Just a heads up, I will be on vacation next week, so MFLA will come back the week after.
Boy, it sure would be a dick move to leave you on an important moment, wouldn't it?
Anyway, enjoy the chapter :)
(XX)
"… And that's it in summary, Midoriya." Nedzu concluded, finishing his explanation.
Izuku nodded. It was an important discussion, since organizing his school life along with his new full-time Internship with Miruko meant he would miss a lot of classes. He'd have to essentially study the material on his own.
"At least you are in good hands when it comes to training." Gran Torino huffed, "Working out will make your control on One for All better, and Usagiyama can definitely teach you that."
"By sparring with him until he pukes his guts out?" All Might asked.
"Is there any other way to teach a One for All successor?" Gran Torino asked back, a grin on his face. All Might immediately reduced himself back to his skinny form in fear.
"Oh come on, miss Miruko isn't that bad." Izuku replied. Everyone stared at him. "What?"
"… Nevermind, if you are fine with her, it means I chose the right heir. Someone that brave is definitely worthy of the title." All Might said.
Izuku raised an eyebrow, then shook his head. "This will be hard, but I can do it. If it's for a good cause, I will do my best."
"That is commendable, Midoriya!" Nedzu nodded, "I wish you weren't put in such a condition, though. Your new Provisional License puts on you a lot of responsibilities a lot sooner than any of us expected. Aizawa and All Might will coach you in your new duties with your License, but you will have to learn a lot by yourself."
"I will learn." Izuku replied.
Nedzu nodded again, "Very well. In that case, Young Midoriya, we need to talk about your next public appearance, this Wednesday. Have you decided on who you will take with you?"
"I thought I was going to go with All Might…"
"Unfortunately that is not possible, Young Midoriya." All Might replied, "While I'd happily accompany you usually, I will only make a quick appearance at the event. Since my time is shrinking more and more, I'd rather not risk it by staying in muscular form for hours just for a party, and Toshinori Yagi wasn't invited."
"Oh." Izuku gulped. "Uhm, who should I bring then? I-I don't think another student would be…"
"Yes, I'd advise against that." Nedzu nodded, "It's already distressing that the world looks at you and puts the future on your shoulders, I would feel like I'm failing if I let another student end up under the same weight so soon."
Izuku hadn't thought about that. He had considered inviting Himiko, but he wasn't sure… Well, they had a date on Sunday, so taking her twice in a week… It would send the wrong message, right? I-If Himiko just wanted to remain a friend… Or if Izuku had to deal with the revelation about All for One… 'This is so confusing…'
"-doriya?" Nedzu asked, and Izuku looked up.
"S-Sorry, I was just thinking of something." He looked back up, "Uhm, what were you saying sir?"
"That I think I have the perfect chaperone, if you have no one else in mind." Nedzu replied with a grin, before making his suggestion.
Everyone stared at him. "… You are doing this for revenge on the HPSC, aren't you?" Gran Torino finally asked.
"I don't know what you are talking about." Nedzu said with a wry grin, "This is just to show how well UA is doing. After all, it's only fair we ensure young Midoriya's safety." He looked at Izuku, "If you will accept, of course."
"I will!" Izuku immediately replied, content with anything that could end the discussion about who would accompany him, "I think it's a good idea."
Nedzu smiled, "Great, young Midoriya, I'm glad you agreed!"
"You just want to send a middle finger to the HPSC President." Gran Torino commented.
"Absolutely, I can't wait for Wednesday."
Izuku couldn't really say the same. Thankfully, Wednesday wasn't that soon.
-x-
Wednesday was all too soon, Izuku mused as his accompanied him out of the door. He had been given formal clothing, green bowtie and a dark green suit contrasting with a white button-up shirt. It was… a bit on the nose, if you knew he was the heir of the Green Valley Clan.
A car was waiting for him, his chaperone for the night sitting at the driving seat.
