Chapter 11: Fireworks
By the time they were allowed out of the hospital, they only had a few days left in their internships. Izuku did his best not to piss off Endeavor any more than he already had, but the pro had gone back to pretending Izuku didn't exist. Izuku was not disappointed by this.
He spent his time on patrols with various sidekicks, with strict orders not to fight anyone. Who knew doing nothing was literally the hardest possible thing to do? The sidekicks even held on to his bracers to make sure he didn't run off without them.
He was more than ready for the week to end until he actually made it back to Aizawa's house.
Hizashi read him the riot act for jumping into such a dangerous situation, while Aizawa gave him an unimpressed disappointed stare.
Katsuki's scolding was worse than both of his guardians combined. "You can't do stupid shit like that anymore! You're not a vigilante, and I forbid you from getting killed because you were a dumbass!"
"Kacchan…" The anger came from a place of worry and fear, Izuku knew, but Katsuki did a good job of burying his actual emotions.
"No, Deku, shut up!" he yelled. He'd invited himself over the night before classes started again, barging in once Hizashi started to open the door. He'd been yelling at Izuku in the living room ever since. Hizashi and Aizawa wisely retreated to their bedroom. "We're gonna be pros, and I need you to survive until then!"
"I will, I promise," Izuku said. "But if I hadn't jumped in, Iida would be dead right now. Yell at me all you want, I don't regret what I did."
Katsuki growled. Small explosions popped in his hands. If they weren't in their teacher's house, he might have shoved them against Izuku to get his point across like when they were kids. "You are going to be the death of me, I swear."
Izuku nodded, leaning forward on the couch with his chin in his hands. "Sooo how was your internship?"
"I don't want to talk about it!" He huffed and crossed his arms, sinking onto the couch next to him and glaring at the wall while his ears turned red.
"Oh, come on, you know about mine!" Izuku poked his arm repeatedly. "What was Best Jeanist like?"
Katsuki's expression darkened considerably, and Izuku relented in his poking. "He didn't teach me a damn thing."
That was a clear sign Katsuki had not had a good week, which was ironic considering Izuku had been the one to almost die and ended up in the hospital. But he wasn't going to push Katsuki on it anymore. Contrary to what everyone else believed, he did value his own life.
He offered to make tea as a peace offering, and once they were calmly in the kitchen Aizawa and Hizashi risked coming out of hiding.
Xx
Finals were always a headache, but this year in particular was making Aizawa question his decision to keep teaching. With the universe determined to keep targeting his kids, they needed to revamp almost the entire curriculum. Mindless robots weren't good enough anymore.
He'd been arguing against them ever since he was a student, so he wasn't sad to see them go. His sleep schedule mourned the change, as he lost a few nights figuring out what to replace them with.
Nedzu took to the change a little too enthusiastically during the staff meeting. "I agree, the robots simply aren't enough anymore. Did you have something in mind to replace them?"
"They need to go up against human opponents that can think and adapt. If we set them up in pairs and you participate, there're enough of us to each take on a pair."
Nedzu's ears twitched at the thought of participating. He didn't often get to be hands on with the students, and testing them directly spoke to his more…animalistic side. "Interesting. Let's hear your thoughts on the pairs."
He and Vlad King both came prepared with preliminary lists of the pairs and what teachers to pit against them. Each pair had different weaknesses they needed to work on, be it teamwork or strategy or a physical setback.
"I have one suggestion," Nedzu said at the end. "I'd like to switch Sasaki with Uraraka."
Aizawa frowned at his notes. His original plan was to pair Izuku with Aoyama against Thirteen; her Black holes would be a challenge for his fire quirk, not to mention the challenge of the two students working together. They'd barely shared a single conversation all term. Uraraka and Bakugou would have similar struggles working together given how the Sports Festival had gone. Facing All Might would make it a do or die situation.
"Sasaki and Bakugou are already familiar with one another, they wouldn't have the same issues with teamwork," Aizawa said. He wasn't completely against the idea. Both students were hard headed, and Izuku was too used to rushing into things on his own, which would be a challenge no matter who his partner was.
"They might know each other well, but how well do they listen to the other's plans?" Nedzu asked.
