Chapter III- Spotlight to UA
"Mom, you were right! I have a quirk! "
Izuku threw himself inside the house with no restraints and lots of excitement but to his surprise, the house was eerily quiet.
"Mom, Mom where are you? But he received no response. He then looked around and saw a paper on the table along with a pizza box picking the paper up it read,
Izuku, I'm sorry I'm not at home right now, I got an emergency call from an old friend and hopefully I'll be home soon and the pizza box will be in case I don't come back home in time to make dinner.
P. S mom
Izuku exhaled, feeling very exhausted as he relived the day's events. Plopping on the chair he dropped the paper on the table and turned on the tv. Well, the news could wait till later.
(X)
Inko sighed as she blew her hot coffee The person sitting across her had not said a word and she was getting annoyed.
"Well, long time no see Kaina why haven't you been calling me?
"W-well, hero b-business and all that." The purple-haired woman sitting across her answered. She was relatively pretty with her purple hair, eyebrows, and the casual hoodie jeans and glasses she was wearing.
"I always took the time out to train you, I never gave excuses even while I was a hero. Seriously how hard is it gonna be to pick up the phone and dial my number?"
"I-I I'm s-sorry," Kaina said with an apprehensive and downcast look on her face.
"Inko leaned closer to Kaina's face before saying, "Why're you scared? Did I touch you? Did I do anything to you? Inko asked with a confused expression on her face and the sunglasses she wore weren't even hiding her raised eyebrows.
'Y-You did a lot of things to me! Kaina thought with a pensive look on her face before replying,
"N-No you didn't do anything to m-me."
"Stop stuttering. It's annoying,"
"O-Ok."
"So what you call me for? And it better be something worth my time but I can't even be that mad because I came here for good coffee and I got it." Inko said while sipping her coffee.
"Well they offered me a job at UA and I recommended you." 'Damn it get your thoughts back in order Kaina.'
"Hm," Inko asked with raised eyebrows while looking at Kaina with a smile on her face.
"They recommended me for a job-"
"I heard you the first time that's why I said 'Hm' didn't you tell them about my retirement?" Inko asked with a confused expression.
"Y-Yes I did but you're a better teacher than me."
"Sorry, but Limitless is retired now and she isn't coming back."
"Well look at it this way if you come out of retirement well, you don't even have to come out of retirement fully you just have to come and teach some kids at UA."
"I'll think about it," was Inko's simple reply.
Inko then stood up like she was about to go but a voice called out to her and stopped her in her tracks. She turned back with an annoyed face to reply.
"What is it Kaina?"
Kaina fumbled with her purse before pulling out a newspaper and tossing it to inko who caught it and began to read. She pulled up her glasses and in less than a minute she was done with reading it. It was an article about how the commission was ignorant of reforming long-thought-dead ideals.
"Anything of note?"
"Potentially too many things of note."
Inko frowned. "A terrorist call doesn't sound like something you'd contact me for."
"It's about the meta-liberation army. They've been bolstering their ranks lately and have risen through the government to be branded with an S-rank status but the commission is not doing a thing because they believe that MLA sympathizers are very large in numbers and taking it down will cause societal problems. From schools to public gatherings the MLA's grip on Japan's populace grows day by day."
"I thought the Meta liberation army was disbanded after the Meta liberation war?" Inko asked.
"It did, and the bulk of their army which was rounded up was either imprisoned or killed- officially, anyway- but many of the sentiments surrounding quirk liberation in his biography remained in a portion of society. That portion has only grown and festered over the years."
"While not outright supporters of Destro, there are several factions that align themselves with the basic premise of the original Meta Liberation Army. For the moment, they're small pockets of pro-quirk activists, small-time villains, and terrorists leading indoctrination campaigns to bolster their numbers."
"As I said I'll look into it," Inko said standing up to leave.
"Please do, and we think your district is one of the indoctrination zones."
Kaina said bluntly drawing Inko's attention once more. She had pulled out her last trump card and hopefully, it would work.
"Why isn't the JSDF attacking them right now if the meta liberation Army still exists?"
"Well, we don't even know if the Meta Liberation Army still exists. For all we know, it could be a group of small-time criminals or small-time crime groups that align themselves with the original premise of Destro and the big five, and the meta-liberation army even if they exist they have kept their existence pretty hidden so we do not have definitive proof of their existence or even definitive proof against them and even if the meta liberation Army still exists attacking them will not only cause political problems but societal issues so right now even if they exist we are stuck at tentative stalemate."
