With all of them gathered together in the stadium, All Might found himself once more in close proximity to Endeavor, and at least somewhat relieved at the thought that the Todoroki patriarch wasn't too likely to try cornering him in public to talk about One For All and the prospect of young Todoroki becoming the Ninth holder of the Quirk; a Quirk that had seen its beginnings in the hands of Yuuichiro Shigaraki's interactions with his older brother Hisashi. Of course, the presence of so many Pro Heroes in the same place also gave him the chance to reconnect with more than a few of his fellow Pros; Tenko-chan's two friends in particular, of course, since for as long as the three of them had been Pro Heroes together, more than a few people had worked to keep all three of them at the same rank.
Or, really, to make sure the three of them continued to share a rank.
Even as he listened in on the ceremony, waiting for his cue to take his own place on the stage with the rest of his fellow Pro Heroes, All Might found his thoughts drifting back to his and Hisashi's arrival. More specifically, the way that Hisashi had cuddled the pair of them before he, Inko, and Izuku had split up to head to their respective destinations. The crowd around them had cooed and 'awww'ed as Hisashi had taken Izuku's helmet off and kissed the top of his head, before he and Inko had made their way to the seats that had been reserved for them.
It really had been cute, but All Might was used to that kind of thing after living with Hisashi since just after he'd met Nana-sensei and been taken in by her and Hisashi.
As the Top Ten Pro Heroes – well, thirteen, considering their current circumstances – were each called up to the stage in reverse-order of the rank that they had gained during the previous six months, All Might paused to listen to what some of his fellow Pros had to say about their current rankings:
Number ten, Gang Orca: "I'll make sure to live up to the responsibility of this ranking."
Number nine, Ryukyu: "I don't know if I truly deserve this ranking, but I'll do everything I can to be worthy of it."
Number eight, Crust: "It's so fitting that someone as gentle as Sensei would be a father! I'll do everything I can to live up to the example that he and All Might have set!"
All Might found himself wondering, as Wash – who had managed to claim the number seven rank – came up onto the stage, whether his odd manner of speaking was an artifact of his Quirk, or just an affectation that he'd adopted for some reason or other. Still, he didn't quite know how he'd go about finding that kind of thing out, so All Might decided not to think about it.
Number six, Mirko: "If anyone out there is planning to disturb the peace, you'd better be prepared for me to send you flying!"
Number five, the all-but official team of Tenko, Touya, and their young friend Keigo Takami: "I'd just like to thank every member of our secret fangirl conspiracy," young Takami began, before both Touya and Tenko slapped one hand each over his mouth.
"Rule one of the secret fangirl conspiracy," young Tenko drawled, sounding both amused, and with a tone to his voce like that of one who had said the same thing quite a few times.
"You do not talk about the secret fangirl conspiracy," young Tenko and young Touya said, their voices overlapping almost perfectly as they spoke.
All might chuckled under his breath, continuing to listen as his fellow Pro Heroes all spoke in their turns, while also waiting for his own turn to make his way up to the stage; he'd checked the rankings before he and Hisashi had set off for this place, and the both of them had had a good laugh. It seemed the pair of them were developing their own "secret fan conspiracy". Laughing softly, All Might turned his attention back to the stage where all of his fellow Pros were standing.
The number four Pro Hero, Edgeshot, spoke next: "Compose yourselves; we're here to serve the public good."
Number three, Best Jeanist: "I'm pleased to have the support of so many people, and I will strive to remain worthy of the trust you have placed in me."
He didn't catch much of what Endeavor – Enji Todoroki, the man so determined to take the spot of Number One Pro Hero he would even accept being Number One by proxy – said, since he and Hisashi were making their own way up to the stage to stand beside the rest of their fellow Pro Heroes who had been voted into the Top Ten. Grinning wider as he and Hisashi made their way down the aisle, accompanied by the announcer telling the gathered crowd – hyping them up, really – about the fact that he and Hisashi – Sensei, while they were working – had both been voted into the rank of Number One Pro Hero.
There was the expected comparisons to the unofficial trio of Tenko, Touya, and Keigo-kun, but when it came time for Hisashi to speak a few words of his own… It was all All Might could do to not roll his eyes, though he supposed he should have been expecting the dad jokes. Really, there were times All Might found himself wondering if Hisashi had chosen the life he had specifically so he'd be able to make dad jokes.