"You're expecting them to take different approaches to the exercise," Aizawa stated. Bakugou could be counted on to rush headfirst and try and blast his way through. Izuku would be more subtle, but would he want to fight or try and make it through the gate? Would he abandon Bakugou to the fight to escape and secure a passing grade for both of them, or would he try and reason with his bull-headed best friend?
He couldn't deny, he was curious to see what the kids would do. So why the hell not? Either way, fighting All Might wouldn't be easy even if they were the perfect team. He marked the changes and Vlad started listing off the pairs for his class.
Xx
Classes started back up with a vengeance. With all the homework and training, Izuku didn't know what way was up some days. But he couldn't afford to slack off now with finals so close. He didn't want to miss the summer training camp.
Though he didn't see how failing meant you didn't go to a training camp…it seemed illogical, so he had a sneaky suspicion this was one of Aizawa's ruses. Regardless, he didn't want to fail. That would be a poor thank you to Aizawa and Nedzu for getting him into the school. So he buckled down like the rest of his class to study and practice.
Like their entrance exams, their finals had a written portion and a practical portion. He spent almost every night leading up to the written tests studying with one person or another. Everyone was nervous and determined to do their best.
The written exams fried their brains. All Izuku could do the night after the last one was lay on the couch like a potato and watch movies while Hizashi and Aizawa graded in the office.
Then came the practical exam. They were broken into pairs to face off against the teachers, and to Izuku's surprise he was paired with Katsuki. Everyone else was working with people they didn't necessarily hang out with, so it seemed like an unfair advantage to pair him with an old friend.
It seemed less unfair when he learned they'd be fighting All Might himself. Even with the extra weight slowing the hero down, Izuku and Katsuki would need every advantage they could get if they wanted to win.
It seemed easy enough. All they had to do was make sure one of them made it through the gate. Both of them were skilled enough to at least distract All Might long enough for the other to make it through.
So Izuku spent his time watching his classmates and cheering them on from the observation room. It kept his nerves down while waiting for his match.
Most people were passing, so he felt fine when he and Katsuki walked into their final. It was the city scape, and he could see the gate on the far side of the main street they were on.
"Should be easy enough for one of us to get past him," Izuku stated, leaning into some side lunges before they started and flexing his fingers.
"Fuck that. We should fight. The two of us can take him when he's got those weights on him." Katsuki stretched his palms back.
Izuku snorted. "Are you kidding? This is All Might. We don't stand a chance!" Maybe Katsuki had forgotten what All Might had done to that Noumu, but Izuku wasn't in the mood to be on the receiving end of that kind of power.
"Stop being a coward," Katsuki said. He shook out his wrists. "This'll be just like when we were kids."
"You mean when we sparred my dad?" Izuku asked, incredulous. "We never won those fights!"
"Yeah, and we're not twelve anymore."
"And this isn't my dad! This is All Might!" His best strategy for fighting his dad was running, what prayer did they have against someone impossibly stronger?
"Should be fun," Katsuki grinned.
Izuku was about to argue the merits for blowing right past All Might when the final started. And two seconds after that, both of them were blasted back by one of All Might's smashes.
They righted themselves, and then Katsuki took off with his explosions. Izuku swore and chased after him.
Xx
All Might wasn't surprised that Bakugou and Sasaki were struggling. After his starting smash, Bakugou had roared and raced to meet him, a reluctant looking Sasaki on his heels.
Even with the extra weights slowing him down, All Might didn't have a problem blasting them back again. Whether they were going to fight him or slip past him, he wasn't sure how they thought a frontal attack would be any good.
Oh, it looked Sasaki had figured that out. He forcefully dragged Bakugou to a side street.
He'd give them a moment to try and work out a plan before attacking again. The whole point of this was to see if the two of them could work together. Of everyone in Class 1A, these two were the most stubborn and independent. They seemed to be friends outside of class, but Bakugou's competitive side took no prisoners.
They're voices reached All Might from here. They disagreed on what strategy to use, then. Perhaps they needed some motivation.
He raced forward with a chuckle and sent a weak smash into the alley. They were initially blasted back by it, but then Bakugou recovered, grabbed Sasaki's arm, and blasted the two of them up to the roofs.
Alright, not bad. Young Bakugou looked out for his teammate at least, that was something.
