Chapter 23: Returning to "Normalcy"

"Well, kid, I've gotta say, of all the students I've ever had, you're definitely one of them," Gran Torino snarked.

Tenya paused, and bowed, "Thank you for everything, Gran Torino-sensei. You have helped me a great deal, and I will try and live up to your example."

Gran Torino rolled his eyes, "Yeah, sure thing, kid. Just remember not to stay wound up so tightly. You'll break if you don't bend."

Tenya nodded. He said, "You know, I never asked you, how did you know my grandfather?"

"Oh, he was an old school friend and drinking buddy," Gran Torino said. "I did help train your dad and uncles as a favor for him."

"Ah, that explains why Father was so distraught when I mentioned you," Tenya said. "I had assumed it involved Tensei. I find it inspiring that such a pillar of righteous behavior was friends with an unorthodox hero like yourself."

Gran Torino chuckled, "Kid, do me a favor and look up the 'Nagano Blurs' and see how righteous your granddad was."

Tenya blinked, "I… suppose I will do so. Thank you once again, sensei."

"Oh, one last question," Gran Torino said.

"Of course," Tenya chopped the air.

"Who are you?" Gran Torino said, seemingly returning to his senile persona.

Tenya was about to question his meaning, before he stopped, realizing what he meant. For a second, he hesitated. But, if anything, this Internship proved that, even if he wasn't worthy of the name in his eyes, he would become worthy in time.

"Ingenium, sir. I am Ingenium."

Ochako hit the mat, as she had done numerous times that day, and groaned.

"You're definitely improving," Ryukyu said. "But you're still overly telegraphing your attacks. Your movement needs to be more purposeful. Most villains, you'll only need one hit and they're out."

"Most, but not all," Ochako said after taking a drink of water. "And the last thing I want is to get blindsided by them. At least you and Nejire-senpai are giving me experience with that."

Ryukyu gave her a smile in return, "For now, let's take a break on hand-to-hand and practice with long-range grappling."

Ochako nodded. This was something she and Izuku had figured out between the Sports Festival and the Internships. He'd gone through several ideas of how she could use Zero Gravity (and there were several failed attempts to see if she could increase the gravity of what she touched, similar to Yui being able to both grow and shrink objects).

Finally, they came to one of his many questions: If she lassoed someone or something with a rope, could she remove its gravity by touching the rope? The answer, in this case, turned out to be "yes".

Ochako took one of the cables she'd been working with, "I wish I could have gotten gear that would allow me to shoot out a grappling hook beforehand."

"Gear can break," Ryukyu replied. "If you do have such a support item and it breaks down, the techniques used here will serve you well."

Ochako nodded, giving a mental knock, "Daigoro-san? Could you observe and give me some pointers?"

"Hell, yeah, little lady!" came the rough voice of One for All's fifth host. "Show me your moves!"

Ochako grinned, then swung the rope towards her mentor's wing.

With an enormous FWOOMPH, the training room filled entirely with smoke. Luckily, the ventilation system quickly cleared it away, leaving behind a sheepish looking Izuku. "That felt normal to me, like I was using Full Cowl at my safe maximum. That's clearly too much for such a small area."

"I see," Nighteye said, observing from behind a window. "And what is your current maximum?"

"Fifteen percent," Izuku said. "Working with Mirio has helped immensely."

Nighteye smiled softly, "Did the smoke harm you in any way?"

"Not that I can tell," Izuku relayed. "It was odorless, and it didn't irritate me, but I can't be certain that it's safe."

"I managed to collect some of the smoke. We'll send it to a lab for further testing," Nighteye responded. "Any difficulties in accessing Smokescreen?"

"None. A second stage bond allows a vestige's Quirk to manifest without issue. Fa Jin and Laser Disc aren't coming through, though," Izuku said, before emitting a small amount of smoke, reminiscent of All Might when his Quirk was starting to fail him. "This is about one percent, let me try five…" That obscured him entirely, though most of the room was still clear.

"Excellent," Nighteye congratulated. "Any adverse effects so far?"

"None. Well, my vision is completely obscured, but that's to be expected," Izuku replied.

