku smiled as he took the cone. "Thank you, Ashido. Vanilla actually sounds good right now," he said.

Uraraka took her cone with a smile on her face. "I'll pay you back later," she promised.

"Ahhh, don't sweat it, 'Chaco! I gotta get more for everyone else!"

Deku was about to eat his ice cream, but he was hit with a splitting headache before he could. Danger Sense immediately activated, and a glance at his younger self revealed that he felt the same thing. Mina turned to run to the ice cream shop for more, but before she could, an explosion boomed, drowning the group in the shockwave.

Thankfully, the explosion wasn't from the ice cream shop. The explosion originated from behind them, down the block and near the shop where Kirishima and Kaminari got their Hello Kitty bobbleheads. Civilians started to run past the group, screaming in terror.

Deku dropped his ice cream cone and ran toward the danger. The young heroes chased after him with bags and ice cream left behind. The Symbol of Peace tapped on his bracelets, activating his gauntlets. "If any of you have the equipment, I suggest getting them on. Emergency use is authorized!" He declared.

Uraraka reached into her bag and grabbed Midoriya's Air Force gloves. "DEKU!"

She tossed them at the young inheritor, and he caught them with ease. He slipped them on and caught up to his older self. Behind them, Uraraka slipped on her bracelets, Iida blasted his pant legs off, revealing his engines, and Kirishima's sleeves tore off when he hardened his arms. Everyone else either didn't have their gear or were already wearing them, like Mina with her Acid-Proof Boots.

When they arrived, Deku noticed some local heroes leading people away from the source of the explosion. Two battle heroes were fending off a large villain as he wrecked the shops. Two thinner villains were wielding weapons, keeping the heroes from getting too close.

Deku's eyes widened when he got a good look at them. They all wore matching 3-piece suits and identical pins on their jackets—the Chaos Star belonging to the Discorders.

The large villain raised his arms, ready to cause more damage to one of the shops. Deku growled and threw his hand out. "Black Whip: LOCKDOWN!" He declared.

The villains turned to Deku, and before they could react, tendrils of black energy wrapped around them, disarming them and preventing any more damage. The local heroes, including the one they passed on the street, turned to the Symbol. "You're a hero?" He asked.

Deku nodded. "I'm off-duty but always ready to help," he said.

The hero sighed. He looked behind the Symbol to see the young heroes running up to him. "Oi, kids! Autographs will come later, got it? Get outta here!" The hero ordered.

"They're Class 2-A U.A. High Hero Course students. They're all card-carrying provisional heroes and are my responsibility," Deku said.

The pro hero turned to the kids. "Them? Really?"

"YEAH? WE'RE MORE FAMOUS THAN YOU!" Bakugo bellowed out.

"Just ignore him," Deku told the hero.

"EHH?!"

Deku sighed and tightened his grip on the villains, and pulled them close. "Which of you is leading this team, huh?" He asked.

The two lanky villains turned to each other and laughed. "Who the hell are ya, huh? Such bravado for an unknown hero!" One of them said.

"He probably just went pro and thought he was a bigshot!" The other said.

Deku pulled tighter while also flashing Paraly-Stare. The flash sent a jolt through the villains, causing the big villain to scream. "W-WHAT WAS THAT!"

"WAS THAT A QUIRK?" One of the lanky villains screamed.

Yaoyorozu, who was the last to arrive, glanced at Deku. She saw the flash of blue, and judging from everyone else's reactions, nobody else did. It lasted for less than a second. So that's what he does with it...he ensnares villains and uses the power to get their attention if nothing else works. If he did that for interrogations, the police and a lawyer would probably throw out the statements. A quick flash would go unnoticed by any supervising heroes, she thought.

"Answer my question!" Deku boomed.

The lanky villains continued to struggle. One of them tried pulling himself out of the trap by expanding his shoulders, but Black Whip held a tight grip on him. "T-The boss won't be happy when he hears about this!" He grunted.

Deku loosened his grip. "Your boss?" He wondered.

Behind the villains, a hero was sent flying into the street. Two more villains appeared behind them, also wearing suits. Deku watched as one more villain appeared. A villain he recognized all too well. The recognition caused the Symbol to drop Black Whip.

"My, my...I'm so disappointed in you, Deku," the villain said. "Using the Second User's power to claw information out of my employees is downright criminal."

Uraraka and Bakugo's eyes widened. "But what else can I expect from a super-powered thug like you?"

Deku growled. The ashen-gray skin of the leader of the Discorders caused his blood to boil. The villain was massive with a military-style cut. His suit was just as big, with a Chaos Star pinned to his chest. The star had a crown on it. "Chaos King..."

The Chaos King smiled. "Izuku Midoriya...it's been a while. Let's chat a bit," he said.


In the future...

Uravity and the other members of the Toshinori Agency crowded behind the anti-gravity hero as they all stared at the computer screen. Creati had a hand over her mouth while Pinky and Red Riod looked green. DynaMight had his fists clenched and his teeth gritting against themselves. Uravity had her composure kept, but the fire in her eyes was hard to ignore.

Across from them, Abigail Winters stood there with her tablet close to her chest. Her eyes were dead as she stared at the floor in front of the desk. "As you can see, this is only a small fraction of his crime. As it turns out, he's been smuggling innocent people from around the world to fuel his Quirk trade. Nobody is safe from his trafficking operation," she said.

Red Riot, dressed in casual wear due to his off-duty status, looked up at her. "I-Is he for real?"

Abigail nodded. "The list is accurate. Someone has been keeping tabs on the Chaos King's crimes, and they're all documented, up to last week's latest Quirk deal in Afghanistan. It looks like the trafficking operations aren't listed until the shipments arrive at the country of choice, and ever since the Chaos King vanished, there haven't been any reports," she said.

Pinky turned away from the monitor. "So it's true...he took Eri's Quirk. My God..."

Uravity sighed and hung her head. She tightened her fist and slammed it on the desk, causing everyone to jump in surprise. She pushed herself away from the desk and stood up, causing everyone to step back. The anti-gravity hero eyes Abigail. "We'll get started immediately. Make the call," she said.

Abigail nodded. Uravity turned to her friends. "Let's nail this son of a bitch to the wall," she said.


I hope you have enjoyed the story so far, and remember: feedback is appreciated. I want to know how you guys feel about it and call out any errors I may've missed. I hope you have a good day and I'll see you all later.

-Newage