"Not too bad, Midoriya," Mirko says between bites. "I've had worse for sure."

"T-thanks. It's actually a recipe from Lunch Rush's official autobiography and cookbook," Izuku mutters, quickly tucking into his own meal to ease his embarrassment.

It's the first time in a long while he's had a proper meal like this with someone who isn't his mother, and he's not quite sure how he feels about it.

"Lunch Rush? Wh- oh yeah, that guy… don't really read that kinda stuff, honestly. So you're a fan of his too, huh?" Mirko responds airily.

"O-of course. I admire every single Hero," Izuku earnestly declares. "No matter their Rank or Quirk."

"Ah, and here I thought I was special. Guess that means I'm just part of the crowd then," she replies with a sly smirk.

"I, you're, i-it's just that… y-you're definitely one of my f-favourites, Miss Mirko," the green-eyed teen confesses shyly, unable to look her in the eye.

Mirko's grin widens as she sets her plate aside.

"But not number one?"

Izuku lets out a nervous laugh but quickly fills his mouth again, earning an amused chuckle.

"Hah. Now I'm a little curious; just which Hero do ya like the most, then?" Mirko asks, resting her chin on the back of her hand as she peers at him.

"All Might," he states without hesitation before swallowing the last bite.

White ears pull back as the Rabbit Hero guffaws, shaking her head.

"Yeah, okay, that's fair enough. He's Number One on every list. For good reason; the guy's got it all," Mirko agrees. "Or at least he used to. He's become a teacher at your school now, hey? I saw him at that Sports Festival thing."

"Y-yeah, he has. It was pretty surprising to hear, honestly…" Izuku admits. "We're very lucky to be taught by him."

The dark-skinned woman hums, drumming her fingers on the table.

"I'll say. He's been out there kicking more ass and saving more lives than everyone else combined for ages, never taking a break… and now he's basically quit bein' a Hero to teach you brats instead," Mirko says slowly. "Seems kinda weird to me, don'tcha think?"

His breath catches in his throat - does she suspect something? Surely not. Nobody knows about their connection and he absolutely cannot afford to let anything slip.

"Um… I-I guess so? T-there's a lot of theories and speculation on why out there, b-but they haven't told us anything about it," he responds, the lie sticking in his throat.

Mirko's crimson eyes weigh heavily on him and he wills himself not to buckle. After a few tense moments she merely shrugs and pushes her chair back.

"Guess they wouldn't. Probably a good reason for it anyhow," she declares, grabbing both their plates to put into the sink.

Izuku breathes a sigh of relief, admiring the sway of her long hair as Mirko casually cleans the dishes and stacks them on the sideboard. In almost no time at all she's turning back to him and clapping her hands together.

"Alright, kid. Now that's outta the way, I guess we've got to start trainin' you up to be a proper fighter," she says confidently. "Put on your costume and meet me in the gym."

He watches her saunter off, excitement and apprehension warring within.


By the time he's taken out his new (and ostensibly improved) costume and wriggled his way into it, Mirko is already waiting for him in her own Hero garb.

"Took ya long enough, kid. Gotta be quick about these things - every second counts when you're on the job, y'know."

"S-sorry, Miss Mirko," Izuku says sheepishly.

'She's right, I'll have to practise putting my costume on until it's a seamless process.'

Mirko looks him over, eying his costume critically.

"Hrm. Doesn't look too bad, I suppose. Anyway, I reckon it's time we talked about your Quirk."

He gives a quick nod, licking his lips nervously.

"O-okay…"

"Tell me, just what exactly is it? You barely used it until the Tournament, but when ya did it seemed decently strong."

A complicated question with a dangerous answer - but one that All Might has coached him on answering to ensure the secret stays safe.

"Um, well, it's really just a Strength Enhancement Quirk; I build up and then release power through my arm."

Mirko's eyes narrow, lips thinning.

"Yeah? I think there's more to it than that, if you ask me," she refutes, suspicion evident.

Izuku's blood freezes once more, but he doesn't have time to think of an answer before the Hero is suddenly in front of him, grabbing at his wrist and inspecting his hand.

His face flares instantly and he lets out a surprised squeak, but most of all he's strangely distracted by how his crooked hand stands out in contrast to the smoother, darker skin of her own fingers.

"Seems like there's some kind of nasty side-effect too - I don't think you had those last I saw ya, Midoriya," she remarks, thankfully releasing her grip on him before he can grow too flustered.