Few enough times, yes, but there were still times he wondered about that…
~MHA~
Once the ceremony had finished, and he'd been able to meet up with his dear family once again, Hisashi laughed softly as he leaned down so that little Izuku could climb up onto his back, then continued on his way through the streets. It'd been Toshi-kun's idea for the pair of them to make a round of the city, just to assure the citizens of their continued presence, before the three of them made their return to U.A., and Inko-chan could return home to the rest of their sweet family.
However, the stalking presence of a car – just nondescript enough to stand out to him in particular once he'd located it with Panoception – gliding smoothly down the street toward the three of them remained in the back of Hisashi's mind as he and Toshi-kun continued on their way. Nudging Toshi-kun, once the car following them had cleared the meager traffic in this part of the city and was now more obviously following them, Hisashi guided Toshi-kun's attention to the car tracking the three of them – or perhaps just him and Toshi-kun – as they continued on their rounds.
The crowds of ordinary citizens seemed to be acting as at least some sort of deterrent to whoever it was driving the car, so even though the great majority of the citizens around them wished to take pictures and gain autographs on some sort of apparel or another, Hisashi found himself at least slightly pleased to be in the midst of so many people, all of them chattering and moving around almost as though they were the waves of a choppy sea. Izuku, in contrast to his usual shyness when at school and about in the general public, was in his element amid this particular crowd.
Hisashi suspected that the presence of so many Hero obsessives had a great deal to do with how comfortable Izuku was among these people, of course.
However, the crowd around them eventually dispersed as all crowds tended to do once the people who made them up had gotten what they wanted, and the car that had been following the three of them pulled up next to the sidewalk where the three of them had been walking. Raising an eyebrow, as what seemed to be the sole passenger riding in the car climbed out, Hisashi found himself annoyed and amused in nearly equal measure at the sight of Tomoyasu Chikazoku climbing up and out of what was clearly a company car from Detnerat, unmarked as it was.
"I had been hoping to speak with you, Harvest," Tomoyasu said, the disdainful expression he was wearing plain even through the curtain of hair that concealed the upper half of his face, though the expression itself was clearly directed at Toshi-kun.
"Tomo-chan," he said, pulling his lips back from his teeth. "How nice to see you again. I suppose you're here to invite me and the rest of my family to make an appearance in Deika?"
"Yes," Tomoyasu said, the slight, full-body twitch that the man who had been given the name Skeptic couldn't manage to hide from Hisashi's sharp gaze let him know that his barb had struck home. "Yotsubashi wishes to invite you and your family to stay with him in the city, considering the change in your public appearance."
"All of us?" he clarified, teeth still bared in what might have been mistaken for a smile by those who didn't know him particularly well.
~MHA~
Watching Hisashi as he steadily dismantled Chikazoku's overtures, All Might held Izuku's hand as he listened to the conversation. It was starting to look like they were going to make the trip to Deika city, so he was going to have to make preparations for All Might's patrols to be taken care of by Sir Nighteye and some of the Sidekicks that worked under him. He was also going to have to mentally prepare himself to deal with all of the people of Deika city. All the people who thought that Quirks were the be-all and end-all of someone's entire personhood.
Toshinori Shimura, as someone who had been born without a Quirk, was therefore barely worth consideration to them.
When the three of them had made their way back to U.A. once again, Toshinori shed the guise of All Might, sighing softly as he settled back down in his favorite chair; at least out of the ones that he kept in his office, anyway. Resting for a moment, Toshinori turned back to his desk for a moment to organize his paperwork. Hisashi was probably explaining the offer they'd received during their joint patrol after the latest Hero Billboard Charts had ended, so it'd be best if he was prepared to depart as soon as Hisashi returned. His old friend could be incredibly persuasive when he put his mind to it, after all.
Once he'd finished with the grading and other paperwork he'd had to do today, Toshinori looked up with a smile as he saw the door opening.
"I explained the situation to Nedzu, Toshi-kun, and he's agreed to arrange for our absences to be covered," Hisashi said, after he'd closed the door to Toshinori's office so that the pair of them would be able to speak with at least some modicum of privacy.
