I'm starting to think this is becoming a legitimate story. Well, none of my plans ever stay intact for long(and I'll constantly complain about that, but I'm used to it), so I've learned to roll with it. Still, I need to go complete my other stories. One has maybe three chapters left in it, while I can see the other three continuing on for at least a year. I'll keep chasing the end of this AU until the month ends. Afterwards, it'll go into my story update cycle. It's a shame that school is starting up again, cause I could do a chapter a day during quarantine. Oh well, productivity I guess. I saw a review on that was...nice? The writer stated that they were expecting low quality bs but ended up surprised. Thanks I guess. I'm not really sure how to respond to that. ANYWAY ONWARDS!
In the end, Bakugou never does get a proper hero name. Which was a shame, because his Quirk brought with it so many different options. Ground Zero. Armageddon. Nitro, if you were feeling lazy. Even with One for All coursing through his veins, the best name he could think of was still Deku. Mostly because the others were teetering uncomfortably on the line that divided the names of heroes from the names of villains and vigilantes. The Judge. The Forgotten Child. At one point, the name "Freedom" rattled around inside his head for three days. Names that alluded to the true scale of what he was planning, what kind of hero he was trying to be. If Nedzu caught a single of those pilot names on his radar, he could be guaranteed an increase in interrogation attempts or even illegal surveillance. Was it illegal if the Principal claimed that he was doing it in order to collect evidence on a possible threat to the nation? Then again, that was how blackmail worked. Some of his other classmates got to go again and change their hero names, and while some better ones were on the tip of his tongue("Pinky" was probably the saddest name he had ever heard), he kept his mouth firmly shut. After Kayama-sensei vacated the room in the same way she had come in(flamboyantly and as sexually as possible), Aizawa-sensei crawled out of his sleeping bag and handed out to each student a list of their internship offers. Todoroki and Bakugou got literal stacks of paper, while Shinsou got a single page, much to the purple-haired boy's obvious disappointment. Midoriya searched within himself, looking for a single shred of guilt in the shrivelled husk he called his heart. Unfortunately for Shinsou, the fact that he tried to get a response out of him through insulting Mei quickly banished any feelings of guilt from his mind.
Aizawa-sensei dropped a stack of paper equivalent to one of his previous Hero Analysis journals before he burned the lot of them, and he blinked at the sheer number of offers. Flipping to the last page told him that this was the list before whatever screening they did was added into the mix, so he sighed and slipped on the pair of glasses that Mei had forced him to wear instead of the Eagle Eyes. These were arguably more useful because he could actually project holograms with them, but it felt odd wearing glasses when he didn't need them. Taking out a pencil, he began to annotate the sheets of paper, using the spectacles in order to quickly run through the internet(and in some cases, the dark web) whenever he found one that he didn't know about. While the others were fawning over whatever internship offers they had managed to get, he was doing the grunt work because Aizawa-sensei had a sadistic streak a mile wide and knew that he would get irritated by unsorted data. Midoriya had a hunch that when he was done, the teacher would reveal that Nedzu himself had already completed the analysis in an hour and give him an updated list. But until then, he would pass the time and get some form of satisfaction in the end from screening the sheer number of people who had noticed what he did. Even so, he kept an ear out for those in the class that he was more hesitant to immediately write off as enemies, those who were just between the line separating friend and acquaintance. Surprisingly, for a bunch of teenagers who were still playing hero(one villain attack didn't make you a veteran, just like the one time he had contemplated jumping off a roof didn't make him suicidal), they were mature and practical about their choices. Noticing that Yaoyorozu was contemplating Uwabami, he snorted before getting her attention. Not looking away from his work, he mentioned that she would stay far away from that agency if she wanted to be seen as more than a beautiful woman while cancelling out a small-time agency which probably just wanted him for publicity.
His classmate questioned him about his words, as expected from one of the few members of the class with a working brain, and he pointed out how Uwabami had turned to using her hero status for fame and promoting her own products. He concluded that the Pro-Heroine had only chosen Yaoyorozu for her beauty, rather than any form of combat ability or her Quirk, and that any form of internship there would most likely just include being forced to act in commercials. The black-haired girl looked almost downcast at that(thus confirming the observation that her self-confidence needed some working on) and he sighed before throwing her a bone. Still writing, he extended a hand for her list, relying purely on muscle memory for a few seconds in order to screen her offers before returning the pieces of paper to her. Midoriya told her that while her Quirk was the most versatile one he had seen so far, she lacked ingenuity and the ability to keep calm under pressure, choosing to make rudimentary weapons like the sword and shield combo she had produced to fight Tokoyami. Thus, he pointed her to the Fatgum agency, partly because the Pro-Hero also had a Quirk that relied on the consumption of food and partly because the man never seemed to run out of optimism. She could do with a confidence booster. Ignoring the way the rest of the class had stopped to listen to his reasoning, Midoriya turned to the tenth page and tried not to groan when he realized that he was going to be doing this for the better half of the day if he went at the same speed as he did now.
