Before this chapter starts, allow me to thank arlcn ( ar lcn . tum blr ) for this amazing art of all the Izukus in Deku - Into the Multiverse so far ( i. im gur 2JsfYao. Jpg)! It was a great work, and I'm really happy about it. Here is a cheat sheet if you need help identifying who's who ( cdn. disco rdapp attachments/ 556941000296366093/923338862393163786/ unknown .png ).

Also, remember that we have a discord server ( disc ord. gg/kMw74 raHjb). Make sure to come around!

(xx)

Izuku had no idea how long he spent sitting on the bed of the infirmary where he had been taken. The nurse there, this world's version of Recovery Girl, had been very kind, even if she clearly had no idea why he was still there after she had cured his wounds.

And why he was so focused on staring at his hands.

There were two tubes in them. He had tried to touch them, and there was no better way to describe them: metallic tubes, about large enough to fit his little finger in them. They had shutter inside, some sort of valve, and had the same dark grey or black color that the shield they had formed had, meaning they were probably also made of nanomachines. The surface, however, was even, not rough, like the nanites were fused with each other.

He had nanites in his body.

He didn't know what to do.

'Did I infect every world out there? Those things are in me, what if I spread them through the other universes I've visited. Did they reach Ultimate Tartarus, or Izumi's world? I fought with Huanli, did I infect her too?'

He didn't know how those things worked either. All the Emerald Knight had told him was that those Nanomachines formed an Implant and built themselves there. "Could I remove the Implant?" He asked himself, trying to touch his own body to figure out if he could feel it somewhere, pressing and patting everywhere around the chest and abdomen, and even trying to see if he felt any weird lump on his skull.

"Alright, calm down Deku." A new voice called and he shouted, startled, before pausing.

"I-Izzzuku?"

"Yes, back in your mind. Now calm down."

"Calm down?! I have nanomachines in my body! I have been infected with something that you said would have made Isaac immediately quarantine a world."

"That's true. Yes. Now listen, Deku, we can deal with this, alright? But I need you to calm down and calmly look around. The girls are terrified."

"The girls?" He blinked, and looked around. Izumi was looking at him with sincere concern in her eyes, the saddest expression Izuku had seen on her face since she had met her. On his arm, the screen showed an Epsi in tears.

"It's my f-fault…" She sniffed, "I should have realized… I should have done better tests…"

Izuku gasped, "No no no, Epsi, it's not your fault! Really! If anything it's the badge's fault. It should have protected me!"

"An unexpected consequence of how the spell was made and the technology created." Izzzuku replied emerging from his head, most likely so everyone could hear him, "I suppose the nanomachines aren't considered harmful by the wording of the spells, and the mechanical side probably didn't stop them since they are large enough to not count as a virus or bacteria. Or maybe they simply pushed through. This thing is a passive defense from ambiental threats. It's not really meant to protect you from attacks."

"I have no idea what you are talking about." Izumi replied, "But something was clearly off. Huanli wanted to come too, but she could be called in for her fight at any moment."

"It's better that way." Izuku said, "She should focus on her coming match. My problem is mine to solve."

"Yeah, and we can solve it easily I think." Izzzuku replied, "Since it's also my fault this happened – more than Epsi's at any rate, and don't try to argue with me –" He pointed at the AI just before she could answer, "We are all here moping but I can just go grab the Emerald Knight and solve this whole thing, alright?"

"You can?" Izuku looked at him in surprise.

"Well, I did make him a Beacon back when we first visited his universe. I can just jump over there, explain the whole situation and then be right back."

"That would solve this whole thing…" Izuku pondered, "Wow, alright, maybe we were too worried after all."

"But are you sure you should do that?" A new voice spoke up. All of them turned to the door in time to see another Izuku standing next to it, leaning on the wall with his hands in his pocket. Izumi flinched.

"Wait, how long have you been there?"

"Ten minutes? The door is open, I just walked in." He replied, "You should pay more attention."

Izuku hadn't heard him walk in, but he had been panicking. But apparently no one else had either.

Izumi took a longer moment to look at him, before her eyes went wide, "Wait, you are that crazy guy that broke everyone's legs after throwing the flashbang, aren't you?"

The teen shook his head, waving away the question, "Only two people. And only because it was the fastest way to win."

