Boku no Hero Academia: Izuku's Pet Noumu

Disclaimer: This is a mature-rated fanfiction story of Boku no Hero Academia that I am writing for both fluffy and erotic fun. Needless to say, this story is AU, the characters may seem OOC to some and there will be smutty lemons. Also, I own nothing of the series other than the fanfiction stories that I make.

Chapter 9: Internships Part 3

Izuku, Wankuro and Eri had a light breakfast before entering a training room where Centipeder, Mirio and Kaoruko were waiting for them. Mirio grinned at them and said, "I hope you two are ready for your training because we won't hold back!"

"Wan-chan and I wouldn't have it any other way," replied Izuku who had a determined smile on his face.

Wankuro grinned as she spoke to Mirion, "It'll be fun!"

Centipeder stepped forward and said, "If that's the case, then please step forward, Midoriya. I will be your sparring partner."

--Round One: Izuku Vs Centipeder…--

While Wankuro, Eri, Mirio and Kaoruko stood at the sidelines of the training area, Izuku and Centipeder stood in the middle of it. Once everyone was in position, Mirio yelled, "Ready… fight!"

Izuku immediately jumped back while flicking his fingers with 20% of One For All to counter Centipeder's quirk. As a fan of pro-heroes, with a keen interest in quirks as well, he knew that Centipeder had long centipede-like limbs hidden beneath his clothes. He therefore hoped that he could prevent Centipeder from using his quirk by shooting shock waves of air at him while backing away to gain some distance. However, Centipeder was able to block the shock waves by coiling his extended limbs around himself to form a protective barrier.

Although Izuku realised that he could not harm Centipeder with his shock waves, he kept flicking his fingers with the intention of pinning him down. However, Centipeder's legs suddenly extended to leap over Izuku. Realising that Centipeder was above him and was about to attack, Izuku immediately activated 15% of One For All so that he could escape from Centipeder's long grasp. Izuku was barely able to avoid getting restrained by Centipeder's extended limbs.

Centipeder quickly retracted his four limbs as he landed and then extended his arms again to keep the pressure on Izuku who was forced to use his powerful finger flicks to keep the extended arms at bay. Realising that he could not avoid Centipeder's extended attacks indefinitely, Izuku decided to take a risky gamble and "skated" towards Centipeder with his floating ability activated. Centipeder quickly extended both of his arms to restrain Izuku but the boy was able to avoid getting caught by sliding beneath them. As Izuku continued to skate towards Centipeder, the pro-hero's extended limbs coiled around so that his pincer-tipped arms could attack Izuku from behind. Sensing the incoming attack, Izuku leapt forward to avoid the attack without stopping his charge towards his opponent.

Centipeder smirked as he had secretly extended his left leg so that it could suddenly attack Izuku while he was in mid-air. Indeed, the boy was quickly knocked down by the extended leg which went behind Centipeder and attacked Izuku's left side. The pro-hero's extended left leg then quickly restrained Izuku.

After a bit of struggling, Izuku gave up when three pairs of pincers quickly clamped onto his neck and two legs. He knew about Centipeder's ability to inject venom into his enemies to cause intense pain and he did not want to risk getting poisoned over a friendly training spar.

Needless to say, Centipeder won the match but the pro-hero was pleased by Izuku's abilities and said, "I'm impressed. Few have managed to last this long against me or make me use three of my four limbs. I can see now why you're one of the finalists of the sports festival."

Izuku grinned happily and said, "Thank you, Centipeder. Your quirk's really amazing. I didn't even know your left leg was extended until it literally slammed into me while I was in mid-air."

"If there is one thing you should learn from this match is to always be watchful for surprise attacks from anyone," advised Centipeder.

"Yes, sir!" replied Izuku.

--Round Two: Wankuro Vs Kaoruko--

Wankuro grinned as she looked forward to sparring with Kaoruko. As for the blue-skinned girl, she grinned mischievously as she had a plan to counter Wankuro.

As soon was Centipeder announced the start of the match, Wankuro charged forward. However, when Wankuro saw and, more importantly, smelt Kaoruko's bubbles, she immediately retreated with a comically disgusted expression on her face. Wankuro's eyes were filled with tears as she pinched her nose and exclaimed, "Stinky bubbles!"

While Wankuro was pinching her nose to keep the horrid stench out of her nostrils, Kaoruko grinned at her and explained, "My quirk allows me to make bubbles that are filled with an aroma that I have smelled at least once before. This means that I can create bubbles that smell bad enough to drive away wild animals."

Izuku, who was standing at the sidelines with Centipeder, Mirio and Eri, rubbed his chin thoughtfully and said, "Wan-chan can actually just use her flames to get rid of the bubbles and defeat Bubble girl but, since she agreed to not use her flames against her as we don't want to accidentally destroy another building, she'll have to find another way to defeat her."

"Indeed," agreed Centipeder who then added, "An opponent who can create horrid stenches are a bad match for her unless she finds a way to counter it."

"So, how do you think your sister will deal with the bubbles?" asked Mirio.

"Well, a good gust of wind should be enough to blow them away so Wan-chan will probably have to make one," said Izuku.

Wankuro's ears twitched as her keen sense of hearing picked up Izuku's response to Mirio's question. She grinned as she breathed in as much air as her lungs could hold while forcing herself to ignore the stench. Then, she huffed and puffed with all her might.

Yes, Wankuro was using a signature "Big Bad Wolf" technique.

Kaoruko's eyes widened she she was hit by a powerful gust of wind. She struggled to stay standing while her bubbles were blown away. As soon as the gust of wind died down, she hastily tried to make more bubbles only to be tackled by Wankuro. Unfortunately for Wankuro, Kaoruko did not stop producing bubbles while tackled which meant that she quickly got a face-full of smelly bubbles.