Pulling out her last card Kaina used an old code developed by superheroes to communicate with each other.
''Supervillain attack. All Might is out of commission. Duration indeterminable.''
Inko's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, and she nodded in understanding. Things truly just could not have been simple. Exhaling, she pressed on. "Anything else?"
"No, not really,"
"By the way, what course would I be teaching?" inquired Inko.
"Well, you'd be teaching practical heroics," Kaina said with a longing(?) expression on her face.
"I thought they employed all might for that,"
"So you do keep tabs on heroics after all," Kaina said with a shit-eating grin on her face.
"Don't push it."
"Sorry, but All Might is a terrible teacher. The few times I've been there he acts like a stuttering loser HAHAHA! Oh god, you should have seen it!"
"So, All Might is bad at something too huh, Upon seeing Kaina's confused face she quickly corrected herself -not that I expected him to be good at everything."
"As I said before, I'll look into it. See ya." Inko said standing up and leaving her half-finished coffee.
As inko left, Kaina let a deep sigh out before grumbling.
"I swear, I don't get paid enough for this shit."
(X)
Upon getting home, inko little Izuku watching TV and his eyes brightened When he saw her not even giving her a chance he threw himself at her screaming: "MOM I GOT A QUIRK TODAY."
"So Izuku how are you feeling now?" She asked with a hint of fear.
"Exhausted." was Izuku's simple reply
"How did you unlock it anyway? Please, tell me all about it." She said with a way too cheerful tone.
"Well, I was in school today and…" he didn't want to tell her about Kaachan but his mother continued to look at him with curiosity.
"Don't bother to lie to me Izuku, I know that the six-eyes only manifest themselves when stress, trauma, or high levels of adrenaline are involved. So, what the heck could have happened to trigger it?"
"I u-uh was in school and u-um k-kaachan…" Izuku didn't want to lie to her because it was obvious she wasn't buying it and he was a terrible liar
"I will tell you about it later Mom." He looked up at his mother who had her eyes closed as well as a mocking smirk on her face. Upon seeing it Izuku knew Kaachan was done for, he could only hope his mother was in a good mood.
She then opened one of her eyes and looked at him curiously waiting for an explanation but when none came she drew her conclusion.
"He was threatening you." She said a tad bit too calm
He knew she was ruthless, especially during training, and he knew of her past as an underground pro hero, but that newest bit of information only confirmed one thing to him:
His mother was fucking terrifying.
Izuku, knowing what his mother could do and sensing potential danger, told her about everything that happened that day. He told her about the initial scuffle with Bakugo, he told her about his teacher's blatant bigotry, he told her about Bakugo hunting him down and his suspicions that the teacher orchestrated it, and he told her about his quirk's activation.
The blankness of her face after he finished deeply unsettled him. He could see a ravenous fury in her gaze that contrasted with the careful nothingness, and it had him sweating bullets. It may not have been a very heroic thought, but he was just glad to not be the target of her wrath and prayed for a quick demise for anyone who was. On the outside Izuku paled as he imagined his mother going to the Bakugo's house and tearing them apart with an unsettling grin.
Izuku knew his mother had different kinds of smiles for different emotions. A smile with her mouth curved upwards showed she was listening or happy. A smile with her mouth curved sideways or downwards indicated she was unhappy or annoyed but a smile with her eyes narrowed and her smile turning into a crazed smirk indicated that she was fighting or being scary. He even had a secret chart for her smiles but he would take that to the grave with him. The last in he needed was people calling him a weirdo or creep.
On the other hand, Inko went into deep thought before deciding to call her long-time friend Mistuki.
"Oh, hello inky long time. So why did you decide to call today? You usually don't call during business hours. Must be important or maybe you are just Missing your old friend. Am I right In-Inko?"
"Please don't call me that name and we spoke last week," Inko replied in a deadpan tone.
"That's a bit too long don't ya think?"
Inko couldn't help but sigh. Her sighs were becoming too much.
"Mitsuki; did Katsuki tell you about what happened?"
There was a pause on the line, and Inko could tell that Mitsuki was hesitant to respond.
"Have you noticed any changes in Katsuki?"
"Changes like what?"
"I don't know, any changes at all?"
"katsuki's been talking about a new quiet but kickass girl in his class, honestly, I think he may even have a–"
"Not that kind of change damn it!"
"Then, what kind of changes are you talking about?"
"You know what, let me just drop the ball." Inko was about to tell Mistuki about the MLA but Mistuki decided to reply to her in a serious tone.
