Disclaimer:I do not own My Hero Academia or Batman. If I did, then casting for the DCEU wouldn't be such a cluster fuck.
Ac3: You know, I think that even if we did own the DCEU, with our luck it would be just as chaotic. Maybe less criminal filled, but still a total mess. Granted, we are also writing THIS mess, so who knows.
Greed: Okay seriously who the fuck is this guy?!
Skillet: Friend of mine I brought on board to help write since I'm working full time IRL now.
Cedric:…I feel like I know you from somewhere. Someone I may have murdered, tortured, or generally screwed over?
Ac3: Yeah no you have NO idea what I'm doing outside of fanfics and for that I am just going to say wait and see, Cedric, wait and see. ^.^ After all, another thing that's slowing down our updates is our ORIGINAL works, as in NON FANFIC!
Iko:…Please tell me you won't kill me off in my second appearance next time.
Skillet: I make no promises.
Chapter 3: The Batman
'Thursday, September 27th. It's been six months since that day. The day Jack Napier walked into my life and took the only person who made me feel like I was worth something. A lot has changed since then. I'm the wealthiest man in the country at only 15. I managed to become well versed in business, to the point of being on par with an adult. I went from a scrawny wimp to a lean fighter with help from my trainers. And more importantly… I finally became something I never thought I would be: A hero.
'It's a different feeling than I thought it would be. I thought I would be like All Might, where people could see my smile and know that everything would be okay. But I found that that's not how the world really works. It's not what it needs, at least. No, I had to be feared, a mere myth. I've only been on the streets as a vigilante for a couple weeks, but word about me has already started to spread. Villains are in their element at night, ready to rob, murder, and rape anyone they please. But the thing is, I'm waiting too: I'm watching in secret, my plain face not bringing any attention, just a normal teenager in the crowd.
'But then they try hurting someone, and that's when I step in. I guess I've become a nocturnal animal.'
As expected, villains became more active in all places at night, and Shizuoka, Japan was no different. It was a not very well kept secret that just outside the district that Wayne Manor was located in was one of the worst parts of town, where many people avoided at night due to how many villains lurked in the alleys. It was perfect for Izuku, as it meant he could make a difference without having to worry about long commutes to his patrol area. He would leave at around 10 at night and patrol until 3 am, typically busting at least 2 crimes in progress over the course of his route. In particular, this night was fairly slow, with only three crimes occurring: a robbery of a convenience store, a small gang riot in front of government buildings, and one far more sinister by one of the world's oldest villain groups.
However, as the robber left the store with the stolen goods, a bright flash rose into the air all of the sudden and briefly lit up the clouds of the night sky. All of the sudden, a bat-like shadow had been blasted onto the clouds, and he began to panic."He's real…Oh fuck he's real! He's real!" The robber began to anxiously search his surroundings for any sign of danger, before realizing he'd been left exposed to a darkened part of the street a mere feet from where he was standing. Now scared out of his mind, he threw his bag of loot back in the direction of the store as if it were a bomb, before taking off as fast as he could in the opposite direction.
'I made myself a signal. Disposable natural lights that decompose in the air after a short while. It sends a message to all the criminals out there; a warning of incoming punishment and capture. Musutafu is big, I can't be everywhere. But they don't know where I am.'
The rioters and teenaged vandals menacing the government offices had similar reactions when they saw the bat marking the clouds above them, panicking and dispersing just enough for the cops to arrest several of them before they all got away. One in particular dropped their spray paint in a panic, which rolled into the darkness of the building's insides before them. "No…No, no, no,no!" The man hyperventilated a bit, before separating from the rest of the group and making a break for it.
'They think that I'm hiding in the shadows, but in reality, I am the shadows. I am the night. One cannot separate me from a crowd, from a dark corner. I blend in and only reveal myself in the last moment before I strike, if I even give a warning. My trainers made sure I never developed the bad habits of many pros, never letting me become accustomed to having the time to give improvised speeches or letting me pull odd moves designed to look impressive rather than be practical. After all, the quicker I take the scum out, the less time they have to hurt innocent people.'
Only one gang had no fear in their hearts at the moment, as they were deep underground in the subways of the city, far out of the warning's view. At present, they were riding along the subway in a small group, having waited for the perfect victim to enact cruel retribution upon their mere existence. This victim came in the form of a young man with a lizard-like mutant quirk, who casually sat down on the subway with earbuds tuned in.
"Hey, Doctor. That lizard freak just had the nerve to sit down next to us regular people! I think he needs to be taught a lesson!"
The man he was speaking to was in his late 50's, with messy black hair, thin glasses, and an ugly deformed face, was Haruto Shigeru, better known amongst his followers as Doctor Death. He was a cruel man, and a high ranking member of the Creature Rejection Clan that sought out to make life miserable for those of mutation type quirks. And it happened to be that he and his men were on the hunt for victims that night. Once the train slowed to a stop, the lizard man casually walked off at his stop, before noticing the group in masks was now trailing him.
"Look, I just want to get home from work and go to sleep. Can you PLEASE just leave me alone?" The lizard-like man sighed when he spotted them approaching, clearly used to such interactions. The Creature Rejection Clan ignored his request, instead ganging up on him en masse before pinning him to the wall. Now very frightened, the young man struggled and panicked as he tried to release himself from their grip. "Look, you want money for your stupid freak tax?! Take whatever's in my wallet! I just wanna go home!"
"You think we want your filthy animal money? We want you out of the city and back in the caves where you belong! Freaks like you don't belong around decent normal people like us!" Doctor Death growled at the young man, as he continued trying to free himself from the mob. "You act like you're a human, but you're really just a talking gecko. You're no better than an animal."
"Use your quirk on him Doctor! I wanna see him writhe around on the ground like a dying eel!"
The lizard man became even more frantic in trying to escape, lashing out as best he could to try and shove the thugs holding him down off with panic in his eyes as Doctor Death laughed evilly and approached him with hands beginning to drip thick poison that sizzled on the concrete floor of the station. However, he suddenly stopped short of touching him with the toxins "I'll let you boys take the first few pieces. Leave him alive so we can make an… example of this freak. Besides, I don't need more murder charges the animal fuckers that run the Ministry of Justice will try to stick to me." Doctor Death backed away from the unfortunate young man, while the rest of his gang closed in.
"This'll be fun!" One thug drawled as he drew a knife and brought it closer to their victim's face. But all the sudden, the blade was knocked out of his hand by a throwing knife that came from the darkened passageways nearby. The knife was also attached to a wire, which wrapped itself tightly around his arm and jabbed into his wrists before he was harshly pulled towards the darkness by an unseen force. "WHAT THE FU-! HELP! HELP!"
The man shouted for help in terror for a few moments as he was dragged into the shadow, before letting out a bloodcurdling scream that chilled his fellow thugs to the core. After a minute of waiting in silence, a bat-like figure wearing a black, bulletproof hero costume with pointed ears, a cape that draped around like a pair of wings, and a dark green bat insignia on its chest came out of the passageway with a ghostly candor to his step, dragging the bleeding and barely conscious thug alongside him. The entire gang stood still as he approached, some stepping back in fear and some chuckling at the sudden arrival of the sole vigilante. Only Doctor Death seemed unaffected by his arrival, and made more poison from his fingertips.
"Who are supposed to-"
Doctor Death didn't get the chance to speak before the figure popped him square in the face, and proceeded to beat his head in with terrifying ferocity. Half a minute into the beating, Doctor Death dropped to the ground only for the vigilante to continue punching and kicking him about the head, chest, and groin. After the villain was down on the ground, barely conscious and bleeding profusely from his nose and several scratches on his head, the Batman looked down and growled at him in an inhuman tone "i'm vengeance."
It was at this point those members of the clan who had been laughing before went dead quiet, while those who were already unnerved by the sudden appearance of Batman had slowly begun to back away from the man with the lizard quirk and drop any weapons they had. Despite this, several of the thugs still seemed determined to finish what they'd started, and were furious with the Batman for his attack on their in particular stepped forward, levitating the gravel from the station's ground to form small gauntlets on both arms before charging the vigilante.
