Hey everyone, it is I, the Phoenix, bringing you the second chapter update of this new year.

I have to say that my update schedule might be slower until about March because I have my semester exams at the beginning of February.

That's why I'm not going to yap any longer and will go straight to the Reviews. Like I said in Multiplayer, people have been telling me that I've been wasting too much space answering the Reviews, so since most of them say the same thing anyways, I will just answer them in a paragraph or two.

First thing I'd like to address is the overwhelming support for Izuku to teach at U.A., so I will go ahead and continue down that road. A few people have asked me about what Class Cards are being used, and I will say one thing; any of them, from any Fate. The first few Cards will be Japanese, for the reason I explained in the Chapter, but any Servant may appear except for the Alters (except Jeanne, who was actually created due to the Holy Grail) and the swimsuit Servants.

Now, there are many people who criticized me for Izuku being good enough to get a degree at thirteen, but keep in mind that he has actually honed this ability far more than he did in canon, meaning he's way better at Quirk Analysis because people actually encouraged him to use his talents. Degrees can be revoked, and Izuku is being invited to I-Expo so that the people there can get to know him better.

For those of you who wanted Izuku to become a vigilante; that's actually a curious idea due to the irony of a U.A. teacher being a vigilante. I was originally planning for it, so I'll see what I can do.

Izuku's magic will be revealed at a later date, because I wasn't sure about giving it to him in the first place because he has Emerald.

I don't actually know about Cardcaptor Sakura and Magister Nejima, but this is mainly based off of Kaleid. As for Frozen Flame, who basically criticized the two chapters that I've written as much as he or she possibly could, please wait a few chapters if you want 'show, and not tell'. The first two chapters were just to set the background and the changes to canon that have happened due to Izuku taking a different route. The first chapter was partially a homage to Brilliant Lights, since it was abandoned and was the source of my inspiration. That's all. Nothing else has any relation to it. If you actually give me a few chapters to flesh out my plot and characters at my usual pace, since I've established the background now, you will see everything that you've asked for. This isn't a power fantasy, no matter how popular those may be, and Izuku has a hard path ahead of him. I'm not a professional author, so please bear with me while I set up my story with these first few chapters.

Anyways, thank you all for your overwhelming support and kind words, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 3 - First Blood

Izuku strafed forward, moving out of the way just in time to see his assailant smash down on the ground where he had been standing moments earlier, cracking the earth upon touchdown and releasing a small shockwave.

[HOLY SH*T!]

His sentiments exactly.

With Emerald in hand, Izuku laid eyes on his very first heroic spirit, a rather attractive young woman that seemed only a year or two older than him, with pale blonde hair and green eyes that were tinged with black veins that seemed to spread across her face, something that was no doubt a sign of the corruption that Emerald had spoken of, because there was no way that creepy face-cracks were healthy. She was wearing a strange white and green uniform, with a black sash and a black scarf whose ends trailed after her. The lady wore knee-high boots, and had a lone ahoge sticking out of her hair to the left like a lone horn, with a black bow peeking out from behind her head.

And, of course, who could forget the big-a*s katana she held in one outstretched hand, while the scabbard was fastened to her side and held loosely by the other.

While she may not have looked intimidating, except for the creepy corrupted veins all over her face and probably her body as well from what she could see, but the Heroic Spirit in question seemed to radiate a presence that was trying to freeze the air in his lungs and paralyze him from its sheer force alone, something Izuku had only experienced once before when he had gotten too close to a powerful villain one time when stalk- er, observing a Pro Hero. This was a power that could only be obtained and exerted by the strong, and so Izuku knew he was in big trouble.

"D-didn't you say that Servant's were Heroes from the past? I've never seen this lady in my life! And she doesn't look so well either!"

Said lady seemed to resent that, because within the blink of an eye she was in front of him, katana raised to bisect him for such an insolent question.

Izuku's eyes widened in panic before he held Emerald, whose handle had extended to accommodate him, like a quarterstaff, and caught the blow on the shaft, causing sparks to fly. Izuku found himself being slowly pushed back as the Servant refused to let up from the blow it had struck, growling gutturally like she had lost her mind.

[Sh*t! Sh*t! Sh*t! She's a Saber-Class Servant, the strongest of the seven normal Classes of Heroic Spirits! Izuku, we need to get some distance between us! You can't fight her in a battle of weapons; Sabers tend to be the cream of the crop, extremely talented swordsman who have cut down gods and monsters alike! Use your imagination and channel your thoughts into me, and we can launch our own attacks!]

