Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia or Persona.

Beneath the Mask

This feels familiar.

Was the thought of one Izuku Midoriya, who gazed around at his surroundings with curious emerald, green eyes. All he saw around him was barren grey walls staring back at him as he sat behind a wooden desk. His gaze traveled from the walls to across of him and stared at his own reflection in the no doubt one-way mirror and had to let out a small internal huff.

Yeah, definitely, familiar.

His gaze moved away from his own unamused reflection and down to his ironically free hands that rested on the table.

Okay. One difference.

He bit his lip in thought over all that had transpired to bring him to this point. His gaze traveling the barren walls that he found himself in again, mostly out of boredom and to calm his anxious mind, counting the cracks and keeping his mind busy. A trick he picked up from Ann and Futaba.

He sighed softly and gazed up at the small camera that was watching him and let out a small huff as he saw the red light was still on. Hopefully it stays on this time around.

The green haired teen gazed back at his reflection and began to ponder. The last time he was in an interrogation room, was due to a plan that him and his friends came up with. It was a lot more painful than this encounter, so this was already a major improvement.

Make that two differences.

However, he had other concerns to think about besides comparing his last visit to an interrogation room.

The fact that U.A even had an interrogation room for starters.

That still bothered the teen more than he would like to admit. Police? Fine. He expected it honestly, but U.A? A high school? That was a shock.

Although, he really shouldn't be surprised. After all this was a hero school. They do have different standards than other typical high schools. Besides owning an overwhelming amount of land that even Haru had to gawk at.

Even so, he knew the school had detention rooms. Lord knows both he and Ryuji had been to them enough to be considered regulars. Yet the idea that U.A had interrogation rooms left him feeling bothered and concerned.

What had happened to warrant such an inclusion and have any other students been unlucky enough to warrant a stay within.

The loud sound of a door opening had his gaze snapped to the only door that led out of the room. For the briefest of moments, he could see blond hair and something white before his vision was blocked by two new arrivals. One was a man who looked like he needed more sleep for the number of bags under his eyes. His dark hair was also unkept as it showed he may have just gotten out of bed. His black attire was only offset by the yellow goggles that rested around his neck along with a grey scarf that hung down and seemed to twitch slightly with his movements.

Izuku knew who this was. For this was the Underground hero Shōta Aizawa codenamed: Ereasurehead. And the homeroom teacher for Class 1-A for Heroics.

The teen and teacher stared hard at each other for what felt like hours. The two had not interacted much in the green haired boys time within UA. The only time the teen could remember the man saying a single word to him was the day he arrived at U.A. It was a warning that if he stepped out of line, he would take him down.

The teen internally rolled his eyes thinking back to that day. Back then it had intimidated him, and the crushing feeling of shame and simmering anger could still be felt. Now only the anger remained, and it had grown and been nurtured into a rebellious fire. A fire he had used to great success.

Still, the tired hero was worth noting. His ability to erase quirks was nothing short of astounding. Something the teen had gushed over a great deal to his amused friends. In fact, besides All Might, Erasurehead was another hero the teen highly admired in his youth. Mostly because the man fought basically quirkless.

That admiration dimmed greatly when Ann and Makoto informed him of what he did to his last heroics class. Ryuji had nothing nice to say about the man as he had a few friends in that class. Add to the fact was that it was rare to see the man anywhere near the general education department. Granted it was rare to see any noteworthy pro hero in the general education section of U.A. However, the tired hero was starting to appear more recently. Apparently, a fellow general ed student had caught his eye.

Back on topic though, Izuku had heard enough threats to last a lifetime at this point. From the corrupt adults, to the harsh words of classmates and former friends, to the disappointment from family and heroes, to the dark promises of pain and death from shadows and false gods. Izuku had grown rather unbothered by people threatening him.

The glowing red eye stare of the man's quirk however did give him extra points though.

The teen and hero locked eyes and refused to back down. Izuku showing the confidence that had been built up over the past year from his trials with his friends. He felt his soul warm and thrash, as it tried to rebel against the man who locked eyes with the green haired teen.

He fought back a smirk as he saw the hero narrow his eyes.

The cough from the second individual forced Izuku's eyes away from the sleepy hero and turned to the other person who had come to interrogate him. Compared to the pro hero, the man was not only more well dressed but also looked like he had enough sleep. He wore a traditional brown detective jacket, the same that Izuku had seen in old Noir movies from before the quirk era. His black hair was neatly combed back and his face while a tad plain was also rather handsome and young. His dark eyes were narrowed as he gazed at the two with a small bit of annoyance.

"If you two are done starring at each other, we can get started." He said with a professional tone.

"Sorry, detective." Izuku said with a small bow of his head. He had grown rather mixed feelings about detectives. On one side he had grown rather close to his former interrogator, a woman who had showed him a bit of compassion to hear his side of the story, while also being the older sister of one his closest friends. However, he also remembered a detective who had become a close friend, only to learn of his betrayal. It stung every time thinking about that time.

"Good." The older detective nodded his head once, his eyes sharp and un-reading. The man took a seat right across from Izuku at the desk while the pro leaned back next to the mirror with his arms folded looking bored but his eyes were sharp, and they never left the green haired student. "We have a few questions to ask you. Is that okay?" The detective asked with a comforting tone.

Izuku stared at the man with a look of confusion; expressing a sense of worry and growing concern. The teen nodded slowly.

"Good." The detective took a small calming breath before looking right into Izuku's green eyes. "Please be aware, that my quirk is named, Polygraph, and it allows me to detect truths and lies from those that I question. Do you consent to allow me to use my quirk on you?"

The man had asked the question and for a one brief moment, Izuku lost control.

"That is so cool!" The teen said in glee. His eyes wide and sparkling in wonder. "That is an amazing quirk! It can be used in so many ways! Does it only work with consent? Does it have to be someone you ask or is it anyone? What is the range? Can it even be tricked like a real polygraph test? Does it always activate when ask a question? Can you-"

SLAM!

The teen jumped in surprise the sea of souls within him raging as his body grew tense ready for a blow that he though was coming. Nothing came and he slowly looked down to see the closed fist that had slammed onto the desk. His wide eyes traveled up the arm into the annoyed red eyed glare of the pro hero staring down at him.

"Enough." the pro ordered with a tone as cold as ice.

Izuku stared at the hero with wide eyes before nodding slowly a small hint of pink on his cheeks as he realized he had been both mumbling and going into one of his hero rants. "S-sorry." He said rubbing the back of his head with his gaze snapping down to the table in embarrassment.

He heard the detective chuckle which only added to his embarrassment, not helped by the other laughter in his own head.

"It's alright young man." The teen looked up timidly to see the detective with an amused expression. "You just surprised me was all. Never had someone be so interested in a quirk like mine before." The detective commented with a small grin.

"It's a great quirk sir…" the teen said before blinking realizing he never got his name.

The detective nodded with a small apologetic grin. "Sorry, should have started with that. My name is Detective Naomasa Tsukauchi, I work for the Mustafa Police Department and have a special district within UA itself." The man introduced himself with a small bow that Izuku bowed back too.

That made an alarming amount of sense. It would be foolish not to believe that the police would have some connection to U.A in the case of emergencies. Pro heroes come in many forms, but more often than not, private investigators were still called in on cases to figure out some key details and putting the pieces together to make sure they got the right guy. It's why the profession was still highly valued even within the hero society.