All Might followed them up the roof. Bakugou had expected this and was waiting with an explosion ready to go.
"If you want to run away like a coward, Deku, then fine, run! I've got this!" Bakugou yelled behind him.
"Now that's not a nice thing to call your teammate," All Might said, standing up on the next roof and brushing himself off.
Bakugou winced and mumbled something.
All Might leapt over the side street to their roof.
Sasaki wrapped fire around All Might's legs, holding them together, while Bakugou aimed an explosion at chest level.
It knocked All Might off his feet, and their teamwork in that instant had been beautiful. But they were back to arguing a second later.
"One of us has to be a distraction for your stupid plan, anyway, right?" Bakugou finally yelled.
Sasaki drew up short.
"Fine, consider him distracted, now go!"
Sasaki glanced at All Might.
All Might took his time getting back to his feet to give him a chance to think about what he wanted to do. Finally, he shot out some flames and hurled himself off the edge of the roof.
Panic clenched at what was left of All Might's stomach for a moment, and judging by the expression on young Bakugou's face, he hadn't expected it either. All Might had seen plenty of heroes do the same, and it caught him off guard every time. No matter who it was, there was just something unnerving about a person jumping off a roof.
"You better keep your eyes on me!" Bakugou yelled, launching himself at All Might again.
He had power. That was undeniable. Bakugou was also agile, using explosions to move through the air like he was born from the wind itself.
Still, All Might wasn't number one for nothing. It took him a few extra seconds because of all the weight dragging down his movements, and they did blast themselves to the ground in the meantime, but All Might pinned Bakugou under a twisted rail guard and then turned to look for Sasaki.
He was riding his fire towards the gate, and he was almost there. A smash would only propel him through it, so All Might leapt after him.
Bakugou yelled a warning, the words indistinguishable from this distance, but Sasaki heard them none the less. He turned just in time to throw himself to the side and avoid the punch to his back.
All Might pulled his fist out of a crater. Hmm. It was a good thing Sasaki had dodged, he'd thought he'd pulled back enough. Oh well. He now stood between Sasaki and the gate, so it was time to see what the boy would do.
Oh, interesting, he was looking back towards Bakugou, first.
A fireball hit him upside the head, followed by another in the stomach, and then the back of the neck. All Might found himself the impact zone of veritable meteor shower. He laughed and started punching the little projectiles. "Creative strategy! But I'm afraid it's not quite good enough!"
Sasaki had made another break for the gate, but All Might grabbed him and threw him back. Sasaki yelped and tumbled head over heels, landing in a crouch.
Huh, so the boy had some combat training already. Not that he had nearly enough to fight All Might with any chance of winning. Unlike Bakugou, whose style had been 'hit hard and fast,' Sasaki's strategy was more about dodging. Given his small size, it made sense, especially against a bigger opponent like All Might.
Sasaki continued backing up, ducking and weaving under All Might's punches and retaliating with solid fire when he could. His eyes skated past All Might, towards the gate, and his gaze narrowed, shoulders tightening with the determination of a plan.
All Might surged forward to interfere, right into the new wave of fire Sasaki had shot forth. He then found himself lifted into the air on solid fire and hurled into a building. He crashed through the window and into some cheap office desks.
He shook glass off himself. That Sasaki was full of surprises.
All Might peeked out of the hole he'd made in the window and found another surprise hurtling through the air at him: the metal railing he'd pinned Bakugou with. Sasaki had used fire to pry it up and throw it at him.
All Might caught it with a laugh and tossed it aside, dropping back down to street level. Bakugou was waiting for him and wasted no time pulling the pin on his gauntlet. All Might flicked it away with a smash, demolishing half a building. He hid a wince. He hadn't meant to do that…
Sasaki blew past him again.
Laughing, All Might turned to catch him, wrapping a hand around the boy's calf. He dragged Sasaki back and slammed his back onto the ground.
And then he got an explosion to the face, followed by another one to the chest that forced him back and away from Sasaki.
By the time he blinked the spots from his eyes, Bakugou stood protectively in front of Sasaki, teeth bared and eyes feral. "Don't touch him."
Sasaki coughed and stood up behind him. "I'm okay, promise."
…These two had the strangest relationship All Might had ever seen.
