Izuku dodged out of the way as the punch flew towards him and quickly opened his hands as he murmured the words of the Spell. Four orbs of light emerged from his hands.

The sensation already felt unnatural. It was like he suddenly had four more limbs detached from his body, each able to move independently. He blocked the incoming fist barely, and launched the Dancing Lights forward. Itsumi, who had been told to act like she didn't know what effect they had, dodged them all, before closing in once more and unleashing another punch. Deku blocked it by crossing his arms together and felt the Dancing Lights disappear. 'Lost my focus again.' He thought rolling back and using a sweeping kick to try and topple Itsumi.

The girl quickly crossed her fingers and tapped her knees murmuring something before jumping. Said Jump sent her almost flying, stopping her ascent almost six meters in the air before she came down with an axe kick. Izuku rolled to the side and the One for All powered kick shattered the ground. In response, Deku sent out Black Whip. Reflexively, Itsumi dodged out of the way, but Izuku used that moment to jump forward and hit with a ten percent fist. Itsumi flew back and rolled on the ground.

"Alright, enough." Izo called, interrupting the sparring match. Izuku nodded and immediately walked forward, helping the girl up. "You are both getting faster at using your spells, though they still leave you open. Izuku, Tongues."

Izuku nodded and pinched both sides of his mouth and then his ears, with Itsumi instantly bursting out laughing, and murmured the words.

"Do you understand me?" The man asked. Izuku nodded, before looking at Itsumi, who looked just confused. Izo nodded "Good, it works. This one isn't really a combat spell, so it doesn't really matter if you do it fast, what matters is that you remember the motions. I'm talking the tongue of the Horned Men by the way, that's why she doesn't understand."

"Oh. Am I speaking that too?" Izuku asked.

"Right, I should explain better how Tongues works. You can understand every language and everything you say is understood by everyone. The key word there is everyone, though. Watch out what you say when you are using it, because…"

"I will be understood by anyone. I see." He nodded and slapped lightly his cheeks, dismissing the spell. Itsumi chuckled.

"Well, it took you four days to learn the spells at a degree you can apply in a fight, so I'd say that's a success." Izo grinned "I guess I'm a better teacher than I thought."

"Just lucky we are both smart." Itsumi teased.

Todoroki coughed "That doesn't explain Ojiro." He stood up from the log he was sitting on "Mine and Ojiro's turn, right?"

"Yup, go ahead."

Izuku watched Ojiro crack his finger as he jumped excitedly in the field and couldn't help but smile. For the last four days, the time it had taken them to make their way almost to the capital of the Kingdom, Ojiro had been spending every waking moment trying to master his spells. Izo and everyone else had been frankly stupefied, but Todoroki had just shrugged his shoulders and said that Ojiro could get really focused into something. He had done it with martial arts and driving before. Magic? That could just add to the list. 'And he really was right.'

Ojiro took a martial art stance, while Todoroki placed himself on the opposite hand of the ring, wide open. Izuku knew that, like his world's Shoto, he too was more of a long and mid-range fighter. Normally, their fight would have been one sided at best. It technically still was, but Ojiro now had a way to fight back.

Izo gave the start and Mashirao immediately rushed forward. Todoroki's response was to launch a wall of fire toward the man. Izuku distinctly recognized the grin on Ojiro's face as he formed a wall with both hands and an invisible barrier, only recognizable because of the fire bending around it, took shape, blocking completely the heat. Ojiro charged forward once more the moment the fire stopped, and Todoroki this time formed a rush of ice.

Ojiro clapped his hands together three times, the third time louder, and there was an explosion, similar to the sound of thunder, shattering the ice as it came towards him. This time he did not miss the chance and crossed his hands before aiming one towards Todoroki. The man jumped out of the way as a fist shaped Magic Missile missed him by a inch, then responded with another ice rush. Ojiro blocked with another Shield spell, but this time Todoroki kept going, encasing him completely.

"Am I allowed to say Todoroki's Quirk is too strong?" Izo commented.

"Yes." Itsumi and Izuku said in unison.

"Good." He looked as the sound spell broke the wall of ice only for Todoroki to create another one, and then another. Itsumi winced as Ojiro's leg and arm got caught in one as he tried to launch a Lightning, and at that moment Izo stepped forward. "Alright, enough. Todoroki, I honestly have no idea what you could do to make that power of yours stronger. Ojiro, good fight. I'm sure when you are fighting someone that isn't him you will do well."