"You mentioned you planned to use Danger Sense to navigate while using Smokescreen," Nighteye began.

"Yes, although I can't solely rely on that, thanks to its shortcomings," Izuku said sheepishly. "I'll need to ask Mei and Melissa for ideas to help mitigate it."

Nighteye hummed in approval, "Since you appear to be suffering no ill effects, we're going to have you run an obstacle course while producing your Smokescreen. The moment you feel any injury, illness, fatigue, or any negative side effects, cut off production and we'll end this."

"Understood, Sir!" Midoriya called out, as the training room began to shift,

"I can't fucking believe this," Kamakiri muttered under his breath.

Eijiro turned to the mantis-like boy, "What's up, Kama-bro?"

"Fourth Kind is wasting us!" Kamakiri replied, using one of his blades as a garbage pick. "We're here training to be heroes and he has us picking up garbage! You can't tell me you signed up for this!"

"Well, yeah, this isn't what I had in mind when I came here," Eijiro admitted. "I was hoping for a bit more combat."

"Exactly!" Kamakiri said.

"But, well, we don't really need to focus on that, do we?" Eijiro asked. "I mean, we can always get better, that's what training is for, but we've got the basics down pat."

Kamakiri looked annoyed, but didn't argue with it.

"So, yeah, I wish I was getting stronger, but Fourth Kind's right in that there's more to being a Hero than just fighting, and that's why he chose us, to drill into our heads that we need to focus on the parts that aren't just busting up villains," Eijiro said.

Kamakiri scoffed, and mumbled, "I suppose."

Eijiro realized that there was a way to remove all doubt from his bladed compatriot, "Besides, could you imagine that exploding guy agreeing to do something like this?"

Kamakiri froze, stared off into the middle distance, and began to pick up trash with as much fervor as he could muster. Eijiro grinned as he joined in, matching his fellow intern's zeal.

When they were done, hauling the bags to the dumpster, Kamakiri looked at Eijiro and asked, "You don't think I'm like that piece of shit, do you?"

"The grenade dude? Of course not!" Eijiro said, clapping Kamakiri on the back. "That guy was a bully and a villain. Least manly guy I've ever seen."

Kamakiri nodded, but didn't seem convinced. Eijiro tentatively said, "You wanna talk about it?"

Kamakiri looked conflicted, before saying, "That dickhead… when I first met him, I thought he was someone like me. Someone who enjoyed a good fight, someone who could keep up with me, or who I could try and surpass. He wasn't a nice guy, but I ain't too nice, either. Sure, he was an asshole and I wouldn't hang out with him, but I wanted him around for the challenge…

"Then we get to that spar with your class, and we find out he was a bully. He was on probation for torturing your class rep before he could use his Quirk. And that shit won't fly with me. I've known too many assholes who'd spray insect repellent at me or whatever to tolerate it. And then he went too damn far. If Comet Girl wasn't such a badass, she'd have fucking died, and he wouldn't have given a single fuck. And I realize that I saw so much of myself in him, but what I saw was the shit that made him a goddamn villain," Kamakiri spat out.

Eijiro let him talk, then said, "Thanks for letting me know. That couldn't have been easy." Kamakiri grunted in acknowledgement, and Eijiro continued, "So, yeah, it sucks that you had so many bad things in common with that jerk, but at least you realized it and you're trying not to be like him. I think it's pretty manly that you care that much about being better than him. Not just a better fighter, but a better person."

Kamakiri took that in, and smiled, "You're a good guy, Kirishima." He held out his fist, and Eijiro bumped it. "Least now I have a rival who's not a total douchebag."

Kyoka leaned back, "So, how long do you think it'll take before these three end up forming their own agency?" She was looking at Kamui Woods, Mt. Lady, and the hero she interned with, Death Arms, who were chatting at their own table.

"I'm not given to speculation," Ibara said simply. Yui wasn't speaking, but was typing on her phone. Soon, they received her text.

KodaiUE : Give it til end of year.

Kyoka smiled. As Mt. Lady laughed at something, Kyoka asked Yui, "How's she treating you?"

KodaiUE : Pretty good!

KodaiUE : ngl, probably cuz I can grow giant shoes for her.