"If you're okay, then get your fucking act together," Bakugou growled. "Or are you telling me all your 'special training' was just running away?"
Sasaki frowned. "Give me the cuffs.
All Might decided now was a good time to interrupt. "Don't get too caught up in your conversation, I am here!" He lunged forward, and the boys jumped apart.
They fought seriously, now. The cuffs went flying behind All Might at one point, and Sasaki grabbed them out of the air, yelling something like "Sandstorm!" that made no sense to All Might.
Bakugou grinned though, and All Might was kind of starting to fear that grin. His next explosions were aimed at the ground, and the dust rose into the air, like a smoke screen.
Ah. They thought that by blinding him he wouldn't be able to attack. A good try, but with a quick smash, he'd cleared the smoke.
The boys stood in front of him, grinning.
A cuff clicked around his wrist, still warm from the flames Sasaki had used to maneuver them. He stared at it in disbelief, and then he laughed. "Well done, you two! Very clever!"
The sign over the gate switched to Nedzu's passing picture.
"I told you the two of us could take him," Bakugou growled, crossing his arms.
"Hey, you are always yelling about how reckless I am! You don't get to yell at me now when I tried to take the safer option!" Sasaki yelled back.
Bakugou made a 'tch' sound and looked away.
Sasaki threw his hands up and stalked off to the exit. Muttering darkly, Bakugou followed after him.
All Might shook his head and watched them. The two had put up an impressive fight, even when they weren't on the same page. He couldn't help imagining how powerful either one of them would be with One For All.
Sasaki had a good head on his shoulders. He would make a wonderful hero one day. But could he be the next Symbol of Peace?
He'd have to talk with Nedzu about it.
Xx
The high of passing his final lasted for several days. Izuku made himself giddy every time he thought about it. He and Katsuki had beaten All Might! Okay, he'd been handicapped with all those weights, and all they'd had to do was get handcuffs on one wrist, not knock him out of commission or anything, but it was still a win!
The day after, Aizawa revealed that all students were going on the trip, just like Izuku had thought. His classmates started talking about getting some last minute supplies, and Hagakure suggested a shopping trip.
Izuku hadn't been planning to go out to the mall originally. He didn't need anything for the camp, and he still preferred to avoid large crowds. Then it turned into this whole class thing, and then Hizashi found out about it, and the next thing he knew he was at the Kiyashi Mall with most of his class.
Hizashi had said something about 'Bonding with other kids his age' and Aizawa hadn't said anything against it, which seemed to be all it took to convince Hizashi to drag Izuku over and drop him off at the specified time.
Izuku didn't even have Katsuki to hang out with all day. His best friend had been betrayed him and made other plans that day with his parents. He hadn't needed anything either, so he made no attempts to change his plans.
Which was fine. Izuku didn't need Katsuki around to interact with their classmates. Actually, without Katsuki's hair-trigger temper it should be easier to get along with everyone. It was so much easier to hide behind Katsuki's explosions, though. They kept the attention off of Izuku and prevented awkward conversations from even starting.
When he realized he'd rather be apologizing for Katsuki's brash behavior over having civilized conversations with his classmates Izuku started thinking Hizashi might have a point…
"Whoa, aren't those UA students?" someone in the crowd asked.
Izuku and the others around him paused in surprise, turning towards the college aged kids pointing at them.
"It's class 1A! Your sports festival totally rocked!"
"I can't believe they still remember that," Uraraka said, blushing slightly.
Izuku didn't blame her. He'd already taken a step back behind Shoji and was nervously pulling his hair down over his eyes, even though no one should have any reason to recognize him. He hadn't been in the sports festival, after all.
Still, the very idea of being recognized terrified him.
Iida moved next to him, blocking him in beside Shoji. He offered a small smile and a nod.
Blinking, Izuku slowly smiled back and relaxed a little. It was a much subtler protection than he was used to from Katsuki, and he appreciated it just as much.
The attention didn't last long, and the college kids moved on pretty quickly. Then they had to decide what stores to hit. Jiro needed a new duffel bag, while Kaminari and Hagakure needed new shoes. Mineta wanted a lock picking kit, and Izuku shuddered to think why he wanted one.