"DAMN BAT FREAK!"
The gravel quirk user threw a punch at Batman which was easily dodged, giving the vigilante an opportunity to grab his arm, pull him in, and judo throw him into the crowd to take out several other clan members at once. One of the ones who weren't immediately knocked out by this move retaliated by firing off his own quirk, letting several dark brown bubbles with a distinct smell secrete from his skin and quickly float towards the Batman. Batman saw this coming though, and pulled in another thug with a spike quirk that had just lunged towards him as a human shield.
An explosion consumed the thug and knocked him out of the fight, while the vigilante rolled away and threw another bat shaped knife at the gas bubble user which hit him in the side and sent him to the ground "quirk: propane bubbles. i'm guessing from the smell you can turn bodily fluids into highly flammable bubbles of natural gas that detonate at body temperature. powerful, but useless if you can't hit your target."
"You little bastard!"
One of the other thugs tried charging the Bat from behind while he was low to the ground, only for his legs to be swept out from under him by the vigilante. Before he had time to react, Batman had already picked him up and started using him as a human shield against the quirk of another thug, who could make weak blades of wind by snapping. Once he got in close enough, Batman gave the thug a right cross from behind his human shield before cornering him against a wall and beating him with his barely conscious and bleeding comrade. Within mere minutes, both thugs were unconscious and smeared in each other's blood, as the vigilante dropped them to the floor.
"Oh fuck, this bastard isn't pulling punches! What kind of wannabe hero fights like a villain?" A thug exclaimed in fear, voice wavering as he backed up before bolting out of the subway as fast as his legs could carry him. Unfortunately he didn't get far, as the vigilante had thrown a set of boleadoras that had tied him up by the legs.
With most of the other gang members down for the count, one desperate villain with a taser quirk got back up after the previous judo throw and grabbed the distracted lizard man by the throat. "Hey Bat! You're a hero right? You wanna fight dirty, well I can too! You wouldn't let me harm this poor innocent freak just to bring me in, right?" Batman didn't say anything, he just twisted and flung a batarang at the hand on the lizard's throat. It landed true, jamming itself deep in the villain's hand and making him instinctively let go and grasp at his injured appendage. This gave the vigilante an opening to quickly take care of him, shooting forward to punch him square in the face before savagely beating him about the head.
"cowardly scum." Batman spat at the villain before looking around to see that the entire group had finally either been knocked out, dazed or restrained except for Doctor Death, who was cowering in fear by the stairs after using the chaos to get up and try sneaking away. "where do you think you're going, doctor? i thought you wanted a beating? Or are you scared of a little retribution?"
In response to this, Doctor Death cowered and whimpered for a minute more before speeding up the staircase and leaving his men to the mercy of the mad vigilante. Instead of pursuing the villain immediately, Batman turned to the shellshocked, would-be victim of the Creature Rejection Clan standing alone amongst their beaten and unconscious bodies "Are you alright? Did they hurt you before I came?"
"N-no, thanks… I think." The man muttered, a bit intimidated by his savior.
"It's what I do. Here's some change, there's a payphone right over there for you to call the police. Have them examine you just in case, okay? That one idiot had a quirk with gasses involved and Doctor Death is known for poison for a reason." The Batman threw the lizard man about 1000 yen worth of bills before continuing his pursuit of Doctor Death up the stairs.
By this point the villain had already made his way into the dark street above, and was looking for any avenue of escape from the vigilante he was sure was still hot on his heels. Upon hearing footsteps slowly ascending the nearby staircase, he panicked and ran into the nearby parking lot, where an office worker was casually unlocking their car after working the night shift. Taking the opportunity, Doctor Death prepared his quirk and menacingly approached her "Move out of the way lady!"
"What?!"
"GET OUT OF THE CAR OR I'LL MELT YOUR FUCKING FACE OFF!" Doctor Death yelled in a panic as he showed off the dark violet poison emerging from his hand, before using his free hand to pull the woman away from her car and jumping in with the keys still inside. With the Batman approaching quickly out of the corner of his eye, the doctor floored the gas pedal and sped out of the parking lots and into the streets of Musutafu. After making it a couple miles and several turns down the road, Doctor Death looked behind to see an empty rearview mirror and desolate street.
Now confident of his safety, the villain began to cathartically laugh and cheer as he'd seemed to have escaped the Batman "HAH! Suck on that you psychotic mutant shithead! I'll have all the time in the world to get back at you now! No one fucks with Doctor Death and gets away with it!" Doctor Death's celebration was short lived however, as his escape vehicle started rumbling and making a hideous grinding noise as it slowed to a stop in the middle of the road. He anxiously poked his head out from the car to see what the issue was, only to find that three out of four of the tires had fallen off the rims, with the sole remaining one having the same throwing knife lodged into it.
Making matters even worse for him was the light of a motorbike approaching the car from behind, being driven by the same familiar figure. Batman pulled on the driver's side window, looking Doctor Death straight in the eyes with the glare of a demon "assault, inciting gang violence, carjacking. you're trying to make me grumpy, aren't you, doctor?"
Before Batman could even touch the car, Doctor Death had already leapt out the passenger's side door and began sprinting into the nearby alleyways, not taking a second to look back. Before long, he'd made it into a better lit, more crowded area of the city where many ordinary civilians seemed to be enjoying Musutafu's nightlife. Still not feeling safe in the slightest, he looked all around him for any trace of the brutal vigilante hunting him, only to notice the distinct shadow of the bat signal still marking the clouds.
"What's with that weird light on the clouds?" A girl in the crowd pointed it out to a friend she'd been walking with.
"I dunno, maybe it's an advertisement?" her friend theorized, looking just as confused.
"Is some new hero trying to upstage the older ones again?" An older business man scoffed, sipping a can of Sake from the nearby conbini. "What other flashy bullshit is going to happen if they're making fucking beacons for heroes now?"
"Hear, hear! It's been far too long since they focused on being effective!" An old man cried, shaking his cane at the light. "You young folks don't even bother doing your damn job anymore!"
"What if it's not a hero? What if it's ANOTHER villain again?" A woman groaned, with a mix of fear and annoyance in her face.
Doctor Death tuned the bickering and chattering of the nearby crowd out, focusing only on the shadowed clouds till he noticed something approaching slowly from the alleys through his peripheral vision. Though he'd been moving slower to not attract unnecessary attention, the Batman hadn't been far behind. "No… No no no… NO NO NO NO! STAY AWAY FROM ME! OH GOD, PLEASE HELP ME" The villain screamed, drawing the attention of the crowd as he began to bolt down the street before desperately trying to blend in with the others, knowing the vigilante was still hunting him from his nearby voice.
"what gives you the right to attack people because of how they look? you think you're some sort of god given messenger? no, you're just a sick fuck who likes causing pain." Batman growled furiously as he slowly but surely blended into the crowd around Doctor Death, becoming totally invisible. "have you ever considered the people you hurt have lives, souls, family, friends? the terror you make them feel when you and your cronies seek them out just to torture them? the pain and heartbreak you cause their families when the police have to tell them they're dead because of you? i'll make you understand haruto shigeru. you'll never know peace again as long as you walk these streets as a villain….because i am here."
Doctor Death began to feel tears stream down his face from the fear he felt, swallowing his pride and doing the one thing he knew he really shouldn't be doing with the numerous warrants out for his arrest. He turned down a specific alley despite the fear of Batman at his tail, quickly crossing into a district with several hero agencies and a shopping mall he normally avoided like the plague. He ran down the slightly less crowded streets, hoping that the vigilante would have a harder time blending in, before coming across a well lit building that seemed to have a small conference going on inside. He felt most of his fear disappear into relief when he read the words on the sign hanging in the front windows of the building.
Kamui Woods Hero Agency: Always Hiring Sidekicks
Ignoring his pride and common sense, the doctor sprinted towards the building as fast as his legs could carry him, crashing through the door where several of the daytime heroes in Shizuoka waited. They seemed to have just finished the bulk of their conference and begun a traditional office drinking party. Many high profile heroes were here out of costume: Ingenium, Death Arms, Mt Lady, Gang Orca, Best Jeanist and more were either well on their way to drunk or simply noshing on the free food, as were the dozens of sidekicks loitering around trying to socialize. That is, till they noticed the sudden appearance of the panicked and bleeding man who'd stumbled into the office.