Unable to bear the stench, Wankuro was reduced to rolling onto the ground while holding her nose and making comically high-pitched screams of pure agony. Needless to say, Kaoruko won the match.

--One quick shower later…--

Wankuro looked like a kicked puppy as she pitifully whimpered, "My nose's numb."

Izuku smiled while petting her consolingly and said, "It's all right, Wan-chan. You did your best." Eri hugged Wankuro to comfort her while ignoring the lingering bad smell which still clung onto her.

Kaoruko wore a guilty smile and said, "Sorry about that, Wan-chan."

"While there is no doubt that you did not use all of your abilities while sparring with Bubble Girl, your fire being the most obvious one, there's also no doubt that your keen sense of smell can be as much of a detriment as it is an asset," said Centipeder who then added, "I would therefore recommend that you get some nose plugs and maybe some ear plugs in case you need to avoid suffering another sensory overload." Wankuro nodded meekly while hugging Eri for comfort.

Seeing Wankuro's pitiful state, Izuku asked Centipeder, "Is it all right if we end the training for now? I'd rather have Wan-chan be able to pay attention while I spar with anyone and I honestly don't think Wan-chan is in any mood for sparring at the moment."

Centipeder nodded and replied, "A perfectly understandable reason. We will continue training just before we have lunch."

"Speaking of lunch, do you three have anything in mind?" asked Mirio.

"I would like to have some Katsudon," answered Izuku.

"What's katsudon?" asked Eri.

Izuku smiled at Eri and said, "It's my favourite food. Would you like to have some?" Feeling curious about the said food item, Eri nodded while blushing.

"Then how about we get some Katsudon for everyone for lunch? We can also grab some dessert while we're at it," said Mirio.

"Sounds good," said Centipeder who then asked Izuku, Wankuro and Eri, "What kinds of desserts to you want to have?"

"Dessert?" asked Eri.

"It's something we eat after having our meal. It's usually something sweet," explained Kaoruko.

"Can I have some apples then?" asked Eri who was obviously excited for apples.

"Sure thing!" said Kaoruko.

It was quickly decided that lunch was going to be katsudon with apples for dessert. For safety reasons, Izuku and Wankuro stayed in the agency building with Eri and Kaoruko while Mirio and Centipeder sneaked out of the building to quickly buy the food.

--Round Three: Izuku Vs. Mirio…--

The third round of training occurred just before lunch.

Wankuro had recovered enough from her "traumatic" fight with Kaoruko to be able to pay attention while Izuku sparred with Mirio. Neither Kaoruko nor Centipeder commented when Wankuro decided to stay away from the blue-skinned pro-heroine while holding Eri in her arms. It wasn't as though they did not understand Wankuro's acquired apprehension towards the pro-heroine who could produce extremely smelly bubbles. After all, wolves and bears could easily kill skunks with their raw physical abilities but they would rather stay away from them to avoid their foul stench.

As soon as Izuku and Mirio were in position, Centipeder yelled, "Ready… start!"

Izuku stood his ground to cautiously observe Mirio when the blond boy suddenly phased into the ground and disappeared. Immediately sensing danger, Izuku quickly leapt upwards and floated to avoid getting an uppercut from Mirio who suddenly emerged from below. Realising that Mirio had some sort of phasing ability while watching the blond boy phase back into the ground, Izuku kept a watchful eye for him to reappear.

While Izuku tried to locate Mirio and predict where he could appear next, the said blond boy thought, "His floating ability's more troublesome than I thought. I can't use sneak attacks against him like this." Mirio then wore a grin as he mentally added, "However, my quirk's useful for more than just sneak attacks!"

Izuku's eye's widened as he saw Mirio leaping out of the ground right towards him. He quickly flicked his fingers with 20% of One For All to create shock waves that would knock Mirio down. However, the shock waves harmlessly phased through Mirio who quickly grabbed hold of Izuku's leg before he could react and threw him towards the ground.

Izuku focused on his floating ability so that he would not slam onto the ground while keeping his eyes on Mirio. Barely able to avoid hitting the ground by floating just above it, Izuku quickly did a double palm strike with 20% of One For All to dodge Mirio's attack from above. However, instead of landing onto the ground, Mirio literally phased into it. Well aware of what Mirio was about to do, Izuku quickly rolled around to get back onto his feet and started "skating" around the training ground to avoid getting attacked from below or behind.

While Izuku was moving about, Mirio suddenly appeared in front of him with his arms crossed and a confident smile on his face. Izuku was barely able to react in time as he spun around to deliver a spinning heel kick to the side of Mirio's head. However, the kick phased right through Mirio's head and even Izuku's attempt to catch him off guard with a shock wave from his finger flick failed to hit him. As the shock wave phased through Mirio's torso harmlessly, he suddenly punched Izuku in the stomach with enough force to send him flying.

Unlike before, Izuku hit the ground with a painful-looking roll before he quickly stopped himself and regained his footing. He had sparred with Wankuro and other strong students enough times to know how to regain his footing after getting knocked down.

Realising that Mirio had disappeared again, Izuku suddenly sensed danger from behind and ducked as Mirio tried to knock him out with a chop onto the back of his neck. Izuku then kicked with 20% of One For All to drive Mirio back. However, the back kick and its resulting shock wave phased right through Mirio's chest and Izuku gritted his teeth as he tried to escape.

Before Izuku could get away, Mirio grabbed onto his extended leg and spun around to throw Izuku aside. Unlike before, Izuku was able to activate his floating ability and quickly spun around to face Mirio who was charging towards him. Realising that guarding himself would be useless against Mirio who could just phase through his guard and then hit him, Izuku instead went for the offensive as he charged towards him with the intention of somehow catching him off guard long enough to land a good hit on him.

Izuku crouched low and spun around as he "skated" on the ground so that his right fist could hit Mirio with an uppercut. As Izuku had expected, his right fist phased right through Mirio's head. However, before Mirio to retaliate, Izuku flicked his finger with 20% of One For All while kicking the ground to back away.