"R-right!" exclaimed Izuku, before waving Emerald, who had retracted his handle back to his normal length, in a small cone in front of him while envisioning a shotgun blast.

[Scatter Shot!]

To his amazement, Emerald glowed before firing a spread of green energy bolts that peppered the Servant, kicking up a cloud of smoke from the force of the small explosions.

Izuku immediately took off running, not willing to look behind him, because he had seen enough American horror films to know how that plan of action would play out.

The whistling wind as his opponent's blade slashed through the air, dissipating the smoke with one clean strike was an accurate indicator that he was right.

And he really hated being right sometimes.

"That didn't do anything!" yelled Izuku, ducking out of the way as another slash almost removed his head.

He blocked another two strikes with Emerald, and then released another Scatter Shot and bolted, sliding behind one of the many piles of junk that littered the Mustafu Junkyard, slightly winded.

If it hadn't been for the 'endurance training' (Mirio beating the crap out of him and Tamaki), Izuku doubted he would have even made it this far.

As it was, however, he needed to come up with a plan of action, and fast. His face contorted into a serious expression as his so-called battle persona took over, his mind moving at a couple hundred miles per hour.

A wet cough was all that Izuku heard before the top of the trash heap he was hiding behind was cut in half, both sides sliding downwards diagonally, revealing his position to his adversary, who was... bleeding from the lips?

Izuku registered that fact and stored it in his mind as he sidestepped, narrowly avoiding another slash that seemed to warp the very air around it. He took off running in the opposite direction, zigzagging without any true pattern in order to ensure that any long-range attacks his enemy may have had wouldn't have an easy time hitting him.

[This is really bad... I thought that we would get an easier Servant like Caster or even Rider so I could show you the ropes, but instead we ran into a Saber right off the bat! Our attacks won't work too well because Sabers are known for their ability to resist magical attacks. Sorry to say, with the level of power we have, even though her Parameters have been severely reduced due to a lack of magical energy, and her Magic Resistance is really bad for someone of the Saber Class, only a physical attack is going to do the job.]

Izuku mumbled under his breath, working overtime to analyze the situation when another hacking cough indicated his absurdly fast opponent had reached him one more time, clearly unimpressed with his cat-and-mouse game.

Okay, she was definitely bleeding from the lips.

While most people wouldn't have noticed that small detail, due to only a drop or two being present at the edge of her chin, Izuku, who had literally been up in her personal space whenever he tried to use Emerald like a staff to block her strikes, both noticed it and realized something.

"Emerald!" he yelled, striking the Kaleidostick against his opponent's katana, causing the green wand to whine as his handle sparked from the collision. "Can Heroic Spirits get sick?"

[No? I mean, unless it's a part of their legend or something, Heroic Spirits are usually in peak physical condition. They may be weakened when they aren't getting enough magical energy to properly sustain them, but that's about it.]

"A part of their legend..." murmured Izuku as he rolled out of the way of a downwards slash, shooting his opponent in the face with a bolt of green energy, not that it did much.

Already, his... costume was starting to get littered with small, bleeding cuts from all the near-misses that he had, and the pain he was under slowly began to rise with each strike.

Hissing in pain as he stumbled backwards from a horizontal slash, scraping himself on a crushed can of cola that had been there, Izuku desperately tried to use his greatest strength in order to figure out who he was facing.

Judging by the garb, and the choice of weapon, the Heroic Spirit was clearly Japanese in nationality, even though blonde hair wasn't all that common during the Pre-Quirk Era.

That only narrowed it down to a few people, but none of them, from what he could remember, were female because of the gender discrimination that was prevalent back in those days.

But it was the coughing that gave it away. Bloody cough, or Hemoptysis, was an uncommon symptom that occurred for a variety of diseases. However, Emerald said that Heroic Spirits were immune to disease, unless they were reputed for it. This meant, that the Saber was a Japanese Swordsmaster known for a disease whose defining symptom was Hemoptysis.

The Pre-Quirk Era Hero, Captain of the fabled Shinsengumi's First Unit, Okita Souji, was known for having 'consumption', a disease known better in the modern day as tuberculosis, which eventually led to him (her?) being removed from the battlefront of those times, where he (she?) ended up dying due to it.

It was really a stretch to assume that much, but Okita Souji was one of the most famous Japanese Pre-Quirk national legends.

Okay, now that he knew that... he still had no idea what to do. However, he was quickly formulating a plan, based on the one thing that he did know.

Tuberculosis was a b*tch.

