I have returned! With many things occupying my time (mainly lack of internet; I'm at a friends house) this took longer than I wanted. I will still be trying to upload semi-regularly, so enjoy!
Shigaraki landed in a bar after the warp from the USJ. Kurogiri and the nomu came a moment later.
"The hell! All Might wasn't weakened at all!" the ash haired teen almost shouted at the monitor.
"No, he was. We just greatly underestimated him if he took out the nomu." the voice from the screen was raspy but clear.
"That's another thing, it wasn't; some hero named Fiara tore it apart without a damn sweat, with a fucking wooden sword!" Shigaraki had no clue how he did, but the hero had treated the nomu as a mere nuisance. 'Take a breather while I take care of this thing' he said, and it didn't even look like he was straining himself.
"I'll look into him. If he has a powerful quirk, then we could probably use it to kill All Might." the person behind the monitor told his disciple.
"W-won't, won't work." shigaraki turned his head to the bar where there was a man with visible, black veins. His sickly pale skin and sunken eyes made him look almost vampiric under his long brown hair. "If if it's th-that F-F-Fiara I know, he does-doesn't have a-a quirk-k to t-take." the sickly man started laughing hoarsely to himself as if he told the best damn joke.
"It had to be a quirk; there's no way someone could move or heal that fast if they were normal." Shigaraki didn't know who the man was, but to think that hero was quirkless was like saying the moon was a star.
"Didn't say he-he-he was nor-normal, fa-far from it-t, but quirks aren't the, quirks aren't the-the only form of p-powers out there. F-Fiara's power is fr-from s-s-s-something else." the stuttering madman started laughing again before he spoke to himself. "Ah, it look's like, looks like, you're be-becoming a pl-player in this game, battle, battle wolf. I'm want-wanting to win this time, so b-be prepared to g-give up the pr-prize." his thoughts wandered to his "prize", making his blood race.
"Shigaraki, let me introduce you to an acquaintance of mine, Archibald. He's told me about powers that were present long before quirks, and it looks like this hero is an example of such. Use his services as you see fit, but he won't take to the field unless he want's to. Let's deal with both problems: this Fiara hero, and All Might." the blood eyed teen bowed at the screen.
"Yes, Sensei!"
"You're taking the credit for this, Toshinori." Anima told the haggard man as they and Izuku were behind Cementoss' quickly made barrier. The heroes had pulled out stretchers for the injured and were carting them to the infirmary.
"Why can't you?" Toshinori asked as they followed Izuku's stretcher
"No hero's license. If I take credit, I'm going to be a criminal by law." it was a sad fact. Back when Anima was more open about his hero work, the laws of quirk usage weren't written yet. Using the legal gray area of citizen's arrest and the self-defense laws, he could be a hero without getting arrested, though he toed the line often. Now almost any use of one quirk could get them arrested on principle. Even as his powers were technically not a quirk, it made for a law case every time he tried being a hero anymore.
"Couldn't you get one?" Izuku asked as they arrived at Recovery Girl's office.
"I've been trying to do so since you started middle school, but the legal hassle makes it nearly impossible for someone not from a hero school to get a license; it's even harder for an adult my age." Recovery girl was listening to the conversation while attending Toshinori's wounds. It broke her heart that people with every qualification to be a hero were denied because of simple legalities. By the way, Anima put it, he didn't have a school to teach him heroing, but he acted as a vigilante just so he could help. She used her quirk on Izuku's wounds as best she could but the damage left a couple scars.
"What happened to his hands?" She broke the conversation. Anima gave a rueful smile.
"The leader disintegrated objects on contact, and Izuku-san grabbed his hands to prevent him from touching Asui-san's head. He looked like a hero, saving her life." Anima told her. She could see the regret in both his and Toshinori's eyes; they blamed themselves for the injury. Many heroes had the thought 'if only I…' that she was all too familiar with.
"He'll still have full use of his hands, right?" Toshinori asked. Recovery Girl's nod made him give a warm, sincere, smile.
"It's good to see everyone is okay!" the principal called from the door.
"Principal Nedzu!" Izuku gave a bow in greeting. He instantly regretted it as blood loss and exhaustion tried to bring him to the floor, only to be saved by his mentors putting him back in bed.
"I fail to see how scarring injuries would count as 'okay' sir." Recovery Girl scolded him.