He almost turned away from his current task when Kirishima mentioned that he was oddly confident about his decision, before shooting a retort that he wouldn't do something if it didn't have at least a ninety percent chance of going well. Not succeeding, mind you. The Sports Festival had been an example of that. To others it might have seemed like desperate move after desperate move, but anyone who could peer inside his head would have confirmed the fact that he was just adding on to a plan, like building up a wall and reinforcing it with mortar. He also added that he wouldn't give shitty advice, because he himself was tired of listening to it. His answer was deliberately open to interpretation, and he rolled his eyes when the red-haired boy continued to press for a proper answer, wondering if this was how everyone was going to act whenever he did something nice. As with teenagers who couldn't be bothered to mind their own business, the whole class' attention was centered on him(minus Bakugou, but he didn't exactly count), awaiting his next response. Sighing internally and making a mental note that he needed to go find Mei later for something to destroy, he closed the conversation by stating that everyone had told him he couldn't be a hero. Smiling slightly when the more nosy members of his class began to look guilty, he tacked on a nonchalant shrug and returned to crossing out and marking the hero agencies that had given him internship offers. He was a little curious as to why Endeavour hadn't given one, but that was most likely because he had beat his prized creation without using a Quirk and making it very clear that he and the Pro-Hero stood on two very different sides. Still, he had expected the man to give one just because he was smart enough to swallow his pride and acknowledge the fact that Midoriya was strong. He thought wrong.
Yaoyorozu thanked him hesitantly, probably expecting some sort of rebuke in return(he did dish out ten times of whatever he took in stride), but he hummed in acknowledgement and watched her shoulders relax out of the corner of his eye. Still, he added another note to the mental noticeboard to try and fix her self-confidence issue, mainly because she would make an excellent hero and also because it wouldn't hurt to have someone that could create everything he needed if he was in a tight spot. Aizawa-sensei, who had remained silent throughout the whole exchange, encased himself in his sleeping bag once more when the bell rang and wriggled out of the classroom like a demented caterpillar. He soon followed suit, tucking his work underneath one arm before slipping out of the classroom, dodging any offers to sit with his classmates during break(he had a suspicion that they just wanted him to tell them what agencies they should apply for). Before he could get far, All Might announced his presence in a position that reminded him of a pretzel, asking for Midoriya to go with him. Not seeing why he should deny All Might's invitation, he nodded and shadowed the Number One Hero. They went into the staff room, which was suspiciously empty, then the hero deflated into his true form. All Might explained that his old mentor had called and wanted to test the newest holder of One for All. While Midoriya had a hunch that this was the friend Shimura-san talked about, he still attempted to confirm his hypothesis by asking All Might about this individual's name. When the blond replied with Gran Torino, he nodded, both to acknowledge his "mentor" and the confirmation of his thoughts. A little disappointed that his efforts were going to go to waste and that he wouldn't be able to explore another agency(Sir Nighteye had, for some reason, given him an offer), he told All Might that he would do his internship with the old man. He made to leave the staff room, but was called back. The Symbol of Peace had a serious look on his face for once in his life, so Midoriya glanced at the cameras in the room they were currently in and disabled them with a thought(also the recording devices, although he turned his own on).
As expected, All Might was proud of the fact that he had demonstrated to the world that he was here, but the man was curious about why he didn't use One for All a single time during the whole thing. Midoriya relaxed slightly, expecting a more difficult question before answering that it was a test of his capabilities. Quoting Aizawa-sensei's words about how a hero that was either weak or so strong that he broke his bones was a liability, he told All Might that he wished to first make sure his physical capabilities were top-notch before attempting to even add his Quirk into the mix. Telling a half-truth, he also mentioned how he was actually using the Sports Festival to test out new ways to use his Quirk, directing the blond's attention to the way he had thrown Bakugou out of the ring with a single blow and the speed at which he had completed the obstacle course. When his "mentor" accepted the explanation with a grin, he briefly wondered how such a gullible man had managed to survive in the hero industry. Of course. How could he forget? The strongest Quirk was at his fingertips. His mood dimmed even further. Midoriya said a brief goodbye to the man after adding that All Might should probably tell Aizawa-sensei that looking through his internship offers was no longer necessary. As soon as he located the nearest bin, he dumped the stack of papers into it and continued on his way to the canteen. Hopefully Shimura-san would bring him into the mindscape so that they could discuss Gran Torino. He nearly missed the cleaning droid that almost immediately picked up the bin before he turned the next corner. When it didn't immediately cart off the trash, he smirked. It seemed as though Nedzu had been reduced to digging through the garbage he left behind. Problematic, but amusingly so.
His final action before going to grab a bite to eat was to remove the label of All Might from his head and mentally crush it under his foot. He needed to stop thinking of the man as the Number One Hero. Unconsciously, the hero fanboy in him was still putting the false symbol on a pedestal. That was not a good thing to do. Yagi Toshinori was human, and it would do Midoriya some good to remember that fact.