"It was still too much."

"Says the girl that had no qualms about using a sword." He sighed, "Anyway, around here they call me Revenant. I guess there are so many Izuku that otherwise we would continuously have to point at each other to clarify. More importantly, I decided to come around and check on you." He looked at Deku.

"Why?" Izzzuku asked, "You don't know him."

"Captain Kamino does, and he told me pretty much everything about your universe needing help, terrible evil, you looking for extra fire power… All the stuff." He nodded, "And then I hear you want to give away some of that same power."

Izuku nodded, "This one is a problem. It's infectious, and it could easily spread throughout the Multiverse if…"

"That is all fine and dandy, but my point is that it's not your problem." He stopped him, "Why does it matter to you? Is it harmful?"

"I… Don't think so? But I don't believe it's a good idea to just spread them across the Multiverse."

Revenant frowned, "So let me understand, you want to give up a tactical advantage against this enemy that you are supposed to face, because it might cause problems in some place you never heard about before? And that's assuming it does in the first place. For all you know, you might be overreacting."

"He has a point…" Izumi admitted.

"What?! Izumi!"

"I just mean… You are looking for all the help you can get, right? This is… unexpected, but it sounds useful." She chuckled, "I'm kinda used at getting new abilities, you know, so I guess to me a new one popping up like this isn't a surprise."

Revenant smiled, a smug grin on his face, "See? She gets it."

"I'm not saying I agree with you."

"Please, you just did."

"No, I agree Izuku should look into it and make an informed decision. Maybe he is overreacting, or maybe he is right and the nanomachines are too dangerous." She turned to him, "But again, I don't know enough about all this."

Izuku nodded slowly. Admittedly, he didn't know enough. The Emerald Knight had said he believed they would spread, but he had never gone into further details. How did they work? He mentioned water, blood transfusion and saturation of the air, but were those the only ways?

"This is useless. I can solve this easily." Izzzuku turned his head one hundred and eighty degrees, like an owl, to look right at Revenant while his body faced Izuku, "I will talk to the Emerald Knight. If he says those things are dangerous for the Multiverse, I'm bringing him here."

"Sure, sure, whatever." Revenant waited exactly ten seconds, until Izzzuku vanished, before looking at Deku, "Funny guy, isn't he?"

"You really aren't weirded out by Izzzuku, not even a bit? Usually seeing him is a bit of a shock." Izuku said.

Revenant snorted, "A ghost version of myself? That's not even top fifty of the scariest shit I've seen." He mumbled something else, that Deku didn't quite catch.

"What do you want?" Izumi asked instead.

"I wanted to ensure he was ok of course. Are you insinuating I might want something more?" He asked.

"Yes. I have seen people like you. They always want something."

Revenant looked at her for a moment, before stepping forward. There was no sound as he filled the gup between him and them at a speed that looked too fast to be possible. One moment he was standing next to the door, the next he was standing between them.

And his aura was different. If before he looked alert but calm, now Izuku felt the hair on the back of his head stand up. It was like being in the presence of a large predator. The air was almost freezing, and he felt sweat on his brow. "Trust me." Revenant said, and even if his voice hadn't changed in tone, it felt colder, more dangerous, like a thinly veiled promise of death, "If you have met someone like me, I pity that poor soul. I don't wish what I went through to become… this to my worst enemy."

"What happened to you?" Izumi asked reflexively.

"I played a lot of games." He replied, before turning to Izuku, "So, you have a 3D printer in your hands? Can you make more than a shield?"

"I don't really know. It didn't really explain anything. I just thought I should have a shield like Captain Kamino and it made it."

"Mh. Try to think you want to know what you can do then?" Revenant suggested.

Izuku frowned, but closed his eyes. "I want to know what I can do with my Nanomachines." He said.

"Opening the current catalogue." A metallic voice reported into his head, the same one Izuku had heard before. It wasn't the voice of a real person, or even one designed like Epsi to sound human. This voice was robotic, lacking any individuality. Just a way to communicate information.

Izuku heard Izumi gasp and Revenant whistle, and opening his eyes he saw an hologram in midair. It was coming out of his left hand, right from the nanomachine's opening. It appeared like a blue screen suspended in midair, various folders on it. One was listed as 'Repository 0', while three more listed 'Project 1', 'Project 2 (incomplete)' and 'Project 3'.

