When Toga approached All for One's office, she heard music. Someone was playing guitar. She had heard her share of musicians, but there was something… eerie about this. It was… too good. Too skilled. No one could master something so thoroughly in one lifetime. Even the greatest maestros had only forty or so years before their bodies betrayed them.

Then singing started accompanying it. Like the guitar, it was too polished. No man could practice enough to have a voice like that. Was All for One even a man? For a while Toga could only stand still and listen.

"Take a little walk to the edge of town

and go across the tracks

Where the viaduct looms,

like a bird of doom

As it shifts and cracks

Where secrets lie in the border fires,

in the humming wires

Hey man, you know

you're never coming back

Past the square, past the bridge,

past the mills, past the stacks

On a gathering storm comes

a tall handsome man

in a dusty black coat with

a red right hand

He'll wrap you in his arms,

tell you that you've been a good boy

He'll rekindle all the dreams

it took you a lifetime to destroy

He'll reach deep into the hole,

heal your shrinking soul,

but there won't be a single thing

that you can do

He's a god, he's a man,

he's a ghost, he's a guru

They're whispering his name

through this disappearing land

But hidden in his coat

is a red right hand."

Toga knocked on All for One's door and the music seized. Part of her wished she could have listened to it forever. The other part begged that she never had to hear it again. All for One was waiting for her with Kurogiri. When she entered All for One gave his guitar to Kurogiri who placed it very carefully in an expensive looking case.

"Ya wanted to see me, true believer." Toga said.

"I wanted to see you? Cruel joke to make to a blind man, lass. Still, glad you came." All for One said.

"My pleasure. By the way, has anyone told ya that playing a guitar in yer office makes ya look like a douchebag?"

"Ms. Toga…" Kurogiri said.

All for One just laughed.

"It's a test to see who has the balls to call me out on it. The last time was sixty years ago."

"Who was it?" Toga said.

"Can't remember. Killed the prick on the spot. Anyway, I have a gift for you. Two as a matter of fact since you have been such a good little minion. Kurogiri, if you would."

"Yes, master."

Black mist formed around Kurogiri and he pulled a suitcase out of it and handed it to Toga. Toga opened the case and found a black catsuit and a belt inside it.

"It's made from the same materials as Mount Lady's outfit. You can change form freely without flashing everyone." All for One said.

"My fans will be so disappointed." Toga said and picked up the belt.

There was a collection of vials on the belt.

"The vials were designed to store blood and prevent it from congealing. Thought you might find some uses for them." All for One said.

"I love it, true believer." Toga said and kissed All for One on the cheek.

His scarred skin felt rough against her lips.

"There was more. Kurogiri, bring Tsubasa here."

"Yes, master."

The black mist rose again, and a massive figure stepped out of it. It reminded Toga of the Noumu that Tomura had sicced on All Might. Although this one had a leaner build and paler skin. And a pair of wings sprouting from its back.

"Oh jeez. Is it my birthday already? Can I keep him? Please?" Toga said.

"He's all yours. Just remember to keep him fed." All for One said.

"Will do, but… I'm not sleeping with you." Toga said.

"For heaven's sake, Ms. Toga." Kurogiri said.

"Don't worry, lass. After everything All Might did, getting the damn thing up is more trouble than it's worth."

"Poor ya."

Toga stepped up to the Noumu and sized it up. The Noumu looked at her with the disinterest of a stuffed predator.

"Sit." Toga said.

The Noumu sat.

"Paw."

The Noumu gave her its hand. Using the beast's hand as a foothold she climbed on its back. The world looked ready for the taking on top of your own war mount.

Kurogiri cleared his throat.

"We'll brief you soon on the details of the upcoming mission. Until then, you must keep a low profile, Ms. Toga."

Toga grinned.

"So, we're finally doing it? Pissing all over the forces of justice?" Toga said while feeling up the Noumu's wings.

"Since they have seen so much trouble in setting their little trap, it would be rude to not walk into it. Good thing we have some shenanigans of our own planned up. Tell me, lass. Do you know anyone who could infiltrate the heroes? Someone who could look like anyone?" All for One said.

Toga smiled and placed Todoroki's blood sample into one of the vials on her new belt.

"Yeah. I might know just the gal."

"You will have to work with Mr. Stain on this. Will that be a problem?" Kurogiri said.

"A problem? Why would it be a problem. No problem. No. Me and Stain are gonna have a killer time. I can't wait." Toga said.

Kurogiri glanced at All for One who was smiling knowingly.

"Good to hear, lass. Now, I'm afraid I must send Tsubasa back to the doghouse."

"But, dad! You said he was mine." Toga complained with a smile.