For the first time since he had joined UA, he managed to go one week without running into any trouble. His presence in the media was somehow still as large as ever, and most forums online were still debating over whether his win in the Sports Festival was a fluke. An "accidental" leak online to his old school records(he would have leaked footage of being tormented, but he hadn't been as determined to break the system as he was now) revealed the fact that he had been a late bloomer and created even more anarchy. The one downside of the whole increased presence was that he constantly needed to think of new disguises, unless he was being lazy, then it was just a surgical mask plus a hoodie. Still, that gave Mei an excuse to come up with a cloaking device. Unfortunately, that meant that he had to somehow get a hair from Hagakure. He debated over the pros and cons of attempting to use stealth on someone who was invisible, before deciding to do the morally correct thing and asking her for it nicely. When she questioned him on why he needed it, Midoriya fed her a half-truth about how there was a way to get her a hero costume that wasn't just a pair of gloves and boots. After that, her tune quickly changed from suspicious to hopeful. When he mentioned off the top of his head three separate UA graduates that had Quirks similar to hers, he almost threw her into a wall when Hagakure pounced on him and smothered him in a hug. While about half the class was still around. Yeah no. Before anyone can say anything, he does what he always does when Mei tackles him in public. Hightail it out of there. Unfortunately for Hagakure, he's used to this sort of situation, so she gets tugged out of the classroom alongside him. In order to salvage what little dignity he still has, Midoriya takes her to Mei's design studio(Power Loader gave her one of her own, probably to stop her from blowing up anyone apart from herself and him) and with no small amount of sadistic glee, gives Mei the all-clear to poke and prod at the invisible girl.
Of course, it wasn't all for nothing. With some samples helpfully provided by Hagakure, they managed to construct prototypes for both the cloaking device and her new hero costume. Technically they were almost identical, the main difference being that the former was just that, a piece of tech that utilised the light-reflective abilities of Hagakure while the latter was going to be constantly invisible while in contact with the teenager. A little similar to the neuro-links that he and Mei both used for their various "mods", but on a biological level rather than a psychological level. The rest of the week was spent hashing out the problems in their new gadgets(rematerializing while he was shadowing Aizawa-sensei to see if it helped with stealth was probably the most awkward moment in his life) and at the end of it all, Hagakure had been firmly established as one of them. It was actually fairly obvious now that he thought about it, considering her ability was literally being invisible. While he and Mei took on certain personas in order to blend in, she did so to stand out. It was almost saddeningly easy to see through her once you got past the cheerful hand gestures, and from two tired souls to another, it was comforting to know that they weren't the only ones. While it was odd to be in a trio after spending most of his life alone, then as a duo(although most of his classmates half-jokingly commented that he and Mei were practically a single person) , unlike the other changes in his life, it was a good one rather than a bad one. Naturally, it would take much moree than a week of tentative friendship that was more of trying to keep Mei from blowing all of them up or accidentally starting a plague while attempting to splice DNA for Midoriya to place Hagakure in the zone in his head that only Mei, and once his mother, resided in. Still, for someone who they had barely interacted with, Hagakure fit into their dynamics surprisingly well. She was the long lost voice of reason that they had discarded in favour of living twenty-four hour days to their finest, and for the first time in a long time, someone managed to make Mei sleep without having to take away her supply of energy cocktails that were just a hint away from being literal doses of adrenaline(he didn't count himself, cause Mei only listened to him half the time, the other half involved taking drastic measures). It was strangely peaceful to be fixing up Mei's latest baby after it almost destroyed one of his limbs while the girl responsible for forty percent of his trauma slept beside Hagakure, leaning against one of the less scorched walls of Mei's personal lab.
He was still contemplating whether it would be more beneficial to add a third member to their squad. It meant revealing to Hagakure portions of what he did, and what he was prepared to do in order to succeed in his goals. Mei would follow him to the ends of the earth if he asked her to, but he was reluctant to drag another person into his own personal crusade. After all, his partner seemed to be content with waging war alongside him because of some hidden vendetta that she had yet to tell him about(and he wouldn't push until she was ready). The invisible girl was just a lonely person who had latched on to the first two people that her mind registered as those in the same boat as her. It just so happened that the two individuals she had chosen were most likely the worst possible ones. Well, he was probably the last person she would want to consider a friend. Still, Hagakure could be a valuable asset. Invisibility was the highest form of stealth. With a little training to reduce presence and move quietly, she could help them sneak in and out of places that would require hacking, or even be used as a way to take things from previously inaccessible places. He looked over to see the two girls desperately trying to catch a flying drone with butterfly nets as it fired mild stun bolts at the three of them and felt a stab of guilt. He was sure that people would have told her that she was better off an assassin than a hero. If he reduced her to a tool or a weapon, he was no better than the system he fought against. Midoriya flinched as a bolt struck him in the back of the neck, finally putting down the knife he had been attempting to augment and calling for them to pass him a net as well. Mei threw one that nearly smashed into his face before he caught it, and after dialing down the power of the DubSteps, he kicked off the ground.
A quick prediction later(something else that he would suggest to add to Mei would be preconstruction), he swiped diagonally downwards and managed to clip an edge of the drone. It beeped frantically while spinning out of control, losing altitude. He mentally cheered as he landed back on the ground, then bounced up once more to gently tug it out of the air like he was catching a frisbee. It responded by shooting several more shocks into his system, irritating, but nothing that was too bad at least. Still, he quickly tossed it to Mei, who responded by jabbing a taser into it. The unfortunate drone almost whined, before spitting out a few sparks and falling still. The girls exchanged a high-five, and Midoriya hid a smile before returning to his knife.
The invisible girl still had a bright future ahead of her. He would make sure that she managed to reach that future. Nothing more. He was too far gone in his own personal darkness, and he was already uncertain of whether or not he could stop Mei from following him. Hagakure didn't deserve whatever she was going to get if he offered a place to her by his side in his crusade.
