"This isn't something you can take lightly, Katsumi." The female voice said. Izuku, hiding on the upper floor together with Todoroki and Ojiro, was listening at the discussion going on at the floor below, where Katsumi Bakugou, the Hero Lady Bomb, was having a discussion with Shoko Todoroki, the Number 2 Hero. It had been Todoroki's idea, and he felt it was a good idea. At least, they needed to know what was going on.
"I'm not taking it lightly Shoko. My daughter acted in self-defense against a violent individual."
"You know it was more than 'a violent individual'." The other hero replied "We need all testimonies, and that includes the kid your daughter fought side by side with, the same one she now claims to have never met before, despite Wookies' cameras showing them together as they enter the mall. And you know well that a Noumu case is dangerous."
"I know Shoko. But we can't just suppose the worst. He was probably just someone that never healed well and was forced back into his programming seeing Itsumi." Katsumi replied. "If we are done, I'd like to talk with my daughter in private now."
"Katsumi, you know well we are not done. I'm here as yours' and Hizuku's friend, but I'm also a Hero. This is a bad case. We have gone eight years without a true Noumu attack, and now one suddenly springs up. People are already talking online. If we don't handle it well, the population might turn against the healed ones in a heartbeat."
"I'm sorry Shoko. I know what happened to Touya and why the Noumu recovery is a personal matter to you, but I genuinely don't know anything more." Katsumi replied.
There was a pause, then the sound of a chair moving and a cold response "Very well. But be aware that we are going to start an investigation on the boy in question. If it comes out that you know something, I'll be angry."
"I promise." She said. A few steps, then Katsumi continued "How is Shiro?"
"He is fine. He got a few broken ribs thanks to that punch, but a Healing Quirk fixed that. The owner of that store saved him from further injuries by using his own Quirk, some sort of cushioning power." She paused "Katsumi… I don't know what you are doing, why you are covering for this child, but whatever the reason is, please stop. I don't know what happened between you, Eirin and Hakyu, and I promised not to pry, but I don't want to break our friendship too. If you find out anything about that Noumu, please. Call me."
There was another pause, probably Katsumi nodding, then the entrance door opened and closed. There was no sound for a while, then another voice. "Mom…" Itsumi started.
A cold response. The kind of anger that came with some form of disappointment, the kind of voice only a parent can muster to scold their child "I told you so many times to not go to Tokyo. I told you again and again that it was dangerous. How many times did you disobey that?"
"I…"
"It was enough times that the owner of that store knows your tastes in clothing, since she gave you that." She said.
"Mom, I didn't know…"
"That's right, you didn't know!" Now Katsumi was shouting "I know that you are a thrill seeker, I was the same when I was your age! But there is a difference between listening to me when I say 'You might be mugged' and listening to me when I say 'We think there might be followers of Alien King still around'!"
"And we took one down!" Itsumi shouted "I am a Hero! I am a One for All user! I will finish what you and the others started!"
"No, you won't! You are a Hero in training, not a licensed one, and even when you will be I hope you will fight only regular villains, not the literal nightmare of Japan for centuries! I will not make you go through what I went through!" She replied "We will find the last Noumus and whoever still creates them, and we will put an end to Alien King's legacy once and for all!"
"So what is One for All to me? Something I can't even use to help people that need me?! I can help Izuku and the others go back home, and you won't let me! I can help you fight what's left of All for One's forces, and you won't let me! Just admit it's a crutch then! Admit it's only because I'm worthless without it!"
"It's not that!" Katsumi answered, and now her answer felt broken "Itsumi, you are strong and gifted! One for All is not a crutch for you!"
"Then what is it?!" She asked, before storming away. They heard her come up the stairs and quickly retired further in the corridor, but the girl didn't as much as look at them, just rushing to her room and closing it behind her.