Kaina Tsutsumi raised her sunglasses. Her purple dress was simple but fitting, even if the black leather jacket she wore on the shoulder gave her more of a 'delinquent' look rather than 'chaperone to a gala' look.
"Kaina." Inko said with a cold tone Izuku had never heard before, one that reminded him dangerously of All for One, "How are you doing?"
"Hi. Inko. I'm doing well. Are you still the Tiger of Musutafu?"
"No, I got a happy life until I got married, then even more of a happy life."
"Yeah I can see you have been living a very… comfy life." She said, looking down.
"I suppose I did, how has jail treated you instead?"
"Why, well enough. How is the old wound treating you?"
"Old wound? Oh, that little graze? Fine enough. It was a decent attempt though. By the way, how is it missing two ribs?"
"Well, I have become a lot more flexible, so thank you." Kaina replied.
"Oh don't worry dear, I'm sure we can discuss more radical operations eventually."
"Absolutely." Kaina smiled, "I'd love to help you rest a bit more."
"And I'm sure you'd enjoy the idea I have the help you lose weight."
The two laughed. Izuku felt the need to run away for some reason, and quickly jumped in the car. His mom instantly returned to her normal self, smiling. "Goodbye dear, have fun. I'm sure Kaina will keep you safe…"
"Eh, I like the boss. He is coming back safe and sound, Tiger."
"Thank you, Nagant." Inko growled, and with that Kaina drove off.
"Uhm… So you and my mom know each other?"
"We have an old rivalry. Let's just say her job and mine didn't really agree." Kaina explained, "Can't believe your mom is Inko Shimura."
-x-
"What…"
"What!"
"What."
"What?"
"What?!"
"What."
"WHAT?!" Nana shouted.
The Eighth's Vestige shook lightly in the best approximation of a 'what' a pile of golden smoke could muster.
"How the fuck did you not recognize your daughter?!" Yoichi shouted at Nana.
"You know that fucking well since you were playing peeping tom inside my head, I gave her into adoption when she was a toddler!" Nana defended, "I had just given birth to her when All for One murdered my husband!"
"Forty-one years ago."
"Ah-ah."
En started to count, "And forty-one years later, the Nineth holder has a mom called Inko. Who is forty-one. And has your same hair color. And has a telekinetic power that looks a lot like a mutation of your power, which is a telekinetic-propelled flight. And was a known fighter. And…"
"Ok, thanks En, I get it, if you are so fucking smart why didn't you figure it out?!" Nana shouted back, "Oh god my daughter married in the Yakuza." She paused, "Oh god my grandson is dating All for One's daughter!"
"Wait, how did we not know?" The Third asked. "I mean, we looked into Izuku's memory, he should know his mom's maiden name, right?"
-x-
"My mom's maiden name was Shimura?" Izuku asked, confused.
"Oh, come the fuck on!" He heard in his mind for a moment. Weird.
"Uh, you didn't know?" Kaina asked.
"Not really. Mom never spoke much about her family. I think she was into foster care. The people that raised her were… ok, but distant, according to her, and both died when she was around twenty. She always says we are the family she always dreamed of." He frowned, "Wait, Himiko is calling herself Himiko Shimura in school."
"I guess it's an inside joke from her father." Kaina replied, "Or maybe it's for good luck. A Shimura married a Midoriya, so…"
"It's kinda weird though."
"Eh. I mean, she isn't a Shimura and you don't call her Shimura, so it's fine, right?" Kaina asked.
"I guess…" Izuku shook his head. Yeah that was dumb. She was Himiko Shigaraki, anyway.
The daughter, of All for One.
His supposed mortal enemy.
-x-
"Your grandma fucking murderer…" Nana muttered, hand over her face, contemplating.
"Can we start tallying good and bad luck points for Nineth?" En asked, "I feel like at some point being this lucky and unlucky at once has to classify as a Quirk."
"Way ahead of you." Shinomori said, making a large blackboard from the black fog surrounding them.
"… That's not a board tallying those, it's a board detailing possible routes Izuku can take to romance Himiko Shigaraki." The Third pointed out.