Checking the address on his phone, he was entirely unimpressed by the completely generic apartment that he had arrived in. A quick scan with the Eagle Eyes notified him of exactly one person in the house. Lying down. Face down. Interesting. Concerning, yes, but very interesting. Contemplating whether entering the house of someone who invited him for an internship with a knife ready to be used was considered the polite thing to do. Deciding that first impressions mattered, even if the person he was supposed to be meeting was lying on the floor for some reason, he knocked twice before opening the door. The lights were off, and with the curtains drawn, there was almost no light in the house. An old man who was probably Gran Torino(Shimura-san had mentioned him several times, and honestly? He expected someone more...muscular) was lying down in a suspicious red puddle with what looked like his own intestines underneath his body. At first glance, it would look like the old man had been disemboweled by an unknown assailant. The normal reaction would be for him to scream, panic and call the cops. But, the fact that he already knows that Gran Torino is alive, and Shimura-san had already warned him about how her old friend was most likely going to play a practical joke to test his reactions ruins the dramatic reveal, so all he does is set his briefcase down and open the curtains to ventilate the room. Checking to see if anything else needed cleaning, he picked up the plate lying next to Gran Torino's head and dumped it in the sink.
Turning around, he almost blinked when he was confronted with an old man rifling through his belongings. He carefully lowered his guard when the old man called out for him to change up and "show me what you got". Midoriya sighed internally and took his suit from the adult's outstretched hand, wondering if his life was ever going to return to some semblance of normality. Then he realized that his normal for the last decade or so was being bullied for something he couldn't control, and immediately threw that thought out the window. Choosing the nearest room, he was relieved when it revealed a plain bedroom, complete with a generic side table and lamp. Midoriya had been expecting something way more eccentric than this. Quickly changing up, he left his new knife, still in its sheath, on the desk(he wasn't here to kill anyone). While stepping back into the room, he ran through the information he had in his head on the "Pro-Hero". Gran Torino. Real name, Torino Sorahiko. Quirk, "Jet", allows him to eject air from the soles of his feet to act as boosters. In a sense, this would be the Quirk his DubSteps were being used to emulate. Unfortunately, midair boosts would be impossible unless he managed to somehow figure out how to generate pocket dimensions filled with compressed air to use and stick them into his shoes. Mentored Yagi Toshinori after Shimura-san's death at the hands of the villain who had killed all of her predecessors. Utilized what was probably considered torture to do so, but the results spoke for themselves. Most likely still harboured guilt over her death, more specifically not being there to save her from her untimely death. He was interrupted by a blur of motion, and instinctively dodged out of the way while expanding his quarterstaff to a decent length so as to avoid damage to the house. Barely blocking the foot sent towards his face at high speeds when Gran Torino abruptly changed directions while still in the air, the beginnings of a plan started to piece themselves together in his mind.
According to the implications of Yagi Toshinori's fear, this man before him was able to keep up and even beat All Might in his prime(or shortly before it). This would be a good test of how well he could fight without the use of One for All, but Shimura-san had warned him that her old friend was shrewd. Not using the power bestowed upon you by a human-turned-literal-god(the words made him want to retch just thinking about them) would raise more than a few questions. Still, he was reluctant to use the crutch that he had been given, choosing to weave and deflect hits, relying on instincts and muscle memory as he was attacked from all sights. Slightly uncomfortable at the way the man seemed to be fine with destroying his house, Midoriya took a boot to his arm for the concern and nearly winced at the too-familiar sensation of impact condensers absorbing what was probably a blow that could fracture the limb. For another few minutes, he remained on the defensive, taking three more hits in that period of time(right knee from behind, left elbow from the side and his midsection from the front). Gran Torino bounced off the walls like a demented human version of an old character from an equally old movie saga that should never have gotten rebooted, leaving craters wherever he went. Midoriya had managed to deal several glancing blows, and even clothesline the man when he finally figured out the pattern of boosts(which he quickly regretted when the old man upped his speed and intensity in retaliation) before he decided it was time to show Gran Torino what he probably wanted.
Collapsing the staff and reattaching it to his arm, Midoriya flooded his fingers with as much power as they could handle before firing off five consecutive flicks. The SnapDragons did their job, quietly coming to life before directing his air shots where he wanted them to go. Two missed Gran Torino entirely, the third forced him to boost upwards and into the path of the fourth, causing another last-minute dodge into the fifth. Even if he had expected it to happen, the teenager was still impressed when the elderly man demonstrated why exactly he was a Pro-Hero, and pivoted in order to kick off a wall and towards the ground. He could sense the beginnings of a triumphant grin forming on his opponent's face and smiled from behind the comfort of his mask. Now that wouldn't do. Switching tactics even as Gran Torino raced to sock him in the kidneys, Midoriya powered the circuit flowing through his entire body and met the blow with a kick of his own. Not hesitating despite the abrupt surge of energy coursing through his veins, he followed up with a flash grenade and a twenty percent punch. Deliberately missing the old Pro-Hero, the air pressure from his movement alone left a sizable hole in the wall behind his opponent. There was silence for a few moments. Then the elderly man picked up his cane and used it to smack Midoriya's armoured shins, cursing about the damage to the wall. He grinned sheepishly, even with no one to see it.
Well that was an unfortunate accident.