"The little brat has been… quiet these last few days. He's been more irritable than normal, too, and he spent all of his time in his room and wouldn't come out, not even to eat. I don't know what happened yesterday because he wouldn't tell me.
"I think I know what's causing that. He and Izuku got into a bit of a scuffle, and Izuku manifested his quirk. A powerful one, too."
"Wait, that's it? The little shit isn't top dog anymore, and he's nursing his pride? HA! Serves him right. Hope this humbles him a little."
Inko sighed into the phone. "Yeah, it's like my quirk but I wish that were the end of it."
"Did something happen to Little Izu?"
Inko's voice became as hard as steel. "No. The school, though, is a different story."
There was another silence on the line. "You're bringing out the hero's voice. Oh, damn, this must be serious."
"Izuku told me that Katsuki tried to viciously assault him in an alleyway after detention." After hearing Mitsuki gasp, she quickly continued. "He thinks that one of the teachers specifically influenced Katsuki to do it, and I have reason to believe him."
"Oh my god, Inko, I'm so sorry! I had no idea that it was this bad."
Inko filed that strange comment away for later. " Wait, what don't worry It's fine, Mitsuki. I mean, it isn't, and I wish it hadn't happened, but I don't blame Katsuki, at least not entirely. It's the main reason I'm calling. The school district is poisoned."
"What do you mean? Well, I mean that lately, I don't know how many adults have brought Katsuki home or come here to report illegal quirk usage. I think some fishy shit is going on here."
"It's a rather long story, but let's just say that a collection of old-school quirk supremacists are trying to amass a considerable following in the country, and they've got hands in a bunch of places, school districts included, to start converting impressionable people. Our school district is one of them."
"Holy shit… do I even want to know how you got that information? Oh shit, is Limitless coming out of retirement?"
"Mitsuki…don't push it."
"I know, I know, I'm sorry, but this sounds like really serious business. If there was ever a time for the Limitless herself to return–"
Inko sighed once more. "Mistuki, we're getting off track here."
"Right. Should I move Katsuki to a new district?"
"That would be best for now. We still need to figure out just how far this influence has spread, though. I doubt this district is the only one in the city in need of a purge, so keep an eye out for anything fishy, and I'll keep an ear to the ground for any further developments."
"I'll follow your lead, Pro." Inko's long-suffering sigh only vindicated Mitsuki's smirk. "I'll just tell him the school's under probation by the government or the principal is a pedo if he asks questions."What are you planning to do for Izuku?"
"Can't say. Better that I don't say. Hero business, and all that."
"So you're getting back into the game, huh?"
"As I said don't push it."
"Anyway reluctantly, and only in an educator's capacity, but maybe yes." At Mitsuki's inquisitive hum, she explained, "I was offered a job by the principal of UA. Given current events and potential future events, it was for the best that I took it."
"Oh, before I forget did you tell Myaku since, ya know considering elite schools would be a target of MLA propaganda."
"I'll tell her later. I haven't told her as of yet.
"Ok."
"Anyway, when are you coming to see her?"
"Well, I've been busy but I should come next week. By the way, how is she?"
"She's doing fine and she asked me to thank you for paying for her therapy sessions."
"It's no problem at all. A few thousand yen wouldn't kill anyone."
Soon, a much longer silence fell over them, and sometime later the call was ended.
Meanwhile, Izuku was nervous about what his mother would do to anyone who had even accidentally wronged him in his life. "Um, mom? Y-You're not going to tear Bakugo apart with your purple blast and then reassemble him into a pig or something, right?" He truly hoped he did not doom his sorta-friend (was that still even applicable?) to such a horrible fate.
"What do you take me for?"
The question came as it surprise to Izuku and it was quiet, way too quiet in Izuku's opinion to make it worse the winds blew adding more tension to the quietness and Izuku was a thousand percent sure he had pissed himself.
"I didn't mean it that way. I'm just surprised you're not angry." Izuku couldn't help but squawk out timidly.
"Oh no, I am angry but I am sure Katsuki won't be bothering you for a while. He learned his lesson after all and I can't put someone together back after taking them apart."
"What I'm bothered about is the teacher who decided it wasn't a good idea to put my child in harm's way."
Her face then shifted into it: her training grin and in that moment Izuku knew that his teacher was done for and Izuku started crying as he imagined his teacher's burial ceremony.
"Anyway, I got a job offer at UA as a practical heroics teacher."
"UA, THE UA! Mom, I'm so happy for you!"
"I haven't accepted it."
"B-but why?" *sniff *sniff.
