CHAPTER 7: INTERLUDE

(The day after the entrance exam)

I took a deep breath. I was on the street, a mask resembling Spectra from Bakugan and a scarf worked in tandem to cover my face with my hood up to hide my hair. My physique was mostly hidden between the articles of clothing, so no chance of being easily identified. Luckily, Mom didn't notice my getup as I was leaving the house like this, which was good, because I didn't want to have to explain it.

I hadn't been in this area of town for the last couple of months because I thought Nighteye might try to find me, but now, I feel comfortable enough to try again.

I had a letter tucked in the outside pocket, ready to give a second letter to Sir Nighteye. It was time I arranged a time and place to meet them. I rounded the final corner and began walking towards the agency. I dunno what Nighteye would expect to hear from me, but what I didn't expect was to see a plain white envelope with the name 'Oracle' written on it.

Could it be a trap? Almost certainly. But at the same time, he was probably unsure of the validity of my letter. Which begs the question of how long he had been putting up this letter for.

Shrugging mentally, I walked up to the letter and took it with no witnesses, walking until I found an abandoned building to read in relative privacy. What kind of trap could he hide in a letter? A nanite camera? I dunno if technology was that far ahead quite yet.

Wait… is someone following me? I looked over my shoulder to see a scrap of red disappear. Red… it was him, wasn't it?

I picked up the pace, speed-walking so hard my legs ached a little from the unusual motion. Eventually, I saw him again, a fleck of yellow vanishing into a corner.

I kept moving though, not wanting to make him suspicious. I mean, I guess I'd be suspicious anyway with this getup and my walking speed, but I had to minimize attention. I ducked into an alley and walked further until I came upon an abandoned building. I waited for a couple of moments before removing the letter from my pocket.

I feigned looking around to ensure no one was there, knowing full well that there was someone. With that, I opened the letter.

Oracle,

Bubble Girl found your letter and delivered it to me. You are in possession of information that by all rights you should not have. You claim to be on our side, but how do we know that for certain? Your knowledge of All For One doesn't exactly aid your proclamation of innocence.

It's particularly interesting how you referred to young Togata as my chosen successor of One For All and how you defended All Might's choice of Midoriya, claiming that the timeline depended on it. This is more than a simple look into the future can provide. My predictions are never wrong, so how are you so certain that one involving his death is?

If you truly want to earn our trust, come to Dagobah Municipal Beach at 7:00 PM in two days, where we can discuss this face to face. Both All Might and myself will be there. If you do not show up, you'll be deemed untrustworthy and ultimately a threat.

Nighteye

Well, he doesn't screw around.

Impersonating Bane's voice from Dark Knight Rises, I spoke, deciding to cut my observer some slack. "Well, Nighteye, I think you'll find I'm a man of my word."

I looked behind me, keeping up the voice. "You can come out now, Togata of the Big Three."

Mirio POV (Earlier…)

Permeation requires a lot of work, but with said work I've become a formidable fighter. My ultimate move, Phantom Threat, is the epitome of complete permeation's speed and power.

But I was also working on partially phasing. Stealth and blending in has its place too, and when Sir asked me to watch an important letter to ensure it went to its sender and tail whoever grabbed it, I jumped at the chance. I had phased into the wall just out of view of the person at the door and waited.

And waited…

And waited…

If only all patrols were this dull, that'd mean there were no Villains around, and then people would smile a lot more.

It took another twenty minutes before someone came for the letter. His facial features and body shape was concealed behind a weird-looking red bird mask over his eyes and cheekbones, a black scarf over his face, a dark blue hoodie, and a thick black vest on top of that. Wouldn't that get hot? They speed-walked away, tucking the letter into the vest pocket. I phased through the wall and to the other side, keeping out of sight as best I could with my Quirk.

I poked my head out of a shadowy corner of the building he went into so I could listen to him, but he read to himself, silently. I was kinda surprised to hear an English accent speaking flawless Japanese.

I was even more surprised when I heard him call me out. I dropped onto the floor, straightening up

"Y'know, you've got Sir spooked… Oracle, is it? I expected you to be taller."

He turned towards me, about five feet tall, a shift in the fabric indicating that he was smiling beneath his mask and scarf. He wasn't the least bit surprised.

"Correct, I am Oracle. And you're Mirio Togata. Quirk: Permeation. You can phase through objects, even into the ground, and pop back out for high speed attacks. I saw you at the Sports Festival last year… Nighteye had you watching the letter, didn't he." It was more of a statement than a question.