"What is this?" Izuku asked.

"The catalogue collects all currently stored items whose blueprints are available for construction through Nanomachine A-20, Creation Engine." The voice explained, "Current nanomachine density within Implant: 96%. Recharges to full in one hour."

Izuku frowned. It was uncomfortable to think that he had another voice in his head. Especially because he had no idea how this one was communicating in the first place. Was it collected to the nervous system to make him hear the voice? It had to be, right?

Revenant meanwhile had unceremoniously started opening the folders. The hologram was apparently interactive, allowing him to touch a folder and opening in response. First he opened number 3, to find basic blueprints of Cap's shield. "Did you meet with Captain Kamino before?" He asked.

"Yesterday."

"Let me see…" He closed the folder and opened number two. Izuku saw what seemed to be a partial blueprint of Fuyumi's Steam Armor, though it listed parts of the steam engine as 'unclear'.

Finally, opening the first, Izuku and Izumi both gasped. There was a project to reproduce Epsi's bracelet. "Why are those in there?" Epsi asked, shocked.

"I think I have a theory." Revenant replied, "Let me see…"

Izuku thought he was figuring out the same thing Revenant was, and when he opened the repository, they both saw the list of names on it. The list included many objects, from guns, to blades of various kinds, to simple tools, to even power tools and other electronics. There were probably several pages.

"It collects blueprints." Revenant said, an answer Izuku was about to suggest too, "The three projects it has stored separately are new items it had never recorded before, while all those are tools it had already recorded." He opened a katana, and looked at it, "I think it's eye based."

"What?"

"Well, you watched other matches right?"

"Yes." Izuku nodded.

"Then why doesn't it have the armor from that guy that fought Captain Kamino, or a copy of that 'God of Thunder' weapons?" He shook his head, "I think the way this works is based on your eyesight. If you see something in person, the nanomachines start collecting information on it, and once it's done, they can make a copy."

"And you just guessed all that?" Izumi asked, half-sarcastically and half in awe.

"It's not that hard." Revenant replied, while going through the document, his eyes scanning each item on the list, "And I had to become an expert at figuring out how shit works. This is a lot easier than learning how to hotwire a space station's engine while giant bugs try to hug your face…"

"What?"

"Nothing to worry about. Point is, this is simple. So, next question." He turned to Izuku, "Make weapons for me."

"What?"

"There are a few weapons I will need in this tournament, but I don't want to damage the original. So, if you could make copies for me, I would really appreciate it."

Izuku looked at him, "You came here to ask me to be your… blacksmith? Weapons dealer?"

"You are a bit short to be my blacksmith, but in essence, yes."

Izuku studied the teen. He was his same age, or just a bit older. It was hard to guess. His skin was paler than Izuku's or Izumi's, his hair longer, his eyes more focused. He could see him examine the items in the repository with the look of a man staring at a buffet, sometimes opening one of the items to look at the blueprints.

"What do we get from it?" Izumi asked.

"What do you want?" Revenant asked back, "Don't try the whole 'save my universe' thing, that's a bit expensive for this stuff. No offense, but I have something important going on in my own world."

"What else can we ask then? We don't really need money." Izumi continued, "I'd usually ask for you to work for me, but that's not a thing here."

"Work for you…" Revenant thought a moment, "Need a trainer then? I have a rather varied skillset, and some people in my own world could attest I can make you a better fighter. I can put it at your disposal, in exchange for the Creation services."

"We already have…" Izuku started, but Izumi beat him to it.

"Deal. If Izuku decides to keep the nanomachines, of course."

"Fair enough." Revenant stopped going through the items, and walked to the door. Once again, despite him apparently not even trying, there was no sounds coming from his steps. The moment he left, Izuku felt a weight of his chest. There was definitely something scary about that guy.

"Dammit. You really catch the attention of the worst people Izuku." Izumi said.

"He… wasn't so bad."

"Because he wasn't trying to be. The guy is intimidating, and I don't mean in the 'oh wow he is stronger than me' way. He is intimidating because he is not a person I want to deal with as an enemy." Izumi grimaced, "I can't quite put my fingers on it, but accepting his proposal felt like the only option."

