My Hero Academia: The Golden Light of Hamon

by SeerKing

Midoriya Izuku desperately wants a Quirk as a child...what if he received one? Not only that, one that was especially suited to strike down evil. Hamon/Ripple!Izuku. As always, T for Bakugō's swearing.

5. Ghost of a Mentor

Author's Note: To those who thought this fic was dead… I, SeerKing, am here to tell you it is NOT! WWRRRRRYYYYYYYYYYYY!

"Kacchan!" - Speech

'Shitty Deku!' - Thoughts

"I AM HERE!" - All Might Speech

"Detroit Smash!" - Special Technique Usage

Beta'd by BigCC

Chapter 5: Ghost of a Mentor

Later That Day

Conference Room, Musutafu Central Police Station

It had not been a pleasant year for Detective Tsukauchi. Things had been stressful from the start but they had actually been making progress in their shadow war against the criminal overlord of Japan, and then All Might, his good friend, had been grievously wounded in his final showdown with the so-called 'Emperor of Darkness' himself, All For One. The man had lost a lung and it had been nothing short of a miracle that he'd managed to avoid losing more before they'd managed to get him to a hidden emergency clinic.

"And now I'm dealing with what amounts to a zombie dojo destroyer that was apparently killed by a nine-year-old kid. What is wrong with this country?" he mumbled as he absently nursed his cup of coffee.

He'd been assigned this case as soon as he had reported in for duty this afternoon. All the present, adult witnesses had already given their statements, the scene had been cleared, photographed, and all evidence gathered and catalogued. They were still scheduling things with the various parents and/or guardians so they could get statements from some of the younger witnesses, but he doubted they'd be able to clarify the biggest head-scratcher of the entire mess.

How had an entire adult body seemingly been liquefied by the Quirk of a pre-teen boy whose Quirk was clearly classified as a body-enhancement type.

And to make matters worse, he hadn't been on the case for more than an hour before he'd received the first of many phone calls, messages and other 'requests' from various sources on high to close the case as quickly and simply as possible. Something he was disinclined to do considering the kind of social repercussions having this kind of thing on his record could have for the youngest individual involved, one Midoriya Izuku. He wasn't about to ruin a kid's entire future just to satisfy some pushy higher-ups, so he'd ended up calling in one of the favours he'd amassed over the past few years with a certain hero and he was now just waiting for him to arrive.

A sudden knock coming from the conference room's door made him flinch reflexively. He was still a bit high-strung after the past few years. "Come in!" he called, hand inching away from his service weapon.

A younger, uniformed officer quickly opened the door. "Detective, the Investigation Hero you called in has arrived." he offered.

Tsukauchi sighed in relief. Good to see he was as prompt as always. "Please escort him here right away."

"Right away." agreed the officer with a nod as he left, returning a moment later with a familiar mammal of indeterminate species following sedately behind him.

"Am I a dog, a mouse, or perhaps a bear? Who cares! I am Nezu and I am on the case!" Nezu, Principal of U.A. High, Top Investigative Hero in Japan, and one of the top Intel Heroes in the world, stated happily as he waltzed into the room, dressed smartly as always in dress pants, a white shirt with a dark blue tie, a double-breasted waistcoat, and solid-looking sneakers.

"Thank you for coming in so quickly, Principal Nezu." Tsukauchi greeted his…colleague with a slight sigh of relief, waving out the uniformed officer who closed the door behind him. He then gestured toward the conference room table that was currently hosting several stacks of file and folders, an electric kettle, a tea set, and a metal tin. "I have the case notes right here, as well as water on the kettle boiling and some fresh Earl Grey ready to be made."

"Ah, it is always good to work with someone who already knows how to get things started properly." Nezu offered with a toothy smirk, clapping his paws together absently as he walked up the special stepladder, that Tsukauchi had long since had constructed (out of his own pocket) specifically for this purpose, onto the table. "Now, why don't you walk me through the highlights of this case while I get everything prepared."