"... Who the fuck is this guy?" A drunk sidekick slurred, pointing at Doctor Death with the hand holding a pair of chopsticks and a dumpling.
"Sorry sir, he's really new to hero protocol when it comes to injured civilians. Do you want us to call for an ambulance?" Kamui Woods stepped up, confused as to what the man was doing there but also concerned for his health.
"NO! DON'T SEND ME BACK OUT THERE! THAT… THAT BAT FREAK IS STILL OUT THERE! THAT FREAK WITH THE BAT QUIRK IS GONNA KILL ME!"
"Bat quirk?" Death Arms muttered, face flushed from alcohol.
"I'M DOCTOR DEATH! HARUTO SHIGERU! I'M THE HIGH PRIEST OF THE CREATURE REJECTION CLAN! JUST TONIGHT ME AND MY MEN WERE LOOKING FOR FREAKS TO DRIVE FROM THE CITY, BUT THE BAT JUMPED US! HE'S A FUCKING MONSTER!"
"Wait, what are you going on about? Did you get hit by a psychic quirk without your knowledge, sir?" Gang Orca asked, standing from where he'd been sitting on a couch and swaying a little before leveling out his balance. "Woah, I think I need to stop with the shots now…"
"NO! I'M A CRIMINAL, A VILLAIN! I'VE MURDERED 32 PEOPLE AND ROBBED BANKS IN EVERY PREFECTURE! HERE, I'LL PROVE IT!" The panicked villain shouted, pulling out his wallet and showing his ID to the heroes. "SEE? IT'S MY ONLY LEGIT ID THAT I KEEP ON HAND SINCE I'M NOT AS WELL KNOWN HERE! I'VE COMMITTED OTHER CRIMES TOO! I'VE STOLEN GOODS FROM STORES! I'VE CARJACKED PEOPLE! I'VE COMMITTED TAX FRAUD, PIRATED TENTACLE HENTAI AND I JAYWALK ON THE REGULAR! EVEN ON HIGHWAYS! JUST TAKE ME TO PRISON! AWAY FROM HIM! PLEASE! I'M BEGGING YOU"
The once proud Doctor Death proceeded to drop to his knees and have a screaming breakdown in front of the heroes, sobbing his eyes out and rambling about a bat in terror. Ingenium, as one of the only fully sober heroes in the room thanks to the rules regarding him and his quirk, walked over and grabbed him by the chin to look at his eyes and smell his breath.
"... He's completely sober, just really, really freaked out. I'm calling the cops. If this man is telling even half the truth, he's got warrants and just had a run in from some kind of new vigilante. Heard about a vigilante in a batsuit who dangled a serial rapist off a roof from Eraser not long ago, it's probably them." Sighed the speedster, pulling out his work phone and dialing the police-hero communications line to get a squad over. His declaration about a vigilante made the whole room go dead quiet, as they all knew what that meant for their future.
They had a dangerous new rival now, one that was breaking the law and that had enough funding for a suit that made them look more like a hero than usual. Said vigilante had trailed Doctor Death into the streets, but was now in civilian clothes and blended in with the crowd. Confident that Shigeru wouldn't be causing anymore trouble that night, Izuku vanished into the streets of Musutafu with a satisfied smirk on his freckled face.
"And that's how Midnight manages her love life." The news anchor onscreen said to the audience, before looking at his notes again and reading off of them "Now for a look at the economic state of the world, we'll go to-"
Naomasa hardly paid attention to the news, as he instead spent his time perusing through the numerous case files he'd been given over the past few weeks. While crime as a whole had still been at an all time low worldwide since Japan's Symbol of Peace came onto the scene years ago, new notorious villains had continued to pop and evade capture in the long term, especially after hours. One such villain that had been giving even the most experienced underground heroes the runaround in the southern parts of Japan was a clown-like fiend known only by the codename given to him by the police: The Joker.
Moving south in silence after a brief debut in Shizuoka where he terrorized an unfortunate gas station clerk into insanity, the Joker started his own gang and created a culture of fear in the underworlds of Hiroshima, Yamaguchi, and Shimane. During his travels, he tormented villains and civilians alike with no apparent rhyme or reason for his crimes aside from the occasional robbery. Making matters worse was despite his insanity, the Joker actually seemed to be very intelligent with the use of his hallucination quirk, using it not only to psychologically torture his victims but also toy with heroes who came to capture him. One of his favorite methods of this would be giving the heroes the vision that they'd easily won the battle and were getting showered by praise, while in reality he was making his escape to another hideaway. While requests had been put in for heroes that counteract his quirk like Eraserhead to travel south and deal with the insane villain, many such heroes often worked as hero educators and simply didn't have time to travel to the southern prefectures Joker favored tormenting as long as midterms went on.
It seemed for now to Naomasa that the Joker's reign of terror would unfortunately continue with no hero or villain capable of stopping him at the moment. However, there was one hero who had been gaining interest in the case since word of it started spreading and seemed determined to bring the self titled "Clown Prince of Crime" down, that being Toshinori Yagi, better known as All Might. The Symbol of Peace had spent the past six months trying to divide his 3 hours worth of hero work across all hours instead of just daytime, having taken more shift hours with his agency than ever before to keep the relatively high crime rates in central Japan's moonlit hours under control. He'd also been digging deeper through the police reports that the Hero Public Safety Commission had been giving him, determined to not let another Jack Napier slip through the cracks.
At present he was wandering into his friend's detective office with a large cup of coffee in hand, before sitting down and taking a large gulp of the caffeinated beverage "Another late night Toshinori?" The detective asked, a bit concerned with how hard All Might had been pushing himself. The taller man responded with a large yawn, looking dead on his feet from a lack of decent sleep. "I'll take that a yes. Your injuries haven't gotten any better, old friend, and you can't be the Symbol of Peace if you work yourself into an early grave."
"I can't afford to rest as long as evil is awake and causing trouble, Naomasa."
"You aren't alone in this, old friend. At least rely on your side kicks a bit more, if not hire a few new ones now that you're down to only Nighteye!"
"He still doesn't talk to me, remember? Besides, I need to prepare myself to fight this Joker character. The last time I let someone with a power like his wander free, they did something I can't ever forgive." Toshinori growled as he sipped his coffee and remembered the incident from six months ago.
"What happened with Jack Napier six months ago wasn't your fault Toshinori. You couldn't have known about him with the information you were given!"
"It still doesn't negate the fact that an innocent boy had to witness a death before him, hell from what I gathered Napier killed his mother in front of him so that makes it 2!" Toshinori growled and slammed his fists on the table. "And that's not even counting the child he shot and all the other people he hurt!"
"Toshinori, listen to me. It. wasn't. Your. fault. That man was a serial killer who only a few underground heroes even knew existed, and had a very hard to negate quirk. NO ONE, except MAYBE Eraserhead, had the potential to face him fairly, and most villains like him REALLY don't play fair. He was a bad matchup for your first glimpse into the world of the night and dark alleys, but it was bound to happen eventually. The only reason most heroes these days are oblivious to the existence of these kinds of issues is because the villains like Napier and Joker typically keep to the shadows and direct gangs of lesser villains so they can keep committing crimes longer without being caught."
As if on cue, the news report turned back to the horned anchor from before, who now began discussing breaking news in a more serious tone. "In more recent developments, the cult leader and terrorist villain Haruto Shigeru, better known amongst his followers and victims as Doctor Death, has been captured and detained by police once again."
"Oh great, him again." Naomasa rolled his eyes, having dealt with the exploits of Doctor Death and the Creature Rejection Clan numerous times in the past.
"Interestingly enough, he turned himself in to the heroes after what reportedly was a retaliatory attack by a possible new vigilante. The released statements from his followers who were arrested and hospitalized around the same time claim that the man in question is a raspy voiced individual with a small stature who seems to have some kind of mutation quirk. Reports have been made that in the past few weeks, a strange signal has appeared in the sky on the same nights that villains have been attacked by this vigilante, and that attempts to find the source of these signals have proven fruitless."