"I'm not so cruel as to give you a new toy and tell you not to play with it. I just wanted the two of you to get to know each other." All for One said.

"Fine." Toga said and jumped off Tsubasa's back.

Tsubasa walked back into the mist and disappeared.

"That will be all." All for One said.

Toga headed back to the bar where Twice was waiting for her and Tomura was playing his game. When she entered Tomura put his game down and got up.

"Twice. Major Tom." Toga said.

"What did Sensei want?" Tomura asked.

Toga showed him her new suitcase.

"Just to let me know who's the new favorite."

Tomura's eyes widened and he gnashed his teeth behind the hand covering his face. Twice looked at them like a puppy whose owners were about to fight. Toga tried not to roll her eyes. How could a man with red shoes have no sense of humor?

"What?" Tomura said ready to explode.

"It was a joke, major Tom. People make 'em."

"Everything is a joke to you." Tomura growled.

"Oh? I'm sorry. Did that hurt yer feelings?"

"You should fight!" Twice yelled and then fell on his knees: "No! Wait, wait, wait. Don't fight! Fighting is bad! It makes my head hurt!"

Tomura reached towards Twice.

"Want me to fix that?"

Pressing a knife on Tomura's back made him stop.

"There, there. We're all friends here. Aren't we, major Tom? So, keep yer hands to yerself."

Tomura glanced her over his shoulder.

"I'm Sensei's heir. Not you. Me!"

"Ya sure?" Toga aid and smiled: "How many rounds did ya do in the Thinking room?"

Just mentioning the Thinking room made Tomura turn into a child. Well, more than usual. Saying it left a bad taste in Toga's mouth. Even Twice noticed the change and looked them puzzled.

"… what?"

"Ya heard me, major Tom. How many?"

"… nine."

Toga whistled.

"Not bad." Toga said and put the knife away: "I did sixteen. Keep that in mind when ya think about bossing me around."

Tomura stomped off but returned soon to get his game. Then he stomped off again and slammed the door behind him. Twice had started to shake.

"I… I think I'm splitting. I can't stop it!"

Toga knelled next to him and patted him on the back.

"Don't worry. I'll always know who's the real ya." Toga said.

Twice's smile was visible even through his mask.

"You… you're an angel."

"Ya know it."

Twice was able to get up with some difficulty and looked after Tomura.

"He won't forget that."

"None of us ever will. But don't you worry, Twice. The only one who can kill me is Izuku-Izuku."

"… I see." Twice said, but he didn't. How could he?

"So… what's the Thinking room?"

"None of yer beeswax." Toga said and then looked at Twice: "Ya got it?"

"Yeah. Wasn't easy, but I got it." Twice said.

"If it was easy I would have asked Dabi."

Twice pulled out a small case and handed it to Toga. In the case were six soft-shelled bullets.

"And the mad scientist at Shi Hassaikai are sure they work?" Toga said.

"They better. You wouldn't believe what I had to do to get them."

"Ya are the best, Twice. Let's go get ice cream."


Sir Nighteye's office wasn't easy to find and Izuku had to switch trains three times before he was in the right part of town. He was barely able to hold his excitement and even after a sleepless night he felt completely rested. He squeezed the suitcase containing his hero suit and smiled to himself.

Even the incident with Stain didn't bother him anymore. Had he gotten… stronger?

After getting off the train, the navigator on his phone directed him to a tall, intimidating building. It looked more like the headquarters for an evil tax collector than a hero agency. Izuku collected his thoughts and gathered his courage before going in. This was his big day. He had to make sure he left a good impression.

Izuku opened the door… and saw a young woman whose hero outfit made Himiko's suggestions look tame in comparison. Everything from the hips to her chest was exposed. The sport bra didn't even cover her breast properly and gave a generous look of her under-boobs. It took Izuku awhile to notice the woman's skin was blue.

"Izuku Midoriya?"

It wasn't easy, but Izuku managed to look the hero in the eyes.

"… yes?"

"I'm Bubble Girl. Welcome to Sir Nighteye's agency."

"… uh, thanks."

"Sir Nighteye will meet you now. Just take the elevator to the top-floor and follow the hallway."

"… thank you."

"Just try to look him in the eyes when you talk to him."

Izuku's face warmed up and he escaped into the elevator. The doors couldn't close fast enough. On the way up, he tried to not think about Bubble Girl's under-boobs and concentrated on not getting an erection. He failed in both. This was going to be one of those days wasn't it?

Izuku knocked on Sir Nighteye's door but didn't get an answer.

"… Sir Nighteye? Boob Girl… Bubble Girl! I mean Bubble Girl told me you were expecting me."