I awkwardly scratched my head, playing up the part as I masked my confusion. This guy was perceptive, and he was knowledgeable. A dangerous combination, kinda like Sir that way. "Kinda. He told me not to let myself be seen though, so I guess I partially failed."

"Actually, it's a good thing you decided to reveal yourself once I called you out."

He held the letter out to me, trying to do what I think is an eye-smile. "Take this back to him. Tell him I will meet him there, and to expect a show of good faith upon our meeting."

I took the letter back, smiling all the while, trying to keep the conversation going. "Oh really? What kind?"

He shrugged. "The most precious kind at this stage. Information."

He closed his eyes, a low chuckle in his throat. "Nighteye may be able to see the future, but his vision is limited, and can only be used for a set amount of time. I, however, have seen a ways into the future, play by play. I'm unsure on the precise dates, but my vision detailed events that take place over the course of this next year, perhaps less."

I was floored at this information. A more comprehensive future vision than Sir? That was crazy! "Events over the course of a year? You're right, Sir hasn't seen the future like that. His future sight is very specific."

He held up a finger. He wore black gloves, so I couldn't quite tell what his skin tone was. "There is just one complication. My visions are subject to change, and are not set in stone like most of Nighteye's due to my knowledge. If I tell a person how an event happens, it won't transpire the same way."

I grew more serious. "Why not talk to him directly then? Why resort to a letter?"

He put his hands in his vest pockets, adopting a casual look. "Because in all my visions, I am not there. By existing in those moments, I create a butterfly effect that could derail the entire timeline."

He's revealed a lot. What does he gain from being so secretive then if he's just gonna give me all this to work with? "Then why trust me with this? If it's really that important that you don't appear in these events, why influence them anyway by contacting Nighteye and speaking to me?"

What I heard next startled me. A timid voice, very different from the accent he was using before, came from behind the mask.

"Because I know I can count on you, Mirio."

A voice I was very familiar with.

"Amajiki?!"

Then his sleeves burst with smoke, startling and disorienting me. Except it wasn't actually smoke. It was flour and pepper, and a little bit of chili powder from the smell of it and the stinging in my eyes.

I coughed madly, stumbling blindly. If I took a deep breath and permeated, I would almost certainly cough, lose concentration, and be spit right back out of the pavement. There was also no guarantee I would end up somewhere safe.

Did he anticipate me? No, he couldn't have. He must have this as a defensive measure just in case someone tailed him.

I staggered into the open. It couldn't have been Amajiki, he was too short for that. Oracle threw me by mimicking Amajiki's voice, and used the smokescreen to escape… but how did he know about Amajiki?

Wait, what was I holding? I looked down to see that I still held the letter in my hand.

He didn't touch it with his bare hands, so there's no chance of fingerprints.

The arm holding the letter dropped to my side. He claimed he saw the future, does that mean he saw Amajiki too? Who else did he see? Sir and All Might, obviously, based on what I was told, but who else?

I walked back to the agency, doing my best to try to piece this together. Sir wasn't going to be too happy Oracle slipped away from me, but hopefully he won't be too upset once he hears what I managed to figure out.

Wonder if he really will show up to the beach?

My POV

It went without saying that I was going to go, otherwise my tentative allies could become my enemies.

If I was going to be there, I knew I couldn't let them recognize my voice. Luckily, I had just established what 'Oracle's voice was, so that was no problem.

I shook the remnants of my homemade smoke bombs out of my sleeves. I can safely say the first test was a success. I bought a bag of small bag of plastic eggs, filed them away to the point the casing was very thin, then filled them with the necessary ingredients. It wasn't hard to make my own detonator out of my sweat.

The trigger works on a similar principle as my eventual Hero Costume gauntlets.. Compressed nitro-sweat added to a small container, with a disruption in said container setting it off. The thing about nitroglycerin is that it explodes at vibrations, or even on small impacts like, say, crushing a small capsule in the center of a powdery explosive in my hand, coupled with a tiny explosion from my own hand. Thankfully, Mom didn't seem to notice my buying the shells and swiping the flour and pepper, which is good.

She's kinda oblivious, but I guess that comes with having the sensitivity of a sledgehammer.

I patted my gloved hands off as I walked home. The next couple days were going to be crazy as I work on my plan while also prepping for UA.

Nighteye POV (Two days later..)

I glanced at my watch as I stood on the sand, waiting for the others to arrive.

6:55 PM.

I was wearing a casual outfit consisting of a button-up shirt and jeans so as to not draw attention. No one else was there except for me currently. Good, that would mean no witnesses or complications.