"Wops, wrong side." Shinomori said casually, flipping it around to show the other side of the blackboard, "Here you go."
"Hey, just to ask, can we go back to the other side?" The Third asked, ignoring the Second glaring daggers at him. "I'm kinda curious."
"Sure." Shinomori flipped it back, "See, I think at the aquarium he should first…"
Yoichi stared at them.
"Is it too late to go back and join my brother? I'm not sure humanity is worth an eternity of this."
"Strap on the seat belt, First, you dragged us in, you don't get to bail on us now." The Second replied.
"I hate my life…"
"Technically you are already dead." Daigoro pointed out, "You hate your unlife."
"I'll unlive you, you son of a…"
-x-
Izuku was feeling a slight headache as the car finally parked in front of the entrance to the venue where the event would take place. He exited and was immediately blinded by a rain of flashes. He made to stumble back, but Kaina discreetly pushed him forward instead. "See? This is why I wear sunglasses." She said casually, while their car was taken away.
The journalists swarming around the entrance corridor that had been left open for them were basically trying to punch each other out of the way, moving forward.
"Valiant, a question, is it true you captured fifteen Villains during the Riot Night?!" One of the journalists asked, his microphone almost hitting Izuku in the face.
"I-I-I…"
"Yeah, he did. Maybe even twenty." Kaina answered for him, pushing the microphone aside and Izuku forward.
"But I didn't! It was just ten or so." Izuku replied.
"Eh, don't worry, by tomorrow it will be a hundred for the people that like you and two by sheer luck from those that don't."
"Why would they lie?"
"Kid, it's journalism. Their source is that they made it up. If you call them out, they will just say they are sorry and then turn around and insult someone else."
"Valiant, do you have a girlfriend?" Another journalist shouted, and every microphone in the vicinity swarmed him at once, clearly smelling the scoop like sharks smelling blood.
"I…"
"Yes he does. She is really cute. Now could you let us through? My control is a bit rusty after so long, and accidents happen." As she said that, Nagant yawned, casually pointing her right elbow toward them. The journalists all scrambled away, except for one.
"A-Actually miss Nagant, can I ask you your opinion on our current police system? For an article…" The woman asked, managing remarkably well to look calm for someone so pale.
"Sure. Fuck the police."
"A-And about the judicial system…"
"Second verse same as the first." And with that she pushed Izuku forward, finally past the two wings of journalists and inside the building.
"Is it wise to not answer their questions? I mean, this is supposed to be a public event to boost my p-popularity, right?" He asked, stumbling slightly at the idea this was for him.
"They will have journalists they picked beforehand inside. The ones outside are from the small publications or the scandalous ones, that just want to get your name on the cover. Trust me, we already gave them everything they wanted."
Izuku nodded, before stepping forward past the small entrance hall and inside the main building, as Nagant quickly handed the jacket over to the entrance, pulled her glasses over her head and followed him.
The inside was a vast hall filled with buffet tables, people walking around from one table to the next or talking in small groups.
Izuku's eyes instantly went wide. "Oh my god that's Hawks! And Endeavor! And Best Jeanist! Almost the entire Top Ten is here?! It's only missing All Might and Crust! And there's also Gunhead, and the Wild Wild Pussycats, and…" He looked from one Hero to the next. Scratch his worry, this was heaven
"Valiant, calm down…" Kaina muttered, "I don't just say that because those are my ex-colleagues, but also because the journalists are already in here."
Izuku straightened up. "Would asking for some autographs be considered impolite?"
"… Eh, I guess some are fine- Where did you take that notebook from?"
"Doesn't matter. Be right back!" Izuku said, before rushing in.
Kaina sighed. 'Kids…'
-x-
"Jeanist!" Gunhead waved at the fellow Pro Hero.
"Ah, Gunhead. How are you?"
"Very well." Gunhead slapped the man on the back, "Say, I here you got the Bakugo boy last week for the Internship."