"No one received life threatening injuries, no one died, and no one was crippled. Other than some minor scars everyone is alive and healthy, so everyone's okay!" Anima knew this was karma. He had used those same words to justify himself getting hurt with the added lines of "I heal fast". Now the same words were being used to prevent him from losing his temper any more than he had.
"It's alright." the only teen in the room called, making everyone turn to him. "It's only a couple of scars, and I saved someone, so don't worry. I'd do it again anyway if the need arises." Toshinori and Recovery girl were shocked while the principal gave an approving nod.
"This just has to be karma…" Anima mumbled before facing his student. "Don't say that. This time you screwed up and hurt yourself, but next time you'll know better. His quirk is based on his hands, so avoid them. He has little combat training, use that. Get better so that you don't have to gain another scar in order to save someone in a situation like that! Scars last a long time and even with current tech, they're hard to heal, so try not to look for more 'hero marks'." his voice wavered at the last phrase of the riot act that he gave.
Izuku knew exactly what was going through his teacher's mind. 'The Outliers' was the name of Anima's first hero group when he joined at sixteen, and he kept the name going. Every Outlier had a special ring that they used to identify themselves, and he kept the rings of every team member he ever had when they died, save one, which was the first leader's ring that was being carried by another of the two other living members. His teacher saw several dozens of heroes come, go, and die; he was worried he'd lose his student as well.
"I'll be careful," Izuku assured Anima. "I can't help anyone if I'm crippled." he smiled as his calming aura washed over the room. Anima gave a warm smile in return and let the protective side of his chi wash over and mix with his student's. Toshinori felt the energy the two were emitting and wondered if he could do the same if Anima would teach him; he still wanted to be a hero even after he lost One For All entirely. Soon, his friend Tsukauchi came in to see his condition while asking for statements
Two days later, the school opened up after the police swept through the crime scene with a fine tooth comb. Class 1-A was adjusting as well as they could, but several students made it a plan to see the therapist after class. The day went by and every student was getting pumped for the festival. Walking to lunch with Tenya and Ochaco, Izuku was shocked.
"You're going to be a hero for money?"
"Yeah. I know it's not the noblest of reasons, but there you go…" she sounded sheepish at the revelation.
"Of course it isn't! Any reason to help someone is a good reason!" Tenya assured her while Izuku gave an agreeing nod.
"I kinda forgot that being a hero is a career that can make large figures." the green haired teen laughed at himself. Ochaco smiled warily.
"I mean, I'm working at our construction company, but there aren't many projects, so we're having a little trouble." Izuku perked up at that.
"A quirk like yours would be really useful for work like that, or any heavy lifting for that matter. Ask Cementoss for ideas, as he usually deals with cleanup jobs and rescue." Ochaco's smile became more genuine from the advice.
"Thank's Deku! I'm going to be a hero to give my family the easy life they deserve!" the boys were clapping at her enthusiasm when All Might came from the hall's intersection.
"Midoriya, my boy! If I could have a word with you over lunch?" he asked holding a bento. Izuku bid his friends goodbye while trying to ignore Ochaco likening his idol to a schoolgirl (the mental image would not go away).
"Forty minutes?" Toshinori nodded at his student.
"I can get a little over an hour if I push my limit. Soon enough, I won't have enough time to teach a class without spacing my muscle form throughout the lesson. You'll be seeing more of Anima substituting for me then." the haggard hero told his student.
"But more importantly, let's talk about the sports festival. If you want to get a good sponsorship, then you need to show the heroes what you can do. From now until a couple days before the festival, let's train you the best we can!" Izuku didn't know it, but Toshinori had planned to use this to show the world that there would be a new symbol of peace, but Anima told him not to. 'People look up to those who show their beliefs through actions, not who has the strongest abilities. It's why someone like Superman has a memorial and Hulk doesn't. Let him be the hero he can, and people will start looking up to him like they do you.' Toshinori wondered how someone so young could sound so old and experienced, but that was for later.
"I'll do my best!" Izuku nodded at his teacher before heading to class. If All Might couldn't help as many people anymore, then he would do his best to make sure someone could.
"You want me to what?" Anima nearly stumbled mid stride at the principal's proposal.
"Teach martial arts as extracurricular for freshmen," Nedzu repeated without hesitation. "You don't have to have a teaching license; UA doesn't require them."