A truck pulled up on the road. All Might is here, him, I can be certain that whoever it was won't get away.

The blonde skeleton-man walked down the steps and faced me.

"Nighteye."

"All Might. Good to see you decided to come."

"Yeah." We stood in silence for a few moments before he spoke again.

"Nighteye, listen. I've been thinking, and I'm sorry. I was wrong. I pushed you away when you were trying to help me."

I gave a small smile. After Oracle's letter, I too had done some thinking. "I didn't resent you for what happened between us. All I ever wanted was for you to be happy. That's why I took an interest in young Togata, and reacted adversely when I learned you had found a successor."

All Might looked pretty happy at those words. "I didn't really hold anything against you either, I just felt so uncomfortable with talking to you after we parted ways."

I nodded. I was about to say something else when I noticed we weren't alone.

"Well now, it seems I may be intruding." A man fitting Togata's description stood on the wall above, red mask and all, his scarf blowing in the light breeze present.

I had one of my combat seals out of my pocket and in my hand discreetly, ready to throw at a moment's notice.

"You must be Oracle. At last we meet face to face." Now we could get some answers.

He nodded. "Yes. You are Sir Nighteye and All Might. I said I would be here. I am a man of my word."

All Might's eyes widened, mirroring my emotions exactly. This guy knew the skeleton of a man beside me was the Symbol of Peace. This could not mean anything good.

"I sense your confusion. I know this form because in the future it becomes revealed to the world. How, I can't say yet for fear of changing the timeline."

"The future can't be changed. Now then, I believe my protegé said you mentioned a show of good faith in the form of information." I've tried through many means to change the future I forsee, but there is absolutely no changing it. I've become so frustrated, I've given up on trying to change it with the exception of Togata.

He nodded and pulled out an envelope. "Of course. Here. Contained, you will find Quirks and appearances of the Eight Bullets of the Shie Hassaikai. According to my visions, you mount an investigation and subsequent raid on their hideout, effectively busting Kai Chisaki AKA Overhaul."

I took the file warily, knowing that it could be trapped. "Very well. Now, to business. Young Togata told me about your encounter, and your vocal mimickry. Tell me, is that even your real voice?"

He held out his hands to the side, a placating gesture. "No. You'll likely discover who I am soon enough. As will Midoriya."

All Might took a warning step towards him. "About that. How do you know Young Midoriya? Only Recovery Girl and Nighteye know about him, for the time being."

He held his hands as if he were able to stop All Might somehow. "Whoa there. He's a pivotal part of the future, facing off against the successor of the one you thought you killed."

All Might stared, his weakened form seeming to exaggerate his worry. "You can't mean him. I made sure he was dead."

I remained silent, awaiting this man's response, Based on the sigh and slouching head, it wasn't the answer we wanted to hear.

"All For One lives. I'm unsure how, maybe he used a superspeed Quirk to speed up his heart to the point where it looked like he flatlined, I have no idea. Point is, he's alive, and amassing people to his cause. His initial attack will be mostly cannon fodder, but the second and more coordinated attack will consist of fewer, more skilled people."

I chose to speak again, growing more fearful. "Hold on, how far ahead was your vision? And how long was the timeline of events?"

He shrugged. "What I definitively saw went from the start of the school year to the beginning of winter. After that, it's a few scattered events from the weeks or months after. An event here, an important reveal there, I'm still working to understand them."

That lined up with what Togata reported. At least we know he's unwilling to lie about that. All Might paused. "You said in your letter that my choosing Midoriyato be my successor was the most favourable timeline. How did you figure that out?"

Oracle placed his gloved fingers on his masked chin. "Well, it's a bit hard to explain, so think of it in terms of a story. One event has consequences that trigger another with a definitive conclusion in mind at the end. I do know what lays at the end, but not what happens in the confines of the third act. The main character of this story is Izuku Midoriya, and a lot of positive events occur because of his existence in the timeline. I called it the most favourable one, but more accurately it's the timeline that I have seen and am able to predict. It's subject to change Nighteye, regardless of your beliefs."

I held up my hand to stop him. "You said Midoriya was important to the timeline, but what about Togata, or All Might, or anyone else? What roles do they play?"

He smiled, based on the shifting fabric. "I can't be too specific for fear of changing the timeline, but Togata does indeed play an important role, All Might even more so, as do the other people surrounding Midoriya. Once Midoriya and Togata meet, eventually the former will come to work at your agency for the work study program, and that's when you raid the Hassaikai headquarters. On that topic, the intel I gave you should give you an easier time and longer to prepare countermeasures."