"That's true. Why do you ask? Is it because of…"
"Yaoyorozu."
"Ah. Sorry to say, my friend, but you are on the wrong route, I told you."
"She is smitten though."
"And so is Asui. And sorry to say, the kuudere always beats the ojou-sama."
"… I don't know what any of that means. But, I'll argue, Momo and Bakugo fit a lot better together. Just look at the tournament."
"That they lost. And the whole week of the Internship, Asui and Bakugo couldn't take their eyes off each other." Jeanist shrugged, "Frankly, I think you might be reading too much in a televised event."
Edgeshot grinned, "Oh? Another shipping bet? I can finally make back the money from Ragdoll's betrayal."
"Fuck you too Edgeshot." Ragdoll said from the other side of the table. Apparently, Snipe had patrol duty that night, so he couldn't come.
"I think Snipe would have something to say about that." Edgeshot replied, hearing a distant 'Ooooooh' from Hawks and an indignant scoff from Ragdoll, before he turned to them, "Come on, drop the details, that sounds fun."
"You are all off the mark anyway." Sir Nighteye said, "I have exclusive information about a girl named Jiro having already kissed Yaoyorozu."
"No!"
"Yes."
"That doesn't mean anything!" Gunhead replied, "I mean, good for them, but I still think it's Yaoyorozu that will end up with Bakugo in the end."
"Well, dating another girl would be a rather unusual way to solve a love triangle, but I think that just strengthen the point about Asui." Jeanist supplied.
"Are you seriously going to bet on some teenagers love life?" Gang Orca asked, "That is so immature-"
"One of the girls is going to be a water-based Hero." Jeanist cut him off.
"Fifty thousand on her winning." Gang Orca replied.
"Ok, ok." Gunhead said, "Let's keep it organized. We make two separate betting pools, one for Bakumomo vs Bakutsuyu and one for Bakumomo vs Momojiro."
"Why did you name them already?" Pixie Bob asked.
"What if I want to bet on a poly ending?!" Hawks asked.
"You fools, this is clearly all a convoluted way to build up the Bakujiro ending." Tiger intervened. Everyone stared at him, and then they started to shout at each other.
None of them knew that the event that would one day be known as the Heroes Shipping War of 21XX would be started that night.
-x-
The HPSC president stared at the group of squabbling Heroes and passed a hand over her face. "Damn manchildren."
"Some of those are women ma'am." Yokumiru Mera corrected her.
"Mera, shut the fuck up."
"Yes ma'am."
"Ugh, it's already terrible I might run into…"
"If it isn't the President of the Hero Public Safety Commission…" A new voice said from behind. The President sighed and turned around, Mera following her gaze and then freezing.
"Tsutsumi…" The President looked at the woman she had locked deep in Tartarus years ago.
"Nice to see you, miss President. Never thought you'd see me again, did you?" Lady Nagant scratched the back of her head, her elbow holding the sniper rifle 'coincidentally' aiming right at her.
"Frankly no, I didn't."
"A pity, right? You know, I was wondering how I'd feel seeing you, but I'm glad to say, I'm actually not that angry." She leaned in, "But just so we are on the same page, I absolutely despise you, the HPSC, and everything they stand for, and I am really tempted to put a bullet in your skull." She whispered.
"Would you really throw away your last chance at life?"
"Ahah, don't be silly. Of course I wouldn't. But on an unrelated note, two kilometers are a long distance, you know? It's a lot of space. A lot of options to run away after you pull the trigger. You would know if you tried yourself instead of dragging in children. Do you think people would notice immediately? I think if you pull the trigger when the person on the other side is in a very isolated place, a lot of time can pass. A lot of options for the cause of death to become hard to recognize."
A trail of sweat fell from the President, "A very… underhanded way of thinking."
"What can I say, I learned from the real masters. On a side note, do you still live in that very nice apartment on the twentieth floor of the Tokyo Grand View Palace? The one that happens to have a very large window you can see from the Tokyo Tower? Just asking."