"Of course." the detective agreed, taking a seat while Nezu started preparing his tea. "Earlier today a man broke into the Enryū Dojo, a martial arts school located on the outskirts of Musutafu. The man, who identified himself as 'Zanki the Relentless' then proceeded to state his intentions of destroying the dojo before challenging the present Dojo Master, one Bushi Kanzashi, to a fight. Kanzashi-san is officially ranked as a Master in all five Main Schools of Tai Chi and by all accounts put up an admirable fight against the assailant but was ultimately defeated. The assistant instructor, one Ran Xiaoyu, then attempted to intervene but was also defeated. The assailant then turned his attention to the gathered students, only for one of them to step forward to defend himself and his friends. The boy's own Quirk seemed to have an…unusual and lethal interaction with the assailant's body, causing it to rapidly disintegrate and liquefy."

"Intriguing." Nezu offered as he poured himself a cup of the newly finished tea. "I suppose you've already ruled out a possible complication caused by either of instructors' Quirks?"

"I have, both instructors have internal Quirks, no outside effects at all." Tsukauchi confirmed. "Bushi Kanzashi possesses the [Body Memory] Quirk that allows her to instantly memorize any physical action that her body performs at least once. Ren Xiaoyu possesses a Quirk called [Shock Absorption] that allows her to negate the damage dealt by most forms of physical impacts up to a certain amount. Even the absent instructor doesn't have anything that could explain it. Bushi Masao's Quirk is called [Pump Up] and it only augments his muscle growth and development."

"I see, and the deceased? What precisely was his Quirk?" Nezu asked while sipping lightly at his tea.

"That's where things start getting…bizarre. The assailant referred to it as [Dead Cell] and claimed it allowed him to manipulate the dead cells of his body." Tsukauchi stated, shuddering a bit as he recalled the specifics. "He claimed that, in the past, it had only allowed him to manipulate small amounts of dust, but also that he died close to a hundred years ago and that it allowed him to reanimate himself with all his faculties fully intact. Both instructors also stated that he demonstrated an inhuman ability to both ignore damage and manipulate his own body in a number of ways that shouldn't have been possible without an extremely powerful body-altering Quirk."

"My, how utterly fascinating." Nezu breathed out, looking up from his tea with his dark eyes glinting in curiosity. "Do we have any proof to the truth of his claims?"

"I've contacted the National Quirk Registry, luckily the time-frame he gave us was after the Registry came into effect. We focused the initial search on anything from 120 to 80 years ago for safety's sake. Since we had a name, though we weren't sure if it was an alias or not, along with a rough description of the Quirk they were able to find something quickly." He reached into one particular stack of files and quickly pulled out a set of freshly printed pages, including a photograph of a large, heavily-muscled man with tanned skin, grey eyes, pale brown hair and what looked to be a permanent violent sneer across his lips. "This is Zanki Shinnosuke, dead at age 29 due to a broken neck while taking part in an illegal underground fighting ring roughly one-hundred and two years ago. He had a rap sheet a mile long at the time for a variety of violent crimes ranging from drunk and disorderly bar brawls to outright assault charges. His body went missing from the morgue a day later, it was presumed stolen and a new case was opened but it went cold rather quickly with no discernible leads and was closed after the proscribed period of time went by. Both the instructors identified the photo as the man who attacked their dojo, albeit with a noticeable difference in colouration and hygiene. We also have surveillance camera footage of him approaching the dojo and it matches as well." He added another picture, this one clearly taken from a security camera, showing what was undoubtedly the same man, albeit with grey skin, yellow blood-shot eyes, and white-grey hair.

"Oh dear." the mammal of indeterminate species offered as he began to excitedly skim through the gathered pages at a truly astonishing rate, a gleeful look crossing his muzzle. "Quirks are truly, as the youngsters like to say, bullshit. For such a thing to be possible is…" he trailed off. "And you say he defeated both instructors?"

"Yes, although from what we've gathered it wasn't any discredit to their capabilities. His Quirk apparently gave him perfect control of his undead body, allowing him to ignore most forms of normal physical attacks." Tsukauchi offered, grimacing in distaste at having to use the term 'undead' in an official police investigation. Unfortunately, there was no other suitable word for what Zanki Shinnosuke had become. Sometimes he really just hated how utterly weird the world could be these days. "His ability to control dead cells granted him complete control over his body in that state, allowing him to arrest rot and repair damage with a thought, along with hardening his skin and musculature to a density comparable to some metals and even reshaping his skin to the point his could turn his limbs into cutting implements. I'm fairly sure most Pro Heroes would have had trouble dealing with him in a straight fist fight."