Gran Torino was suprisingly amicable despite the fact that he had nearly turned him the human equivalent of bug parts on a windshield. After getting roped in to cleaning up the mess they had created, Midoriya was pondering how to patch up the hole in the wall about twice or three times the size of his fist. The easiest option would be a makeshift bandage using tape, but it would just be a temporary fix unless he used cement to fill in the chunk that he had taken out of Gran Torino's wall. Plus, there was a chance that not fixing up the wall now would lead to some unnecessary complications in the future. Notifying the old man that he was going to look for a nearby hardware store in order to obtain what he needed. Getting a grunt in response and a reminder not to take too long, Midoriya left the house. Glancing down and noting that he had forgotten to suit down after the test fight, he quickly fiddled with the dial located just above his heart, turning on the hologram projector. Cycling through several options before deciding on a hoodie and long jeans, he tapped the dial twice to confirm his selection. One might think that it would be more convenient for him to change back into his regular clothes instead of using holograms to conceal what he was actually wearing. A valid point that he had brought up with Mei when she had first implemented the program. She managed to defend her idea with several points, mostly connected to the ability to be ready for anything even when he looked defenceless. Expanding his mask to cover his entire face and hoping the illusion would conceal him enough to ensure that he just looked creepy instead of a psycho wearing a grotesque mask, he pulled up a map to locate the nearest hardware store. Satisfied when he realized it was just across the road and around the corner, Midoriya collapsed the mask and pulled it down to hang around his neck.
Some time later after ensuring that no one bumped into him(it would be...unfortunate if someone noticed that his clothes weren't exactly real) and grabbing the plaster and glue that he would need, he was walking back when a muffled scream from the suspicious dark alleyway that he had made sure to avoid like it contained the plague drew his attention. Sighing, he turned right and walked straight into what was probably danger, stowing his goods behind a cardboard box in order to make sure no one stole them while he was investigating. Charging up his equipment and equipping his staff, Midoriya extended it to its full length before turning it into two regular sized batons. Making sure that the stun option on them was only a single thought away from activation, he neared the source of the sounds, listening out for any sudden movement. So far, all he could hear was slowly fading whimpering and something akin to the sound one made when drinking from a straw. Turning the corner before he could second-guess himself, Midoriya's eyes widened in shock and more than a little disgust when he was greeted with a blonde girl(school uniform indicated that she was around his age) straddling another teenager(looked about a year or two older than them, with an unnaturally pale face). Her face was buried in the crook of his neck and he grimaced, lowering the batons and moving to get out of there. He was expecting something more along the lines of someone getting murdered than two teenagers getting it on in a dark alleyway. Before he could leave, however, the choked cry of help from the male teenager made him turn around to check once more. He blinked twice, his brain making the connections between the sounds he had been hearing, the positions of the duo in front of him and why the male was so pale. Not willing to take chances, he flooded his body with One for All and lunged.
Midoriya got a sick sense of satisfaction out of feeling several ribs give way beneath his first strike, grabbing the victim's collar with one hand and raising him up to check his condition while the blonde smashed into the wall on the other end of the alleyway. There were clear puncture marks in his skin(vampiristic Quirk. Thirst for blood?) and he was gasping for air. He cursed himself even as he pulled up his mask and engaged it, contacting an ambulance before applying pressure to the teenager's bleeding wound. Using a roll of medical tape, he quickly sealed the wound in order to prevent further blood loss before his instincts told him to dodge. Dragging the teenager with him, he sidestepped the arc of a blade, temporarily upping the percentage of power coursing through his veins in order to get the victim out of the alleyway. Dumping him at the entrance drew a few stares, but nothing more. Irritated, he yelled for the nearest bystander to look after him before rushing back into the fray. Flicking his wrists and feeling the steady hum that indicated his weapons now had substantial currents running through them, he attacked the girl. She grins and his heart briefly stops at how familiar the expression is before she blocks his first strike with a knife before lunging for his neck with another blade. Beating it to one side with his other baton, he skimmed her knuckles and was rewarded with a shudder as the girl faltered.
The art of using escrima sticks wasn't exactly one he was well-versed in, but he had enough practice with them to ensure that he wasn't at a disadvantage. He chose to go for immobilizing blows, making sure to zap her as many times as possible as his opponent demonstrated almost supernatural talent with her knives coupled with the flexibility of a gymnast. It meant that he got more than a few blows for his kindness, but stab-proof armour ensured that he wouldn't have to experience the sensation of his life essence leaking from his body. While his opponent was arguably faster and better with her weapons, he had a Quirk that augmented everything he utilized in combat. Swinging a baton while the arm was at thirty percent(he felt the bones creak in protest) created an air blast that launched her back, but the girl only grinned harder before attempting to pounce on him. Not hesitating, he reattached his weapons and the sudden increase in length was enough for him to deliver an electrified thrust to her throat. It ended up hitting her in the chest when she moved to block it with a knife(that one shattered) before desperately beating the blunt weapon down with her other. Still, the enhanced hearing granted by his equipment allowed him to listen to the way air rushed out of her lungs shortly before muscle spasms kicked in. Making sure to keep his staff in contact with her exposed skin, he kicked away the knife before quickly executing a sleeper hold on his opponent. She struggled, attempting to bite down on his arm and managing to produce a third knife that was used to repeatedly stab him, but lost consciousness after he tightened the hold to speed up the process. Ignoring how dirty he felt while checking her thoroughly for more weapons, he bound her arms and legs together, hogtying the wannabe murderer. Checking to see if the tape would hold(unless she somehow developed super strength, it would, and even then it would be a struggle), he cloaked himself before returning to where he had left his items and frowning at the small crowd that had gathered around the teenager who had almost died. Softly picking them up, he returned to his defeated opponent, picking her up and walking further into the alleyway. After a couple of twists and turns to make sure that no one would be following them, he used an additional loop to tie her to a section of railings after testing them for their structural integrity.