"That's not the point. Why did you come to me? Eraserhead is a martial artist, so is gunhead. There's also the fact you don't seem to like me." Anima could tell his aura was causing the animal to feel on edge, like a rabbit next to a snake.
"Those two are skilled, but neither of them could do what you can with pure skill. As for my irrational nervousness around you, I'll deal with it for the future safety of my students." Nedzu told his walking companion.
"What do you mean by the phrase 'do what I can through pure skill'?" Nedzu predicted the question and spoke in a soft voice.
"Chi, Chakra, qi, aura, magic, whatever you call it; if a martial artist is one in a thousand, those who can use your abilities are one in a million, Lupo." Anima's head shot towards the creature at the use of his birth name.
"I like to think of myself as intelligent, but you were rather hard to find simply due to your age and name change; Why did you change it, anyway?" Anima took a breath before giving a chuckle.
"Tradition, mostly," he stated. "When men from my lineage manage to make it to sixty, we change our name from Lupo to Anima, wolf to spirit in translation. I call it chi, by the way; magic is an academic form, while the other names are for the physical forms." the principal opened his mouth, but Anima knew his answer. "I'm not training a group of hormonal teens to utilize chi. I wouldn't even train a group of adults; the risk someone would misuse it is way too high, even for me." Nedzu sighed at the answer he got, but it was the most likely outcome.
"I guess that I'll have to find someone else to teach martial arts..." Anima gave a quizzical look.
"I said I'm not teaching high schoolers chi, not that I wouldn't teach martial arts. I'll need something in return though." Nedzu looked up. He wasn't expecting that answer, but he could work with it.
"The pay is-" he started, but Anima held his hand out to stop him.
"Three hundred and six years of experience; I've got more money in stocks alone than most people would even see in their life alone, forget in my account. I want you to be a consultant for getting me a hero license." the principal gave a look before smiling. A hero with centuries of experience would be a boon to the community. Anima saw the animal nod in agreement.
"Does this mean I have to call you 'sir'?" Nedzu laughed at the question.
"Only in formal settings." he told the new teacher.
Izuku was walking with Eijiro, Tenya, Ochaco, Tsuyu, Mashirao, Momo, and Mezo to the gym after school to look at the new martial arts club. Opening the door, they found Anima meditating in the middle of the room. He welcomed them in with a small wave.
"Welcome to the introduction for the first martial arts club. What are your expectations?" Mashirao asked for further guidance in his art, and Momo wanted to learn more about weapons and their use. Most of the other students just had the simple thoughts of self-defense. Izuku gave his path in seven words.
"I want to protect everyone I can!" his classmates looked at him in shock. The green haired teen was normally polite and shy, but in the walls of the dojo, he put every notion of timid out of his mind. No one else outside his family but All Might had seen him in that state of mind, so it was jarring to see. Over the course of the class, Anima taught everyone basic stance while Mashirao and Izuku were instructed on the form in their katas. At the end of the lesson an hour later, Anima told them what he saw.
"Most of you didn't know what to expect coming in, and that's fine, but Martial arts are built upon themselves, so next time, choose the way you wish to grow. Izuku-san had his path figured out before he and I met nine years ago, he just didn't know martial arts could provide him the tools to realize it. If you want to improve and grow in a specific way, tell me and I'll help you get there; until then, work on the basics, as they are the foundation of your abilities. Am I understood?" the group responded with a firm yes and a bow.
"Class dismissed then. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me anytime. Get home safe." Anima saw his students off before he walked Izuku home.
"Anima-sensei? You told me about reinforcing an aspect of something with chi before, how would one go about doing that?" Anima looked at his precocious disciple before smiling. As he was explaining the process, his instincts told him something was coming soon, and he knew better than to write it off as paranoia. He just hoped his student had what it took to handle what the world threw his way.
This wrapped up the USJ incident and bridged into the sports festival arc. Anima now has the resources to gain a hero license now, but it'll still take some time until he officially has it. As for the villain portion, we have a new player this round. What is his story, and what is the "Prize"? These will be answered later! I tried to keep the marvel and dc references out, but it just wouldn't work, as Anima is from an amalgam universe of the two. As for Nedzu in my mind was always undersold in many fanfics, so I'm trying to show how that intelligence in mine; tell me what you thought. That is all for today. Until next time!