"Here with me is the Pro Hero, Erasurehead." The man continued lifting his hand to the tired hero who had returned to leaning on the wall. The hero only nodded once with a huff his eyes no longer glowing red.

The teen narrowed his eyes slightly at the pro before turning back to the detective with a puzzled look. "What exactly am I being questioned for sir?" Izuku asked with a small tilt of the head.

He had been told by many of his friends that tilting his head when looking confused made him look rather adorable. Something that further embarrassed him and made him pout proving his friends point even more. Haru and Sumire had gushed the first time he did it around them, with Makoto just blushing and looking away while Ann had smiled and shook her head while messing with his fluffy hair. Something he would never admit felt very nice. He had some pride! Stop laughing Futaba!

Mona had mentioned that Izuku could use his inherent adorableness to lower other people's guards allowing him to gather intel and gain someone's trust or appear unassuming. Something that further embarrassed and slightly irritated the green haired teen as it kept working.

The irritation and slight exasperation grew when he saw the detective relax slightly and give him an amused look.

"We have an inquiry that you may have some information about a specific student that had recently been targeted by a vigilante group." The detective spoke evenly, the teen widening his eyes at the comment, "We would like to speak with you in hopes you could perhaps be able to answer a few questions about the victim and the group if you know anything." He clarified.

The teen moved his eyes away from the detective and down to the table as he bit his lip in thought. He was honestly a little surprised they had found him so quickly. The confession had only happened a few days ago and while his friends had been rather pleased about the whole thing, Izuku was filled with a new sense of anxiety. Thankfully Makoto, Haru and Yusukue had taken him aside and had reassured and explained to him what was most likely going to happen.

They were right, especially since his own name was brought up during the confession.

It allowed him to breath a bit and prepare mentally for what was no doubt be some rather intense and personal questioning. However, finding himself being led into an interrogation room instead of the police station or even an office within the school to talk, shook the teen more than he would have liked to admit.

Nothing good happened to him when within one of these rooms.

Still, he knew this was coming and he gathered his resolve. The confession was already made, now it was time to reinforce it. To prove the words that the guilty spoke was truth. He had to be the victim one more time.

Calming his nerves and taking a calming breath the teen looked back up to the detective and pro hero who had watched him and nodded his head in silent resolve.

"Do you consent for my quirk to be used on you?" The detective asked again.

The teen narrowed his eyes ever slightly. The man's quirk was a rather annoying to the young man. Being able to tell between lies and truths. It was a rather powerful ability in the world of detective work. A power suited to really only the profession. However, for the green haired teen it brought back an even more painful memory.

The truth serum that the corrupt cops gave him still gave him nightmares. The pain of the needle and the harsh desire to not tell lies but only truths. He knew it was a good chance they would use something like that on him when he let himself get caught. However, he was not prepared for the beatings or the harsh way they injected him.

Still the difference was the man was asking for consent instead of outright drugging him. A major step for the man's favor but it still left a bad taste and an a rather uncomfortable feeling in the teens stomach.

However, he couldn't deny the detective the use of his quirk. Mostly because it would seem suspicious, but he also had no idea if the man could even turn his quirk off. A risk he didn't want to take.

So, raising his head up and gazing into the detectives eyes the teen slowly nodded his head.

"Good." The detective gave him a comforting smile that relieved a bit of the tension from his stomach. The man cleared his throat, "Just to make sure, give me two truths and a lie." He requested his tone lighter as if noticing the teens distress.

Izuku thought about it for a moment before responding. "My name is Izuku Midoriya. I am registered as quirkless, and I…hate All Might." He said with a small wince.

The detective nodded for a moment and Izuku waited for the response as the man's eyes didn't shift from his own, though the man did grin slightly at the last phrase. "The first two are true, the last one is a lie." The man said with a small bit of amusement. "Big fan?" he asked.

In his youth there was no one greater.

The symbol of peace was the hero that Izuku wanted to be. All Might was the world to Izuku Midoriya for most of his life. Until the day he discovered a rather dark truth. It was the day he realized that the greatest hero in the world was hiding behind a mask of his own smile. It was the day he had been exposed to one of the heroes' greatest secrets.

The man was hurt, he was thin and his power was fading. He was a man scared of how the world would see him. A world where their savior and invincible hero would be reduced to a scared mortal man.

He was a man who told him he couldn't be a hero.

"Not as big as I used to be, but…yeah." The teen answered back with a small sad smile.

The detective frowned softly at that before focusing back on why they were here. He opened the folder the teen just now realized he was holding and looked through the contents before picking up a lone photo. "Let's start simple." The man said before placing the photo down onto the table right in front of the teen. "Do you know who this is?" he asked.

Izuku stared down at the photo with a neutral expression. He gazed into crimson eyes that were narrowed into a fierce glare that expressed power and cunning, spiked blond hair that seemed to defy gravity and a scowl that promised pain to anyone who dares cross him.

He knew who this was. How could he ever forget?

"Yes sir." He answered evenly.

The detective nodded slowly. "We have been made aware of some rather…disturbing claims made by the victim," he said pointing at the picture, "We would like to have a bit more detail from you, if that is alright." He clarified with a firm tone.

Izuku stared for a long time at the face of his former best friend and tormenter, reliving everything that had happened between them, none of them particularly good. The teen looked up at the detective with his green eye's dimmer then before. "Where do you want me to start?" he asked his voice quieter and his expression more closed in.

"From the beginning if possible." The detective requested. "If you're comfortable with it of course." The man reassured with a small, worried gleam in his dark eyes.

"I'm fine." The teen replied a bit too quickly his eyes snapping away and winced a bit before shaking his head and looking back at the detective to see his concern. "I can do this." He reassured as he felt the many selves within his soul move to comfort and reassure the teen. He was not alone anymore.

"Go at your own pace." The detective said with a small nod reaching into his pocket and pulling out an old recorder. He placed it on the desk and pressed record as he also removed a notebook from his side pocket of his jacket with a pen held in the bindings.

"This is Detective Naomasa Tsukauchi…" The man began commenting the date and time on the recording along with the teens own name and the case number.

The teen did notice that the number started with the initials PTH, and he had to hold back an amused smirk as he figured what those initials stood for.

He returned to focus as the man nodded his head once to the teen to let him know to begin when he was ready.

The teen took a deep calming breath, calming the conflicting emotions he still felt when gazing down at the image of his once best friend. He remembered the calming tricks he has learned from his friends and his azure warden as he tried to calm himself before gazing down at the image with a sad gaze.

"His name is Katsuki Bakugou, he was my childhood friend…and bully." He admitted with a defeated tone at the end.

If the rest of his friends were here, they would be congratulating him for admitting that. Didn't make it feel better but it was oddly liberating.

The detective nodded slowly and wrote some things down. "Can you go into more detail on your relationship with him?" he asked carefully.

Izuku sighed and leaned his head back onto the headrest of his chair and closed his eyes. "We grew up together. Our moms were best friends, and we basically knew each other since we were babies." He said with a small chuckle. "He was always scowling in all the photos, didn't know if he hated the camera or what." He shook his head with a small sad grin. "Guess I know now."

"When did your friendship fracture?" The man asked to get the teen back on track.