Not one to cause problems for himself, he made sure that even if she did manage to escape her bindings, those around her neck would tighten into a makeshift garrote if she attempted to attack him once again. Tapping her to check if she was still unconscious, he sped up the process by electrocuting her once more. She jolted, struggling for a brief moment before noticing the predicament that she was in. The girl was still smiling, and a wave of unpleasant revulsion swept through him and he wondered if this was how others felt when they looked at him. Carefully sorting out his thoughts, he began the interrogation.
It was almost fascinating what someone's Quirk could do to their mental state. The keyword here being "almost". His predictions earlier were correct, she had a Quirk that required blood as the activation key. A transformation one that did not copy the Quirk of the person she transformed into, (un)fortunately depending on how you looked at it, duration dependent on how much blood she consumed. A clear survivor of abuse and/or neglect, with a fractured mind because of it. He felt a surge of anger and pity at this poor soul, who had a story so similar to his that it was disconcerting. She was happy to answer his questions, something about how he was strong and that he would look better covered in blood. He disagreed. Toga Himiko. She was probably better off in an asylum undergoing rehabilitation, but Midoriya knew that those who were admitted to such facilities never did come back out. Another problem with society. Gears continued to turn in his head as he wondered how he was supposed to fix someone who was perfectly happy being broken. Toga requested for him to remove his mask so that she could see his face. And against his better judgement, he did. He regretted it almost immediately when the look of curiosity in her eyes turned into hunger and what he hoped wasn't lust, but the way she was licking her lips didn't fill him with confidence. He introduced himself as Midoriya Izuku. She told him that she knew who he was. Swallowing down the urge to just leave her here to rot, he offered her a deal. She would work for him, pretending to be a villain in order to infiltrate the League of Villains. In return, he would prep synthetic blood mixed with his own for her to consume whenever she got cravings.
He hated how well the bribe seemed to be working when his prisoner agreed almost immediately, straining against her bindings as drool began to become uncomfortably obvious. Drawing his military knife(and making sure it was magnetically attached to him in case of any betrayals), Midoriya cut through the bindings and wrapped the remains around his free hand and arm. Sheathing his knife when nothing happened, he proceeded to use the last bits of tape to make his arms symmetrical in design, offering one of his cards to the blonde. She took it eagerly, tucking it away into her chest pocket before giving him an attempt at a military salute. Laughing slightly, he extended his hand for a handshake and got a hug in return. Tensing up, he carefully patted her on the back, ready for a knife to the spine despite the fact that he had disarmed her. After a very unsettling minute of forced hugging, she broke the embrace. Midoriya offered a smile, telling her that he would make arrangements to help her using the phone number on the card. Almost as an afterthought, he added that she could call him if she needed somewhere better to stay. The sincere offer appeared to catch Toga off guard, for her smile flickered and died for several seconds before returning to her face, more genuine than before. She nodded slowly and he took it as his cue to leave. Calling out a quick goodbye, he resumed the flow of One for All and darted as fast as he could back to Gran Torino's house, hoping he hadn't taken too long.
He took too long.
The next day passed like the first, only he had suggested that they move their training to a location less likely to fall apart with the intensity of their battle. He was pleasantly surprised to find out that there was a gym for sparring using Quirks nearby, which his current mentor had access to due to "a few favours". With a bigger area, it was much easier to fight Gran Torino due to the fact that he could lay traps down and even had more time to react to each attack. The old man talked as they casually fought, saying that he had been expecting someone completely unable to use his Quirk without breaking himself, citing the way he had fought during the Sports Festival. Midoriya laughed, pointing out that he had explicitly stated that he refused to use his Quirk to prove a point. His opponent grudgingly admitted that it was one hell of a way to make a statement, before telling him that he needed to incorporate his Quirk into his fighting style more often. Despite the ease at which the teenager could manipulate the flow of power in his body, the lack of practice with One for All fuelled combat would make it so that he wouldn't be able to keep up with the rapid changes in the amount of strength he was using. While he didn't like the way that Gran Torino was implying he was incompetent, he conceded the point to the old man. It was true after all. In attempting to make sure his Quirk wasn't a crutch, he had turned to support items to level the playing field. Even so, he couldn't count on them to last forever. So that was the agenda for day two. Fight continuously for several hours while constantly dialing One for All up and down, trying his best not to accidentally use too much power. And when his mentor ran out of stamina, he turned to a mixture of shadow boxing and weapon kata in order to keep up the strain on his body. Of course, it eventually ended with him careening into a wall after an overpowered jump, much to the glee of the older man.