Propelled by both the kick and the finger flick, Izuku was barely able to aid getting punched by Mirio. In spite of missing the punch, Mirio grinned at Izuku and said, "Keep it up, Midoriya!"

Izuku grinned in response as he kicked the ground so that he could charge towards Mirio again. However, instead of charging headlong, Izuku did a spin so that he would spin around Mirio before delivering a spinning heel kick to the back of Mirio's head. However, Mirio ducked and grabbed onto Izuku's right leg. Shocked by the unexpected manoeuvre, Izuku used his floating ability to avoid falling as he kicked Mirio with his left leg. The second kick phased through Mirio's head as the blond boy pulled Izuku in and literally phased through him before delivering a right hook onto his right cheek. The punch drove Izuku onto the ground. Izuku groaned as he struggled to get up in spite of the powerful punch onto his face.

Centipeder decided to end the spar by announcing, "This sparring match is over. Mirio is the winner of this match."

Mirio did a pose and yelled, "POWER!!!" Both Wankuro and Eri were amazed by Mirio's ability to fight. After doing his pose and catch phrase, Mirio offered his hand to Izuku and said, "That was a great match, Midoriya! We should spar more often."

In spite of the growing bruise on his cheek, Izuku grinned at Mirio as he graciously accepted the help and said, "Your phasing quirk is something else. I couldn't even hit you once!"

Mirio pulled Izuku up and said, "To be fair, you have kept me on my toes the whole time. If I had been careless even once, you would have been able to land a good hit on me."

"So, how does your quirk work exactly?" asked Izuku who was honestly curious about Mirio's quirk as he added, "I can clearly tell that it is some sort of phasing quirk but the way you use it means that it is either very strong or you've trained yourself until you've become very good with it."

"It's the latter actually," said Mirio who then explained, "You see, my quirk makes my body permeable so that it can phase through other objects. If I make my whole body permeable, I will literally fall into the ground as I still retain my mass. What's more, depending on which parts of my body is permeable for phasing, I lose my senses including sight, hearing, smell and touch. Even breathing is impossible if I make my chest permeable."

Shocked by the revelation, Izuku asked, "Then how do you know where to go and which parts of your body to turn permeable during a fight? If making your whole body permeable causes you to fall straight down, then you need to keep at least one leg tangible to prevent it from happening!"

"It all boils down to prediction! A way to trick time and be even faster than your surroundings! The quickest way to acquire that skill is to have a lot of experience!" explained Mirio while tapping his head.

"If it's experience, then I honestly think I still have a long way to go," said Izuku.

"That may be so but, to be perfectly honest with you, you've a lot more experience in your first year than I did," argued Mirio who then added, "After all, you have not only survived the villain attack at the USJ but also helped to defeat Overhaul of all people. I spent most my first two years trying my best to keep my pants on!"

"Wait a minute, you're the boy who kept getting naked during last year's sports festival!" exclaimed Izuku.

Mirio blushed sheepishly and admitted, "Yup, that would be me."

Izuku felt a strong sense of kinship and admiration towards Mirio as he realised that the older boy had to go through a lot of hardship himself just to be able to use his quirk so effectively in combat. Izuku offered his hand to Mirio and said, "Tougata-senpai, let's do our best to become heroes who will bring hope to everyone!"

Mirio grinned as he happily accepted the handshake and said, "I look forward to having you out in the field, Midoriya-kun!"

As the two boys shook hands in a manner that could only be described as manly or bro-mantic, Eri stared at them with wide-eyed wonder while Wankuro, Kaoruko and Centipeder smiled in approval.

--Lunch time…--

Mirai, Sorahiko and Rumi, who had finally dealt with the press, were surprised to see Izuku, Wankuro and even Eri getting along with Centipeder, Kaoruko and Mirio as though they had known one another for years. Izuku, who had an ice pack for his bruised cheek, was excitedly talking to Mirio about the latter's permeation quirk while Wankuro and Eri stared at one of Kaoruko's floating bubbles which had the distinct smell of apple. Centipeder was not talking to anyone but it was clear that he was keeping an eye on the younger people as though he was their guardian.

Feeling curious, Rumi approached the group and asked Centipeder, "So, what did we miss?"

--One narration later…--

After hearing Centipeder's recount about what had happened during training, Rumi grinned at Centipeder and said, "Please tell me that you have those sparring matches recorded!" She was especially eager to see Wankuro's comical fight with Kaoruko and Izuku's fight with Mirio who was actually one of U.A. High School's top three third year students, the 'Big Three'.

Centipeder smiled in return and said, "Of course I have them recorded. After all, I'm sure that Sir Nighteye is very interested to see them as well, especially Izuku's match with Mirio."

Mirai adjusted his spectacles and said, "Naturally."

Sorahiko grinned as he spoke to Izuku and Wankuro, "So, what have you two learnt from those sparring matches?"

"Nose plugs, good," replied Wankuro who shuddered at the mere memory of Kaoruko's "smelly bubbles". Even Mirai was amused by Wankuro's response and was pleased by the fact that Wankuro had learnt a vital lesson about her keen senses.

Izuku could not help but chuckle in amusement before he replied, "As for me, I've learnt that I should always be aware of my surroundings to avoid surprise attacks, work hard to master my quirk and learn what I can from real experience so that I can reliably act faster than my own surroundings."

"Then it's a good thing that you two have sparred with my three sidekicks," said Mirai who found himself liking Izuku and Wankuro in spite of his initial misgivings towards them. Make no mistake, Mirai still felt that Mirio was worthy for One For All but even he was beginning to realise that Izuku was worthy as well. As for Wankuro, Mirai was still convinced that Izuku should focus on improving himself but he was willing to accept that, with proper training, Wankuro would be a great pro-heroine.