Izuku closed his eyes again and sighed. He never enjoyed remembering this memory. "Honestly? It started when I was diagnosed as quirkless." He answered softly.

The teen noticed the small flinch from both detective and pro hero. He scoffed internally. He hated pity. Pity was all he got, from his mother, from some of the nicer teachers at his junior high to even here in U.A. Whenever his lack of a quirk came up it was always met with that pitying look.

The teen knew. He knew the statistics; he studied them to death after all. Didn't make the pain go away or the looks stop, but at least he understood.

His friends were different. They never showed him pity but instead a sense of wonder. He was not a person defined by his lack of power, but by his own traits. He loved his friends so dang much as they never treated him differently, they didn't see a quirkless kid, or even a kid with a record, but just Izuku and they had no idea how much that meant to him.

The detective nodded slowly with a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry about that." He said sincerely.

The teen shrugged his shoulders and gave the detective a dull look. "It's fine. I've accepted it." He said evenly.

The detective nodded with a small grin, indicating that the man's quirk took the young man comment as truth. "That's great. Good for you." The man commented.

The teen only shrugged and his eyes narrowed only slightly showing his interest to move on from this topic.

"We have a statement from the victim that something had happened involving him falling into a small river." The man commented as the teen nodded slowly his eyes glazing over in memory of that day. "Can you tell us more about that?" he asked.

The teen let out a tired sigh and closed his eyes to think about that day. "We were kids, maybe at around five to six. We were with a group of Kaachan's friends and-"

"Kaachan?" the detective asked suddenly.

Izuku snapped his eyes open to see the detective and pro hero with confused expressions.

The teen blushed and his eyes lowered down to the table as he seemed to sink into himself. He cursed silently at the slip up. He thought he had moved past calling him that name. "U-um…I couldn't p-pronounce his name when I was little. S-So I c-called him Kaachan." He explained nervously. He groaned as his stutter returned with a vengeance. Dr. Takemi would be disappointed in him for falling back so quickly. The thought of the dark doctor made his cheeks flush but he tried to push away those thoughts quickly.

"I see." The detective said writing something down before looking back at the teen. "Sorry, continue." He said with a small nod.

The teen nodded with a small gulp getting his emotions under control. "T-they were more his friends then mine. I had no friends since I was…rather creepy in hindsight. My nose always in my hero journals and my constant muttering didn't leave a good impression on anyone, add that I was announced as quirkless and well…" he shrugged slightly with a pained look "It didn't help any."

The detective nodded. "How was it announced? I was led to believe all medical records are specified by the parent and the school."

Izuku blushed slightly. "I…may have told them when they were asking me what I had." He said with a small bashful look.

"Illogical." The soft muttered word of the pro hero who looked away with some disinterest as the teen snaped his gaze back to the teacher with a glare.

"I'm sorry if I was a four-year-old, telling a group of people I thought were my friends what happened the day before." The teen snapped with heat. His inner self's raging.

The pro glared back at the teen showing no fear, his eyes turning red due to his quirk. Izuku huffed and looked away with a scowl slowly growing. Some people would never understand.

The rough clearing of the throat brought the two sets of eyes back to the not pleased detective. The man glared first at the hero causing the tired looking pro to huff and look away with his arms crossed and the red in his eyes fading away. He shook his head before turning back to the teen and gave him a narrowed eyed look but the teen could see the hidden apology within the man's expression and Izuku bowed his head to the man in apology. The man gave the teen a small grin and began the questioning again.

"Was that the day of the river?" the detective asked.

Izuku shook his head at the man, "No. It was a few weeks before that. By then the whole school had found about my…condition." The teen said with a small wince. He ignored the scoff of the pro and focused on the detective in front of him.

"What happened between when you told them and the day of the river?"

The teen sighed and leaned back. "At first, nothing much. Just name calling and avoidance from my classmates. People who would talk to me before just…stopped." The teen took a calming breath and just shook his head, "It didn't get physical until after the river."

The man nodded at that and writing some stuff down in his notebook. "What happened that day?" he asked.

Izuku sighed and looked at the man in the eye, "Again, I had no other friends." Izuku started, wanting to make that point clear. "I hung around with Kaac - Bakugo because, he was someone I knew, and also…I still believed we were friends." He said softly. Before the detective could comment on this the teen continued, "We were just kids having fun, Bakugo wanted to have an adventure, so he decided to break into a small park that was closed."

"Why would he do that?" The pro had asked with a raised eyebrow.

The teen shrugged with a small nostalgic grin. "Bakugo wasn't one who listen to authority much. Any chance he got; he broke the rules to prove his dominance over them."

The pro then narrowed his eyes at the teen in a judgmental look. "And you followed along with that?" he asked his tone hard.

Izuku sighed and seemed to sink into his chair. "Bakugo has this…amazing trait of getting people to follow him. Some raw charisma that draws people to him and have them want to be his friend." The teen shrugged, "Maybe a quirk thing, I don't know, but I followed because he was my childhood friend and I didn't want to seem like…like a Deku." He revealed with a frown looking away.

"Deku?" The detective asked with a frown.

Izuku nodded with a sigh. "The day I told him I was quirkless was the day that he figured out the kanji for my name could also be read as Deku, meaning useless." He explained with a small roll of the eyes.

It was a name that haunted him for years, a name that struck harsh when some within 1-A had referred to him as such. Makoto had wanted to deck the pretty black-haired girl and the strict looking engine quirk user the moment they said that nickname to him during a student council meeting.

The only thing that saved them was their genuine look of confusion than growing horror as the name was explained before apologizing profusely.

The detective nodded slowly. "What happened at the park?" he asked.

Izuku sighed as he placed his hand over his chest and began to rub the spot absentmindedly. "We were crossing over a log and he slipped and fell into the river below." He shook his head his eyes distant, "I panicked since I watched my friend fall and I raced down there to see if he was okay. He was, thankfully and was just rubbing his head. I extended my hand to help him up and asked if he was alright and then…" he paused then with a look of pain appearing on his face his hand griping the spot he was rubbing.

"Then…?" the detective asked with a worried tone.

"Then…he used his quirk on me for the first time." The teen revealed with a wince as he could almost feel the pain from the first explosion.

The detective gripped his pen tightly and even the pro hero tensed at that both looking at the green haired teen with sympathy.

"Why did he do that?" the detective asked.

Izuku shook his head, "I don't fully know. All I did was try and help him up and ask if he was okay. I guess he took that as an insult."

"Knowing him," The pro hero spoke up causing the teen and the detective to turn to him. "It wouldn't surprise me. Bakugou is prideful and doesn't like to be given aid or help. Seen it enough times in class. Never once asked for aid on a subject he didn't understand. Like fundamentals of rescue." He sighed with a small shake of the head.

"Should have caught on quicker huh?" The teen couldn't resist to snark with a raised eyebrow at the pro.

The pro hero glared back at the teen. "We did. We were just trying to focus that anger and aggression into the right direction while trying to get him to grow out of his ego." The pro explained, "That was before…they got to him." He said with a scowl.

"They?" The teen asked with a tone of confusion. Internally he was smirking.

"We'll get back to that in a moment." The detective interrupted his eyes narrowed slightly at the pro hero looked away with a huff. He turned his attention back to the teen, "What happened after that?"

