Chapter 16: Too Cool for School

With the arrival of the teachers, Izuku had no choice but to sit tight with the others and wait to be discovered. Sitting down on a loose pile of rocks, he mused over how screwed he was. Not half an hour ago, Power Loader was telling him to not be so reckless and impulsive, to take his time and develop his skills.

I doubt he's going to be so buddy-buddy this time. Izuku thought as he watched Jiro, Momo, and Kaminari use restraining tape to secure the unconscious villains. Hell, he might just kick me out of the support program altogether. Damn it, now how am I going to get my web-shooters and web solution? Not to mention that Mom is probably going to kill me. That'll be fun.

Izuku took a deep, calming breath.

I had no choice but to act. I just hope everyone survived.

Suddenly he perked up. His spider senses were tingling. Looking over he saw Jiro, Momo, and Kaminari busily talking to themselves while they moved in to secure a thug who was sprawled out on his stomach. Something about the man didn't seem right…

'Hey!' he shouted before they could get any closer. They stopped talking and turned to him.

'What is it?'

Izuku hopped off his rock.

'Hold up a sec!' he called as he started jogging over.

Puzzled, they waited until he arrived. Keeping a careful eye on the thug, he put himself between them and the body.

'I think that guy's faking.' he murmured under his breath.

They spun around and faced the body. It didn't move.

'How can you tell?' Jiro asked, her eyes narrowing as she examined the prone body on the ground.

'Because he's laying all wrong. See how he's all tensed up? Doesn't look right if you ask me.' This was utter nonsense of course, he was just relying on his spider sense, but it sounded plausible. 'Besides, I didn't take him out, did any of you?'

'No...' they said warily, spreading themselves out slightly in a semicircle around the body. Izuku noticed the "defeated" thug's leg twitch.

'Here, give me the tape. I'll make sure he can't-'

'Fuck you!' screeched the fallen villain.

Scrambling up to his feet he tried to make a breakaway for freedom. However, he barely took two steps before Jiro's ear grown audio jack, a mutation caused by her quirk, jabbed him in the neck and he fell to the ground howling. While he rocked back and forth on the ground, Momo quickly taped him down to the mountainside.

Swearing violently as he struggled against his restraints, the teens stepped back from the twisting and rolling thug. it wasn't long before the man grew exhausted and gave up. Panting, he craned his head around so he could shoot a dirty look at the four.

'Smug little bastards! You think you're so damn superior, don't you? Fuckin' little pricks…' he muttered under his breath.

The hero students seemed taken aback, however Izuku wasn't fazed. Something major had to be happening in Musutafu for UA to be attacked so brazenly and he had enough experience getting information from criminals that it would take more than a bad attitude to discourage him.

'I know.' Izuku said, clapping his hands together, 'How about to pass the time we all get to know each other?' he crouched down beside the villain. 'We'll start with you, why are you attacking a bunch of students at UA?'

The thug stopped struggling. Blowing some greasy hair from his face, he fixed Izuku with a disgusted sneer.

'Who needs a reason? Bunch of entitled runts and their fucking bubble…'

Izuku continued undeterred, 'Come on now. There has to be a better reason than that. Rounding up and organizing all you guys must have taken a lot of resources. Who'd profit from it? And what could you possibly aim to achieve? How much money could-'

Before he could continue the villain interrupted him with a bark of derisive laughter.

'We're not here for money!' the villain said angrily, 'We came here for All Might. We just wanted to take that bastard down. Him and his "vision of peace" or whatever the fuck he calls it.'

'What are you talking about?' Kaminari asked, confused, 'Everyone loves All Might, you're-'

The thug spat on the ground and Kaminari trailed off weakly.

'What?! Are you serious? Kid, you've really drank the cool-aid, haven't you? Well things might be going okay for you, but have you seen the way the city looks recently?'

'What do you mean?' Izuku asked, 'Was this a political thing?'

'Political? Yeah, I guess you could call it that. An attack on our whole bullshit society.'

Izuku drummed his fingers across his knee pad as he considered the man. Back in the slums, criminals were pragmatic. With the exception of the odd berserk Trigger fiend, crime was always either about drugs or money. Terrorism was out of his wheelhouse. While he thought this over, Momo moved over to his side.

'Don't indulge him.' Momo said with clear disdain, 'He's just a lowlife who'd rather steal than work for a living.'

'Fuck you, bitch' the man said, glaring over at her. 'You're lecturing me about work? Listen brat, in this day and age unless you've got some sort of in, like a powerful quirk, then if you're poor you're staying poor. If you don't have a quirk well then, you're screwed. Good luck trying to build a life or…or start a family. Hell, while me and my people are scrounging around trying to make ends meet, the one percent are running around playing God!'

'What are you talking about?' Momo said, rolling her eyes.

'I'm saying that your rich mommies and daddies only squirted you out for the sake of continuing their ancestors' little eugenics experiments; trying to breed offspring like prize horses! That's all that matters now. Your fucking DNA…'

Izuku cleared his throat and shifted himself closer. This was going nowhere.

'Okay, I get it. You hate society for being so unfair.' Izuku said, trying his best to sound sympathetic.

The man snorted in disbelief so Izuku continued, 'No really, I do! I've heard about what the mayor and his cabinet are up to, and I can totally understand being so angry at the system. It is unfair! So come on, tell me. Who's you're leader? Who's putting all this together? Don't tell me that Shocker is-'

'Shocker? Man, fuck Shocker.' the man scoffed, spitting on the ground, 'He's just a parasite. People like him wouldn't exist without All Might and his society of peace or whatever the fuck. No, I work for the League of Villains.'

'Never heard of them.' Izuku said, frowning, 'Are you based in Musutafu? Who's the boss?'

'I don't know jack. I just heard they were looking for soldiers, so I came running. Not like I had anything better to do.'

'Typical.' Momo said with disgust, but the thug ignored her.

'Hm.' Izuku murmured, tapping his foot, 'It's an interesting story, but…I don't know, dude. You guys all had an awful lot of Trigger on you and Shocker controls Trigger distribution in this town… Might be that this was some sort of ransom thing.'