Kyoka snorted in laughter. Ibara asked, "Would she not be able to use the Quirk-infused clothing our peers use?"

KodaiUE : That requires

KodaiUE : And Takeyama-senpai is trying to stay out of the red

KodaiUE : Collateral damage is a bitch

Ibara nodded, though she frowned at the swearing. "I suppose that makes sense. You call her senpai?"

KodaiUE : She insisted

Kyoka nodded, that seemed in character for the young heroine. "So, have you two seen any action yet?"

"I have provided crowd control for some of Kamui Woods' villain captures," Ibara said.

KodaiUE : Just support here. Growing stuff for Senpai to use.

Kyoka agreed, "And I've ran espionage for a raid. Didn't see combat, and I'm glad for that. Can't believe our classmates, though."

Ibara had a flash of… something… cross her face, "I was… disturbed… when we saw that text from Iida-kun. Particularly since the locations he texted were in Hosu. I was praying quite hard when I realized we could not aid him in his time of need, and gave thanks that he was delivered to salvation."

KodaiUE : I'm glad ur boyfriend made it, too

Ibara blushed, "Do not spread such accusations!"

KodaiUE : I've seen how you look at him ever since the fest. U got it bad, girl

Ibara's blush continued, "I was there when he received the terrible news about his brother! I merely wished to offer him comfort and support in his time of need!"

KodaiUE : Yeah, well, you were praying over Iida's panic texts.

KodaiUE : And no mention about Izu-kun's.

Ibara stammered a bit, before saying, "Midoriya-kun is more than capable of handling himself. Not to mention that Uraraka-san was there to aid him. And of course I was grateful for his safety as well!"

Yui smiled very slightly and said, "Mm," in response.

Kyoka decided to needle her as well, "I noticed that you're calling Green by Uraraka-chan's nickname…"

There was no blush, nor any visible change to her stoic features as Yui typed her response.

KodaiUE : Oh yeah, I'd be all over Izu-kun if he were free

KodaiUE : Problem is, he and Chako are basically married.

KodaiUE : I'm no homewrecker.

Kyoka wondered if she should inform Yui that they were polyamorous. Particularly since she herself wasn't explicitly told they were. Part of the problem of her Quirk was that she heard a lot of secrets that she shouldn't have. So she knew that their class rep was dating a few of her classmates. She figured it wasn't her place to tell anyone…

Well, that wasn't entirely true, she did mention it to Itsuka, after a study session at Momo's house. The two of them were commiserating over their shared crush on the rich girl and Kyoka had told her that she and Izuku were dating, among others.

Of course, the conversation inexorably led in that direction.

KodaiUE : What about u, Jiro?

KodaiUE : Got your eye on anyone?

And with that question, her brain was off to the races. There was Momo, of course, she was just great. And the rest of the group she was dating were nice, too, maybe she would join… But they weren't the only possibilities...

Out loud, she just said, "I've got my eye on people, but I don't know anything beyond that."

Yui raised an eyebrow, and seemed to be about to type when their mentors rose from their own table and told them to get ready for work.

There were a lot of things Tsu liked about Gang Orca. He was strong, he was dedicated, he was a good teacher, he was a fierce fighter for the rights of people with mutant Quirks, and he had a great sense of humor about him.

Her favorite thing about her new mentor, though, was that he loved kids.

When they were on patrol, he always took time to help children who asked for anything. He gushed over her younger siblings, and had an autograph ready for Samidare when she got back home. And now, she was showing him a picture Izuku had sent of Eri.

"I'm so thankful that this little one is safe now," Gang Orca said after cooing over the girl. "Thinking of adopting this early?"

Tsu grinned, "Eh, ribbit, Izu-kun's probably going to be her older brother figure. We'll see, ribbit. It's up to her."

"There's something I need to request," Gang Orca began.

"One of our friends in support is making her a narwhal onesie, ribbit," Tsu replied.

"The minute you get a Provisional Hero License, I want you here for work studies," Gang Orca said with a smile. "Unless you fail to show me pictures."

"Ribbit, I'll send them to you the second they're available, sensei," Tsu nodded.