"… I do."
"Great, it's nice to know using people as disposable knives pays so well." Kaina patted her on the shoulder, "Have a good night." She started to walk away, then she turned back around, "Oh, by the way, you are Yokumiru Mera, right?" Tsutsumi asked to the man, who went deathly pale.
"I-I… Yes?"
"Nice to meet you. I hear you are having a great career in the HPSC. Good for you, good for you. I saw you were one of the three people that signed my release on the HPSC side, so I looked into you. You know, as a big name of the HPSC. I found out a lot of stuff, you know? Like where you live, your usual routes to work, the office you work in… A lot of interesting stuff. I really want to make sure any possible candidate for the rank of HPSC President is aware. Just… You know, food for thought." She turned around and waved, "And now I'm going to check what kind of drinks that very nice bar over there serves. Bye!"
The President watched her walk off, and sighed. "Miss President?" Mera asked, "If I kick you right now, can I get fired?"
"If you kick me right now I'll punish you with a promotion, Mera."
"Damn."
-x-
"Could I have an autograph?!" Izuku asked, bowing and showing his notebook.
Endeavor stared at Valiant, the Hero of the hour, in utter disbelief.
This was the next Number One? The next Symbol of Peace? The one person that had beaten his son at the Festival?!
"Oh my gosh, you are Midoriya, right?" Fuyumi asked before he could say anything, "It's so nice to meet you! Shoto talks a lot about you." She added, taking a hand and shaking it.
"I… Todoroki talks about me?"
"All the time! It's mostly comments on how similar to All Might you are, and the fact he finds you quite the… valiant adversary." She chuckled.
"O-Oh, I didn't imagine… Well, he did say he wanted to beat me during the Festival. I'll be happy to take him on anytime then. I guess I could ask to train together when we see each other tomorrow…"
"That'd be great. I would be absolutely thrilled to know Shoto is making more friends."
"He has been spending a lot of time with Uraraka actually." Midoriya replied, "I guess they have become good friends in their time at the agency."
"Eh, yeah, friends…" Fuyumi chuckled again, before grabbing the notebook and pen and pushing both in Endeavor's hands, "Come on dad, give Midoriya his autograph."
"Ah, if he doesn't…"
"Nonsense." Fuyumi's eyes narrowed, in what Endeavor knew was the 'Do this or I will douse you with the full bottle of water' look. "Don't tell anyone, but he is just being shy."
"I'm not shy! I just don't intend to do fanservice. This is a serious job, not a place to show off!"
"Yeah, remind me how that went for your competition for the Number One spot?" Fuyumi asked, and Endeavor gritted his teeth.
"Et tu, Fuyumi."
"Et me indeed, dad." Fuyumi replied, and Endeavor grumbled while signing the notebook, before handing it back.
"Thank you sir!" Izuku said, bowing again, "And I agree, this is a very serious job. I really admire your case solved records. You are truly the image of what a Hero should be, professionally speaking. I hope that, while I intend to follow in the footsteps of All Might, I might aim at also achieving results on the field similar to yours." Izuku replied, before closing the notebook and walking off, moving to the next Hero in the room.
"The image of what a Hero should be, uh?" Fuyumi asked, looking up at Endeavor, "Does that make you feel just a bit shitty?"
Endeavor didn't answer. He had been ready to hate the kid, instead he had to go and do nothing but compliment him. No arrogance, not even the bravado of someone like All Might. If anything, the kid was humble. "A bit." He admitted.
"Good." Fuyumi smiled, "At least it proves the dad I knew when I was little is still somewhere in there."
He wasn't really sure what to answer there.
-x-
Izuku looked around the room. Every single hero in the room had been really nice. He had the entire Top 10 now, except for Crust, who was apparently a bit late. Well, and Miruko, who was also late apparently. He wished he had something nicer to show off, like a signed picture or poster, but this was already plenty. And anyway, people like Endeavor rarely gave away autographs, let alone signing stuff like that. It went against their 'no fanservice' image, after all.
