Revenant swung his sword. Up and down. Up and down. Up and down. It wasn't training for combat, it was a single, repetitive motion that pushed his muscles and gave him the mental space to meditate even as his body kept working.
The shining of the moonlight lit the large grove he had been using to train. A place away from prying eyes, from the inevitable stares and looks people would give a semifinalist. Two more matches. Two more matches and he would know where Sugoh was. He would know where Tomura Shigaraki was. Two more matches, and he would be consistently closer to getting his revenge.
He felt a shiver down his spine at the thought. Not fear, but… trepidation. How long had it been? Two months since Sugoh escaped from Tartarus? Less? He had expected him to be trapped in there forever, out of reach, and had put aside the idea of ever getting the revenge he wanted, until the day he had escaped.
And now he was there. Two fights away.
He took a deep breath to calm himself down. No, not yet. He had to face two fights that had the potential to take him out yet.
He pondered his opponents. Deku was against Zombie, and while Revenant expected him to fight well, Deku wasn't cruel. He was in the tournament to train, and he had done that already, probably more than he expected. Defeating Zombie and putting his whole universe in danger? No, he wasn't going to win. He would likely put up a good enough match he couldn't be accused of rigging it, and then let himself get knocked out.
Which left Zombie and Haimawari. The former was hard to pin down, but at least Revenant had experience fighting monsters, and in droves. Between the Demons from the Fantasyverse and the monsters and aliens in the Simulation, he was fairly sure he overqualified.
As for Haimawari, his next opponent… Of course Revenant had done preliminary investigation. Fighting style, Quirk, eventual other tools, all those things were accounted for. But One for All wasn't. Even if he could only tap in the raw strength of the Quirk, that single addition had turned Haimawari from a strong but beatable opponent to the most likely winner.
He felt his swing gain a bit more strength as frustration bubbled in the back of his brain, rearing its ugly head. It was unfair, it whispered. It was unfair that he had to deal with Quirk bullshit over, and over, and over, just to get his revenge on a man that deserved to die more than anyone else.
He took another deep breath. "You are back again." He said out loud. Two teenagers stood up, surprised. Midoriya and Midoriya, Izuku and Izuku, Piper and Kitsune. The two looked at each other. "How…"
"You are decent at sneaking, but learning how to spot an enemy with only my hearing was a necessity in the simulation." He kept swinging, "What is it?"
"We are here for a lesson." Piper said.
"Again? I've asked you before, but how much do you think you can improve in a week? I hope you aren't getting your hopes up."
"We can make some improvement, though." Kitsune replied, "You wouldn't waste time, both ours and yours, if you thought we can't learn anything."
Revenant chuckled. Since his fight in the Top 16, those two had taken the habit of asking him for training. He wasn't sure why: Piper didn't have any chance to get strong the way he had – something Revenant thought he had to consider himself lucky for – and Kitsune had a completely different fighting style, mostly based on his telekinesis. Saying no would have been a good idea, he supposed. But he liked teaching, he had found. He liked helping people get better. Maybe he just enjoyed watching someone grow without being tortured. It sent a real 'fuck you' to Sugoh, after all, proving that he didn't need to torture someone to make them 'better'. "I guess that's fair." He turned around, pointing his sword at them, "Come then. Show me how you'll fight me today."
Piper pulled out his magic staff, the extendable weapon he had kept after their battle in the Swordverse, and instantly extended it in a straight line. Revenant fainted to the right of the extended staff, moving in an oblique direction, and when the staff followed he ducked underneath it and switched is direction to the left. Extended, the staff was too heavy for Piper to change quickly-
It came slamming in, and a moment later he noticed the focused look on Kitsune's face. Of course, he had changed the weapon's direction with his telekinesis, giving Piper the chance to fix his stance. Revenant grinned. Unfortunately for them, the sudden change meant the weapon's impact hadn't been nearly as strong as it would have been normally, so he was merely inconvenienced by it and kept moving, disappearing in the woods around the edge of the clearing.
He moved in the underbrush, making sure to remain out of sight. Piper had retracted his weapon and moved back to back with Kitsune, ensuring they were covering each other.
Kitsune's power worked based on what he had called 'a feeling from my hands, like moving strings from them to the target'. They had already proven he could stop someone if he lifted that person, though that left him unable to do anything else. So, the first thing to do, was make sure Kitsune couldn't just trap him.
His hand went mechanically to his flashbangs, but then stopped. He only had five left, and while he could probably buy a refill, he wasn't going to do that if he could avoid it. After the fight with Kamihara, he was not going to let everyone know how many weapons he was still carrying.