--After everyone had eaten their lunch…--

"Will you three still be busy with the press for the rest of the day?" asked Centipeder.

In the background, Eri and Wankuro were copying Rumi's "rabbit ears" pose while Kaoruko eagerly took some pictures. As for Izuku, Mirio and Sorahiko, they were discussing about how Izuku and Wankuro could team up to spar with two opponents for the next round of training which would begin one hour after the end of lunch break.

"No, I believe that their desire for juicy details has been sated for the moment," said Mirai who then added, "However, there will be people coming over to check Eri more thoroughly, especially her quirk, including a certain… friend of mine who's very anxious about Midoriya and Wankuro."

Realising who Mirai was talking about, Centipeder asked, "Shall I prepare our best snacks and tea for our esteemed guests then?"

Mirai smiled and replied, "Absolutely."

--A short while later…--

Toshinori, who was in his All Might form, arrived at Nighteye Agency together with Nedzu and Chiyo. Surprised by the visit, Izuku asked, "All Might! And Nedzu-sensei and Recovery Girl too! Did you three come here to check on us?"

Toshinori grinned and replied, "Of course, Midoriya-shounen! It's one thing to let things settle down a little since your situation with Eri-shoujo is not urgent but we still need to come over to check on her and to be absolutely sure that both you and Midoriya-shoujo are fine as well!"

Sorahiko, who was beside Izuku, smirked as he spoke to Toshinori, Chiyo and Nedzu, "While you three are at it, you might as well as drop by Sir Nighteye's office. Midoriya and Wankuro sparred with Mirai's sidekicks this morning and I'm sure you three will want to see it."

"Speaking about spars…" said Chiyo who turned her attention to Izuku.

Realising what was coming next, Izuku's bruised face became pale as he tried to refuse it, "I-I'm perfectly fine, Recovery Girl! Really, it's just a few bruises!"

Chiyo wore a deceptively grandmotherly smile as she approached Izuku and said, "Now, now, sonnny. There's no need to be shy about a little kiss to make the ouchies go away."

Izuku could have tried to flee but he knew better than to anger the primary healer of U.A. High School. As such, he was forced to accept a kiss on his bruised cheek from Chiyo. Almost everyone who saw the kiss, including Mirai, grimaced in sympathy while Eri, who was holding onto Wankuro's leg for security, stared at Izuku's rapidly-disappearing bruise with wide-eyed amazement.

Noticing Eri's gaze, Chiyo turned her attention to her and kindly said, "And you must be Eri-chan."

Eri blushed shyly while hugging Wankuro's leg more closely. Sympathetic for the girl who had been exploited by others, Chiyo approached her slowly and gently said, "Eri-chan, I'm a doctor and I'm here to make sure that you're fine and to learn more about your quirk."

"Will… you make my curse disappear?" asked Eri.

Surprised by the unexpected revelation, Chiyo asked, "What do you mean by making your curse disappear?"

"Chisaki said that my quirk is a curse and he wants to use it to make quirks disappear," explained Eri. Unlike the other doctors, it was clear that Izuku and Wankuro knew Chiyo so Eri was more willing to open up to her.

Horrified by what they had heard, Chiyo stopped herself from frowning so that she would not frightened Eri and said, "No, I can't make your quirk disappear. However, if I know how your quirk works, I can help you so that it is no longer a curse."

"Y-you mean it?" asked Eri who was both afraid and hopeful.

Chiyo nodded and said, "Some very bad men forced Wankuro-chan to become a monster with many quirks. However, Midoriya was able to save her and she is now using her powers for good."

Amazed by the claim, Eri turned her attention towards Izuku who blushed and said, "I didn't do that much, honestly. All I did was stop her from hurting anyone until she calmed down. We didn't even fight at the time."

"That may be true, but I think even you'd be amazed how much a simple act of genuine kindness and love can matter to someone," said Chiyo. Sorahiko nodded in agreement with her as he could still recall how his old friend, Nana, decided to pass on One For All to Toshinori as both an act of kindness and an act of faith in a quirkless young man who wanted to be a symbol of peace.

"Had you never saved Wankuro, Eri would still be with the Shie Hassaikai right now," said Mirai. Upon hearing the name of the Yakuza group, Eri timidly hugged Wankuro's leg even more tightly while the tall girl glared at Mirai and growled at him for bringing up the source of the younger girl's trauma. Even Chiyo glared at Mirai as she felt that he should not have spoken about the horrible possibility.

Realising that he had said something which was basically a taboo subject for Eri, Mirai looked away and apologised, "I… apologise for my lack of tact."

"You better be! That poor girl has suffered enough as it is and I won't tolerate anyone who reminds her about it!" said Chiyo while waving her cane threateningly. Mirai resisted the instinctive urge to pull back his legs as he could still remember how painful Chiyo's thwacks on his shins could be.

A short while later, Chiyo started using her portable medical tools to examine Eri's body. Although nervous, Eri was willing to let Chiyo examine her to make sure that she was healthy. Chiyo also used her tools to examine Eri's quirk and realised that the girl's horn was stockpiling energy for later use. However, the girl had no idea how to tap into the energy which was likely responsible for making her own father and various lab mice basically disappear like a curse.

"In other words, if Eri-chan can learn to use and control that power, she will be able to avoid hurting people with it by accident," said Izuku.

Chiyo nodded in affirmative and said, "That's correct, Midoriya-kun. However, she will need training to even begin learning how to use her power properly and I'm quite certain that her previous… abusers did nothing to help her manage her quirk. Speaking of them…" She then sighed before she turned her attention to Eri and said, "Eri-chan, I would rather avoid doing this to you but I need to take a small amount of your blood so that I can check it for any diseases and to get a better understanding of your quirk." Understandably, Chiyo did not want to do it but getting the blood sample was vital to ensure that Eri was healthy and to obtain a better understanding of her quirk factor.