"And yet it was a child who managed to stop him. How?" Nezu asked.

"According to the instructors, Shinnosuke declared that he had been hired to permanently shut down the dojo; with his intentions being to defeat the masters, destroy the dojo and its sign, and injure the students to the point that the Enryū Dojo could never rise again." stated Tsukauchi coldly, sharing a distasteful look with Nezu, the two both sharing a similar view on any criminal that threatened children.

The small mammal bristled in distaste at the thought. Some humans were simply beyond all hope. He quickly set the old anger to the side for now, motioning for Tsukauchi to continue.

"Fortunately, one of his first targets, one Jirō Kyōka, had a very good friend with her." the detective continued. "Her 'best friend,' one Midoriya Izuku, stepped between them and tried to protect his friends…and the boy somehow succeeded beyond any and all possible expectations. He managed to land two blows against the assailant, albeit the first was only due to arrogance on Shinnosuke's part where he freely offered the kid the first blow before catching it with his right hand. There seemed to be some strange interaction between the assailant's Quirk and the young Midoriya's that caused the entirety of Shinnosuke's arm to rapidly rot and liquefy off of his body after the initial impact. This caused him to panic and allowed Midoriya to land a second blow, a double-hand strike to the man's upper body, which seemed to cause his Quirk to go out of control and his entire body to begin to liquefy. It was then that Bushi-san and Ran-san managed to recover enough to deliver what could be called the final blow of the fight, pulping his entire body and preventing him from posing any further threat to the students."

"Well now, this is certainly a most fascinating case. Thank you ever so much for inviting me into it, Tsukauchi-kun." Nezu offered, now honestly intrigued by everything he'd heard. He happily poured himself a third cup of tea. "I believe I already have an idea of what might have caused the final death of 'Zanki the Relentless' but I will need to check a few things to confirm it. Can I see Midoriya-kun's Quirk Registration?"

The detective nodded, reaching for one of the stack of files and quickly thumbing through it to find the correct one. "Of course. It is officially listed as [Hamon] and classified as an Emitter type with both the enhancement and healing subcategories. Apparently, it allows him to generate a form of golden energy from his body. According to his file, the energy enhances his physical abilities, acts as a protective shield to deflect damage, and is even capable of rapidly accelerating the healing of people who are exposed to it. Ah, here it is."

Finally finding the file, he quickly passed it over to Nezu who quickly opened it and began scanning through its contents.

"I should also mention that, since I was given this case earlier today, I've received more than a bit of pressure to close the case as quickly as possible and to follow the 'obvious' conclusion that Midoriya Izuku is primarily responsible for the 'accidental death' of Zanki Shinnosuke and should be listed as a subject possessing a deadly Quirk." Tsukauchi offered with a grimace. "And every bit of it that I can trace back has led to the Hero Public Safety Commission on some level, although I haven't been able to figure out exactly what department yet."

"I'd advise against trying to dig any deeper, Tsukauchi-kun." Nezu advised absently as he stood up and grabbed several more files, pausing only occasionally to sip at or refresh his tea. "The HPSC can be quite prickly about their internal matters and I don't doubt they'd try to take punitive actions against a government employee sticking their nose too deeply into their affairs."

"I figured as much." the living lie detector agreed with a tired sigh.

"Luckily for all involved I already have several lines of counter-arguments that will allow you to ignore any more such requests that you receive regarding this case." Nezu continued, looking up to grin toothily at the human. "First Zanki Shinnosuke was already legally dead. His death certificate is right here and by his own admission his body was merely a corpse being puppeted by his Quirk. You cannot kill what is already dead, that is a legal fact after the last 'Necromancer' incident roughly seventy years ago. Second, it will be all but impossible for Young Midoriya to repeat this feat against any other person using his Quirk. Well, unless there is someone else that would count as 'undead' out there."

"How do you figure?" Tsukauchi asked, perking up.