Izuku put away the notebook, and then a man approached. Black hair, large round glasses, tall and skinny, Izuku recognized him after a second.
"You are that journalist!"
"Hi, Midoriya." The man said, "Sorry for not introducing myself earlier, but my name is Taneo Tokuda. Freelance journalist, and a very good photographer."
"Yeah, I saw that." Izuku replied, "Uhm, do you really think…"
"All those things?" The man winked, "Let me be honest, I think most of them, but your debut might influence me a bit. I like Heroes that save people from burning buildings."
"Oh. Well, I…" Izuku wasn't sure what to say. On one hand, this man had turned his life upside down, and he wasn't sure yet if it was for the best or not. "I thank you for the trust you put in me, even if I wish you had asked before you did… this."
Tokuda smiled, "Very polite. Also nice to know you don't plan to beat me up." Tokuda smiled, "If I can ask a question, what do you think of the whole Riot and the League?"
"Well…" Izuku thought, "I think that, while the League is dangerous, and they proved well organized, Heroes will win in the end."
"A textbook answer." Tokuda patted him on the shoulder, "Don't worry kid, you are cut out for this. Just smile, wave, and shake the hands of the people hit by this attack." A few people started to point at the door, and he turned towards it.
Izuku did the same, and his jaw fell open.
-x-
Shigaraki made to scratch his neck, when he felt someone pinch his arm, and noticed Hina holding tight on it, a fake smile plastered on her face. "Try to scratch yourself and I will show you what my Quirk does."
"What does your Quirk do? You never told us."
"Because it's not important." Hina replied, "But trust me, you don't want me to use it."
Shigaraki frowned, before shrugging. He could ignore the girl.
Who he couldn't ignore was Crust, who had unfortunately waited for him and now was equally unfortunately decided to make him meet every Hero in the room.
"And this is Rock Lock. Lock, this is Shimura Togaraki."
"Nice to meet you." Rock Lock said, shaking his hand. Shigaraki was, for the tenth time, tempted to shake his hand with all five fingers, but he refrained, instead using four fingers and keeping his thumb up. No one had asked why, and he assumed it was because he wasn't the only Hero with limitations like those.
Man, good thing his Quirk wasn't that extraordinary at its basic state.
Meanwhile, Hina let go his arm with a vicious grin. "I spotted Mount Lady. I think I will try my luck."
"Alright, see you in five minutes." Shigaraki replied, enjoying her angry expression as she marched off toward Mount Lady.
"I see your companion has left." Crust commented, "She seems nice."
Shigaraki felt the need to burst out laughing, but Togaraki wouldn't do that, since he was supposed to be some normie goodie-two-shoes asshole, so instead he took a deep breath and nodded, "She is… determined." He managed to say. About the best compliment he could find for the bitch.
"Ah well, that's only good! Well Togaraki, I think…"
In that moment the HPSC President stepped on stage. Shigaraki wondered if he had good chances of just stepping on stage, shaking her hand with all five fingers, and then not let go until she was dead, but from what he had heard from the other Heroes- the Heroes in the room, they might have actually thanked him.
He shivered.
"Will Togaraki, Sir Nighteye and Valiant join us on stage?" She asked.
He noticed Midoriya staring at him as he stepped on stage, along with a guy with bicolored hair, and sighed before following them. Stupid unskippable cutscenes.
"What are you doing here?" Izuku murmured through his teeth when they stood next to each other, leaning close. Even then, Shigaraki would have had a hard time hearing him under the chatter and music that had filled the room as the Heroes moved toward the stage, the Journalists taking position closer still.
"Hi, I'm Shimura Togaraki. Nice to meet you. I'm an Underground Hero." Shigaraki replied, enjoying the incredibly confused expression on Midoriya's face.
"Why are you doing this?"
"Because I'm better than you." Shigaraki replied, "I will beat your and your GVC, and this is just part of my plans." He replied. Granted, that was a lie, but he would find a use for it. Probably.