Which meant the only way to defeat her was to aggravate her condition, because anyone suffering from chronic tuberculosis probably wouldn't do very well in a fight.

Her only visible symptom seemed to be her bloody cough, which meant he would have to irritate her respiratory tract and make it harder for her to breathe in order to survive.

Fortunately, Izuku knew just how to make people cough, due to years of experience.

The green-haired boy knocked the incoming slash aside with Emerald, and did the only thing he could; deliver a haymaker to the stomach.

To his surprise, his ploy actually worked, and the Servant's eyes widened as his fist sunk into her stomach, causing her to hack up a large amount of blood, which Izuku thankfully managed to avoid.

The Heroic Spirit dropped her sword, wheezing and coughing as the skinny-looking green bean nearly cracked her ribs with a single punch.

[Holy Sh*t! How are you that strong?! I mean, even though I'm enhancing your physical strength, that was ridiculous!]

"Training... with a guy who can snap a grown man's arm with a single punch." wheezed Izuku, as the woman he was facing stumbled away from him, her face red as she continued to cough, hacking up large amounts of blood that Izuku was pretty sure should have caused her to die of Haemorrhagic Shock by this point.

It wasn't enough though. The woman slowly wiped her lips, and within a second had closed the distance between them, landing a direct hit across Izuku's chest, causing him to scream in pain as he stumbled back, his whole torso being covered in one, long, and ugly bruise that followed the path of the blade, his outfit having nearly been shredded in the process.

[Izuku! Are you all right?! I diverted all power to physical protection, but it was barely enough to hold her back!]

"I'm... okay." grunted Izuku, wincing as he got up and dodged the relentless assault from the Saber.

All he had been doing so far was dodging, and even though he had a lot of stamina, he was certain that a Hero so legendary they literally reached the Hero Hall of Fame would easily have more than him, even if said hero was sickened.

Even though his muscles screamed from the strain and his wounds began to wear him down, Izuku kept dodging as if his life had depended on it, barely surviving the lightening-fast strikes of his assailant.

"I need you to buy me some time!" yelled Izuku, throwing a bottle of Iced Tea that the Saber bisected neatly, causing both halves to fly past her. Guess she didn't like Snapple.

[On it. Izuku, throw me!]

"What?" asked Izuku, dumbfounded.

[Just do it!]

"Okay!" yelled Izuku, throwing Emerald with all of his strength, before sliding over to a bottle of alcohol that had been abandoned half empty. It wasn't much, but it would have to do.

[I'm a facehugger, b*tch!] yelled Emerald, latching onto the Heroic Spirit's face and blasting it with whatever energy he had left.

The Heroic Spirit dropped her katana again as she struggled to pry the stubborn wand off of her face, reeling from the pain of being blasted straight in the eyes with raw magical power.

It was only luck that the attack worked, as the Saber in question both had low Magical Resistance and Endurance, causing her to be blinded by Emerald's assault.

Emerald blasted himself off of the Saber's face, flying through the air due to the force of his own explosion-induced momentum, landing firmly in Izuku's outstretched hand, as the boy threw the bottle in his other hand, nailing the Servant in the face, causing her face to be cut by the glass shards and her clothes to be drenched with alcohol.

Without wasting a moment, Izuku pointed the wand forward, and fired a shot of magical energy that lit the alcohol up, creating an impromptu Molotov Cocktail that burned the Heroic Spirit, prolonging and enhancing her agony.

Izuku flinched as the smell of burning flesh filled the air, the Servant's attempts to put out the fire having no effect as the embers continued to burn bright. Soon, the lack of breathable air began to get to her and the smoke irritated her respiratory epithelium, causing her to burst out into a series of horrible coughs that only seemed to get progressively worse as more and more smoke entered her lungs.

He hated doing this to someone, even if that person was trying to kill him and had actually come pretty close. It didn't make him feel like a hero at all. Instead, there was a lump in his stomach that refused to fade as he beheld his own handiwork with horrified fascination.

[Izuku, don't feel bad. This needed to be done, in order to protect people. If you 'kill' her, it will destabilize her Spirit Origin and cause her to return to Card form, where we can seal her away so that she can't run wild and cause any more harm.]

"O-okay." said Izuku, even though he still felt like vomiting at the sight of what he had done.

With shaking hands, he picked up the Servant's abandoned sword, and after taking a deep breath, hesitating, stabbed her in the gut with it.

Thankfully, there was no blood, and instead the burning figure dissipated into motes of golden light, revealing a single card floating in a golden halo, with the image of a knight holding a sword on it, the word 'Saber' written on it in English.