He supposed he could waste his backups, though.
He tossed a flare high, and Kitsune of course saw it coming. He had already showed them before that he was going to blind him, so he expected that…
But he didn't expect the other one that came rolling low. Piper did, kicking it away back in the woods, however, he realized the flare wasn't set off to explode. Neither was the flare that Kitsune had also tossed aside. No, instead Revenant had taken the chance to circle around them and emerge from the woods. Kitsune didn't ear him coming, before Revenant set off a third flare – this one for real and opened it right in his face. Kitsune shouted, and then Revenant was upon him, holding him in a strangle hold while using him as a shield to stop Piper from counterattacking. Kitsune reflexively started to move his hand, trying to grab Revenant. The hands were both burning red – a sign of his other Quirk, or whatever it was, the ability to make his hands scorching hot – but Revenant in response used his free arm to catch one hand with his elbow and flank while twisting the other arm so the palm faced away. It was uncomfortable, even for him, and he could feel the heat even through the Qi he put up to make sure there wouldn't be any accidental setting him on fire, but it didn't need to last long.
Piper was trying to circle him, using his Speed Ring – one of the two magic rings he had received from Izmird – to try and outmaneuver Revenant. It worked when it came to getting out of Revenant's field of vision, but the problem was Piper wasn't used to moving at that speed. He might be with enough training, but right now he still had to stop for a second to change direction in a proper way, and Revenant could hear where he was standing, so it was just a matter of forcing Kitsune to turn with him.
Eventually Kitsune tapped out, right before he was going to pass out by Revenant's estimate. He let him go and charged Piper, who extended again the staff. The extension was fast enough it forced Revenant to roll on the ground to avoid it, and the retraction was equally fast, meaning that when Revenant entered close quarter combat Piper's weapon was back to normal. He dodged a knee aimed at his gut, ducked under the staff's swing, and slammed his fist in his open chest. Piper held, though, bringing the staff back and down.
There was no dodging it, since Revenant had no idea of how long or short it was, so instead he intercepted it with a Qi sword, the impact strong enough to lock him into place for an instant. Piper didn't waste it, kicking forward at full strength, but Revenant moved his arm and caught the foot. Piper had a second to realize what he was doing before he was yanked and tossed away, rolling on the ground. Revenant pursued, and a moment later he was standing atop the teen, knife at his throat.
Piper sighed, "Our loss again."
"I know you patterns, so don't take it too badly." Revenant replied, "I like the last move." He added, pointing at the knife Revenant had made to grab, before one of Revenant's boots had dropped on his wrist – not with enough force to hurt it, but definitely with enough force to pin it down – "Taking inspiration from someone?"
"I just figured another option was a good idea."
"Good." He smiled, "So, what did you learn?" He asked.
"I need something I can control to move on the offensive. I can't always count on debris." Kitsune said, apparently having taken the time to recover a bit, though he was still panting for air.
"Yes you do." Revenant said.
"And I need to get better at switching my focus. I had a chance to catch it before I got blinded by the flare."
Revenant nodded, before looking at Piper.
"I need to get better at using my new items." He said.
"That comes with time and training." Revenant replied. He noticed the sad look on Piper's face, and frowned. Why was he beating himself up so much? This was a week of training at most. It didn't matter how well it went, Revenant could only give them pointers. Heck, Piper picking up a knife – and even then, he'd make sure he knew how and when to use it – was going beyond what he'd have expected. "Don't beat yourself up about not beating me, anyway. You have time to get better."
Piper nodded slowly. Revenant decided to let it go for now. He had other things to focus on. '... But I suppose I can tell Captain Kamino.' He decided, 'At least he can keep an eye on them...'
-x-
"Cheers!" Spider-Man shouted, and the crowd cheered in unison, "We are here to congratulate Kendo for finding a way home, so make sure to drink, eat and have fun!"
The Kendo in question – a One for All wielder from Argali's home universe – blushed a bit when everyone turned toward her. Mastermind smiled as Spider-Man sat back down.
"Weren't you supposed to go home?"
"I'm leaving tomorrow. I just tried to stay around in case the whole Symbiote thing turns out to be a bigger problem, but I heard from Kiruka and she says it seems all well." Spider-Man passed a hand over his face, "I'm kind of embarrassed for not expecting that, it was obvious in hindsight."
"Indeed, you needed more preparation! But it's understandable to not be as prepared as possible to any event, since you didn't have a nemesis like," A crack of thunder from his speakers, "MASTERMIND!" He said, his cape fluttering.