Izuku paused and closed his eyes in though before a painful frown grew on his face. He remembered it all. The constant beatings, the harsh name calling, the little care or sympathy he received from the school. He remembered all of it. He opened his eyes and gave the detective a blank look. "After that is when the bullying really started. The physical part of it at least." He explained with a dull tone.

The man nodded and sighed softly. "That matches up so far." The man looked back to see the pro looking away with a scowl on his face. The teen raised an eyebrow at the two before turning back to the detective.

"How long did the bullying last?" the man asked.

…

Silence was the answer to that question as the teen stared at the man with dull green eyes.

The man waited for a moment before realization hit and his eyes slowly widened. "My god…" he whispered. "Did the faculty…"

Izuku remained silent.

He could see the man's face contort to anger before he forced his expression back to his professional blank. The man wrote some things down and the teen could only tell the man's emotions due to how roughly he was writing. The scratching of the pen on the paper was rather loud.

"There is another incident we need to talk about." The man said with a frown.

Izuku narrowed his eyes but nodded slowly.

The man sighed softly and gazed at the teen with worry. "Look, I'll be blunt with you on this. If this becomes too much you are allowed to not answer. We can take a break and come back at a different time." He explained sincerely surprising the teen.

Izuku stared at the man in surprise. He did not expect the detective to say that. He felt his heart warm and a small genuine smile started to grow on the teens face. He believed the man was telling the truth, and suddenly the teen could add one more point for the good experiences he has had with detectives.

"Thank you." Izuku said with a nod.

The man nodded before taking a calming breath before diving into the next heavy topic. "The victim made a statement regarding prompting you to commit suicide." The man began with an even tone.

The teen nodded his head at that. He remembered that day. To think so many things happened that day.

His childhood friend told him to kill himself to get a quirk in the next life.

He meets his childhood hero who tells him he can't be a hero.

He tries to save someone…only to be changed with assault.

Yeah…not a good day.

"You think you can tell me about it?" the man asked with a level of softness to his tone that hadn't been there before.

The teen nodded and closed his eyes leaning his head back onto the chair and thought back to that day.

"It was just a normal day. I was rushing out of the house." He felt his cheeks reddened as he revealed this next part, "I overheard of a villain attack that was happening on my way to school, and I wanted to watch."

"Watch a villain attack?" The pro asked with a sharp tone.

The teen nodded with a small grin. "I love heroes, watching heroes and studying them." He shrugged lightly, "Whenever there was a villain fight near where I lived, I would rush to it with one of my notebooks and take notes on the villains and heroes quirk." He looked up at the scowling pro, "I was a hero nerd, so I always watched to see what hero would come in and save the day."

"You took notes on heroes and villains?" the detective asked with a hint of amusement in his tone.

The teen shrugged. "If I couldn't be a hero with a power, I needed an edge. Knowing how quirks worked was a start. It helped to figuring out how a person uses their power, and can tell you a lot about that person." He explained before pointing to the surprised pro hero.

"For example; your quirk is sight based as it erases all quirks except for mutations. The downside is that the quirk cancels out whenever you blink. Thus, why you wear goggles to allow you an extra edge in a fight to block out when villains know when you blink. However, your quirk has a drawback of causing irritation and dry eye. Perhaps including in your goggles something to keep your eyes moist during combat could aid with that. However, your capture weapon and skills in combat are second to none. However, if your weapon were to get caught and your quirk proved useless, you will be fighting quirkless and if someone were to aim for your eyes, by either blinding you or damaging them you would be at a major disadvantage." The teen explained quickly and with a tone of finality he had used to explain core plans and details to his friends when entering palaces and fighting shadows.

It was quiet for a long while as the teen finally looked over and saw the god smacked look on the pro's face. He couldn't hold back an amused smirk at that. He knew his analysis skills were good. It was one of the few things Akechi and himself did together. Work on focusing his skills in understanding and dissecting a person's ability by a mere observation. Futaba had always been a tad jealous over his skill but he always reassured her that she was a vital member of their team and a close friend.

"Impressive." The detective said with a gleam in his eye. "Ever thought of entering a profession in Quirk Analysis?" he asked.

The teen smiled a bit warmly at the man and nodded his head. "Honestly, yeah. That's my goal right now. Since well…my other dream can't happen." The teen said with a small self-deprecating shrug.

"I wouldn't say that." The man said with a frown. "Quirk Analysts are a rare breed. They have been called in by both heroes and the police to aid in cases. If anything, it's because of them that heroes can get a better understanding of a villain's quirk and provide much safer and detailed plans then a typical hero can do." The man assured the teen.

"It's true." The voice of the pro caused the shocked teen to turn to him. "Pro Heroes alone can't always stop villains when their plans become more complex. That's why there are others, from the support department to build them equipment to aid their quirks, to even marketing to promote themselves and gain a following." He rolled his eyes at the last one, "Analysis is a skill that can be used to better the world of heroics and is a skill that should be nurtured within these halls." He gave the teen a small nod. A shine of respect in the man's eyes, "A hero is only as good as the people he has for support from all parts."

Izuku stared at the man in surprise. Not expecting that kind of response from a pro. He felt his cheeks warm and a small genuine smile start to grow as he bowed his head to the two. "T-Thank you." He said warmly.

"Back on track, what happened after the villain attack?" The detective asked with a grin.

The teen looked back up and nodded once in thought. "After that, the new pro Mt. Lady debut and took down the villain even though Kamui Woods had it handled." The teen shrugged a tad bit with an amused smile on his face. "Got to make a statement, right?"

At first the teen wasn't a major fan of Mt. Lady; her sudden appearance and her personality showcased a rather greedy side to the profession he used to love. However, when he met Yu Takeyama his view on the woman changed. She was a woman trying to make it work, someone who struggled with her own issues and was trying to become famous to escape her own problems.

Izuku had first met the woman under the mask at his current residence. Café Leblanc was his foster home while he was going through his rehabilitation. His poor mother couldn't handle the extra stress of him having a record so she had sent him off to another family member. Apparently, the owner of the place was his father's brother. He had an uncle he had no idea about.

Although he quickly realized why as the man was rather cold and distant only doing this as a favor to his mom. However, as soon as Izuku started to enter the wonderful world of coffee, the man's cold mask started to break.

As the year went on, they grew closer to the point where the man became the father figure Izuku never had. A close ally and a wonderful father and uncle. He was also one of the few people outside of his team that knew of his…other side.

His first meeting with the giant size heroine without her mask on was around the second month of his stay. She had wondered in at a rather low period. She wasn't in costume but a rather classy suit that the teen mistook her for a business woman. However, her narrowed eyes and biting lip indicated she was not too pleased to be here.

Apparently, her co-workers at the agency she worked under had rotating shifts on who would pick up coffee for the heroes. While she made her grand debut as a pro hero, she still was in the rotation and it was her turn. That alone would have been enough for her bad mood, but as he would later find out the normal place, they got their coffee had been damaged in a villain attack and was closed for repairs.

Turns out Leblanc was the only other place near the agency that made coffee and the woman had wondered in with hesitation and anger over having to run around for the whole morning. She made her order and the old man had gone right to work. It was a slow day, so that helped.

She stood to the side, her arms crossed and looking tense and just not wanting to be there. Izuku saw this and walked into the back and made a quick cup of a special blend he had learned a few nights before and approached her with cup in hand and offered it to her.