The thug curled his lip and sneered.

'What are you, retarded? if we wanted to kidnap a couple of kids why would we attack a hero school? There's plenty of rich academies around that aren't filled with you wannabe hero lunatics. Besides, the League's got sources. Trigger isn't a problem from what I've seen.'

'So what, you want a hit of Trigger you join the League?' Izuku asked skeptically.

'Trigger junkies, wanna be supervillains, hell the League will even take in the quirkless so long as they're willing to fight.' the thug said, shrugging limply against the tape.

'Okay, but how were you going to kill All Might? He's a freakin' legend.' Kaminari asked.

'Like I said, the League's got sources.' the thug lowered his voice conspiratorially as though worried that he might be overheard, 'They got this guy, a thing, called Nomu. Word is the big boss in the League can make these things. They've got all these insane quirks. They can regenerate, fly, super strength, whatever it needs to get the job done. All Might won't stand a chance against em'!'

'You can't create quirks.' Momo said dismissively, 'This guy is just wasting our time.'

'Well see, bitch. We'll see.' the thug muttered as he turned his face back down into the rocky ground. He was done talking.

Izuku rested his elbow on his knee and cupped his chin with his fingers while he considered what the thug had said. Quirk creation wasn't impossible, he of all people knew that. Could the League of Villains really have a means of manifesting quirks? Had they stolen some research or something? First chance he got he would have to investigate the League and find out what they were up to.

Still deep in thought, a voice from over his shoulder suddenly shouted out:

'Midoriya!'

Startled, he looked over. Climbing up the mountainside towards them was Power Loader along with a small group of teachers. Izuku didn't need to see his face to know that Power Loader was pissed. Sighing, he stood up to his feet.

'Finally! The teachers are here!' Jiro said crossing her arms and smiling. Momo and Kaminari exchanged grins.

Yippee. Thought Izuku.

As Izuku had predicted, Power Loader did not take his presence at the USJ well. Despite the small audience, he wasted no time in chewing him out.

'I'm honestly at a loss for words!'

'Sorry, sir.'

'Were you even listening to me, Midoriya? Are you listening to me now? What did I say about being reckless?!'

'Yes, sir.'

'Maybe I've given you too much credit. Maybe you'd be better off in general education! Is that what you want?'

'No, sir.'

'What were you thinking running in by yourself!? Didn't you stop to think about what you were doing!?'

'I don't know, sir. Sorry, sir.'

'Sorry is not going to cut it, Midoriya! Detention! Detention every morning for the next month!'

'Yes, sir.'

'If it weren't for the fact that I believed there was a sliver of hope for turning you around Midoriya, believe me when I say I would expel you right here, right now!'

'Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.'

'I've run out of patience, Midoriya. Do not disappoint me again.'

Following his tongue lashing, Izuku was sent off with Momo, Jiro and Kaminari back to the entrance of the USJ to have a final rendezvous at the exit before being sent home. The press was going to have a field day and the last thing the school wanted was for their students to have to run through a gauntlet of ravenous reporters in the wake of a terrorist attack.

'Jeez, that was rough.' Kaminari said to Izuku as they walked out of the mountain zone, 'Sorry that you got detention.'

'It's okay. A lot of the support students come in early anyway.' Izuku said, smiling cheerily though internally he was panicking wildly.

Goodbye sleep schedule! I've only gone out once as Spider-Man this week and I already feel dead. Add on morning detentions that I have no choice to attend and Power Loader might as well have ordered me to sleep deprivation torture.

Jiro gave him a sympathetic look and smiled, 'Well at least you weren't expelled…Hey I have a question for you, uh, Midoriya, right?'

He nodded.

'Back on the way here, when we passed each other on the path outside, what was the deal between you and Bakugo? Do you guys know each other?'

Izuku was taken aback. That was the last question he expected.

Choose your words carefully, Izuku. We don't want to cause any drama or anything.

'Yeah, me and him grew up together. Why do you ask?'

'No reason.' she said quickly.

'What I want to know is, why aren't you in the hero course? You were taking those guys apart!' Kaminari said enthusiastically, miming some chops and kicks while Jiro and Momo looked away in embarrassment.

Izuku didn't like where this was going. He did the best he could to hold back during the fighting, but he knew that he was moving awful fast for someone who was supposed to be quirkless.

Izuku shook his head in denial, 'No, no. You guys were doing all the work.'

'You're too modest.' Momo said, 'I don't think we would have gotten out of there if not for you.'

Izuku mutely acknowledged the compliment and the four continued their journey in silence. Before long they came across a massive field of broken glass that stretched for over a hundred metres. Looking above them, they saw the sky and clouds moving past the giant hole in the dome. According to the staff that had relieved them, All Might had created the hole. Apparently he had punched the Nomu creature so hard that it had flown straight out of the USJ.

'What were those guys thinking attacking All Might?' Izuku muttered to himself, shaking his head in disbelief, 'The League of Villains must be a real brain trust.'

'Yeah…Hey something is bothering me, who's Shocker?' Kaminari asked following behind Izuku as he crunched his way through the field.

'Nobody.' Izuku said bluntly; taking care to step around a large glass shard.

'Aw, come on! I'm really curious. You sounded like you knew the guy.'

'Hah! Nope, sorry. I just know the name.'

'Oh, well you seem to know a lot about Trigger…'

'Yeah, I, uhm, spend too much time on the internet.' Izuku said before coughing and clearing his throat. I need to change the subject! 'Hey! What the hell is that thing?' he cried in alarm.

The three hero students whirled around to where he was pointing. Slowly crawling up a large, dark stone was a fuzzy green caterpillar.

'It's just some gross bug.' Jiro said, giving Izuku a perplexed look.

'Just a bug?!' Kaminari said incredulously as he rushed over to the rock, glass crunching with every step, 'It's huge! I've never seen a giant caterpillar before! I grew up in the city, so all this wildlife is new to me. Hey do you guys think…'

Izuku kept quiet as the hero students talked among themselves and about ten minutes later the four arrived at the plaza leading up to the staircase. The rest of class 1-A was milling around at the top of the stairs waiting for them so they could all leave together. Near the head of the stairs Izuku spotted Bakugo, arms crossed and scowling. If Izuku didn't know any better, he would think Bakugo was worried about him.