"Yeah, thanks." Ojiro sighed as Shoto used his fire to melt the ice, then touched his arm and leg a moment longer to make sure they were ok "Any other spell you want to teach me?"

"I taught you Shield, Magic Missile, Thunderclap, Magic Armor and Lightning in the past four days, and tomorrow we are arriving to the capital. You sure you want to try more? The more you learn, the more gestures and spells you have to remember during a fight. And if things go well, you won't stay here more than a day or two, so I can't teach you for longer than that."

Everyone felt both excited and worried at that. 'If things go well' meant if Atura Mei really had some information from Isaac on how to properly use Teleport and Guide. And before that they had to meet the King, which Izo kept assuring them was a formality but really didn't feel like one.

It was clear Ojiro shared his thought, since he was the first to spoke up. "Are you sure everyone has to go meet the King anyway? We could just send two and…"

"As I said before, the law says you all have to appear in front of the King, and I can't ignore it just because I know you are good guys. Sorry about it, but trust me, just act respectfully and you will be fine. We aren't a barbarous nation that would do something uncivil, this is really just a formality to inform the Kingdom of your arrival."

Ojiro nodded, but Izuku couldn't help but glance at Todoroki's scowl. The meeting at the river bank from days ago was still something Izuku was struggling to understand. What had he done to make him feel like that? Was he supposed to ask Ojiro, or was it better to let it buried?

Izuku sighed. There probably wasn't a right answer. It was either risking asking or staying ignorant and stop thinking about it. Either could bit him back if he took the choice, but for now he was not going to cause strife in the group if he didn't have to. 'Every time I get some information more questions form. What did he mean with 'I am not a good person'? What has he done? He is clearly friendly with Ojiro, so why did he make a point of mentioning the fact he didn't have his phone number? Is there some strife between them and they are just that good at hiding it or…'

"Izuku!" Someone hit him lightly on the head and he suddenly looked up, to see Izo and Itsumi looking at him worried. Izo had been the one speaking. "Kid, you really need to try and channel that focus of yours in your spells. I think no one would be able to break your concentration if you did it like that."

Itsumi chuckled and slapped Izuku's back "True, but he would also get punched in the face. Anyway, do we want to train our combo a bit more?"

Izuku nodded, and Izo stepped back a bit, preparing himself. Izuku and Itsumi nodded and Itsumi put a hand on his shoulder. Izo started to run and Izuku unleashed Blackwhip.

Normally, Blackwhip appeared like shadow tendrils that moved like tentacles following his will. But the moment Itsumi used her Guide, Izuku saw them change, straightening themselves like arrows and starting to shot around the field in precise patterns. They were more rigid, forming straight angles instead of curving. When they reached Izo, she tapped lightly his shoulder and let Guide go. Instantly, the whips returned to their normal state, and Izuku had the control. He launched them like ropes, and managed to almost catch Izo's foot, before he accelerated and charged toward them.

Itsumi touched Izuku's shoulder again and the tendrils returned back to their rigid, vector-like state, taking a straight path toward Izo, who seeing them coming jumped. The tendrils dashed upwards, and Itsumi tapped him again. Back to normal, Izuku made them spread almost like a net and managed to trap Izo, who nodded as the Blackwhips gently put him back down.

Itsumi sighed in relief. "Ok, that much works."

Izuku nodded "It's great! Blackwhip is already a good Quirk, but with your Guide we can make it a lot faster! Sure, you don't quite have the finer control, and I need to take it back when it comes time to actually catch someone, but it will certainly help against any fast opponent."

"Yeah, that was a good idea of yours." He said "Not quite what I meant when I first suggested a few ideas for Blackwhip, but Itsumi's ideas probably beats most of mine anyway."

"Ah, someone suggested me to try and work with Izuku." She said defensively "I just thought that just because I am here to help control one Quirk, doesn't mean I should only help him with that one."

"I do wonder if this will help you working on Teleport too…" Izo thought, tapping his chin "You sure you don't want to try using it a bit?"

Izuku shook his hands "No, I really don't want to. Last thing I need is getting thrown in another universe and separated from everyone."