In the end, they decided to split up and get what they needed, then meet back at their current spot in an hour to properly hang out. Despite nearly the whole class being there, the only one standing by him after they split up was Uraraka.
"Looks like it's just you and me left," Izuku said, staring with wide eyes at his quickly disappearing classmates.
Uraraka looked equally surprised at how fast everyone had run off. "Yeah."
"So what do you need to shop for? I already have everything, so we can go to whatever store you need."
"I mostly just need bug spray." She glanced over at him, and her face started getting red. She was louder, almost flustered, when she said, "You know, to keep those pests away!" And then she raced off on her own, hands pressed to her face, not waiting for Izuku.
"Wait, Uraraka!" Izuku only took a few steps after her. He shook his head. "So much for bonding with my classmates." Hizashi would be so disappointed.
Well, he might as well look around. He had an hour to kill before anyone else would be back. Maybe he could find Iida, Izuku was pretty sure he'd been heading towards the shoe store with Kaminari and Hagakure.
Xx
It was unbelievable. Shigaraki kicked a crumpled burger wrapper that had missed the trashcan.
He'd unleashed three Noumu on a city, and no one even cared. Massive property damage, big fires, dozens of injuries, but it was old news as soon as it happened.
All because of Stain and that stupid video of his. After all his pretty words, the useless idiot had gotten himself captured the very same night. Now his presence was going to haunt Shigaraki. Stores were already selling his damn merchandise, like he was some kind of hero. He wanted to disintegrate all of it.
He'd broken into UA. Where was his merchandise? Why didn't they care about him?
He kicked the wrapper again, hands curling into fists in his pockets. It wasn't fair. Months of planning, years of effort, what was it for if no one was even going to pay attention? Not only that, but people followed that lowlife. They had people with actual talent looking to join the League now because they thought Stain had been with them. What was up with that? What was so special about Stain's ideals? In the end, he was just destroying what he didn't like. He wasn't any different than Shigaraki.
A kid stumbled into his leg and giggled an apology before running off again. Shigaraki growled. He should kill the brat and his family, kill everyone in this stupid mall. Would the media pay attention then?
He'd only make Sensei mad. Sensei had been working hard to teach him the value of long-term planning and not acting impulsively. Getting arrested, possibly even killed here, wouldn't help him accomplish his goals.
He glared around at the mall, like it was the stores' fault for being so useless.
His eyes landed on a familiar figure. The brat from the USJ, the one Kurogiri was so interested in. His little friend ran off, leaving him all alone.
Shigaraki's fingers twitched. It would be so easy to wrap them around his skinny little neck. The brat had ruined everything at the USJ, and so what if he could be useful to them? He was a hero in training. He couldn't be trusted.
Though, he had also been a vigilante. His morals weren't completely black and white. Maybe he could understand why Stain was getting all the attention.
Double-checking his hood, Shigaraki stalked closer. The kid's guard was down, and he barely even glanced at Shigaraki before Shigaraki threw an arm around his shoulder. "Well, if it isn't a UA student. Fancy running into you again." He delicately placed four fingers on the brat's neck.
The brat stiffened considerably. One hand reached for a pocket.
"Now, now, none of that. Hands where I can see them." He scratched the tip of his fifth nail against the brat's neck. "Don't make a scene. I'm just an old friend who ran into you at the mall."
The kid's face was torn between hatred and horror, but his hands stayed at his sides.
"Calm down, and wipe that look off your face. I just want to have a friendly conversation. But if you try and run or fight back in any other way, it'll only take seconds for me to turn you into a pile of dust." He scratched his last nail against the kid's throat. "As soon as all five fingers touch, you're dead."
Sasaki swallowed, taking a deep breath and smoothing his face. "If you did that here with so many people, a hero will come and catch you. You couldn't escape."
Shigaraki grinned. "I don't doubt that. But look at all these sheep." He gestured to the scattered people in front of them. "They're convinced they're safe because they have 'rules' and 'laws' to protect them, but any one of them could start a massacre if they wanted. After you, I could kill twenty, maybe thirty before a hero showed up."
If Kurogiri was paying attention, which he almost always was, Shigaraki might even get away with it.
"Fine, I get it," Sasaki bit out. "Let's talk."