She tried to deny it at first but the teen had made a comment about it being a free sample and as an apology for her order taking long. She caved in and took the offered drink with a grumble before taking a sip and the teen would always remember her freezing in place before gazing at the cup in wonder.

After she left with her large order, Izuku thought that would be the last he would see of the woman. Only a few nights later when she showed up as Mt. Lady asking for the same blend as last time did the teen put two in two together.

She would become a regular and apparently Leblanc became a fan favorite for her agency as even more pro heroes had showed up from time to time. Mostly at night where he ran the place for the old man.

It was during those nights that she would come in sit down in the caffe table in the front and they would just talk. Talk about her work or his school, or just about random things. He believed it was a form of therapy for the woman as she didn't seem to be close to anyone at her work. Mona had become a favorite of hers as Yu would pet the little guy in just the right spot to make him purr.

Kept him quiet about going to sleep so he considered her a saint.

Eventually she started to share more about herself and about the insecurities and worries she has about her career and how the world views her. He had been her shoulder to lean on and he felt honored that she would show that side of her, so he revealed a bit about himself. About him being charged with assault and how the world views him. It was sobering, for he hadn't really tried to think about the action that much at the time, and judging by her expression she felt it too.

It also showed in her work. She stopped being flashy and expressing her assents and started to become more focused but still upbeat. She commented at one point that she kind of wanted to be like an idol but just way bigger. He made the comment that she had the looks and the teen become a blushing stuttering mess at his comment and her kissing him on the cheek.

She became a very close friend to him. An older sister he never had and someone he trusted with his life. She even defended him from some of her co-workers who had come to antagonize the teen for his past record and rehabilitation. It was the first time he saw the woman furious. He vowed to never get her that angry in his life as the echoed screams from outside of the caffe still haunted him to this day.

He gazed back at the pro who had let out a huff. "A statement huh?" he asked out but the teen knew he didn't want an answer.

"What happened after that?" the detective asked.

The teen closed his eyes in thought the smile slipping from his face. "After then I went to…school." He said with a hint of bitterness.

"I take it, it was not a good place." The detective asked with a sympathetic gaze.

Izuku shook his head. "No." he said with a dull tone. "When the teacher calls you out on being quirkless to the class during career day. You start to figure out just what kind of school it is." The teen replied with bitterness and hurt in his tone, remembering that day.

The older man winced at that while the teacher in the room looked furious for a moment before calming himself.

The teen sighed and rested his head back. "After that it was a normal day."

"And the…comment the victim made?" the detective asked.

"Happened after school." Izuku clarified before opening his eyes and looking at the man and the pro. "He found out I wanted to get into U.A. However, he couldn't allow that. He had his entire backstory planed out way in advance." The teen replied with a roll of the eyes. "He blew up my desk during class, and well after class he and his group cornered me and…" he took a rather calming breath.

He had confronted this in the palace. His friends had no idea about the baiting. Why would they? He didn't feel like sharing. But the shadow did. It shared it all to them, about his and Bakugo's past. The abuse, the hatful words, the baiting, all of it.

He had only seen his friends that angry on few occasions. Kamoshida being a prime example. However, he never saw the level of hate that was directed to his childhood friends shadow than what he saw then. It spooked him and surprised him that they would get that angry over someone like him.

After the battle, when he mentioned this, he was pulled into a group hug that was as tight as it was comforting. He cried that night, surrounded by people he could call his true friends. He had never felt freer.

He shook his head at the memory. He gazed back up at the detective and sighed softly. "He blew up one of my hero journals." He said softly. He still had that journal sitting in his room in Leblanc. "He started to mock me, him and his friends." He moved his hand over to his shoulder and started to rub it, "He burned me in warning."

"A warning of what?" Aizawa asked this time sounding rather subdued for once.

The teen looked to the pro and narrowed his eyes. "He warned me not to enter U.A."

"Why?" The detective asked with a frown. "To my understanding the school was being more open this year about allowing quirkless individuals to enter." He said with a raised brow.

The teen remained silent for a moment before he heard the pro's sharp intake of breath.

"You weren't going for general studies where you?" the pro's tone was sharp and his question was more of a statement.

The teen looked away and shook his head no.

"You were actually going to try for heroics?" the detective asked in surprise.

The teen shrugged. "Never know till you try."

"You would have been expelled first day."

The teens eyes snapped to the unimpressed pro hero. His green eyes narrowed into a glare that burned as bright as his anger. "What?" he hissed out.

The pro took an exhausted sigh. "Even if by some miracle you would have gotten past the practical exam you would have been a liability on the field. You would have need saving just as much as the civilians."

The teens glare grew sharper. He was no liability. His heart raged and his soul burned as he could feel his other self-raging away, wanting to be set free. He had faced darkness he had faced the shadows of corruption and with the aid of his friends took down a false god. He had saved people. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm himself. He would not let this man get to him.

He snapped his eyes open and his eyes sharpened to the pro making the man tense at the teens gaze. "So, that's how you feel?" he asked making the pro raise an eyebrow. "I thought you would be different." The teen said sounding disappointed.

"Enough!" the detective said with force. His glare on both pro and student. He turned to the pro and his eyes narrowed. "I allowed you in here because of a favor from a friend, now don't make me regret that choice." The detective warned making the pro turn away.

His glare then turned to Izuku who looked away with a sense of shame. "Please continue." The man said shortly.

Izuku nodded and looked down at the table where he could see his hands were clenched into tight fists. He forced himself to relax and took a few calming breaths before continuing, "I wanted to be a hero. That was my dream ever since I could remember." The teen revealed. "It was…hard. Being quirkless with that dream. I tried…tried to get in shape but no place would train me. Anytime I went to a dojo or a mentor they would reject me. Trying to go through the school was impossible as they never did anything." He sighed in bitterness. "Even if I was allowed in a place the other regulars made it clear I wasn't welcomed." He gazed up at the detective and pro with narrowed eyes, "It grew worse after…"

The detective nodded slowly; the teen had a feeling the man was briefed on his case. "What happened after he burned you?" the man asked.

The teen sighed and looked up. "He, told me not to try and enter U.A. He went to leave before stopping and giving me a piece of advice."

"That was?" the detective asked.

"Just pray that you'll be born with a quirk in your next life, and take a swan dive off the roof of the building."

The detective froze and the pro tensed as they both snapped their eyes to the teen who looked back with dull eyes and a blank face.

The detective gulped and swallowed before looking back down at his notebook and then at the wide eyed pro and nodding once. "That checks out…and it's true." He said sounding angry and upset.

The pro's gaze snapped to the ground and Izuku watched as the man crossed arms grew tighter around him and the teen could see in the mirror the man's grip had grown tight.

Izuku sighed and gave the pro a sympathetic look before turning back to the detective. "Anything else?"

"You didn't…you haven't?" The pro asked this time with his eyes now back to the teen.

Izuku blinked and for the first time this entire interaction was caught off guard. "Didn't what?"

"Think about it." The detective clarified.

"About what?" the teen asked just confused now.

"Of taking his advice?" The pro asked though he did notice a tone of mockery at the end. He sounded bitter.