Izo sighed "Probably for the best. I was just curious if it looks the same as the Teleport spell to be honest. Guess I will find out eventually."

Izuku nodded. Whether Mei had any information for them, they were going to try to teleport again after their meeting, unless Isaac was set to arrive soon. In the worst scenario, they were going to just try again to reach him.

It was half way through the next day that Izuku saw the land change consistently. In the past few days they had left the hills behind for an almost endless prairie covered of farmlands and wildlands. As they continued on their way, the farmlands had started to grow larger and larger, only dotted from time to time by the isolated forest – that according to Izo was left as such for hunting or grazing – and sometimes a village. Twice they had stopped at a inn to sleep, but they had all agreed it was better to rush forward as much as they could, even if it meant sleeping outside, rather than stopping earlier to sleep in a village. As Shoto had put it 'the sorry bastard that tried to pull something on this group would probably not live to regret it'.

Now that they were in the range of a day from the capital, however, the road was growing larger, with merchants and travelers joining them. The road grew even, making the horses' movements more even for general relief of the four. The farmlands and various villages now covered everything they could see, with nothing left to be called wilderness save for a few trees dotting the side of the road, many used as improvised road signs to direct people towards the closest inns and villages.

It was also when they started running into soldiers. As Izo explained, the patrols only extended regularly at a day on horseback from the capital. Once a week, a unit would be sent scouting further ahead, but it was well known that the land around the capital, even in the villages, was one of the safest in the Kingdom. That was of course why owning any property here was incredibly more expansive than anywhere else.

It was a few hours later that they started to see the capital. The walls and the high towers behind them were their first signs, but the second was the larger city outside the walls. Like a growth on the side of the walls, a maze of districts Izo called 'the Underbelly' grew from the city gates.

"Watch out for your belongings." He said the moment they approached the first few houses "The underbelly is a… creative area. It's where everyone that can't live in the city proper but doesn't want to brave the outside world compromises. A lot of merchants, artisans and stables, but also a lot of thieves and other criminals. Just stick to the center of the road, don't lose each other, and we will reach the main gate in a hour."

Everyone nodded, and Izuku started to look around. Like Izo had said, the Underbelly was extremely varied. He saw the signs of at least ten inns in as many minutes, some barely a house away from the next. They passed by blacksmiths with armors and weapons exposed outside their store right next to mundane items like mugs and spades. He saw stalls selling objects of many kinds, and people haggling over the price.

Ojiro, of course, was the most excited, looking left and right like he was possessed. Itsumi was curious as well, though not as much. Todoroki didn't care at all. He was focusing on his own bags and sometimes looking at the others'.

"There are a lot more people that aren't Human." Itsumi suddenly pointed out. Izuku realized that she was right. It wasn't strange to him, since his world was the same, but since they had first arrived in the world, this was the first time they saw people with horns or animal features walk around. He watched a group of people with reptilian features walking past them, their body covered with what he had to assume was some sort of paint, since he was fairly sure tattooing scales was impossible. A few steps further, a group of what he could only describe as stereotypical Dwarves was talking with a humanoid cat, and soon money exchanged hands as they walked away with a large blade.

"This is so cool…" Ojiro said loudly, and Midoriya noticed Todoroki chuckle.

Finally, after over an hour, they made it to the city walls. Watching them up close, Izuku noticed they were about forty meters tall. He wasn't sure if that was a lot or not, but they were certainly more impressive than the fortified villages he had seen before.

"Stop." A guard called, and Izo dutifully did so, followed by the others "What brings you five to Hoice, capital of the Kingdom of Colfire?"

"I'm Izo of Greenvalley, Knight of the Kingdom and the wielder of One for All." Izo responded. The guard's reaction was immediate. He straightened, his expression switching from a bored expression to a worried one, and immediately bowed.

"S-Ser Knight. I'm sorry I didn't recognize you."

"It's alright soldier. You are merely doing your job. I'm taking my cousins and their companions to the castle, to meet the king."

The guard breathed in. "I'm afraid, my lord, that this is not possible."

"What? Why?" The man looked left and right before leaning closer and whispering something at Izo's hear. Izuku saw his eyes widen suddenly. "Are you sure?"

A nod.

"Very well. I'll go to the castle immediately. Keep up the good work." He turned to them "Change of plans." He said turning their way "We aren't going to the castle yet."