"W-what d-do I do now?" asked Izuku, gasping for breath as the adrenaline began to leave his system.

[Just focus your magic and envision some kind of restraint. I can do the rest.]

"G-got it." he hissed, as his wounds began to act up.

Izuku, his arm shaking from the strain, pointed Emerald at the card, envisioning the new Hero Kamui Woods' Lacquered Chain Prison technique.

To his surprise, a green magical circle with a four pointed star in the center burned into existence, chains erupting from it and binding the card before vanishing in a flash of light, causing the blackened borders of the card to be violently expelled before they were replaced with a healthy gold color.

The card then floated towards him and deposited itself in his card-holder,

[Heroic Spirit Capture: Complete!] said Emerald triumphantly, before he flopped on the ground, no longer able to remain airborne, next to his partner, who had collapsed from both exhaustion (physical and magical) and his injuries the moment the card had been sealed. [Now I'm beat.]

However, things weren't always that easy.

Emerald blanched as he picked up another energy signature homing in on them, seemingly attracted to the energy given off by the sealing.

[Crap! A Caster?!]

That was bad, not because Casters were the hardest Class to deal with, but rather because they could absorb magical energy the fastest, or in some cases could generate it on their own, meaning they could get back up to full strength much faster than any of the other Classes.

Which was clearly something they weren't prepared to face, considering Izuku had nearly been killed by a weakened Saber Class whose Parameters were so low that she was barely above human levels. In fact, the only reason she had appeared so quickly probably had something to do with both the fact that she didn't seem to require as much Mana as most Servants and the fact that she received a Territory Boost from being in Japan, even though her legend was probably forgotten. From what little Emerald had seen of this Era they were in, legends of the past were long forgotten, because the legends of the future and the present were much more tangible. This was a world where nearly everyone had some kind of power, and Heroes fought Villains on a daily basis in public. People no longer needed the legends of the past to draw hope and inspiration from; they had more than enough in the present.

It was actually kind of sad, to be honest.

Emerald blearily floated in the air, trying to see where to Servant was, only to have his question answered in the form of a large orb of violet light heading straight towards them.

Cursing, Emerald diverted all the Mana he could muster into the Mana Barrier in order to protect Izuku from the blast, only to find out that he had lost too much power restricting the damage done by Saber to mere cuts and bruises.

Even so, he floated protectively over his partner, straining himself to draw out as much Mana as he possibly could from the Mana Plane in order to save his Master.

Luckily for them, though, backup had arrived.

A figure landed in front of them, using what looked like a spear to bat away the purple ball of probable death towards a nearby pile of junk, causing it to be vaporized by the heat and force of the spell.

If Emerald had eyes, they would have been widened in surprise. As it was, though, the two emeralds in his ring had actually gotten bigger as he went bug-eyed.

[Y-you a-are...]

"Do not worry." said the figure serenely, in a calm and gentle voice. "I, Servant Ruler, will not allow harm to befall my Master. I will protect you from this Caster; can you take us out of the Mirror World?"

[Yes! Just give me a few seconds.]

"Very well."

The Caster attacking them, who still remained nearly unseen, obscured by some of the garbage, fired more magical blasts that were all swiftly dispatched by carefully aimed strikes from Ruler's 'spear', which actually turned out to be a battle standard of sorts which she used expertly as a combat flag.

The ineffectiveness of the attacks was surprising, but Emerald didn't dwell on it further as he finished making the preparations needed to get back to the real world.

[I'm ready! Let's go, Ruler!]

"Of course."

Slender arms picked up Izuku's battered frame, and the three of them departed from the Mirror World, leaving a corrupted Caster behind to hang out alone in the smelly junkyard.

Needless to say, she wouldn't be happy to see them again.

For the second time that day, Izuku woke up with a groan.

It took Izuku half a second to remember where he had been and what he had been doing, and when he did so he sprang up, warily checking his surroundings.

To his surprise, he was in his room, on his bed, like nothing had happened. He quickly checked himself in order to assess the scope of his injuries, but to his surprise, not a mark remained on his skin, a far cry from the condition he had been in when the battle with Saber had concluded. However, he still felt pretty exhausted.

One important question couldn't be ignored, though?

Had he succeeded?

[You're awake! That was pretty fast!]

"Oh, Emerald-san! Did we...?" asked Izuku, checking the card-holder, which was placed on his bedside. To his surprise, not only were the Saber and Shielder Cards present in the holder, but there was another card lying next to it on the window-sill. This one looked a lot cleaner than the other one, the only traces of the blackening he had seen on the Saber Card being present only faintly at the edges.