Although scared, Eri could tell that Chiyo was nothing like Kai or his supporters so she reluctantly offered her arm so that the old pro-heroine could take a small amount of her blood. Wankuro held Eri comfortingly as Chiyo took Eri's blood with practised ease. Eri trembled and closed her eyes but she did not move her arm away until Chiyo was done.

Once Chiyo had taken the blood sample, she gave Eri a gummy and a gentle kiss on the forehead to heal her tiny injury before she said, "There, all done."

Eri blinked in surprise and said, "Really, that's all?"

"I did say that I needed a small amount of your blood after all," replied Chiyo who smiled at Eri with a mixture of sympathy and amusement.

Eri blushed as she realised that Chiyo was right while nodding her head. She bit into the gummy and her eyes widened in amazement of how sweet it was. She then asked Chiyo, "Are there any apple gummies?"

"She likes apples," explained Wankuro.

"I can't say that I do but I'm sure Midoriya-kun knows a certain someone who can make some apple candies for you," said Chiyo, who was actually a little disappointed by the fact that she was too busy to join the party which Class 1A had held a few days ago.

Izuku wore a bright smile as he replied, "Of course! I'm sure Satou-kun will be more than happy to make apple candies and pies for Eri-chan."

Eri turned her attention towards Izuku with wide eyes as she asked, "Apple candies? Apple pies?"

"They're delicious treats that use apples as an ingredient," explained Izuku who then added, "If done properly, they taste even better than regular apples." Eri drooled slightly and her eyes sparkled as she tried to imagine something that tasted even better than normal apples.

Nedzu chuckled in amusement before he spoke to Izuku, "Speaking of introducing Eri-chan to Satou-kun, I'd like to inform you that your mother, Midoriya-san, has decided to adopt Eri much like how she had decided to adopt Wankuro-kun."

Izuku blinked in surprise and said, "Really? I didn't even hear a word about it."

"To be fair, she only made that decision earlier today and we all assumed that you would have no problem with having another adopted sister. After all, both you and Wankuro-kun certainly seem protective of Eri-chan if those pictures that Sir Nighteye has shown to everyone means anything," replied Nedzu.

"Well… my mom's not wrong about that," admitted Izuku who blushed at the memory of having the pictures shared on the internet.

"Does… that mean that I will have a new mummy?" asked Eri whose eyes were wide with hope.

"Together with an elder brother and an older sister whom you're already quite well-acquainted with, Eri-shoujo," confirmed Toshinori.

Tears welled up in Eri's eyes as sobbed, "T-thank you…" It the first time in a very long time she had truly felt joy…

--Later that day…--

After a quick visit to Mirai's office to see the recorded spars, Toshinori, Nedzu and Chiyo quickly left Nighteye Agency as they had to return to U.A. High School. Considering the necessity to send Eri's blood sample to a lab as soon as possible, as well as Toshinori's "secret time limit", neither Izuku nor Wankuro questioned their somewhat hasty departure.

Originally, Toshinori, Nedzu and Chiyo wanted to bring Eri back to U.A. High School for the young girl's safety but decided against it as the young girl was clearly attached to Izuku and Wankuro. Besides, the Shie Hassaikai was in complete disarray due to the sudden loss of its leader and two most important members and it was not as though Eri was unprotected. Between Mirai, Sorahiko, Rumi, Mirio, Izuku and Wankuro, few would be able to even reach her let alone harm her or worse. Still, it was agreed that Eri should be guarded by at least one pro-hero at all times so Nedzu decided to make some arrangements so that a few pro-heroes could drop by to help keep an eye on her. That way, Izuku and Wankuro could go on patrols with Sorahiko, Rumi, Centipeder and/or Mirio without having to worry too much about the girl's safety.

Before Toshinori left with Nedzu and Chiyo, Mirai spoke to him, "All Might."

"What is it, Nighteye?" asked Toshinori.

"I'm… willing to admit that Izuku and Wankuro have more potential as future heroes than I initially expected of them," answered Mirai who then added, "That said, they still have a long way to go before they are ready to be pro-heroes let alone the top ten."

Toshinori smiled as he answered, "Perhaps, but that's exactly why we're here. To guide them and help them become the true heroes we know they can be if not more."

Mirai wore a melancholic smile as he replied, "Then I suggest that you stay live long enough to see their graduation."

Toshinori chuckled at Mirai's response and said, "I can't make any promises but I have every intention to do just that."

"Until next time, All Might," said Mirai.

"Till we meet again, Nighteye," said Toshinori before he left with Nedzu and Chiyo who wore sad smiles.

--Back at the training room…--

Izuku and Wankuro grinned as they teamed up to spar with Rumi and Mirio. Although Izuku and Wankuro were expected to focus on Rumi and Mirio respectively, they were allowed to team up to take down one opponent if given the chance. While the four of them stood at the centre of the training area, Mirai, Sorahiko, Centipeder, Kaoruko and Eri stood at the sidelines to observe them.

Mirai adjusted his spectacles as he raised his hand before swinging it downwards while yelling, "Begin!"

As soon as the sparring match began, Izuku and Wakuro both charged towards their respective opponents. Neither Rumi nor Mirio moved as the two young interns charged towards them. Then, just as Izuku and Wankuro attacked, Rumi and Mirio suddenly took action.

Rumi leap upwards, easily leaping over Izuku while doing a somersault to kick the back of his head with a heel kick. Izuku immediately ducked low to avoid the kick and activated his floating ability, thus allowing him to slide forward and turn around to face her. He then deactivated his floating ability so that he could steady himself while taking aim and shot a shock wave of air at her with a finger flick. However, Rumi actually spun in mid-air and kicked the shock wave, effectively destroying it. Izuku's eyes widened in shock was Rumi landed and grinned at him while saying, "Your finger flicks may give you a ranged attack but ranged attacks are useless if you can't hit anything worthwhile with them!"