"Why?"

Izo didn't respond immediately, lost in thought for a bit as they passed through the gates and entered the city proper, the roads made of stone rather than dirt and the houses similarly built in such a fashion. The castle was now fully visible, surrounded by a second ring of walls in the center of the city. The hill underneath was probably artificial, but it still put it slightly higher than the surrounding city, if only by a few tens of meters.

Izo didn't stop, but instead just pointed them to a side alley. They walked in, ignoring the stench the alley, and to be honest the entire city, reeked of. Medieval cities weren't that hygienic, and it seemed that was true for Hoice too.

"The situation has changed."

Todoroki stepped forward "Why? What is going on?"

"A lot. The king is on the verge of death after an attempt on his life in the heart of the castle, where he should have been at his safer, and the prince is gone. No one knows if he has been kidnapped or if he is the guilty party and is running away after failing." He replied "The guards are the only people currently privy to the information outside of the castle walls, but guards talk. Soon, the entire Capital will know."

Todoroki cursed, muttering under his breath. Izuku heard him, though he couldn't tell if the other did. "One world. One world where we don't bump into some shit going on. Was that too much to ask?"

"Anyway, I need to go to the Castle to figure out what's the situation, but there isn't any point in dragging you there now. Especially you. The guard didn't notice, but she has probably only seen the Prince from far away, if she ever did."

"And inside the Castle that just isn't true, is it?" Todoroki sighed "Of course. And I bet we couldn't just explain it away, given that you have some aging magic bullshit, right?"

"Yes. Some people, those that don't want the Prince on the throne, will happily claim you are trying to disguise yourself and came up with a story that, now that the situation has turned this way, no one will believe."

Todoroki sighed "Because of course it's my family that rules the Kingdom, of course of all the Princes the one that looks like me is the one that survives, and of course there have to be people that think he is a murderer. Great. Good." He shook his head "Fine. Where do we go then? I doubt staying in the streets will be much better."

"First, put on this." Izo said, picking something out of one of his bag and throwing it at Todoroki. The man opened it and put it on when he realized it was a hood "It will at least hide your face a bit more. As for where you should go, I'd send you to Atura, but…"

"Let me guess. Close to the castle, too risky."

"Yes."

"This day is not getting any better. Fine. Where then?"

Izuku thought for a bit, then pulled a piece of parchment out of his bag and started to scribble something on it with a quill. A quill that, Izuku noticed, was emitting ink on it's own. Soon after, he handed them a rolled-up letter. "This is for Yaru, Duchess of house Momyzu. She lives in a villa far from the castle. Safer than a inn. Show this to them and she will help you."

"You sure?"

"Of my fiancée?" He grinned "Yes, I am sure. I'll try to get Atura there if I can. And I probably can, considering that she will probably rush to the villa the moment I mention someone from another world visiting."

Izuku nodded, trying to not think of the fact that judging by the name the Duchess was Yaoyorozu and instead focus on what was important. "Are you going to be ok, Izo?"

"Ah. Considering what I've heard, it's far more likely they will try to push me on the throne than stab me, to be honest." He grimaced "Though I'd take the latter over the former any day."

"The throne…"

"Ask Yaru, she can explain you. To reach the Villa just follow the road by the wall and you will easily spot it. You can also ask around. The Momyzu Villa isn't exactly inconspicuous for a building so far from the castle." He nodded to them "Good luck, and sorry for not being able to help. I really can't ignore this."

And saying so, he turned the horse toward the main road and rushed off.

Ojiro shook his head and opened his mouth, but Todoroki glared at him "Don't say a word, or heavens help me, I will freeze you solid, and no amount of magic will convince me to free you."

Ojiro closed his mouth.

The road to the Villa was surprisingly calm. Despite being on constant edge, the group didn't notice anyone looking their way, and no one reacted to Todoroki's appearance under the hood. Most people in fact barely glanced at them, and mostly to stay out of the way of the four horses.

Finding the mansion was as easy as Izo had predicted. They asked a couple people and soon enough were in sight of a manor surrounded by a large wall over two meters tall and guarded by armored warriors with an insignia of a red peach over yellow painted on their shields.

"Don't do anything rash Todoroki." Ojiro commented suddenly, and Izuku and Itsumi both looked at him in surprise.