Yeah right!

'At least everyone looks okay.' Momo breathed at the sight of her classmates, 'I hope Mr. Aizawa and Thirteen recover soon…'

The four started up the stairs to the exit. As he climbed, Izuku started to really feel his fatigue. His adrenaline surge from earlier had started to take its toil. All he wanted was a big meal and a comfy bed to pass out in. It wasn't long before he was lagging behind the other three. He just didn't have the energy.

Thank God it's Friday and I don't have to worry about waking up early tomorrow. Ugh, detention is going to suck.

As he neared the top, the members of class 1-A called out to their fellows joyously. A pink skinned girl with horns rushed down the final few stairs and gave Momo and Jiro a tight hug. Ignoring their protests, she pulled them into a headlock and started laughing. Meanwhile Kaminari hefted up the rock he had been carrying and showed off the caterpillar to his friends who looked at him with a mixture of confusion and concern. As the hero students celebrated their reunion. Bakugo stood still where he was, his expression unchanging.

Somehow, Izuku doubted that Bakugo was waiting for him with a hug.

'Well, well, well. You just had to butt in, didn't you?'

'Hey Bakugo. What-' Izuku yawned loudly,' Excuse me. What's up?'

'Deku, why are you here? You're not in the hero course! Is this what you're going to be doing now? Hanging around the hero classes so you can feel like you're contributing?'

A couple of the A-1 class students glanced over at them.

Izuku forced himself to laugh, 'You sound exactly like Mr. Maijima! And no, don't worry. I only came back to the USJ 'cause I forgot something.' he said with drowsy cheer, slapping his utility belt.

'Yeah right. And when you noticed the attack, why didn't you run and get help? Or did you just want some glory for yourself?'

Before he could stop himself, Izuku scowled. Everyone seemed to be eavesdropping on their conversation now.

'Jeez, you really do sound like Mr. Maijima. Listen, I tried calling for help, but my phone was being jammed or something. I had no choice.'

'You had no choice? Deku, you can't save anybody. The only thing you can be is a victim. So why don't you-'

Izuku yawned again, leaning against the staircase railing he blinked up at Bakugo and shook his head.

'Look, Kacchan, can we do this later? I saw people in trouble so I intervened. That's it. I already got chewed out and detention, so unless you have anything else to say, just leave me be, alright?'

Bakugo glared at him for a while before curling his lip in disgust.

'You're too selfish to be a hero.'

At that Bakugo stomped away leaving Izuku blinking on the stairs behind him. For some reason, his words stuck. Selfish. Was he being selfish? Everything he did he said was for the greater good, but was he just living out a power fantasy? What with his secret powers and his gadgets and his interrogations and all the rest of his double life bullshit?

Selfish? Bakugo is just trying to get under my skin, that's all.

Ignoring the looks of class 1-A, Izuku popped off his helmet and took another drink from his canteen.

Salt tablets. Salt tablets and energy bars, that's what my belt needs.

Meanwhile in Tokyo, Dr. Akatani was sitting in his office attending an emergency conference call meeting between himself, the budgetary committee, and the Musutafu police. Incredibly after months of inactivity Spider-Man had reappeared last night, brazenly attacking an illegal casino near the boundary of the slums. For what reason Dr. Akatani couldn't say, but he did not intend to waste this opportunity. This time they would capture him.

Steepling his fingers, Dr. Akatani leaned forward in rapt attention as the detective continued his report.

'And so, it would appear that the subject has returned to his usual patterns of disrupting petty crime in the Musutafu inner city region.' the policeman said, displaying an image of Spider-Man fighting a large man in a white suit.

'Based on his appearance in this video clip, we have deduced that Spider-Man has drastically increased his combative capabilities as he now has access to professionally made equipment. This opens up yet another avenue for us to track him as there are relatively speaking few independent individuals with the knowledge and tools required to construct a costume of his calibre for those not registered with the professional hero association.' finished the detective.

The Hero Association Liaison Mr. Gizen was the first one to speak up.

'That assumes that he is not working with nefarious engineers' detective. There are villains in the criminal underground who possess the technical expertise required to fabricate professional grade costumes. These individuals would not appear on your list of "independents".'

'I understand, sir. However, those individuals are beyond our capacity to locate at this time. Besides, all of the evidence we have suggests that Spider-Man has remained a vigilante, and is therefore unlikely to co-operate with the criminal underground.'

General Mottaiburimashita stabbed out his cigar into an ashtray on his desk and grunted in approval.

'Excellent work detective. I understand that you and your staff have been working this case at both ends for months now with little to go on. As I see it, you're due for some reinforcements. Now, I don't want to speak pre-emptively but, if things in city hall pan out the way we want it too, you can have military assistance in tracking down Spider-Man by as early as a week after the election.'

'That would be welcome, sir. Musutafu is a big city.' the detective said, bowing slightly.

'I am a little bit apprehensive about expanding our surveillance campaign at this time.' Ethics Commissioner Nābasu said, 'Why was Spider-Man inactive in the first place? Did he sense we were getting close and he was driven to ground, or were there other factors? If it's the former than additional surveillance assets may prove to be a time-consuming mistake.'

General Mottaiburimashita chortled as he lit another cigar.

'High altitude drones, Nābasu. He'll never see 'em coming. Whisper quiet and they can loiter over an area for days. Hell, if we wanted to, we could use thermal or x-band imaging to count his fillings while he walked around his house. Once we find him that is.'

Jūyō Sekkachi tapped his finger impatiently on his desk.

'I am sure that your drones are effective, General. They would have to be considering how much they cost.' scowling slightly, Sekkachi turned his attention back to the detective.

'While there may be the possibility of additional resources being made available to the Musutafu PD in the near future, I remind you that it was determined at the beginning of this operation that your department would be more than capable of handling the apprehension of Spider-Man with your existing resources.'