"I had the Green Goblin. He was kind of a genius himself." Spider-Man replied. Kyoka stopped eating her fried chicken and punched him in the shoulder. "They hated him because he spoke the truth…"
"You had the actual Norman Osborn as a nemesis!" Mastermind leaned in, eyes sparkling, "Oh my gosh, how great is that?! He is amazing! That glider, and those bombs! Sure, he isn't Doctor Doom or Doc Oc, but still so impressive!"
"I'm not sure what to say to that."
"Maybe 'please Mastermind, come to my universe and start making some changes'?" He asked. Spider-Man looked positively terrified at the thought, "Mwahahah, now that might be interesting! All in due time!" Mastermind stood up, "But now I should go check on my lab buddies. I'm worried Doc might be overworking Superior."
"You think?" Spider-Man asked sarcastically.
"The pursuit of science is always fascinating. I totally understand him!" He stepped out of the cafeteria, whistling a tune. His spider-shaped robot-holoprojectors responded by grabbing some food from the tables and bringing them out and toward him. "I suppose we can at least ensure he is eating." He decided.
Stepping down the stairs, and then reaching the elevator, he descended to the lower floors and entered the lab. Oh, the beauty of multiversal technology! The fantastic beauty of machinery built on foreign physics, the enthralling curiosity of tech developed through different branches of the same pursuit of man to reach a perfect life through ingenuity and methodic application of rules. Like every true scientist, Mastermind wanted nothing more than to better humanity, and he chose to do it by becoming a Supervillain that would make Heroes better! He was showy, entertaining, and utterly just in his crimes! Such was the perfect way to achieve his goal of creating the perfect Hero society!
He followed the sound of working until he arrived at their portal. "Hey there!" He shouted.
Superior turned around. "Oh hey. What is it?"
"You are missing the party man." Mastermind replied, "I totally understand the visceral need to finish the portal, trust me, but we can't just work, or we will collapse and then no one will finish it."
"I know, but Doc will be unsufferable until we finish this." He paused a moment and sighed, "He wants to know if you are done wasting time, and…" He grimaced, "I'm not saying that. No, it's rude! I don't care- Come on Doc be reasonable…"
"Ahah, sounds like the Doc is exactly like in the comics."
"Insufferable?" Superior asked, wincing, "Well you are! Ugh… You know what, I'm going to take a break and go upstairs. Just try to stop me."
Mastermind chuckled, letting the robots hand over the food they had collected and looking around. "And where is your other lab assistant?"
"Horizon? I think you know."
"Aaaah…" Mastermind nodded, "I guess he is looking up as usual."
-x-
Horizon looked up. A spaceship. A bona fide spaceship capable of travelling across the galaxy. It was weird, he decided, examining it. Not entirely logical in its construction, he thought looking at it on all sides. How did it travel ignoring wind resistance within the atmosphere of a planet? What kind of energy did it use? And once it was in space, how did it travel past the speed of light? How did this machine break every rule of physics? He refused to accept magic was an answer, naturally. Even Captain Jiro had said this was a spaceship that worked on tech, just tech so advanced Earth and Mars scientists didn't understand it entirely.
But still, it was science. It was doable. Space, the final frontier, the horizon he had looked at for his entire life… this spaceship was the ultimate result of however many generations it had taken those aliens to develop intergalactic travel. How many scientists had worked on such a project? How many lives had gone by as they all took one step, one tenth of a step, or just lifted a foot another man ten generations later would put down, to reach this level of technology?
Examining it, while he might have something to say for the design – and even Captain Jiro admitted they were trying to make less 'saucer-like' spaceships by copying the tech but not the shape of the ships – he couldn't help but gawk at it.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" A voice asked behind him. He turned around to see Mastermind, clad in his full costume and wearing his mask standing behind him. Horizon nodded.
"It's amazing. It's… It's everything I ever want to achieve. No, it's beyond what I dream of achieving. I'd be overjoyed if by the end of my life I've reached Mars. I'd be incredulous if I ever came close to interstellar travel. This is… This is beyond that. Intergalactic travel is sci-fi. It's impossible. Or it's supposed to be. It can be done. It can be done with this technology."
"You can't take it." Mastermind warned him.
"I know…" Horizon sighed, "It's a pity, but there is no way to get this technology to my world."
"Yeah, I suppose you are right. Jiro's tech is pretty impressive even in the 'native of Earth' department though."