"I-I-I… Y-yes. The power is too m-much for me to handle, so it kind of… b-breaks my bones," the teen slowly admits. "And I needed to have s-surgery to fix them after the Sports Festival."

"Too strong for your own good, huh?" Mirko says, lips pursed. "Has it always been like that, ever since you were a kid?"

Izuku gulps, licking his lips.

"...It's more of a r-recent development…?" He offers weakly.

His hesitation earns him a suspicious snort but fortunately Mirko doesn't pursue it any further.

"Hm. Can ya turn it off without any issues or does it always blow up on you?"

"Um, yes, I can dissipate it safely, it only causes me damage when I release it outwards," he explains, clenching his fingers into fists and uncurling them a few times.

"Y'know, there'll be very little point in you even coming here if the very first time we run into trouble ya end up turning into a walking fracture and I gotta carry you to a hospital - I don't need that kind of thing weighing me down. Not to mention the Commission'd probably have something to say about it as well."

Izuku bites his lip, shifting in place.

There's no doubt having his internmentship cut short due to needing his limbs to be surgically reassembled once more would be painful in more ways than one. There would be no getting an opportunity like this afterwards.

"Alright then, kid. Show it to me."

He startles, meeting her firm gaze.

"A-are you sure? I mean, what-"

"Yeah, yeah. Gotta see what I'm working with as soon as possible - so get on with it, daylight's wasting," Mirko cuts him off impatiently.

While not exactly reassured, Izuku nonetheless grits his teeth and concentrates on the power within. Writhing energy suffuses through him, red lines crackling to life across his right arm as Mirko observes intently.

"It looks kind of cool, at least," the Rabbit Hero says with a wry grin. "Exactly how much control have ya got over it?"

"I can reduce the power slightly, so it only goes through a finger instead of my whole arm," he explains. "That's about it, though…"

As Mirko stares expectantly, he focuses harder, reducing the power input to just his right index finger. She inspects this too before shrugging to herself.

"Alright, that'll do for now."

He releases the energy flow gingerly, the Quirk's effects soon vanishing as though it'd never been there at all. Mirko's sharp gaze doesn't lessen, however.

"So, you build up the power in your arm, huh? Like tensing your muscles to prepare for rapid movement but with an additional force behind it."

He nods slightly.

"Y-yes, that's right - tensing my muscles is actually a part of it. I have to clench my buttocks while gathering the power then I release it while punching."

Mirko's ears wiggle as she chuckles.

"I see. Like jumping then."

"Um, yes. Actually, it kind of helps with that too, helping me to jump higher and move faster."

He recalls the first time he ever used One For All; how high he'd leapt into the air to smash the face of the towering Zero Pointer.

He'd thought nothing of it at the time, as he'd been much more focused on saving Uraraka, then dealing with the injuries that occurred as a result, and finally his (frankly somewhat surprising) entrance into UA.

In retrospect a lot had happened in those few seconds. If Uraraka hadn't been able to halt his momentum with her Quirk, he'd probably have suffered much worse than just a shattered arm upon being too-swiftly reunited with the ground.

Oh, he couldn't stand to imagine how his mother would have felt...

Mirko purses her lips, shifting in place slightly as she muses on his answer for a few moments.

"Is that so? Hm. We'll put that aside for now, since we oughta do some physical work while we're here. You know the basics of warming your body up and such, right?"

"Yep," Izuku nods eagerly, happy to be distracted from his morbid thoughts.

"Good, then get on with it," Mirko tells him.

The Rabbit Hero watches him impassively as he stretches his body out and limbers up for the training session, and when he indicates he's sufficiently ready to begin she indicates a distinctly battered-looking training dummy.

"Okay, now I want you to hit this. Give it your best shot - but no Quirk just yet, naturally."

It's a simple enough request, so he stands before it and pulls back for his most powerful (non-One For All) Smash, swiftly impacting against the face of the dummy.

His glance to his mentor garners no reaction beyond an unimpressed blink, so he follows up with a few more jabs to the chest and shoulders.

"Why even bother with all the punching, anyhow? Kicking's better," Mirko questions.

Izuku halts mid-swing to stare at her in confusion for several moments, prompting the Hero to roll her eyes at his vacant expression.

"A kick's five times stronger than a punch, y'know," she says dryly.

"All Might always punches so I, er…"

He trails off as Mirko adopts her own baffled look.

"What's that got to do with anything?" She asks, wrinkling her nose cutely.

"Well, I, i-it's just that I thought if I fought just like him, I'd become just like him, right? He is the best after all..."