"Well, I don't really mind, getting a bit of training sounds useful…" He paused, "Wait, how long have we been here, anyway?"

Zuzu coughed, "Uhm… little over thirty minutes. You both missed four matches, and the fifth is- oh, it just ended."

Izuku and Izumi stared at her. "W-Wait, that long?!"

"Yes. They continued as scheduled, and two matches ended quite fast, so…"

"Dammit! Did Huanli already fight?" Izumi asked.

"Not yet." Zuzu said.

Izuku and Izumi sighed in relief. They wanted to watch their friend's match, so knowing they hadn't missed that one was good. "I will go check how Huanli is doing." Izumi added, "You just wait here for Izzzuku."

Izuku nodded, and sat back down, looking at his hand. It was extremely odd to see them like this, with those new tubes protruding from them. He felt it should have felt unnatural, or even painful, but it didn't.

"Come back soon Izzzuku…" He thought.

And he wasn't sure what he hoped for. That Revenant was right and Izuku had just gained a new power? Or that he would appear with the Emerald Knight?

-x-

"You should use this new power, look at me, I'm a strategist, I'm smart…" Izzzuku mockingly repeated as he reached another world. Not the one he had aimed for at first, because that one was awake, but first a middle one. He looked around Dekiru's room, the young man peacefully sleeping. Odd that he was doing so in a medieval castle, with what seemed to be bags ready for a departure, but now it wasn't the time to question that. For all Izzzuku knew, this was some training Mel had cooked up.

He jumped again, and felt the familiar feeling of rotating and being pulled. If he still had a physical stomach, he might have puked, but as it was all this did was make him wonder why his way of traveling through the Multiverse always felt so uncomfortable.

And then he stopped asking questions as he awkwardly looked around the room.

The Emerald Knight had been in a fight. A big one, if his bandages were any indication. He was alive of course and awake, but as for anything else, Izzzuku couldn't say. His chest had a large bandaging around it, covering the pecs, and another set of bandages covered the side. Freshly changed, they still indicated clearly that the man had been wounded, as a trickle of what seemed to be blood colored in crimson a thin line on the left side of the abdomen. More, smaller bandages covered his arms, and a small bandaid was on the left side of his face. Green eyes met green eyes though, as the two looked at each other.

"You!" Another, female voice shouted. Izzzuku gasped as a metal pole passed through him. Clearly it was supposed to break his skull, though that proved very ineffective against someone lacking said skull. He turned to see Yaoyorozu swinging the pole, "How dare you come back."

"Relax, Momo, this is the person I told you about." The Emerald Knight replied, "Izzzuku, this is Momo, my fiancée." The man winced as the pain from one of his wounds spiked again, "Pardon her, but she mistook you for the man that attacked me."

"Damn, that looks nasty. What happened?"

"You attacked him!" Momo shouted, but Izuku shook his head.

"I didn't!"

"Are you going to tell me he just happened to be attacked by another Midoriya Izuku?!" She replied, before pointing to the Emerald Knight, "And don't try to defend him! This never happened before, and suddenly, right after they show up, another you appears and tries to kill you! And he would have succeeded, if it wasn't for me!"

"Wait, wait, wait, another Izuku?!" Izzzuku moved forward, his eyes lighting up and turning into stop signs, "Slow down and explain. Who was it?"

"Some weird guy named Jack. He knocked at my door and…" The Emerald Knight paused as he heard Izzzuku take a sharp breath.

"J-Jack? As in Jack Midoriya?"

"Yes. You know him."

"Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck…" He paused, "Like this guy?" He turned on himself and reappeared again, this time wearing a black coat, a large top hat, a monocle, and wielding a cane ending with the golden head of a crow.

"See? He knows him!" Momo shouted.

"No. No, it's impossible, Jack is in jail…" He turned to Momo, "One second."

He slammed through her head and then back out from the head of a sleeping Yaoyorozu. It was night in the Skyverse, so the captain of the Floating City of Yuuei, one of the third generation Arks, was fast asleep. Without waking her hap, he disappeared once again, ignoring his dizziness as he emerged in the Chapelverse.