On the third day, he woke up to the sensation of his muscles crying out every time he moved. A feeling that was quickly becoming familiar. A quick breakfast that he had to cook because no, Gran Torino, taiyaki is a dessert, not something to be eaten like it's part of a regular meal later, the old Pro-Hero ushered him out of the house, mentioning how he would develop bad habits if he only fought against him. Not for the first time, Midoriya wondered how someone with the shrewd intellect of Gran Torino could have a mentee that used brute force to solve all his problems instead of his head. They were taking the train, passing Hosu when the vehicle shuddered and stuttered to a stop. His instincts telling him that something was wrong, Midoriya calmly switched on his gear while turning off the holograms, sending a message to Mei using his mask. It hissed as it covered his face, and Gran Torino looked sufficiently disturbed for someone who was seeing it for the first time. His partner responded almost immediately, warning him that something big and fast was approaching his location. Yelling for the civilians to get down, he braced himself just in time for a Nomu to smash through the front of the train. Before he could launch any form of attack, his mentor had already kicked the monster back out, ordering him to stay put. Naturally, he disobeyed.
Hosu was in flames. Mei brought up a map in his HUD, putting several moving dots on it because there were apparently more than one Nomu in this unfortunate place. Cursing, he requested for her to monitor as many camera feeds as possible and direct him to where he was needed. Almost immediately, there were several chimes and seven location pins appeared on his map. Groaning mentally, he activated One for All. Knowing that he was most likely going to regret his decisions, Midoriya boosted himself with twenty percent and was rewarded with all his muscles screaming out at once. Nevertheless, he used the abrupt increase in speed to race around Hosu, rescuing civilians from the wreckage of fallen buildings and even briefly entering combat with another Nomu in order to buy a group time to escape. Thankfully, these ones were weaker(or perhaps he had gotten stronger), so he was quickly able to immobilize his opponent after systematically breaking its limbs again and again until its regeneration started to struggle. Not wanting to lose his new knife so soon, he charged up a leg with forty percent and brought it down on the head of his opponent. Blood and grey matter splashed his suit and his boot was absolutely caked with gore, but the defeat of the Nomu meant one less threat. Boosting up again, he continued to rescue as many civilians as possible, directing them to the evacuation zone Mei had helpfully marked out for him. His last job finished, Midoriya was about to fall back to the safe zone when his partner alerted him to another incident. Moving once again, leaving craters in his wake as the DubSteps did their job, amping up his speed even further. He skidded to a stop outside a dark alleyway and just barely restrained the urge to facepalm. He stepped in, glowing softly with sparks of electricity from his Quirk(he wondered if Mei coud somehow use it to power his suit), all traces of humour were wiped from his mind at the sight before him.
Two similar armoured individuals were lying prone on the ground, a quick scan notifying him of their identities. The Iida brothers. And just to continue his streak of bad luck, their victorious opponent was Stain, the Hero Killer. The scan had also revealed that neither brother was too badly injured, so he focused his attention on the man with the katana and way too many blades. Why did he have so many blades? Oh and his nose was gone. Interesting. That meant that he couldn't smash it in. Such a shame. The advantage of a sneak attack was enough for him to snap Stain out of his monologuing(and his sword) with a kick enhanced with thirty percent and the DubSteps. Mei was rattling off warnings in his ear, giving him the analysis of the Hero Killer and what his Quirk might be as he shifted one of his eyes into the x-ray mode that had just been added to the mask. His blow had already fractured several fingers of his latest opponent, and shards of metal were stuck in the Hero Killer. The adult hissed in fury, throwing several knives even as he drew a second katana and darted towards him. Midoriya would have used his staff, but now was the time for overwhelming force rather than technique. He fired off several air shots from both hands, targeting reticle darting around almost frantically as he knocked the small blades out of the air and forced Stain to change his course to climbing up the wall to his left. Not letting up, he channelled twenty percent into his arms and smashed one into the wall to knock the Hero Killer loose while the other sent an air blast towards the airborne murderer. In an impressive show of dexterity, he used his weapon to block the concussive blast, which resulted in its destruction as well. The man quickly backpedalled to what he was probably assuming was a safe distance(joke's on Stain, he wouldn't even need one hundred percent to reach him) before commenting on Midoriya's strength. The teenager raised an unseen eyebrow, attaching his knife to the end of his staff to create a spear. He held it gently in one arm, the other still thrumming with restrained power.
There was a brief standoff, in which both Iida brothers told him that he needed to run and get help several times. Iida Tenya was surprisingly louder than his older brother, for he had noticed that their saviour was Midoriya dressed in his hero costume. Stain seemed to vibrate with excitement when he heard this, drawing out the name Midoriya Izuku almost reverently. Deciding that stalling for time until Mei could nudge the heroes into stumbling upon Stain was probably the best course of action, he asked the adult if his identity was important. The man gaped with shock and disbelief, spreading his arms and talking about how he was the only one who truly understood what he was trying to do. Midoriya was suddenly thankful that he had a mask on, because the way his lips immediately curled in disgust would have been a giant warning flag. He tilted his head, asking the serial killer if he was going to leave them alone. Stain hesitated, before reluctantly shaking his head and drawing two knives. He stated with no small amount of respect that Midoriya was the closest thing to a true hero after All Might(the mentioning of the Number One Hero made his blood boil), but he needed to accomplish his mission. Of course, the teenager understood what the adult meant. One's crusade needed to be seen to the end, or it wouldn't even be a proper crusade. Slipping into a fighting stance, he decided to throw Stain a bone.