It's a hastily thought out answer at best, but what else is there to say?

Now that he thinks about it, surely there must be a reason why his mentor never uses his feet in combat. Izuku can recall every single one of All Might's Smashes, but not one is a kick.

He can't recall anyone ever asking about it - All Might punches. It's just what he does, a fact of life as ubiquitous as grass growing, birds flying or the sun shining.

"You're just completely basing your fighting style on his," Mirko says flatly.

"Um… Kinda? Yeah..."

His sheepish response earns an exasperated grumble from the Rabbit Hero, who runs a hand over her face.

"Oh boy. Listen kid, watching and learning from Pros is one thing, seein' what works and what doesn't so you can refine your own skills - that's fine. But just tryin' to blindly mould yourself to be exactly like someone else is pointless."

His expression clearly doesn't hold whatever response she desires, so she continues on.

"Basically, you ain't All Might and ya never will be," she jabs a finger at him as she speaks, the tip impacting his chest to emphasise her words.

"I-I guess not…" he mutters a little mournfully.

The admission cuts slightly, stinging in some small, strange way. He cannot deny the truth within it though; while he does bear One For All, he is certainly not All Might.

Mirko graces him with a rap to the head with her knuckle before stepping back again.

"Don't look like a scolded puppy. There's no shame in that, Midoriya; you're just a kid right now, nearly as green as your hair. Hell, Endeavour's way below him and I'm not even on that level - not yet anyway."

Izuku recoils from the unexpected strike, though it doesn't actually hurt at all. Fortunately Mirko doesn't notice this habitual reflex as she's already turning away. Still, he's given pause by her reproach.

His desire to emulate and even surpass the greatest Hero in history has been his driving force since childhood, having the unimaginable honour of receiving the Hero's Quirk was a dream come true. But while All Might had been able to use One For All from the moment it was gifted to him, Izuku has been far less adept.

All Might has never seemed worried by his inability, steadfastly assured that mastery would be attained with time. Is he simply trying to use it incorrectly, or does his failure to wield the Quirk stem from innate incompatibility with it?

It's a question he has asked himself many times, dreading the answer nearly as much as he craves it.

"What are you standing around for? Have another go at it," Mirko commands him.

Dutifully, he shakes himself free of his contemplation and readies himself to begin once again - but before he can even attempt it Mirko's arm shoots out to halt his movements.

"Nah, none of that. Kick it this time," she commands.

"But I-" he begins to protest.

The Rabbit Hero sighs, rolling her crimson eyes.

"You wanna learn from me? Then do as you're told, kid. No point havin' ya whack at it like some meathead boxer obsessed with manliness. Kick it."

A little perplexed by the analogy but otherwise left unable to argue, Izuku stares down his inanimate opponent for a moment before striking forward with his foot, lightly grazing the dummy's side and stumbling forward from the attempt.

"Eesh. Talk about sloppy. But that's not really surprising, I guess." Mirko remarks. "Okay, watch me."

Pushing him gently yet firmly aside, she takes his place. There's a blur as her leg connects with the head of the training dummy, sending it flying across the room to bounce off the wall with a clatter and land amongst some discarded weights.

"See what I did there?" Mirko turns to him expectantly.

"Uh. Maybe?" he says uncertainly.

Mirko frowns before walking over to retrieve the dummy and righting it once again.

"Pay more attention this time," she states, delivering another solid blow that causes the dummy to rock backwards and then crash to the ground. "How about that?"

"I- it's still very fast," Izuku mumbles.

Her rabbit ears twitch in annoyance as she pulls a hand across her face.

"Fine, I'll just say it then," she wearily states. "Accuracy. Speed. Power. Balance. Those are the four pillars of a good kick. You nearly missed the dummy because of a lack of accuracy. Then ya lost your footing 'cause of a lack of balance. Also, you're standing the wrong way."

She gestures again for him to stand before the dummy.

"Have a few more goes and I'll try to correct you, I guess."

It's hardly the most helpful lesson plan he's been offered before - but then All Might himself didn't exactly have a comprehensive guide ready for him, so it's not quite something he's unused to either.

Each strike he performs against the dummy is keenly observed - and harshly critiqued - by the Rabbit Hero. Still, with enough repetition there's surely progress beginning to be achieved. His stance becomes firmer, his kicks are faster and before long the dummy is shuddering from a few well-placed blows.

After a while Mirko holds up a hand and he halts, gratefully accepting the bottle of water she proffers him and taking a deep swig.