London, the largest city in the world, and not just metaphorically. The Chapelverse was a world where London's growth had never stopped. The city itself expanded on its own, through some long-forgotten and miscasted magic, swallowing the countryside, turning other settlements into districts. England, the British Isles, then forward into Europe, Asia, Africa… All of it devoured by a city that was tasked with growing and did just that. A whole world that was nothing but roads and buildings, dark alleys, fog and smog, the incessant product of countless factories that were either run by people or were run by whatever magic kept such a large city running, a world where nature was reserved to parks and zoos, a preserved relic on display to remind all what the world could look like before the city came. It was terraforming of its own right, giant bridges connecting islands and landmasses in the structure of the largest city the Multiverse had ever seen, the city repairing itself if anyone was foolish enough to destroy it.

Izzzuku looked around. Yaoyorozu was sitting in her bed, her eyes wide as she spotted Izzzuku. He had a split second to realize he had never dispelled the illusion that made him look like Jack, and grabbed – or did the gesture, he couldn't really grab anything – Momo. "What happened to Jack?"

Yaoyorozu Momo, Commissioner of Police for London's District 6555, Old Tokyo Chapel. She was in her forties now, but still, she had been beautiful. Before Jack came.

Yaoyorozu moved the mask. Jack Midoriya was a monster that liked to remove the face of the victim while they were alive. Momo moved the mask back on, a ceramic copy that protected the fragile skin the woman had managed to regrow. Not many victims of Jack had been that lucky. "He is out, Izzzuku." She said, "He is back."

"What do you mean out?! He was supposed to be contained! To be executed! We took…" He made the cane reappear for emphasis, "You took One for All, the Cane of London, into custody!"

"Stolen. Someone came, and took away both Jack and the Cane. They killed everyone on their path."

"Who was it."

"I don't know!" She shouted back, "You think I wouldn't tell you?! You know I hate Jack more than anyone else!"

"I… I know. I'm just bewildered. The Ripper was supposed to be dead!"

"His execution was today. Unfortunately, he wasn't here for it." She turned, "Where is he?"

"Back in the Multiverse. He already attacked a Midoriya."

"Shit."

Shit indeed. Izzzuku grimaced. This wasn't what he wanted to hear. At all. He turned around, without even thinking donning a Sherlock Holmes costume as he though, pipe in his mouth bellowing illusionary smoke. "This is all too sudden. The Multiverse has incidents, and sometimes they fire at once, but this is too much all at once. Someone is attacking the League. Could it be just Jack? But someone freed Jack first… Momo, how long ago did that happen?"

"Two weeks."

"Recent… Too recent, maybe. No, no, this is the work of the patron that freed Jack in the first place."

The obvious choice would have been to make Jack a Beacon. Izzzuku wanted to punch himself for never doing that, but making someone a Beacon wasn't a flawless process. Some minds were so resistant that even after connecting to them, he could barely feel them, like that dragon him and Deku had met early on their journey. He could feel he was still alive if he focused on him, but he didn't perceive his location, his mood, or anything similar. An unfortunate thing he had realized early on, but never told Deku. If something went wrong there, the kid would have blamed himself quickly for it. He could just hope that the creature didn't do anything.

Izzzuku bit the end of the pipe. Jack's mind was horrible. It was a mess, a twisted tornado of killing intent and love for gore and violence. And Izzzuku had not managed to dive into it, always disgusted and repelled before he could do what he had to.

"I should have pulled through…" He told himself, before turning to Momo, "The League is on it. Keep an eye out. We will send a Patroller."

"I will. Thank you. And… Sorry. You trusted us and we failed you."

"Don't be." He said, reverting back to his usual appearance, "It's not your fault someone else made it here. Keep up the good work, officer."

"You too, Izzzuku." She replied, but he barely heard her, already travelling back.

"I return." He said a few moments later, back in the room with a wounded Emerald Knight and an angry Momo Yaoyorozu, "Did I miss anything?"

"What did you do?!"

"I went to check the Chapelverse for Jack Midoriya, aka Jack the Ripper. He isn't there, so he definitely was the one that attacked you. Which is bad news, and for a lot of reasons." He frowned, "I will need to start looking for him. I'm pretty much the only one that can find him without risking their life." He pointed at Emerald Knight, "Quick question, how likely is it that someone might spread nanomachines if they had any?"

