Tonight was especially dark.
All lights were out in the city of Hosu, where the vigilante patrolled. It was easy for him to blend in, and only people with night vision goggles or quirks could see him.
It would have been a beautiful night, the only source of light was the full moon. The temperature was comfortable, and the temporary silence was music to his ears.
However, he was trying to find the source of the blackout.
He was doing this as a favour to Naomasa. Nao was busier than usual in this blackout, and Izuku was already in the area. He would have brought his apprentice along, considering the month of training was almost complete, but he thought it best that he go solo.
He was watching an alley very carefully, goggles in hand.
Crack
Izuku immediately leaped away from the source of noise, registering a large body watching him. The body shape looked to be male, although Izuku could have been wrong. In his goggles, he noticed a shape of fabric weaving in the wind. The figure looked to have katanas donned at the hips and knives in hand.
Why were the strange figures always just watching? It was super unnerving.
Izuku stepped back, ready to retreat if necessary. He narrowed his eyes, daring the figure to speak.
And it indeed spoke. The now confirmed male's voice had the essence of garbled gravel, mixed in with pop rocks.
"Quirkless."
Izuku didn't dare move. He waited for the figure to continue, as he practiced with most of his enemies.
"What is your conviction?"
Izuku paused. Never had he been face to face with a foe that questioned his conviction. The voice continued, bringing the vigilante's attention back to the shadowy figure.
"I've heard of your work, Quirkless. I'm impressed by it. It's a noble cause."
Izuku didn't show it, but he was grateful someone was appreciative of his work. He decided he'd answer, as he felt he'd get some information out if he did.
"My conviction? I'd reason that I do what I do for the livelihoods of others. I don't do what I do for the sake of popularity. I do what I do to ensure the public's safety."
If Izuku didn't know better, he'd say this figure in front of him was impressed. He watched as the figure nodded, and stepped to the ledge of the roof.
"Very well, Quirkless. I shall not harm you. Keep doing your deeds."
As he stepped off the ledge, he left the conversation with a single phrase.
"Call me Stain."
Izuku blinked. Never had he heard of such a name. His mind also registered that the conversation he held with this Stain was incredibly short. Izuku had hoped to gain more information out of him.
He shook his head. A name was a good start. Now all he had to do was research.
He was suddenly very glad he didn't bring Kirishima. Call it a gut feeling.
"You want me to do what?"
This phrase was becoming very common in Principal Nezu's office.
Izuku stood in front of the principal, shock not even close to hidden on his face.
Nezu smiled, having predicted this response. He was very proud of his quirk most of the time.
"I want you to compete in the sports festival."
Izuku's mind was a whirlwind of emotion. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He was so, so tempted to take the creature in front of him on his offer, but he knew he'd have to turn this down.
"Nezu, I'm honoured you'd want me to compete. Really, I am."
"So what's the issue, Izuku?" The principal looked at Izuku expectedly.
"It's just, it's not fair for the rest of the students."
Nezu smiled, his good mood unwavering. "Why is that, Izuku? You could easily give the students a run for their money. It would not only give them a learning experience, but for the chance to beat a pro on equal terms? How amazing would that be, especially since you're their age."
Izuku was flattered. Never had anyone reasoned with him for something like this, but the consideration to be with people his age was heart warming.
Instead of agreeing to the terms, he had an idea.
Why not let the instructors and staff go at it for a warm up to the event?
"Actually, Nezu, I have a better idea." Izuku had a Cheshire like grin adorning his face. He hoped it would work.
"So, what happened?"
Izuku was in his office, arms crossed. He wasn't impressed with the two students in front of him.
Positioned in front of the dean were Neito Monoma and Hitoshi Shinso. the former looked fine, albeit a few scratches and a bruise, and the latter had several cuts and bruises on his arms.
Neito and Shinso glared at each other, hate spewing from each other's retinas.
Izuku knew when a fight was about to begin. Sighing, he knew he had to hear both sides of the story, otherwise he'd never have a fair assessment.
"Shinso, why don't you go first."
The purplette glared at Monoma. "I was running outside, training for the sports festival, when I heard..."
{Flashback}
Shinso panted, sweat covering his entire body. He almost wished he started running a lot sooner, but he was glad he started now. Who knew how badly he would do at the sports festival of he didn't train?
He sat on a bench, bringing out a water bottle. He drank a quarter of the bottle and drained the rest on the top of his head, sighing in relief when the water started cooling him.
He relaxed for a few minutes, then decided to continue. He would have too, if he didn't hear him."Come on, Pony. Just a little peak."
Confused, he walked over to the source of the sound. He paused when he saw a blonde haired guy and girl huddled together, speaking in mostly hushed tones. Must be a couple, I guess.
Shinso turned away, only to hear the girl panicking.
"No, Monoma, please. I don't want to. Stop, please."
Shinso had heard enough. He knew a no when he heard it. He rushed over to the duo, and gasped at what he saw.