"Right? The Proserpina, the ship she told me about, was such an impressive piece of technology. And it could actually be built with the tech of my world." Horizon sighed, "But I suppose they won't give me those plans either. They probably wouldn't want to share tech like that before its time."
"Right, right. They absolutely wouldn't." Mastermind said, before yawning, putting a hand in his pocket and casually dropping something. "Oh no, I think I just dropped something. I surely wouldn't want someone else to pick it up. Horizon, can you see where it went?" He said in the fakest tone imaginable.
"… Are you trying to- Nevermind." Horizon picked up the object from the ground, looking at the USB key like it was about to take life and bite off his hand. "What is this?"
"Well it certainly isn't the full construction plan of the Proserpina that I downloaded from Zuzu-9-Delta's database after copying Jiro's entry passwords and telling Delta I had Captain Jiro's permission." Mastermind said, before going silent and tilting his head slightly.
"Are you wink-"
"Yeah, sorry, I'm winking, forgot I was wearing the mask." He pulled the mask off. "Still, behold my gift for you, another great theft from" Thunder cracked from his loudspeakers, "MASTERMIND! Mwahahahah!"
"Won't they find out if they are told?"
"Well isn't the point of committing a crime having other people know you did?"
"… No?"
Mastermind coughed in his fist, "Anyway, if that happens it happens. I'll just say I lost the hard drive."
"Yes but, the dangers?"
"What dangers? It's the Proserpina. It's a perfectly replicable spaceship with your level of tech, honestly, I'm just giving you a heads up."
Horizon snorted, and then started to laugh. "Alright, I guess I might as well accept. But can I ask you something?"
"Sure, shoot."
"Why?"
Mastermind grinned. "Ah, my young Padawan…"
"Aren't we about the same age? And I'm not trying to become a Villain so I'm not really a padawan?"
"We are both the same. We are scientists, inventors, innovators. We see far ahead of our peers and foes alike, and what we see are the stars. You see the literal lights in the sky, I see the future of a brilliant Heroic society held up by Heroes that have become their best selves. We are creating, molding our world with our hands, and we will leave a trace behind that the future generations will remember forever." He smiled, "How could I not help a fellow dreamer, after seeing what I see in you?"
Horizon smiled. "I see."
"Also I would love to work with you in the future. If you ever feel like getting down to some mischief in my universe hit me up." He grinned, then paused and his cheeks turned red in embarrassment, "P-Please don't read that gift as me trying to bribe you! I'm not! I'd love to have you on board, but that's just a genuine gift I'm giving you, I-"
"I believe it." Horizon said, putting the hard drive in his pocket, "Not sure if I will use it immediately. I'd like to achieve space travel by myself, using the technology I can develop. But after that… Well, no one says I can't look at this and see what improvements I can make."
"Great! To the future then!" He said as a robot handed Horizon and him a cup of soda. Horizon took it and they celebrated. For once, it seemed he had found someone that understood his vision. He looked up at the sky, and then frowned. Something was off.
"You know, I've also been working on something else in my free time. It's a new item I call Thaumic…"
"Is that a falling star heading our way?" Horizon asked, after a moment, realizing a bright object was heading toward the Headquarters fast.
Mastermind didn't miss a beat, donning his helmet, turning around, ushering the other scientist behind himself and looking up. After a tense moment, though, he sighed, and relaxed. "Alright, we are safe. Seems it's just another guest to the party."
Horizon was about to ask when a man enveloped in white light landed on the roof. He was bright enough the young Midoriya had to look away for a moment, before the light dimmed to reveal a muscular man wearing a red cloak, yellow and white tunic, and keeping his black hair back, above a round nose and a mouth with large lips. He stepped down, smiling.
"Mastermind. I see Mariah lifted your ban from our Headquarters." He said with a nod in greeting, before glancing at Horizon. "And this is…"
"Izuku Midoriya." Mastermind said with a smile. At the man's unamused look, he chuckled, "We call him Horizon. He is planning to become an astronaut."
The man offered a warm smile. He looked old. Not tremendously so, but he seemed in his forties or fifties. Clearly a magic user, which immediately made Horizon uncomfortable, but when the man extended a hand in greeting he had to shake it. "Nice to meet you." He said.
"Likewise. I'm Richard Satter." He frowned, "I believe Japanese Midoriya usually know my alternate Rikido Sato?" Horizon shook his head, and Satter chuckled good naturedly, "Nevermind then. I'm sorry, I only found out earlier what happened thanks to one of the messages some people have been leaving across the Multiverse."