He placed his fingers on his chin in thought. "Young Bakugo will play a pivotal role as well as Midoriya's best friend."

That was a name I didn't expect to hear.

"Katsuki Bakugo? I should have figured that he would be involved too. He doesn't know about One For All, does he?" All Might looked vaguely concerned. He had told me about the young man's encounter with him and Midoriya while they were training. He seems like an honest soul, but not necessarily one that would keep secrets.

"No. But based on what I have foreseen, he will eventually. Keep your perceptions about him at bay until you have met him gentlemen, he harbours secrets of his own."

It was impossible to tell what the man was thinking due to his mask. Was it even a man? It could be a kid for all I know. It was equally impossible to tell if they were lying, despite the earlier test.

"Are these secrets things that will play a big part later? All For One is alive, so there's no telling what's gonna happen." All Might looked worried, stressed even. I looked back at Oracle to see that he was adjusting his sleeves. The smoke bombs.

"I don't know. I am a seer of the future, but that does not mean that I have all the answers. I shall contact you gentlemen again shortly."

I hurled the seal and shot forwards, aimed to grab his arm before he could set off the smokescreen. "Not so fast. Let's see who you really are."

He dodged both attacks, eye-smiling. "I'm afraid that won't happen. I'll reveal myself in due time. Farewell, Symbols of Peace and Guidance. We shall meet again."

With that, there was an explosion of white powder, catching All Might off guard.

I rubbed my eyes furiously with my shirt, and I could hear All Might coughing before buffing up. I knew about it, but he still caught me with my guard down.

"TEXAS SMASH!"

The smokescreen blew away, but Oracle was nowhere in sight. Instead, there was a note flying in the breeze created by All Might's attack down the beach.

"All Might! That piece of paper! It may be a note left by him!"

"I'M ON IT!" The Symbol of Peace shot and grabbed it before it could land in the water. He brought it over, depowering quickly. Luckily, no one saw that, but it was a miracle no one did.

He held up the note, which read:

I will support Midoriya and you two from the shadows. The time is not yet right, but when you hear these words, you will know that I have stepped in to change the future.

This current peace is a lie

There is only rage

Through rage I gain strength

Through strength I gain power

Through power I gain victory

Through victory my chains are broken

Victory will set me free

I will contact you again after the Sports Festival, once the events of the timeline have begun to take shape. You will know when the time comes.

Farewell,

Oracle

All Might pointed out the obvious. "Well, at least he gave us some answers, but those have only led to more questions."

I nodded and held up the envelope Oracle had given me. "We shall have to wait and see if he can do good on his promises. I'll take the intel back to my agency and match the intel up against what we currently have on the Shie Hassaikai. Hopefully, this will help in giving us the edge once we arrive on the day the raid takes place. Still something about this seems suspicious."

The skeleton of a man nodded, looking deep in thought. "I had a feeling All For One had something to do with this, but I never guessed he would still be alive."

"On another note…"

I turned to All Might and smiled. "I'm glad we could finally meet face to face and reconcile after all these years. Even if it did take someone who knows far more than he should to do it."

He scratched his head. "Well, you know how much the Symbol means to the people. They need to know that I am here. For now at least. The longer I can keep this up the better, especially now that All For One is back."

I nodded. "That doesn't mean I don't worry about you pushing yourself."

"Touché."

(A week after the entrance exam)

Deku POV

The holographic screen deactivated and the device powered down. I can't believe it… I actually passed! I made it into UA! And that girl, Uraraka, she tried to give me some of her points. That was really nice of her. I should try to talk to her later.

I could hear footsteps pacing outside of my room. Mom. She's probably anxious about my odds of entry.

I opened the door, seeing the nervous face staring back morph into one of happiness upon seeing mine. She threw her arms around me with a smile. "You made it! I'm so happy for you. You finally unlock your Quirk and you passed the exam."

I smiled and hugged back. When I had first gotten home from the exam, I was such a silent nervous wreck that I even avoided Kacchan.

"My dream is coming true!"

*Bambambam* "Deku?" *bambambam* "Deku?" *bambambam* "Deku?"

There was only one person I knew who knocked like that, and only when he was excited beyond belief.

I let go of Mom and walked to the door. Upon opening it, I was greeted by the widest smile I had ever seen from Kacchan. "My test results just came back! I'm going to UA! What about you?"

I smiled and nodded. "Yeah, me too!"

Then I was tackled with a hug and lifted into the air. "This is awesome!"