"It's a shame we weren't capable of responding to Kyuseishu's distress call in time," Gang Orca said, beginning to rumble slightly. "I would have liked to smack that Villain around a bit for daring to harm her."

"We couldn't be there in time, ribbit. Besides, Och- Uravity-chan was within range to take care of it," Tsu responded. She was still getting used to referring to her lovers' Hero names while "on the clock".

Gang Orca raised an eyebrow, "I'd be careful around her, then."

Tsu tilted her head and put a finger to her chin, "Ribbit, why should I worry about one of my girlfriends helping out our boyfriend?"

Gang Orca's face was as hard to read as Tsu's, but the tone he adopted was one of shocked despair, "Wait, what?"

Tsu shrugged, "Several of us are dating each other, ribbit. There's eight of us so far."

Gang Orca paused at the implications, "Is the pink haired girl from your team at the Sports Festival among them?"

"Yes, Mei-chan is one of us, ribbit," Tsu said, concerned. "Is this going to be a problem, ribbit? I didn't think you'd be someone to disapprove, ribbit."

Gang Orca seemed to be shocked out of his funk, "No, absolutely not. You can love however you wish, as long as everyone's consenting and no one's pressuring you into it."

"No, we wouldn't do this if we weren't all on board," Tsu said, thankful that they had concrete proof that this was the case, although she wished it hadn't involved a serial killer stalking Izuku.

"That's good," Gang Orca said. "That having been said, this evening I'm going to need to relax by taking a long swim in the open ocean. You'll be working with my sidekicks on proper paperwork procedures."

Tsu blinked and nodded as Gang Orca left the office. The news later showed that he managed to provide backup to the Hero Selkie while he was stopping a crew of drug smugglers led by a villain named Innsmouth. Gang Orca had finished hunting a great white shark, and the sight of the Number 10 Hero covered in blood and bits of shark caused the villain to surrender immediately.

Tsu could swear that the next day her mentor had muttered something about the Lion Hero Shishido. She'd decided not to pry into it.

On the last day of the Internships, Izuku was surprised to see that three unexpected visitors had arrived at the Nighteye Agency. He was called into a meeting in Nighteye's office.

"Midoriya-kun!" Nezu exclaimed from atop All Might's skeletal shoulders, with his mother in tow. "How wonderful to see you! I trust that your internship has gone well?" The glint in the mammal's eyes was horrifying.

"It has, principal!" Izuku said happily. Nighteye relaxed slightly (VERY slightly) when he said that. "I've been able to better control Blackwhip, and I've gained access to Smokescreen. So far, no problems have arisen from it."

"Just what I like to hear. I'm always glad when my students get the experience they need to succeed as pro Heroes," The words seemed to hit Nighteye as if they were his own high-density stamps. "Now, I'm here because of the situation with little Eri."

Izuku had been dreading this, "Nezu-sensei, Eri-chan is doing the best she can, but so far, getting her to trust anyone but me or Mirio-senpai is difficult."

"I understand completely," Nezu responded. "It took me years to trust even a single human after my own ordeals. Now, I have several problems at hand, and I have decided to solve a good portion of them. Namely, that U.A. now has a ward who needs full-time care, and that several of my students are now in increased danger from at-large villains seeking revenge…"

Izuku looked from Nezu to All Might, who was awkward at being there, and his mother, who was looking a lot like he was when he was put on the spot earlier in the year, before the vestiges had massaged his confidence into something.

"As such, I have hired Ms. Inko Midoriya to take care of our newest ward! And both she and you will be provided housing within U.A.'s new on-campus dormitories!" Nezu announced.

Midoriya blinked, "Eh?"

"Unfortunately, I was unable to convince the school board to make the dorms compulsory for all students as I wished. Still, I have made overtures to several of your classmates who would be most in danger by the new threats," Nezu grinned.

"This… this is a lot to take in," Izuku said.

"Rest assured, I have spared no expense when it comes to the comfort and safety of my students and employees," Nezu responded.

Izuku leaned back, and looked at his mother, "When do we move in?"

Inko rubbed her two index fingers together, "Two days ago. After I signed the contract, movers came to our apartment and within four hours we were set up in a new building."