But still, where had the third card come from?

[Yep! We sealed away this Saber! I think we did fairly well for our first time, though I'll be honest with you; this Saber was pretty weak. However, you did good to be able to stand against a Heroic Spirit and come out victorious, even if you nearly collapsed afterwards.]

"Oh... wow." said Izuku quietly, taking the Saber Card out and watching it glint in the evening light.

That was a weak Heroic Spirit? Truly, these beings were on a whole new level compared to someone of his caliber. They could easily contend with even seasoned Pro Heroes if that were the case!

Now, more than ever, Izuku realized just how dangerous his path was going to be. He understood Emerald's unspoken message; it was only going to get harder from this point onwards. Each Heroic Spirit, from what Izuku had learned from Emerald, would be able to absorb more and more corrupted energy from the Mirror World as the days went by, bringing them back to their full strength. Meaning that several dangerous battles were in his future.

Izuku clenched his fist, deep in thought.

But wasn't that what it meant to be a Hero? To fight against unspeakable odds with a smile? To do whatever it takes to save the day?

"Emerald-san, we have to train more." said Izuku, looking at the floating Kaleidostick. "I went into this fight without knowing the capabilities of both my opponent and myself. That isn't the method someone like me can fight and hope to win with. It's true that I won't be able to know my opponent's abilities without meeting them in battle, but I have to know what I can do so I can come up with new strategies and maneuvers. I went in blind today, and almost lost because of it. I... can't allow that to happen again."

[Well said, as usual! You're right though, and for that, I apologize. It's my fault that we went in so unprepared. I thought that since the Card had manifested so early, that it was an incredibly weak Class that we could easily defeat. I made the mistake of expecting reality to come with Tutorial Bosses. It won't happen again, Master.]

"I-it's no problem at all!" said Izuku, flustered by the apology. "A-and please don't call me Master! I-izuku is fine!"

[Heh. You're honestly too easy. If you'd gotten Ruby as your Kaleidostick, you would probably have gotten a heart attack due to the embarrassment she would cause you.]

Izuku didn't know how Ruby acted, but if she was anywhere near the level of his Aunt Mitsuki, then he really would have died out of embarrassment.

He was truly thankful for the small mercies that Fate seemed to give him.

Then again, Fate had thrown him into this mess face-first to begin with, so he wasn't sure how he felt about it.

"Where did that Card come from?" asked Izuku, pointing to the Card by the windowsill.

[That is the reason we even survived. When you fainted after sealing Saber, we were attacked by a Caster who decided to shoot purple energy balls at us while we were down. Thankfully, Ruler was nearby and saved our hides. She carried you home and healed you using the last of her magical energy before returning to Card form. Before you ask, Ruler was able to resist the corruption because of her nature; Ruler is a Class reserved for those people who have no desires, so to speak, which is why there are very few of them. They tend to be famous saints and the like. That's why they are pretty resistant to corruption. This specific Ruler has a ridiculous amount of Magical Resistance, especially to curses and negative magic, which is why she was virtually unaffected by the corruption, though she was weakened by a lack of magic power. Now you should probably seal the Card, just in case.]

Izuku nodded, going over everything that Emerald had told him, silently grateful to whoever this Ruler was for saving him and Emerald. He grasped the Kaleidostick by the handle, and then pointed him at the Card, causing the same magic circle to appear and seal the card, causing it to gleam before it went into the holder, which to his surprise, floated over to him and rested in his lap.

Izuku looked at the clock; only a few minutes until his mom said she would come home.

He was about to put the card-holder in his drawer, when Emerald floated over to him, flaring his wings dramatically.

[Hey, you want to see something cool?]

"Sure."

[Then take a Card and say 'summon', followed by its name.]

Izuku took out the Ruler Class Card, and held it in his hands.

"Summon: Ruler!" he said.

Suddenly, there was a brilliant flash of light as the Card in his hands glowed before disappearing.

Before him knelt a young woman with blonde hair, tied into a single long braid that nearly matched her in length, and blue eyes that sparkled innocently, dressed in armor and carrying a rather long flag and a sword which was strapped to her side.

Were all Heroic Spirits beautiful teenage girls?

"Servant Ruler, Jeanne d'Arc." she said in perfect Japanese, much to his surprise, although she had a slight French accent. "I'm very glad to meet you, Master!"