"It depends on what the Nanomachine does, I believe. Explosive ones are very dangerous, but some, like Momo's Creation Engine, are less likely to spread."

"So long as I or someone else with them doesn't release them freely." She clarified, "It happens sometime. A guy named Neito Monoma had a Copy Engine he used to make copies of other people's Implants, and then release them. He had figured out the truth about Implants."

"You caught him the day we arrived, right?"

"The day before Izuku told me about it, yes. We had a very big fight in the outskirts of Musutafu, but no one should have been infected. We closed the area and it took ten minutes tops for our Cleaners to intervene."

'Of course, meanwhile we popped right in the middle of it, and then I guess went through enough back allies we just happened to find a hole in their net. Or maybe they just did a poor job at it.' He sighed, "So it's safe?"

"Safe enough if it's the Creation Engine. But why do you ask- Oh my god Deku has an Implant." Izuku gasped, before flinching and bringing his arm to his flank once again, "I can remove it."

"How long does it take?"

"One day to remove it gently, then about two weeks for him to recover from the removal."

"Two weeks?!"

"The Implant is connected to both his circulatory and nervous system. The exact mechanics are unclear, but the summary is that the electricity required for the nanomachines to work is accumulated from the heart's beating, while the connection to the nervous system allows the nanomachines to react to thoughts. At least, that's the best theory we can get." Momo explained, "And I should add, I'm sorry for attacking you."

"No problem, I make that effect. Still, if you say it's safe and that we need two weeks, we don't have much of a choice…"

He sighed.

Why did he have to be the responsible one now?

-x-

Izuku watched the match number twenty-seven. Mount Lady, the version from this world, was fighting off Shinsou, all while Ibara tried to restrain both of them. Two other people he didn't know had already collapsed, so the winners were going to be two of those three.

As he watched, waiting for Izzzuku to return, he noticed someone walk in the infirmary and couldn't help but feel a bit guilty. Technically, he was perfectly fine. The only reason he wasn't leaving was that Izzzuku could tell him what to do and, if there was need of medical assistance, he could get it immediately. Still, he was occupying a bed. He was sure they had a lot more, but it still didn't feel right.

"So, what's your problem?" The rabbit girl – and not like Miruko, she was the same girl he had seen before, covered in white fur and wearing the same blue shirt – that had just entered the room asked, noticing him.

"Uhm… I'm just waiting for a response." He replied, and she raised an eyebrow, "I might have caught… something."

"Ugh. That sucks." She turned her back to him and walked up to the doctor, waving her hand. A moment later, Recovery Girl kissed it, and the rabbit gripped it tightly, like she was testing to see if it worked. Satisfied, she left the room.

Izuku sighed. He wanted to leave too, but…

Suddenly, Izzzuku reappeared, his face showing a very uncharacteristic lack of grins or aloofness, exchanged instead for a serious, almost stern look. "I'm leaving." He announced.

"What? Where to?"

"Kirura first. Then the League, and then the Multiverse. I'll be back by the time the Tournament is over. Hopefully. Long story short. Someone really dangerous is around. He won't come here – Rappa will turn him into mincemeat the moment he shows his face or interferes with the Tournament – so you are safe. Don't leave this place until I come back." He grimaced, "If things go badly, your training is at stake. Zuzu, it's Jack."

Zuzu gasped, "Are you sure?!"

"Positive."

"I-I'll keep Izuku safe."

"Good. I talked to the Emerald Knight." He continued, turning again to Deku, "It takes about two weeks to remove the nanomachines and recover, but apparently you aren't that infective with them. Therefore…" He sighed, "Therefore, I will let you use them. So long as you promise to not discharge them randomly. Use them only to create stuff. Alright?"

"I… Alright, if you are sure…"

"I'm not. This is just the best option I have." He nodded, alright kid, goodbye. See you at the end of the tournament. And you, Zuzu, make sure to keep yourself safe too."

Izuku didn't really know what to say, as Zuzu said her goodbies. Izzzuku was a weird guy, and overall they had known each other for just two weeks, but he was still someone Deku couldn't help but consider a friend. After all they had gone through, it would be wrong to think otherwise. "Be safe." He finally said.