"You know, I'd almost take All for Deku over this." Ojiro commented. Todoroki said nothing, just walking past him and rushing downstairs. Izuku and Ojiro quickly followed him, and together they found Katsumi sitting at the table, her hands crossed over her face, softly crying. The woman looked up to them with a sad expression, wiping her eyes.
"You lied to us." Todoroki flatly said. No anger, no fear. Just a cold sentence filled with questions.
"I said we can't help you. It's true, despite what Itsumi says." The woman replied, tears swelling in her eyes "I lost so much in the years I spent fighting Alien King. Friends, teachers, schoolmates… I won't lose my daughter too. I can't lose my daughter too. Not when we are so close to putting All for One's influence behind us. So yes. I didn't tell you that my daughter can get herself stranded in a different universe, or killed by your All for Deku or his All for One. I'm not sorry about it, and both me and Hizuku would do it again. She is the most precious thing we have. I won't let you take her."
Todoroki looked at her, before glancing at Ojiro and Izuku. Then he sat down, and both Izuku and Ojiro imitated him. "We don't want to take her. We aren't villains. We just want her to help us. We need her to help us." He said "All for Deku took much from us. If you tell us what is the problem…"
"Where do I even start?! For one, how does she come back?" The mother asked "Either she never goes back home, or he never goes back home." She pointed to Izuku.
"What? Why?" The green-haired teen asked "Can't she just use her power to direct me?"
"Guide can only affect a Quirk she is touching or its user. To affect your Teleport, she needs to be physically touching you, which means she would be Teleported with you. Which means…"
"She would not have a way back, unless you resign yourself to be stuck jumping from universe to universe until you learn." Ojiro realized. "Of course it's something so stupid."
"That's the whole issue?" Todoroki asked "Then all we have to do is find someone with Teleport and Guide to bring her back. There must be others in this damn multiverse."
"Yeah. If we can just find Mister Isaac…" Izuku started, but Katsumi just shook her head.
"And what about All for One? Or have you forgotten any All for One user will want to end any One for All users? Do you think Isaac was just taking a vacation in his universe hopping? He was trying to stop any user of Teleport and Guide from ever using those powers."
"What?!" The three asked in unison.
Katsumi sighed "I was planning to tell you eventually. Yes, Isaac said he wanted to prevent All for One from ever putting his hands on One for All, Teleport and Guide. And to do that, the best way was to make sure the two Quirk were never together. Because otherwise All for One, whose whole inspiration to become a villain is some stupid fictional series, will hunt all of us down."
The three looked at her, speechless. Except for Ojiro "I'm repeating myself, but what?!"
"He read a damn comic book series as a kid, decided he wanted to be the villain, and had the power to do it. That's what caused so much suffering to all of us. And now tell me, what would a comic book villain do if they found out about the multiverse and the existence of other One for All users they can consider a threat?"
"Wait, for real?" Todoroki asked, "The whole reason this is so complicated is to prevent All for One from stealing Teleport and Guide and hunt down other One for All users in the multiverse like a villain from some comic series?"
Katsumi clenched her fist "In our case, it's also purely to protect Itsumi. That's the priority. But that's why we were told to never integrate Teleport into One for All if we ever met a user of that Quirk. That's why I can't let my daughter leave. Because not only does she have a target on her back thanks to One for All, but we might accidentally create a monster that hunts down One for All users in I don't know how many worlds. Do you still think we are doing this just for selfishness?"
"This is crazy." Todoroki said standing up "I don't care what you say, no sane man would start hopping from world to world just to kill a Quirk that doesn't even concern him."
Izuku, however, thought back. Back to his meeting with All for Deku, and his words back then. How interested he was in finding out there were other One for All users, even if they were from other worlds. Was he just surprised, or was there more, something left of All for One's thoughts?
"Is All for One truly sane?" Katsumi asked "He was spiteful, powerful and I already explained where his inspiration to become the shadow ruler of Japan comes from. You think this is a man that cares about how sane this idea is? And his successor is not better. Alien King is proud, power hungry and almost suicidal in his pursuit of One for All. He let Endeavor burn him to a husk of his former self just to get in range to touch Hakyu. Frankly, if he wasn't in jail, I'd have sent you away the moment you admitted to having Teleport."