Izuku's eyes went wide, before he said, "You know, I don't know why I expected anything different."

Nezu leapt down to the floor, "Well, with that settled… Midoriya-kun, I believe it would be best if your mother and I were introduced to the little lady that began this new chapter in U.A.'s history!"

Izuku smiled widely, "Certainly, sensei!" and led the two of them out of the office.

Of course Nezu deliberately left All Might alone with his former sidekick. All Might knew this was coming. There was little other reason to bring him along, in spite of the principal claiming that his shoulder "was so much more comfortable to ride". A week ago, he would have done anything to beg off this meeting.

That changed after hearing how Nighteye had treated his boy. If All Might weren't so averse to awkward conversations, he could have avoided this entire debacle. Convinced Nighteye that Izuku was worthy, or warned Izuku to choose a different agency. Nighteye may have changed his mind, but none of that mattered to All Might.

He knew that the only reason that Nighteye failed was because One for All hit singularity. If not for his predecessors, Izuku would not have the confidence he had, nor the information. If not for that, Nighteye would have been able to succeed, to belittle and deride All Might's stepson to the point that the young man would willingly give up the Quirk he'd rightfully earned. Nighteye would have destroyed Izuku's hopes of being a Hero, returned him to life as a second class citizen, and given young Mirio a Quirk that would kill him.

It didn't happen. It couldn't have happened. But that fact was no thanks to him.

"Toshinori-san," Nighteye finally said, tentatively.

"Sasaki-kun," All Might replied dispassionately. Nighteye flinched at the use of his surname, but, honestly? He was lucky All Might hadn't used his Hero name instead.

"... You were right," Nighteye finally said.

All Might shook his head, "Not about everything. I was slowly killing myself. And I did need to find a successor. However, that was never your decision to make."

"It's a decision you weren't willing to make!" Nighteye said, impassioned. "A choice you seemed to be deferring until you were on your deathbed!"

All Might took a deep breath. He'd had this conversation several times prior to Nighteye contacting him with a candidate for a successor. He wasn't willing to have it again. "Sasaki-kun, tell me the truth, please. Would you have accepted any successor I picked that wasn't young Togata?"

Nighteye opened his mouth, seemingly to deny it, but he faltered. He looked torn, like he was trying to convince himself that he would have trusted All Might's judgment, but couldn't come up with a decent argument. Finally, he hung his head.

"Perhaps we could have discussed your concerns if you hadn't couched your arguments against Izuku with such prejudice," All Might said.

Nighteye clenched a fist, "Can you really blame me for being skeptical of an untrained, Quirkless middle schooler gaining One for All?"

All Might gave Nighteye the coldest stare he could muster, "Do you even realize what you're saying to me? What you're implying?"

Nighteye blinked, then made the connection, "I would never claim that you weren't worthy of One for All!"

"But you did , Sasaki-kun," All Might said. "The reason you rejected Izuku out of hand would have rejected me as well."

Nighteye looked down, before realizing something, "You've been calling him Izuku. Not 'young Midoriya'."

All Might rose, "He's become my son in every way but blood." Nighteye's jaw dropped. "I was happy that you sent Izuku an offer. I had hoped you had seen in him what I had. When Nezu informed me of your true intentions, I was highly disappointed, Sasaki-kun."

Nighteye looked suitably ashamed. Finally, he said, "There are a number of Heroes and investigators after the League of Villains, and I'll offer whatever insights I can. But the Shie Hassaikai are still active. So is Himiko Toga, Midoriya-kun's stalker. For the moment, I will devote my resources to tracking them down and making sure they don't hurt him."

All Might nodded, "I have the utmost faith in your skills, Mirai." With that, he left the office.

Nighteye sighed. It seemed as though the bridge hadn't been burned just yet.

Though he suspected that it wouldn't be crossed anytime soon.

Izuku stood in front of the dorm in shock. It hadn't even been a week and the Heights Alliance dorm complex was already completed. Not to mention it looked gorgeous.

Inko stammered beside him, holding Eri's hand while Izuku held the other, "How… how?"