He saw an embarrassed and shirtless girl backing away from an angry blonde guy. Shinso knew it was Monoma from conversations he heard around campus, and this 'Pony' had confirmed it was him.
Monoma hadn't noticed Shinso yet, but the girl did. She silently pleaded that Shinso help her.
Shinso was frozen. He'd never been in this kind of situation before, and he would have stayed in that position if he didn't hear a certain sound.
The girl whimpered when Monoma closed in on her.
That did it for Shinso. Sprinting at the boy, he pulled a confused blonde and threw him on the ground. He glared at the blonde, and went to throw a punch, when he noticed that the blonde had something sharp in hand.
Monoma had pulled a knife seemingly out of nowhere.
Shinso eyed the torn shirt on the ground. Ah, that's how he got it off of her. Monoma screamed in rage at Shinso, and rushed him. He didn't register that Shinso would weave in and out of the attacks. He was angry that his time with Pony was squandered.
Shinso was never so glad for his training.
After a few minutes of tussling, Shinso gained the upper hand, occasionally glancing at the girl to make sure she was safe.
Eventually, Shinso won, even after he gained a few cuts. It was worth it in his opinion, since the girl was safe now.
He walked over to Pony, pulling his shirt out of the bag he brought with him. He knew that he would need a spare, and was glad he had it with him. He would have been embarrassed to have her wear a sweaty shirt.
She looked at him, then at the shirt he held out.
Shinso, smiled at her, but placed the shirt in an open hand. "Put it on. I doubt you'd be able to wear that tattered thing." He pointed at the shirt on the ground. He turned away when he saw the girl was about to put the shirt on.
Grabbing the tattered shirt, Shinso used to it tighten Monoma's arms together, making sure the boy couldn't place his hands on anyone.
He looked over to the blonde, concern taking over his features. "Hey, you ok?" Her answer came when she tacked Shinso with a hug, tears wetting the already soaked shirt.
"He-He. I d-don't know w-why." She continued crying and Shinso brushed a hand through her hair, comforting her as she cried. He was blushing at the sudden contact, but everything stopped when a new voice came around the corner.
"Hey little listeners! What's going on?"
Thankfully it was a cooler teacher, in Shinso's eyes. He explained what happened to Mic, and Mic looked thoughtful for a moment.
In a quieter tone, Present Mic addressed the two teens. "Alright, Shinso and Pony, I'm going to take the three of you to Recovery Girl to make sure you're not all harmed too badly. Afterwards, Shinso, you Monoma and I will take a trip to the Dean's office. You have some explaining to do."
Shinso nodded, accepting this fate. Even if he got in trouble, which wasn't likely, he hoped for a lighter sentence since he was protecting this girl, and he didn't use his quirk. He was just happy she was ok.
Pony stood up with him, and the two started to walk. She gripped his hand, squeezing lightly, gaining his attention. He looked to her, a small smile reassuring that everything would be ok. Her voice was quiet, but audible.
"Thank you."
{Flashback end}
"So that's what happened. At least to me. Obviously this dunderhead would see things differently." Shinso concluded his side of the situation with confidence.
Izuku nodded, writing notes on a clipboard. Finishing up, he looked to the blonde, who was fuming.
"Neito, what's your take?"
Monoma huffed. "He interrupted my fun time with Pony." He pointed at the purplette. "He is lying about the whole thing! He attacked the two of us because he's lonely and wants attention! He's a classic 1-A!" Monoma finished with a growl, obviously not liking this situation.
Izuku looked thoughtful. He wrote down what Monoma claimed. Then looked at the two, any amusement vanished from his eyes.
"You two do know that if one of you is lying, it might lead to worse than a detention. In one case," He looked to Monoma, "Its sexual harassment and attempted rape, which could lead to suspension or most certainly expulsion from this school."
The blonde gulped, in which Izuku noted.
Looking towards Shinso, he continued. "In the other case, it's battery and could lead to several detentions or a suspension from any participation in the sports festival." Shinso nodded silently.
Izuku nodded. "Now, with that out of the way, I'd like to introduce a third party. He pressed a button under his desk. "Come on in."
Monoma gasped when he watched Principal Nezu, Present Mic, Recovery girl, and a shaking Pony walk in. The latter of the three saw Monoma and immediately hid behind Present Mic, which Izuku noticed and wrote down.
Izuku cleared his throat, looking towards the three faculty members and Pony. "One claimed that a student was doing unspeakable things to the young girl, in which he rushed in to help, and the other claims that said student was having personal time with the girl, which the student taut rushed him interrupted over jealousy. Present Mic, could you explain what you saw when you arrived at the scene?"
Mic immediately spoke, any humor in him gone completely. "When I arrived at the scene, I noticed Shinso here was holding a weeping Pony, and Monoma was unconscious on the ground, his hands tied up. What exactly happened I cannot say I saw with my own two eyes, but Pony recounted what happened to both Recovery Girl and me. I'd have to say that Shinso is correct in his story."