'Yes, sir.' the detective said stiffly.

'Now, we will expect another progress report in two days. You're dismissed.'

The detective bowed once more before his screen connecting him to the others went blank. Sekkachi turned his attention to Dr. Akatani who had been silently participating in the debriefing.

'Doctor, have your immunization campaigns revealed anything?'

'Yes.' Dr. Akatani said, 'After analyzing the data, so far Spider-Man is not among those who received immunization. Of the quirkless population, 34.6% responded to our request, with those in the 18-34 year-old bracket being the least represented age group. To further narrow down our search, I propose we run a secondary vaccination campaign aimed at young adults, specifically those in high school and university. Based on previous efforts immunizing for Hepatitis A, we can expect a turnout of over 90% in high schools and 40% in universities.'

'Is there any point to immunizing high school students? Our profile for Spider-Man suggests a working professional.'

Dr. Akatani nodded, 'True, but anything we can do to lower the list of potential suspects at this point will prove fruitful in the long term. Besides, the immunizations will be run under the federal health budget anyway. The data is free.'

'Very well. We can-'

Suddenly Mr. Gizen exclaimed loudly and everyone turned their attention to his screen. An assistant had appeared at his side and was whispering something into his ear. After a few seconds the assistant retreated and Mr. Gizen quickly began gathering things from his desk.

'Pardon the interruption gentlemen, but I have just received word that there has been a villain attack at UA Academy.' Mr. Gizen said hurriedly, 'Please forward the minutes to my secretary and I will speak any of my concerns at the next meeting.'

Without saying another word, he signed out. Everyone was quiet until General Mottaiburimashita spoke.

'Actually, I should excuse myself as well. If they muster the counterterrorism council, then I'll be included in the security briefing. Gentlemen.'

At that General Mottaiburimashita also disconnected and Nābasu groaned.

'More headaches.' he said, rubbing his forehead, 'I'll need to prepare for the press again. We'll need to be careful how we spin this. Christ, do I hate election years. Dr. Akatani, Mr. Sekkachi, I will speak with you both on Monday.'

Nābasu's screen went black leaving Dr. Akatani alone with Sekkachi. Dr. Akatani shuffled his notes. Now would be the perfect time to ask about some assurances for the future of his program. The budgetary committee had been infuriatingly candid about what the status was of his research grants for next year. Before he could say anything however, Sekkachi spoke.

'I suppose there is little use to us continuing without the others. This meeting is adjourned until next week.'

At that Sekkachi abruptly signed out and Dr. Akatani was left frowning at his computer screen. His expertise was being called upon less and less. Reviewing census data was a waste of his salary and everyone knew it. If he didn't get an opportunity to demonstrate his value soon, he'd never get his research funding back.

Over supper that evening Izuku did his best to downplay the attack at UA. All he said was that some villains had managed to sneak into one of the training compounds and attack class 1-A. He carefully omitted any details about himself being present during the attack as he knew it would just worry his mother to death (as well as his detention). After he was finished eating, he retreated to his room under the pretense that he had homework to do. As soon as the door was closed, he settled in for a lengthy nap. Waking in the late evening, he donned his spider suit. He was going to head out and find some leads.

The League of Villains may be some shadowy organization, but they still have to buy their Trigger from somebody and when it comes to Trigger, Shocker is the only game in town. I just need to track down their dealer, and I'm in.

Pulling on his mask, Izuku prepared to jump outside when he suddenly heard a knock on his door.

'Izu? Izu, are you awake?'

Jumping down from his window frame, he quickly paced over. Thankfully it was locked. Covering his mouth with his gloved hand, he garbled his voice as best he could.

'Ugh, what is it mom? I was just falling asleep.'

'Oh.' she was silent for a little while, 'Okay. Well, goodnight.'

He listened as she slowly walked back to her bedroom. Pressing his ear to his door, he waited until he heard her climb in bed and her breathing slowed. Letting out a sigh of relief, he crept back over to his window and jumped outside.

By the time Izuku had finished his intelligence gathering mission, the sun had risen and Musutafu was starting to wake up. He didn't like to be out this late, but it had taken him awhile to navigate the slums. His four-month hiatus had left him rusty and tracking down the usual suspects had taken longer than it should have.

Rather than try to sneak into his apartment through the window where anyone could see him, he decided that it would be best to just pretend like he had gone out for an early morning jog. Dropping into an alleyway a few blocks from his apartment, he retrieved an emergency change of clothes he had stashed in an air vent.

Slipping into a track suit over his Spider-Suit, he took off his mask and pocketed it before jogging out to the sidewalk.

Keeping a casual pace, he quickly ran through the names of all the drug dealers he knew.

…Big Pimpin', Mr. Stash, Zoinks…Nope. That was everyone.

He had spent the night putting the squeeze to every street dealer he could find, but none of them knew anything about the League of Villains. Whoever they were, they seemed to be operating totally under the radar of Shocker's gang. Why or how that was he couldn't say, but they weren't running around robbing liquor stores that was for sure.

When he had run out of dealers to mangle, he decided to try his luck and leave a message for Knuckleduster telling him that he wanted to meet. Hopefully he would have heard something about the League - assuming the old hard ass still remembered him anyway.

In the meantime, he should really try and clear out some of the homework that he had been accumulating. It was only one week into the semester and he already had several pressing assignments to complete; none of which he could afford to shirk.

He sighed. Homework, homework, homework. Hopefully Power Loader's detention is like a free work period or something.

Coming to a stop at his building, he entered and climbed the stairs to his floor. Upon reaching his level's hallway, he heard his mother through the walls busying herself around the kitchen and his stomach grumbled. From the sounds of things, he was just in time for breakfast. Unlocking the door, he eagerly stepped inside and swung the door shut with a bang behind him.

'Izu?'

'Yeah, it's me Mom. I was just out for a jog.'

'I was wondering where you went off to. Here, have a seat at the table. I need to talk to you.'

'Uh, ok.'