All Might and Naomasa looked at one another before the detective turned up the volume on the TV, both wondering where this story was going. A vigilante like this rarely made it to the news, let alone after being revealed to have caused a notorious bigot and murderer to turn himself in instead of having to deal with said vigilante on the streets. The footage turned to the victim of last night's quirkist attack, a man with a lizard quirk named Shuichi Iguchi, who looked very excited as he talked about his savior on camera.
"- And he was SO cool! He had these knife things that he threw around like a ninja and a bunch of wires, and man did he NOT pull punches! At one point he grabbed this one guy and used him as a shield! And he gave me more than enough money to call the cops when he was done, and there was enough left over to get a snack while I waited for them to show up and take my statement so I ended up not fully missing dinner again! Oh! And he had the COOLEST costume, like this thing that looked like a cross between a ninja suit and a SWAT uniform with a hood and cape that made him look kinda like a bat-man!"
"Did you see him use his quirk?"
"Uh… No? I don't think so, at least. He really only did some ninja shit like most of the heroes I see at night."
"You see a lot of these fights then, sir?"
"With vigilante's? No. Underground heroes at night? Yeah, my area is kinda shit. I was heading home from work when I got attacked, but before that Doctor Death asshole could kill me he decided to let his thugs do the work for him. That bat-man showed up and fought them all by himself pretty fast before they could do more than freak me out."
"All reports of him say he was fairly short, what's your estimate on his exact height? Can you give a good description of him?"
"Hrm… I'd say he was about… I dunno, 160, 165 centimeters? He had some kind of mesh on his cowl's eye holes, so I didn't get a good look at his eyes, but his mouth was exposed and showed he had a normal skin tone. It was hard to really tell much, he was pretty covered up. For all I know, he's got a vampire quirk or weird eyes or some shit."
"I see! Thank you for your time, Iguchi-san."
As the interview came to an end, All Might and Naomasa watched the screen with interest. "A vigilante with a bat suit and throwing knives…That sounds like a call Eraserhead responded to a few weeks ago…"
"Eraserhead?"
"Yes, a small gang of villains broke into a home to rob the family inside, and one of them attempted to sexually assault a young woman as well. The vigilante intervened and they were all found either tied up or beaten senseless. The sick pedo bastard we found dangling from the roof half mad with spinal fractures. Ironically the way he was hanging was keeping them still enough to not render him paralyzed or worse according to the doctors at the prison hospital he was sent to."
"Haruto Shigeru has reportedly been taken to Arkham Correctional Facility, and will be held there pending trial." The news footage showed the laughing-mad Doctor Death being led through Arkham's gates by an exhausted looking Ingenium, before cutting back to the anchor. "He has confessed to a variety of crimes not initially included in his warrants, and an investigation into said claims is currently underway. His trial is set for one month from now, allowing time for him to receive a full mental evaluation per request of the police chief due to his actions that led to his arrest and his videos on hero tube containing concerning moments."
"Didn't I capture him once, Naomasa?"
"He broke out of the holding facility he was in with help from his followers. He then dropped out of sight for a good 9 months before starting to post more videos again, this time with an untraceable computer. Now that he's in Arkham, he's gonna have a MUCH harder time getting free… in theory."
"What's so theoretical about that? It's one of the best mental facilities for housing villains, right?"
"Well, it's been struggling to keep funding since it's not been used for very many notable villains, to the point of taking on some civilians over the years who had a first offense and slightly above average quirks. At this rate, it'll probably either go fully civilian or shut down entirely in the next 5 years." Naomasa sighed, gesturing to the image of Doctor Death in the facility that was on the screen next to the anchor as he discussed the history of the facility. "If you look close enough, you can see what I mean. It needs SERIOUS renovations and upgrades to keep up with the patients and prisoners, things they don't have the money for even with the government grants. I heard a rumor that it's starting to get new sponsors in the form of some of the richest people in the country out of desperation."
"It's a public facility, though. How come it's doing something only private ones can?"
"It's NOT public, it's actually privately owned by a collective of several hospitals across the nation and a few drug companies. The board is up to be replaced soon, so hopefully whoever gets those roles next will finally do something about whatever is leaving it so run down."
"Here we have some of the heroes who were there when Doctor Death stumbled into Kamui Woods' agency, including the man himself. Tell me, what were your thoughts on the matter?" A field reporter pointed a microphone in the face of some of the witnesses to Shigeru's arrest, regaining the attention of those in the office.
"Uh… Not gonna lie I thought I was hallucinating from drinking too much. We were having a drinking party after a conference concluded, and let's just say not many of us were completely sober." One hero, who was notably just out of being a sidekick, chuckled nervously, getting smacked upside the head by Kamui Woods for his honesty.
"Forgive him, he's still not used to interviews like this. He is right, though. Most of us were drunk at that point in time so we thought it was a prank or joke until that man ran in rambling about some kind of attack."
"What are your opinions on this new vigilante, Woods?"
"I find him to be a massive problem. Upon asking around if anyone else had encountered him, we learned he'd been the one supposedly responsible for several other incidents that all included injury reports that have possibly permanently disabled several people. They may be villains, but no one should have their spine broken or a brain swell simply for breaking a law."
"But isn't it true that you heroes also sometimes cause such injuries?"
"Yes, but we get reprimanded and are required to pay out anyone who ends up disabled up to a certain amount due to our fights. Villains are the exception, but it is still not good practice to leave someone fighting for their life if you can help it. I personally think this man is being extremely reckless, to the point he may cause more of a rift between heteromorphs like me and standard folks in the future due to his threat level." Gang Orca explained, looking a bit pissed off. "If he even is one, after all he reportedly wears some kind of cowl that makes it difficult to get a read on his face. If he's faking it it's even worse, as it would then seem like he's appropriating the struggle of those of us with extreme physical mutation quirks just to throw off the cops so he can continue to break the law."
"Yeah well I think it's cool he managed to scare a guy that bad into just handing himself over. It means he's learning to not rely entirely on potentially lethal moves, which given he's attacking people who slip through the cracks means we won't have to worry about the crime rate being as high as it is at night much longer… hopefully." Present Mic interjected, looking a little irritated at the comments of the other heroes. "Besides, for all we know he is just some poor teen who can't afford going to school and getting a license. I've had to deal with tons of kids coming up to me crying their eyes out around the start of the school year begging to know if there's a scholarship available for Yuuei students they can use since they got in on the waitlist due to not being able to pay up front. Not even just Hero Class, I'm talking Gen Ed, Support and Business too!"
"What makes you think he's so young? People are short too, you know."
"Uh, the fact that he's so short is a factor, yeah, but also the fact that according to my underground contacts he's been slightly changing his strategies each time like he's learning in the field. There's also reports from those he's taken down of him muttering in a different voice that sounds WAY younger than the one he puts on, hinting at him not even having his voice actually drop fully yet." Mic drawled, hands on his hips as he leaned down to look the camera dead on. "Also, what kind of adult ever goes into vigilante work? No, seriously, think about it. Every vigilante that gets caught is under 25 and poor as hell, and once they reveal themselves or retire they are typically seen again as at most 30 year old bouncers or security guards within the next 5 years. If he's anything like the others, he's gonna be pretty young and broke."
"... What about you sir? You seem to be a civilian, what's your opinion on this new vigilante who managed to take out a large extremist group?"
"... That's Eraserhead, he's an underground hero." One of the sidekicks snickered "He always looks homeless, something about it helping him blend in at night. Everyone who knows him thinks it's because he's lazy, though."
"Oh… Um, do you have a different stance, though?"