Izuku was looking at his mother with a pleading expression written all over his face.
Inko did not look at Izuku. She would not fall for it.
Goddamn, she WOULD not
Oh fuck, she did
"Fine, I'll take the job. Just let me call me to call the principal. There are a few things I would like to discuss with him."
"YESSS!" Izuku shouted before jumping up only to see himself levitating mid-air. He simply chalked it up to his quirk and floated down with the aid of his mother and given her lack of reaction, it was his quirk at work.
"Cool!, I can float now? Hey mom, didn't you say your mother could float too?" Izuku asked while checking himself out.
"Yes Izu, and she and I also had the same quirk, I think(?)". But anyway, I'll explain it to you later". His mother answered while smiling.
Inko, in deep thought, decided to call her long-time friend and associate the one and furry Nezu. Nezu was a non-combatant pro who had saved her life directly or indirectly on many occasions he was one of the people Inko could explicitly trust from her time as a pro.
Picking up the phone again, she dialed the little trickster's number.
"Hello Nezu, long time." inko said simply keeping pleasantries to a minimum.
"How long has it been 7 or 8 years?"
"7 years 6 months and three weeks." A voice replied to her over the phone
"Hello, Mrs. Midoriya how nice is it to talk to you again, or shall you return to being Ms. Mikumo since your husband died a few years ago?". A voice chirped ecstatically over the phone.
"How did you know? It happened a few years ago and I don't remember telling you anything about it in fact, you know what forget about it you are Nezu"
"That I am!"
"Cut the shit Nezu, I know you're behind this,"
"Oh my, what would make you think that Ms. Mikumo?"
"Just call me Inko. Was everything she said true?"
"Yes, unfortunately, I am creating a war Council and gathering allies. We can't tell if our comrades are sympathizers to their cause but better safe than sorry. I have allies infiltrating Deika city as we speak."
"Deika…" Inko tried to jog her memory. "That's the weird city that people who live there sprout quirkist ideals, right? The tens of thousands of people there who tend not to move out to anywhere else…"
Inko paled.
Potentially tens of thousands of isolated people living within an MLA indoctrination camp," Nezu answered with a sad tone
"And what about All Might being out of commission?
"That is not something we can discuss over the phone," Nezu answered solemnly but his tone left no room for questions
"Changing topics, what would I be teaching and why didn't I know you were now the principal of UA?"
"It was a development that occurred during your absence from heroics," Nezu began. "It's my way of shaping future generations of heroes away from the Commission's influence, and, hopefully, to create fewer situations where fantastic heroes like yourself become too disillusioned with the ugly truth."
"And I'm planning on you teaching second and third year's practical hero course. Despite All Might being a terrible teacher the first year's curriculum is easy enough for even All Might to teach but the second and third years are more complex. Too complex for All Might to teach."
"What makes you think I'm a good teacher?"
"You trained Kaina and she's a top-ten hero."
"She told you right? That little dipshit, I'll strangle her next time I see her."
"Please don't."
"Anyway for kids now to become heroes…"
Inko's glare softened, and she took a minute to gather the right words to respond to Nezu. "To do that, you'd have to clean up the ugly truth that's hidden away."
"Oh, don't fret, taking down the Hero Commission is next on my list after the MLA," Nezu happily responded.
Inko couldn't help the chuckle that escaped her. "Never change, Rat."
"I also presume you will be pulling Izuku from his current school, given the knowledge that it is likely an MLA indoctrination center," he continued. "Might I suggest in schools free of MLA influence?"
"Sure, but I have one condition,"
"Well, name it."
"I'll deal with Izuku personally and My son can come to train at UA. She said showing her training grin.
Izuku who was sitting listening to the conversation while eating Pizza stopped and looked at inko what he saw made a shiver go down his spine. He wondered at that moment if he made a mistake by pressuring his mother to accept the job offer.
"Well then, Limitless, I'd like to humbly welcome you to our UA staff," Nezu said over the phone.
Inko flinched at the use of her hero name. "I suppose I have to get used to hearing that name again,"
The soft sound of snickering made her turn to her son with an annoyed glare.
"What?"
"Limitless? Really?" Izuku managed through giggles.
"It was original at the time!" Inko defended. "And you have no room to poke fun, Mr. Small Might."
"Mom, you promised not to talk about it anymore!"
(X)
Anyway, this is chapter 3 woohoo! Please give me reviews and your honest opinion on this chapter I know there wasn't any action in this chapter but by the UA arc, everything will become clear.