"That's U.A. for you," Eraserhead stated, walking towards them. "You'll get used to it. Or you'll have a psychotic episode. Oftentimes, both."

At that, Eri broke free from Inko's hand and hid behind Izuku's leg.

Eraserhead looked at the girl, trying to keep his expression neutral, "Is that Eri, Midoriya-kun?"

Izuku nodded, "Hey, Eri-chan, remember Aizawa-sensei? The teacher I told you about, who can stop other people's Quirks?"

Eri shakily nodded, which Izuku could feel from the movement against his leg.

"That's him. Do you want to see it in action?" Izuku asked in an excited tone. Another pause, followed by another nod.

"Wait right here with my mom and I'll show you…" Izuku said, once Eri could look at Izuku, he let loose a few small strands of Blackwhip. He made them wiggle a bit, before Eraserhead stared at him. As the underground Hero's eyes glowed red and his hair flew upwards, Blackwhip fizzled out.

Eri looked at the exchange with awe and confusion, not to mention quite a bit of fear. Inko noticed and asked, "What's wrong Eri-chan?"

Eri trembled slightly as she said, "He… He can't stop him, now. If Overhaul comes back…"

Eraserhead immediately blinked, letting his hair down as Erasure deactivated. Izuku brought back Blackwhip, and knelt down to Eri, "It's okay! Blackwhip is back now!" He wrapped the tendril around her shoulders, looking a lot like Eraserhead's scarf. "Aizawa-sensei only uses his Quirk to take down Villains or help teach me and my friends."

Eri took comfort in the energy around her, and she looked relieved.

"If Overhaul ever comes back, I won't erase Midoriya-kun's Quirk," Eraserhead reassured Eri. "I'll erase his Quirk. And when he can't use it, my friends and I will arrest him again."

Eri looked at Eraserhead wide-eyed. She didn't quite trust it yet, but she had a feeling she'd be safe here. But she couldn't quite feel safe.

Not as long as Overhaul was still out there, somewhere…

All for One grinned as one of his gambits was coming to fruition.

As with any villainous mastermind, All for One had plants within numerous police forces. His services were still in high demand, even now that the world was swimming in powerful Quirks. The officer in question was once a boy who had a Quirk labelled as villainous. His parents had proposed a trade, giving All for One that Quirk in exchange for one fit for the family of police officers. The boy no longer caused horrifying waking nightmares on those he touched. Instead, he now only slept an hour each day. He followed in his father's footsteps, and every so often, he spoke on the phone to the "family friend" who "unlocked the potential of his Quirk" oh so long ago.

It was enough to keep him familiar with the officer. Familiar enough that he could, if he so chose, transported the man or anyone close to him to his location using one of his Quirks.

And the officer in question was currently guarding Kai Chisaki as he was being transferred to Tartarus.

All for One exhaled, hating how the Warping Quirk interacted with his respiratory system. The helmet, at the very least, kept the coughing to a minimum.

He was prepared for this meeting, after all. He had to dress his best to welcome the man to his abode.

As the Yakuza boss materialized in front of him, he saw that the young man's restraints were gone. The man was retching, horrified by the awful taste of the slime that brought him there.

"Ah, young Chisaki," came All for One's mechanically deep voice. "A pleasure to meet you."

"You…" The disgust on Chisaki's face was palpable, more than it was at the foul liquid covering him. "The legendary plague rat, the Typhoid Mary of the new age."

"Ah, yes, I'd heard the rumors of your eccentricities," All for One stated. "The belief that Quirks are a disease, and that you were attempting to find a cure. I have good news for you, then, young man," he smiled beneath his helmet. "I am here to relieve you of your own illness."

"No, I must endure," Chisaki panicked. "I must continue my work! You can't!"

"I don't recall asking you for permission," All for One stated. "Your concept of a means to erase Quirks is admittedly intriguing, but I already possess the ability to deprive someone of a Quirk. Allowing you to develop your own method is, unfortunately, a threat that I cannot abide. It's a pity. You could have made an excellent lieutenant if not for your proclivities."

Two black rivets, cracked with glowing red lines, emerged from All for One's back, stabbing Chisaki through the wrists. As he cried out in pain, All for One approached him, placing both hands on the younger man's throat. "Don't worry, young Chisaki. Your Quirk will serve me well.