"...I think he's needed. Us underground heroes are the ones who interact with vigilantes the most, and usually arrest them as well. The average vigilante can only last 2 months before arrest or getting killed in action, if that. It's far more common for them to die after only 3 weeks if they are under the age of 20. They start in the most dangerous parts of the nation by virtue of what makes a vigilante go that route, and this one is working in an area with a LOT of organized crime issues. That means he's against the worst of the worst who have access to things like guns, steroids and gas weapons. The sole fact that this guy has managed to regularly defeat extremely problematic people and get them turned in, and for over that 3 week time frame? He's got potential." Eraserhead deadpanned, clearly exhausted "He also happens to have an impressive fighting style based on security camera footage I've been shown, one that seems inspired by several underground heroes right down to how dirty he plays. He isn't getting caught up in the theatrics of being a hero, he's focusing on actual issues, and he's careful to not hurt victims and bystanders. That alone would make him prime underground hero material, the fact I doubt he's using his quirk during most of it making him even more of a good candidate."
"So you're saying you'd want this man as a hero?"
"I'm saying I wouldn't mind teaming up if I had to. Like I said, us underground folks interact with vigilantes a lot more and that includes temporary team ups in exchange for turning a blind eye for the night. Besides, as long as he's proven to not be using a quirk in fights, he can't be prosecuted as harshly. All reported weapons are staunchly within the allowances for civilians, he isn't killing anyone, and he's only attacking people who are committing actual serious crime. He MIGHT get vigilante charges since he's initiating the fights, or assault charges from how he's hurting his victims, but nothing that would end with him in prison for longer than 5 years."
"Interesting, I don't think many would consider that view. Gunhead, Death Arms, you've been fairly quiet, do you have any thoughts on this situation?"
"Well, the security feed footage does show that this vigilante is extremely skilled for a possible teenager at hand to hand, which is impressive. I just wish they weren't being so reckless! MANY villains carry my namesake around despite the laws, usually unreliable DIY ones but guns nonetheless. ANYONE can be killed in an instant by them, it's why a lot of us heroes wear costumes that incorporate body armor if we work in an area with high rates of organized crime, and therefore higher rates of successful gun builds."
"Gunhead has a point, I'd rather this kid take our word to heart and stop pulling these stunts. The help in cleaning up the streets is nice, but the law is written the way it is for a good reason. If this vigilante were to reach out to the commission, I'm certain they could figure out a way to get him into their program for underprivileged kids who want to be heroes with how powerful they seem to be."
"I'd agree to that recommendation, since it would also come with training in the regulations of the hero world that most non-hero industry people wouldn't be aware of. The sheer number of laws and regulations we have to abide by to keep our licenses is staggering, which is why every agency worth its salt has at least 3 lawyers on deck to help with all the red tape."
"How many staff do you have then, Gunhead?"
"I have a smaller agency, which is only about 60 people. The average for anyone with more than 2 sidekicks starts at that and gets exponentially higher the more people are in the field. That includes support staff like gear production teams, on-site medics that are required by the government to be an official agency, lawyers, people to man the phones for your call center allotment, and more."
"It's another reason some people turn to vigilantism. The costs of being a hero usually drain whatever profit comes in, unless you're extremely lucky. Why, that's how my radio station came to be. I had a secondary skill set, and I needed some extra cash to keep the lights on." Present Mic piped up, drawing attention back to him. "I barely break even, and I'm pretty up there. Most of my reliable income comes from teaching at Yuuei, and it's not even that much."
"It's even worse for us underground heroes. I've had co workers living out of cyber cafes for years before they finally got a deal with an agency or a local government. I myself was homeless for well over a year right out of high school with how little I was making, crashing on the couches of better off classmates of mine. We know more about the struggles of civilians than they might think because of it." Eraserhead mumbled, just loud enough to be heard clearly. He had a light blush, as though he was embarrassed to admit the situation he had been in.
During all of this, Midnight had been barely in frame of the camera with Mt. Lady leaning on her and looking over her shoulder at the phone she was messing with, both occasionally giggling or rubbing their noses suspiciously. "How about a lady's view of all of this. Midnight, Mt. Lady, what are your opinions on this new vigilante?"
"Hm? Oh, he's hot as hell. Shame he's probably underage, he's clearly got some muscle on him from these clear shots we managed to get." Midnight quipped, shoving her phone into her utility belt.
"And he's quick and flexible as hell! The way he ducked some of those punches was just- UGH! Stupid vigilante's, always being off limits or dead!" Mt Lady groaned, making the interviewer clear their throat at how raunchy the women were being.
"Any SERIOUS opinions, though?"
"Oh, right. Well, like the others have said I don't agree with it. Vigilantes break laws just like any other criminal, they just attack other criminals. This leads to more crime that needs to be prosecuted, which clogs the justice system and hospitals with those involved. We already have an overcrowded prison system, we don't need some otherwise civilian individual taking up a bunk for playing hero without a license." Midnight explained, getting an agreeing nod from her younger co-worker.
"Right, not to mention that it makes investigations harder and they tend to lean towards breaking more laws in the name of permanently getting rid of villains. Murder, use of illegal weapons, illegal quirk use, aggravated assault, vehicle theft, I could go on with the things vigilantes get charged with on top of their base charge. They're a pain for heroes and police alike, and like it's been mentioned before they usually get killed when they first start out." Mt. Lady paused for a moment and rubbed her chin before speaking back up. "ON THE OTHER HAND, however, vigilantes help keep us from being totally overwhelmed and usually go after very specialized and specific threats to their area or demographic. I've arrested… I think it's 7 vigilantes at this point who've been charged with additional crimes in addition to their base charge for going after pedos who were attacking their siblings or classmates."
"Don't forget Mt. Lady, he's actively violating protocol we would have to follow. His first documented appearance he threw a villain off a roof on a wire and cracked his spine." Death Arms pointed out.
"So? I've dealt with kids who've done far worse. One kid I arrested was thought to be a villain until the evidence was found that the guys he murdered by putting air bubbles in their system and posting a video of it on the web were trafficking little girls, including her at one point. That's straight up murder, and multiple counts. Just injuring someone and leaving them unable to flee is way less severe than that, both legally and in terms of lasting effects." Mt. Lady retorted.
"That's true…the guys he put into traction weren't exactly saints either. The roof guy was a serial rapist who's been evading us for months, and the latest batch were extremists who go after folks like Gang Orca and Gunhead just for existing. He's clearly more broad in his focus, or just figuring it out, but he's effective and not targeting anyone not deserving of punishment." Midnight spoke, only to sigh for a moment before she continued "I still don't approve of it, though. It's against the law for a reason, after all, and we as heroes need to uphold it to maintain credibility."
"Great answers from all of you." The reporter gave those he'd just interviewed a polite bow before turning to face the camera "I'll turn it back to you Miyagi-san. We'll keep Shizuoka posted on this Bat and any new developments to come."
After this, All Might turned off the TV and turned to face his friend, who seemed more exasperated than surprised. "Just when it seems like we got the Crawler to clean up his act, and now we have this kid running around." Naomasa sighed and rubbed his temples.
"Well, it's something to keep us on our toes. Besides, from the looks of things we'll have far less dangerous criminals out there with this bat-man running around. Who knows who he'll send our way next?" All MIght responded, getting up with a grunt as his back popped. "Anyways, I'll need to get back to work soon, and I have to make sure I take my meds! Or I'll have Recovery Girl beating me with her cane again."
"Makes sense, I had to go soon anyways, Tsubaki is waiting for me at the station!" Naomasa stood up and stretched his back a bit. "I got her some new seeds, you think she'll like them?"
"She should, given what you always tell me about her. She's a botanist and a plant geek, right?"
"Right! I still have no idea how I managed to luck out with such a beautiful, intelligent, talented woman… Not that I'm complaining!" The detective chuckled to himself while All Might slapped him on the back.
"Hahaha! You're just one lucky man. Have fun on your date, and tell her I said hello." All Might called out as he watched his best friend depart out of the office door, before turning back to face the turned off TV. "The Batman…."
Izuku had only managed to get a few hours of sleep last night after his escapades as Batman, as after the adrenaline high from donning the vigilante's cowl wore off, he usually entered a state of panicked anxiety shortly after returning home to Wayne Manor, followed shortly by yet another depressive spell. The depressive spell promptly reawakened a feeling of rage towards the villains he held responsible for the loss of his mother, and he ventured into the crime riddled streets of Musutafu on patrol once again, creating something of a daily cycle for the young vigilante.