Todoroki, however, didn't seem bothered. "If anything, I should ask you to not panic. I can control myself."

"Touché. Let's just promise to not do anything stupid when we see her."

Izuku wanted to ask what this was about, but the guards forced him to file the question in the ever growing questions folder inside his brain with their approach. "What brings you here strangers?"

"We have a letter for the Duchess, from Ser Izo of Greenvalley, Knight of Colfire." Ojiro explained, handing over the parchment. The guard quickly nodded, entering the mansion and leaving them with the other. It took less than five minutes for him to come back out and open the gate, allowing the four inside. A young boy, probably younger than Izuku and Itsumi, helped them down the saddle and unbuckled their belongings from them, before taking the horses to a nearby stable.

Izuku couldn't help but think how weird the situation was, but if anything it grew weirder when a butler and the same guard accompanied them inside the house. They were lead through a long corridor decorated with items made of gold and silver, furniture pleasantly decorated by delicate engraving, paintings of many people Izuku could not recognize, and other object that, he was pretty sure, were worth more than everything he had owned in his life combined. He wondered how it compared to the riches of his world's Momo.

They followed the two up some stairs and into another corridor, before the guard excused himself. As they walked forward behind the butler, they noticed a door guarded by a blonde man, his black hat contrasting with an elegant white suite and the silver of the handle of a elegant rapier.

"Kaminari…" Izuku muttered, before they passed past him and took a turn. As they disappeared from sight, he could not help but look directly in his eyes. For a brief moment, those yellow eyes looked back, and Izuku felt a pressure the Kaminari from his world had never given away. It felt like he was staring at a snake more than a man.

The butler finally came to a stop in front of a door decorated with the etching of a sun, and allowed them in, following and closing the door.

The Duchess, Yaru, had the same long, raven hair Momo had, though she kept them free, descending all the way to her back. She was also older. About Izo's age, maybe one or two years his elder, Izuku decided. She was dressed elegantly, a long, red dress covering most of her body and black silk gloves completing her look.

"I've allowed you in because Ser Izo vouched for you." She said, and her eyes, he noticed, where dark black, darker than Momo's. "He writes you are aware of the situation, so you will understand why…" She stopped, looking at Todoroki "Please remove your hood. I won't allow a man that won't show his face to me in my house."

"Of course. But please be aware I am not who you might think I am." He replied, and moved the hood down.

The woman gasped, and Izuku noticed her stare at Todoroki for a long moment, before marching forward. "You dare take the Prince's appearance in my presence, shapeshifter?"

"Well, that's not what I meant." He pulled his cheek "This is my face, madame."

She stared at him, before going back and opening the letter once more. "One of them looks like a common acquaintance of ours… Ser Izo sometimes is as sharp as a butter knife." She glanced at Izuku "I thought he was referring to you, seeing as you look like a younger version of him, but of course now it makes more sense."

Izuku did notice she seemed relieved. "I think he was in a rush. He left for the castle immediately."

"Of course he did. He is far from a fool. If they found out he made it back to the city and didn't visit the King immediately, people would start to claim he is behind the assassination."

"They would?!" Itsumi asked.

"Of course. The situation is almost too perfect for the Swords to push him on the throne. The King is dying, the Prince is gone, and the other candidates are either far from the city or suspects. The Crowns will probably try to make him a suspect as is, without him making it easier for them…" She stopped "But this is about court politics, and I doubt you are interested. Sebian, please, show them their rooms. I hope you will forgive me for dismissing you so soon, but I will be busy today. I hope you will do me the honor of joining me for dinner."

She didn't say anything more, and the butler opened the door and made it clear they were supposed to leave. They nodded her way, and Izuku just looked at her one last time as the door closed. She looked at them with worry.

As they followed the butler, Ojiro groaned loudly. "We really are incredibly unlucky." The man commented.

Izuku could not help but agree.

(xx)

Hello everyone, and sorry for the A/N. I don't usually add one, but I wanted to put out the word that there is now a sidestories series for this fic, Echoes of the Multiverse. You can find it and the first chapter of the first sidestory on my profile. All the stories in it are canon, although not all of them will be crucial to the main plot of the story. The current one, however, certainly is.

I also want to thank everyone for supporting this story so far. Your follows, likes and comments always make me incredibly happy. Thank you all.