"Isaac and Mariah will probably celebrate." Mastermind said with a path to Satter's back.
"… How do you know each other?" Horizon asked, "You told us you found out about this place because Mel, Mariah and Isaac stopped you. You never mentioned…"
"Well, Richard and I… We met when I was experimenting with a new portal. He was kind enough to take me home and not tell the League about that little incident."
"I owed you for fixing the car I was using back then. Magic does an awful lot of things, but I couldn't use it in that world unless it was powerful enough to pass a threshold, so I was kinda stuck."
Mastermind chuckled, "Hey, I help you and you help me. Come on, I'm sure the others will want to see you. You coming, Horizon?"
"Sure." Horizon nodded, "I guess I should."
He followed them downstairs, wondering what this 'Satter' guy arrival's meant.
-x-
Deku ducked low under a sudden burst of solid, green fluid. It extended like a whip, but he was ready to jump in and kick. Itsumi gritted her teeth and took the blow, One for All and her Symbiote blocking it.
Deku looked at her. Her body was covered by a green liquid shaped like a skintight suit – which was odd, since she was wearing clothes underneath – and her face showed a line of sharp teeth and long, thin fangs. She smiled. "This is pretty awesome."
"Yeah, you are holding up well! I think that was faster than last time!"
"We are getting used to this body." Itsumi… The Symbiote… They said. "It feels more and more natural to work together."
To prove it, they charged in, exchanging blow after blow with Izuku. He wasn't going all out, naturally – this was training after all – but he could tell they were starting to work together better and better. Channeling the fluid from Itsumi through its body, the Symbiote could even direct it with precision. It costed the creature some of its body – the part directly in contact with the explosive fluid when it reached air – but it was very effective to give them a finer control than even Itsumi did. Once they integrated her weapons too, he was sure Itsumi's battle capabilities would skyrocket again.
"You are getting better and better!" Izuku said, genuine praise in his voice.
"Thanks. And... What's your plan for the Tournament?"
"I'm losing next round." Izuku said, without skipping a beat "I'm not going to get in the way of Zombie's goal. I came here to train and I did, but... Well, my training isn't worth putting a world in danger." He had decided to make a show at the next match, but he would definitely lose in the end. There were people that needed help in Zombie's world, and he wanted them to get it. He couldn't guarantee Zombie's win in the Tournament, but he could give him a spot in the finals.
"Right!" Itsumi said, "Right…"
"What's wrong?" Deku asked, noticing her shift in tone. She looked down, and then back at him.
"Actually, Deku, there is… something I want to talk about." Itsumi said. "I've been thinking… About our situation. You have been working hard on Teleport, but you haven't figured it out yet, right?"
"I know, and I'm so sorry Itsumi. I'm sure you are worried about your family and-"
"I want you to take Guide." She said, "I want to give you that piece of One for All."
Izuku blinked. It took him a second to process what she was saying, but when he did his eyes went wide. "What?! Itsumi, you can't just…"
"First of all, I can. I'm a One for All wielder and I can absolutely decide to pass it to someone else."
"But… It's Guide. You need it, right?" He asked. She shook her head.
"I've been thinking. With Ruin…"
"Ruin?"
"That's me." The Symbiote said. She nodded.
"We decided on that after we figured that Massacre, Carnage, Mania or so were a bit too much. Still, the point is that with Ruin, I can solve my problem. They can fix my issues with my Quirk, allowing me to direct the liquid out of my mouth and through the body. I could use most of my attack thanks to her anyway, and she wouldn't leave, since she depends on me just like I depend on her. I'd have to change some of my weapons, but the League can help with that easily."
"But what about One for All?"
"I… I have been thinking about it. Frankly, I've come to realize that One for All isn't my Quirk. It's a fantastic power, but I never made it really mine. I kept thinking about it like Guide was what really mattered, and One for All was just a means to an end. But you… You have One for All. You are dedicated to it. I think you deserve it more."
"But it's not true! With that Noumu at the mall…"
"Right, the Noumu. It was so long ago… Or at least it feels like it. But my point is not that I couldn't fight a Noumu. It's that I got One for All only to fix an issue, not because I deserved it. I'm thankful to my mother for giving it to me, but it was never a Quirk I had done something to deserve."
"But you proved you deserved it! You made it this far! You can't just throw it-"
"I'm not, Izuku. I'm giving it to you not because I feel I have to. I'm giving it to you because you are more suited for it. It was never a power that fit me, anyway."