Izuku nodded. "And Recovery Girl. Could you tell me what injuries Pony acquired in this excursion with these two?"
Recovery Girl nodded. "Of course. When I checked up on Pony, I immediately took care of a few cuts on her arms, shoulder, and torso. Each cut looked calculated, as if something was cut off of her, and I noticed a couple bruises on her left breast, as if a hand had groped her there. She also has a couple bruises on both of her shoulderblades, as if she was forced back onto a wall. I checked her lower body, and it looks fine, but she will report to me if any problems do arise. In all consideration, Shinso is absolutely correct in his side of the story. What Pony explained to us about Monoma is nothing short of despicable."
Izuku smiled warmly at Pony, watching as the girl relaxed at his gesture.
Looking towards the two students, he cleared his throat, before speaking in a hushed tone. "Shinso, Pony, please wait in the hall. I'll call for you in a moment."
Nodding, the two walked out.
Hearing the door close, his eyes never left Monoma. "Monoma, what really happened?"
Monoma sighed. "What Pony and Shinso said were absolutely correct. I'm sorry about th-" He was cut off by an enraged Izuku.
Izuku's hand slammed on the desk. "Sorry?! You're SORRY?! For what? "I'm sorry I almost ruined a girl for my own amusement"?" Monoma flinched.
Izuku continued. "No. You're sorry you got caught. Tell me, Monoma. Did you see what happened to Midnight?"
Monoma looked at the dean dumbly. "Well, yeah."
"Did you hear my promise after I finished her off?"
"Yeah?"
"So let me guess. You are so special that you get to ignore what I said completely, just because you come from a well off family, or that you're in the hero course." Izuku's tone snapped at the blonde, causing the blonde to cower.
"N-no, but-"
"But. WHAT." Monoma saw that Izuku was completely enraged.
Before Izuku could continue, a hand was placed on his shoulder, calming him down. The vigilante looked up, and he saw Present Mic smile warmly at him.
Present Mic spoke in Izuku's stead. "Neito Monoma. you are hereby expelled from UA high school for attempted rape of another student. You are to pack all your belongings and leave immediately. We will have a file of your crime with the police department."
Monoma had the audacity to look insulted. He sputtered, he couldn't form words.
Nezu finished off the sentence. "That will be all from us. Goodbye, Neito Monoma."
Present Mic walked over to the blonde, picked him up, and threw him to the door, and resulted in the blonde hitting his head on the door.
Ignoring the pained groan, Izuku smiled. "Shinso, Pony, could you two please come in here?"
The two walked in, stepping over the pained blonde.
Izuku smiled kindly at Shinso. "Shinso, what you did today was very heroic." The Purplette looked at him in surprise. Izuku chuckled at the expression. "I am happy to announce that you will not face any consequences. No, you will be rewarded!"
Shinso physically relaxed, glad he wasn't to be punished. He eyebrows arched up at the last sentence. Rewarded?
Izuku beamed. "As a reward for your valient feed, you will be promoted to the hero course, where you will be taking Monoma's place, as a hero in training. You will be in 1-B, which by coincidence, is where Pony is." Pony gasped in surprise and hugged Shinso with glee.
Nezu, Present Mic, and Recovery Girl wore looks of pride. It wasn't everyday where they find someone that had the true meaning of a hero instilled in their heart.
Shinso, on the other hand, had tears of joy running down his face. He could finally become a hero!
"That's not all." This time, everyone looked confused at the vigilante. Izuku ignored his colleagues. "I know that as a result of the sports festival, pro heroes will be looking to have students intern for them. Because If your actions today, I would like you to intern for me after the sports festival."
Nezu, Present Mic, and Recovery Girl looked astounded. Did he really? This was new.
Shinso was the most shocked out of everyone there. After a minute of digesting this information, he smiled and shook the vigilantes hand. "Yes! I accept! Thank you so much!!!"
Izuku smiled. "Great! Now, get to class. I already informed Vlad King move your things to his room. Pony will escort you there." He waved kindly to the duo. "Congratulations, Shinso! I look forward to your performance in the sports festival!"
Pony pretty much dragged him out, causing the faculty to laugh at the two's antics. Shinso didn't even get a chance to wave before he left with Pony.
Present Mic sighed, brushing a hand through his hair. He chuckled, looking towards Izuku. "You know, Izuku, I sometimes forget you're just fourteen years old. You act more an adult than me sometimes."
Izuku laughed. "Yeah, but I'll be fifteen soon!"
Nezu laughed as well. "We'll certainly have a celebration in store for you then." He clapped his paws together. "Now, I'm sure we'll all need to attend our positions. Quirkless, could you please check up on the two every once in a while? Just to make sure Shinso is adjusting well and that Pony is ok after this encounter."
Izuku nodded. "Yes sir!"
The three faculty members nodded and left, Mic clapping Izuku on the back before leaving.
Now alone, Izuku groaned. Sitting up, he started typing on the computer. He had a few more appointments with students to book.