Izuku blinked, then blinked again. Before his eyes grew wide in understanding and he shook his head very quickly. "NO! NO! I would never!" he rambled before taking a calming breath before sagging into his seat. "No, I never thought about it."

The detective sighed in relief making the teen crack a small smile, before it dropped instead as he gazed at the pro who was glaring at the floor.

"If anything, I was angry."

The pro looked up surprised. "Angry?" The teen nodded, "Why?"

"Because if I did do it, then his carrier and dream would have been over." He stated simply.

Both men stare at the teen in surprise.

Izuku sighed and looked away. "I know the statistics aren't in my favor, but I also know hero schools do a pretty good job of background checking. If I died then perhaps it could have been linked to him. The school would have tried to cover it up but well…" he shrugged with a small amused smile. "They aren't all that good. In any case, I didn't want to be a statistic and I didn't want to be the reason his dream was taken from him."

He knew in a sense that he was still a reason that the teens dream might be taken from him. That guilt would not leave him for a long time. Even if what they did was for good, it still made the green haired teens stomach twist at the idea. His friends tried to reassure him, and he was thankful, but this was a pain he would carry for a long time.

"That's very noble, young man." The detective said with a somewhat proud look on his face.

Izuku shrugged his shoulders.

The man let out a sigh and looked down at his notes then over to the folder before looking back to the boy. "We have just one more thing to question you on, than you can go."

The teen nodded and waited, he had shift to get to and some friends to meet.

"I'm assuming you have heard of the rummers?" The man asked.

Izuku wanted to play dumb but knowing the man's quirk he had an odd feeling that it wouldn't have worked. He needed to be smart about this.

"About his sudden change? It was…surprising. I didn't expect it." He wasn't. Even with the past experiences that he and the others have seen, there was a part of him deep down that wondered if Bakugo would ever change. Yet to his shock he did.

The man nodded slowly before taking a deep breath. "There have been some reports that a vigilante group has been acting out."

"The Phantom Thieves of Hearts."

The man narrowed his eyes and the pros expression turned cold at the title of his team.

"That's them. How did you know about that?" the pro asked.

"They're the talk of the general studies section. After Kamoshida-Sensei, they have been considered heroes to many of us." He said with a straight face, not missing the flinch of the pro hero.

If he was honest that was not something he was expecting. After the man confessed, and was fired and arrested almost all of the general studies students started thinking that the Phantom Thieves were true heroes. Heroes of those who were ignored by the pros.

He figured that's why the pros in the school weren't all that happy about his team. Nevertheless, they became well known and their story started to spread to other parts of the school eventually leading to the heroics department.

And to his reunion with Bakugo.

The detective narrowed his eyes slightly but nodded once and looked down at his notebook. "We are aware of a website that has been used to suggest…targets for these thieves." The man said sounding agitated.

Ah, the Phantom Aficionado the website that Yukki Mishima created. At first it was a bit embarrassing, but it also proved to be a major tool that him and his team used to great effect. Helped with Mementos targets that's for sure. Not so much the popularity poll though. The late-night arguments over them drove him insane.

"We did a bit of digging and we didn't see his name come up." The detective started, "However it wouldn't be the first time they targeted someone that wasn't on that list."

Izuku remained silent trying to figure out the detective's game here. What was he trying to ask?

The man took a deep breath and gazed at the teen with narrowed eyes, "Did you contact the thieves to target Bakugo Katsuki?" the man asked bluntly.

Izuku's eyes grew wide open at that. That's what they thought? That's why he was brought here? He could have laughed. He wanted to laugh but at the same time he had to wonder. Did he?

He closed his eyes in thought remembering the encounters the blond-haired teen had with himself and his friends. He had remembered explaining to them a bit of his past. He felt like he could trust them, so slowly over time he began to tell his story to all his friends.

Ryuji was furious. The teen who became his best friend and brother figure had wished to confront the boy the first moment Izuku told him the story. Izuku not wanting to see his friend hurt or worse expelled talked him out of it. Didn't help when the blond cornered him that one day. He had never doubted his friend was a former runner, but seeing the teen tackle his childhood bully, made Izuku wonder if Ryuji could have made it into one of those American Football leagues. He also felt an amazing sense of pride and wonder when Ryuji stood up and stared right in the eye of Bakugo with no fear even after seeing him use his quirk.

Ann had been just as upset but she handled it better. She was a bit better at hiding her simmering anger, but he could see it. She had grown rather protective of him after that. It was rather sweet and a bit understanding as she had watched one of her friends jump off the roof of the school. She was also the first person since his mom that had tried to calm him down from his panic attacks. It was nice, her holding his hand, eventually lead to hugs and small kisses to the top of his head, and playing with his hair, telling him to breath and focus on her heartbeat or on some random thing till he had calmed himself. She became someone rather close to the teen. The moment she saw the blond trying to assault Izuku however…let's just say the blond was lucky that Persona's cant manifest in this world, otherwise he was pretty sure Bakugo would have been reduced to ash.

Morgana at first was angry, planning revenge against the person who had hurt one of his first friends he could remember. Izuku had to convince him not to attack the teen or raise his anger. He had grown rather attached to his close not-cat friend and would not like to see him hurt here. However, the hidden thief huffed and watched over the teen like a mother hen, making Izuku a bit frazzled but also rather warm at having such a close friend always nearby. Came in handy when Bakugo had cornered him that one day. Morgana had quickly fled to find Ann and Ryuji leaving the safety of his bookbag. Honestly if Izuku had asked he could have made Morgana listed as a service animal to him. But again…he doesn't like to be called a cat.

Yusuke was rather hard to read at first. The teen's expression had grown rather cold and sharp as Izuku explained his past to him on a random trip into Mementos. The poor shadows that had tried to attack the two were the only indication of just how furious his rather reserved friend was. The cold chill of ice and the sashing of steel into flesh and the far-reaching screams of the shadows caused even the roaming reaper to pause for a moment. Izuku had noticed the teen returning to Leblanc one day looking mildly confused as Haru looked pensive but a smile on her face that promised pain. He had asked Ryuji if he had a brother who was in the heroics division and the blond had spluttered before saying no. Yusuke looked confused before a realization set in before nodding once and walking to an unused booth flipping out one of sketch pads and began drawing. Everyone decided to let him be.

Makoto was…well…Makoto was angry that much was for sure. She had demanded to know more about the two of them one day after hearing some rummers about a boy named Deku from some of the 1-A students. Seeing his flinch was enough for her protective instincts to burn. He told her the truth, and, in the end, she had her more trademarked glare and her arms were crossed, and her hands were clenched tight and shaking. She looked more like Queen in that moment than Makoto. She had told him about the blond doing some research on them at one point, after Endeavors confession. She had tried to warn him off, but he had been rather rude, and it took all her self-control not to bury in him into the ground. He was touched but also grew concerned at that. He knew she had a temper; lord knows 1-A dose too after the name issue.

Futaba was a strange case. She didn't say much after telling her. It was during one of their late-night game sessions. The two bonded well over old video games. He noticed it when he started actually winning in a few of them before he felt her lean onto him and grip his arm tight, scared that he would disappear. He understood and just held her close reassuring her that he was there and was not going anywhere. The next day he discovered she had done some searching and now the girl was on the warpath and her main target being the one who had bullied the one person she saw as a brother. He decided to just let her do her thing since he did not want to know and honestly, he was rather curious to see what she would do. Had nothing to do with the fact that she has dirt on him, nope. Nothing like that. Nothing Like a ton of pictures of him, when he was little in his All Might pajamas where she had threatened to release them to the world and watch as he has to fend off women trying to get him for his cuteness. Nope! Nothing like that!