He went over to the dinner table. His mother was seated and having her morning coffee while a big wooden spoon stirred itself into a pot of porridge on the stove. He sat down across from her as she browsed through the newspaper. She was still in her old floral print pajamas and housecoat that she had worn to bed for as long as he could remember.

Maybe for Christmas I should buy her new pajamas. That might be…

His mind went blank as he noticed the front page. Splashed across the leading article was a massive photo of Spider-Man fighting Big Spin in his casino. The headline read:

"Masked Menace Spider-Man battles underworld crime bosses for control of Musutafu: New Villains on the Rise?"

Izuku's eyes darted across the news print, his pupils getting wider with every word. According to the article, Spider-Man had attacked an illegal casino on Thursday which was true enough. However, after that everything devolved into spurious reasoning and bizarre supposition. According to the author, based on "anonymous sources", Spider-Man was engaged in a deadly power struggle with the local mob bosses to create a city spanning criminal organization. Apparently, not only was Spider-Man aiming to eliminate his enemies on the streets, but in city hall as well by attempting to blackmail and destroy the mayor's reputation.

Once he finished reading the article, he shook his head in disbelief.

Who would ever believe such dreck? I swear print media can't die fast enough. He thought, switching his attention to the stove.

After a moment, his Mom finished her article and she lowered the paper.

'How was your jog?' she asked, taking a sip of her coffee.

'Pretty good. It's not hot yet so I don't sweat too much.'

'Huh, that's good. Maybe I should get you some lighter running clothes.'

Izuku said nothing. From the corner of his eye he saw a glass and pitcher of juice float over to him. Still hovering over the table, the pitcher poured itself and the full cup landed in front of him.

'Thanks.' Izuku said, gulping down the juice.

'I never get to see you anymore, Izuku. You always seem so busy.' she said wistfully as he finished his drink.

'We still get to see each other.' he said, shifting uncomfortably in his seat as the pitcher returned to give him a refill, 'Its just that I have a lot of homework and stuff now.'

'I know, I know.' she sighed, 'So, what's the deal with your detention?'

Izuku almost spat. Choking down his beverage, he gasped.

'H-How did you-'

'Oh, your teacher called me yesterday afternoon while you were studying.' Her eyes narrowed slightly as she regarded him, 'He said you were squandering your talents by rushing through things; that you're taking unnecessary risks to prove yourself.'

'Er, well, I'm still getting a handle on the rules at UA.' he said taking a tiny sip of juice, 'I've got to work twice as hard to get a leg up, I don't want to fall behind.'

She shook her head and sighed again. Izuku felt his warning bells go off. He had just screwed up somehow.

'Mr. Maijima said as much. Izu, I think you might be stressing yourself about fitting in too hard. You already qualified, there is no reason to overdo it. The last thing you want is to burn out.'

Izuku bit his lip. How could he put this so she would understand?

'Mom, I want to be the best.' he said simply, 'I can't just sit back and do the bare minimum. Future lives might be at stake. I owe it to them to work as hard as possible. I know that people burn out, but trust me, I'm nowhere near my limit.'

'Alright, alright. I know how seriously you take being a hero. Just don't go overboard, okay? I don't want you to hurt yourself and I don't want to hear that you've gotten into any more trouble.'

Thankfully after that she dropped the subject and the conversation shifted to his new costume while they finished their breakfast. Afterwards, he went back to his room for a quick nap before finishing off his homework. He had a date with Knuckleduster that night and he didn't want any distractions.

After a busy day of slaving over his assignments, Izuku snuck out for his midnight meeting. Along the way to the parking building he fully expected Knuckleduster to not be there, yet when he arrived the grizzled old veteran was waiting for him by the graffiti, cigarette in hand and scowling just like always.

Emerging from the shadows, he raised his hand in greeting.

'Hey, Knuckleduster. Long time, no see! What do you think of my new costume? Pretty sweet right?' Izuku said cheerfully.

'Ugh, is this why you called me? I don't care about fashion.' Knuckleduster grumbled.

'Yeah, I noticed. Anyway, you're not surprised to see me?'

'I figured mommy and daddy got you a therapist. That or you'd been killed.' Knuckleduster said with a shrug.

'Aw, I missed you too.'

Knuckleduster snorted and spat on the ground between them, 'Mmhmm. So, why are you wasting my evening this time?'

'I was wondering if you'd heard anything about a group calling itself the League of Villains?'

'The League of Villains? Never heard of 'em.' Knuckleduster said and Izuku's shoulders slumped slightly in disappointment. 'They must be new players in town. Are they trying to muscle in on the slums?'

'No. They-' Izuku hesitated. If Knuckleduster learned that he was at the USJ, it would be too easy for him to figure out his identity, 'Sorry, I heard they were behind the attack at UA. Apparently, they were trying to kill All Might.'

Knuckleduster frowned as he scratched his chin thoughtfully.

'Was this some sort of political thing? Or revenge?'

Izuku shrugged.

'All I know is that they wanted to take out All Might specifically. They even brought in a special weapon to do it too. A genetic experiment of some kind called Nomu that was purpose built to fight him.'

Knuckleduster whistled lowly and shook his head.

'The whole terrorist group thing is out of my comfort zone to be honest with you. It'd be better for both of us to keep our noses far away from this. The attack at UA made national news. Every hero agency in the city will be investigating.'

'But-' Izuku started before Knuckleduster interrupted him.

'Listen, if you start to sniff around the city asking questions then they might think Spider-Man is connected. If they suspect you, you'll have a lot more to deal with than just the police.'

Izuku was quiet for a moment as he considered Knuckleduster's advice. It was true that every hero in the city would probably be mobilized to identify this new threat. All Might himself would probably take an interest and investigate. They had years of experience dealing with nutjobs like the League, could an amateur like him really contribute anything?

'I hear what you're saying Knuckleduster, but I can't just walk away. At least not yet. I heard that the guys who attacked UA were loaded with Trigger. All I want to know is if Shocker is involved in some way, that's all.'

Knuckleduster grunted and shook his head in disapproval.

'It's a bad idea getting mixed up in this.' he said warningly.