"With the evidence you've already gathered, any competent attorney could argue the second death of Zanki Shinnosuke down to 'Destruction/Damage of a body due to unexpected Quirk Interaction'; a charge that any impartial judge would dismiss given the circumstances." Nezu stated authoritatively. "Zanki the Relentless' Quirk, [Dead Cell], only allowed him to manipulate and control dead cells, just as its name implies. Midoriya-kun's Quirk Registration File clearly states that his own Quirk, [Hamon], is capable of healing a variety of injuries and even revitalizing dying trees through exposure to its unique form of energy. That implies that the energy he creates is capable of revitalizing dying cells, possibly even temporarily restoring dead cells to life. [Hamon] is, quite literally, [Dead Cell]'s antithesis; capable of fully countering and neutralizing its abilities."

"So…if the cells were brought back to life, then…!" Tsukauchi worked through the logic and his eyes widened. "Then [Dead Cell] would lose control of every cell affected by [Hamon]'s energy, revitalizing the cells and removing the cohesion that was keeping them stable. And without [Dead Cell] to halt the ageing process, those revitalized cells would rapidly putrefy as a hundred years' worth of ageing and degradation caught up with them in an instant. That's what happened to his arm, and I'm willing to bet that the second blow took longer because the target was so much larger and thus the effect was more spread-out. It still broke his control over his Quirk and allowed the masters to finish the job!"

"Precisely!" Nezu agreed, pleased as always that he was working with humans capable of at least following his train of deduction and logic. "I sincerely doubt that there are very many people in the world as a whole, let alone Japan, that would possess a Quirk that would have a similar interaction with Midoriya-kun's. I personally can only think of one such possibility here in Japan, and he lives in Okinawa."

"Well, that's a relief." Tsukauchi offered as he sagged into his chair. "Thank you for the assistance in the matter, Nezu. I'd like to think that I would have noted the negative interactions between [Dead Cell] and [Hamon] myself eventually, but the HPSC has been riding me constantly since I took the case. Even the Captain has been a pain just to try and get the 'damned politicians' off his back. It's been a stressful day, to say the least."

"Hm, I think I will need to poke my head into the business of the Musutafu Police more often; the HPSC has no authority to try and exert pressure on the police force unless they're working a case involving an active-duty Pro Hero, which Midoriya Izuku is clearly not. This suggests some form bribery, brown-nosing, or blackmail being involved." Nezu stated, his voice hardening notably. "I also believe that I need to schedule another 'discussion' with the HPSC President to remind them, once again, of the limits that their office."

Tsukauchi winced slightly at the cold tone of his companion's voice. There had been something of a cold war going on between the Hero Public Safety Commission and Nezu ever since the [High Spec] Quirk Holder had been made the Principal of U.A. High. Out of all the Hero Schools in Japan, the only one which didn't follow the HPSC's suggested course and guidelines was U.A. and, much to the frustration of Nezu's detractors, it had still constantly and consistently proved to churn out better, stronger heroes than any other Hero Academy in the nation.

Even Shiketsu Academy and Ketsubutsu High, the other two members of the so-called 'Big Three Hero Academies' of Japan, were both a distant second to U.A., with Seiai All Girl's Academy, the only single-gender Hero Academy in Japan, as an even more distant third. Most, if not all, of U.A.'s graduates usually made it into the Top 200 of the Hero Rankings, with almost every single member of the current Top 10 being U.A. graduates.

Tsukauchi wasn't in the know about exactly why Nezu and the HPSC were at loggerheads, but given how the Committee often tried to throw its weight around, he could hazard a few guesses, none of them good.

"If you could type up a report of your findings and deductions, I'll do the same. With both of us behind it, I think I'll be able to close this case favourably without any harm to Midoriya-kun's record by the end of the day, tomorrow at the latest." the detective offered, deciding that it was time to get this case back on the rails again. "I know that Mrs. Midoriya has been most anxious to get her son cleared of any wrongdoing, and she's being fully supported by Jirō Mika, the singer/songwriter, Jirō Kyōtoku, her composer and husband, and the former Battling Hero: Stern Fist, Kendō Ichiei."

"Ah, sounds like the young man has a good little group looking out for him. Good, good children require a strong support network to grow properly." Nezu nodded, pleased to see that the boy seemed to already have some allies looking out for him. "Have no fear, I shall have it done post-haste."

With that, Nezu climbed down off the desk and towards the Nezu-sized computer that the precinct had prepared for his use whenever he was called in to assist with investigations, which (considering they were located in U.A.'s back yard) was not too uncommon, and began to type away furiously. Smiling, Tsukauchi joined in at his own computer. There was a young boy to exonerate after all.