She looked up, and to her surprise, her new Master was practically prostrated on the ground before her her, staring at her while vibrating with unbridled excitement, his green eyes gleaming with more innocent admiration than several generations of infants, and... clutching a notebook?

"Ohmygoshyou'reJeanned'ArcliketheHolyMaidenofOrleansIamsuchahugefancanyoupleasesignthisforme?!" he yelled, thrusting the notebook towards her.

"E-eh?!" replied Jeanne eloquently, feeling quite flustered by the admiration aimed at her and yet at the same time confused by what exactly it was he was trying to say.

At the same time, Izuku snapped out of his frenzy to realize what he had just done... and that he was practically inches away from what had to be the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen in his life.

Releasing an 'eep' of embarrassment as his face turned red enough to match hers, he dropped the notebook and instead buried his face in his hands, apologizing over and over again.

Meanwhile, Emerald was laughing like a madman at the interaction between the two.

[This is great! They're so~ awkward; and it's amazing!]

A couple minutes later, after the initial embarrassment was dealt with and Izuku spent at least 30 seconds apologizing before profusely thanking her for saving them, causing her blush to intensify, Izuku and Jeanne were sitting next to each other on his bed, and Izuku was showing the older girl all the research he had done on her when working for the Foundation, explaining animatedly while Emerald was perched on his shoulder, trying to estimate how long it would take for Izuku to realize that he was once again fanboying over a beautiful female and freak out.

It had already been a few minutes, so probably a short amount of time before it happened. Emerald had to say that he was honestly surprised by how fast Izuku managed to establish a rapport with Jeanne. He knew that this Servant was one of the more friendly Heroic Spirits, but even then, it was impressive how Izuku had managed to get her so familiar with him almost instantly.

Honestly, what his Master lacked in confidence and magical power he more than made up for with his unnatural charisma and intelligence.

Either that, or they both were just so socially awkward when they weren't in life-or-death situations that they just instantly clicked, like the unspoken connection between birds of a feather.

"And then they found this ancient text about you near Domrémy talking about your time during the war!" said Izuku, flipping a page to show her the report he had made on that particular text.

Jeanne smiled as she heard the name, which brought back old memories, of more simple times, when she was just an ordinary peasant girl, unburdened by duty, living a simple but happy life. Alas, those times were fleeting, but had she not answered the call of her Lord, then she would still have been living that life. However, she regretted nothing and did not blame her Lord for her untimely execution. It was only proof that her given task had been completed. And if the information she had received on the modern day state of France was any indication, then her sacrifice hadn't been in vain.

Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of the door opening, causing Izuku to panic as he realized her had no idea how to explain Jeanne's presence to his mother, who would either faint from the shock of seeing Izuku next to a beautiful girl or magnify his embarrassment somehow.

To his surprise though, she only smiled in understanding before her form burst into motes of golden light, turning back into a Card, which went back to the holder on its own.

Emerald in turn just hid behind his All Might calendar.

"I'm home, dear!" she called, setting down something in the kitchen.

"Hi mom." said Izuku, joining her as she finished unpacking the groceries she had bought.

Mother and son shared a hug as she kissed him on the head and led him over to the couch before asking about his day.

The years had been kind to the Midoriya matriarch, as she still boasted the beauty of her youth, no doubt due to Izuku's constant insistence that she exercise in order to 'stop food from making her explode'. Honestly, his worried explanation was nearly enough incentive for her to do so, but it wasn't easy.

To this day, Inko Midoriya felt a deep sense of shame whenever she beheld her only child. Not aimed at him, but rather at herself. She blamed herself for having been unable to pass on a Quirk to Izuku, despite both her husband and herself having one. She knew Hisashi also blamed himself in his own way, which is why he worked so hard overseas in America to provide them with enough money to live comfortably. Both of them felt this way for the same reason; his dream of becoming a Hero.

It was common knowledge that you needed a Quirk, you needed power, in order to become a Hero. And to their sorrow, their bright and kind son, who had done nothing to deserve such a fate, had been diagnosed as Quirkless at the age of four. It was then that Hisashi had decided to remain overseas near-indefinitely, not out of any hatred for his Quirkless son, but rather the opposite; because he was afraid, afraid to face the son whose dreams were ruined before they could even begin, because his crappy genetics couldn't give him a Quirk.

She felt much the same way, the fact that she was unable to support her son's dream always eating away at her, which in turn caused her to stress eat, a habit that Izuku spent the better part of a year getting her out of.

It was tough, tough to see her son, who had already become a town favorite adored by everyone who knew him (except for kids his age and some of the more bigoted adults) always have that hidden sorrow in his eyes as his glaring weakness continued to get in the way of his dream.