His anxiety and depression wasn't helped when he saw that the Batman had somehow managed to make the news after his terrorizing of Doctor Death the night before, and Alfred was tuned in on the living room TV. "Good morning Master Midoriya, or should I say good afternoon. I decided to let you sleep in considering your great achievement! Not every vigilante can manage to terrorize a man like Haruto Shigeru into willingly turning themselves over to nearly every active hero in the prefecture."
Izuku made a sound he didn't even know he could make in fear, almost sounding like the bats infesting his underground cave system. Alfred glanced over with a barely hidden smirk on his face, phone in hand as the news continued to air an interview with several heroes from the night before.
"Don't worry too much, I won't tell anyone and neither will Eraserhead. We all had our own little phases of teenage rebellion, after all." Alfred drawled, his uncharacteristically cheeky tone putting his charge on edge. "Of course, I wasn't expecting the Batman project to be this effective, ending up on the news like this. And making Doctor Death soil himself may end up gaining you some fans in the heteromorph community."
"So… I'm not in any trouble?" Izuku hesitantly asked, not sure where his butler and legal guardian was going with this conversation.
"Oh, you're going to be feeling the heat as the young people say these days, don't you worry Master Midoriya. Just because you can't be legally charged as a vigilante due to your quirk, or lack thereof in this case doesn't mean other pros or the Hero Public Safety Commission know that. Not to mention that villains may seek you out as a challenge now that they know you exist, even if that may seem foolish." Alfred chirped, making Izuku shiver in discomfort and fear. "Not to mention what me and my old student will be doing to make sure you can survive such scrutiny. After all, some heroes may join in the hunt for you on the streets with their views on vigilantes."
"Yeah, I guess I expected that when I started illegally haunting the night in a batsuit and beating up villains." Izuku bitterly spat the last word out, hating the thought of many of those he'd faced over the course of his late nights. While Izuku had every right to be angry at the senseless death of his mother and the system's apathy towards it, Alfred had become a bit concerned about the possibility of the boy being consumed by his darker feelings, which wasn't helped by the beatings he gave several the villains he'd fighting. As such, the older butler had made plans to make sure Izuku wouldn't victim to his hatred while also still being able to continue his goals in the long run.
"That being said, Master Midoriya, I think you've spent enough time alone in this old mansion. Aside from myself, the Bakugou family, and your business partners, the only ones you've made conversation with are the ones you've been punching." Alfred sighed before pulling out his phone and making a few notes "I've decided that for your next business lesson, you'll be sharing a class with another student of mine I've worked with for many years. They're actually planning to attend UA as well next semester."
Due to his experience with those his own age being subpar at best, Izuku felt more than a bit apprehensive at the thought of meeting someone else, not helped by being a social nervous wreck in general. "Pennyworth-san, I don't want to make any more friends. I just want to train, run our company and hopefully get to the point I can somehow get into the hero course somewhere."
"Master, with all due respect, the closest thing you have to a friend your own age is Katsuki, and your relationship with him is rather… complicated, to say the least. This individual I have arranged to come visit for a lesson is your age, has similar interests, and is quite well mannered. Besides, she won't be too thrown by your wealth, as she comes from a wealthy background like most of those who hire me as a tutor."
"Well, I guess that wouldn't be too awkward then, but-"
"No buts sir, I'm fine with vigilantism, strange as it may sound, but you need a good social life. I know there's no other way you'll get attention as a hero. But I won't disappoint Tamaki or Inko by letting you sit around and rot in this manor." Alfred lightly lectured him as he fiddled around with his phone before showing it to Izuku. "This is the young woman who'll be attending class with us today. I suppose it will be less intimidating if you already know what she looks like."
The picture of the girl in the photo naturally caused Izuku to turn bright red from head to toe, as Izuku had a habit of tensing up when it came to pretty girls. And this girl was very pretty. From the picture alone she seemed very tall and mature, her large and sharp onyx eyes holding a determined and serious expression, while she had a smile on her clear skinned face. Her long black hair was tied back into a large ponytail, with a bang hanging off the right side of her face. "This young woman is named Momo Yaoyorozu, she's the daughter of Chiho and Haru Yaoyorozu, who live in Aichi Prefecture. I believe that you two will get along swimmingly" Alfred smirked, a bit bemused by Izuku's reaction to the photo of Yaoyorozu.
Alfred's words managed to snap Izuku out of his enchantment, and he shook his head a bit as what his servant said started to reach her "Yaoyorozu, where have I heard that name before?...WAIT, SHE'LL BE HERE TONIGHT?!"
"Yes, Master Midoriya, Thursday night at 7 PM sharp is usually when we conduct our business tutoring. Would you like me to prepare some jasmine tea to clear your head?" Alfred asked, trying to hold in his laughter while Midoriya went into a scramble of panicked movements and began to mutter rapidly to himself.
"it's 3 o'clock now, so that gives about 3 hours to get the manor and myself ready. i haven't showered since a few nights ago after i fought that one villain with the coyote quirk, so i should definitely take a bath before she comes here. i'll also need to lock the batcave so no one falls in through that door again, and i should really put safety rails on this staircase already. the manor itself is usually pretty clean thanks to pennyworth-san, i also need to find a way to compensate him for his work again later, but i should make sure our study is extra clean for yaoyorozu-san, and…"
Izuku continued to mutter to himself for about another minute, before Alfred lightly tapped on his shoulder and grab his attention "I'll assist you in getting ready for Miss Yaoyorozu's arrival in any way I can, Master Midoriya. And don't fret on compensation, I am merely doing my duty as manager of this household. You should shower before she comes though, we don't want her smelling Doctor Death's blood when she arrives." Izuku showed his agreement with a quick and stiff nod, before quickly running off in the direction of the nearest tub.
Getting ready for the arrival of his surprise guest didn't take very long for the methodical and anxious teenager, and Izuku spent the rest of the time before Yaoyorozu's arrival pacing back and forth in the foyer of the manor. He'd put on one of his business suits instead of his usual t-shirt and jeans for lounging around, wanting to leave a good first impression. Alfred could barely hide his amusement at his clear nerves, having seen the young teen during training sessions and sparring matches completely stone cold serious. The thought that all it took to make him act his age was a cute girl coming over left him wondering what else would make him be a teenager again.
Pouring another cup of tea for Izuku to slam down, Alfred chuckled a bit. "Quite ironic, isn't it? The terrifying Batman can fight the most sinister and evil gangs in the entire prefecture, but is terrified of interacting with a pretty young lady."
"I don't exactly have much experience talking to girls, Pennyworth-san." Izuku stammered nervously as he down another cup of tea. "I don't even have much experience interacting with guys aside from Kacchan, and most of our conversations weren't exactly fun…"
"Well, you will eventually have to go to events where you will have to interact with them thanks to your status as the owner of IM, sir. Besides, I can attest that you have quite a lot in common with her, even if it's not being vigilantes."
"Pennyworth-san, HOW am I supposed to not screw this up when I DON'T KNOW how to talk to ANYONE my age!"
"It's simple. Be honest and be yourself, Master Midoriya… Well, aside from revealing you regularly break the law by accosting villains in the middle of the night dressed as a bat." Alfred smirked as he drank the remainder of the pot in a cup he poured for himself. "Are you afraid she might like you as more than a simple study partner?"
"WHAT? How could that ever happen? I'm just plain old Deku and she's…well…you've seen her picture!" Izuku turned bright red at his servant's suggestion, knowing that the old man was deliberately trying to get a rise out of him.
"Well, I'd hardly consider your looks plain Master Midoriya, especially since you've developed more muscle mass in your training. It was just a suggestion anyways, just be yourself and I'm sure you'll become great friends." Alfred reassured him "I very specifically invited this particular young lady due to how compatible I felt you could be as friends, after all. I wouldn't bring just any random person in without considering their own views. After all, I am well aware of your situation and how the upper class thinks of anyone supposedly lesser for the most part. Miss Yaoyorozu is quite open minded and kind, an outlier among the other children I tutor."