Two Days Later

Midoriya Izuku's Room, Midoriya Residence

Izuku had first woken up just ten minutes after landing his second blow against Zanki. He had been awake less than a minute before he was promptly glomped by a pair of relieved and crying girls. Both Kyōka and Itsuka (and he was finally getting used to calling them by their first names) had altered between calling him a brave idiot, a heroic moron, or just plain scolding him for putting himself into danger.

Once his mother had arrived and found what he'd done…well let's just say that Izuku would not be going anywhere but school or the dojo for the next month. Both Kyōka's and Itsuka's parents had stopped by yesterday to check in and thank him for protecting their daughters, which had caused both the aforementioned girls to blush and stammer.

Izuku had been taken home before the police had arrived and had in fact spoken to one of the officers the next day, only having to answer a few questions (and thankfully never having to bring up the strange voice he'd heard), but his mother's worrying and anxious behaviour over most of the following day had told him that there was still something bothering her. Then, rather abruptly, she'd received a phone call earlier today and all that stress and worry had seemingly melted away. He still wasn't sure what had happened, his mother had refused to explain, but as long as his mother was happier than it was all to the good in his opinion.

Now, sitting in his room, he let his mind wander as he watched the golden radiance of his Hamon danced over his fingers and hands as he gently guided his breathing into the rhythmic pattern that was becoming almost second nature to him. He had just beaten an opponent who was not only far larger and stronger than himself, but also had more combat experience than he'd likely be able to acquire in his entire lifetime. More than that, the man had literally dissolved into a putrid puddle of muck and bones right in front of him. By all rights Izuku should have been horrified at what he'd seen, distraught at what he'd accidentally done, and otherwise completely full of angst, but…he wasn't. At worse, he'd found the entire scene a bit nauseating due to the sights and smells involved, but his own actions weren't bothering him at all.

He didn't understand it, but the second he'd laid eyes on the…man…that had stormed into the dojo, Izuku had been suffused with a sense of unease, like…his very existence was unnatural. As if the undead thing in front of him needed to be destroyed. It was utterly ridiculous; he might have been only nine but that was still old enough that things like 'undead' weren't actually real. Zanki was simply a man with a particularly disturbing Quirk and violent temperament, nothing more or less, and yet his Quirk had reacted so violently to it that it caused Izuku to pause and think. The number of people in the world that his [Hamon] could react to so violently towards couldn't be that high, it simply could not be large enough to rouse such an instinctive distaste in him.

Temporarily shaking away the strange thoughts that had been bothering him for the past day or so, Izuku tried to refocus on his current project…designing the first drafts of their hero costumes.

He had always planned on designing his own costume, but now that he had two friends that wanted to be heroes as well it had really gotten his creative juices going. Many attempts at drawing the ideas that had been bubbling up in his brain had been tossed out over the last year do to how Kami-be-damned bad they'd been; perspective all over the place, poor scaling, and of course the physical differences between girls and boys being more than skin deep.

Now though, he'd improved enough that his ideas were finally starting to come to life onto the paper, with the resulting sketches being surprisingly lifelike and well-drawn. His mother often said that he had a talent for drawing, he would argue that it was just the result of putting enough effort into it.

Anyway, when he'd discussed the idea of hero costumes Itsuka had been particularly excited about explaining how she'd wanted her costume to differ from what her dad's had used back before he'd retired. Kendō Ichiei, the Battle Hero: Stern Fist, had been forced into medical retirement after a particularly brutal fight with a villain had severely damaged the ligaments in one of his legs, forcing him to walk with a limp for the rest of his life. His costume had consisted of a reinforced karate gi, a large bandana both covering his hair and acting as a domino mask, and a set of steel-toed shoes.

He had three designs ready that he wanted her to take a look at. The first was one he was fairly certain she'd say no to; it was basically a copy of her dad's costume with a few alterations to take her gender into account. The second was based off Itsuka's own personal ideas and consisted mostly of a reinforced qipao and domino mask. The third though…the third was his own creation and the one he was personally going to lobby for. It was similar to the second idea, but incorporated a pair of reinforced and slightly armoured thigh-high boots to give her a bit of extra 'kick' and, more importantly, a set of elbow-length reinforced gloves.