It always made her sad. Why was it that the best of people always had to undergo the most hardship?

Thankfully, Izuku had managed to make two good friends in Mirio and Tamaki, the two boys being much-needed pillars of support for her child. Honestly, if they weren't around, Izuku might have gotten to the point where he couldn't hold a conversation with anyone unless it was about Heroes.

To be honest, both boys seemed to be on opposite ends of the spectrum, with her little boy being the sort of balance between the two. They were good for each other; that was what her and the parents of the other two children decided.

Izuku was a little more sure of himself, Mirio wasn't flashing everyone due to excitement, and Tamaki was actually able to maintain eye contact with people for more than a split second.

It was a deep friendship that they all benefitted from.

Not like... Katsuki, and that ridiculous farce her son used to call friendship. There was nothing friendly about that child.

Of course, her and Mitsuki were good friends and always would be, but Inko doubted she could ever forgive the blonde-haired boy for the years of torment he had put her darling through. The other parents and the people around Mustafu had told her of course, because Izuku would never think of telling her due to his irrational fear that he was only a burden upon others, something that was no doubt inspired by the years of bullying he had gone through before making his first friends.

And even then, all of those friends were older people, even Mirio and Tamaki, so that left Izuku alone to face the wrath and prejudice of those little monsters he called classmates, and those despicable teachers who actually encouraged such behavior.

It definitely left a mark on the young boy, and it made Inko seethe just thinking about it. She would have given Katsuki and his cronies a piece of her mind a long time ago, but she was more than aware of the fact that it wouldn't do any good. Before she had met Mitsuki in her early years, she had been bullied as well, and bringing parents into it only seemed to make things worse, especially when the environment was as toxic as the institutions that Izuku had studied in. Katsuki would never learn even if she scolded him because literally everyone outside the Bakugo household would worship the ground he walked on due to his Quirk and praise everything he did. She was pretty sure Katsuki didn't actually realize fully that what he was doing was wrong; he had been supported by all those rotten adults in charge of nurturing the generation's children, who said nothing and sung his praises whenever he bullied others, especially Izuku. So in his eyes, he was merely doing the right thing and putting the powerless boy in his 'place', so to speak. Talking to Mitsuki about it would only sour the relationship she had with her child without actually changing anything, which is why Inko never spoke of it even though they always were in contact.

The unfairness and the prejudices of society more than often made her knees feel weak. Watching, day after day, as her soon came home with tell-tale burn marks and a sad expression that he couldn't quite hide, was an agony unlike anything she had ever felt before.

The whole world was full of people like Katsuki, people who would judge Izuku merely for being Quirkless, ignoring any of his merits.

After all, there was a reason that Quirkless people usually didn't survive to adulthood unless they were members of the older generations.

She couldn't fight them all, she couldn't change them all, because simple words had never been enough to change the deeply-rooted stigmas of society.

All she could do was support her son and try to make him as happy as she could.

As such, she was happy when Izuku told her about his day, dropping off the other two boys for their exam before spending the day working for the Foundation, which was something she approved of because the work environment there was far more friendly than most other places.

When he finished, he fidgeted nervously, and Inko immediately knew that there was something he wasn't telling her. To her surprise though, instead of the nervous expression he usually wore, he actually had a shy smile on his face, which made her realize that whatever he had been hiding was actually something good and unrelated to the years of torment and downright abuse he had been through.

"What is it, Izuku?" she asked gently, trying not to spook him.

"W-well it's just that... ImetProfessorWashiandhetoldmethatI'mnowaDoctorinQuirkAnalysiswithadegreefromIslandUniversityandDavidShieldwantedtomeetwithusandwegotinvitedtoIExpothisyearandPrincipalNezuwantsmetocometommorowforajobinterviewtoteachQuirkAnalysisClassesandI'msoexcited! he said, almost vibrating in excitement.

"Izuku, dear?"

"Yes, mom?"

"How did you get all that out without taking a breath?"

"Breathing exercises."

"...That checks out." she admitted, nodding thoughtfully. "But can you repeat what you were trying to say, a little slower? I couldn't quite make out what you were trying to say."

"I guess it'll be easier to show you." he said, going back into his room and bringin out a sheet of paper.

Inko took it curiously, and after reading a few lines, her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates and she clapped a hand over her mouth in shock.

"Izu, is this..." she said, tears of pride beginning to form at the corners of her eyes.