Izuku knocked again. When he got no reply, he dared to open the door.

"… Sir?"

An old man was lying on the office floor in a pool of his own blood. A masked robber holding a smoking gun was going through the office safe. When the robber heard the door open, he turned to face Izuku.

The robber raised his gun.

Izuku activated his Quirk.

He leapt over the dead man's body and threw himself at the robber. Using the moves, he had learned from Mr. Oguro, Izuku was able to strike the gun off the robber's hand. When he tried to feed the killer his own teeth, he twisted his neck like a snake and avoided the punch. Izuku followed up with a flurry of kicks and punches backed up by One for All, but the robber seemed to know what Izuku was going to do before he did.

"Time out!"

"… what?"

The dead man suddenly got up and the shock gave the robber a chance to push Izuku off his feet. The robber pulled off his ski mask revealing a long narrow face with neatly comped hair and a hard glare. The robber pulled out a pair of glasses that made him look like a nearsighted Dracula.

The old man was shorter than Izuku and wore a long flowing cape and a black domino mask. His hairline was receding, and his beard gone gray, but there was still a spark to him.

"What do you think?" The old man said while wiping theater blood off his hero costume.

"Miserable performance. His reaction time was an insult and he didn't throw a single one-liner."

"… what?"

"He's young and still learning." The old man said.

"A sense of humor is something you either have or don't. It's not something you can learn." The spectacled robber said and suddenly leaned in on Izuku stopping only inches from his face: "Tell a joke. Make me laugh."

"… what?"

The spectacled man crossed his arms.

"See? Hopeless."

Izuku started backing away slowly while looking for an escape routes.

"… who are you people? What is going on?" Izuku said.

"I'm Gran Torino and the creeper is Sir Nighteye. Thought you would have known that already considering you wanted to do your field training in his agency." The old man said.

"… I had a lot on my mind… with the robber and the blood… I get it! This was a test. You… you wanted to see how I'd react. So… uh… how did I do?"

Gran Torino and Sir Nighteye glanced at each other.

"A test? That comes later. We were just messing with you." Gran Torino said and gave a dry chuckle: "The old robber joke never gets old. Or maybe it was a test after all."

"… which one is it?" Izuku said.

"You'll never know." Gran Torino said.

Sir Nighteye sat behind his desk and pressed his fingers together. He studied Izuku for a long time.

"You are not worthy of being All Might's successor." He said finally.

Izuku held his breath.

"… I don't know what you're talking about."

"I see Toshinori has kept you in the dark. That damn justice junkie is still wet behind the ears when it comes to teaching. Good thing I'm here to set you straight. No need to watch yourself here. We're both in the know." Gran Torino said and glared at Sir Nighteye: "And as the only one who has trained One for All successor's, I'd appreciate if you didn't jump the gun."

"You trained All Might?!" Izuku said.

"Lo and behold. He can talk without a stutter. Yes. I did the impossible and whipped Toshinori into shape."

Sir Nighteye tapped his desk impatiently.

"You still haven't made a joke. I'm waiting."

Izuku blanked out. One look from Gran Torino told him not to expect help from him.

"… I… uh… just give me a… a chicken…"

In a moment of inspiration Izuku pulled out his phone and googled his own name. He showed Sir Nighteye the endless stream of GIFs and memes that followed.

"… these turned my life into a joke."

Sir Nighteye took Izuku's phone and leaned back on his chair.

"Himiko finally called him back? Came in third. Don't care. Getting laid?" Sir Nighteye said.

"High brow stuff, brat." Gran Torino said and smiled: "I can see you smirking over there, Nighteye. If you're done wasting an old man's time, I'd like to see what the boy can do. Brat. What's your name?"

"… Izuku Midoriya."

"No. Your other name."

"… my other…" Izuku said and then he understood: "Agro."

"Well then, Agro. Put on your big boy pants and follow us." Gran Torino said.

The agency was even bigger than Izuku had thought at first glance and there was a large underground training area beneath it all. The only one using it was a blonde young man with an open face. He was hitting a punching bag the way Izuku wished he could. For the first time Sir Nighteye's face softened a bit.

"Mirio." Sir Nighteye said.

Mirio stopped beating the bag and grinned.

"Sir Nighteye. Is he the third?"

"… the third?" Izuku said.

Mirio grasped Izuku's hand and gave it a wild shake.

"Mirio Togata. Glad to see so many fellow students from U.A."

"… you're a student? I mean… I'm Agro… I mean Izuku Midoriya."

"Lemillion. So, ready to get started?"

"Not so fast, Mirio. Gran Torino will go first." Sir Nighteye said.