Haru however was downright terrifying. She was both the kindness and the most terrifying when angry. She was rather one of the more affectionate but shy members of his friends, something he related to. However, as she grew more comfortable with them, she started to show a more affectionate side. She had slowly started to grip his hand during random times, lean against his arm or shoulder when she could and, had started to bring him into warm embraces during group hangouts. He had been uncomfortable at first, since Ann was the only other girl in his life that had shown him this level of affection before. Yet, he grew used to it and began to eventually crave the affection. Makoto might have mentioned he was touch starved, whatever that meant. He grew used to being the little spoon during group meetings and hangouts, being one of the shorter ones of his group helped with that. When she was mad however…it scared him to death! She would get this smile, a smile that promised pain and death to those that had wronged her. He had never been the receiver of those smile but just seeing it within close proximity was enough to shake him to his core. When he told her about his past, that smile had appeared and he at first thought that she was mad at him, but she had only cupped his cheek and smiled more genuinely at him before bringing him into a firm embrace and just held him tight. He had tensed and blushed at first before slowly feeling himself relax and lean into her embrace as he silently cried. When she had returned with Yusuke that smile was there along with the narrowing of her eyes as she gazed at Ryuji in silent thought.

Go-Akechi was…well. He didn't show much. Just a slight clench of the jaw and a small nod to indicate his sympathy. He didn't expected it but was still touched that he would even give him that much.

Sumire is where things got complicated. The girl and him and grown rather close after the entire events involving her issues with her twin sister who passed away. Something that still gives Izuku nightmares about. Seeing all his friends and family just excepting the false reality stung. It stung deep but he pushed it aside because it was a pain he was used to. Seeing them come back and stand with him again at the end however, that's when his heart warmed and reminded him that they were different. Still, the girl had grown rather close to him and the two often would just talk about random things either at school or at Leblanc. When he told her about his past it was ironically the same day that Haru and Yusuke had come back from U.A. It wasn't a good conversation as the group had nasty looks remembering what the blond had did to him. Sumire had remained calm except for the small look of horror as he explained some of the harsher bullying to a narrowed eyed resolve as he finished. She had stayed silent before nodding her head slowly before leaning over and planting her lips over his. His face exploded into a monster blush and he was frozen in place his eyes wide and unblinking as even the others were just as surprised and shocked. She had leaned back and had got up, grabbed her workout bag and had walked out of Leblanc with the others watching her with wide eyes. Izuku after a few minutes had snapped out of his shock rushed out after her, ignoring the cackling of the old man.

He found her in a U.A gym where she was comforting Bakugo and when he saw him swing his fist back, he moved.

He didn't even feel the pain, but he did feel her gripping his back tightly and he felt the rage he had rarely felt then hit as he glared into the red eyes of his tormentor. He had stood up to him for the first time in his life, he stood his ground and it was then that something changed. The blond had never acted that harshly to people. Sure, he was always ready to beat down on those that dared stand up to or question him. But this was different. Izuku knew how Bakugo's explosions worked. It was the first quirk the teen had analyzed. Hell, he felt them enough to know what kind of power those blasts can do to a person. He also knew when the blond held back. This was not one of those times. The gaping smoking hole in the gym was clear of that.

Keeping himself between the exploding blond and Sumire Izuku tried to talk some sense into the blond. Trying to get some answers onto why he would attack someone with that level of power. His answer frustrated and shocked the teen. He showed no remorse for his actions or the fact that he could have killed her. The tight grip onto his school jacket told him Sumire came to the same conclusion.

They got into what makes a hero and Izuku had tried to explain to him that a hero isn't about just fighting the bad guy. It's about saving people. He knew fighting villains is important but it was also just as important to aid those in need. Talking people down from roofs, helping someone who's car broke down, saving people stuck in a fire or a collapsed building. There was so much more to heroics than just fighting villains.

Then Bakugo brought up All Might.

Izuku sighed in remembrance. He remembered when he and All Might met again within U.A, the man had shown great sympathy but also that same level of pity that made the teen look away in annoyance. However, as the year went on, the two talked and grew closer. Helped that Izuku knew about the man's weakened form before the rest of world knew. The two of them have talked, and Izuku learned more and more about his favorite hero.

He was a man that held the world on his shoulders, but due to his injuries over a major fight with that All for One guy, that load almost became a ball and chain. It tied him down and almost crushed him. He told the teen about his late master and how she also fell to the same villain and then did something that surprised the teen.

He apologized.

He apologized for the things he said that day on the roof of the building, the day his life was forever changed. He explained that his head was not in a good place and that the stress and pain of his life was clouding his dream of heroics.

Izuku learned that day that All Might was in fact the worlds greatest hero but he was also human, and like many humans they were not perfect.

Izuku had accepted the man's apology. They grew closer and the teen couldn't help but feel his heart warm and his inner child fanboy over the fact that All Might was one of the few adults in the school that considered him a friend. He even tried to defend teen over his assault charge, but the teen shook his head at. It wouldn't have done any good at the time.

Izuku tried to explain to Bakugo though that even heroes like All Might aren't invincible, that even he had failed a time or two trying to save someone or fight a villain. The pro had mentioned at one point early in his carrier about a villain in the states that could absorb kinetic energy and send it back to the user. So Izuku had to restrain from laughing as the pro had described their first encounter as him kicking his own ass.

Bakugo however…didn't see it that way.

He denied it. Everything about the mere thought that All Might could ever loose. That the strongest hero in the world could ever be defeated. It was just a universal rule to the blond that All Might could never be taking down.

Except he did.

Retired after saving the teen no less.

Izuku had wondered if that would have affected the teen, sure as hell affected him. He remembered that day, when all of Japan and the world watched the battle. His friends were all together in Leblanc when it happened and all he could remember was being pulled into a very tight group hug by his friends as they watched with batted breath.

It put what they did in prospective. They fought the corruption of the world. Hidden away behind codenames and within another world. It was a grim reminder to them that evil and monsters didn't need the Metaverse or the shadows. It was a reminder of the world they lived in, of heroes and villains. It was harsh and it was brutal, but it only strengthened their resolve to do better.

That fight definitely affected Bakugo as the teen had yelled out that it was his fault that All Might lost. It was then however that something even crazier happened. Something both Izuku and Sumire had felt and heard. The Metaverse app had reacted to the exploding teen. Quickly getting out of there the two had rushed back to Leblanc and to Izuku's growing shock and horror they saw a few of the keywords needed to enter mementos.

To enter a person's Palace.

Izuku closed his eyes and scrunched up his face in distress. He didn't want to believe it at first. Hell, he expected maybe a Mementos target at most, but it took them setting foot into the Metaverse for him to realize that it was in fact a Palace. He could still remember feeling the cold sense of dread at the realization.

The Palace itself was an odd one. It was the U.A building but just way bigger and had a giant tower where the main clock was ticking away. It was unnerving in a sense since it looked close enough to home. Except for the shadows and the overwhelming feeling of dread that most Palaces have. What spooked him the most was seeing the shadow version of the heroic students.