'I already am.' Izuku said; slapping his arms to his sides. 'I chased down every dealer I knew trying to find the League's supplier, but I came up empty. I was wondering if you knew anybody who might know something about any backroom Trigger deals.'

'A-hah! Backroom Trigger deals? No. I'm just a street level guy, Spidey and I like it that way.' he stopped and hesitated, 'But…well no. Forget about it.'

Izuku perked up, his spider sense was tingling.

'No, go on. What is it?'

'No, no, no. It's nothing. I was just- No, I don't know anybody.'

Izuku put his hands on his hips and sighed.

'Come on, what is it? Who do you know? You can trust me.' Izuku said imploringly and Knuckleduster scoffed.

'Yeah, right. Look. I know a guy who has an ear perked for everything that goes on in this city. If we ask him, he might have some information about the League of Villains. Emphasis on the word might.'

'Oh? Hey, that's great! Why don't we give him a call?'

'It's not that simple. For starters, this guy doesn't work for free. It's going to cost a pretty penny if you want any questions answered.'

Izuku felt his new-found excitement wane.

'H-How much exactly?' he asked, fearing the answer.

'A billion yen.'

Izuku felt his mouth go dry.

'A-A billion? I don't have that kind of cash! That's outrageous!' Izuku said indignantly, 'Do you think he might make an exception in my case? This is important. Lives are at stake!'

'Pppffffft. No, he won't care. All he wants is his money.' he growled, before smiling mockingly, 'Does mommy and daddy have a billion-yen allowance waiting for their little shnookums?' he said in a hideous approximation of a doting voice.

'I don't live with my parents! And no. I'm flat broke at the moment.'

'Really now? I read in the paper you were at Big Spin's place. Are you telling me you didn't take a poke around the vault and collect some spider tax?' Knuckleduster said teasingly. Izuku quickly shook his head.

'No! I would never do that. I don't take money from criminals.'

'Hm.' Knuckleduster said, becoming more serious. 'Yeah, I know you don't. I wouldn't be gabbing with you if you did, truth be told. I've seen too many Robinhood's out here. They start out with the best of intentions and before you know it, they're collecting protection money, getting their own thugs, and so on.'

Izuku put a hand to his forehead, 'I'm screwed.' he groaned as he recounted his finances, 'How do you make a ton of money super fast?' he wondered aloud.

Knuckleduster let out a low, rumbling laugh.

'If I knew that, I wouldn't be wearing such old shoes, kid.'

'Great.' Izuku said frowning, 'Back to square one I guess.' Knuckleduster merely shrugged.

'Like I said, Spider-Man. Leave this one to the pros. I know they may not be down here in the shit like you and me, but when it comes to attacks on schools and the like, you can count on them to pull through.'

Izuku crossed his arms, 'Yeah, I guess so.'

'Anyway, seeing as how we're such good pals, I was wondering if you could do me a favour for once.'

Izuku cocked his head curiously. This was new.

'Sure. What's the favour?'

Knuckleduster took a moment to glance around the abandoned car lot for a moment before turning back to Izuku.

'You ever hear about a guy named Stain?' he said conspiratorially.

Izuku was taken aback. That was the last name he had expected Knuckleduster to say just now.

'Yeah, I've read about him on the internet. He's got this whole "heroes are corrupt and need to rethink their ways" thing going on, right?'

'Yeah, that's the guy.' Knuckleduster said. Izuku waited as the larger man drew a flask from his jacket and took a swig before continuing, 'Well he's gone off the deep end. He's always been a bit of a loony, running around like a ninja, using a sword of all things, but…the latest killings.' For a moment Izuku noticed a deeply sad expression crossed what he could see of Knuckleduster's face, like he was suddenly exhausted, but in a heartbeat it had disappeared. 'He needs to be stopped.'

Izuku's curiosity was piqued.

'How do you know him?' Izuku blurted before readjusting his tone to sound more sympathetic 'If you don't mind my asking.'

Knuckleduster took another swig before gasping in satisfaction. Screwing the cap back on he tucked his flask back into his overcoat.

'He used to be a vigilante. A damn good one too. Well actually good might be the wrong word. Efficient. That would describe him better.'

'No kidding?' Izuku said in surprise. As far as he knew, Stain had first appeared in the public eye as the hero hunter.

'Yep.' Knuckleduster said with a burp, 'He thought that the pro hero scene was too focused on making money and fame and all that jazz, so he started going after criminals incognito. Selfless and without asking for recognition, you get me?' Izuku nodded, 'He thought that his example could inspire some reform in the hero world.' Knuckleduster snorted, 'He was always too much of an idealist. Anyway, long story short when that didn't work, he decided that he could use fear to force the heroes to change their ways.'

'Is that when he began targeting heroes?'

'Yeah, he went full psycho and started killing everyone calling themselves a hero that he deemed didn't live up to the ideals of his idol All Might.'

Izuku stared at Knuckleduster in bewilderment. This kept getting stranger and stranger. What could All Might's philosophy of responsibility and mutual respect possibly have in common with a murderer like Stain?

'The ideals of All Might?' Izuku said in disbelief, 'You're joking.'

'Oh, yeah. He loved All Might. Wouldn't shut up about him in fact. He would go on and on about how heroes were squandering the lessons that All Might was trying to teach and that once All Might was gone, we would be left with a bunch of vapid, self obsessed, power mongers for heroes that couldn't care about anything but their own prestige. He thought that if the pro heroes didn't change their ways society would collapse into warring warlords with cults of personality and all sorts of crazy shit.'

'Oh.'

'Yeah. Anyway, I've been trying to chase him down and reign him in before he kills anyone else, but he's always been a slippery bastard. Have you had any run-ins with him?'

'No, never. Does he even go in the slums? I thought he mostly "worked"' Izuku said, using his fingers for apostrophes, 'downtown.'

'He goes where the heroes are. However, I'm pretty sure he has an apartment in the slums. Might be that he's holed up in a vacant somewhere.'

'Interesting.' Izuku said thoughtfully, before looking back up to Knuckleduster, 'I could snoop around downtown if you like…?' he started before Knuckleduster grunted and shook his head.