It was at this point the smart watch on Alfred's wrist went off, and he looked to see a notification of Yaoyorozu's arrival. "That being said, our friend has arrived and is waiting in the vehicle outside the limo. I recommend you shake off your nerves while I welcome her to the manor."
"Y-yes sir." Izuku stiffened up a bit while Alfred walked out the front doors to get the young woman, while Izuku became lost in his nervous thoughts 'Okay Midoriya, don't panic! She's just a normal person. An extremely gorgeous person who Pennyworth-san says is nice, but is the first person you've met your age who hopefully won't hate you. What do I even say? I don't think I've talked to an actual girl in years! What will she think of me? Just don't say anything stupid any it'll be fine… OH CRAP, WHAT IF I SAY SOMETHING STUPID AND SHE HATES ME! No, don't panic! It'll be fine, it'll be fine, it'll be-'
"Master, I don't want to interrupt your mumbling session, but our guest is ready to meet you." Alfred peeked his head through the front door, before pushing it forward to reveal Momo Yaoyorozu standing at his side. Momo looked exactly like she did in the picture Alfred had shown Izuku before, and she wore a white blouse, blue skirt, black belt, and black leggings with black boots that reached almost up to her knees.
Wanting to be polite and make a good impression on the boy Alfred was introducing her to, Momo stepped forward and extended her hand to Midoriya "Good evening Midoriya-san, I'm Yayorozu Momo. It's very nice to meet you." She gave him a small bow of the head.
"It's nice to meet you too, I'm Midoriya Izuku. Pennyworth-san has told me a lot of good things about you." Izuku stuttered as he shook her hand, while practically doing backflips inside of his mind 'I just talked to a girl!'
"Likewise, I've heard a lot of great things about you Midoriya-san." Momo gave him another bow, a bit surprised by his shy demeanor 'He's so meek and stressed looking. Could he really be the richest man in Japan at such a young age?'
"I will leave you both to get to know one another while I go fetch the study materials for today. Would you like some refreshments, Miss Yaoyorozu?"
"I'm alright, thank you Pennyworth-sensei."
Alfred left with a bow, barely hiding his smirk as he shut the door behind him. Izuku gulped as a bead of nervous sweat ran down his neck. The 2 teens stood there awkwardly, just staring at one another, before Izuku finally got the nerves to gesture for Momo to take a seat at the couch in the room.
"I'm sorry for being so rude and staring, I'm not used to visitors my age. Please, take a seat." Izuku stammered out, defaulting to the manners Alfred had drilled into him for business meetings.
Momo gave him a soft, equally nervous grin and took the offered seat, perching like she'd been trained to act like a princess from a young age. Izuku hesitantly grinned back awkwardly and took a seat in a chair across the coffee table from her, sitting ramrod straight like he was waiting to be punished by a teacher. They were quiet for another moment, neither of them really sure what to say.
"So… I heard from Pennyworth-sensei that you're also trying to become a hero?"
"I am, albeit an underground one. I… don't exactly care for the spotlight."
"Interesting… My mother, she's a retired hero, said she'd get me a slot at the recommendation exams for Yuuei if I made the grades for it. Do you have a favorite hero?"
"I really like A-... No, Silver Servant and Eraserhead, they're kinda my idols and inspiration."
"Really? I only heard about Eraserhead earlier today since he was on the news, what are they like?" Momo asked, luckily ignoring his initial slip up with a different name.
"Well, he was there for me in a really difficult time in my life not long ago. He helped me get back up on my feet after…" Izuku stopped himself, realizing this was not the time nor place to divulge all his dirty laundry to someone he just met. "After a very hard time in my life. Silver Servant trained Eraserhead, at least according to him when I asked, so I looked him up and he's got a killer track record for being effective and not causing more problems. He's also a hero in 3 countries, which is a world record that only he's achieved."
"Right, I only learned about Pennyworth-sensei's past as a hero around the time I started middle school! You must be quite a fan of heroes Midoriya-san!" Momo got a bit excited, impressed with some of Izuku's observations "Have you heard of the Creation Hero, Creati?"
"Yeah, she retired about 17 years ago for personal reasons and was well known for using her quirk to make things for the homeless. She stopped doing interviews about 3 years back, though, so I don't know anything about her current life. If I remember correctly her name was Chiho Yaoyoro…" Izuku trailed off as he finally recognized the name and began to stammer in shock "Your mother is Creati?!"
"Yes, although I don't care to make a big deal about it. She's honestly more of a business woman these days, and she's been having me trained to take on her mantle once I graduate as a legacy hero since I inherited her quirk." Momo demonstrated this by creating a small Russian nesting doll and tossing it back and forth a bit. "I still have a long way to go before I can consider myself on the same level as her though! I can only make what I know the exact composition of, and I can't make anything edible like food or medicine."
"That's AMAZING! You could already do so much to help with that! You could make generators, tools, blankets, shelter materials, the list goes on! All your limited by is knowledge and mass, I'm assuming? The sheer number of applications that has is staggering!" Izuku began to ramble, only to pause at the uncomfortable look on Momo's face.
"... This is why I usually don't show my quirk to others. They think about how useful it is, or how much money they can make off of it. It's been hard getting to a point where I wasn't underweight from people pressuring me to make stuff for them at school, and I have to eat special snacks in order to train with it so I don't run out of body fat to pull from. I told you about mine, what's your quirk like?"
"I… Don't talk about it. Ever. It's… not a very good one. Sorry for making you uncomfortable."
Momo looked a little irritated for a moment, only to sigh and look Izuku over carefully.
"I'm assuming it's related to your peculiar shoes?" Momo asked, pointing to his oddly broad toes on his loafers. Normally they slimmed down a lot further back, but his pair only got slimmer around the midpoint of the toes. This kind of shoe was rare, and usually a sign of a mild mutation quirk regarding feet such as paws or talons, or in the rarest of cases a person being quirkless.
"...Yeah. It's… yeah."
"Oh well, the mystery of guessing and theorizing is fun sometimes. I'll wait for you to tell me, after all Pennyworth-sensei did say he intended for this to become a weekly thing."
"Right… Wait, WHAT?"
Alfred entered with a few binders and a rolling white board at that point, still smirking like a smug cat who had just caught a particularly fat mouse. "Ah, did miss Yaoyorozu tell you of my plan? I do hope you're getting along, we have much to cover today."
"What subject are we covering today, Pennyworth-sensei?"
"Managing stocks and shares, Miss Yaoyorozu. I would have started this shared lesson earlier, but I felt that letting Master Midoriya get a little ahead would be wise. Now, shall we begin?"
Both of them being dutiful students they were, Izuku and Momo paid careful attention and took detailed notes, but the conversation from earlier had still hung in the back of their minds throughout the lecture. Izuku, because he felt bad making her uncomfortable with his enthusiasm and for what he perceived as oversharing. Momo, because of curiosity regarding Izuku's secret quirk and peculiar shape of his red leather shoes. At around 9, Alfred snapped the cap back on his marker with a flourish, startling the pair still rapidly jotting down notes.
"That will be all for tonight! Miss Yaoyorozu, will you be staying for dinner? Tonight's menu consists of a classic Curry Tonkatsu." Alfred wiped down the board and tucked the dry erase marker away in his pocket.
"If it's not an issue I wouldn't mind that, it's been a while since I've had something so simple." Momo said with an excited smile, not having had a meal like that in years.
"Very well then! I'll have it ready for you both shortly if you wouldn't mind waiting on the balcony." Alfred turned around in the direction of the kitchen, leaving Izuku and Momo alone again.
Wanting to ease some of the awkward tension still in the air from before, Momo grabbed Izuku by the shoulder and slowly led him out towards the balcony. "Would you like to take a seat with me, Midoriya-san?"
"I-Of course!" Izuku turned a bit red and followed her out the balcony doors leading outside, and took a seat at one of the high tables on the balcony. Sitting still for a moment, Izuku suddenly bowed his head towards Momo. "I'm so sorry about earlier! I get too enthusiastic about quirk functions sometimes! I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable!"