While Izuku was engaged with Rumi, Wankuro tried to attack Mirio with a clawing strike only for her paw-like hand to phase through him harmlessly. Mirio then punched her in the stomach before she could recover. However, to Mirio's surprise, Wankuro was able to block the punch by using her other hand to grab hold of his fist before it hit her stomach.

It should be noted that Wankuro already knew about Mirio's phasing ability after watching Izuku's sparring match with him and was thus prepared to counter Mirio's attempts to attack her while she was in mid-strike.

With Mirio's still-tangible fist in her hand, Wankuro then twisted her body to deliver a kick to Mirio's head. However he made his whole body permeable and phased into the ground below him. Wankuro landed onto the ground on all fours and quickly ran around to avoid an attack from below or behind. The two were soon locked in an intense battle of speed as Mirio kept phasing in and out of the ground to attack Wankuro while she tried her best to hit him while avoiding his strikes.

Back to Izuku's spar with Rumi, he was barely able to dodge Rumi's flying kick by swaying back and then tried to kick her with 20% of One For All. Rumi immediately rolled her body forward so that she could avoid the kick. She grinned as she suddenly kicked downwards to hit Izuku in the face. Barely able to block her powerful double kick with his left arm, Izuku gritted his teeth as he knew that Rumi was perfectly capable of breaking the arm if she was actually serious. He then grabbed hold of her left ankle with his right hand before swinging the arm to the right to slam Mirio onto the ground. However, Rumi easily countered the attempted slam by twisting her upper body so that her strong arms would take the brunt of the slam. As powerful as her legs were, her muscular arms were not something that should be ignored.

Just as Rumi was ready to kick Izuku again, the boy suddenly activated his floating ability and elbowed the ground with his left arm at 20% of One For All. As a result, he created a crater in the ground while literally launching himself upwards. The sudden upward movement threw Rumi's aim off so she was not able to kick Izuku as he quickly spun in mid-air and yelled, "Wan-chan, catch!"

Wankuro, who had been unable to land a hit on Mirio while struggling to avoid or block his increasingly unpredictable attacks, heard Izuku's signal and quickly ignored Mirio so that she could focus on attacking Rumi. Izuku did not wait for long as he threw Rumi towards Wankuro and then kicked the air with 20% of One For All to follow the thrown pro-heroine.

Grinning in spite of being attacked by Wankuro from behind and Izuku from the front, Rumi immediately did a back flip so that she could kick Wankuro. Not expecting the attack, Wankuro was barely able to avoid it by ducking and rolling onto the ground. As for Izuku, he was about to attack Rumi when Mirio suddenly phased through her. Shocked by the unexpected entry, Izuku was forced to redirect his attack so that he could dodge Mirio's punch.

As soon as Rumi landed onto the ground, she immediately leapt towards Izuku to deliver a spinning heel kick. As for Mirio, he phased into the ground so that he could launch himself towards Wankuro who was changing into a large wolf while charging towards Rumi to intercept her.

A chill ran down Rumi's spine as her rabbit instincts screamed at her that something dangerous was heading towards her. Glancing at the black wolf with gleaming white teeth leaping towards her, she grinned and thought, "Of course my instincts will tell me that she's a predator that can't be ignored!" In spite of the incoming danger, Rumi focused her attention on Izuku as she knew that Mirio would try to stop Wankuro.

Just as Wankuro was about to tackle Rumi, Mirio appeared from below to deliver a punch to Wankuro's stomach. However, Izuku was able to force Mirio to become intangible by flicking his fingers to send shock waves towards him. Smiling in spite of his thwarted attack, Mirio allowed himself to fall back into the ground while Wankuro managed to tackle Rumi and then pin her down with her mouth on her throat. Although it was clear that Wankuro had no intention of actually biting Rumi, there was no denying that escaping from Wankuro's teeth unharmed was basically impossible for the pro-heroine.

"Well, I'm out," said Rumi who was no upset to lose to Izuku and Wankuro even with Mirio's help. Had Izuku and Wankuro not trusted each other so much, Rumi was quite certain that Izuku would not leave himself open to her attack to stop Mirio from attacking Wankuro.

"Miruko has been taken down. Izuku and Wankuro have won the team match!" announced Mirai.

Izuku sighed in relief while floating down and said, "That was tough!" He then sat down and turned his attention to Rumi and asked, "You held back, didn't you?"

"Yup," confirmed Rumi who was sitting up while rubbing her throat after Wankuro let her go. She then added, "That said, I only held back enough to make sure that your bones are not broken or dislocated. Even I don't want to deal with an angry Recovery Girl."

Izuku chuckled as he spoke to Rumi, "Wan-chan and I can relate."

Wankuro, who had returned to her human form, shivered as she spoke, "Recovery Girl, scary when angry."

Mirio, who shot upwards from the ground due to deactivating his permeability, landed next to Izuku and slapped his hand onto his back while saying, "That was a nice save there, Midoriya-kun!"

"Thanks," replied Izuku.

Mirai approached Izuku and adjusted his spectacles while asking him, "Why did you decide to leave yourself vulnerable to defend Wankuro?"

"Well, to be honest, I only thought about making sure that Tougata-senpai does not hit her. His punches are not something to sneeze at after all," admitted Izuku who then added, "Thinking back though, I guess I trusted Wan-chan to take down Miruko before she could hit me while I make sure that Tougata-senpai does not stop her. I mean, he's next to impossible for us to even hit let alone capture you know."

Wankuro nodded and said, "Tougata-kun's, difficult."

Mirai nodded and replied, "While I understand your line of reasoning, I recommend that you learn to defend yourself better. I'm quite certain that I won't be the only one who'll be upset if you end up becoming… skeletal due to not taking proper care of your own health and safety."