'No!' he said firmly, before coughing and clearing his throat. 'I mean, don't bother. If some hero spotted you walking around city hall, all hell would break loose. Just keep your eyes and ears open. And for the love of God, don't try to fight him. Let me deal with Stain.'

'Hmmm.' Izuku said suspiciously, but he let the matter drop. He'd been burning through a lot of goodwill lately and he didn't want to get in another argument. Instead he lowered his gaze to the concrete and thought about what he had just learned.

Stain was a fan of All Might?

Instead of getting some answers from his meeting he just got a heap of new problems. While he thought over his situation Knuckleduster spoke again.

'Well, I'd better get going.' he said, 'Unlike the carefree youth, I have to work for a living. Keep in touch and keep your head down, yeah?'

'Okay. I'll see you later.'

Knuckleduster nodded to him before turning and heading back down towards the car ramp. Izuku didn't budge however. He was still thinking.

One step forward, two steps back. He thought glumly. How can I possibly get my hands on a billion yen? And as for Knuckleduster's request, well, it's better to ask for forgiveness than permission. If I can flush Stain out of wherever he's hiding, then I'll take him down myself.

While Izuku was spending his Sunday suffering through his homework and researching stock tips, the UA faculty were gathering in the staff lounge to discuss the results of their investigation into the attack at the USJ.

Power Loader took a long drink of coffee as his fellow staff members walked in. They were alert and chipper now, but he could tell that they were running on fumes, their attitudes the product of ceaseless caffeine and anger. As soon as they got home, they were probably going to pass out until they had to teach tomorrow. He knew he was.

As the other teachers took their seats, he couldn't help but look over at Thirteen's empty chair. While he had been ambling back to lunch like a clueless dope, Thirteen had been fighting for her and class 1-A's lives. During the battle, the villain she had been fighting had redirected her blackhole quirk and nearly tore her apart. Recovery Girl told him that she would live, but that she was in critical condition. Only after extensive therapy would they know if she had suffered any permanent injuries as her anomalous body was difficult to observe, let alone treat.

Power Loader gritted his teeth and tightened his grip on his coffee mug as he thought about Thirteen lying comatose in the hospital. If he ever got his hands on that teleporting villain…

Once everyone had found their seat, Principal Nezu stood up on his chair and addressed the assembled teachers.

'Everyone. Thank you all for coming. I know it's been a hectic forty-eight hours and we're all eager to get some rest. However, before we can go home, I'd just like to review the police report that was sent to us this afternoon.'

'Wait, before we get to the police report. Do you have any new information regarding Aizawa and Thirteen's condition?' Midnight asked. The staff all quieted and looked on tensely.

'Yes. I'm pleased to say that Aizawa is conscious, though his left arm is still heavily injured. Fortunately, the tendons in his elbow were not damaged and he will likely make a full recovery. In fact, he is adamant about returning to his students come Monday.' There were nods of approval around the table at the good news. Power Loader didn't join in. He was happy Aizawa was going to recover, but he had seen Thirteen in the hospital. Once the room had settled down, Nezu continued.

'Unfortunately, Thirteen is still unconscious and remains in critical condition.' Several of the staff members shook their heads and shifted in their chairs. Power Loader carefully kept his face neutral.

Of all the people to get attacked, why did it have to be Thirteen? She specialized in disaster response, not combat. For them to brutalize a selfless live saver like her…

'A specialist is being flown in from Europe who has expertise in treating those with incorporeal bodies. They are arriving in Musutafu tonight. I will be sure to let you all know her condition in the morning.'

Power Loader forced himself to relax his grip on his mug. Throwing a fit like a child wouldn't solve anything. They had to prepare themselves in case of future attacks.

'What did the police report say?' Power Loader asked wearily, 'Tell me they were able to get some of these low lives talking.'

Principal Nezu smiled and nodded.

'As a matter of fact, they were. Apparently, the attack was orchestrated by a group calling itself the League of Villains. Their stated objective is to, and I quote "destroy the society of heroes and kill the false idol All Might.". Their headquarters is as of yet unknown as is the identity of their leader.'

'That's not much to go on.' Cementoss said impassively.

'Yes. By all standards they would appear to be rank amateurs. Their numbers largely consist of disenfranchised homeless people and petty criminals. If it weren't for the fact that they managed to disable our security and the presence of this Nomu creature, I would have dismissed them entirely.'

Midnight scowled, 'So, our security was disabled then?'

'Yes.' Nezu replied quietly, suddenly looking much smaller, 'It would seem as though the break in that occurred at the gates a few days ago was indeed the work of the League of Villains. They likely broke in for the express purpose of creating a backdoor in our systems so they could jam all outgoing cellphone signals during the attack. It is also likely that they stole a class schedule so they knew when to strike.'

Nezu cleared his throat uncomfortably and looked at all the graven faced teachers for a moment.

'It would be logical to assume that they have an agent working from the inside. I can't imagine how else they would have been able to act without being detected.'

Power Loader exchanged glances with several of the other teachers.

'A traitor amongst the students?' Present Mic asked.

'Or a teacher…' Power Loader murmured.

The room filled with an uneasy shifting as they all looked at one another. Before anyone could speak, Nezu raised a paw for order.

'We will need to carefully consider everyone's whereabouts during the break in. Thankfully, I know that many of the students were at lunch. We just need to narrow down those students who were absent, and determine what they were doing.'

Power Loader frowned. He remembered seeing Midoriya outside the cafeteria that day, but he had just been transporting his costume to his locker. Still, it was unusual that he was in the halls. And he had been present during the attack at the USJ…

'As for staff-' Nezu continued and Power Loader focused back on the principal, 'Well let's just say that I am conducting my own investigation. You understand if I do not wish to divulge any of the details, of course.'

Everyone nodded in agreement at that. Before becoming principal at UA, Nezu had been Japan's foremost investigator. If anybody could root out the traitor, it was him.

'What can you tell us about Nomu?' rasped a faint voice at the end of the table.