"Very well. Good luck, Agro." Mirio said and patted Izuku on the back.

The floor was cleared, and Gran Torino did some warm-up moves.

"Listen, brat. I might be experienced, but I'm still older than Moses so go easy on me."

"… sure."

Was this another test? Pitting him against an old man to see how far he'd go? Or was Gran Torino one of those smiling wrinkly old men you had to watch out for?

"Begin." Sir Nighteye said.

When Gran Torino started moving, he turned into Kouichi on steroids. He didn't seem to be able to fly, but he might as well have. He leapt from wall to wall and kicked himself off them to gain even more speed leaving Izuku no time to think. Even in his old age Gran Torino was as fast if not faster than Kouichi and had a better control of his Quirk.

Even then Gran Torino had all the weaknesses that came with superspeed.

When you moved too fast to think you had to keep things simple. It wasn't a problem when you were able to knock your opponent down before they could even blink, but Izuku had spent weeks sparring with Kouichi. He would never be as fast as Kouichi or Gran Torino, but their speed was not enough to overwhelm him anymore. After initial shock it was easy to predict and intercept Gran Torino's strikes. When Gran Torino realized he was being read, he tried to turn into a higher gear, but that just burned down his stamina faster.

Suddenly Gran Torino's movements came to a screeching halt and he tried to cover his labored breathing.

"Why aren't you attacking?"

"… you asked me to go easy on you, sir." Izuku said.

Gran Torino grinned like a sailor.

"I guess I have no choice, but to use my secret weapon." Gran Torino said and raised his hands: "I'm out. Mirio. Kick his ass."

"Sure thing, Gran Torino." Mirio said and stepped on the tatami.

Izuku took a boxing stance. Mirio was taller and more muscular than him. Not to mention better trained. He also didn't know the older student's Quirk. He just had to hope that One for All would level the playing field. For now, he had to be prepared for everything.

Mirio's clothes fell off leaving him butt-ass naked. Izuku had not been prepared for everything.

"Sneak attack!" Mirio shouted and attacked.

Izuku tightened his defense and prepared for a counter. He had to hand it to Mirio. Dropping your pants was an effective distraction. Stain must have felt like this when he broke into Himiko's flat. There was also something demeaning when your opponent saw you as such an insignificant threat he didn't even bother with pants.

Still, Mirio should have kept his clothes on. The way they fell off told Izuku everything he needed to know. He had some kind of an intangibility Quirk. Izuku would have to time his punches carefully.

Mirio fell through the floor.

"What?!"

Suddenly Mirio shot out of the floor in front of him and almost punched his jaw off. Without all those sparring sessions with Kouichi the match would have been over, but now Mirio was merely able to graze him. Then Mirio was gone again. The next punch came from behind him and knocked Izuku off his feet.

Mirio fought like an upgraded version of Gran Torino and Kouichi. With those two he had been able to see where they were coming from, but Mirio was a ghost. Even then he had to have a weakness. If Izuku couldn't see him, that should mean that Mirio wasn't able to see him either before he shot through the floor. He most likely had a pattern to his attacks to keep himself focused. The key was not to get intimidated.

There, Izuku thought.

He did a vicious back kick when he calculated Mirio was going to phase through the floor.

"Not bad." Mirio said.

Izuku's kick went straight through Mirio, but Mirio's fist hitting him in the gut was solid as a cannonball. He hadn't expected that Mirio could keep parts of his body solid.

"Enough. I'm too old to hide bodies." Gran Torino said.

Mirio offered Izuku his hand.

"Good show, Agro."

For a moment Izuku thought about slapping Mirio's hand away. He had been beaten. Played with. Humiliated. But he didn't sense any malice from Mirio. How could you be mad at him? Izuku smiled and let Mirio pull him back on his feet.

"Thank you for the lesson, senior."

"Always happy to help my juniors. That was a good counter, but I've seen it before. Try to surprise me next time."

"Will do." Izuku said and then looked down: "… could you put on some pants?"

Gran Torino threw Mirio his pants.

"Congratulations. You passed the test." Gran Torino said without sounding impressed.

"Doesn't mean he's qualified. I don't think he has the nerves." Sir Nighteye said.

"Sir, he kept his head cool with Stain. He's got nerves for days. For weeks." Mirio said and smiled at Izuku: "Sorry. He's usually a lot nicer, but these past few weeks have been stressful."

Mirio had a smile like All Might's. And suddenly One for All's words came back to him.

"I will take the reins and find a more suitable vessel. Perhaps the boy Sir Nighteye recommended."

Had Mirio been meant to…

"This way, brat." Gran Torino said.