Remembering that Mirai was Toshinori's former sidekick, Izuku nodded and replied, "I can't make any promises but I have every intention to stay alive and well for my loved ones."

"I suppose that's the best I can hope from someone who is starting to remind me of a certain muscle-bound oaf whom I am very well acquainted with," said Mirai while sighing in resignation with a hidden smile on his face.

--Later that evening…--

Izuku, Wankuro and Eri were about to have dinner with the others when a trio of unexpected guests arrived at Nighteye Agency. Recognising the trio, Izuku exclaimed, "Aizawa-sensei, Shinsou-san and Miss Joke! Are you three here to make sure that Eri-chan is properly protected?"

Mirai raised an eyebrow and said, "You three are early." Nedzu had recently informed him that Shouta, Emi and Hitoshi would arrive on the following day. Thankfully, the three new arrivals had brought their own dinner and sleeping bags.

"Considering the circumstances, it's only rational that we come by early so that we can get better acquainted with the child whom we will be helping to watch over for the remaining duration of the internships. Moreover, by coming here earlier, it increases the chance that whatever happens when her quirk gets out of control can be kept to a minimum," replied Shouta.

"A rational decision indeed," said Mirai who agreed with Shouta's reasons for coming earlier than expected.

"There's also the fact that Aizawa-kun wants to see the recordings of the spars," said Emi who grinned broadly.

Mirai allowed himself to smile slightly as he asked Shouta rhetorically, "Nedzu told you about the recorded spars, didn't he?"

"As Midoriya and Wankuro's home room teacher, knowing their current progress and abilities is a basic exercise of competence. Besides, Shinsou will benefit from watching the recordings," answered Shouta.

"We will watch the recordings together after we all have our dinner then," said Mirai.

--One viewing later…--

Emi was laughing so hard that she fell off her chair and was rolling onto the ground after watching a recording of Wankuro's match with Kaoruko. As someone who loved to laugh in spite of his stern appearance and attitude, Mirai deliberately saved the comical fight for last. Even Shouta couldn't help but smirk a little as he watched the comical recording. Speaking of finding the recording hilarious, Toshinori, Nedzu, Chiyo, Sorahiko and Rumi also laughed heartily after watching it. In fact, Nedzu wanted to use the video as a reminder that the right counters and skills could defeat even the most powerful of opponents.

Wankuro pouted while hugging Eri as she was embarrassed by her embarrassing fight with Kaoruko for the second time that day. Izuku smiled and petted her head consolingly as he knew the feeling of getting embarrassed all too well.

Finally able to catch her breath, Emi was holding onto her aching belly with one hand as she spoke, "Oh, good lordy! I didn't think I'd laugh this hard again so soon after seeing Eraser-chan thumping his head on the table repeatedly last night!"

Shouta froze at the reminder of his aggravated response while everyone else, other than Hitoshi who already knew about it, turned their attention towards Emi. Izuku, Wankuro and Eri tilted their heads as they asked in unison, "Thumping his head?"

Emi snorted in amusement at the adorable synchronised response before she explained, "We were in a cat cafe after our patrol with Shinsou-kun when we heard news of your encounter with the yakuza. Eraser-chan didn't take the news so well."

Shouta glared at Emi and said, "That's because internships for first-year students shouldn't involve such dangerous encounters until they have earned their provisional pro-hero licences at the very least. The fact that they were with two pro-heroes and had the element of surprise on their side does not change the fact that what they had done was irrationally dangerous. That's not even counting the fact that the only reason why they would even pass by the area at the time was because the place they were supposed to be staying in was reduced to rubble by a certain duo who are with us right now." Both Wankuro and Rumi avoided looking at anyone while whistling awkwardly as they could not deny the accusation.

Emi slapped her hand onto Shouta's back repeatedly while cheerfully saying, "Don't try to be such a sourpuss, Eraser-chan! You should be more honest about being glad that Midoriya-kun and Wankuro-chan are safe and have even rescued someone from the villains! That's one of the reasons why you wanted us three to be here so early after all."

Shouto huffed irritably but did not deny Emi's statement. In fact, he was blushing slightly which was something that surprised Izuku, Wankuro and Hitoshi.

"So Aizawa-sensei really does care a lot about us in spite of the way he acts," thought Izuku.

"At any rate, I am pleased to see that you two are learning well from the pro-heroes, sidekicks and seniors around you," said Shouta who then added, "I'm especially impressed that you two managed to do so well against Tougata of all people."

Izuku blinked and replied, "Really? The both of us didn't even get a good hit on him once."

Shouta raised an eyebrow and turned his attention to Mirai who adjusted his spectacles while saying, "Those two do not know that Tougata is one of the 'Big Three' from U.A. High School."

"Big Three?" asked Izuku.

"They're the three most promising third year students from U.A. High School. They are already more capable than most pro-heroes so it's no exaggeration to say that they have the potential to be the next top pro-heroes after they graduate," explained Shouta.

Izuku's eyes widened in realisation as he turned his attention to Mirio and said, "It's a bit surprising but… after those spars, I can perfectly understand why people would think that way." Wankuro nodded in agreement with him.

Mirio grinned and replied, "To be fair, people only started calling me and my two friends the 'Big Three' after our hero work studies in our second year."

Shouta smirked as he spoke to Izuku, "While I've said that I'm impressed, don't even think that you two can slack off. I'm planning to have you two go through hell so that you two can become the next members of the 'Big Three'." There was an almost malicious gleam in his eyes as he added, "I hope that you two won't disappoint me."

Izuku laughed nervously as he just knew that Shouta would keep to his word. He could only hope that his classmates would be willing to forgive him for dragging them into Shouta's brand of "hell".

At that moment, every student from Class 1A and even Class 1B felt a shiver crawl up their spines.

--Later that night…--

"Are you sure that you three are fine with this sleeping arrangement?" asked Izuku as he stared at Shouta, Emi and Hitoshi using their own respective sleeping bags to sleep in while lying on the ground.