Xx
Why was it always him? Why couldn't Izuku even go hang out at the mall with his classmates without it becoming a huge situation? Katsuki was never going to let him out of his sight after this mess and Izuku couldn't even blame him.
Seriously, of all days for Shigaraki to apparently be having an existential crisis and go wandering around a mall, it had to be today?
It was somewhat horrifying to learn that the Hero Killer hadn't actually been allied with the League, but since that was how the media made it sound it hardly mattered what the truth was. That was the reality they were dealing with, and Shigaraki wasn't happy about it.
Izuku responded when necessary, mind racing. He couldn't reach for the lighter in his pocket, or even his phone to call for help. The best he could do right now was keep talking, keep Shigaraki busy and placated and hopefully not-murderous. If he was lucky, one of his classmates would spot them and call the police or something.
Ha. Look at him, hoping someone would call the police. Aizawa would be so proud.
He wasn't even thinking about the words coming out of his mouth. Shigaraki had asked him something about the difference between him and the Hero Killer, and Izuku's stressed out brain started rambling something.
It wasn't until he risked a glance up at Shigaraki's face that he realized he should have been paying closer attention to what he said. Red eyes gleamed with murderous intent. Izuku had been on the receiving end of these looks before, but this one was different. This one wasn't aimed at him the way his father's had been. This was more manic.
So much for keeping him in a not-murderous mood.
"It's like a weight off my chest," Shigaraki said, grinning out over the crowd.
Izuku's internal monologue devolved into general swearing and screaming. What had he just done?
"I see it now, all the dots connected."
Crap had he just helped a villain?
"Why he makes me so angry, why all you brats irritate me so much. Everything makes sense."
Shigaraki's hand was still around his throat. Izuku had never felt closer to death or more helpless to stop it. Even if he reached for his lighter, he wouldn't be fast enough to stop Shigaraki.
"The problem is All Might," Shigaraki said. "It's the most rational explanation. I didn't see it even though it was right in front of me the whole time."
Had Izuku said anything about All Might? He probably had, knowing him. If he was rambling there was a ninety percent chance All Might was going to come up.
"What was I worrying about so much? It's simple! He's why these morons are able to smile so thoughtlessly!" His four fingers tightened on Izuku's throat, the fifth still carefully lifted. "It's because he's smiling thoughtlessly, too, as if there's no one in the whole world he can't save!"
He was cutting off Izuku's air. Izuku couldn't breathe.
"I feel so much better now," Shigaraki said. "I don't have to change my ways at all, it's all so simple! Oops, don't struggle now, unless you want to die! Do you want all these people here to die as well?"
What did he expect Izuku to do when he was choking him?
Shigaraki wasn't letting up. If anything, his grip was getting tighter. And why was he smiling like that? Izuku had hardly said anything worthwhile.
Forget whatever Izuku had said, if Shigaraki didn't want to make a scene he needed to ease up on Izuku's throat. If he didn't get some air soon, he was going to pass out.
"Sasaki? Is that a friend?"
He and Shigaraki both froze.
Uraraka stood a few feet away, tilting her head in confusion at them. Izuku could see her putting pieces together in her mind. "No, that can't be right. Let go of him."
Shigaraki turned his face towards her.
Shit he was going to kill her, he was going to finish crushing Izuku's windpipe and then lunge for Uraraka, and she was off guard she'd never get away in time—
He let go.
"Oh, you were here with a friend? I'm sorry, I didn't know!"
Izuku doubled over coughing, sucking the most wonderful air he'd ever breathed into his lungs.
Shigaraki leaned in close to him. "Don't even think about following me." He pushed himself up and strode off, hands in his hoodie pocket.
Uraraka came to check on him, but Izuku glared after Shigaraki, tears in his eyes. "Hold on, Shigaraki."
Uraraka gasped. "Shigaraki?"
Shigaraki paused but he didn't turn around. "Thanks for the chat, kid. Next time we see each other, I'll probably have to kill you." He kept walking.
Izuku clenched his fists. He wanted to go after him. He wanted so badly to whip out his lighter and hold him back, capture him once and for all and be done with this League nonsense.
But there were too many people. Shigaraki wasn't an easy opponent, and there were too many civilians he could take hostage. This wasn't the place for that fight.