"Yeah, mom." he said, smiling, with matching tears in his own eyes. "I... I did it. Something useful."

Inko couldn't take it anymore, and hugged her only son, as the two Midoriya's bawled their eyes out, soaking the floors and the sofa.

*sniff* "I'm so proud of you, honey." said Inko, rubbing his head. "And I always will be. This may not be what you wanted, but it's amazing nonetheless."

"T-thanks mom." said Izuku, sinking further into her embrace.

"I also wanted you to know, Izuku, that even if you don't have a Quirk, you can do anything you want to do, no matter what it is. Not just a Hero; you can do whatever you want to do. I believe in you, sweetie, and I always have. I'm so sorry for not being able to say these words before, when you needed them the most."

"T-t-thank you." said Izuku, clutching onto her sweater as he sobbed harder. "A-and you don't have to be sorry; you and dad supported me every step of the way, even if you never said it. I could never hate you for that."

"I know, dear. I know. And that makes me even prouder to call myself your mother."

After wiping their tears, mother and son sat down at the dining table to some fresh home-made Katsudon, Izuku's favorite dish.

While she wanted to call over his friends to celebrate the good news, Izuku denied it saying that they were probably exhausted from the U.A. Entrance Exam earlier that day.

Which brought Inko to the next shock of they day.

Her son had been invited by Principal Nezu to teach at U.A., at the age of thirteen.

She couldn't even begin to describe how proud she was of him, being able to not only get a doctorate from one of the most prestigious institutions in the world but a job offer from one of the most prestigious High Schools in the world at such a young age, against incredible odds and the hand that life had dealt him.

To have others recognize her son's talents was a bliss she had feared she would never get to experience, and was more than thankful to be proven wrong.

"Will you go tomorrow?" she asked curiously, after swallowing a mouthful of pork.

The reason she was asking had to do with the fact that as amazing as the offer was, Izuku's dream was to be a Hero, and unfortunately this wouldn't help him get closer to that dream. It was saddening, but she wanted what Izuku felt was best for him, not what society found the most prestigious. It was with great pride that she could say that such things were a non-factor in her son's thought process.

Izuku put down his chopsticks, his face somewhat serious. He seemed to be rubbing his chest a lot, but maybe that was because he pulled a muscle or something during his daily workout. Honestly, it wouldn't hurt to be more careful, would it?

"I think I will." he said, clasping his hands. "I-I mean, Principal Nezu invited me, and it would be rude not to show up, even if I don't want the position. I want to be a hero, not a Pro Hero, but someone who helps others. Becoming a Pro was supposed to be a step in that direction, but... I know that it's next to impossible to become a Pro Hero without a Quirk, no matter how much you train. I feel like by instead teaching the next generation of Heroes and making them better at what they do, I can indirectly help more people than I could as a Pro. I think... that's a more realistic way to achieve my dream."

Izuku looked up from his musing when Inko leaned over the table and cupped his cheeks. "No matter what you do, Izuku, I know you'll do the right thing. Whether you become a Pro Hero or a teacher, it doesn't matter. I know in my heart that you'll be an amazing hero one day, even if you don't have a costume and a license."

Izuku smiled, comforted by her warmth.

"I know, mom."

Both were unaware of Emerald spying on their conversation from behind the television.

[...Truer words have never been said. I'll admit, Master, even if we haven't been together for long, I'm impressed. I've learned a lot about you, both from watching the way you interact with others and your battle against Saber. You might be weak in magic and even body, but your mind, heart and will are strong. And like many heroes before you, perhaps that is all that is necessary to achieve your dream. I can't believe I'm actually saying this about someone from the modern age, but I think, that even without me and the Cards, that you, Izuku Midoriya, could have reached the Throne of Heroes by his own merit.]

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[Oh crap! I forgot to tell him he could use the Class Cards in battle by Including them! And how to use the card-holder!]

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[I really need a pen and paper to write this stuff down before I get him killed.]

And that's a wrap, ladies and gentlemen! The first Card has been vanquished, and a wild saint has appeared! I don't know why, but something about Izuku and Jeanne just feels right. Maybe it's just me?

I know that this may not have seemd like much, but this is only the first battle. Many more are to come, and keep in mind that this particular Saber isn't among the upper echelons, and she was severely weakened.

My keyboard isn't working right, so I'll keep things short. Tell me if there's anything or anyone you guys want to see specifically..

I'll talk more in the next chapter if I get this stupid thing to work properly again.

Please keep up the support, and have a happy New Year!

Spatialphoenix, burning to ashes.