Todoroki tried to find a reply, but Izuku could tell he was struggling. He tried to think what his All for One would do. Or what Shigaraki Tomura would do, if they were right and he was to become his successor. What would they have done, if they found out One for All existed in other worlds? He wished he could say with confidence they would just ignore it, preoccupied with their own world, but he found he could not. So long as One for All existed, All for One was in danger after all.
"This is all a theory, isn't it?" Ojiro asked.
"Yes, at least from what Isaac told us. Worlds where All for One has already won are rare, and in most of those One for All is dead, not taken. But I don't wish to see it be put to the test. Eirin and Hakyu agreed. That is why they got so angry when I gave Guide to my daughter. They thought I was giving away one of the most important Quirks to a child." She gritted her teeth. There was some anger in Katsumi's expression, mixed with something else. Izuku could not tell whether it was sadness or regret.
Todoroki said nothing, just storming out of the room. Ojiro, more diplomatically, excused himself and followed the man, leaving Izuku and Katsumi alone. She observed him for a bit, before asking "Are you angry too?"
"I… don't know." Izuku replied "I want to go home, but I understand why you are doing this." He stood up "I'm sorry miss Katsumi, but I need to think for a bit."
Katsumi nodded, and Izuku walked away. At first he considered going to his room, but then found himself walking outside and sitting on the wooden platform between the house and the garden, pondering what to do. 'We probably can't stay here far longer. They already suspect they are hiding me if Shoko Todoroki's words were anything to go by. Which means I'll have to jump soon.' He looked up at the sky, the clouds moving slowly over the light blue of the early afternoon. Izuku wondered what All Might and Kacchan were thinking. Were they looking for him? No, that was a stupid question, of course they were. His mom was probably terrified as well. 'I'll have a lot of explaining to do once I'm back.'
He thought back at what Katsumi had told them about All for One. Could there really be a man that brought this much destruction because of a comic book? He wanted to say no, but he remembered the vision he had back when Blackwhip first showed itself. He did remember All for One mentioning a story he used to read with his younger brother, and how it had inspired him. But could that kind of deranged idea go so far as to make him start hunting other users of One for All in other worlds? That made no sense, did it?
'And yet, I did tell Todoroki and Ojiro I want to help them defeat All for Deku.' Izuku thought, his eyes moving down to his hand, looking at the scars all over it, painful memories of his early uses of One for All 'In a way, I've already admitted I'd do the same. If I can decide to fight another All for One besides my own, why do I find so absurd the idea of him doing the same to other One for All users?'
For a while Izuku sat there alone, trying to figure out what to do, then was startled by a sudden voice. "You ok kid?" A voice asked, and Izuku saw Hizuku Midoriya, in full Hero costume.
"Oh, mister Fireblitz." Deku said, with a surprised expression.
"Call me Hizuku kid." He said "Fireblitz is my Hero name and Midoriya would be confusing." The older man scratched his chin before sitting down next to him. "So, I hear you had an interesting day."
Izuku nodded "We fought a Noumu, Heroes are searching me, and now I've found out that really my only hope for going home is randomly jumping across the multiverse. It's… a lot."
"I think I get it a bit. Back when I married Katsumi, I didn't really have an objective in my life besides becoming a Hero. I was a sidekick at Endeavor's agency, and I thought my life was set: marry, train, go independent…" He chuckled "Then, the night I asked her to marry me, Katsumi told me everything, and my life was never the same again. I found out a side of Hero society I never thought existed, I found out about All for One's legacy, about One for All, about the dangers marrying her put me in. That night did not go as I had expected."
"You still married her."