"That's… Good, I guess," he said, still not quite sure how he felt about their impending trip to Deika city, considering what kind of people had been seemingly invited to live there.
He didn't know just how the people of Deika city had all been gathered in that place, since the city itself was just rural enough to be out of the way for most people who might have otherwise wished to live there.
Once their respective days at U.A. had ended, Toshinori made his way back into the home that he'd shared with Hisashi, Kotaro, Nana-sensei, and the rest of the family that the three of them had brought together. He was more than happy to come back to the place that held so many happy memories for him, but the thought of going to Deika – even for just long enough for Hisashi to make it absolutely clear that he wasn't going to go along with whatever it was that Yotsubashi had in mind for him – hung over Toshinori as he packed some clothes and provisions for their trip.
Sighing as he made his way down the stairs, Toshinori met up with Hisashi and the rest of the Midoriyas; Toshinori himself being the only member of the Shimura family Yotsubashi seemed at all interested in, and not in a good way. Smiling as he felt Izuku's arms wrapping around his waist – and Tenko's, since while he hadn't precisely been invited to come with them to Deika, he was clearly still going to come along with all of them – Toshinori laughed softly as he followed the rest of his family down the path that would take them down to where Tomoyasu Chikazoku had parked the company car that had, according to Hisashi, been following them since at least the second half of their patrol after the end of the Hero Billboard Charts.
~MHA~
Narrowing his eyes under the curtain of hair that he carefully maintained to hide his expressions when he didn't wish for them to be known, Skeptic found himself more than slightly annoyed at the presence of the man with no Meta ability to his name, the one who seemed to have attached himself to Harvest. As well as the young man who had chosen to call himself Dust, in spite of the obvious fact that his own Meta ability accelerated the decay of any object he touched, rather than disintegrating it as the name he'd given himself would suggest. However, the clear fondness that young Genesis held for both of them went at least some way towards explaining Dust's presence.
As to the man who still seemed to lack a Meta ability even after spending so much time in Harvest's company… Skeptic would have to make contact with Geten and some of the young man's other friends, as they would be far more worthy companions for young Genesis.
Settling into his seat, just behind the puppet he had programmed to drive this particular transport to and from their stronghold in Deika – the place where those who served the cause of Meta-human liberation the most fervently could live out their lives in the absence of the restrictions that constrained the vast majority of society – Skeptic found himself considering the young girl from the destroyed, former Rosaru Ward. It was only natural that Harvest would offer a place in his home to one who had lost more than their own, and it made perfect sense that young Genesis would bond so closely with her. Those within Deika had also opened their own homes to the people who had once lived in that Ward, of course.
Those who had once lived in Rosaru, after all, had for the most part been those whose Meta-abilities truly set them apart; those whose Meta-abilities had been imprinted into their very flesh.
~MHA~
Turning to look out the window by his seat, Toshinori found himself of two minds about their impending stay in Deika city; on the one hand, watching Hisashi not-so-subtly roasting each and every one of Rikiya Yotsubashi's Quirkist underlings – as well as the man himself – was going to be incredibly funny, but on the other there remained the inescapable fact that he'd be stuck putting up with the Quirkist bullshit that was so prevalent among the people of Deika. Tomoyasu Chikazoku and his stiff, almost aggressive condescension was just the beginning.
Comforting himself with the fact that not a single one of them would have the nerve to backtalk Hisashi, even when he was at his most petty, spiteful, and snarky, Toshinori leaned against the window of the van their family was traveling in, watching as they left the city and made their way up into the suburbs; and from there, up into the mountains. Smiling as he caught sight of Izuku and Hisashi cuddling in the back seat, as well as Tenko and Bombalurina leaning against the pair of them, Toshinori chuckled under his breath.
It was nice to know he had at least some people who were going to be on his side when they were all staying in Deika.
~MHA~
Chewing the inside of his lower lip as he and the rest of his family climbed out of Chikazoku-san's company van, Izuku reached back to take Bambaa-chan's right hand, snuggling deeper into Dad's embrace as he caught sight of Kizuki-san. There was someone standing on Kizuki-san's right, someone with white hair wearing a heavy coat; someone who was looking at him in just the same kind of way that everyone else in Deika seemed to.