"Alright. You've got the basics down now, more or less anyhow. If you can keep all that in your mind then ya should be able to hold your own in a fight - provided you can actually use your Quirk, that is. That's what we've gotta figure out right now.

"So, first you build up your power and then you push it out when you punch. That's simple enough, but doin' so causes damage to you where you push it out from. Then you end up with broken bones, which is obviously not ideal."

She purses her lips as she takes a moment to think, before snapping her fingers and pointing at him.

"Hang on. You can change the flow of the Quirk through your body, right? Earlier you showed me it being all glowy from your arm to your finger. I'm guessin' you can move it wherever you want, right?"

"Well, I've only ever directed it through my arm," he responds. "But it's not hard to focus it into my finger - that allows me to shoot out airwaves instead."

"My point is, if you can compress it into one area… can't you also do the opposite as well?"

Izuku blinks, furrowing his brow.

"Um. I don't know. Why would that-"

His eyes widen as it suddenly hits him.

"Of course! If I spread it out a little more instead of trying to force it all out at once, there's more surface area to withstand the energy. It's as if instead of tipping liquid into a tall, thin glass, I'm actually pouring it into a much wider, shallower pan - the 'vessel' doesn't overflow any more!"

He continues to mutter to himself on the subject, totally oblivious to the Rabbit Hero's hand being waved in front of his face.

"Okay, enough of the motormouth," she interjects brusquely. "Try actually putting it into practice."

Izuku swallows apprehensively, but gives a firm nod.

'I've just got to bring out the power slowly across my body. No sudden bursts.'

Bit by bit, the dormant power of One For All reawakens, steadily filling his body with energy.

"I think it's working," he murmurs.

After a minute he's being wreathed with energy all over. The sensation is somewhat different to how it normally is when concentrated into his arm; the tingling feeling much more muted.

"Great. Now to see if your bones can handle it," Mirko says.

The somewhat callous words draw a bead of sweat to Izuku's brow, but he can't refuse her. Gingerly he stands in front of the dummy once again, taking a deep breath to prepare himself.

Today he's either started the first true steps towards being a Hero, or is once again putting himself further behind his peers.

Adrenaline surges within his veins as he brings a punishing Smash against the dummy. The power of One For All courses through him and collides with his foe to send it hurtling away from him in an explosive burst of energy.

Izuku stares at the fallen dummy, and then his outstretched fist with awe. There's no pain, only the constant thrum of his Quirk still emanating within.

"I did it!" He exclaims in delight, practically dancing with relief. "It's not broken!"

Mirko graces him with an amused smirk.

"Good work, Midoriya. But don't pat yourself on the back too hard, I'm pretty sure most ten-year-olds have had more control than you for years," she tells him. "You're not done yet, so try again. And no more punching."

Izuku forces himself to calm down, wiping away a few tears of joy that had escaped his eyes. Collected once more, he returns the training dummy back to its position and retakes his stance before it.

His subsequent attacks are the same - his body is filled with the power that was once All Might's, but is just barely held in check. Mirko had been right; the power and speed his kicks had been lacking before were now made up for in spades comparatively, each one devastating against the training dummy.

"Think that's enough for today, kid," Mirko eventually says. "You look kinda sweaty, probably oughta go have a quick shower while I order some grub for us."

He stops in place before nodding. While he could certainly keep going, there's no denying he's a little tired by now. Continuing until he's completely drained would probably not serve him well the following day.

"Is Chinese alright with you?" Mirko asks.

"That's totally fine by me, Miss Mirko," he says with a small smile.

"Good," she sniffs.


The gym is quickly put to order once again and Mirko disappears into her bedroom while Izuku heads into the bathroom. It's a cramped, totally blank space - no decorative tiles or any markings to break up the endless white. A towel is already awaiting him on the rack next to the shower.

As he strips off his Hero costume, a sense of unease begins to fill him. He's naked and vulnerable in a stranger's home, after all.

Not that he's worried, of course - there's no chance Mirko will enter while he's in here or anything - but it's certainly a strange thing to wrap his head around.

"I guess it's probably pretty weird for her too, having me here. She's a pretty private person so opening up her home to someone like that, especially when it's not her choice, must be kind of uncomfortable."

He'd have to make extra sure not to cross any boundaries.

He cleans up and dries off as quickly as he can, though emerging from the bathroom clad in just a towel hardly helps his anxiousness. Still, Mirko is nowhere to be seen so he steps into the guest bedroom and redresses himself in his school uniform.