"Oh, I guess you want to be an Underground Hero to sell the Heroes information on the Green Valley Clan, uh? It'd make sense." Izuku frowned, "You can't sell us whole without entering into a conflict that would break the alliance, so I guess you intend to use the Heroes as proxy warriors. That's very smart."
"Y-Yeah, definitely." Shigaraki replied, pretending it was a far better plan than his, which was 'wait for circumstances where this charade is useful'.
"That's smart." Midoriya begrudgingly admitted.
The HPSC president suddenly stopped talking, "… And for this reason today we have here Valiant, the Hero that showed the League of Villain that they can and will be beaten every time." She concluded, a polite applause showering her in return.
Shigaraki sighed. This was gonna be a long night.
-x-
This was a long night, Izuku decided as he stepped forward, taking center stage. The idea of everyone in the room expecting him to speak almost wrenched his mouth shut, but then he reminded himself about the Sports Festival. He looked at the crowd there, so much smaller. Miruko, clearly newly arrived, waved at him. The other Heroes were observing him. Studying him.
He really wanted to, then and there, point to Tomura Shigaraki and shout 'He is literally the same guy, how can you not see this, are you dumb?'
But at the same time... At the same time he couldn't. He should have, but... But if he did they'd ask how he knew. No, even if they somehow decided he had just managed to see through his apparently extremely expertly crafted appearance of 'a normal person instead of a NEET', how was he supposed to explain to Himiko and All for One - a guy he already knew was probably supposed to be his mortal enemy. That... That would start the gang war he had been trying to avoid all this time, right?
... Was he really worried about the gang war, or was he worried about Himiko?
"Thank you, Director." He said first, "My name is Izuku Midoriya, the future Hero Valiant." He continued. Alright, introduce yourself done. Next up…
"I never expected I'd be here." He admitted, "Uhm, how can I put it, I'm a bit young, and I never thought I'd become someone in high school, let alone someone apparently this important. I…" He took a deep breath, "I want to save people. To save everyone with a smile. What I did wasn't special, I did what every Hero would have." He bowed, "Please, don't blame the Heroes. They didn't do anything wrong. They faced dangerous opponents, and came out victorious. They... We, Heroes, can't always be everywhere. But every time, we are always thinking about one thing and one thing only. We want to save people." He gestured to the room, "All of us."
He bowed a second time, "Thank you for your support."
Izuku took another deep breath, and then looked up, to see the Heroes applaud, every single one of them.
He sighed in relief. 'I will do better.' He decided. 'I will find a way to do this.'
That had gone... well, all things considered, he thought as All Might jumped in from the side door and started his own speech.
At least, this was probably the hardest thing he would do all week.
-x-
When Sunday rolled around, as he walked toward the Musutafu Aquarium, arm interlocked with Himiko's, Izuku wished he could punch his past self in the face for that comment.
This was a lot harder.
(XX)
Alright, see you in two weeks.
But first the A/N.
So, Inko Shimura, Inko Shimura. Actually this whole thing is something I think isn't canon, despite the few hints people love to list, like All Might saying Inko and Nana look similar, but it's a theory I like, so here we go.
And yes, the implication is that Inko and Nagant fought back in their glory days. They are only about five or six years apart AT MOST in terms of age, after all, and while Nagant never went after the Clan, she never said she didn't go after the Yakuza as a whole. So yeah.
Also I'm gonna say, the Tiger won that one. Nagant got a shot in, the Tiger took two ribs. I feel like that's a win.
God young Inko was terrifying.
Imagine being Nana right now.
But this chapters also established the Great Shipping War of 21XX. Glory to the veterans of this important war that is definitely not just me being dumb and poking fun at... Myself I guess?
And Togaraki meets Valiant. I'm sure no consequences will come from this for either character, it's definitely just over and done.
Izuku stop talking with Hiryu, you are going to catch the conspiracy disease, you are already showing trace reactions.
See you at the aquarium folks.