"Same to you. And trust me, you are doing well kid." He grinned, "Not that I expect otherwise. Deku Into the Multiverse would be a very shoddy title if you couldn't deliver."

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing, nothing." He winked, "Anyway, I better start my own spin-off. Izzzuku Into the Multiverse sounds good too…" And with that incomprehensible ramble, he vanished.

Deku didn't exactly know what to think. It was odd to know Izzzuku wouldn't be around for a while. In a way, his presence had been comforting. It was nice to know he had a safety net to trust on. That someone with all the experience needed was there, ready to help.

Izuku wished him well once again, before getting up and leaving the room, closing his hand.

He wouldn't waste anymore time.

-x-

"Four fights left to end the Qualifiers!" Midoriya announced, his sunglasses glistening as they reflected some of the light of the arena, "I hope all of you are ready!"

He looked at the screen. "First, a fighter we all know well. Hailing from the US but with Japan in her heart, she has debuted just last year, but is already a fan favorite. Give a round of applause for Pony Tsunotori, the Lightning Horn!"

The crowd shouted.

"Second, a fighter that might sound more used to tracking then combat, but don't underestimate her. Blending magic, technology and her Quirk, she has already achieved a high rank once, all the way to the top 16. The Sensor Genius, Kashiko Sekigai!"

As the girl with grey hair walked on the field, the crowd roared once more.

"Third, a fighter from Naruhata. He might not be as famous as the Crawling King, but he still has a cult following for his excellent fighting style. It's the Spike Gunman, Soga Kugisaki!"

There was another applause, though not as strong. Izuku grimaced. Not much to do there. The word Gunman only really created interest when it came to people like Arsenal. He shrugged and continued.

"And next, a fighter from deep into the Multiverse, ready to show us her martial arts! Mastering a unique ability known as Qi, the one and only, Huanli Quanteng, the Master of Seven Arts!"

-x-

Izuku and Izumi watched. Izuku had arrived just before Huanli was taken out of the room for the match, much for his relief since he didn't want to miss her fight.

"Come on Huanli…" Izumi mumbled, and Izuku found himself saying the same. A small part of him thought it was just because Huanli had been the one that wanted to fight here in the first place, so her losing in the Qualifiers would be pretty sad.

A larger part of him just thought he wanted to see his friend happy, and he was glad to say, it was the majority.

-x-

Huanli took a deep breath, her heart beating slowly. Her excitement was growing, but she knew she needed to control herself. She had been waiting, and that had made her both nervous and agitated. She needed to keep her emotions under control, otherwise… 'Don't think about it. The Partenon incident was a single occurrence. You won't do it again. You are Huanli Quanteng.'

"And finally, a veteran of our tournament! He might not come around every year, but when he does, everyone is ecstatic. His highest rank was third, and both times he reached it he found himself face to face with the Battlemaster. Is it finally time to reach the top for him?! From J-418, the Chimeraversa, applaud for Chojuro Kon, the Beastmaster!"

The crowd cheered, and Huanli watched the wolf-headed man walk in. The same one that she had talked with the first day.

That same man was now giving off the air of a hunter, ready to attack his prey.

Huanli's heart accelerated a bit, and she knew this was gonna be a difficult fight.

(xx)

The Qualifiers reach their final stage, Izzzuku leaves the team, a threat is added to the list (or perhaps was here from the start...), and man, am I glad this was all planned well in advance or I would probably have to stop writing entirely to make sure everything is flowing properly. But all is going well, so I'm very happy about it.

It was fun to show what travelling the Multiverse feels like for Izzzuku. He jumps freely, without worries, so to him it comes off as nothing much. He might reflect on what he sees sometimes, but most of the time he just treats it as no different from moving from one place to another. In a way, I think to him the Multiverse is very much that city Isaac uses in his metaphor.

Jack Midoriya... well, Jack was actually the original name of Izuku in the My Hero oneshot. I have been more partial for Isaac, but for the Chapelverse villain... well I knew which names I wanted to give him. What is he planning? Who is the benefactor? Is Izzzuku going to find Jack Midoriya? And how will Huanli's fight go?

Only time will tell.

Until then, happy holidays, merry Christmas for those that celebrate it, and see you next week for the final 2021 chapter of Deku - Into the Multiverse.