He picks up his phone and checks to see if he's gotten any messages. He smiles when he sees there's a handful from Uraraka plus a couple from a few other classmates like Mineta and Kaminari, though there's sadly been no word from Iida.

Predictably while Uraraka excitedly asks how his first day's been and gushes about her own experiences so far, Mineta and Kaminari are far more interested in Mirko rather than Izuku's actual training.

Izuku sends them all replies but soon is left contemplating his speedster friend. His silence and reticent behaviour lately definitely is becoming concerning. It feels a little early to bother him about it, but perhaps tomorrow he'll reach out to him, just in case.

"You done yet?" Mirko calls through the door.

"I, ah, yes, I'm on my way!" He replies, coming out to rejoin her.

Mirko has also removed her costume, and he has to force himself not to stare at her now that she's dressed in a white tank top and pyjama bottoms with little brown bunnies dotted along them, with more caramel skin on display than he should really be looking at.

It's not entirely helped by her cool gaze either, eyebrow arching as though daring him to comment. When Izuku doesn't say anything but merely shuffles meekly in place, she relents.

"I've picked up the food already, so let's eat."

The pair sit down at the table, where Mirko has spread out the assortment of steaming dishes.

The meal is enjoyable, though slightly quieter and more awkward than the ones he's used to, and before long they eat their fill, putting away the leftovers. Mirko stretches, eyeing him up.

"How was that? Not quite as fancy as your home cooked stuff, but tasty enough, eh?" She asks as they put away the leftovers and dispose of the containers.

"Yes, it was, Miss Mirko - thanks for the meal," he agrees.

"Don't mention it. Anyhow, it's getting late - you ready to get some shuteye?"

He nods.

"I've gotta call my Mom first, but yeah."

She'd certainly want to hear how his first day had gone.

"Good - you're still young and need the rest. Likely a busy day tomorrow, we'll start early."

Izuku smiles brightly.

"Have a good night, Miss Mirko," he says with a bow.

Mirko's face wrinkles as though she's not quite sure what to say before she briefly shrugs.

"Yeah, same," she replies before walking off to her bedroom.

Returning to his own room, he fishes his phone from his pocket before slipping into the futon laid out for him and quickly calling his mother. It's not long at all before she answers.

"Honey!" She says eagerly.

"Hi Mom," he replies, smiling slightly to himself. "Everything alright back home?"

There's a click of a tongue and he can practically hear her hand waving dismissively.

"Oh, it's quite normal here. This afternoon Mr Hideyoshi accidentally tripped and spilled coffee all over himself. Oh, and Miss Muraoka mentioned there may have been some kind of incident or something on the other side of town earlier today as well, but I'm not sure what happened exactly. Nothing that interesting, I think. But enough about that, I'd much rather hear about your day, Izuku."

He makes a mental note to see if he can find out what the incident was, just in case a Hero was involved.

"It's been great," He gushes. "We've mostly been doing a lot of training today. It's been pretty tiring and I'm a little sore, but I'm making good progress so far."

"I'm glad to hear it." His mother says warmly. "So, you've been learning a lot then?"

"Yep. Miss Mirko's helped me get a much better grip on my Quirk, I actually managed to use it properly without hurting myself!"

His mother lets out a relieved sigh at the news.

"I can't tell you how grateful I am to hear that," she admits. "I knew you were going to be in good hands - after all, she protected you from that awful, awful man, but still…"

He recalls how distraught she had been after both the attack by the Sludge Villain on him and Kacchan and the robbery. Her worries were only worsened even further by the U.S.J invasion.

Part of him can't help but be guilty at the stress he's undoubtedly giving her by choosing such a dangerous path, but being a Hero is his calling.

"I can't help but worry, letting students go out into the field so early - you're still inexperienced after all. Don't overdo it, okay? Stay safe, sweetie."

It's very unlikely he'll be at any risk throughout the week, not with one of the most powerful Heroes in the country watching over him, but even so, he'll be sure to take extra care for her sake.

"I know, Mom. It's gonna be alright, I promise - we're all being watched over by professional Heroes. I've got to get some sleep - love you."

"I love you too, Izuku. Good night."

Izuku hangs up the phone and considers calling All Might to let him know that he's finally made headway, that his Quirk hadn't been wasted on a complete failure after all.

But it passes after a moment - after all, the Number One Hero is a busy man, and he'll have plenty of opportunities to show off his newfound success once the internship has concluded.

Instead, he simply burrows into his pillow, impatiently awaiting the next morning's light and further progress to come.