"It's fine, you didn't mean anything by it from what I can tell. You seem like the type to be analytical for the fun of it as opposed to using it to judge others."
"R-right! I don't like judging people's values based on their quirks. I'd be a hypocrite if I did that, honestly…"
"Umm, now that you mentioned it, I actually think I owe you an apology, ironically enough. I know quirks can be a sensitive matter for people, even in this day and age. I shouldn't have been so nosy about yours." Momo said with a somewhat sad sigh, which Izuku found a bit strange. "My father needs the same kind of shoes as you, after all."
"Yeah, I-…"Izuku stopped when he realized what exactly Momo meant. His shoes were one of his most distinctive pieces of clothing, having worn the same brand all his life. This was because said brand was the only company willing to make shoes for those who were born with one extra joint in their pinkie toe, and born lacking a quirk. "You mean, your father is-…"
"Yes, he's quirkless. I suppose it was less of a big deal in his generation, but it still made it hard to find work or for people to respect him. He was poor for years, living paycheck to paycheck in an Internet cafe as a shoe shiner. I guess that's how he ended up such a frugal man." Momo reminisced on the past of her father. "Even back then, being quirkless meant you were seen as weak and worthless in the changing society. Truth be told, I don't actually know my paternal grandparents, because they placed him in the system after his diagnosis."
Izuku looked down at his feet, clearly contemplating this new knowledge. He'd never heard of another person like him, at least not one that was directly related to someone he was in contact with. Even after starting to work on a policy to offer jobs with career advancement and training opportunities to people like him, he'd only ever heard of a grand total of 3 other quirkless people that weren't just news stories about their deaths. Her story made him even more grateful for the time spent with his mother, as she'd tried her hardest to raise him in spite of all the difficulties that clearly came with raising a child unwelcome to society.
"I… I can relate. My mom… She got disowned when it came out about my… situation. I never got to meet any of my family outside of her, honestly." Izuku remembered the screaming fights Inko had with her side of the family when he received his quirkless diagnosis. "I never got to know what my dad's reaction was, he died in a villain attack in America not long after and didn't get to learn about it because of how his work trip was being monitored."
"I see… I'm sorry for your loss, Midoriya-san. I heard about how you lost your mother recently from Pennyworth-sensei."
"I've been over my dad for years now, he was never really around. My Mom… that's more recent, but I'm holding up I guess."
"Still, it's a horrible thing to go through… On a lighter note, I enjoyed our conversation about my quirk earlier, your rambling gave me some ideas to try when I train."
"Oh! Uh, it's no problem? I was just theorizing and making observations, and if your quirk works too much different from the original Creati's then some of it might not be accurate…"
"Midoriya-san, even the best quirk specialists money can buy couldn't give such insight as quickly as you did, and trust me my family has been using one such person for years. You have a real talent, one that could get you a solid career if you choose that route."
"Maybe… I'm going to be focusing on being a hero if I can, though."
"I figured, but it's a good option to consider. Not many people with those shoes can get into such a career, not without a lot of luck and a good handle of their quirk… If they have one."
"I can handle myself, Yaoyorozu-san." Izuku bit out, shooting her a sharp look that he usually saved for his Batman antics. "Trust me, I'm not some total wimp who doesn't know what being a hero takes."
"I can see that in your eyes, at least now I can. Anyone who's as determined as you seem to be is bound to find a way to do what they want, and after our lesson I feel you will probably make that happen."
"Not probably, I WILL be a hero. NOTHING will stop me, even if I end up technically a vigilante since I can't get into a school for a license."
"Well, how about we make a deal? If you take the entrance exams to any hero school and get in, I'll personally make you whatever you want to add to your hero costume."
"Yaoyorozu-san, I have all the money I'll ever want, I can just buy that. I really don't want you going through the trouble!"
"Consider this me investing in our friendship. I like you, Midoriya-san. You're different from all the other rich kids I know. You don't act entitled and you clearly put in the work for what you have so you can make sure you can maintain it properly. That's a rare trait in the world of the ultra-rich that we live in, and I'd like to keep interacting with someone so refreshing."
"...So you'd want to hang out more, like outside of tutoring?"
"If you don't mind, I'd like that."
"Uh… Do you want to maybe go get some sushi and maybe go shopping this weekend?"
"Where do you have in mind?"
"Uh… I dunno… There's a location for this really good conveyor belt place Mom used to take me not far from here in Hamamatsu, and I need some more pens so maybe Daiso? Or Don Quixote?"
Momo promptly squealed as her face lit up like the sun. "COMMONER ADVENTURES! Oh, how quaint! I've never really done things like that, you simply MUST show me what it's like to be in such places!"
"Uh…."
"How come you even know of such places? Did your mother happen to be one of those people who hides her wealth?"
"Well, she hid that we had connections to it but we weren't exactly super wealthy. Like, maybe staunchly middle class? A little below that sometimes. Great Uncle used to own IM and I inherited it since both he and Mom died, which is why I have all this money now."
"So you know because you lived it as the norm?"
"...Yes?"
Momo grinned like an excited child and began to ramble herself about all the things they could do within her allowance budget, clearly overestimating how much stuff cost in the naive way wealthy people seemed to do. As she became more and more animated while talking about things like Conbinis and 24/7 fast food joints, Izuku couldn't help a certain thought creeping into his mind.
'She looks amazing when she gets excited…' Izuku thought to himself, not realizing the red blush on his face beginning to spread. However, he quickly tried to steel himself. 'No! Aside from Pennyworth-san, you can't let anyone in. She may be pretty and seem nice, but you just met! You have to keep your guard up!'
An hour later, when Momo had left for the night, Izuku went back to the balcony to think over this latest development and plan his little trip he'd been convinced to take with his study partner. Right as he went to sit at the chair he'd claimed as his favorite, he noticed something very small and dark sitting between some cushions on the small wicker couch across from the balcony's view. He walked over cautiously, not sure what it was or if it was dangerous. He gingerly lifted it from the pad, blinking when he discovered what it was.
In his hands was a small maybe 3 inch key chain consisting of a fairly detailed plastic chibi figure of Eraserhead, his iconic goggles on his head like cat ears and simple grumpy eyes glaring at him from above the scarf made from actual fabric. It was intricate enough to pass as an official piece of merch, but as the man only had t-shirts sold by custom printers and nothing official, there was only one person who could have made it.
Momo.
Izuku went bright red and dropped the keychain like it was a hot coal, covering his face with his hands. Once the shock wore off, he scrambled to pick it up and sighed when he found it hadn't been damaged. He stared at it for a moment before sticking it in his pocket, mentally adding a note to his list to put it on his backpack when he got back to his room.
'...Maybe I can let this one person in. Maybe.' Izuku thought, staring out into the starlit new moon night. 'After all, bats do live in swarms, and she's aiming to be a hero too. Maybe she won't die on me like it seems everyone I ever really cared for has.'
(A/N): What's this? A quick update? From the 2020's version of me? Yet another sign of the end times! I kid, I kid...mostly. Honestly, the reason this chapter came out so quick is because I've been on a major Batman high with most of my writing spark being directed towards this story in particular. Who knows when it will burn out again, but I fully intend on writing this wave while I have the opportunity and actually updating my stories.
Will probably try posting some of the other stuff I haven't touched in years like Ninja of Santoryu or Part of a Family, but that's if I can get the inspiration or material for it! It doesn't help that I look back at a lot of my older stuff and question what the hell I was thinking when I wrote it. Albeit, a lot of my choices throughout college give me that same question. Regardless, hopefully I'm sort of back to posting regular content soon (assuming the busiest time of my work year doesn't eat me).
This chapter has already been posted on AO3 by Ace Silvers for like a day now, and I owe him massive credit for helping out with this chapter, especially the interview scene and Izuku and Momo's talk. I've been itching to write them together since "Thank You" got me hooked on the ship, even though IzuMina is still my MHA OTP. With that being said, I'm going to close this out before I come off as an even bigger nerd. Please leave a review telling us how great/shitty/meh our story is, and if you want to see more you can follow or favorite.
As always, I'll see you next time!
. . .