Red energy poured into All for One from the holes on his hands, as the Quirk began to transfer. He could feel it pour into his veins.

And then, all of a sudden, his hands were wracked with pain.

Despite the pain of being pierced, Chisaki managed to tear his own arms through the rivets that All for One produced, bringing his hands to All for One's wrists, and activating his Quirk one last time.

Once his Quirk was gone, All for One, enraged, grew more rivets, grabbed Chisaki's head with them, and forced his face into a nearby toilet. He ignored the drowning Yakuza's death throes as he examined the damage.

This wasn't the first time someone used a Quirk on him mid-transfer, but this was the most ruinous of those occasions. Chisaki had only limited control of his Quirk mid-transfer, and thus could not have killed All for One, nor prevented the transfer itself. But he could easily make this new addition to his collection a pyrrhic victory.

All for One's hands were now horrendously deformed, as if they had been clenched into fists and burned so thoroughly that they melted together like plastic, and covered with odd bony growths across them. The holes through which he used his primary Quirk were still present. Using the Quirk mid-transfer prevented that from changing.

All for One felt Overhaul within him, and he clapped his deformed hands together to use the Quirk.

Failure.

He tried pressing his hands across his face, his body, anywhere to attempt to restructure his own body, which he knew the Quirk was capable of doing.

Failure.

Realizing these hands couldn't use his new Quirk, All for One grew some new rivets from his back. He used these to slice off the new hands and let his copy of Super Regeneration regrow them.

To his horror, the hands grew back in the same deformed state.

Growling in frustration, All for One returned to his bed, using the rivets to reconnect himself to his life support. He had quirks that could overcome this new disability. Ultimately, this would be a minor inconvenience. A brief setback. One failed plan out of many. And now, at least Overhaul was in his arsenal.

Though, with such power over him, could he truly trust anyone with this weapon?

Izuku couldn't believe it.

The dorm building had a penthouse that now housed him, his mother, and Eri. It was much larger than his original apartment, but Nezu had seemingly gone to great lengths to make it resemble the only home he ever knew. Heck, it even smelled like their old apartment!

His room was likewise the same. A shrine to many Heroes (but mostly All Might). His newest trophy, Nighteye's apology figure, was placed in honor among his shelves.

To boot, the room contained a trap door and a ladder to the room directly below it, among the student dorms. Nezu, in his infinite wisdom, decided that while he'd offered Izuku a room as part of Inko's new contract, he was still entitled to a room as a U.A. student, and thus was provided a room among the student dormitories on the floor below him.

"Whatever you do, stay on Nezu's good side," Yoichi had advised him. The other vestiges instantly agreed.

Once he was finished unpacking, while his mother was taking care of Eri, Izuku decided to take a look around the dorm to see who might be around.

As soon as he opened the door, he noticed a familiar face walking into the door to his right. "Occhan?"

"Izu-kun?!" Ochako said in shock. She then slumped down, "Yeah, I should have figured this would happen."

Izuku shook his head, "Wanna bet that by sheer coincidence, Mei, Melissa, and Nejire will all be on the same floor of this building by 'mistake'?"

"Wow, working with Nighteye must've honed those prediction skills," Ochako joked, giggling.

Izuku chuckled as well, "Well, we might as well see who else has arrived."

"Probably not many people," Ochako replied. "Pony will probably show up, since she's living on her own as well. I can't believe Nezu bought out our lease."

"Might need to make a shrine," Izuku joked, causing Ochako to giggle once more. "When you're done, let's see who else is here. I wonder what the next surprise is."

"Well, you're going to find out now!" a familiar voice came from behind them.

Izuku and Ochako turned and were utterly shocked to see a girl wearing a U.A. uniform. She was absolutely stunning, a face so gorgeous that it stood out in a class of staggeringly attractive ladies. She had the widest grin on her pale face. Her hair fell to just below her ears, seemingly white, but when light struck at just the right spot, it shone like a rainbow. Her eyes were that same color, practically glittering like diamonds.

"Hey, there!" Toru Hagakure waved to them.