"I did. I realized how hard this life was on her. How much Alien King's shadow was darkening her life, and I decided I wanted her to smile again. I wanted to make sure her happiness never ended." He smiled, a soft, tender smile "And when Itsumi was born, I wished the same for her. They became the most precious things in my life. That's why…" He stopped for a second, a sad look on his face as he watched Izuku "That's why I can't put her in danger. Oh, Isaac did tell us what would happen if All for One took control of her power, but frankly I don't care. All for One, Alien King, they were never my fight. They are Katsumi's and her friends'. All I wish for is for my family to be safe."
"Why did you let her become a Hero then?" Izuku suddenly asked.
Hizuku looked at him in surprise, before starting to contemplate something and finally nodding "When I was your age, my mother was always worried about me. She would rush to the hospital if anything happened to my class, or during an internship, and she threatened more than once to pull me out of UA. A couple times, after some harsh fights I was involved with at Endeavor's Agency, I wondered why she didn't, so I finally asked her."
"What… What did she say?"
"That she knew it was my dream. That no matter how much she wanted to pull me out of the school, how much she had hoped I would choose another career, she knew that wasn't what I wanted. She said that no matter what she wished for, my life was mine. And if I wanted to be a Hero, she would stand by my side." Izuku noticed a few tears slide on his cheeks "She died six years ago. Sometimes I wish I could tell her again how much that meant for me."
"I'm… I'm so sorry… I shouldn't have…"
"No Izuku. You have a right to be worried. I just want you to know what is going on." He explained, before standing up "I'll go talk to my daughter. She had a pretty big fight over some arguments I fear we let go unchecked for too long. Go rest, you had a hell of a day."
Deku nodded, watching Fireblitz leave. 'I just talked with the me from another universe of his daughter and family. This is… so weird.'
-
The rest of the day was quiet in the Midoriya household. Izuku had briefly talked with Todoroki and Ojiro, but all they had concluded was that they were going to try and leave the next day. Ojiro had already found a live streaming camera from Los Angeles, and they all agreed it was better to get out of there as soon as possible, or at least before they started to cause trouble to the Midoriya family beyond what they had already done. It was a shot in the dark, but maybe trying to go to America would take them to Isaac's world.
They ate dinner on their own, with Katsumi out on duty and Hizuku and Itsumi still talking in her room apparently. Todoroki's cooking was simple but good, although there was a deep silence and a deep nervousness in the air. Izuku could of course guess why: there was no guarantee the next world was going to be of any help, let alone a good one to land in. Katsumi had said the worlds where All for One had won were rare, but that meant they existed. Who knew what kind of world they were going to wound into.
Ojiro was the one that cleaned the dishes, while Izuku and Todoroki moved upstairs to prepare their bags. Katsumi had given them money and some spare clothes, promising Izuku she was going to pay the shirt he was still wearing, the one he had been trying at Jolly Clothing just before the Noumu attack. He folded his hero costume around his iron boots and closed the bag, preparing to sleep. For a while, there was nothing. Ojiro walked to his room, but Izuku did not hear him snore, meaning he was awake like him. Then there were steps and a room that opened and closed. Hizuku leaving, if he had to guess.
Izuku tried to calm down. He checked his phone to watch a couple video he had saved from All Might's past exploit, but then stopped himself. He needed the phone charged, in case something went wrong, and thinking about All Might was not going to help him relax anyway. He just remained there, feeling the time pass second by second but unable to fall asleep. He tried to think of something else, but every time his mind wondered back to his situation. The jump, All for Deku, the fight with the Noumu, Katsumi's story, Hizuku's words… There was so much going on.
Then there was a knocking at the door. He opened to find Todoroki looking at him. "Grab your stuff. I'll go grab Ojiro."
"What? Why?"
"We are leaving now." He simply said "Go to the garden and you will understand."
He nodded, and walked downstairs. There, on the garden, stood Itsumi. "Sup." She said.
"Wait, why are you here."
"I'm coming with you. That seems obvious to me." She replied.