He had met them separately over the year, from the sports festival to even the student council meetings. The teen had met a good amount of the heroic department students for him to get a good idea about their personality. So, seeing them within the Palace acting kind of normal was a little odd. They were however less competent than he remembered. Like he remembered the vice president of 1-A to be a bit more confident in her creations, and he knew that the girl with the frog quirk didn't actually act like a frog. It was like seeing lesser versions of them and it was rather unnerving.

Everyone else however was either cloaked in shadow or had no definition. It was like looking at moving shadows. It was just plain strange. Oracle had mentioned they looked like the shadow people from some online show she watched. She explained that in the first season of the show a lot of the background characters were just a blank black model. She had said the fanbase had dubbed them shadow people. It gave the teen pause as a theory started to form as to the meaning behind the palace, but he needed more information.

As they approached the gate to U.A they were surprised to see the gate open for them. Panther suspected it had to do with their ID's still working. Mona had suggested that they should look for another way in just in case. They did however see a group of teachers walking down the courtyard talking away. It looked like the pros Midnight and Present Mic. The group had scattered into hiding spots and had listened closely to hopefully get some intel. Turns out the two shadow versions of the pro heroes were talking about the blond-haired teen the palace belonged to.

It was unnerving hearing them heaping praise at the teen. Calling him their golden star, and the greatest that ever walked the halls. It reminded the green haired teen a little too much of Junior High. Something his friends had noticed as Skull had placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

It was only after going deeper into the palace when the green haired teen fully understood what was going on around him. When they found a break room, he told them his theory.

Oracle had mentioned something about it being meta. Skull looked just pissed off about it. Panther had a scowl on his face at the ridiculousness of it all. Mona narrowed his eyes in thought. Fox looked a tad bit confused but his eyes did narrow slightly as he gazed around him with more clarity. Noir gave that smile that promised pain as her eyes narrowed, Queen's glare grew harsher and Violet looked ready to tear the place down.

Izuku sighed and leaned back in his chair thinking about it more. It made sense. Bakugo always did see himself as the main character to his own story. It's why he already figured out his origin story when he was younger, and why he considered so many people below him as extras. Add into how the students and teachers were acting and the alarming amount of shadow people. Yeah, wasn't hard to come to that conclusion. What also helped was how the school inside looked. It felt almost like a shrine to the guy. Making him look like the greatest hero that ever lived. Surpassing all that came before him. Hell, the son of Endeavor was his rival! That just made Panther and Fox frown in confusion as they had both grown rather fond of the boy after meeting him the first time.

Noir had grabbed a discarded lesson plan from a desk and had started to read it out loud growing more and more bewildered as she did. Panther had burned the thing and the general mood of the others showcased a level of unease and hidden anger. It was rare to see them all angry over something, in cases the emotions varied depending on the person they are targeting. However, to see every single one of them grow angrier over the things they see in the Palace has started to make the green haired teen a tad nervous.

After running into their first dead end, they went to leave, but on their way out something caught green haired teen's eye making him pause and look before freezing in shock. It was him standing outside of the gates of U.A, looking like he would crumble at any moment. Like he would fade away. He had burns and scars and his clothes looked like they swallowed him they were too large. He raised his hands up to the top of the now very large U.A tower and begged to be saved.

He could hear the rumblings from his friends and team. He could tell they were livid, could tell they wanted to rush down and save him themselves but it was Mona's voice that reminded them that it was not the real him. The teen felt someone grip his hand breaking him from his trance to see the concerned red eyes of Violet as she gently tugged him away. However, he was pulled back as Queen mentioned that other shadow people had started to gathered around the gates all begging to be saved, begged for a hero.

The Phantom Thieves watched them with sympathy before Oracles alarmed voice called out about a giant shadow approaching them. The team saw it as a large monster of a shadow was approaching the school and the people gathered at the gate. They tried to warn the gathered people to run, to get to safety but they refused. All they did was call out for a hero.

The monster roared as it descended and the group of thieves all tensed, ready to strike at the beast, however they would not need too.

It had looked like a shooting star had shot out of the peak of the U.A as it had rocketed with fire and power over to the monster and struck with the force of a nuclear bomb. The explosion was so strong it sent the thieves skidding back in shock, the alarmed yells of his friends caught by surprise and the loud cursing of Queen was nothing sort of alarming.

They held onto whatever they could to withstand the sudden battle that was taking place above them. The smoke burned the eyes and the loud explosions were defining. When it was over, they uncovered their eyes and saw only devastation. Buildings toppled, smoke and fire rising from destroyed roads and homes, blood raining down from the people that got in the way. The monster laid dead on the ground its head missing and all that remained was the blond boy in his hero costume who rose above it all and laughed.

They retreated that day. Izuku couldn't breathe after seeing that. He needed to collect his thoughts and figure out what the hell caused his former friends desires to corrupt him in such a way. At one point, Bakugo's desires and dream had been his own after all. Izuku needed some space and after a long night of no sleep and deep thought he returned the next day. Not better, but ready.

They made carful plans on how to enter and where to go. He played his roll and the others were there to support him. Makoto had offered to take the lead a few times, as it was evident how much this place was messing with him, the others offering their own concerns over him as well. He loved them dearly but this was something he needed to do. How could he look them in the eye if he didn't face this, after all of them had battled the ones that hurt them and caused them misery, he had no right to run away from his own. He would face it head on. He would show his former tormentor who he had become.

Back to the interaction room however. Izuku had to ponder deeper on if he truly wanted his friend to be a someone they would have to confront. He knew he wanted to show the teen how much he changed, show him he wasn't the same quirkless boy he left behind in junior high. He wanted to prove to him he had become strong. Yet, as they confronted the shadow version of chis childhood friend all those bitter feeling died away. All he felt was a deep sense of pity for the teen. Seeing that the treasure was a limited edition All Might trading card only added to the deep sense of loss and pity.

He sighed softly and gazed at the detective knowing the answer. "No." he said softly. He never wanted him to be a target for even now after all this time, he still saw the blond-haired exploding quirk user a friend. "I didn't contact them." He said with conviction.

The detective studied him intently for a moment before leaning over and turning the recorder off. "That's all for today. Thank you." The man said evenly.

The teen nodded and slowly rose to his feet as he grabbed his bag that was leaning on the side of his chair. He slipped it on and walked out of the room and down the long hallway leading back to the main building. He ignored the other door that led to where he had no doubt others were watching the interrogation.

He ignored the Pro that followed him to make sure he made it out of the school alright and he saw to his slight annoyance the sun was staring to set. Morgana would have his head if he was caught out right now.

He nodded once to the Pro who gave him a controlled look before watching the pro turn around and head for the dorm rooms that had been built for the hero course students. That final battle changed many things indeed.

The teen began the walk home enjoying the sights and sounds of the city as he approached his station. He felt the familiar weight enter his bag and he had to smile lightly as he felt a level of security and calm wash over him.

He entered the train and leaned far enough away from the other commuters as he closed his eyes and tried to relax. His sudden companion poked his head out of the bag, his fluffy black head staring up at him with those whiskers and bright blue eyes.

"You okay Joker?" the cat had asked gently.

The teen smiled softly and gently scratched his furry companion on the head making the cat purr in content. "Yeah…I am."