I squirmed and tried to push out of his grasp, wheezing a little. "Kacchan, I appreciate the enthusiasm, but I'd rather not survive the Entrance Exam just to have my ribs broken by an over-exuberant hug,"

He put me down, his smile remaining. "Sorry, sorry, this is just too good to be true! My best friend is attending UA with me!"

I nodded. "Yeah. After a bit, maybe I'll be the one protecting you for a change."

My best friend folded his arms and cocked his head. "Not until you get that power under control. I heard from Recovery Girl about what it did to you in the practical exam. I'll grant you that you aren't as timid as you used to be, but you've still got a long way to go."

I scratched the back of my head. "Yeah, you're right. But the reverse is also true. You think more than you used to, but you can't jump to my defense all the time anymore."

He nodded. "Perhaps, but don't forget that even you'll need help."

"Hello Katsuki. It's a happy day all around today, isn't it?"

Mom walked up from the corner as Kacchan turned his massive grin on her. "Darn skippy, Auntie! We both got into UA, so you can bet I'm gonna be telling everyone!"

I placed a hand on his shoulder. "Um, not all in person tonight, I hope. I doubt everyone else will be as awake or receptive to you knocking at their front door at this hour."

The blonde bomber slouched a little, "Sorry for disturbing you guys, I was just so excited I ran all the way here. I'm still partially in denial that this is really happening!"

I smiled. "We'd better get used to the idea."

"Through early morning fog I see / visions of the things to be / The pains that are withheld for me / I realize and I can seeeeee…"

The music was in English, but Kacchan understood it. He had a knack for English thanks to listening to a bunch of songs from overseas, or at least that's what he told me. He even taught me a few basic things. But to put an English song as his ringtone? That was a bit unusual.

Kacchan reached into his musical pocket, retrieving his phone and looking at the display. Grimacing, he pressed talk and held the phone to his ear. I knew who it was.

"Hi Mom."

"GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW!"

The voice burst from the speaker, causing the sword-wielder's head to snap away from the phone, wincing from the volume. "Okay, okay, I was just telling Deku that I passed the entrance exam. He did too."

"Good for him. If a Quirkless brat can pass the exam, he must be something special."

"He unlocked his Quirk during the exam, a power type."

"...put me on speaker."

He looked almost apologetic as he pressed the button. "You're on speaker."

I gave him a sympathetic look before turning my attention to the device in front of me. "Hey Auntie Mitsuki."

"IZUKU! Congratulations on passing the exam and getting a Quirk. I knew you weren't as weak as you let on!"

…is that a compliment or an insult? "Um… thanks. Kacchan did a lot better than me though."

"Yeah, but he's had his Quirk for years, I expected him to do well."

Kacchan rolled his eyes and muttered. "Says the woman who acted surprised when I was first on the test scoreboard."

His mom spoke up again. "Well, it was nice talking to you but this brat needs to get home before I give him the beating of his life for not telling me about your Quirk."

Kacchan grinned, ready for a challenge. "You'll tap out trying. Sorry to barge in and barge out on you like this Deku, but my mom has a point."

I nodded as he hung up and put the phone back in his pocket. "Yeah. She can be pretty tenacious when she wants to be. Well, I'll see you later Kacchan."

"Bye Deku. Bye Auntie." He waved at my mom, who had been observing the whole scenario with a warm smile and waved back.

As the door closed behind him, I smiled.

We were going to UA!

Aaaaaaand scene! It's a chapter without much happening, but I felt like a small story in the week waiting for the entrance exam was necessary, as I couldn't just leave the letter to Nighteye to sit there until the Shie Hassaikai arc. I also decided to write most of this from outside SI-Bakugo's perspective. Let me know how I did. To restate what I said in the previous chapter, I am freezing the shipping poll until I write some more interactions between Kendo and Yaoyorozu. I plan to reopen the poll after the USJ attack.

Also, it seems there's some confusion over Sword Skill, so allow me to clear it up. The name is a bit inaccurate, as it allows SI-Bakugo to generate energy from his hands, which he can coat whatever he holds in. The energy possesses a very high temperature, able to melt or burn through most objects given time. A coated blade can cut through anything thanks to the insane temperature. Using explosion through a coated hand gives it more destructive power, but more kickback as a result. There are more details in Chapter 5.

As it stands now, UA is going to be different compared to the canon timeline. A few breadcrumbs will be dropped for those who can catch them, but Bakugo's reincarnation isn't all that it seems. That's all I'm going to say for now.

So, until next chapter, PM or review my story (I read every review and message), and have a nice day, folks!