He knew that ordinarily Itsuka couldn't wear gloves because most would be torn to shreds when she activated her [Big Fist] Quirk, and reinforced ones could even damage her hands when she tried. However, just a few years ago the newest breakthrough from I-Island had started to appear in mainstream hero costumes, DNA Infused Fabrics. Izuku didn't know how exactly they worked, but by taking hair and blood samples, they could create a number of unique fabrics that would actively blend and shift in response to a person's Quirk. It was particularly popular for Heroes with potent Transformation Quirks, since the fabrics would act as if they were a part of the wearer's body, growing, shifting, extending, and enlarging as the user's body did the same while retaining their normal properties.

In Itsuka's case, the special fabrics would only be needed for the actual hand and wrist portions of the gloves, the rest could be made with mundane fabrics and armour in order to better protect her forearms. This would both maximize her protection and save money.

As for Kyōka, she had actually been fairly relaxed about the entire idea, having only a vague idea of what she wanted her costume to look like (or not look like) and a single idea for an inbuilt set of speakers as a support item to help amplify the range and power of her Quirk. That had given Izuku an idea and he had broached the subject with her dad and offered it to him for his opinion. It was going to take some time before it was ready to even show to Kyōka, but Kyōtoku had really liked the idea and had gotten into contact with 'some people in the business' to make it happen.

His own costume however, was what was causing him some hang-ups. The childish crayon-drawn images from his earliest dreams of heroics had all basically been him wearing different iterations of All Might's costumes, frizzy hair slicked up into antennae and all. However, ever since he had gained his own Quirk, one that worked on in an entirely different way than whatever All Might's Quirk was, he had decided he needed a costume that was 'his' rather than simply copying his idol.

"Liquids are still the best conductor for [Hamon] energy for whatever reason, with pure water being the absolute best." Izuku mused aloud, absently tapping his pencil against his forehead. "Organic fabrics, leather included, are the second best, so something made of silk would likely be my best bet. High-purity metals are also good conductors, so any support item or reinforcements would need to be made with that in mind. Just about anything can have [Hamon] energy sent through it, but unless it is water, at least some of the energy's power will diffuse through the material. The better the material conducts [Hamon] energy, the less is lost and the more effective my [Hamon] techniques are."

It had taken several years of careful experimentation to determine all of that information, but Izuku had a naturally analytical mind and had always loved dissecting Quirks, making him well-suited for the task. His analytical abilities had only improved as he'd grown, encouraged by his teachers as the Enryū Dojo who saw it as an excellent tool as both a martial artist and a hero.

As Bushi-sensei had said, 'The better you can understand your opponent's strengths, the better you can find their weaknesses and the better you can exert your own strengths to claim victory.'

And yet, despite all of this information, he just couldn't find the inspiration to serve as the base of his own costume.

Sighing in annoyance, Izuku got up before walking over and collapsing onto his bed, suddenly feeling utterly exhausted and deciding that a quick nap would be just the thing to help him sort things out.

Seconds later and he was lightly snoring, while his mind was elsewhere...

Izuku's Dream

"Eh? Where the heck am I?" Izuku asked, looking around at the strange place that had suddenly replaced his room. It looked like some kind of saloon taken straight out of an Old West movie; a long bar with tables and chairs scattered around…and he was currently standing next to the largest table, taking up most of the centre of the room and surrounded by at least a dozen chairs.

"Saluti, young man." a voice, hauntingly familiar to Izuku's ears, suddenly spoke up with a slight Italian accent as a man suddenly walked in through the bar's swinging doors. He was a tall and muscular man, with dark brown hair and a perfectly trimmed moustache that seemed to accentuate his sharply angled face and bright blue eyes. He was dressed to the nines in a white and blue suit with a red waistcoat and a pale green neck-tie. The ensemble was completed with a black top hat with a chequered pattern covering the top portion. "I hope I find you well this fine evening."

"Y-Yes…thank you for asking sir." Izuku managed to stammer out through his shock, his mind quickly registering where he'd heard that particular voice and seen that face before. "I-I'm sorry if this is rude to ask, but…but are you the one who helped me fight against Zanki?"