They left Mirio to continue his training and took an elevator to the cafeteria. When they got there Todoroki and Bakugou were waiting for them. Todoroki had stuffed his nose with tissues to stop the bleeding and Bakugou was holding an icepack to his swollen cheek.

"… Todoroki? Bakugou?"

"Piss off, Deku." Bakugou growled.

"Good to see a friendly face. Did Mirio beat the tar out of you too?" Todoroki said.

"Piss off too, scar-face." Bakugou said.

"… what are you guys doing here?"

"They are part of our plan to capture Stain." Sir Nighteye said.

"Serial killers like fame and you three are the most high-profile targets we could find." Gran Torino said.

"Stain has already targeted Midoriya once. Todoroki is the son of Endeavor and Bakugou…" Sir Nighteye said.

"In short they want to use us as bait." Bakugou said and crossed his arms: "Just leave Stain to me and you can bury the fucker in a matchbox."

"He managed to sneak up on Midoriya." Todoroki said.

"Big fucking deal. Someone got the jump on Deku. Watch me piss my pants in fear." Bakugou said.

Gran Torino and Sir Nighteye had their differences, but both seemed to agree on Bakugou.

"The brat held off Mirio longer than the two of you put together. And before that he fought me to a standstill." Gran Torino said.

Coming here had been worth it just to see the look on Bakugou's face. Todoroki grinned and tapped his hazy eye.

"We both have only one working eye, but I can see how good Midoriya is."

"Why don't you suck him off while you're at it?" Bakugou growled.

"Midoriya lost to you in the tournament." Sir Nighteye said.

"Are you sure, sir?" Todoroki said.

"Okay. Calm down. We're not using you as bait. More like lure. Less incriminating. When… if Stain attacks we'll keep you safe and deal with Stain." Gran Torino said.

"But there will still be risks. Will you take part knowing that?" Sir Nighteye said.

Izuku and Todoroki nodded.

"Just let me take over when you get tired, old man." Bakugou said.

Somehow Bakugou managed to make Sir Nighteye's glare even sharper. Gran Torino scratched his beard and considered Bakugou for a while.

"This is still field training. Meaning you'll have duties to perform. Todoroki. Midoriya." Gran Torino said.

"Yes, sir?" Izuku and Todoroki said in unison.

"I'm hungry. Get us some taiyaki." Gran Torino said.

"Ask the hero at the reception what she wants." Sir Nighteye said and suddenly leaned close to Izuku: "What was her name?"

"… Bubble Girl?"

"Really? I could have sworn you called her something else."

"Blue Girl?" Todoroki suggested.

"… can we go now?" Izuku pleaded.

"Yes." Gran Torino said.

"Finally, someone found some uses for them. What about me?" Bakugou said.

"Third floor needs mopping. Get to it." Sir Nighteye said.

Somehow Izuku and Todoroki managed to keep their cool until they got to the elevator. Once the doors closed they started laughing.

"God. What an asshole." Todoroki said.

"… he used to be so much worse. What does Kirishima see in him?" Izuku said.

"What do you mean?"

"… like… they are going… you know… out."

Todoroki's mouth hung agape.

"How do you… Oh my God. You two broke up. That's why Bakugou is always…"

"What? No. I…" Izuku started and then fell silent: "… you know… all that bullying was weirdly sexual."

After getting everyone food, Izuku and Todoroki went patrolling with Mirio and Gran Torino. Bakugou stayed behind and got started mopping up floors four and five. When the day was over and Izuku got ready to leave for home to tell mom he'd stay at the agency for his field training, Sir Nighteye told to meet him in his office.

"… how can I help you, sir?"

"What do you think of Mirio?" Sir Nighteye said.

"… he's… great."

"Great. Yes. I suppose he is. Still a student and professionals already call him the next All Might. What about you? How are you better than Mirio?"

"… I… I mean…"

"Can't think of anything? Then tell me, what made you worthy of succeeding One for All instead of Mirio? Think about it. Dismissed."

Bakugou had already raged off, but Todoroki was waiting for him.

"What did he want?" Todoroki said.

"… just… stuff. Todoroki?"

"Yeah?"

"… what do you think of Mirio? Is he… good?"

"Dad tried to scout him. What do you think? He's already the level of a pro, but… his Quirk is… was a total mess. When he uses it, he goes blind and deaf. A wall could also bisect him if he turned it off at the wrong moment. But somehow he managed to master it."

Izuku felt sick.

Why had All Might chosen him when there was someone like Mirio around? With a Quirk like his, Mirio would have had no problems mastering One for All. Mirio didn't even need it to defeat him. Was he really the person All Might thought he was?