"But your parents…"
"Know nothing about this. Dad has left for an emergency of some kind, and mom is still out." She continued.
"Itsumi, this is crazy. You can't come if your parents don't want you to! It's dange…" He started, but she raised her hand, putting it in front of his face.
"Not another word. I'm coming with you, and that's final."
"And how will you do that, if I don't use Teleport?" He asked.
"You will." Todoroki replied, walking downstairs with Ojiro "We have a plan Izu."
"That's right." Itsumi continued "If I try to get you home, I'm stuck. But if we find Isaac Midoriya, he can just get us all home. And maybe also punch All for Deku in the face, for good measure."
Izuku shook his head "But it's not right. Your parents will be worried! They helped us, we can't just kidnap you in return!"
"Kidnap me! Oh, that's rich. I'm coming of my own free will, is that clear?"
Izuku made to reply, but Ojiro interrupted him by speaking first. "Is that smoke?" He asked, pointing in the direction of what was, indeed, a pillar of smoke rising from the ground, above a light that was unmistakably from an ongoing fire.
A phone rang. Itsumi grabbed her pocket quick and gestured for them to stay silent, showing them the screen with the words 'Dad' over a phone number. She answered immediately. Izuku prepared to talk over the phone, but Todoroki covered his mouth with a worried look.
"Dad, what is it?" She asked in the silence of the night.
"Itsumi, they are coming, go with Izuku, run!" Was the response, a shout so loud that even Izuku heard it, then the call ended with a crunching noise.
"Dad? Dad?!" She called, looking toward the smoke and fire. Izuku did the same, and paled. As they watched, a series of Noumu with long, deformed arms and misshapen heads started to climb over the walls.
-H-
Hizuku jumped in the way of the first Noumu, hitting with his fist surrounded by rotating flames. With a shout, when the punch connected, he extended the flame like Endeavor had taught him, creating what amounted to a spear of heat through the Noumu's body. In response, the dark creature just tried to grab him, ignoring his attacks. He jumped back, watching as the hole he had opened in its chest started to close. But his eyes where on the person behind the Noumu and the other three of his kind. Bloodied, an arm hanging on her side without moving, his wife was standing over the body of another Noumu, the head blown cleanly off. Three more were on the ground, but she was overwhelmed. Other heroes were trying to help, but even more Noumu were laying around. 'Where di so many come from? We thought there were only a few left.'
The call Fireblitz had received was clear. Someone had ambushed and attacked Red Jewel, Lemillion and Lady Bomb on their patrol, and the fight was starting to get dangerous. All Heroes from the area had been called to help, but they had not expected to run into tens of Noumus, including a large number of High End. That had been enough to make him rush outside, jump on his car and drive off. He had probably broken every single law on safe driving, but he honestly did not care.
"Katsumi Bakugou." A voice said. He looked up, like most heroes, including his wife "You are one of the bearers. Congratulations."
A woman on the top of a nearby building. Long, white hair flowing down her head over a lab coat. Next to her, a child wearing what seemed to be a transparent helmet, not hiding his dark hair and lifeless eyes. 'A voice augmentation Quirk? But why did she show herself.'
"What do you want?!" Katsumi asked, and Hizuku's heart raced hearing her fatigued voice. "Do you think this is fun? You are the last follower of Alien King, aren't you? That doctor we heard about from time to time."
"Guilty as charged." The woman said with a bow "As for what I want… I need just to keep you here, truly. Killing you would be preferrable, but I don't want to underestimate you, we did years ago."
Katsumi snarled and tried to push herself in the air, but there was a dart from the building. A giant flying figure slammed on her and Hizuku rushed forward, catching her while the flying Noumu took flight again. "Katsumi! Are you ok?"
"I'm fine…" She said, standing back up, but he could tell she was lying. He looked around. Four High End, many more normal ones. And who knew what else the villain was capable of…
"Mh, you seem to be about as strong as expected." The woman said with a grin "How many Vestiges do you have left?"