Xx
Shigaraki returned to the bar pleased with the day's events. That Sasaki brat had really cleared a lot of things up for him. People liked the Hero Killer because he was obvious about his goals. It was easy for their simple minds to latch onto and get behind an idea that was spelled out for them.
That was all he had to do. He'd use Stain's ideals as a stepping stone, crush that fool behind him like an ant and build his own army of followers. That little ex-vigilante would never convert, he'd have to tell Kurogiri to forget about him, but there were plenty of others who could be convinced to join.
His mind drifted back to the end of the sports festival. The explosion kid looked like he was steps away from turning on everyone in that stadium. Maybe once Shigaraki laid out his convictions, the kid would finally see the light.
And wouldn't that be something? Steal one of All Might's precious students and use them to kill the great hero himself. There was a certain kind of poetry to that.
"Kurogiri," Shigaraki greeted.
The man looked up from polishing the bar. "Yes, Tomura Shigaraki?"
"I want the explosion kid from the sports festival. How do we get him?"
Xx
Aizawa was tempted to wrap Izuku up in bubble wrap and lock him in a padded room. Maybe then he could get away with not worrying about the kid for a few hours.
That was a strong 'maybe.' He wouldn't put it past Izuku to find a way to hurt himself even then.
He and Hizashi both went down to the police station to pick him up when Tsukauchi called and told them what happened.
Shigaraki had been at the damn mall. Most of his students had been at the mall at the same time as Shigaraki. Only two had had any contact with him, and Tsukauchi assured him both students were unharmed.
It didn't stop the trembling and the occasional rush of adrenaline.
Maybe he needed to lock the entire class up in a padded room for safety…
Not together, obviously. They'd kill each other within the hour.
Huh, that might actually make a good training exercise…he'd have to think about it later.
Shaking his head, he brought his mind back to the present as they met Tsukauchi and Izuku outside the station.
Because, if Shigaraki was going to make contact with any of his students at the goddamn mall, it was going to be Izuku. This kid was the definition of a trouble magnet. It still amazed him to think he'd survived two years on his own with only minimal injuries.
"Ah, Aizawa, Yamada, good to see you again," Tsukauchi greeted.
"Always a pleasure," Hizashi said. "How you holding up, kiddo?"
"I'm good," Izuku said. "Wish I could have done more than talk to Shigaraki, he got away."
Tsukauchi rolled his eyes. Aizawa got the impression they'd had this conversation before. "You did the right thing. He might have gotten away, but no one was hurt. You weren't hurt, that's what is important."
Izuku did not look convinced.
"He's not your responsibility, kid," Aizawa said. "Don't forget, you don't have clearance to legally fight anyone with your quirk."
Izuku's face twisted like he ate something sour. Aizawa had to bite his cheek to keep from laughing.
"He's right," Tsukauchi said. "Don't beat yourself up too much about this."
"Yeah." Izuku was definitely going to beat himself up about it. At the least the training camp in a few days should distract him. Until then, Aizawa would throw their cats at him.
Tsukauchi gave Izuku a gentle nudge towards them. "Have to say, I was surprised to see you two as his emergency contacts."
Ah, yes, that would be weird. "It's a complex situation," Aizawa stated.
"Need any help?" Tsukauchi offered, because Tsukauchi was the best detective ever who understood so much more than Aizawa ever said.
He was also already buried in the League of Villains investigation, and Aizawa wasn't about to drag him into this mess. "Not at the moment, but we'll keep you in mind if we need it."
Tsukauchi nodded. "Alright then, take care."
"You too!" Hizashi waved, throwing an arm around Izuku to lead him back home.
Izuku stiffened for the barest of moments before relaxing against him. It had been a long, exhausting day, and he couldn't believe that three days the only thing he was worried about were finals. Finals didn't seem all the important with this brutal reminder that Shigaraki and the League was out there, haunting the shadows. His father was out there, too, and countless other villain organizations.
It was overwhelming when he thought about it. All these heroes in the world, and there were still so many villains. He'd never questioned it before, but his exhausted mind just didn't understand how villains could still be such a threat.
He slipped into the backseat of Hizashi's car, letting the issue go for now. He was too tired to dive into that rabbit hole of thought right now.