Emi waved her hand to reassure the concerned boy as she replied, "It's no problem at all! I've spent enough time with Eraser-chan to be used to the way he sleeps. Plus, Shinsou-kun's basically like his son at this point!"

"I'd appreciate it that you don't start spreading rumours that Shinsou's my secret love child or some other nonsense like that," growled Shouta who was clearly annoyed by Emi's antics.

"Oh, don't be so shy about it, Eraser-chan! Shinshou-kun even has your eye bags and love for cats!" replied Emi who obviously loved to press Shouta's buttons.

Izuku laughed nervously as he recalled Shouto and Momo thinking that he was Toshinori's secret love child. He could only hope that his two classmates were not still convinced that that he had a secret relationship with the man.

--Meanwhile…--

"You seriously suspect that Midoriya-kun is somehow related to All Might?" asked Tensei.

Shouto nodded and said, "I understand that I lack proof and that Midoriya-san was married to a man whom she later divorced after Midoriya was diagnosed as quirkless. However Midoriya's charisma and strength-enhancing quirk are simply too similar to All Might's to be mere coincidence. Also, I've noticed that All Might pays more attention to him than the rest of my classmates."

Both amused and intrigued by Shouto's reasoning, Tensei said, "While I understand your reasoning, it's not impossible for people to develop similar abilities or talents. Take your classmate Kirishima-kun for example. He and Tetsutetsu-kun are not related and yet they are so similar that they might as well as be brothers. I've even heard rumours that Eraser Head is helping Miss Joke train a boy who can be easily mistaken to be his son. So it's not impossible for All Might and Midoriya-kun to be similar in spite of not being related by blood. As for All Might being interested in Midoriya-kun, it may be a simple matter of him being interested in a boy who might be able to take his place as a symbol of peace. He's not getting any younger after all and, as you've already stated, the boy's mother and father are divorced so Midoriya-kun might see All Might as a father figure of sorts."

"I suppose that makes sense," admitted Shouto who then said, "However… I can't help but feel that there might be more going on than meets the eye. After all, there's Midoriya's personal trainer, Yagi-san."

"What does he have to do with All Might?" asked Tensei.

"Well, Yagi-san gets along rather well with Midoriya and Midoriya-san so I thought that he might know something about Midoriya's relationship with All Might," said Shouto.

"Considering that both men are interested in Midoriya-kun, I guess it makes sense that they would know one another. Who knows, they might have even shared notes on how to train him," said Tensei.

"That's certainly true…" Shouto's eyes suddenly widened in shock as he thought about the oddity of Toshinori and All Might never being in the same place together. Even though Shouto had not met Toshinori often even after befriending Izuku, he realised that it was odd that the two men were were never in the same place at the same time. Also, now that he thought about it, both Toshinori and All Might had the same eye and hair colours in spite of the obvious difference in body shape.

"H-hey, Todoroki-kun! What's wrong?" asked Tensei who worriedly asked Shouto who was holding his head in his hands.

Shouto softly said, "… the same person…"

"The same person?" asked Tensei.

"It all makes sense now! Yagi-san and All Might are actually the same person!" claimed Shouto.

Tensei raised an eyebrow and asked, "Okay… do you have any proof of that?"

"Remember when you said that Yagi-san and All Might might know one another since they are both training Midoriya? I've never met them being together in the same place before!" said Shouto who then added, "Not only that, if Yagi-san is really All Might, then it explains why he's so invested in Midoriya because he knew him even before he took the entrance exams!"

Although surprised by Shouto's claim, Tensei could not help but find it intriguing as he asked, "And what proof do you have to make such a claim?"

"Honestly none, but I still remember the villains that attacked us at the USJ claiming that they had come to kill All Might," said Shouto who then asked, "If what they have said about him becoming weaker is true, then isn't it possible that All Might might have a weakened form that he does not show to the public?"

Tensei frowned as he thought, "Todoroki-kun's got a point. All Might's appearances have been decreasing for a while already and, as of now, he's only appeared for about an hour a day at most. Also, transformation quirks which conceal one's true appearance are not unheard of and it's not like everyone knows the full extent of his quirk. If Yagi-san really is All Might…" He turned his attention to Shouto and said, "Todoroki-kun, what do you plan to do if you're right about Yagi-san being All Might?"

"Honestly, I'd help Midoriya and All Might keep it a secret," said Shouto who then explained, "Back when I first suspected that Midoriya was All Might's secret love child, I was merely comparing him to my father's rival. However, even after we became friends, I am still convinced that my suspicion is not entire wrong. At the very least, the idea of All Might and Midoriya being like father and son in spite of lacking blood ties is certainly plausible if nothing else."

Pleased by Shouto's desire to protect Izuku and All Might from a very damaging conspiracy theory which might not be a mere theory, Tensei said, "Then how about we pay Nedzu-san a visit tomorrow and get some answers from him? If there's anyone who can confirm your theory, it would be him."

"Do you really think that he'll admit the truth so easily?" asked Shouto who then added, "I'm still convinced that he might be planning to take over the world as revenge for what he had to go through in the past."

Tensei chuckled nervously as he spoke, "I'm… quite certain that he means well even if he does have a secret plan to take over the world at some point."

Yes, even pro-heroes were convinced by conspiracy theories that Nedzu was secretly planning to take over the world.

--End Chapter--

Author's Notes:

I will be posting new chapters of Izuku's Noumu Life and Izuku's Harem Academia before returning to this one. Also, I hope that you have enjoyed the fight scenes, humour and fluff. As far as smut is concerned, I'm planning to get to that after the internships.

Izuku and Wankuro's internships are far from over and will continue for a while longer before it reaches its conclusion (it's a week-long thing after all and this chapter only covers Day-2).

Until next time, go beyond, plus ultra!