He asked for the man to hear him out before they fought, and when affirmation was given, he talked about how All Might couldn't be considered the true form of heroism anymore. Before rage could cloud the other's judgement, Midoriya revealed that he was saying this due to personal experience. This, of course, got the Hero Killer's attention. Speaking slowly, like someone recounting a story that was painful to them, he spoke about how he had been Quirkless for most of his life, but still wished to be a hero. And one day, he managed to speak to his idol. Instead of encouraging him to pursue his dreams, the Number One Hero had crushed them callously while talking about how he needed to be realistic. Then later, when he finally developed his abilities, how the Number One Hero had suddenly changed his tune, telling him that he would be a great hero. This seemed to physically wound Stain, for he shuddered, a sliver of doubt entering his eyes. There was silence, then the adult sighed and slipped into a fighting stance of his own("Even so, my goals have not changed.") before lunging forward once more. Midoriya had hoped that this could be solved without bloodshed. It seemed like he was still too naive. Briefly telling Mei to contact any of his classmates who were in the area when she reported that the heroes were preoccupied, he began fighting.
His spear's reach was the only thing that was stopping the Hero Killer from shredding him, for the older man was more experienced. He twisted and parried a blade, nicking a gash into his opponent's arm with a lucky swipe and following up with a quick air shot. It distracted his enemy long enough for the butt of the spear to slam straight into Stain's skull. They exchanged blows, Midoriya making sure to keep a safe distance while Stain hammered away at his weapon. While his tenacity was to be admired, the quality of Mei's babies were far superior. Mei called his attention to the fact that Todoroki was almost there, and he smiled. Swiping in a large arc to create some distance, he backed off just in time for a large swath of fire to appear. The Hero Killer hissed, getting several new burns but they only seemed to anger him. The ice and fire user apologized for being late, Ingenium suddenly deciding to warn them that Stain consumed blood in order to paralyze his opponents. Rolling his eyes at how the Pro-Hero hadn't decided to warn him beforehand, he quickly relayed his plan to his new comrade before plunging back into the thick of things. His plan was risky, but had less chance of property damage as compared to continous use of One for All. He disassembled his weapon, choosing to rely on One for All for this close-quarters-combat so that Todoroki could do his work. Silently promising to give Mei a long hug for making him stab-proof, he continued to break his opponent's weapons as the temperature of the air began to lower. He tracked the progress of the frost on the ground, counting in his head. At the last moment, when the temperature suddenly plunged into frostbite territories, he leapt forward to seize Stain by the neck, throwing him to the ground even as a sharp jolt of pain alerted him to the knife that had narrowly missed his jugular.
A glacier formed almost immediately, trapping their enemy. Before he could break free, Midoriya fired up ten percent and punched the Hero Killer unconscious. Breathing heavily as he powered down, the green-haired teenager checked to see if Stain was truly unconscious, before collapsing as the adrenaline rush finally died down. Almost like it had been scripted, the Iida brothers clambered to their feet as Gran Torino made his appearance. Ignoring the questions sent his way, he offered a sarcastic wave before closing his eyes and resting his head against the wall he was leaning on. As anticlimatic as the battle had been, it had resulted in no one getting injured. He thanked Mei for her help as his neck throbbed. Touching the injury gingerly, his glove came away wet with blood. Unwrapping his arm to bandage his neck, he staggered to his feet and indicated to Todoroki that they should leave. Surprisingly, the other teenager didn't ask questions, choosing to follow him.
He removed his mask while explaining to the dual-haired boy that they had been using their Quirks without permission, which was considered vigilante work. Midoriya then proceeded to talk about how he was expecting the police to cover it all up and most likely threaten them into silence, so it was best if they left before anything happened. Snickering when Todoroki bluntly stated that the law was stupid, he decided to let the teenager in on a secret. Gesturing to his faceplate, he commented that it was remarkably useful to have a recording device in your hero costume. The other teenager stared at him blankly for several seconds, before a small smile began to form on his face. Midoriya responded with a grin of his own.
The newspaper article the next day confirmed all of his predictions. They had given the credit to Endeavour. Gran Torino was complaining about how he should have gotten the credit, but Midoriya reassured him that it was fine. After all, if he had come clean, there was a high chance that the older man's hero license would have been revoked. Still, after he bids farewell to Gran Torino because there was apparently nothing more to teach him, he uploads the video of his defeat of Stain to as many social media platforms as he can think of.
Needless to say, the media eats it up. The police are torn apart, and so is Endeavour.
Todoroki sends him a text to thank him for pissing off his bastard of a father. Midoriya replies with several emoticons and an offer for protection in case the Number Two Hero decides to take out his anger on his children.
He opens the door to his house, calling out a greeting even though the Eagle Eyes detect no signs of life in the apartment. Sighing, he packs up his hero costume, carefully concealing the briefcase behind his bookshelf before flopping onto his bed.
He wonders if this is the price of freedom.
I sincerely apologize for how long this chapter took to come out. The short version of the story is that my brain is a little messed up. Sometimes my motivation just goes straight down the drain, and I can barely crawl out of bed, much less write a new chapter. Writing is my escape from reality, but my emotions go into my writing. As with each story I've written so far, too much too quickly causes my brain to short circuit. Hopefully this doesn't happen again. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading this. I'll see you all in three days. Hopefully.