Power Loader turned to the speaker. It was Toshinori. Looking at his frail body, you would have a hard time believing that this twig of a man was All Might but Power Loader and the rest of the staff had witnessed him transform first hand.

Nezu's whisker twitched, 'Very little I'm afraid. The creature is totally artificial and contains DNA from several humans. Additionally, it has numerous quirks that it can activate seemingly at will, though this has come at the cost of near total brain death of the creature. It seems incapable of doing anything but blindly following the commands of its master.'

'Where did it get these quirks from?' Recovery Girl said frowning, 'Don't tell me that its DNA…'

'Yes.' Nezu said almost cheerfully, 'All of its quirks can be tied to its multiple DNA signature which itself can be tied to several missing persons cases. This presents us with quite a disturbing implication, doesn't it?'

Power Loader shook his head in disgust alongside most of his fellow staff. The League of Villains was even more depraved than he thought.

'How is this possible?' Toshinori asked, his expression slack. Though with shock or fatigue Power Loader couldn't tell.

'We don't know. Yet. I have asked our liaison to the government, Mr. Gizen, to request the services of one Dr. Akatani, the world's foremost expert in quirk genesis, to examine the Nomu. Hopefully he will be able to provide some insight into how it was created.'

'In the meantime, what can we do?' Snipe asked, tilting back his cowboy hat. 'As long as All Might is teaching here, we'll be putting more students at risk. Now I'm not saying you should leave or anything Toshinori, but we have to be prepared in case of another attack.'

'There is only so much we can do ourselves.' Nezu noted as he stirred his tea, 'In my opinion, our best option is to prepare the students in case they are attacked again. As I understand it, class 1-A has proven itself capable already. With some enhanced training, they might prove to be a powerful deterrent themselves.'

Several of the teachers shook their heads and muttered in disapproval, though a few others nodded their heads in agreement. Power Loader just sighed. He didn't have the energy to argue though there was one nagging thought that had surfaced in his mind.

'The hero students being trained is one thing, but what about the support department?' Power Loader said to the principal who was looking quite pleased with the disruption his proposal was causing. 'One of mine was caught up in the fighting after all.'

'O-ho, that's right. Mr. Midoriya.' Nezu said, his tail swishing to the side, 'From what I understand he did quite well for himself, did he not?'

Power Loader scoffed. That was the last thing he wanted to hear. The way Izuku was heading, he would be dead in less than a month unless he started using his brain outside the classroom.

'That's besides the point.' Power Loader said gruffly, 'He's still vulnerable. If the hero courses are getting enhanced combat training, then I think my class should receive it as well.' Power Loader felt his breath get stuck in his throat as he thought about Thirteen, 'Even support heroes can be attacked after all.'

The staff watched as the principal took a sip of tea. Slowly, Nezu lowered his cup and looked at him. His eyes gleaming intently while he considered his request.

'Very well.' Nezu said finally, 'Though I will leave it to you to come up with a lesson plan. Now if there is no further business, I think we will break for the evening. We will all have a full day tomorrow, and we'll need our wits about us.'

At that Nezu hopped down from his chair and the rest of the faculty stood up. Power Loader didn't need to be told twice. Sweeping his things into his bag, he waved away the calls from his colleagues and exited into the hallway. Starting off for the parking lot, he could only hope that his headache cleared before he got to bed. As he walked, he heard a voice call out to him.

'Excuse me, Maijima. May I have a moment of your time?' Power Loader turned back in surprise. It was Toshinori.

'Here, let's walk and talk.' Toshinori said.

Power Loader shrugged and kept walking though he felt curious in spite of himself. He hadn't had a chance to speak with All Might privately about anything yet. What could he possible want? Soon the legendary hero fell in step beside him and he felt a rising sense of excitement as he waited for All Might to speak.

'Forgive me, Maijima but I didn't know that one of your students was involved in the attack. Remind me, which one was he again?'

Why does he want to know about Izuku? Power Loader wondered, though he kept his confusion out of his voice when he answered.

'Izuku Midoriya. Green hair, green eyes, freckles. Wears green and white armour.'

'Ah! Right, I remember him now. He did good work in my foundational hero exercise. How did he find himself involved in the attack?'

'Oh, while we were walking back from our lesson at the USJ he remembered that he forgot his smart phone of all things on the course and ran back to get it. From what he told me, he jumped up to the perimeter wall-'

'Jumped up? I thought Izuku didn't have a quirk?'

'He doesn't.' At least, I think he doesn't. 'We were doing equipment trials and Midoriya built himself a grappling hook to demonstrate.'

'Ah, I see. Please continue.'

'Yes. Well anyway from the top of the wall he was able to see the villain attack in progress and he, in his aged wisdom, decided to leap into the fray.'

'Really? Why?'

'He claims he saw one of the class 1-A students get surrounded by villains and he couldn't let him fight alone.' Power Loader paused as Toshinori shot him a look, 'I know. He's quite the romantic. Anyway, after the villains were defeated, the little genius decided to rush off and see if he could rescue anyone else. Needless to say, once I found him, I gave him a month's detention. I'm hoping I can drill some common sense into his skull before he gets himself killed.'

'He was able to fight without a quirk?' Toshinori asked incredulously.

'Yes. For all his faults in judgement, Midoriya is actually quite adept in a diverse range of skills.' Power Loader admitted begrudgingly, 'How he survived long enough to learn those skills is beyond me. I'm just hoping that with some tough love I can whip him into shape.'

'Hm. Yes. That's very interesting. Thank you, Maijima. I'll keep that in mind when I teach my class.'

Power Loader hesitated and stopped and Toshinori looked back at him before stopping himself.

'What is it?' Toshinori asked.

They stood there for a moment. Toshinori eyed him quizzically while he thought things through.

Could there be more to Izuku Midoriya than meets the eye?

'Maijima…?'

Power Loader shook his head and cleared his thoughts. He was too exhausted for all this conspiracy nonsense.

'Its nothing. Midoriya is just one of those students you know?'

Toshinori nodded and smiled.

'Yes, I can imagine.'