"Genesis, it's so wonderful to have you and your father back here in our fair city," Hanabata-san, who he'd been trying to ignore, smiled as he came over to hand him a basket of assorted sweets.
"Uhm, thanks," he said, smiling as best as he could as he took the offered basket.
There was no real way for him to find out just how many people had added their blood, hair, skin, or eyelashes to the mix while the sweets he was holding were being made; that was how he'd gotten more than a few of the Quirks he possessed, back when he was just a little kid. Back before he'd learned just why it was that the people of Deika had been so willing to give him copies of their Quirks. Before he'd found out just what kind of people lived in Deika.
Before he'd really understood the way they treated Uncle Toshi.
After they'd all finished the complimentary dinner that had been spread out for them, with Izuku discreetly checking to make sure that none of the food he was being offered had been tampered with in any way, he, Dad, Bambaa-chan, Tenko-nii, Mom, and Uncle Toshi all made their way to the rooms that Yotsubashi-san had offered to let them stay in while they were all in Deika together. None of the three people following them had seemed particularly happy about letting Uncle Toshi stay with them, but as always Dad was right there to smooth things over.
And to not-so-subtly roast Hanabata-san, who seemed to be the one making the most strenuous objections to Uncle Toshi staying with them; making his way over to give Uncle Toshi a firm hug around the waist, Izuku frowned up at Hanabata-san.
~MHA~
Narrowing his eyes as he considered the room where Harvest, Genesis, and the rest of their family were staying, Skeptic found that his thoughts kept drifting back to the large-framed blond man – the one who apparently lacked a Meta ability entirely – who did seem to have been taken in by Genesis in particular, if the way the child had behaved toward him was any indication.
"Shadow Walker," he called, turning to the man who had served him for nearly the entirety of their respective associations.
"Sir."
"I want you to keep watch over that man," he said. "The one who came to us in Harvest's company."
"Yes, sir," Shadow Walker said, offering a brief salute, before turning to make his way back to the room that had been set up to aid him in making use of the Meta ability that he had been born with.
Narrowing his eyes just that much farther, Skeptic checked in with one of his other agents. It was possible that the man that Harvest had taken such an interest in – even to the point of allowing young Genesis to form some sort of attachment to him, which carried the kind of implications that Skeptic was rather displeased by – possessed at least some sort of rudimentary Meta ability. Therefore, he would be dispatching one of his other subordinates – a man with the ability to draw out and activate the Meta abilities of those around him – to see what could truly be made of the man Harvest seemed to have taken under his wing.
To see if the man was at all worthy of the time Harvest was clearly spending upon him.
~MHA~
The next morning, once he'd been given his marching orders, Agent Provocateur made his way out to the eating area where Master Skeptic had informed him that Harvest, his family, and the man who seemed to have no Meta ability of his own had all taken their seats together. They had been given a wide berth, of course, both in deference to the status that Harvest and Genesis' had naturally granted them among the people of Deika, as well as the presence of the man who seemed to have no Meta ability of his own.
Such a thing more than served his purposes, of course.
Calling upon the ability he had named Meta Command, Agent Provocateur touched the man's broad right shoulder and allowed his ability to go to work…
~MHA~
The feel of someone's hand on his shoulder was the only warning Toshinori had, before One For All flared up and the sound of surprised people all around him drew his attention. However, there were more people than just the ones who'd been sitting in the breakfast area with him. In fact, there were even more people than just the few who'd been willing to be seen in the company of someone who sympathized with the Quirkless as much as Hisashi did. Or those people who were still trying to win Hisashi over to their side.
Not that that was likely going to work, but he of all people knew that hope sprung eternal.
These new people, on the other hand… Wait, I think I've seen that guy before, Toshinori found himself thinking, even as he made his way over to where the white-haired…
"Yuuichiro?" he asked, his recollection of the man who should not have been standing in front of him snapping into place with what felt like an almost physical impact. "Yuuichiro Shigaraki?"
"Teleportation," breathed a man standing behind him; the same man, Toshinori suspected, who had been responsible for Yuuichiro Shigaraki appearing in the first place.
"The hell was that?" demanded a gruff voice, as a large, tough-looking man came over from where he'd ended up in the breakfast room that seemed like it held the eight of the nine previous holders of One For All.
All of the ones who'd been dead, last he heard.