"Zanki?" the man responded, rolling the word on his tongue. "Ah, you mean that brutish zombie that accosted you and your young lady-friends. Si, that was I, but please allow me to formally introduce myself. I am Baron Will Anthonio Zeppelli, a pleasure to finally meet you face to face young man." he finished with a slight bow

"M-Midoriya Izuku, sir. T-The pleasure's mine and thank you for all your help." Izuku responded, bowing respectfully.

"Always good to meet a youngster with manners." Baron Zeppelli offered with a smile as he took a seat on one of the smaller tables near the centre before waving to the seat opposite of him. "Please, take a seat, there is much we need to discuss, you and I."

After Izuku took the offered seat, Zeppelli spoke again. "Tell me, young Izuku…how old would you say I look to your eyes?"

"Er…" Izuku froze a bit at the unexpected question, but responded gamely. "I'd say…mid-twenties? Thirty or so at the oldest."

"I shall take that as a compliment, but I am in fact fifty years old." Zeppelli offered, laughing lightly as he corrected him. "Hamon is a wondrous energy, and it has many benefits for those who practice with it. Once you reach full maturity your ageing will begin to slow to a crawl as long as your Hamon remains strong. My own master, Tonpetty, was over one hundred and fifty years old when he passed, and he still looked like a man in his particularly healthy seventies from all that I have heard."

"W-Wow…that…that's incredible." the verdette breathed out, blinking at what that could mean for him. If his ageing process was slowed like that, it meant he'd likely be able to remain an active Pro Hero for quite a while without slowing down.

Then something occurred to Izuku about what he had just been told. "Did you just say that you and your master could use [Hamon]? You both have the same Quirk as me?"

"Ah yes, this 'Quirk' thing that sets your iteration of Earth apart from the others…no child." Baron Zeppelli replied with a gentle shake of his head. "Where I come from, Hamon is a martial art, a way of fighting those things that lurk in the darkest depths of the night; vampires, zombies and all other undead and their foul ilk. Five years ago, when you had all but resigned yourself to fate but refused to be bowed by it and the power of the bully who you had once called your dearest friend, I was moved by your heart and reached out to infuse you with half of the Hamon energy that remained within me. It surprised me greatly when that energy 'sparked' something within you and permanently became a part of you. In a sense, I passed my Hamon onto you, young man, and it became your 'Quirk'."

Izuku stared at him for a moment, his mind reeling and trying to process what he was hearing. That one day had changed everything for him, and to find it was all due to the act of kindness of a stranger; there was really only one thing he could do.

"Thank you." he whispered out, tears gathering in his eyes as he bowed his head so deeply it bumped against the table.

"It was merely the right thing to do, bambino. I could not rightfully call myself a gentleman if I allowed such a pure and honest soul, so akin to my own and that of my dear pupil, to fall into despair without extending my hand to help." Baron Zeppelli waved the thanks away with a smile. "As I said before, however, you must learn to stand against such darkness, not without fear but in control of it. Fear will stammer and disrupt your breathing and thus impair the flow of Hamon through your body. You must not be fearless, for only insects are truly without fear, but you must be dauntless in face of it. Be brave."

"I was honestly more scared of what he would do to Kyōka-chan and Itsuka-chan if I didn't do anything, or wasn't able to stop him." Izuku confessed. "Just standing by and doing nothing wasn't an option."

"You have a gentleman's noble soul and caring heart, my young friend." the Italian gentleman offered with a knowing smile. "I came to you this night to offer what instruction I can in how to fully use the Hamon energy you now carry. Ways that you can use it to its best advantage, tricks to use its unique properties, and even how you might be able to kindle the light of Hamon in others."

"I can do that!?" Izuku asked, his mind awhirl with the possibilities.

"I could, as could every other skilled practitioner of Hamon back on my own version of Earth." Baron Zeppelli corrected him. "I do not know if the people of your world could wiled Hamon in the same way as mine, but only time will tell. I would caution you, however, not to attempt to bestow Hamon to people unless you are either pressed for time, or can absolutely trust them beyond a shred of a doubt. Ask me in your dreams once you have learned the technique and I shall help you."

Izuku stood up and bowed slightly. "I'm looking forward to our lessons…Zeppelli-sensei."

Later, when Izuku woke up after a good three hour nap, he smiled.

Now he had an idea for his Hero Costume, at least.

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Next Chapter: Movements in the Darkness

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