"What do you mean?" Izuku asked. He wanted to understand. Why did Itsumi want this? Did she really?
Itsumi sighed. "One for All is meant to be cultivated and passed to the next generation. But I can't."
"You can't? Wh- oh." Izuku gulped.
"You understand, right? Even if I have One for All, even if I'm training it to get stronger, I can only ever pass the portion with Guide. My portion would hurt the user, because they would always be at risk of awakening my Vestige by itself and blowing up their own throat." She brought a hand to her neck. When she did, Izuku noticed not for the first time a small scar at the base of it. Most likely all that was left of her first activation, when she had almost killed herself. "I'm not the right person for One for All, Izuku. I never was. I can't help it grow, it's not enough to help me defeat Alien King by itself, and I don't need it anymore." She looked down, "Please, take it…"
"But Itsumi, I can't just steal it from your universe-"
"And I want to go home!" She suddenly shouted, "I-I want to help you defeat Alien King, All for Deku, and All for One and Tomura Shigaraki, but I want to go home! I don't want to get involved again, and again, and again into some weird Multiverse adventure! First the Dragon, now the True League... I want to know that my mother and father are safe! I want to see my friends again! I want my life back!" She took a breath and Izuku realized that she was crying, "I miss them, Izuku. A-And I know you do too. You are always trying to look at something else, always trying to talk with someone else about growing stronger and not wasting time, but I know you also want to go home. So please, Izuku." She closed her hands around his and looked up at him, "Please. Take Guide and use it to give us a way back."
"You could go home, the League would take you…"
"But I refuse to go without you! Or without Ojiro, Shoto and the people we have been working to get on our side! Not without knowing I didn't just waste time here! Midoriya, please…"
Izuku gulped. The silence between them stretched on.
"Can I... Can I think about it?" Izuku finally asked. He felt it was almost cowardly to ask, but he needed time to think. He needed to give her time to take back the offer if she reconsidered. It just wasn't possible she wanted him to have her One for All. It didn't make sense! It... It didn't make sense that this would happen again! "We don't even know if it would work..."
"I asked Kiruka. She said that this amount should be fine. Cramming too much One for All in one person is too dangerous, so they never tried normally, but adding one more Vestige to yours won't kill you, not now that you are at this stage." She replied instantly.
"How long have you been thinking about..."
"Since I got Ruin and we confirmed they can replace One for All." Itsumi replied, then she shook her head, "I'll let you think about it, Deku." The way she looked at him made it clear what she thought. That she wouldn't change her mind, "I think I will-"
"Wait." Deku raised his hand. He had to answer, didn't he? He had to give her something. Agree or refuse, but he had to answer and put her at ease. But what to answer? He wanted to say no, but with Guide they could go home. With Guide he would have even more strength to beat his enemies. With Guide... But was it worth it stealing from another world? Was it worth taking what belonged to another world? Would he even be able to give it back? He took a deep breath. "I think I have an answer."
Itsumi looked at him and nodded. She listened.
(XX)
Guests:
Revenant from Locked in Digital by Rogue Druid
Kitsune from Quirked by armoryofstars
Pied Piper from Pied Piper by blackholeca
Mastermind from Villain Notebook for the Future by Mean and Turf
Spider-Man inspired by Amazing Fantasy by The Infamous Man
Spider-Man (Superior) from Superior Legacy by Saint Danielle
Horizon from Horizon: Star Driven by Rogue Druid
Uh, actually every Izuku in this chapter is a guest except for Deku. That's a funny thing. Man, there are a LOT of Izukus in this story, who'd have guessed?
Ah, Revenant, you somehow end up getting involved with people that want to train with you no matter if you are home or away. At least these guys just want some pointers...
Mastermind naturally is having is fun. A master thief across the Multiverse, he couldn't resist the idea of doing at least one theft, right? At least this one was for a good cause. `:p
And here is Richard Satter! Long-awaited, long-expected, finally introduced! Yes, he is an alternate Rikido Sato! Maybe a bit of a weird choice, but I feel weird choices fit the Multiverse, don't they?
... Oh, and you want me to talk about Guide, Deku and Itsumi. Well, I think the question is fairly obvious: will Izuku take the offer? Or will he refuse and insist Itsumi should keep her Guide? In a way, Ruin has given Itsumi what she needed, a way to keep her own power in check without Guide, since they can carry the fluid through her body and out safely, but... Well, it doesn't exactly do the same as Guide right? It's a different power, and one that will require her to rethink her skills. It's not as easy as she makes it sound.
What will Izuku do? Only time will tell!