Katsumi froze, and Hizuku knew why. Only One for All users and Alien King should have known about those. This woman was not just some mook. She was high ranking enough that either Alien King or All for One had told her about One for All in detail. "Enough to kick your ass, you bastard!" His wife replied.
"What language… But I don't doubt it. I do hope your daughter can say the same. She proved to be quite better than expected earlier, so I sent something more… consistent her way."
This time it was Hizuku that froze "What did you just say?!" He snarled.
"Ah, Fireblitz. Sorry, but this is a party for the elite. Johnny, I think our dear leader would be glad to see him. If you will…"
The kid stared down at him, and something came out of Fireblitz mouth. The man gasped, choking for air as a liquid similar to mud enveloped him. 'Katsumi!' He silently screamed as his wife rushed to him, then everything disappeared.
A moment later, the Flame Hero coughed as he rolled on the ground. He looked up and gasped. Tartarus, the colossal prison that kept inside the most dangerous villains in Japan… was melting. He looked to see Noumu running on the bridge, towards him and the city behind, but his eyes were focused on the slow melting of the city.
He took out his phone.
-
"We need to run!" Todoroki shouted, as his ice enveloped the Noumu.
"Now?" Izuku asked "But they need help!"
"Dammit kid, we can't save every single universe at once! This one still has One for All, they will manage!" He looked at Itsumi "Come on, grab his hand!"
Itsumi looked at him "What? I won't…"
"You heard your father! Come on!" He said, before the crack of the ice sounded behind them. They turned to see the Noumu free themselves from the ice, their muscles now bulging under the skin… and over it.
"Of course they have Muscular's Quirk!" He created another burst of ice, then took out the phone and shoved it in Izuku's face, Los Angeles' lights shining on the screen. "Do it!"
Izuku looked at him, then behind him, and just in time. He grabbed all three with Blackwhip and jumped out of the way in time to dodge the attack of a flying black Nomu with an hooded face. 'The same one from Endeavor's fight…' He thought, paling. It had taken the number One and Two together to take down that Noumu. In contrast, they only had three Quirks.
"We need to run, Izu!" Todoroki shouted while launching a burst of fire toward the Noumu. The creature quickly dodged it and raised its fist, that quickly grew in size.
"Weak…" It stuttered, before slamming it to the ground. Deku looked around, and tried to Teleport to a point not too far. The four of them, connected by Blackwhip, landed near the wall, while the fist smashed on the ground destroying the garden and a good chunk of the left side of the house.
"Let me go!" Itsumi shouted, trying to free herself from Blackwhip.
"We need to go!" Ojiro shouted back.
Izuku closed his eyes. Fighting was out of the question, fleeing about as impossible against the flying opponent. "Itsumi! Take us to your father!" He shouted.
"What?!" She asked, confused.
"We are not running!" He said, looking at Todoroki "The Midoriya have helped us. We can't just run away!"
Itsumi looked at him, studying his expression, then she nodded, tears swelling in her eyes. She ran closer, touching his shoulder. Meanwhile, Hood had stood up from his position, and now was rushing towards them.
"Izu!" Ojiro shouted, while Todoroki created another wall of ice, only to see it immediately destroyed by the Noumu, who then extended sharp flesh spikes in their direction.
Izuku had a second to register Itsumi's other hand extending to fire her attack.
There was a soft pop, and they all disappeared.
-
Izuku and Itsumi were the first to land, then Todoroki and Ojiro crashed nearby.
Izuku looked up. He saw a campfire. A green-haired man sitting next to it, a cape over his back, a sword strapped at his belt.
'No… No…' He thought, suddenly feeling unimaginably tired. The man rushed to him, and he found himself on the ground, next to his companions.
'Please…' He tried to say. The man tried to say something in return, but he could not hear. A look around showed him the others had already collapsed on the ground.
'Why…' he muttered, more of a thought than a word, and then everything went black.